Week in Review 5.4.19

Whoa! I feel off the planet with my weekly updates but I'm back! After a few busy weeks and honestly too much working out, I decided to make this week's theme about rest and relaxation. While I didn't achieve all the rest and relaxation, I did dial it back a lot. 

Exercise

I had some great workouts this week. I quit my main boot camp gym and have one more month left before I'll be on the hunt for a new boot camp location. I'm going to take the summer off and try multiple locations before committing to one gym. This week, I got in two City Cycle rides, three boot camps and two barre3 classes. My favorite was the Friday barre3 class where I was surprised by a friend who was coincidently also in the class! It was such a great treat! 

Food

I've been working hard to get my veggies in with the 2.3.4 plan (2 servings at breakfast, 3 at lunch and 4 at dinner). I fell off track after my extensive dental work but my stitches are out and I'm really focusing on getting them in. I feel so much better when I've had a lot of vegetables. 

I've also been reading Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat and soaking up all the cooking knowledge. I am a bit of a nerd when it comes to cooking and love diving deep into the topic. This book takes me so deep and I'm in love. I also can't wait to watch the Netflix special. 

The Girls


The girls have been busy preparing for their dance recitals, keeping up with school work (Molly is working hard on her reading) and playing sports (Maggie is doing t-ball this spring). It's been fun watching them interact with each other. Both of them just had huge growth spurts and that required the purchase of new wardrobes. 

Other Goings On

I've been obsessed with my 100 Day Project of finishing my Miter Squared blanket. I made it to the border this week and hit the boring spot. Casting on approximately 1 million stitches was boring but I plowed through because of my project! 

We went to Portland last weekend to hang out with family and ride horses. It was a really good time and I got some prime knitting time in on the car ride there and back. 

Monthly Goal Check-In (April)

April was a month of travel and fun which meant I didn't work on many of my goals. Nor did I post on the blog but I hope to change that in the near future. I did make great progress on my Miter Square blanket but otherwise not much progress was made otherwise. I'm not worried though. I'll make progress soon! 

2019 Goals

1. Workout 219 times in 2019 - I got in 22 awesome workouts which brings my total to 101!
2. Crush 100 rides at City Cycle 
3. Obtain and keep Inbox Zero - I went on vacation for a week and my inbox is back up to 578 emails. *sob*
4. Do NaNoWriMo This is a November goal so I won't be working on it until November.
5. Knit 12 Accessories for charity - I did not finish my April accessory so I'l knit two in May!
6. Get a new chair for the living room
7. Complete an embroidery sampler - I did not work on this yet.
8. Organize the girl's memory boxes 
9. Run/Walk a mile a day for a month
10. Get window coverings for the basement windows
11. Knit a sweater for myself - I've started this project and just need to knit a lot on it.
12. Complete the Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge- I have read 5 of the 12 books.
13. Finish the two quilts I have partway done - I have not started this goal.
14. Sew a piece of clothing for either myself or the girls - I have not started this goal.
15. Replace the upstairs light fixtures - I have not started this goal.
16. REPEAT GOAL: Read War and Peace - I am at page 70 and finding this to be a complex meaty book!
17. REPEAT GOAL: Read the Bible - I've been doing my daily reading.
18. REPEAT GOAL: Finish my Miter Square Blanket - I am on the border and will finish this in May! 
19. REPEAT GOAL: Catch up on my yearly photo books of the girls - I am almost done with Maggie's Year One book. Just four more years to go! 
20. Bonus Goal: Paint the Upstairs Bathroom - I did not work on this goal.
21. Bonus Goal: Knit Nanoo - I did not work on this goal.
22. Bonus Goal: Read 50 books in 2019 - I'm currently reading book 18!

April Goals

March was good. March was also weird due to a lot of dental work (for me), vet visits (for the cats) and the flu (for Molly). I accomplished a lot on my goals but was left feeling like I could have done more and like I did a lot. 

Here is how I did on my March Goals:

1. Workout 24 times in March - I did a crushing 27 workouts!
2. Finish Maggie’s 1 year book - Nope!
3. Work in Inbox Zero - I'm down to less than 200 emails!
4. Finish organizing the girl's memory boxes - DONE!
5. Finish the squares for my Miter Square Blanket - Nope!
6. Do Molly’s Year 2 Photo Book - Nope!
7. Crush 100 rides at City Cycle - DONE! I crushed this goal! 
8. Knit March's Accessory for Charity - I knit a cushy cowl
9. Read 125 pages of War & Peace - I got to page 70 so good?
10. Finish setting up basement - It's 95% done with the amazing help of my family!
11. Knit the Murnong hat #makenine - Done and if only it was cold enough to wear. 

