Saturday, April 9, 2011

Day 99 - Throw Away 100 Items Today

We are drowning in crap in this house. WE HAVE TOO MUCH STUFF! Today's task is very simple, I will walk through each room and choose 100 items to go into the garbage bag I will have with me. I will not give meaning to any of things I choose, I will only throw away that things that I know will go unnoticed by the family. But, it is time to start clearing the clutter.

I understand that I should sort things and send them to Goodwill. I will do that at some point. But that is not even necessary because we have so many things in this house that no one would ever want that I can start this task without the chore of organization. It really is perfect. As the weeks go by, I hope to continue clearing the clutter with the true intention of sorting and donating. That day just will not be today. What ever leaves this house is going straight to the dump.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Day 98 - Reach Out And Make A New Friend

Since becoming a parent it is rare for me to make a friend that is not somehow connected to my kids. When they were little, my friends were all the parents of their playgroup members. When they were in preschool I joined a MOMS Club which provided me with nearly 100% of my friends. Since they started school, I have developed many friendships with the parents of their classmates. I appreciate all of these friendships and consider all the women that I have met through my children to be invaluable in my life. Simply stated, without these women, it would be so much harder to get through the tough times that parenthood can present.

That said, I will be the first one to say that sometimes I need a friend in my life with no kids, no connection to the "mom"part of my life. I recently became acquainted with someone who fills this bill. We have found that we have much in common and I find that when we run into one another or find ourselves at an event together, I talk about more than my day to day life. What a concept! There is more to me than being a mother.

My goal is to reach out to her and to more people who don't fill the role of parent of my kids friends and make some friends on my own. This probably seems really petty to some. But, I am painfully aware of the fact that when my kids move on, maintaining friendships with 90% of the parents I have met over they years will probably be difficult. I need to be developing my own friendships in addition to revisiting friendships that existed before I became a mom. For example, my friendships from high school have been difficult to maintain. I am trying to reconnect with some of those people. Facebook makes it easier, but I am finding that I don't like Facebook as much. That will be for different post though.

Here is to starting to break away a bit from my kids for a social life and developing my own.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Day 97 - File Our Taxes

The taxes are done and filed! Something that is done and off our minds. Our refund is modest, as we don't use it as a savings account. It should pay a couple bills with some left over for my husband to invest. I guess I don't need to write a lot tonight. We all pay our taxes and that is that.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Day 96 - Be Spontaneous

Tonight I bought 4 Katy Perry tickets. The plan is I will take my daughter and 2 of her friends. I had no intention of doing such a thing until about an hour ago. I came home from a walk and saw my 12 year old happily watching Katy Perry videos. She was so excited, so I sat down and watched the video for "Firework" and I realized how much I like an artist my daughter likes. I was also impressed by the message the song sends. Hannah had been asking if I would take her this summer when she comes to Summerfest. I refused at first. I do not like crowds, especially drunken Wisconsin crowds, there is nothing as unappealing as a drunk cheesehead( I can say that I was born and raised here).

Suddenly, out of nowhere, I logged onto Ticketmaster, bought 4 tickets and presented them to my daughter. Of course, she is ecstatic and I am pretty excited myself to be taking my girl to a concert that I am going to like.

My message for today, be spontaneous sometimes! Life is really short. There are times when you just have to do something that you know will bring great joy.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Day 95 - Organize Summer

I need to organize our summer, which seems wrong to me. Summer has always been a time to be lazy, enjoy the warm days without worry. But, I will be starting back to work full time on June 6th and my kids start summer vacation June 9th. Talk about an inconvenient time to start the next chapter. By the way, I will talk about my job in June.

In preparation for the changes, I have started to sign my kids up for various camps to keep them busy. My husband and I are already beginning to fall into the habit of discussing who will take them where and who will pick them up. Since I have been home for so long, I usually take responsibility for the majority of these things.

I am organizing their summer so that I feel like I have some control over something we have never really had to deal with, 2 full time working parents. If I know where they will be and when, I feel less stressed.

Thankfully, I have a teenager who can babysit when need be. But, I hate to put the burden on him every day, that does not seem fair. So, I plan what I can and hope for the best.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Day 94 - Eat More Eggs

I love eggs! I am not one of those people who has gotten on the eggs are bad band wagon. As it turns out, eggs do have health benefits. So, I think I will eat even more. Here is a list of the benefits of eggs:

1. They are good for the eyes
2. They can help lower the risk of cataracts
3. Eggs may help prevent strokes and heart attacks
4. Good source of choline
5. They contain the right kind of fat
6. New research shows that it does not have a negative impact on bad cholesterol
7. Only food that contains naturally occurring Vitamin D
8. Eggs may prevent breast cancer
9. Eggs prevent healthy hair and nails
10. Eggs contain high quality protein

I eat a lot of eggs, and so does my daughter. I buy the organic eggs that do not contain hormones, antibiotics and are free range. Because, even though I love eggs, I have read a lot about the negative impact of hormones on my girls. So far, my girls are developing at the rate that girls used to develop. I attribute some of that to the fact that I limit the amount of hormones going into their systems. Who knows, I might be wrong. But, I will err on the side of caution.

My favorite ways to eat eggs are hard boiled and scrambled. They make a great start to the day. They fill me up and make me feel energized.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Day 93 - Listen To Music I Love

I heard that it is a proven fact that listening to music that you love is good for you. It raises your dopamine levels. I don't know how true that really is, but I am going with it.

Tonight when I took my walk, I brought my ipod and listened to some of my favorite music. It did make me feel good. I had to resist the urge to start singing along to the music while walking the neighborhood. Life is not a musical, I do not want to be known as a crazy lady who breaks out into song in a public place.

Here is a list of some of my favorite artists that I listen a lot.

1. Fleetwood Mac
2. Journey
3. Sarah McLachlan
4. Sting
5. Led Zeppellin
6. The Doobie Brothers
7. Wham!
8. Anything from the 80's

I listen to a lot of other music, but know if it would be helpful on a swift walk. For example, I do love Smooth Jazz, I really do! But, elevator music is only good when at home with a glass of wine, not while walking. I also like Classical, again, not helpful while walking.

My kids listen to music that I consider to be truly terrible. I am not on board with this new generation of musicians who are talentless, but have the right look. Seriously, what does Ke$ha have to offer? Her voice when not tuned with a machine is terrible. That being said, I have decided that my music makes me happy, really happy in fact. So, when I am driving in MY car, we will listen to my music. The kids have their whole lives to dictate the music they listen to in their own cars.