The Lists

2013 Resolutions

1. Read more books (a minimum of one a month) [11 – as of Oct. 28]
2. Pray EVERY night with the boys
3. Eat more meals with all four of us around our kitchen table [Sadly, it doesn’t take many meals to achieve this, but it does help to have a new kitchen table.]
4. Be a better friend to my family
5. Prepare house for selling/renting (and preferably, do one of those things) [SOLD and MOVED]
6. Work on non-blog writing
7. Host a dinner party (I count having 12 people for small group around our dining room table)
8. Lose 50 pounds
9. Move 500 miles (walking, bike, elliptical) [361.1 miles as of 8/27]
10. Go on a family vacation [Texas – spring break]
11. Spend more days at the beach [Not sure how many is more… but I have a nice tan, so that counts.]
12. Procrastinate and worry less; laugh more
13. List my gratitude on a weekly basis [working on it]
14. Make sticky toffee pudding. [Delicious and with dates – it is the yummiest.]

2012 Resolutions

• Be the kind of mom who says “yes” more than “no” when it comes to things I’d prefer not to do [not things the kids should not be doing – I’m all about setting boundaries and expectations] 
• Make it to church over 50% of the Sundays in a year. Done
  
• Read one book per month (12/12) 
• Continue my exercise and healthy eating habits; adding at least one new-to-me exercise to my “circuit” [I’m thinking punching bag in the basement]  Did not get a punching bag and did not continue this for all of 2012, just half. So it’s a half count.
  
• Make a concerted effort to teach my kids the value of money (this might be lost on Jack at the moment); rewarding them for tasks accomplished and helping them start tithing. [Fail]
• Go out of my way to do random acts of kindness whenever possible. 
• Go away for a weekend with my husband. [Planned it but then didn’t get to go.]
  
• Do not take anything more into my life without first getting “rid” of something (physical things, my time, etc…) Purged the house of toys and clothes.
  
• Make macaroons, crumpets and/or english muffins from scratch.
  

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2011 Resolutions

• Practice one random act of kindness per week. (??/52)
• Send one “snail mail” letter a month. (20/12)
• Sell $500 worth of stuff on Craigslist. (125/500)
• Make it to church twice a month (at least). (12/12)
• Clean/organize closets. (4/4)
• Read one book a month. (16/12)
• Drink more water, eat less bad food, exercise.
• Get family photos taken.
• Cut my husband some slack.
• Use a calm, measured voice [with my kids] more often than a loud, short one.

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40 Before 40

1. Take the boys to a hockey game.
2. Plan our next trip to Australia.
3. Landscape the backyard (perhaps add a fire pit and a fence).
4. Go to family camp.
5. Host a grown-up dinner party. [We had 10 other people over to eat and the kids were in bed – so that counts.]
6. Eat a French macaroon. [Thanks to Mary bringing me back a box from France in August 2013.]
7. Go on an at-least two night trip to downtown Chicago with just Simon.
8. Sell something on Etsy.
9. Do at least five volunteer activities with the kids. [2 down as of 5/2016]
10. Take the kids to Mackinac Island.
11. Try/create 10 new cocktails. [3/10: Frozen vodka limeade slushie; Knitting Night; Guava Bellini]
12. Teach both boys to tie their own shoes. [Halfway there – Liam has learned]
13. Go tubing.
14. Go on another trip with my college girlfriends.
15. Eat at 20 new-to-me restaurants. [13/20: Founders Brewery, Red Hot Inn, Gus’ Original, Grove, Gravity, Licari’s, Good Truckin’ Diner, VanderMills, Harmony Hall, Donkey Taqueria, The Waldron, River House, Manna Cafe]
16. Re-finish a piece of furniture.
17. Create an office/craft space in the basement.
18. Stay at a bed and breakfast.
19. Attend at least 10 live music events. [9/10: Milk Carton Kids/Over the Rhine, Ingrid Michaelson, David Gray, DMB, .fun, Brandi Carlisle, Nate Ruess, Mumford and Sons, Rend Collective]
20. Eat dinner together as a whole family during the week (this means Simon would have to get on first shift, which I have no control over but when that does happen, I do have control over making the food we will eat.)
21. Visit Stef in Cleveland and wherever she ends up after that.
22. Go camping for a week.
23. See a play/musical somewhere other than in Grand Rapids.
24. Send real mail to at least 20 people (birthday and Christmas cards don’t count).
25. Teach the kids at least 10 Bible verses. [1/10]
26. Go hiking with the boys.
27. Create 10 recipes. [1/10: roasted veggies with sausage]
28. Do at least 10 Pinterest DIY projects.
29. Write letters of thanks to people who have inspired or influenced me.
30. Host 5 couples we’ve never hung out with/had over to our house. [5/5]
31. Create a will and sign up for life insurance.
32. Eat meatloaf at five different restaurants. [3/5]
33. Make plans for finishing the downstairs.
34. Participate in a 5K.
35. Go ice skating at Rosa Parks Circle.
36. Take at least one of the boys to a (non-kid) concert.
37. Fly a kite with the boys.
38. Get another dog.
39. Put together some sort of scavenger hunt.
40. Be a room mom (just once) or be a member of the PTA.