Here are my goals for April:

1. Workout 16 times
2. Finish Maggie’s 1 year book 
3. Achieve InBox Zero
4. Start the 100 day project - Finish the squares for my Miter Square Blanket 
5. Do Molly’s Year 2 Photo Book
6. Read 150 pages of War & Peace (up to page 275)
7. Knit April Accessory
8. Finish setting up office
9. Knit Squad Mitts #makenine
10. Start an embroidery sampler

Monthly Goal Check-In (March)

Most of March felt like recovery from February. I tried to focus on my goals and made some good in-roads but I also felt a bit drained. I am proud of what I accomplished though and I did workout a lot which I am really enjoying right now. There was also a weekend spent in nature and while I'm not a fan of camping, I do think getting out into nature more often is good for my soul. 

2019 Goals

1. Workout 219 times in 2019 - I got in 27 awesome works which brings my total to 79
2. Crush 100 rides at City Cycle - I conquered this goal! It was amazing doing my 100th ride and I'm ready for 100 more!
3. Obtain and keep Inbox Zero - I am down to less than 200 emails in my box. Many of them I need to print out for Maggie's memory box and archive them. I'm super pumped about this goal.
4. Do NaNoWriMo This is a November goal so I won't be working on it until November.
5. Knit 12 Accessories for charity - I knit a bulky cowl in March. It is going to keep someone warm!
6. Get a new chair for the living room
7. Complete an embroidery sampler - I did not work on this yet.
8. Organize the girl's memory boxes - I did this! I got this done! It took the whole season of Russian Doll and four straight hours but I did it. I do need to just keep up on it monthly now.
9. Run/Walk a mile a day for a month
10. Get window coverings for the basement windows
11. Knit a sweater for myself - I've started this project and just need to knit a lot on it.
12. Complete the Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge- I have read 5 of the 12 books.
13. Finish the two quilts I have partway done - I have not started this goal.
14. Sew a piece of clothing for either myself or the girls - I have not started this goal.
15. Replace the upstairs light fixtures - I have not started this goal.
16. REPEAT GOAL: Read War and Peace - I am at page 70 and finding this to be a complex meaty book!
17. REPEAT GOAL: Read the Bible - I've been doing my daily reading.
18. REPEAT GOAL: Finish my Miter Square Blanket - I am making this my 100 Day Project with goals for each 30 days. I can not wait to finish this albatross around my neck.
19. REPEAT GOAL: Catch up on my yearly photo books of the girls - I am about halfway through Maggie's Year One book.
20. Bonus Goal: Paint the Upstairs Bathroom - I did not work on this goal.
21. Bonus Goal: Knit Nanoo - I did not work on this goal.
22. Bonus Goal: Read 50 books in 2019 - I'm currently reading book 15!

Week in Review 3.10.19

I spent most of this week driving to all the medical providers. I did not schedule any of my follow-ups in a schedule friendly manner and ended up seeing the dentist for me, the kid's dentist, my doctor, the neuro eye doctor, Maggie's speech therapist and even the vet this week. Everything is good but that was a lot of doctor offices for one week! 

Exercise

I had some great workouts this week and I'm so close to completing my 100 Ride City Cycle Challenge. I'll be able to cross that off my goal list in a few weeks! This week, I got in four City Cycle rides and three boot camps. They were all pretty amazing classes. 

Food

We tried out Nuture Life for meals this week and they are pretty awesome. I don't foresee us using them often but the girls enjoyed every meal and I liked the ease of using them. 

I'm also looking at how and where we get our weekly groceries. I have a feeling we could be spending less money which is why things like Nuture Life won't be a regular feature for us. They are a great price but I know I can make food the kids like for less. 

The Girls

Molly had a busy week selling Girl Scout cookies which meant I had a busy week driving her to site sales and even worked one with her. She has really been enjoying cookie sales and it has been fun watching her crush her goal. She also helped me do safety patrol at her school this week while the 5th graders were off at camp. 

Maggie has been adjusting to a new teacher in her preschool classroom and enjoying the outdoors. She worked on a potion this week and then I made her move her efforts to the great outdoors due to the mess. She had fun being creative with the materials around her. 

