Goodbye for now!

Well, I've tried to keep a second year of Happiness Projects going but it just doesn't look like it's going to happen.  I really needed this last year--something to really focus on for myself since I just haven't felt the same since my mom's death.  I feel like it has served its purpose and now I'm ready to move on to something else.  I just can't seem to find the motivation to blog and post and write about anything.  Plus, I'm just not doing things consistently like I did last year.  It's starting to feel like a burden.  Once July came around again I really wanted to continue on with my Happiness Project but it just hasn't gotten off the ground.  I think that God is telling me and my instinct is telling me to move on and just keep some other things going in my life that don't require blogging.  So, I will continue on keeping myself moving forward with things like book club, journaling, at-home projects, homeschool with Olivia, and my monthly Simplify 101 lists that keep me in check and help me stay organized.  I'll be back at some point when I feel like I have something more purposeful to use this platform for.  Until then, I'll keep improving and growing in other ways!

August 2012: Mental Health

So I'm a few days later in posting but I had to get myself a bit organized.  This month I'm focusing on mental health.  Mental and emotional health are a little bit different to me although they are somewhat one in the same if you look at a definition.  They definitely overlap each other.  But to me, mental health means keeping your mind busy and sharp.  I have always done this by working on things like:  music theory skills, crosswords,  learning definitions to words you don't know, and so on.  So this month, I'm going to break down my weeks into categories that focus on those things.

I am also noticing that posting every Sunday is not as much fun as it used to be so instead of giving up, I'm only going to post at the beginning, middle and end of each month.  That way I can move through my resolutions each month and actually look forward to writing about them.   I'll post again around the 15th!

July wrap-up

I didn't post last Sunday because we had my Dad and his wife come to visit.  I gave myself the week off because we were busy going places and spending time together.  It was a great visit!  I'll post again on August 1 to blog about my new month!

Physical: Week #2 Recap

I got things done this past week!  I only did three days of yoga instead of the intended five, but I'm re-committing this week to make sure I get in five days!  I also got the attic and basement donations ready.  Now this coming week all I have to do is drop them off.  I also have my Dad and Susan coming on Sunday the 22nd, so this will give me the opportunity to get rid of piles around the house.  Should be a good week!

Physical: Week #1 Recap

Well, my goals were to walk for 30 minutes at least three times this past week and work on filling a donation box from the attic.  Instead of the walking I thought I would do, I did yoga instead!  My kids got me a new yoga mat for my birthday so I used that for my physical exercise.  As far as the attic, not so much.  I am down to a pile up there of stuff that needs to be sorted out and either put away or donated.  I swear, I've done de-cluttering and de-junking in my house so many times you would think it would be done by now!  But it just seems like there is always something more to put away or give away!  When will it end?  Yikes!

So this week, I will continue working on my yoga skills.  I think I'll try to do five days a week instead of three.  I will continue with the attic and hopefully do the basement as well.  I did get rid of lots of stuff not long ago but there were a few things left behind.  So, here's to finishing the attic/basement donations and continuing the yoga!  The yoga makes me feel better.  And de-junking is another kind of great feeling!

Happiness Project: Year #2! July 2012

Well, I made it through a year of projects!  I can definitely say that doing this has made my year "happier"!  It has kept me busy and focused on good things throughout the year.  If I really look back on everything I've done, I've accomplished a lot.  I feel pretty good about the past year.

As far as this year goes, I've had a hard time deciding what to do but I finally figured it out.  For years in my journal writing, I've focused on four areas:  physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.  I'm going to cycle through these this year and specifically work on things in these areas throughout the year.  For example, physical will be done in July, November, and March 2013, mental will be done in August, December, and April 2013, emotional will be in September, January, and May 2013, and spiritual will be October, February 2013 and June 2013.  Each area will be represented four times throughout the year.

