David:
1. Try one new food every day – Today’s food was sweet pepper. Orange to be exact. He liked it! and we’ve saved more to eat tomorrow. Also, he did eat the rest of the snap peas and carrots today. At least most of them. This is big progress for us.
2. Do 30 minutes of work daily – Today we did writing. He practiced letters a, b, c, d, e, and f. Upper and lowercase. He needs more practice but I think we made good progress.
3. Read 20 minutes a day from a book – We didn’t read today. It was his wii day.
Art:
1. Draw 100 faces – Another one today.
2. Make one art journal page daily – Zentangle again today. I did two layouts today so not a lot of time. Enjoying the zentangles though.
Health:
1. Exercise for 15-20 minutes 3 times a week – I did 21 minutes of Wii Fit today. It was painful and I didn’t think I was going to make it. But I did it. Yoga, strength, and step.
2. Eat one fruit and one vegetable every day – Banana and corn.
Productivity:
1. Do one nagging task daily – I finally folded all the laundry. This was weeks overdue.
2. Start and End each day better – Right after I worked out, I flossed, brushed my teeth and showered. It wasn’t first thing in the day but it was still better than I would have done otherwise.
Soul:
1. Journal for 15 minutes a day – didn’t do this today. My arms are in a lot of pain. I told myself it was ok to take a break. Might still do it before bed.
2. Mediate for 5 minutes a day – about 4 minutes today.
3. Write a thank you email every day – Wrote one to Amy today. She is so wonderful.
Nathaniel woke up obscenely early today. I was so tired, so worn out, I wanted to cry. But I did end up recovering a little bit after I lay down for a while. He was in great moods, though and loved it when his daddy wheeled him around.
While David played wii.
more laughter.
We took a brief break to watch Lance. I am a huge huge fan of Tour De France. I have been waiting for this year with great anticipation.
After he wreaked havoc and cleaned all the drawers, Nathaniel finally did play with his toys. Only once he emptied everything else.
I am still so very tired and working out today didn’t help much.I did do two layouts and read a bunch and several other things but I really need to go lie now and that’s what I am going to do. I hope you have great Fourth plans if you live in the US. I’m excited about ours!
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I exercised again! go me.
2. I am thankful for audio books today.
3. I am so so grateful for a wonderful three weeks filled with Tour De France.
Since I bought a new camera, I had to do this one again:
13. Create my own camera strap
This time I just did my own little solution. I didn’t do the triangular edges and since the fabric I used is thin, I put a layer of batting underneath it. It’s nice and cushy now.
David:
1. Try one new food every day – Today he tried a bite of celery – he didn’t like. He then tried snap peas which he did like. And carrots which he also did like. All in all, not so bad.
2. Do 30 minutes of work daily – Today we did reading. We focused on b-words and c-words. He did great and he’s getting better and better at sounding things out and more importantly his confidence in himself is growing.
3. Read 20 minutes a day from a book – We’ve switched to another book by the Famous Five: Famous Five on a Secret Trail but we’re still reading and I make sure he tells me a short summary afterwards to ensure he really is following.
Art:
1. Draw 100 faces – One more today. I really dislike this one but I was so tired, I am lucky it happened at all.
2. Make one art journal page daily – I woke up late today and got started in my day even later. And then did a layout for CHA so I didn’t think I was going to get to this at all today. But then I felt like doing a zentangle so I did it.
Health:
1. Exercise for 15-20 minutes 3 times a week – No exercise today. I really needed the rest. The goal is 3-days-a-week after all.
2. Eat one fruit and one vegetable every day – Banana and celery today.
Productivity:
1. Do one nagging task daily – I delivered David’s application today, something I’d been meaning to do for over a week. I plan to do a few more nagging tasks that I’ve been ignoring.
2. Start and End each day better – Even though I didn’t work out, I flossed, brushed my teeth and showered right before I put Nathaniel down for his nap.
Soul:
1. Journal for 15 minutes a day – done. Still unsure I like to do this but I decided to give it the full month and then decide.