Both girls also went to the dentist this week and got great check-ups. I also decided to get them electric toothbrushes to help get their gumlines clean. 

Other Goings On

It may have snowed on Friday but my mind is already turning to spring planting. I'm ready to get my yard in shape! We had a relatively mild winter until February which allowed weeds to sprout up and I need to get on that task earlier than later. 

Week in Review 3.2.19

This week was one of getting back to normalcy. Yes, Scott was in Australia but the girls and I stuck to our regular schedule and it felt so good. There were a few hurdles to climb over with the girls. Anyone have any tips on getting them to clean up their toys? I feel like I've done everything - made them a chart, took away toys, limited toys, rotated toys, given up!, cried. All of it! 

Exercise

I completed my final run for my one month daily mile challenge and I was so happy to be done! I loved the challenge but this was not the best month to have tackled it. Mother Nature made it HARD! However, I am proud that I went out every damn day and tackled one mile though the slush, snow and rain. 

I got in some good workouts this week. I did two City Cycle rides, two boot camps along with two Barre3 classes. 

Food

Food was about getting back to basics this week. I had smoothies or oatmeal for breakfast, good healthy lunches and great dinners. I kept meals fairly simple this week since the girls don't really appreciate my extravagant efforts. I did make sweet potato/black bean empanadas one night and they were delicious. No one but me ate them but they were so good. 

The Girls

The girls and I had a lot of fun this week! We went rollerskating, skateboarding, read books and just hung out together. I really focused on getting back to their routine but also making sure there were fun moments. And most importantly I was able to keep them away from the television which was a huge challenge some nights when all I wanted to do was crawl into bed with a book and ignore them. However I did not and the payoff was grand! 

Other Goings On

Speaking of books, I have already read 11 this year! I'm on a huge reading kick and loving it! I've been making bi-weekly treks to the library and having so much fun with the book selections. I'm positively thrilled to be on a book reading binge! 

March Goals

February was not my month to achieve most of my goals. The two week snow storm and then mid-winter break took away my time and focus. It's ok though! Sometimes you have goals and outside forces mean they don't get done. I did accomplish what I feel were my most important goals and that feels like success to me! 

Here is how I did on my February Goals:

1. Workout 22 times in February - I squeaked by with 21 workouts. Still awesome!
2. Finish Maggie's 1 year book - Nope!
3. Work on Inbox Zero - Got through 2016! 
4. Knit a hat for charity - Done!
5. Finish organizing the girl's memory boxes - NOPE! 
6. Run a mile a day for the month of February - I DID THIS! I can't believe it did it through the snow, ice, rain and wind! 
7. Start knitting a sweater for myself - I started knitting the No Frills Cardigan!
8. Start reading War and Peace - I'm only a few pages in but I started! 
9. Finish the squares for my Miter Square Blanket - did not get to this. 
10. Make Molly's Year 2 Photo Book - did not get to this. 

Here are my goals for March. There are some repeats but I'm working on getting back to a routine.  

1. Workout 24 times in March
2. Finish Maggie’s 1 year book
3. Work in Inbox Zero - through at least 2015
4. Finish organizing the girl's memory boxes
5. Finish the squares for my Miter Square Blanket
6. Do Molly’s Year 2 Photo Book
7. Crush 100 rides at City Cycle
8. Knit March's Accessory for Charity
9. Read 125 pages of War & Peace
10. Finish setting up basement
11. Knit the Murnong hat #makenine

Monthly Goal Check-in (February)

February was quite the year in Seattle! We had almost two weeks of snow which meant a lot of missed school for the kids and then mid-winter break! The girls and I traveled down to San Diego to visit my best friend and her kids. It was an awesome time! March's focus though will be about getting back to our routine and schedule. My kids thrive on a schedule so I'm looking forward to some regularity. 

