Blog everyday in June

To write everyday was a goal I had set for the month of May when I created my 100 small things list for the year. But apparently, I drastically overestimated my ability to recover from a c-section, take care of an infant, homeschool our two big kids, teach my students virtually, and have all five kids home everyday during a pandemic..

But the summer has arrived (for me today! and for the two big kids on Thursday!) 

So I'm going to go for it!

Writing for me gets all the floating ideas out of my head and into clear, semi-organized sense. It pushes me to be creative. I helps me feel less distracted. It is my favorite outlet for creativity. It brings settled peace to my heart that often times feels too much and tugs too deep. 

I have some thoughts on what I will blog about, some ideas which have been in my drafts for too long and some things that have just been on my mind recently. And I created a blogging calendar to  map out some thoughts on what I will be writing each day to keep me focused and organized. Some of the topics I'm thinking about include

• four kids' birthday posts (!)
• Around Here posts (to keep current)
• Studerbabies farm update
• intentional personal growth series
• lessons learned from five kids and 10 years of mom'ing
• list of ways to support moms with new babies
• school year recap 
• limit setting for kids
• outdoor hours

I'll also happily take suggestions!

So I hope to write

even if it's just a little tiny something

even if it seems like one more thing I have to add to my plate

even if I feel like I have nothing to say

even if all five kids are making me crazy

even if the goats have jumped the fence (hah, yeah - we'll get to that story)

I'm going to write something each day. 

I'd love to blog/write along with you if you need some motivation to get that paper to pen or those fingers to keyboard! It's always easier to finish a challenge if you have a buddy. 

2020: 100 Small Things

This year is going to be a little wacky, I've just accepted it and I'm hoping to move forward with intention and gratitude. My planner is already filled with deadlines, and saved dates, and then there's the big one that doesn't care at all about dates and plans and deadlines...our new baby brother. My planner is one of my most prized possessions (that sounds incredibly nerdy but it's 100percent true) and so to have all these things mapped out (maternity leave, kids' practice & game schedules, my college course requirements, holidays) and then have the big overlay of....well all of this as long as baby bro goes along with the schedule already sets me on edge a little bit. Then we have a double digit birthday, a decade of motherhood (emotional rollercoaster), and another kid off to kindergarten!

I always struggle with this part of motherhood. The growing of one while the others still need me too. I'm so much slower in all ways (physically, mentally, efficiently, patiently) when I"m growing a human and can never quite get rid of the guilt that my other kids have to put up with their mom who is not running on standard levels. And then the baby comes and it really gets wonky. Again...just trying to accept and move forward with intention and gratitude. (if I keep repeating it, I'll get there, right?)

So in an attempt to recognize how this year will be unexpected and new and interesting - I'm trying something a little different with my 100 small things.  In years past (2019, 2018, 2017) I've made categorized lists to focus my goals and before that (2016, 2015) I just made one huge list. But to try to stay on track and give myself some direct focus, I've grouped by month this time around. I loaded up on the maternity leave/summer months when I have more time and energy and took it a little slower (more practically) on the early month. By October, we have run ourselves pretty ragged (start of school year, fall sports season, big holidays) so those months have low numbers too.

I was also able to split my 1000 outdoor hours up in what (I hope) are reasonable numbers for each month to get me (finally!) to my goal. And my book goal (24 for the year) are broken up by month. I've already knocked a few off my list and worked half way through a few for the month of January (yay!) so we're off to a decent start.

January
1. 5 outdoor hours (4.5 hrs in January & .5 hrs in March)
2. Read 2 books  (With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo and The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan)
3. replant our Aloe Vera in a bigger pot (in May)
4. set up a payment plan for my college course
5. Purchase Gemma's 1st Holy Communion dress
6. send a thank you gift to a sweet and thoughtful friend  (in May)
7. attend college course orientation (virtually)
8. create 12 months of kindness task list & post to fridge
9. direct deposit church donations

February
1. 8 outdoor hours (6 hrs in February & 2 hrs in March)
2. Read 2 books (Scythe by Neal Shusterman and Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman )
3. attend Ash Wednesday mass
4. order new breast pump (through insurance = free!)
5. inventory baby supplies (attic) and wash (thank you mum for washing!)
6. purchase new toilet bowl brushes for all bathrooms
7. find a sports league/team for Rustman
8. start a family puzzle
9. brainstorm kids' bedrooms for baby5 arrival