What will I do with these areas?  I found some "areas of focus" on the internet when I was researching what to do so I have some lists of things to do to help me expand myself in each of these areas.  It will definitely be more of a retrospective year as I focus on these areas for myself but I'm sure I'll be adding projects into each month to work on.  I want to continue to do things related to my kids, my home, and others.  I will still plan to update each Sunday night to record my work along the way.

This month's focus/resolution is to focus on the physical--not only the physical self but other things that need to be physically done.  I will be working on a couple of goals each week.  This week it will be clearing out the rest of the attic and adding stuff to the donation box--(yes, I've done this numerous times, but it doesn't seem to end with me...).  I would also like to get out walking three times this week for at least 30 minutes per walk.  I'm hoping to find a walking partner for the summer!

I'm excited to start another year of bettering myself and my things and my life.  All at the age of 40!  (In two more days...!)

Wrap-up

For this last week of June, I'll be finishing up some plans with the kids. We are planning a trip to the new car museum in Tacoma for Ethan, a BBQ with the Fischer's for the 4th of July, (here's hoping for good weather!) and a lunch date with Andy for my upcoming birthday. I'm still working on plans for my next Happiness Project, starting next month. Summer will fly by so I pray for good weather and a few fun trips before kids are back in school.

Projects I didn't expect!

I forgot to post last night...again. I think I actually need to write it in on my calendar instead of just trying to remember. This past week we ended up getting a new desk from Staples that was on sale. We had looked at it before but decided to wait. Andy saw it and decided it was a good enough price to snag. So this whole week I've been cleaning and reorganizing the office. It's actually been a good thing--you always end up throwing a bunch of stuff away that you don't really need. So now we have a spiffed-up office along with a cute fabric-covered corkboard that I spent a little while doing. Those corkboards are so ugly, I covered it with some cute zebra striped fabric and silver thumbtacks and it looks like new!

Then we ended up getting a trampoline for the kids and spent most of the weekend putting that together. Totally worth it! I loved our trampoline growing up and I hope my kids like it just as much. Such a fun thing to keep them busy and get wiggles out. I love to see them out there!

This coming week I'll be plugging away at little projects that have sprung up along the way. I'm also getting ready to start my second Happiness Project year! Can't believe it's been a year since I started all of this. So fun!

Summer : week 1

I was pretty excited and pleased with how this first week of our summer schedule turned out. I sat down and told the kids what we would be doing for the week and they really did well. Just reminds me that kids really do respond to structure of nearly any kind. I'm looking forward to this week now that I have confidence that it will work. I still have to figure out a good reading schedule for Ethan especially. I want to find some good "boy" books that will keep him going throughout the summer. This week we will continue the new schedule, I have a list of things to work on including Father's Day gifts, cleaning out Livi's old clothes in the attic and scheduling some days trips for the remainder of the month. Fun times! Now we just need some good weather!

June 2012: Summer Prep!

Well, I have one kid out of school and one kid still in, but I'm going to use this month to work on our summer plans.  I have new workbooks and a new schedule on the horizon.  Today I sat down and put together a new daily schedule that will start tomorrow!  I want to really enjoy my kids this summer.  I hope to come up with some fun things for them to do.  I'm also hoping this new schedule will work well.  I'm using the month of June to test it out!

I'm also continuing on with my budgeting work now that we have a better idea of what money we have coming in.  Happy summer!

Photos: check!

I'm officially done with the photo project.  It feels great to have that done.  My kids love to look at these pictures and now we actually have a place for them.  I used a special separate photo album for the special pics of just my mom.  Those will be great to look at when I'm just missing her and need to see her again.  I have some fun ones of her at the beach in Oregon when I used to live there.  They remind me of such good times.  My mom was so precious to always make the effort to visit me, wherever I lived!

Now I'm on to the finances for the rest of the month.  We have a better idea of how much we'll be making so I can get started and feel more in control of that.  My only complaint is that we have had to get new insurance for us and the kids.  The kids are fine but our insurance seems expensive!  And Andy tells me that's what we were paying through the hospital!  Paying for insurance sucks!  But I guess you gotta have it!