2. Mediate for 5 minutes a day – done.
3. Write a thank you email every day – Wrote one to my friend Larissa today. She is amazing and I am quite thankful for her.
Today started slow and complicated. I am still feeling exhausted and unable to rest for some reason. So I had a slow start. I did get better and the kids were angels but I am still feeling worn out.
David’s been playing with his legos still. Loves them.
And the little boy is playing with his legos/blocks too.
Look at those little toes.
I even scrapped. Doing more layouts for CHA. I am trying to pace myself and just do one a day and see how it goes. Let’s see if I can manage it. Next week promises to be crazy with more layouts for CHA and then the AMM kit. So trying to take it easy now.
Plans for tonight are to rest and possibly read some. Lonesome Dove, here I come.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. Grateful that my kids are so good on their own.
2. Grateful that I am getting some good nagging tasks done. Ones that need doing.
3. Grateful that I am now starting a 4-day weekend!!
Two Things David’s Grateful For:
1. lego men.
2. daddy
Journaling Reads:
I have been blessed with the most amazing parents.
I must admit that I have not always been actively aware of this fact. As a child, I spent most of my time wondering how I ended up in this family where I felt like I obviously didn’t belong. It’s not that they were bad people, it’s just that they were so very different than I was. They had different priorities and ideas of fun than I did.
So I did a lot of sulking, a lot of doing my own thing and taking these amazing parents for granted. Yet, they never gave up on me and supported all my crazy and far-fetched dreams. When I told them I wanted to study in the United States, they did every single thing in their power to make it happen for me.
Even though they don’t really understand what I do and sometimes they aren’t sure why I make the choices I make, they are always 100% behind me and they are first to cheer me on. When I falter, they are the first to rush in an help me. I’ve always known that my parents were supportive but it’s only in the last few years that I’ve come to full appreciate them.
Welcome to the Blog Hop! The hop starts today, Friday July 2nd through Sunday July 4th. Each blog will be showcasing a different project inspired by summer and all of its glory! Hop through each blog to check out the instructions for creating each project, then choose a project to recreate. Post your project in the AMM gallery and in this thread. You will have until Friday July 9th at midnight to post your project to be eligible to win an Echo Park Collection pack! More than one project created earns you another chance in the random drawing. Please be sure that projects are created especially for this contest. Good luck!
Since David is starting Kindergarten in the fall, I decided we would spend this summer at home together. I didn’t sign him up for summer school or for any specific activities. To make sure we wouldn’t get bored, I made a layout with a list of activities we can do. I used photos of each of the activities and also listed them. This way, if we want spontaneous ideas, we can close our eyes and point at one and do that one.
Here are a few details:
I wanted to show you how I did the photos for this layout so I took a little movie in Photoshop. I am pretty sure you can do the same thing in Photoshop Elements.
David:
1. Try one new food every day – Today’s food was persimmon. I obviously should have read about it before we tried it cause ours was still extremely astringent and our mouths puckered up immediately and we ended up trashing the rest of it. But he did try it and that’s a step. That’s all my goal is with this.
2. Do 30 minutes of work daily – Today we did math. We studied places, 1s, 10s and 100s. We also discussed what makes one number bigger than another and he took a mini quiz comparing numbers and got a 5 out 5 and a gold star. Good so far!
3. Read 20 minutes a day from a book – When I was little, I used to love and adore the Famous Five books by Enid Blyton so I decided they would be fun for David, too. For now that’s what we’re reading. Let’s see how it goes.
Art:
1. Draw 100 faces – Only one today, but better than none, right?
2. Make one art journal page daily – Went for something simple today. Just used some of the spare fabric I had. This awesome stamp by Margie and some stitching.
Health:
1. Exercise for 15-20 minutes 3 times a week – I did 21 minutes of Wii Fit today. It was painful, trust me. But I did it. Yoga, strength, hula hoop, and step.
2. Eat one fruit and one vegetable every day – Banana and Broccoli baby. I even ate some eggs.
Productivity:
1. Do one nagging task daily – I called the woman from transportation to David’s school, nagging indeed.
2. Start and End each day better – Right after I worked out, I flossed, brushed my teeth and showered. It did make me wake up quicker.