March - Covid-19 Lockdown
1. 15 outdoor hours 
2. Read 2 books (The Toll by Neal Shusterman, Nyxia by Scott Reintgen) - read Nyxia in April
3. Finish our taxes
4. volunteer with the big kids at our church's fish fry
5. create an emergency kit for the house
6. finalize maternity leave binder/notes/plans
7. Kindergarten registration for Violet
8. swap and organize all the kids' dressers
9. get school board approval for Spanish trip June 2021

April - Covid-19 Lockdown
1. 30 outdoor hours (11 hours in April)
2. Read 2 books, 1 in Spanish (Dig by A.S. King)
3. Make new baby birth announcements & send
4. turn in 12 page research paper 
5. declutter kitchen cabinets
6. buy new screen doors (front & back)
7. close out old CD at bank
8. buy a shade tent for the yard

May - Covid-19 Yellow Status
1. 70 outdoor hours (64 hours in May)
2. Read 2 books (Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds, Untamed by Glennon Doyle) 
3. pull off NS prom (!) -covid 19 cancelled
4. write every single day
5. start keto
6. front porch flower pots/beds & hang a hummingbird feeder
7. deep clean the deep freezer
8. participate in Screen Free Week
9. attend graduations of North Star and Richland (-covid 19 closed to public)
10. have joint first holy communion & baptism party (covid-19 postponed)

June
1. 150 outdoor hours
2. Read 2 books
3. donate blood
4. figure out daycare plans for 20-21
5. toy purge (house & attic)
6. new headboard for our room
7. create summer kid chore charts
8. swap kids' summer clothes/shoes
9. create car tote (wipe, diaps, bandaids, sunscreen, etc)
10. AKT weekend
11. Host a 'playground crawl' with YIFC

July
1. 200 outdoor hours
2. Read 2 books, 1 in Spanish
3. No Buy July
4. update all passports
5. Gemma attend theater camp
6. Violet attend art camp
7. teach Violet to do her own ponytail (in February)
8. clean out my Gmail account
9. master bedroom closet purge, organize, & inventory

August
1. 200 outdoor hours
2. Read 2 books
3. Family camping trip at the Que
4. finish curriculum map 20-21
5. Ride bikes/stroller at the Jim Mayer trail & picnic (whole trail!)
6. make bedtime routine charts
7. create vision boards for the upcoming school year with the kids
8. create my own vision board for the upcoming school year
9. Mail box makeover (flower bed, update pole, etc)

September
1. 150 outdoor hours
2. Read 2 books
3. Organize plans for Sunday school into binder
4. finish 2019-20 family yearbook
5. Run Que Classic 5K with Greyson
6. create a shared writing journal with Gemma (in March)
7. plan 1 meatless meal a week for the month
8. Organize a back-to-school Spanish Club dance
9. donate blood

October
1. 140 outdoor hours
2. read 2 books, 1 in Spanish
3. have a real anniversary date (our 12th!)
4. swap kids' fall/winter clothes totes
5. spend a fall family day at the Que
6. Grandmas & kids day trip

November
1. 20 outdoor hours
2. read 2 books
3. participate in Planksgiving
4. have our family photos taken
5. create Christmas cards
6. update all kids' baby books with photos

December
1. 12 outdoor hours
2. read 2 books
3. learn how to make nut & poppyseed roll with Mimi
4.  host Christmas morning and breakfast at our house with a fancy table
5. start "best gift of the year" re-wrap tradition at Christmas breakfast

It's been five years of creating 100 small things list (thank you Ashley for the inspiration all those years ago!) and despite NEVER having crossed off all of my 100 small things - it truly has helped me focus and stay intentional on the kind of life I want to be living in the wild blur that is raising up small kids. Everyday flies by and I find myself tucking in and kissing sweet little faces and trying to grasp on to what they said today, how much I hugged them, how their childhoods are being formed in these everyday memories. This blog and our family yearbooks help capture those memories for me but my 100 small things list works in the background to make sure that it is a life that we are actually living - not just watching go by through the car window. I am taking part and making conscious choices for this blessed, wild, loud, messy life is one that I can someday look back on and be proud of, that someday I will be the kind of person that I will be proud to be. It's a reminder that life doesn't happen to you - you make small decisions each day so that you can be who you hope to be.