Picture Perfect

 

I did well this week getting the pictures in order.  I was able to stack them by the year they were taken  and then by month, as close as I could get it.  There were obviously some that had weird dates on them from my mom's camera so I just had to figure out when they would have been.  Then I pulled out the mostly empty photo album in the office and filled it up with the pictures.  Now this week I'll just need a new photo album and put the rest of the pictures in and I'll be done!  It really feels good to have this almost done.  Now I can look forward to looking at the pictures instead of avoiding them!

Happy Mother's Day to you, mom.  I sure miss you.  Thanks for being the kind of mom you were.  You did an amazing job!  I wish you were still here because I still need you!  My heart is aching for your presence but overflowing with gratitude at the same time.  Having you for a mom was a blessing that will never end.  Thank you for shaping my life.  I love you!

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May 2012: Photos and Money!

I missed posting on May 1st but here we go!  This month I will be working on a couple of things:  Finances and photos.

Because Andy is going back to school and our budget will be changing, we're going to sit down and work through a new budget once we see what money we'll have coming in.  This actually might take more time than just this month so I will probably extend it into next month.

The other thing I have been wanting to do involves all of the pictures I received after my mom's death.  They are still in a big zip-lock bag, just waiting to be sorted and put in photo albums.  This is my month to do it.  I will have to sort them first, then fill the photo album I currently have, get a new one and fill that, and then make a special one with just pictures of my mom.  I've been wanting to do this for a long time and have put it off because it really does make me sad.  But I hope to deal with it better now and try to remember all of the happy times associated with the pictures.  I haven't done anything so far but this week I will put them into chronological order.

I'm hoping this month will help me finish a task I've been putting off, and work on a practical task like re-vamping the budget!

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Marriage Challenge, signing off!

I had to laugh at some of the challenges for this past week:  "Look at your husband admiringly.  Make sure he sees you looking at him."  Seriously...?  That doesn't happen in my house.  And "Turn off your cell phone, computer, or TV when he walks into the room."  Um, I think that HE should be doing those things when I walk into the room, right?  That sounds more like it.

Anyway, I'm excited to move on to next month where I'll be working on a couple of my own challenges/projects.  I'll post on Tuesday, May 1st!  

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The Good Wife

 

I asked my husband if he noticed that I'd been making extra effort with this marriage challenge and he said no.  I can't decide if that's a good thing or not.  Either I'm doing a good job in my marriage and this challenge hasn't been much of a change in what I normally do, or I'm simply not trying hard enough and he doesn't see my effort.  Anyway, these are the things I worked on for this week:

*Think only positive thoughts about your husband.  (Easy enough!)
*Thank him for all he does for your family.  (check!)
*Laugh with your husband today.  (That's easy, especially if we're watching Modern Family.)
*Who is a wife you admire?  (All I could think of was my mom...)
*Don't ask him to do any chores or honey-do's.  (Impossible!)
*Today's focus:  patience.  (I don't always have patience with my husband because he can be very one-track minded but I did make an effort!)
*Forgive him when he makes a mistake.  (Got it!)


I really do love and appreciate my husband and wonder what I would ever do without him.  He's a true treasure to me and our children.  I feel blessed to have married him!

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Marriage = Blessing

A pretty good week has gone by and I am finding that I need to put more effort into this marriage challenge.  It's not very difficult, but I feel like I rush to get things said or done instead of taking time to actually think clearly about what I'm doing.  Here's the list from last week that I worked on:


*Imagine how it feels to be in your husband's shoes.  (Probably stressed right now!)
*Today's focus:  kindness  (I always think I'm kind but I'm sure that's not true!)
*Tell him you're glad you married him.  (I nearly ALWAYS think this way about Andy!)
*Pray for wisdom in being a wife.  (We all need that one, right?)
*Don't use any sarcasm with your husband today.  (Ummm, hard one for me...)
*Remember that being a wife is a blessing.  (Yes!)
*Think only positive thoughts about your husband today.  (Easy!)


