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.
So here we are. The end of June.
When I originally made my list for June, I knew it was super-ambitious and I didn’t really think I would get all of it done. Throughout the month, I did change some things around but I’d say 85-90% of the final list is the same as the initial one. Here’s a small collage of some of the projects I completed in June. Many of them are not here and some are sneaks since they are not coming up until later but it’s still fun to see the variety.
And here’s a summary of what I did:
Scrapbooking:
30 total projects and the breakdown is:
- 12 Layouts
- 2 cards
- 2 projects for different assignments
- 12 creative therapy pages
- Weekly Gratitude album cover
- Finishing and putting together Nathaniel’s album
Sewing/handstitching:
10 total projects:
- Book cover
- Sew something for me (coming soon)
- Art for Caleb
- Art for Yona
- Cross-stitch hearts
- Counting bean bags
- Fabric ball
- Keychain
- Camera Strap
- Fabric basket
Knitting/crochet:
9 total projects:
- Monster chunks
- Doily
- butterfly
- heart
- booties (or booty really)
- fingerless gloves
- crochet necklace 1
- crochet necklace 2
- Scalloped crocheted border on a card
Other:
- Cheryl’s invitation
- Start and Complete upcoming 6-week BPS workshop
- Create a wreath
- Paint a portrait
- Create 13 Weekly Gratitude pieces
- Make a flower ring
- Write a love letter to my husband
- Create a zentangle
- Schedule a slew of posts for my blog
As of this writing, here are the “scheduled for June” items I didn’t complete:
- Creative Therapy 126 – didn’t know what to do at first, now I have an idea but haven’t completed yet.
- Write a Letter to Someone I admire – honestly, couldn’t think of someone, will likely do this one in July
- Create digital downloads for June, July, August – I decided to take a break on downloads for a while
No so bad considering all the extra layouts and projects I did that weren’t on my list.
All in all, I’d say June was very productive. So far both May and June have been awesome, let’s see what I can do in July.
I first heard about Zentangles from Karen Walrond’s blog and then I searched for them on YouTube and found a bunch of videos. I’ll have to admit that while it looked really easy, I knew it wasn’t. Last year, when I did my 52 questions and techniques project doodling was one of the few techniques I didn’t even bother to tackle. I can’t doodle to save my life. Trust me, I can’t.
But I liked this so much, I did two of them.
So while it’s very flawed, I am pretty proud of my zentangle and I plan to tackle a bunch more in July.
I am exhausted. Last night, I was wide awake and couldn’t fall asleep and today I paid for it dearly. It will be even worse tomorrow since I am going to see Eclipse tonight after midnight. Ugh.
I’ve been thinking about how Nathaniel doesn’t rummage through stuff like David used to and I guess he must have heard me cause he greeted me like this today.
And then grabbed all the spoons (I love how he’s looking like he did nothing wrong).
And then he grabs diapers, pullups anything he finds. And the same wet shirt from the morning of course.
David finds it all hilarious.
My toothless boy.
And then there’s the hugging which of course melts my heart.
And then the whining cause Nathaniel wants to get into everything David is doing which gets annoying fast. But he tries to be a good sport.
In the afternoon we tried to use the blow-up pool I got but it was a quick and total failure so I gave up.
Now I have to feed, bathe, and dress the kids. Then time with hubby and ideally a nap before I have to leave for the movies…
Note to Self:
All done with my July preparations, I think….too tired to write more tonight, more coming thursday.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. Eclipse baby!!! I can’t wait.
2. I got my first set of The Girls’ Paperie today and I couldn’t stop smiling. Margie’s designs are so so so beautiful and I am so grateful to have anything to do with this. I am so lucky. So thankful. I can’t wait for the new products to arrive too.
3. I am grateful that my husband is coming home really soon and will help me cause I really need it tonight.
Two Things David’s Grateful For:
1. all the legos there ever was.
2. daddy.
3. lego magazine again, too.
I wanted to make this bag ever since I first saw it.
I don’t know why I never realized how small it is, but it’s tiny. It’s just a cute, little bag. I am in love with these polka-dot fabrics so of course I used those again:
It now stores my fabric scraps. Love love love this little bag.
A few years ago, I took a class on increasing your energy. It sounds sort of wishy washy but it was the furtherest thing from that. It was tangible and actionable and I left the class feeling energized and it has changed my life considerably. Even years later, I am still benefiting from it.
One of the things the presenter mentioned during class was that he writes thank you notes every single day. Sometimes several. And how this energizes him and makes him feel happier and better instantly. That’s the power of expressing gratitude. It pays back as much as it pays forward. Thanking someone often makes you realize all that you have. All that this person has done for you. Even the small things add up. And those are the most worthwhile because I bet no one else takes the time to thank that person for them.
That idea stuck with me all these years later after having read The Happiness Project recently, I decided I wanted to take this on for one of my July projects.
During the month of July, I plan to send a thank-you note to at least one person every single day. Actually I will send an email. Yes, it might be more impersonal but I use email all day long. I type fast and I am efficient with it. I also can express myself much more eloquently when I am typing. All these things mean that the letter will actually get written, be meaningful, and get sent (without my having to forage for stamps.). What matters most is that I write it and I send it.