What goals do you have this year? I want to hear them! They always inspire me and make my brain start turning on ways I can make it work for me too! :)

100 Small Things 2019

I have felt off for a few months, sort of stuck in a rut and feeling kind of down about the state of things; the world, myself, mostly the weather (hah). Usually my 100 small things list creation sparks a small flame inside of me that gets me all antsy-pantsy about the upcoming year - but this year it took me several weeks to really consider my choices and ideas. I wanted my list to be ambitiously doable (is that even a thing?) I need this year to be about realistic and intentional steps I can make towards being the me I want to be.

this is such a wacky stage of our lives; our bigs kids digging into sports seasons but still strapping little ones in and out of car seats, our big kids are pretty independent but right there on the edge that we forget that they still need reminders to do things like brush their teeth and wash under their armpits (hah). Our little ones are still little enough to need us for lots of things, but big enough that we can probably stop babying them so much too. We are both working full time jobs while volunteering with our kids' activities and trying to keep the spark alive in this ten+ year (19+ years together) relationship. We spread ourselves so thin sometimes that we make ourselves unavailable to the people who love us the most (ie. family).

Gosh, life.
we're all trying to figure this out and my 100 small things list is my focused way to make sure that despite the wildness and beauty of this life; I remain pointed in the direction of my dreams. That I am still playing the 'long game' for the person I hope to be and the life I hope to be living when I'm an old lady sitting on my porch swing holding Brandon's wrinkled, calloused hands listening to our bajillion grandkids chasing chickens around our yard. (hey, we all got dreams).

so here she is - 2019 addition of 100 small things.

soul
1. 1000 hours outside (or at least beat 2018 hours)
2. last will and testaments complete
3. cover concession stand duty for my kids' coaches...BE the kids' coaches
4. find a way to meaningfully thank the people who supported and prayed for us through Gigi's journey
5. direct deposit our church contributions
6. plant a garden and tend to it
7. update our family photos in the hallway staircase including a canvas print of Rusty & Violet
8. Live like the seasons and find a quote to match (winter, spring, summer, fall)

mind
9. finalize certification plans and begin
10. read 20 new to me books; 4 of them in Spanish
11. diversify my book authors and track
12. clear out and organize the living room desk and filing cabinets
13. learn some piano alongside Gemma (techniques and youtube)
14. learn French through the duolingo app
15. watch Marie Kondo's Netlflix series

body
16. try one month of HIIT exercise
17. drink 2 water bottles a day at work
18. average 12,000 steps a day (at least 5/7 days a week)
19. donate blood at least 4 times
20. when getting down on myself, repeat mantra, "I am grateful for this capable body"
21. explore hiking trail near Incline Plane downtown
22. attend a yoga class taught by my friend/coworker before she moves this summer
23. buy and try dry shampoo
24. go a whole month of 'blue dots' on the WW app
25. NSV: wear engagement ring comfortably
extra: keto for 3 months

mommahood
26. snowboard with Greyson
27. painting class with Violet
28. see a show/ballet with Gemma
29. see a movie with Rustman
30. take the kids to sell our eggs at the farmer's market
31. volunteer in Grey and Gem's classes
32. figure out ipad/screen time control/system
33. finish 2017-18 yearbook
34. start 2018-19 yearbook
35. fix bedtime routine with the kids
36. update photos in kids' baby books
37. add kids' birthstones to my mother's ring
extras: enroll girls in summer camp courses at CCCAC
make & grow a new family member (hah), finish 2018-19 family yearbook

romance
38. nsfw
39. once a month babysitter secured date
40. go heavy on the blond highlights for summer
41. add lace to my jammie collection
42. commit to a no-phone-zone bed
43. watch a complete Netflix series together

relationships
44. grandmas & kids mini trip
45. email our family weekly with kids' schedules
46. clean and clear instagram feed to spark joy (from 700+ to under 300!)
47. plan a party
48. host a grandparents dinner at our house (have the kids help cook and plan)
49. scf monthly happy hour at our homes

money
50. update Amazon subscribe and save
51. put money aside for Christmas all year long
52. update budget ledger and discuss with B
53. switch bill pay duties to Brandon for the next 10 years
54. look into cable/DirectTV/other options and changes
55. switch garbage services
56. do a month of no spending
57. close out random money CD at old bank
58. find a path to pay off student loan by 2020
59. cancel subscription boxes for the girls

writing
60. writing retreat with Loni
61. attend a Johnstown writer's club meet-up
62. write 100 blogposts
63. write at least 50 pages to my novel
64. write a short story
65. organize CCD lesson plans and put in a binder by grade
66. write a monthly gratitude post
extra: submit short story for publication

travel
67. AKT playdate weekend at the halfway point
68. celebrate someone's birthday (trip!)
69. renew passports
70. get Rusty a passport
71. celebration trip to FL with Gigi and Pappy
72. Plan Disney 2020 trip
73. visit Erie, PA