Because some of these are on a more personal level, I don't even think Andy has noticed any difference in my behavior this month.  I never told him what I was working on so I'll have to ask him if he has noticed anything!  


Now I'm off to call my sister in Nebraska and remind her that when she hears the tornado sirens going off, GET IN THE BASEMENT, GIRLFRIEND!  AND DON'T FORGET YOUR CHILDREN!! 

April 2012: 30-day Marriage Challenge!

I completely forgot to post last Sunday to announce my new resolution for the month, so here I am tonight.  I am doing a 30-day Marriage Challenge this month that I found on Pinterest.  I also printed off the new Buttoned-up Challenge which is all about spring cleaning for the month but I have found that I am totally overwhelmed with it already.  I would seriously need a house-cleaner to come in and help me with all that has to be done.  I have decided to only do what I feel like I can on that list and stay more focused on the marriage challenge.

So far I've only missed one day during the first week--I was supposed to make or buy him his favorite food but since it was a Friday and he goes to work at two o'clock in the afternoon, that didn't happen.  I am happy to focus on my marriage simply because my relationship with Andy can often take a back seat.  The kids and everything else we do seems to overwhelm our relationship at times.  This will help me get back on track and focus on my sweet husband for a while.  He needs that!

Smile!

My kids did pretty well this week in practicing and keeping track of their good manners.  We also discussed and practiced better table manners.  What I've discovered is that they need to work on their manners with EACH OTHER!  That seems to be lacking a bit.  They do well with other people but not necessarily together.  This is our final week of working on manners and for me, the financial and "stuff" from the Buttoned Up challenge this month.  I'm looking forward to starting April's challenges.  I'm going to work on two at the same time.  I'll let you know what they are next Sunday!

Good Work!

This week we focused on "physical" manners:  opening the door, shaking hands, doing something for someone else, and so on.  This was harder for everyone just because we didn't get the opportunity to do it very often.  My kids really did well on continuing the "verbal" manners so I counted all of that as good work.  This week we'll be actually checking off on a chart (for the kids) whenever they use their manners in the right way.  We're also going to be talking about phone manners and table manners.  It will be good practice for all of us!

Yes, please!

I was just looking over my resolution chart that keeps track of our progress and it looks pretty good!  Olivia was born with good manners, Ethan has to be prodded into it, and Andy has had to learn to be more verbal socially, which includes using manners.  They were drilled into me from birth so I pretty much have a handle on them.

This week we're working on "physical" manners:  smiling, opening the door for someone, shaking hands, setting the table and so on.  This week might be more challenging because it takes a different way of thinking to pull these off.  So far, so good!

And thanks to Lisa for making a suggestion about interrupting.  My kids do that constantly!  I've added that on to the manners we'll be working on later this month.  It's so true and such a good thing to practice NOT doing.  We all need that one!

The Work Begins!

I sat down with the kids and husband to introduce our "Manners Matter" month.  This week we're going to be working on "verbal" manners:  please, thank you, you're welcome, and so on.  Anything verbally polite.  I had to break manners down into parts in order for us to get through all that I wanted.  Everyone has to say at least two polite things during the day in order to meet their goal.  I'm keeping track on my resolution page.  I told them that it didn't have to just be two times; the point is for these kind of manners to stick all the time, in any situation.  I think manners are very important but sadly, most kids are no longer even aware of what they are!  Not mine!  We're going to make some headway this month in that department and hopefully they will continue using them all the time.  I'm looking forward to the week!

March 2012: Manners Matter!

Welcome to March!  This year is already flying by, right?  Even though Buttoned Up is doing another challenge this month (working on money and stuff around your house),  I figured I would do that on the side and do the "Manners Matter" challenge as my main theme for this month.