2019 Goals

1. Workout 219 times in 2019 - I amazingly got in 21 workouts in February which I found unbelievable due to the snow messing things up. I'm now at 52 workouts for the year which means I have 167 to go! 
2. Crush 100 rides at City Cycle  - I'm at 84 rides with a goal of my 100th ride happening in late March. 
3. Obtain and keep Inbox Zero - I worked on this as much as I could with the kids around. I'm now diving deep into 2015 and circling in on this goal. 
4. Do NaNoWriMo This is a November goal so I won't be working on it until November. 
5. Knit 12 Accessories for charity - I knit a super cute hat for February. 
6. Get a new chair for the living room 
7. Complete an embroidery sampler - I did not work on this yet. 
8. Organize the girl's memory boxes - I started organizing these and hope to finish this in March. 
9. Run/Walk a mile a day for a month - DONE! DONE! DONE! I ran/walked a mile everyday in February through snow and ice and rain and blistering cold wind. I did it! 
10. Get window coverings for the basement windows 
11. Knit a sweater for myself - I selected a sweater, knit approximately 1 million swatches and bought the yarn for my sweater. I cast on and knit a few rows. I'm excited about this project.  
12. Complete the Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge- I have read XX of the 12 books. 
13. Finish the two quilts I have partway done - I have not started this goal.
14. Sew a piece of clothing for either myself or the girls - I have not started this goal. 
15. Replace the upstairs light fixtures - I have not started this goal. 
16. REPEAT GOAL: Read War and Peace - I started reading this and look forward to making more progress
17. REPEAT GOAL: Read the Bible - I've been doing my daily reading.
18. REPEAT GOAL: Finish my Miter Square Blanket - I did not work on this goal. 
19. REPEAT GOAL: Catch up on my yearly photo books of the girls - I am about halfway through Maggie's Year One book. 
20. Bonus Goal: Paint the Upstairs Bathroom - I did not work on this goal. 
21. Bonus Goal: Knit Nanoo - I did not work on this goal. 

Week in Review 2.9.19

In the last week, Seattle has been hit with three snow storms with two/three more on the way. I may have chosen a bad month for my 1 mile a day challenge. However, I'm still getting out there even if more of my runs have been like quick walks. People do not seem to shovel their walks here or put out a bit of salt so they have been icy and slick. I'd rather not risk a fall. 

Exercise

Even with the snow storms, I've been working to get some workouts in. I ran/walked every day this week and did two City Cycle rides, one boot camp along with an at home workout. I've been working to get it in and it has been challenging!  

Food

Due to the snow, our food deliveries were delayed or cancelled. Along with the rest of Seattle, I ordered food from Amazon Fresh on Wednesday and went grocery shopping on Thursday morning. With the threat of new snow in the forecast, I am honestly a little concerned that we don't have enough food to sustain us. Most importantly, I need more vegetables! 

The Girls

Molly went sledding with our neighbors yesterday and thought it was the best thing ever. She had a blast and came home exhausted. Maggie said she couldn't go as she would be cold and freeze. 

Other Goings On

I've been spending a lot of time cuddled up in my bed with books and my knitting. It has been nice to slow down but I'm also itching to get back to our regular routine which may not be happening for awhile. I fear I may be spending a lot of time with my children in the next few weeks. 

February Goals

I dove in hard in January and really tackled my goals which felt amazing! I completed 8 out of my 10 goals and made serious progress on my other two goals. I kept my goals pretty realistic and focused on them daily which helped a lot. 

Here is how I did on my January Goals:

1. Tackle the City Cycle Challenge of 4 rides a week for 4 weeks - DONE! 
2. Workout 22 times - I got in 31 workouts! 
3. Work on InBox Zero - I got through all of 2018! 
4. Knit an accessory for charity - I knit some really cute fingerless gloves.
5. Get window coverings for the basement windows - I did this and some of the windows upstairs and it makes me so happy!
6. Get a new chair for the living room - This has been a great addition and I also got an ottoman to go along with it. Everyone loves this chair. 
7. Work on the girl's memory boxes - I worked on them but did not finish up the process. It is a mess!
8. Get Maggie's Year One Photo Book done - I started this but did not get it done. 
9. Get the basement set-up - This is partly done. There is still lots to do. 
10. Complete the Declutter like a Mother challenge - DONE and it was fantastic! The house is in a much better place than when January started. I still have lots to do but it feels so good. 

Here are my goals for February. I'm pretty excited about tackling these. They include both 2019 goals and some monthly specific goals. I like to keep these monthly goals to 10 with a mix of far reaching goals and some very easy, specific ones. 