home
74. fix living room curtain rod
75. clean stove
76. buy 2 kayaks
77. bookcase/built ins for the playroom
78. donate books and toys to the daycare
79. move family meals to the dining room table
80. roof a patio
81. choose beautiful flowers for our front porch planters
82. correct the clocks in the kids' rooms
83. write down and stash our family favorite recipes
84. go through kitchen cupboards and organize
85. buy a fiddle leaf fig plant for the living room
86. hang a fern (or other plant) in our bathroom
87. clear and purge our closet
88. clean out and organize the attic
89. order cornhole bags

biz&school
90.. clear out and organize filing cabinets and closet
91. laminate word wall and hang with magnets
92. curriculum map for 2019-20
93. participate in Wooly Week 2019
94. post and create classroom signs (phrase starters, etc)
95. take Spanish club juniors and seniors to the Gateway clipper
96. host a taco truck day at school
97. take over Prom committee 2019-20
98. start Project Lit grou with Renee and Ashley (book club with students)
99. take Praxis Fundamental Knowledge test
100. have a co-founders meeting and make decisions about The Hunting Daddies

End of Year Review: 100 Small Things

oh, 2018. I can't say I hate to see you go, but, if I'm being honest, they year did have some dazzling moments in there too. There were some great days, and some good days, and plenty of meh days, and quite a few of terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days in there too. I had high hopes for my 100 small things list that I made at the beginning of the year, and despite lots of changes and hitches in our giddy-ups, I still ended up accomplishing 48 of my original list of 100 small things.

We also finished a few other non-officially listed tasks that I included below because even though they don't count towards my total completed, they were still important to making me the kind of a person I want to continue to become, or our home the kind of home we would like to have for our family. Which is really the whole point of 100 small things each year; trying to take little steps towards becoming the person I hope to be someday.

So before I share my 100 small things list for 2019, let me review and reflect back over the year of accomplishments and partially completed, and non-attempts from the previous year. Shoot for the moon, eh?

Soul
1. Limit phone distraction/scrolling using the anti-social app 
2. 1000 hours outside  - 529 hours/1000
3. daily yoga (app and after school class!)
4. facetime weekly date with Kitty
5. afternoon hot tea
6. walk during school lunch at least two times a week
7. writing retreat with Loni
8. unsubscribe from junk email
9. screen free Wednesdays  **although inconsistently
10. clear out phone photo album of old stuff already backed up
11. implement a morning routine
12. implement a nighttime routine

Mind
1. Read 12 new-to-me books  - 22/12
2. Figure out cert plan and put into motion
3. watch 10 TED talks
4. review 3 books for Blogging for Books -1/3
5. revamp the curriculum plan (summer break) for all levels
6. write 100 blogposts -54/100
7. take Spanish Praxis
8. learn to drive stick shift
9. participate in a writing challenge (or writing course)
10. listen to podcasts while folding laundry
11. create an efficient and easy tracking system for my planner (water count, exercise, outdoor hrs, etc)

extra: 
listened to the Dirty John podcast and now watching the series on Bravo! 

Body
1. finish Mud on the Mountain
2. zip up my wedding dress
3. eat mindfully
4. track water intake of at least 6 cups a day
5. walk/run 30 miles a month (360 miles for the year)
6. run/walk the Jim Mayer trail
7. paddleboard on the Que
8. try a local gym class
9. leave a pair of glasses in the car for night driving

extra: 
hit 10,000 -12,000 steps regularly using my new fitbit
participated in our school step/weight loss challenge and won 2nd place with a 9lb loss)
joined WW online

Mommahood
1. finish 2016-17 family yearbook
2. finish 2017-18 family yearbook
3. participate in screen free week 2018
4. celebrate YES Day! (June 30)
5. join the PTA
6. sign Violet up for a painting class at the community arts center
7. take a photo of Violet in my wedding dress (same photos as Gem at 3y!)
8. run in a 5k with Greyson
9. create a 1second video
10. teach B how to french braid
11. create a 2018 family gratitude jar

extra: 
raising 10 chickens
enrolled Gemma in a musical summer camp

Romance
1. co-ed volleyball league
2. nsfw
3. proper celebration of our 10 year anniversary
4. last will & testaments!
5. grown-up only dinners with food the kids don't like (they can eat pizza/mac&cheese)
6. make our bed a no-phone zone
7. babysitter secured date night once a month- got a date night in every single month! This is the first time since we've been parents that this ever happened. Big thank you to our personal Marry Poppins, Miss Hannah for helping to make this happen - she is always ready when we need her. We love you!!
8. nsfw
9. greet B at the door when he comes home from work
10. have B teach me how to play poker
11. play nsfw poker (hah)
12. have a schedule check-in once a month