I got online and found a fun printable about manners that I could help my kids with.  I've always been very conscious of manners--thanks mom!--and I think they are highly important.  Why?  Because they show intelligence and kindness toward others.  Because they help you get ahead--yes, I really believe that.  Because they require you to think and become more emotionally intelligent which I am requiring from my lovely children.  This will be a fun time to get the kids involved.  Each week we'll be working on a certain area of manners.  We're starting with a fairly easy one--table manners.  I won't be starting this challenge until Sunday the 4th, simply because there are four full weeks in March starting with that date.

I'm excited to have my kids participate this month.  Looking forward to getting everyone involved!  Husband included!

Final Buttoned-up post

I'll just start out by saying that I'm tired.  And I have a headache.  It's been a long day. I'm ready to sleep!  But here's my report:

I accomplished five out of seven challenges for the week.  Pretty good, right?  I'm going to pat myself on the back and say "yes"!  Amid the distractions of every day life, I still hung in there.  There are only three days left of this challenge and they are:

*go to bed at 9:00 pm (Monday night--can't wait for that one!)
*make yourself a "good mood" playlist (which I already have--I only put music on there that makes me feel good!)
*do one thing that maximizes the gift of the extra day this year (leap year!)

I have appreciated this challenge because it made me realize that I really need to put myself in a position to help others more often.  I'm so focused on my own family--for good reason--but I realized that I really can offer service to others and still keep my life going.

I'll report again on March 1st to announce the new challenge for the month.  I'm off to bed!

Hit and Miss

Here's the breakdown for this week:

*make a list of ten things you love about someone  (hmmmm...didn't quite do that this week)
*tell at least ten people that you love them for Valentine's Day (does three count?)
*print out menu planning printable (I have a bunch of these already!)
*call and schedule your doctor visits and appointments (I'm doing that this Tuesday so I missed that one...)
*go on a 10 minute brisk walk (too bad it was raining with 40+ mile an hour winds!)
*find a yoga class and do it  (I plan to do yoga once the kids go down tonight--I hope that counts!)

So I was a little hit-and-miss this week but some days I just wasn't able to get certain things done.  That sounds lame when I write it--an excuse, really.  I love these challenges because they really do "challenge" me.  To be able to do them all to the fullest is a stretch.  I love being pushed, though.  It's helping me grow in ways I would not have considered before.  I'm excited for the upcoming week!

Easy Week!

This week was not very difficult because most of the stuff on the list were things I already do.  Like the following:

*prepare Valentine's for your kids class
*make list of special days for the people in your life
*buy greeting cards for those occasions
*put reminders on your calendar for these events

There were a few other things I worked on but got by easily this week with not much effort.  That's okay, because it was an emotional one anyway.  The 10th of Feb. was Olivia's birthday, the two year mark of my mom's death, and new baby Kate was also born that same day!  Big day for us!  Lot's of emotion.  Have a great and happy Valentine's week!

February 2012! Buttoned-up challenge #2

Well, I missed posting on Sunday so I'm a couple of days late but here I am to report.  I was going to do something different this month until I found out that Buttoned-up was doing a second challenge for the month of February.  I can see that this is going to be harder than last month because it is more of a service-oriented challenge.  Funny, why is that harder to do than working on yourself?!!  Here are some of the tasks I'm working on this week:

*volunteer to babysit for a stressed out mom or friend
*make a date to help a friend weed out unfortunate clothing (uh...how do you approach that one?)
*email a daily schedule printable to someone you love with a date and time to meet
*run an errand for somebody else
*help a friend with an organizational challenge
...and the list goes on!

I sure wish I lived closer to some of my sisters because I'm sure they could use some help in the babysitting area!  This is a difficult challenge for me!  She says you don't have to do the specific challenge on that date but at least get it scheduled for a time that works for you.  Yikes!  Wish me luck!

An emotional purge!

