Project 35 Update

Oh man, I just went back and read my goals for project 35 and most of them are woefully behind.  I had pretty much forgotten about my health and weight loss goals and the emails/letters goal.  With about 20 weeks left in the year, I suppose losing 35 pounds is still possible, but 20 seems more realistic now.  We'll see, I guess.

I have been trying hard to get the health thing under control.  I joined a gym July 15th and I've been slowly developing the habits of going to the gym consistently.  My sister has created a plan for me to follow and for the last 3 weeks I have followed it diligently.  For the last 3 weeks I have been in the gym by 5:30am at least 4 days a week!  So I think I have successfully built the foundation I need for making this a habit.

Next week I'm back at work, and that will be the true test.  It is going to be way harder getting up to exercise then because I need to be home from the gym by 6:10, which means getting up even earlier, and being at the gym by 5.  Getting enough sleep will be my new challenge, I think!

Project 35 Reading Update

I always knew reading 35 books in one year would be a huge challenge.  I just don't have as much time for reading as I used to, but reading has always been a huge part of my life and I'm excited to be forcing myself to make more time for it this year.  

Here's a quick update on the pathetic dent I've made in this section of Project 35.

1) The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern.  This is the story of two magicians who enter their proteges into an epic contest, which takes place in a magical night time circus.  In the end, I lloved this book, but it took me a good quarter of the book to make sense of the stories and to not be thoroughly and constantly confused.  I loved the vivid imagery and the complex characters.  This was the first book we read for book club and it created a good basis for an interesting discussion.  I would definitely recommend this to anyone.

2) Water For Elephants - Sara Gruen.  This is our next book club selection.  It is the story of a circus vet, mixed between flash backs and current time.  I liked the history of the story but overall found it a bit dry and boring.  Maybe that is because I read it after a book about a magical circus, because anything would seem boring in comparison!  I did not really like the characters, which is not a nessecary thing to enjoy a book, but it did decrease my enjoyment.  I maybe will re-read in year or two and see if my opinion changes.

3&4) Jessica Darling Series - Fourth Comings and Perfect Fifths - Megan McCafferty.  I read the first 3 books in this series last summer and really enjoyed them.  It was nice to finally wrap up the series.  I enjoyed seeing Jessica mature and grow over the course of the books.  And I really enjoyed the final book which changed format from all the others (narrational diary), to a shared first person narrative.  And, well, i also love a happy ending.

5) Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn. I loved this book so much.  I could not put it down!  The twists and turns were exciting.  It was a really creative and exciting book, and really well thought out.  It is the story of a couple and the disappearance of the wife, and the investigation of said disappearance.  I would also highly recommend this book.

6) Wild - Cheryl Strayed. This book was really interesting and had me considering if I might like to go on extended backpack hiking.  It ran the gamut of emotions and I felt them right along with the main character.  It was a heart-wrenching and also truly informative autobiographical story about Cheryl's months long hike of the Pacific Crest Trail.  This was thoroughly interesting and another i'd certainly recommend.

So that's it.  6 books so far, not very impressive, but since 5 of them were read in the last month, I'll pretend I still have a chance of meeting the quota.  Let's just ignore the fact I've been on vacation for 3 weeks, ok?

I'm back!

Well, it's clear I suck at blogging, but I adore having this online memory of life, so I'll keep trucking sporadically for myself, and not for any readers (are there any still around?  Hi dad!).

A quick update about life.  I am currently in the midst of 6 weeks of unpaid leave from work.  I am so enjoying the time off with the kids.  I love that I have the chance to spend quality time with them, while they still want to hang out with me.  We have been having a glorious summer full of swimming, splash pads, play dates, relaxing and home work!  Yep, I'm that mom, Braydon is a bit behind where he should be with reading and writing so we have been diligently practicing his skills.  And Allyson, has been working along side him, so I am fairly certain she will be advanced for her class.

Both kids are taking part in soccer teams, and both are loving it.  Braydon has discovered he loves playing goalie, and his focus and skills are visibly improving with each game.  Ally is an enthusiastic player and throws herself into each game with gusto!

Well, Project 35 is trucking along nicely.  I suspect I will not make the reading qualification, I have finished 4 books and will finish a 5th shortly (will update and review in future blog posts, so stay tuned!!)  I will finish all the random acts of kindness, but I have none to report.  

I am making good progress on crafting!  Lately I have had very little focus, lots of things started, very few things finished.  Which brings me to an update.  Internet, meet Sally Ballerina (so named by Ally Ballerina).

Isn't she cute:)

Doesn't she have a sweet little face:)

Sally counts as craft items 3 (Sally, herself), 4 (her knickers), 5 (her tutu dress) and 6 (her ballet slippers).  She also has a sweater, head band and purse in progress, and I have materials for another dress/cardigan outfit combo.  But for now I'm on a break from Sally.  (Oh, item 7 exists too - a wash cloth, pretty boring, but I'll post a picture upon request).

Anyway, what could tear me away from the cuteness of Sally Ballerina?  Babies!!!