extra: 
march madness tourney competition

Relationships
1. AKT plus kids trip!
2. Sundays at Mimi's for breakfast
3. properly celebrate Mimi's 80th birthday
4. finally (!!) celebrate Kate & my birthday
5. AKT 35th birthday trip
6. find a special way to thank our Beer Olympics friends - make the 10th annual event really special
7. respond and comment thoughtfully to blogs and instagrams that inspire me
8. scf & girls sleepover
9. grandma & kids trip make a comeback!
10. participate in our neighbor's community garden
11. reconnect with my favorite friends via phone call or email

Kindness
1. donate blood at least six times this year
2. volunteer in Grey and Gemma's classes (parties, mystery reader, etc)
3. create three packages for Raph (Worldvision)
4. send snail mail to the Gilmores
5. recommit to our 12 Months of Kindness project - make the tasks kid-centered
6. CVAA human library
7. volunteer for kids' sports/leagues in a meaningful way oh boy, did we ever! B head coached the minors football team and was an assistant coach for Grey's baseball season, I helped with sponsors for baseball season, coached Gemma's AYSO soccer team, co-coached flag football cheerleading, and helped organized the CT youth football banquet.

extra: 
delivered chicken eggs to our neighbors & my Home Ec class at school
wrote 2 letter of recommendations for my high school seniors

Travel
1. visit Kitty and Ryan in Bermuda
2. Flight 93 memorial
3. family Idlewild trip
4. camping with the Stankan family in Pine Creek
5. sleepover with the Gilmores
6. try three local new-to-us restaurants
7. No bummer summer list creation & completion with the Fiores
8. visit PA Grand Canyon
9. take family to 1000 steps

Home
1. finish basement bathroom
2. roof a porch
3. get a kayak (or two)
4. make Lisa's gram's cinnamon rolls
5. purchase new oven mitts
6. makeover our mailbox
7. make the kids' rooms their own (research, new mattresses, re-paint, curtains, storage, etc)
8. finish outdoor fire pit
9. finish steps into the house
10. power wash the siding
11. update the photos in the stairs hallway

extra: 
epoxy'ed the garage floors
new garage doors
cleared out (finally) the garage clutter
Brandon built a chicken coop 

Business
1. finish Beer Olympics planning toolkit
2. encourage Grey to create more flies for his etsy shop
3. attend two expos with The Hunting Daddies
4. expand The Hunting Daddies child's clothing items
5. take professional photos for The Hunting Daddies website
6. meet with our financial planner for a check-in
7. start a cash savings jar

100 Small Things 2018

hi. don't mind me - just geeking out over the new year over here. 
I just love it. I love a crisp, clean new planner. I love looking out across the expanse of the whole year's worth of months with binocular-eyes and marking down all the exciting things we have to look forward to (weddings! Final Beer Olympics! Our 10th wedding anniversary! sports seasons! summer break! Bermuda visit!). I love getting all reflective and nostalgic as I flip through last year's planner and see all the wins and losses we had through the months - all the to do list items checked off, the surprise plans (some happy, some terribly sad) that got scribbled in last minute.  How lucky I feel to be living this exact life in all of it's wild, overwhelming, funny, beautiful messiness and with these exact people who make everything better and also easier to bear. 

And then new years comes and it's like - look, we get to do it all again together. A little different this time as we are all a little older and new days bring new experiences and challenges and joys....and also a little similar though too because we lean into our people and traditions and make space for the things we hold dear.

it is all just too much for my little heart and I find myself with teary eyes and a huge grin on my face through the last week of the past year and the first week of the new year. Crossing that bridge to kiss all my favorite moments of 2017 goodbye with a hug (and also a "PEACE OUT" to all the hard times) and to look out across the expansive landscape of the new year with outstretched arms shouting, "I love you already! I am so grateful to get to try again!"  

I know, I know...reel it back in here, tab. 
So in the spirit of trying again and being better and living with intention and grace, I'm crafted up another year's worth of 100 Small things. This is my fourth year of creating a list of 100 small things I hope to accomplish in the year.  I wrote one in 2015 and finished 48 of 100 tasks.  In 2016, I finished 38 tasks entirely for the year, and last year 2017, I completed 26 tasks total (with a whole bunch of 'bonus' tasks in there that we didn't plan for but gave us quite a bit of growing the accomplishment). Despite the fact that my total goals completed keeps getting less each year (!?) I also know enough to give myself grace that life is also becoming a little more tricky each year. We've added more kids into our family since I started this thing - B has switched jobs, I started jobs, the kids are in more activities - it's harder to find the time to squeeze in all these little extras. 