Maybe I can convince you to join me. Spend the 31 days of July writing thank you letters. It will take about 15 minutes a day and I promise it will be worth every single second. And imagine the karma from sending all that goodwill out there…
The following is cross-posted from the Weekly Gratitude Blog. I will post there every Tuesday and decided to post those posts here, too. For those of you who read both blogs, I apologize in advance. Some weeks the content might be different and other weeks, exactly the same.
I know I didn’t put up a Crafting with David today but I have a very good excuse for it:
Remember when I said David had a bump on his gums that I was going to call the dentist about? Well I called and then went and it turns out his fuzed tooth is all infected cause of a crack in and they had to pull it. Ouch. They had to give my little boy a novocaine shot which was really painful and then they yanked the tooth right out, which was also very painful. But my little boy was super brave and really so amazing (As he always is.) and I’ve been working hard to pamper him since we got home. He got to have chocolate pudding and watch TV and relax as much as he wanted.
That’s gauze in his mouth which he had all day. He didn’t complain or whine one bit. And now he’s super excited about the tooth fairy (who is going to bring him a small little toy since we’re not into doing the money thing just yet.)
While David watched TV, Nathaniel tried to carry as many legos as he could at one time.
Here he is, trying not to drop them.
He really loves the legos. I love watching both my kids enjoy them so much. I’ve always been a huge fan of legos.
And Nathaniel’s really interested in books lately, too. Not in my reading them to him but exploring them by himself. You know that makes me happy, too.
And I’ll end with a little shot of the toothless boy. His bottom one is moving like crazy too and is bound to fall at any minute. Which will make taking portraits that much more challenging.
To be honest, those are my favorite shots. The ones with character. So I look forward to capturing them.
Since we ran to the dentist first thing this morning, and then went food shopping for david, most of our day went wonky. Naps were all over the place, Nathaniel is still lying in his bed, staring at the ceiling. I am wiped and wiped.
Note to Self:
Amazing how things work out sometimes. I am really sorry that we let David’s tooth be sick for over a week. I am glad he didn’t have pain but here’s an instant where I would have otherwise worried and taken care of immediately. Thankfully it didn’t have huge repercussions but it could have. It’s so hard to know when to take action immediately and when to sit and wait a bit.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that the dentist took us immediately and took care of David right away, thankful for dental care today.
2. I am grateful that my kids are so wonderful and Nathaniel behaved wonderfully the whole time we were at the dentist and made it easy for me to focus on David and hold his hand, etc.
3. I am thankful that I will get to go see Eclipse tomorrow!
Two Things David’s Grateful For:
1. lego magazine that he got in the mail.
2. daddy.
Here is the tutorial to these. I’ve wanted to make one of these for a long time.
The thumb was quite a challenge and I can’t say it turned out so well but here we are:
It appears I couldn’t get enough of these flowers. I am out of photos too, I’ll have to go shooting tomorrow.
I started the day productively. I woke up and scrapped almost immediately. And then I did some more of my todo list items and while I still have some left, I feel good about all that I’ve accomplished this weekend. I have some important emails to return but otherwise, I will be able to finish all that’s left before this month is out. June has been an exceptionally productive month though I am very sad it’s coming to a close. I want the summer to go very very slowly.
I really enjoy having us all in our PJs all day long.
Playing.
and lying around.
And collecting water bottles from all over the house.
And playing soccer.
With the fabric ball mommy made.
which appears to be just perfect for the little boy.
i think this might be the most appreciated of all the projects I did this month.
At 3pm, Jake went to meet with the other dads where we live and took the kids with him so I took the chance to get out and go see a movie by myself. I saw Knight and Day and I loved it. It was so fun to see a movie all by myself, too. I haven’t done that in over 10 years.
But now I’m suddenly feeling overcome with exhaustion. My arms and jaw are hurting a lot. So I am trying to rest and take it easy. I have to call the dentist tomorrow cause David’s had a bump on his gums for over a week now and it’s not going away. And I went from no worry to sheer panic. We also have to go grocery shopping since we’re almost completely out of food. Just those two errands will fill up any free moments I might have in my day. So I plan to relax a bit and go to bed early tonight. Maybe dig into my 900-page book a bit.
Hope you had a good weekend.
Note to Self:
I sort of made my plans for July. Going a bit different route this time, inspired by the Happiness Project. Let’s see if it works or not. I am hopeful but July is a busy month with vacations and CHA work and who knows what else. I want it to go slowly though. Please, time, slow down a bit.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. Going to the movies! Love the movies.
2. I am thankful that I accomplished some of the tasks I really wanted to finish this weekend, makes me feel happy.
3. I am grateful for an understanding and kind husband who is patient with me when I need it the most. Thank you, my love.
Two Things David’s Grateful For:
1. daddy.
2. dad’s group play together time. david got to bring his legos and his ipod. he had a blast from what i hear.
Something a bit unusual this week. I did this yesterday. I sort of like it. But it’s too empty I guess. I just wanted to make a layout to commemorate that I savor all my moments with Nathaniel.
simple but meaningful to me.
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projects for twenty twenty-six
projects for twenty twenty-five
projects for twenty twenty-four
projects for twenty twenty-three
projects for twenty twenty-two
projects for twenty twenty-one
projects for twenty nineteen
projects for twenty eighteen
projects from twenty seventeen
monthly projects from previous years
some of my previous projects
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