1. Workout 26 times in February
2. Finish Maggie's 1 year book
3. Work on Inbox Zero - through 2016
4. Knit a hat for charity
5. Finish organizing the girl's memory boxes
6. Run a mile a day for the month of February
7. Start knitting a sweater for myself
8. Start reading War and Peace
9. Finish the squares for my Miter Square Blanket
10. Make Molly's Year 2 Photo Book

Monthly Goal Check-in (January)

Hello from Snowy Seattle! January was a sunny, bright, mild month and February is showing up with snow and gusty wind. I tackled my goals with a vengeance in January and made a bit of progress in my yearly goals. 

2019 Goals

1. Workout 219 times in 2019 January - I got in 31 workouts in January which means I have 188 workouts to go! 
2. Crush 100 rides at City Cycle  - I'm at 75 rides with a goal of my 100th ride happening in late March. 
3. Obtain and keep Inbox Zero - I worked on this every single day in January and am down to a page of current emails with all 2018 emails deleted or archived. I'm feeling good! 
4. Do NaNoWriMo This is a November goal so I won't be working on it until November. 
5. Knit 12 Accessories for charity - I knit some really cute mitts for my January accessory. 
6. Get a new chair for the living room - DONE! And we all love it! Especially Lewis. 
7. Complete an embroidery sampler - I did not work on this yet. 
8. Organize the girl's memory boxes - I started organizing these and hope to finish this in February. 
9. Run/Walk a mile a day for a month - This is in my February goals! 
10. Get window coverings for the basement windows - DONE! My windows look so good and I feel so grown-up. 
11. Knit a sweater for myself - I think I've selected the sweater and am planning to start this in February. 
12. Complete the Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge- I'm making awesome progress on this goal and have read 4 of the 12 books. 
13. Finish the two quilts I have partway done - I have not started this goal.
14. Sew a piece of clothing for either myself or the girls - I have not started this goal. 
15. Replace the upstairs light fixtures - I have not started this goal. 
16. REPEAT GOAL: Read War and Peace - I read the first page! 
17. REPEAT GOAL: Read the Bible - I've been doing my daily reading.
18. REPEAT GOAL: Finish my Miter Square Blanket - I did not work on this goal. 
19. REPEAT GOAL: Catch up on my yearly photo books of the girls - I am about halfway through Maggie's Year One book. 
20. Bonus Goal: Paint the Upstairs Bathroom - I did not work on this goal. 
21. Bonus Goal: Knit Nanoo - I did not work on this goal. 

Week in Review 1.26.19 & 2.2.19

This has been a busy, busy month. January felt like a year in just 31 days. I went to a third eye doctor about my issues on Martin Luther King Jr. day and she agreed with my Neurology Ophthalmologist. I'm now wearing distance glasses when I drive or watch movies and my double vision has significantly decreased. I was thrilled that my various doctor appointments were done and then I went to the dentist. Turns out I have some major teeth issues and need a root canal among other issues. So now I have multiple dentist appointments! I'm so (NOT) excited! I also am the proud owner of a water flosser since it turns out my flossing is subpar. 

Exercise

I've been keeping up my exercising as it really makes me happy. I completed January's City Cycle challenge of 4 rides every week for 4 weeks on Saturday with the most amazing ride. It was good. I'm now working toward my 100 City Cycle ride goal with a deadline of late March. I'm at 75 rides and if I keep up 3 rides a week, I'll make it. I've also been doing some Barre3 and boot camps. On Friday I also started my goal of running one mile a day for a month which I will accomplish in February. The current snow might mean some altering but at the end of February, I'll have run at least 28 miles! I'm at 35 workouts for my 219 workouts in 2019 challenge. 

Food

We've been enjoying so many of the Acme Food & Kitchen Whole30 meals while not eating entirely Whole30 at all. I do love the increase in vegetables. I'm working on upping my vegetables and this has been helping. I am still taking in way too much sugar because it is my true love. SUGAR! 

The Girls

The girls have been busy with school and activities. Molly is taking skateboard lessons and working through gaining confidence. Both girls are also working with me on reading lessons. Molly is in need of some extra help and Maggie felt left out so I've been doing extra reading with them every day. It's been really good! They like that for every 10 lessons, they get a small prize. It might be selecting our lunch place, doing something as a family or even a small toy for under $10. The prizes drive them to keep learning. 

Other Goings On

I've been busy KonMari'ing the house and loving it while also setting up the basement. We had our new couch delivered on Saturday and womp! womp! two pieces don't fit through the door. Luckily for us, our neighbor is a contractor and he is going to come over this week to help out.