...but that doesn't make it less important to my soul to attempt. And so I'm back at it again this year with big and little goals all with the intention of becoming the person I want to be 'when I grow up.' (I know that technically I'm grown up now, but a little bit better me each day is my motto, right?)  Eternally grateful to Ashley from Big White Farmhouse who first introduced me to 100 Small things (you inspired more joy into my life - thank you! thank you! thank you!) 

Soul
1. Limit phone distraction/scrolling using the anti-social app (tracks usage for 2weeks and then you can set limits)
2. 1000 hours outside
3. daily yoga (app and after school class!)
4. facetime weekly date with Kitty
5. afternoon hot tea
6. walk during school lunch at least two times a week
7. writing retreat with Loni
8. unsubscribe from junk email
9. screen free Wednesdays
10. clear out phone photo album of old stuff already backed up
11. implement a morning routine
12. implement a nighttime routine

Mind
1. Read 12 new-to-me books
2. Figure out cert plan and put into motion
3. watch 10 TED talks
4. review 3 books for Blogging for Books
5. revamp the curriculum plan (summer break) for all levels
6. write 100 blogposts
7. take Spanish Praxis
8. learn to drive stick shift
9. participate in a writing challenge (or writing course)
10. listen to podcasts while folding laundry
11. create an efficient and easy tracking system for my planner (water count, exercise, mood, etc)

Body
1. finish Mud on the Mountain
2. zip up my wedding dress
3. eat mindfully
4. track water intake of at least 6 cups a day
5. walk/run 30 miles a month (360 miles for the year)
6. run/walk the Jim Mayer trail
7. paddleboard on the Que
8. try a local gym class
9. leave a pair of glasses in the car for night driving

Mommahood
1. finish 2016-17 family yearbook
2. finish 2017-18 family yearbook
3. participate in screen free week 2018
4. celebrate YES Day! (June 30)
5. join the PTA
6. sign Violet up for a painting class at the community arts center
7. take a photo of Violet in my wedding dress (same photos as Gem at 3y!)
8. run in a 5k with Greyson
9. create a 1second video
10. teach B how to french braid
11. create a 2018 family gratitude jar

Romance
1. co-ed volleyball league
2. nsfw
3. proper celebration of our 10 year anniversary
4. last will & testaments!
5. grown-up only dinners with food the kids don't like (they can eat pizza/mac&cheese)
6. make our bed a no-phone zone
7. babysitter secured date night once a month
8. nsfw
9. greet B at the door when he comes home from work
10. have B teach me how to play poker
11. play nsfw poker (hah)
12. have a schedule check-in once a week

Relationships
1. AKT plus kids trip!
2. Sundays at Mimi's for breakfast
3. properly celebrate Mimi's 80th birthday
4. finally (!!) celebrate Kate & my birthday
5. AKT 35th birthday trip
6. find a special way to thank our Beer Olympics friends - make the 10th annual event really special
7. respond and comment thoughtfully to blogs and instagrams that inspire me
8. scf & girls sleepover
9. grandma & kids trip make a comeback!
10. participate in our neighbor's community garden
11. reconnect with my favorite friends via phone call or email

Kindness
1. donate blood at least six times this year
2. volunteer in Grey and Gemma's classes (parties, mystery reader, etc)
3. create three folder packages for Raph (Worldvision)
4. send snail mail to the Gilmores
5. recommit to our 12 Months of Kindness project - make the tasks kid-centered
6. CVAA human library
7. volunteer for kids' sports/leagues in a meaningful way

Travel
1. visit Kitty and Ryan in Bermuda !!
2. Flight 93 memorial
3. family Idlewild trip
4. camping with the Stankan family in Pine Creek
5. sleepover at the Gilmore's house
6. try three local new-to-us restaurants
7. No bummer summer list creation & completion with the Fiores
8. visit PA Grand Canyon
9. take family to 1000 steps

Home
1. finish basement bathroom
2. roof a porch
3. get a kayak (or two)
4. make Lisa's gram's cinnamon rolls
5. purchase new oven mitts
6. makeover our mailbox
7. make the kids' rooms their own (research, new mattresses, re-paint, curtains, storage, etc)
8. finish outdoor fire pit
9. finish steps into the house
10. power wash the siding
11. update the photos in the stairs hallway