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35 before 35

1. Go camping with the boys. [In Stef’s backyard.]
2. Take another road trip with the family. [Texas 2013]
3. Start a chore chart/allowance system for the kids. [Good behavior chart to earn toys – good enough for now.]
4. Teach Liam to ride a bike.
5. Read at least 20 books.
6. Participate in a 5K – walking or running.
7. Sell our house and move into our “forever” home.
8. Make plans to visit Australia with the boys.
9. Go on a girl’s weekend with my friends.
10. Take a 2+ day trip with just Simon. [A 1-day visit to Galveston and many date nights will have to do.]
11. See at least 5 live musical performances. [5/5; DMB Caravan, Sara Bareilles, Boyce Avenue, The Verve Pipe, Ingrid Michaelson, fun.]
12. Teach Liam to read.
13. Potty train Jack.
14. Go to ArtPrize twice. [2/2]
15. Eat at 10 new-to-me restaurants. [13/10; Marie Catribs, Electric Cheetah, Cabana Tres Amigos, Beltline Bar, Brick Road Pizza, Flat River Grill, Leo’s, Brewery Vivant, One Trick Pony, Marco’s, Ramona’s Table, Stella’s, Perrin Brewing Company]
16. Take Jack to his first movie in a theater.
17. Go mini-golfing with the boys.
18. Take the boys to a hockey game.
19. Attempt to grow out my hair for locks of love. [Cut and donated.]
20. Send at least 8 “care” packages to out-of-town friends and family. (5/8)
21. Meet my WW’s goal (way before 35). [First goal met, working on more.]
22. Get Jack baptised/dedicated at church. [Sunday, January 21]
23. Stay at the JW Marriott. [Simon booked this for us but then we cancelled it due to buying a house. In this case, it’s the thought that counts to let me mark it off the list.]
24. Stay at a bed and breakfast.
25. Visit Great Wolf Lodge. [Went to Avalanche Bay – close enough.]
26. Get an hour-long massage.
27. Plant a garden.
28. Send someone flowers.
29. Join a bible study.
30. Continue writing this blog.
31. Start AND finish a quilt.
32. Tackle the crazy basement once and for all.
33. Re-finish a piece of furniture.
34. Get the boys sharing a room so we can reclaim a guest room/office/craft space.
35. Get vinyl flooring installed in our kitchen. [Instead we had the cabinets painted and bought a different house, good enough.]

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Life List

1. Travel to and around Europe (Ireland, Italy, France and England are top picks)
2. Quit working at a conventional job.
3. Write a screenplay or novel.
4. Cook an intimidating [to me] type of seafood (i.e., lobster, crab, mussels)
5. Move into our “forever” house. [7/1/2013 – I think this house counts.]
6. Knit or crochet an afghan.
7. Eat a French macaroon. [8/27/2013]
8. Witness a birth.
9. Take our boys to Australia. [this will obviously happen multiple times but it’s a huge undertaking so I feel like it should be on the list]
10. Plant a vegetable garden that consists of more than 10 plants.
11. Plant a flower garden.
12. Visit both coasts with my family.
13. Have a great relationship with my children and their significant others as adults.
14. Participate in a race.
15. Sell something I’ve made on Etsy.
16. Throw an outdoor dinner party.
17. Take a photography class.
18. Work in a coffee shop.
19. Own a coffee shop.
20. Go to the place in Canada where the river runs backwards (because of the tide).
21. Take the kids to Yellowstone.
22. Go camping as a family. [June 2013]
23. Be in Sydney for another New Year’s Eve. [So close, we were in a plane for Sydney’s NYE and it was still NYE in the US when we landed in Australia on Jan. 1, 2012]
24. Make sticky toffee pudding. [Twice in July 2013]
25. Make spaghetti and meatballs.
26. Make Halloween costumes for my boys.
27. Get another tattoo.
28. Kiss the Blarney Stone.
29. Go to a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater.
30. See Adele live in concert.
31. Walk the high line in NYC.
32. Tour a vineyard in Napa Valley.
33. See Mumford & Sons live in concert.
34. Go 30 days without buying anything but milk and bread.

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Things That I’ve Done*

1. Graduate college
2. Take a big trip outside of the United States (Kazakhstan, Australia)
3. Get married
4. Give birth (twice – FTW)
5. Get a dog
6. Start a blog
7. Throw a New Year’s Eve party
8. Teach Sunday school
9. Learn another language (Spanish, Russian)
10. Own a business
11. Be a godmother

*These I consider Life List worthy but I’ve already accomplished them so rather than add them to the list to cross them off, I’m just making a new list.