Here were the tasks to be done this week:

*Edit shoes...(which I did and actually got rid of six pair!)
*Get rid of 5 items of clothes you haven't worn in over 12 months...(I made it to three items!)
*Declutter bedroom and dust tops of bedside tables...(this was easy since I had recently cleaned them off anyway)
*Put loose change in a jar on top of bureau...(already had it done!)
*Go through underwear drawer and clean it out and organize...(already had it done!)
*Clean underneath bed...(my side was clean--can't say the same for my husband--and I'm NOT doing it for him!)
*Toss all outdated makeup and toiletries...(I admit I haven't done this one yet.  It's a hard one.  I can't seem to throw anything away if it still has something in it!)

It was difficult to do some of the challenges this week because I am emotionally tied to some of the clothes and shoes I donated.  I think it's hard to get rid of those personal items but I think it's important to remember that they really are only clothes and shoes and makeup.  You can't take them with you!!!

I have a couple more days of this month to finish off the buttoned-up challenge.  It's been great!  I'll post again on Wednesday when I start a new resolution for February!

Another good one!

I totally forgot to post yesterday!  It was a busy day, though--full of great things.  Anyhoo, here's what I did during the week last week:

*went through my freezer and cleaned it all out!
*got rid of any wire hangers in my closets--I didn't actually have any.  Does anyone?
*cleaned up any clothes laying around on the floor or in the closet--in my house, those would be my husband's clothes!
*decluttered my belts
*edited my sweaters and sweatshirts--didn't have many!

I didn't add anything to my donation box but it might have more items in it by the end of this coming week.  One job I have to do this week is declutter and edit my shoes.  Now come on.  Do you really think I'm going to part with my shoes??!!  I don't think so!

I'm feeling organized!

This is what I did this past week:

*organized cupboard holding baking sheets and pans
*went through my utensil/kitchen utensil drawer and deposited anything I don't use anymore into the donation box
*decluttered cabinet with drinking glasses and donated anything I don't use anymore
*organized  kitchen appliances and donated anything not used on a consistent basis
*cleaned out spice cabinet and threw out anything that was expired
*got rid of extra flower vases (this reminded me of my mom, who had SO many!!!)
*organized cans on a can shelf in the cupboard

Nice, right?  I'm ready for another week of this.  It's feeling good!

A Good Week

I've been working on the Buttoned-Up Challenge this week where you have a specific task to do each day.  My favorite one was to set up a donation box in your kitchen.  I love that because I'm always getting rid of stuff that we don't need or don't use anymore.  And now I'll have a place to put everything and when it's full, we can take it to the Salvation Army.  Some of the other tasks were almost too easy because I already had a pretty good system for mail and keys.  But I did re-do my area in the kitchen where I keep my "office" stuff and mail by reorganizing everything on the counter.  It looks much better now and it definitely gave me a boost.  Now when I walk in there I actually like what I see whereas before, I really didn't like the clutter.  I try not to read ahead to what she's asking us to do for the week because I like the surprise of the new idea.  I'm excited to see what is in store for this week!

Happy New Year!! January 2012: Get Buttoned Up Challenge

Happy New Year!  2012 has begun and here we go heading back into a week of "normal" activity.  My happiness project resolution this month is from the All Buttoned Up blog/website where you do a small activity each day to help you organize and take care of things you might not normally do.  I wanted something very tangible this month so that I didn't have to think too much.  This is completely written out for me--I printed it out a couple of weeks ago so I could read it and prepare.  This week I'll be doing things like:

-get clear on goals for 2012
-go through junk mail and set up a mail and key drop area
-clear off any papers on kitchen counter and organize that area
-put away any lingering holiday decorations and do any organizing for 2012 holidays

Each week she made a list of one specific thing to do each day.  They are easy and quick.  I'll be excited to report back how I've done this week.  Looking forward to a new year and I pray that all will be safe and healthy with my loved ones.