Business
1. finish Beer Olympics planning toolkit
2. encourage Grey to create more flies for his etsy shop
3. attend two expos with The Hunting Daddies
4. expand The Hunting Daddies child's clothing items
5. take professional photos for The Hunting Daddies website
6. meet with our financial planner for a check-in
7. start a cash savings jar



So, onward, friends.
thank you for always supporting me through your encouraging comments and recommendations for completing tasks and for sharing your wishes and goals. It's the new year and my heart is brim-full of hope for every great thing each of us will do and experience and inspire and create this year. And for even just this one moment - I love every single thing everywhere.  xxoxo

100 Small Things 2017

This is my third year of creating a list of 100 small things I hope to accomplish in the year.  I wrote one in 2015 and finished 48 of 100 tasks.  And did it again last year, in 2016, and finished 38 tasks entirely for the year.  

The point is to be intentional about my daily life.  The point is to make my daily life feel, look, and inspire the kind of whole life I hope to live - that I hope to build around this family of ours. 

It takes me a few days to brainstorm and reflect about the kind of life I hope to live this year.  The kinds of things that will help me be the type of person I hope to be.  This year, I categorized my list to try to stay focused on certain areas of my life.   Plus, it kind of feels more do-able all broken down in these ten categories (with about ten tasks each). 

Some of them aren't small tasks at all actually (1000 hours outdoor attempt #2, Completing my first ever half marathon!, getting our The Hunting Daddies books into our local Gander Mountain store for next Christmas!) but many of them are minor tweaks to our daily lives that I hope will help me grow and improve into the kind of person I want to be. 

I keep the list in my catch-all notebook that sits on my desk year-round and here (obviously) and I check in frequently and re-read it about a bajil times over the course of the year.  Having these goals help me stay focused even when life gets me all frazzled and pulled in twenty directions....or has me down because sometimes the world can do that to ya, amirite?

and so, for accountability's sake...here's my 

100 Small Things: 2017

Mind
1. Read at least 12 new-to-me books (read 11/12 new to me books)
2. Lead Inspired Readers book club at least three times (created the summer checklist!)
3. watch fifteen TED talks (watched 5/15 TED talks)
4. watch a manual settings camera tutorial
5. write 100 blog posts (wrote 77/100 posts)
6. participate in a writing challenge of any kind
7. replace "sorry" with "thank you"
8. practice/learn calligraphy
9. do at least three reviews for Blogging for Books
10. take a continuing education class at Penn Highlands
11. watch three documentaries

Bonus: 
new soul mantra
started and finished the Serial Podcast and S-Town podcast
joined up with a local book club: Books & Brews!
followed Spanish teacher blogs and instagrams
re-read The Handmaid's Tale

Body
1. finish the Pittsburgh half marathon
2. buy running shoes (and socks)
3. run/walk the Jim Mayer trail
4. Get bikes and/or bike ridealong seats for each person in our family
5. bike the Ohiopyle trail
6. take care of my heels at least once a week
7. get a haircut
8. put on my wedding dress and zip it up!
9. increase my jogging time to 12 minute/mile
10. try a local class (kickboxing/yoga)

Bonus: 
made the switch to the Diva Cup

Soul
1. 1000 hours outdoors (completed 523/1000 hours)
2. create a cellphone 'holding dock' and use it
3. screen free wednesdays
4. afternoon hot tea daily
5. monthly library trips
6. go to a Stations of the Cross for Lent
7. Do something special for my goddaughter Mallory's first holy communion
8. weekly gratitude journaling
9. Read Buddhism for Mothers of Young Children
10. no social media until after 11am

Motherhood
1. get mother's ring updated with all birthstones
2. go on an individual date with each child and both parents
3. finish the 2015-2016 yearbook
4. finish the 2016-2017 yearbook (!)
5. monthly family game nights
6. add child security settings to the iPad
7. celebrate the small holidays (Lunar New Year, Groundhogs Day, Mardi Gras, our pets' birthdays, half birthdays, etc)
8. eat outside in the summer
9. make seasonal fun to do lists
10. read aloud Charlotte's web
11. chore charts to make a comeback!