Soul:
1. Journal for 15 minutes a day – done. A bit odd and I am not sure if after all this blog writing I still have stuff to journal about but trying it on for now.
2. Mediate for 5 minutes a day – done. As I imagined it was harder than it seems.
3. Write a thank you email every day – Wrote one to my friend Lori today. She is awesome.
Something weird. Not sure I like it but I am not full of options anymore. Gotta go shooting.
Today was a good day. Hard but good day. I will give a happiness project update in a separate post. There was a stupid pedometer in our room that decided to have an alarm go off at 2 in the morning, waking us both up. Which, of course, meant the rest of the night was super hard. Nathaniel woke up nice and early at 5:30am. And he’s gotten really good at rummaging through the drawers.
While David plays with his legos.
And chases him around to kiss him.
And hugs him.
I swear, he loves his little brother so much.
I am 100% worn out. Tired. I plan to veg on the couch all night as I process and print 60 some photos for scrapping. I like having my photos printed. This way, when inspiration strikes, I don’t have to sit and find photos. I have some The Girls’ Papirie CHA work to do and some more coming next week. I love Margie’s designs so much that just looking at the paper makes me happy.
I am *very* slowly reading Lonesome Dove, our book club pick and then I have two more really long books to read. I might take a break in between and read something quick and fun. I think the problem really is just how tired I feel lately. Hard to focus. Feeling good, though. Strong, happy, thankful.
Note to Self:
I think I am going to skip this section for the month of July while I do the Happiness Project since it will be mostly about that, I imagine. If it turns out I have unrelated things to say I reserve the right to bring it back. 🙂
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I exercised this morning. It hurt like crazy for something so small but still i am proud of myself.
2. I am thankful for getting to work with papers and product I love. I wanted to be on a design team for a while a few years ago but then I had stopped applying and I am so picky about what product I love and the idea of working with something less than ideal just so I can be on a team is unappealing to me. So I am eternally grateful that I get to be on a team and work with products I love. I am not taking it for granted for a second.
3. I am grateful for my July project. It’s tough but it’s making me happier.
Two Things David’s Grateful For:
1. reading the book with mommy.
2. doing math with mommy.
3. daddy.
I’ve been loving having these focused projects that I’ve done for the last two months but it’s been a lot of work so I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to continue onward for July or to take a break.
And then I read The Happiness Project and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It’s so my kind of thing. At first I thought I’d do it in 2011. Then I thought that’s so far why wait? So I wrote down “theme areas” that I might want to tackle each month for the rest of this year. While that idea would normally be perfect for me, I just couldn’t get some of the projects I wanted to do out of my mind. I didn’t want to wait for the “right” month to do them.
So I decided to heck with that plan. I am going to do my own crazy version of this thing. I picked several areas of my life that I’d like to tackle. Most of my projects are about reducing where I am “feeling bad” somehow. Some are about “feeling good” and a few are feeling right. And almost all are all about the “atmosphere of growth” which is what I am all about.
So here are the areas I plan to tackle and exactly how:
David:
1. Try one new food every day – I can’t get rid of the nagging feeling that David’s limited palette is my fault so I asked him if he would do this and he agreed to give it a try. We will try a range of things, sometimes veggies, or fruits or even crackers and bread, etc. This is not as much about eating more “good” food as it is about eating a wider variety and getting used to trying things without fear. The deal is he has to at least try a little bit and then how much more he eats is up to him.
2. Do 30 minutes of work daily – I want to spend more time doing math, reading, writing with David. Help him prepare for Kindergarten a bit. I do this but not most days and not as much as I’d like. And not focused. For July, I will do it when Nathaniel is sleeping so it’s just the two of us with no distractions.
3. Read 20 minutes a day from a book – David doesn’t always have patience for this but we will try. I like the idea of reading an ongoing book with him.
Art:
1. Draw 100 faces – I want to draw better. I figure practice will definitely not hurt. This particular task might extend to August, too. I’ll just make as much headway as I can and I will draw at least one face each day.
