Day 71 - Mother Daughter Book Club

Today I have been trying desperately to finish the book that I need to finish for tomorrow's Mother/Daughter Book Club. I started our book club a year ago. My intention when I started it was to have a reason to share a story with my daughter once a month. Something that she loves to read, that I have made a commitment to read as well and we can talk about it. I have found that I really like the books that we read. I also appreciate the time that we spend together for just one hour once a month with other mothers and daughters who also share a love of reading.

I imagine that the book club will continue with the same group of girls that we have right now for another 2-3 years. When those girls depart, my own daughter included, I hope that my younger daughter will be ready to pick up where Hannah left off. That way, I can continue with a club that I started and find that I really love.

Today, when in the car, Hannah told me between texting how much she likes spending time with me. It seems ironic that while texting she discloses this to me. But, I appreciate it and know that while she is breaking away from me, this one date that we have once a month is something that she looks forward to. I look forward to book club as much as she seems to enjoy it.

Day 70 - Volunteer At My Daughter's School, More

Today I did something that I find to be absolutely exhausting, I volunteered to help with Math Games at my 3rd grader's school. I try to volunteer once a month, but I don't always achieve that goal. I have to be honest, work with kids under the age of 10 can be both frustrating while being a lot of fun. They are getting old enough to talk back and have minds of their own. But, they still have that little kid look to them that makes them very cute. Not to mention, they say the funniest things!

My youngest is the only one who still wants me to volunteer my time in her classroom. In fact, she still runs up to me when I walk into the room and gives me a hug. It makes me feel so good when she does that, she really wants to see me. Today was no exception to that, I got a hug from her that made my day!

The school year is quickly coming to an end. My goal for the rest of this school year and the first half of next year will be to volunteer a little bit more, for her class that is. You will not catch me volunteering at the school Carnival, Auction or the Olympics that happen on the last day of school. To be honest, I would rather eat glass than spend a Friday night at the Carnival let alone volunteering at it. But, chaperoning a field trip or helping out in the classroom makes me a happy person and gives me an opportunity to see my daughter during the day, with her peers.

Day 69 - Have Dinner As A Family

With a family of 5 it is really hard to have dinners together as a family. Lately, I have made that a priority. Whether we eat at 4:30 or 8:30, I plan dinner around a hectic schedule that is not always easy to manage.

Tonight we ate together for the 4th night in a row! A streak like that seems like a miracle around here. Of course, we did not sit down until my husband got home at 7:00. Who cares though, we had a lot of laughs around the table. I really think eating as a family is a bonding experience.

I try to always ask everyone how their day was. I even stoop so low as to ask the kids what they did at school. It seems incredible to me that they can spend 8 hours there and yet do nothing! Years ago we required that they come up with 3 things that did at school each day. Over the years the list has changed a bit, but it is not uncommon to hear :1. went to recess 2. ate lunch 3. came home. Rarely do I hear them discuss a thought provoking conversation that they had at school or a piece of literature that has inspired them to be the next great American author. Instead we hear about a boy on the bus who is really mean because he told our youngest that she talks too much (if you knew Maeghan, you would know that she does in fact talk too much). Or, we hear about how much our oldest embarrasses his sister at an after school club they are both in.

It really doesn't matter to me though. I love these conversations because it gives me a window into their day. I can't be with them all day, and I really don't need to be with them all day. But, it is nice to know that we have carved a little bit of our day around having dinner together.

Day 68 - Clean Out The Email

Today will be a continuation from yesterday's blog. I am trying to get a hold of the chaos that is my email. Which in all honesty is pretty funny, given that I don't have a full time job, meaning I don't have work email to bog me down. But, I get a healthy dose of email that is in the form of advertisements and solicitations. Occasionally I get something that I need to attend to like Brownie or Soccer email. But, for the most part, it is all junk.

So, one might ask why do I have over 2,100 emails? Well, that would be my fear that I might need that Sports Authority coupon someday or maybe the latest email from the DNC will be needed. (Okay, so I let the cat out the bag, I am a Democrat, but that is beside the point.) I need to start getting rid of the junk. I have done just that, I am letting some of it go, in fact in the last 24 hours I have deleted 1,000 emails from my mail box. I feel very liberated and at the same time scared that I will need something that I so thoughtlessly deleted in haste. The countless coupons from Justice that I get EVERY WEEK might go to waste. I even found over 20 emails from parents of the children in my daughter's Brownie troop about the cookie sale that happened last year! I am just finishing up this year's cookie sale. One has to ask "what the hell is wrong with me?" Clearly, I have a problem.

My goal for the next few days is to go through the rest of my email and get rid of the junk. I would like to start with an EMPTY mailbox and start over again. I think that it would feel very liberating to start fresh.

Day 67 - Answer Emails Right Away

I have a bad habit of reading an email and then letting it sit, thinking I will do it later. I always forget to answer something important. To be honest, there is no reason for me not to give an immediate answer. I have an Iphone with email access, a quick answer is always possible.

Today, when I hear that bing on my Iphone I am going to read my email and if it requires an answer, I will answer right away. This should free up time at night, the time of day when I sit down and try to answer emails from the day. This is when I usually miss something from the days mail.

Day 66 - Drive Less, Save Gas

This one should come as no surprise. Gas prices are going up, way up. So, today I stayed home to save a little bit on gas. I was going to work out this morning, but decided to workout at home and go tomorrow. I am going tomorrow because I have to go out any way for an appointment.

If predictions come true, gas will be very expensive come summer. So, I am planning on getting used to the idea of staying close to home in order to save on gas. Today proved to be a very productive day. I cleaned all the bathrooms, mopped, cleaned both of my daughter's rooms. I also washed all the bedding and made the beds. I got a lot more done than I would have had I gone out this morning.

Tonight I will have to take the kids to music lessons, so a no drive day is not an option, yet. My plan is to take a look at my calendar once a week and find ONE day where I can get away with not driving. That day is still several weeks away I guess, but with a little effort and planning I am betting I can do it. Look for a post about that in the near future.

Day 65 - Eat Fruit Smoothies

I have started to add fruit smoothies to my diet, eating them several times a week. Smoothies are a great way to add nutritious foods to my diet. I add bananas, blueberries, strawberries and other assorted fruits to the smoothies. I will also add yogurts, soy or almond milk and different juices to the smoothies. This is a great way to have additional vitamins, minerals and fiber to my day.

I absolutely love the taste of smoothies. I tend to eat them in the morning, it makes a great breakfast. Low in calories and filling. So, as I continue to improve my diet this year, it will be my intention to continue to add smoothies to my week.