Two cute cuddly balls of baby girl cuteness will be entering my life in the fall.  You may recall from past entries that I have a metric ton of patterns and an excessive stash of yarn.  Last night I went through all of those things and matched up yarn with patterns, sort of home made kits, if you will.  And well, I have a potential for 20 items on the way!  (Oh, I totally forgot, I also have items 8 and 9 complete, but they are a surprise baby gift and will be blogged much later).

This is what the crazy baby kit stuff looks like: 

I am super excited to get started on baby stuff!  Stay tuned!!

Challenges

This week is going to be a very big challenge for me. There are some very big things happening at work this week. I don't want to get into details too much. But let's just say, I am stressed about doing my best, I am stressed about how much work I have to do. Because of where I work, and because I genuinely like all the people on my team, I will not say much except this; i will get everything done, and I will do a good job of all of it. However, I am not sure how I will get through it without letting the negative thoughts and worries drag me down. I am going to do my best to be positive, and create an environment of positivity. But I have doubts about my ability to do so. Anyway, bottom line is, this will be a hard week for me.

So give me your best tips. Besides a positive attitude, what can I do to prevent the worries and the negativity from dragging me down?

About that snow...

I seem to be keeping up with this blogging business! This is my 8th post this month. That may be a new record for me

I am pretty happy with how life is going these days. I have had a few challenges to keeping my attitude positive, but I am doing a pretty great job of looking on the positive side of things. Since I have been really trying to focus on the positive, I have had more patience with the kids, and with everyone else too. It is kind of crazy how just thinking positive can change your outlook.

Anyway, we had a good weekend. Did a lot of cleaning, which always cheers me up when it is done. And we finally re-arranged our bedroom furniture, which means our sole window is not half blocked and I can finally sew the curtains I have had ready to go for years.

I am also delighted to report, we have made some plans to see some good friends we don't see nearly enough over the next few weeks. I am really excited about that!

And I should mention, random act of kindness #2 is complete! Today when I went to get in my car on the way home, my windows were snow covered, so when I cleaned my windows, I also cleaned the windows of the cars parked near me. Hopefully that made some some one's life a little easier!

'Goldie' or craft item the second

Well, my crafty life is moving right along, with a lot of crochet. Which is odd, because I have been avoiding crochet for a while and focussing on knitting and sewing instead. Anyway, my sister got me an amigurumi type kit to make tiny cute stuffed animals. The kit came with a book to make 10 or so, however it only came with enough supplies to make a specific 2. I asked the kids if they wanted me to make them something from the book and in a strange twist of fate, the each asked for a different one of the two available. I am avoiding naming them, cause SPOILER ALERT, the other one will be next.

Anyway, here is Miss Allyson's new fish! She has dubbed the little fishie Goldie!

Feed the right wolf

I was lucky enough to be invited to some management training last week for work. The sessions were called Managing Change and Resiliency. Both things, I feel I need to work on personally and professionally.

Anyway, the course were very interesting but the one thing I really took away from the whole thing came in the form of a story the instructor told. I will re-tell that story here - I do not know where the story originated and I am in no way claiming this as my own, nor did the instructor claim it was hers.

Once, long ago, an Indian Chief was telling a story to his grandchildren.

'Children', he said, 'There is a war inside of me. Two great wolves are fighting. One wolf represents all things good, pure and wonderful in the world, kindness, peace, truth and love. The other wolf represents darker things. Doubt, anger, lies and hate.'

The grandchildren thought for a long time. Then one asked: 'But grandfather, which wolf will win?'

The grandfather looked at the children and said 'the wolf that will win, is the wolf that you feed'

That story really struck a cord with me. You all know I am trying hard to improve my outlook, and do better for the world. I am now more determined than ever to feed that wolf with kindness and love and positivity. I will let that wolf of hatred starve.

The Tie Dye Purse

The first craft project of 2013 is completed! The final product is a modified version of Zaubertote from the book 'Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders'. I used a Mary Maxim brand yarn - Step It Up sock yarn, in the Tie Dye colourway.

Modifications: granny squares had 6 rounds instead of 7. I made this choice to maximize the colour changes in the squares. Each side had 9 squares instead of 6. I added some extra rounds to the gusset. Finally, the handle was made with a base chain of 8 double crochets rather than 63 double crochets.

I am really in love with the final product. So is Allyson! After the next project I have in mind, she'll probably be getting a matching mini version.

Up next in crafting world - a pair of thrummed mittens that I promised my sister I would make her in exchange for babysitting services!

As for my other Project 35 challenges, I am currently reading book 1 for the year - 'The Night Circus' by Erin Morgenstern. So far I am enjoying it quite a lot. I will try to write a review when I have finished reading.

The weight loss part of my project is underway - I am back on weightwatchers, tracking my food and exercise. I have been trying really hard to get out of the office every day for a walk and I am committing to exercise for minimum 30 minutes, 4 times a week. I walked on the treadmill for 60 minutes today, so that was good, and tomorrow I start a spinning class. I am completely intimidated for that, but I'll get through it. I don't anticipate losing much this week, if any, as my eating hasn't been great - still trying to eliminate Christmas chocolate from the house....by eating my way through it. But other parts are falling into place, and I'll get there.