2. Make one art journal page daily – These will be small ones. On most days, I hope to just zentangle and maybe use my copics, some days I might do more but the goal is volume more than skill here, just to show myself it’s ok to have fun. I love Donna’s Inspiration Wednesdays so I will likely try some of that, too.
Health:
1. Exercise for 15-20 minutes 3 times a week – I don’t exercise at all. At all. So the goal for July is to take it super simple. To take walks or use the Wii Fit. The main goal is to establish a consistent habit of exercise, no matter how small. (I hope to move to 4 days before July is over but I will be happy with 3 a week.)
2. Eat one fruit and one vegetable every day – The fruit part is easy. I eat a lot of bananas, but I want to focus on eating more raw, good food. Ideally a bit more protein, too but the main goal for July is fruit and veggie.
Productivity:
1. Do one nagging task daily – If I can start the day eating that frog, it will make the rest of the day so much easier.
2. Start and End each day better – Working from home, especially in the summer, it’s easy to stay in my PJs all day. While that has its place, I think it will help me to get up, shower, and get dressed first thing. It will allow me to be more awake and readier to tackle my day.
Soul:
1. Journal for 15 minutes a day – I haven’t done this since Stephanie’s class and I miss it. I want it. I think it’s good for my soul.
2. Mediate for 5 minutes a day – I know it seems tiny but 5 minutes of sitting completely still is going to be hard for me.
3. Write a thank you email every day – I wrote about this already. This will definitely be good for my soul.
That’s it. This is actually a lot of stuff but I think it will make me happy. I plan to track all of these daily and report progress as always.
I’ll also add one caveat that we plan to go on vacation/out-of-town possibly in July. If we do, I give myself permission to skip those days. I might not, but it’s ok if I do.
Let’s see if I can do it. Like last two months, if I can’t it’s ok. The goal is to try.
I’ve been reading Gretchen Rubin’s blog for quite some time and I’ve really enjoyed it so I knew I wanted to read The Happiness Project and I knew I was going to like it.
And I did.
It was practical, easy to read, thought provoking and has made me ponder what style of Happiness Project I might want to do for myself. So I decided to tackle some of it right now in July. I have another post coming up that explains it in detail in just an hour.
Fair warning: this post has a LOT of photos. Even more than my usual many. So if you don’t like seeing a ton of photos of my two boys, feel free to skip it. (having said that, if you don’t like seeing my boys, you’ve likely long stopped visiting my blog.)
I got home at 2:30am last night from the movie and wasn’t even tired. So, of course, this morning, I was. Tired and grouchy and cranky and so much more. I yelled, threatened, whined, sulked. And yet. My kids were mostly unfazed. Bless them. I captured tons of hugs, laughter and love so I wanted to post it all mostly to remind myself that even I can’t get in the way of their joy (not that I should be trying to, I need to be on better behavior.)
love.
He’s trying so hard to make Nathaniel laugh.
and succeeds easily.
he kisses him.
watches him.
hugs him.
hugs him some more.
and he hugs back in spades.
my toothless boy.
laughing together.
Nathaniel discovered a drawer full of plastic cutlery and has been playing with them nonstop. He gets very focused.
In the afternoon, we took out some time and all 3 of us played legos. It was really wonderful.
And then there was more hugging.
And I am so glad I caught this face. It’s one Nathaniel makes too often and always cracks me up.
I feel all out of sorts for the last two days. I am hoping it will be better on a good night’s sleep which I plan to get tonight. Let’s hope I do.
Note to Self:
In the beginning of this month, I worked on some layouts for an upcoming free BPS workshop called Big Idea Festival. I haven’t seen the other designers’ work but I am pretty sure it will be fantastic and it’s totally free so you have nothing to lose. Click here to sign up. (And that’s my layout there on the right, love me some orange.)
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. Lego time with David (and Nathaniel).
2. My husband letting me sleep in this morning, I surely would have fallen apart without it.
3. I am thankful for my kids putting up with me on days like this.
Two Things David’s Grateful For:
1. playing legos with mommy.
2. daddy.