I am pretty pleased overall with my start to 2013!

About those random acts of kindness...

You guys, this whole random acts of kindness thing is hard. A lot harder than I thought it would be. I am trying to find ideas that are thoughtful and not overly expensive. So for the past week I have debated and researched and debated some more. Then I realized, I am stressing out far too much about something that should be more organic and fun.

In any case, I am delighted to report - Random Act of Kindness #1 is complete! I ended up buying a $5 gift card to Tim Horton's. when I bought it, I wasn't sure who to give it to. I sort of planned to just drop it on some one's desk at work, when they weren't at their desk. No one in particular, just a random desk. But then I saw a friend of mine. A friend who donates her time to an organization that helps pregnant women. A friend who has spent her last 2 summer vacations in Africa, helping families there start businesses to support their families. And I knew what to do. I gave the gift card to her. When she asked why, I simply told her, she does so much good for others, I wanted to do something for her.

I felt awesome afterwards! I know every thing I do won't necessarily be flashy or big, but I know they will all leave me feeling better because I made some one smile.

So, now, help me out with ideas. What random acts of kindness have you done or would you like to do?

Turning 35

This year I will turn 35. I intend to make this year an amazing one. As part of my plan to make every day this year count, I have come up with a bit of a plan to commemorate 35.

This year I will:

1) complete 35 Random Acts of Kindness
2) complete 35 knit or crochet craft projects
3) read 35 books (I think this will be pretty impossible, but i would love to achieve it!)
4) lose 35 pounds (this is the actual current amount to get to my ww goal weight)
5) exercise for 35 minutes at least 4 times a week
6) write 35 letters or emails to family and friends - to keep in touch
7) write at least 100 blog posts! Ok, ok, that's not a 35, but it's about 2 blog posts a week, I think that's definitely achievable!

I'll track my progress here, so keep checking back!

In my head...

A year ago, I returned to work on a part time basis.  I worked 3 days a week.  It was awesome!  I can't explain how much I loved working part time.  Sure, the work days were rushed, but there were 2 extra days a week to recover and to complete the household chores.  Life was good.  Time to relax and to really spend quality time with the kids was aplenty.  But, my imminent return to full time hours loomed and I knew working downtown would be very trying with full time hours.  I started looking into ways to transfer to an office closer to home.  Just as my qualifications were completed, an opportunity came up.  I got a transfer to the Oshawa office in August 2012.  I love the work I am doing right now, but we are way understaffed and most of the excess work falls to me.  I may have cut my commute by over an hour a day, but I was losing that time in unpaid overtime.  Just before winter break, I had a slight mental break down, and I realized I was far more stressed than I ever realized.  And I realized I hate my current work-life balance.  Then the Newtown shootings happened, and all I wanted was to hug my children close all the time.  Then an acquaintance faced an unspeakable lose - the unexpected death of a child, Braydon's age.  That made me realize, you have no idea what any day will bring, so make the most of every single day.

Something to know about me, I can be a hypochondriac.  I can't google symptoms, ever, because when Dr. google says I have a fatal disease, I can't handle it.  The thought of natural disasters really freaks me out.  I am scared of global warming, every time an atypical natural disaster occurs, I get stomach aches.  When bad things happen to others, I worry they will h
appen to me, and to my family.  So, it is probably safe to say I have anxiety issues as well.

Strangely, I consider myself an optimist.  I like to be happy, I try hard to look on the bright side, I try to see the good in every situation. Lately, this has been a challenge.

I briefly started a gratitude journal last year.  I am going to bring that back this week - to help me focus on all the good things in life.  Because despite my stress and worries, I know exactly how blessed and lucky I really am.

So step one in my effort to achieve mental wellness, is get out of my head and away from my worries, and focus on all the good things!  Bring on the gratitude!

I'm bringing back the blog, y'all!

Tap, tap.  Is this thing on? After an exceptionally long break, I've decided to make time for blogging once again.  I am back at work full time, and my biggest challenge right now is finding time to do anything at all for me.  As a new year dawns, I have made some pretty important decisions. Mainly, that this year my number one goal is improving my own mental and physical wellness.  My current jb is very stressful and it is affecting me and my family in a negative way.  The caveat is, I love the work I am doing.  So, I need to find balance in my life.  I need to find ways to relieve stress, to be a more positive person, to have more patience and to take time to appreciate the little things.  It may sound selfish for a mother to say, 'Hey, I'm putting me first'.  But I really feel that this will make life better for my entire family, it will help me be more present in the moments with my kids.  It will make everyone happier.

So, the focus of this blog may change.  I will still focus on crafts, but I will also branch out more, and discuss other facets of my life.

2013 is going to be an amazing year!  Here's why:
I am going to improve my mental and physical health.  Through exercise, eating right, making time for things I enjoy and make sure I do preventative stress relief things each day.
I am going to enjoy the small moments in each and every day.  I will remember the kids will only be small for a short time and I want to enjoy it.
I will take time daily to reflect on the good things in my life.

I hope you'll join me for the ride!