Bonus: 
Started Yes Day! (we celebrate ours on June 30)

Romance
1. watch House of Cards together
2. nsfw ;)
3. buy new sheets & a quilt 
4. monthly 'just for parents' dinner with grown-up delicious food that the kids would complain about (seafood/too spicy/asapargus/etc) while the kids eat mac&cheese or something equally boring
5. play on a co-ed volleyball team together
6. complete our Last Wills & Testaments
7. help Bud with a project I hate doing without sighing (like cleaning the garage or picking up branches when he's trimming the flowerbeds)
8. go on an actual dressed up -overnight (!) date
9. March Madness couple bracket competition
10. keep the Scrabble board game in our room for impromptu matches (like the 'ole days when it was just the two of us)

Relationships
1. learn to make nut roll from Mimi
2. AKT playdate with all the kids
3. email my Costa Rica host mom
4. send five care packages to friends
5. start to plan the AKT 35 year girls only trip (!!)
6. SCF and girls sleepover
7. grandma and kids trip
8. get teens to babysit our kids
9. host two big family dinners at our house (Christmas eve & Cookie baking day..?)
10. designate a day of the week to respond and comment on blogs I love

Kindness
1. start blood donation happy hour dates with Uch and Dad -epic fail! (hah Uch), but we did try!!
2. surprise our mail carrier Karen with thank you treats
3. give breakfast goodies to the bus driver
4. help B thank his secretaries on secretary's day (April 26)
5. surprise five friends with dinner (1/5 done)
6. organize & plan service project for my CCD class:  collect gently used stuffed animals for first responders.
7. post at least monthly on the 12 Months of Kindness facebook page
8. CVAA intramural league:  at least three seasons
9. volunteer in Greyson and Gemma's classrooms
10. send at least 4 care packages to Raph (Worldvision) (2/4 done)

Bonus: 
Dad Bod event with YIFC
Anonymous letter drop box in my classroom for students who need to get something off their chest
Donated 0-12mo baby clothes to the Women's Help Center for Giving Tuesday

Travel
1. visit Flight 93 memorial
2. visit Ligonier Beach
3. Family trip to Idlewild
4. Rec the Alleghenies Expo with Uch
5. Save money for Montana 2018 trip
6. plan getaway weekend with Dad for Adams family - Camp Tap Run
7. take big kids snow tubing
8. finish Mum in Costa Rica photo book for the kids
9. Presque Isle long weekend family trip
10. write a kids/family visit Johnstown to do/see blog post (you can read it here)

Home
1. 'finish' basement bathroom
2. KonMari the heck out of the linen closet
3. get house appraised - even if only for shits
4. grow a veggie garden
5. learn how to Can veggies (and deer meat)
6. meal plan with at least one meatless day
7. create a home emergency kit
8. move the kegarater downstairs
9. paint the upstairs hallway and toy room
10. get every room "staged" ready

Bonus: 
re-painted the retaining wall

Business
1. create The Hunting Daddies youtube channel
2. use the GoPro for the THD youtube channel
3. update sponsor tab on Studerteam blog
4. Get THD books into the local section at Gander mountain for Christmas
5. take professional pictures for THD with all the kids
6. create Beer Olympics planning toolkit to sell
7. stick to our family budget! Get monthly credit card spending to zero (with the exception of kindness tasks)
8. add at least one new product to THD

Bonus: 
opened an etsy shop for Grey's fly tys
got a full time teaching job (!!)
opened a credit card that earns airline miles

2016 100 Small Things wrap-up

oh, this week between Christmas and New Years has me all off-kilter over here.  Gifts need put away and left-overs galore for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and the feeling like there's so many ends to tie up and so many new strings to grab before the new year.  yeesh. 

But I've been looking over my 100 small things list from this past year and feeling accomplished at all the things I finished (and partially finished).  But still kind of bummed that I didn't get even half of my list done.  Brandon and my conversation though went like this - 

me: ugh, I only finished 38 of my 100 small things list this year!
bud: you did better than I did.

me: you didn't even have a list. 

bud: exactly, that means you really did better than I did. 

he's always erasing my selfdoubt #thanksbabe

So in any case, I did finish up 38 full tasks and I kind-of started another 11 tasks.  We also had at least 6 unexpected additions to the list that gave our days some interesting and meaningful new life. 

2016 100 Small Things wrap-up

Done (38 of 100): 

2. Joined Blogging for Books

4. Surprised five friends with dinner

7. Tried Blue Apron

8. Finished the first section of Buddhism for Mothers 

9. Figured out the kids' bedroom situation

11. Read Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover with Brandon

12. Paid off two loans:  we paid off our furniture loan and our tractor loan this year!

13. Ran in three races:  The Bunny Race 5K, The Que Classic 5K, and The Great Santa Run 2miles

14. Tried Zumba: with my sis Uch and we went a bunch of times.  So so fun!!

15. Created and finished 2015 Family yearbook:  I've since switched to school year yearbooks and I'm finishing up the 2015-16 yearbook now (finally)

20. read 14 (two more than my goal!) new to me books this year

23. Konmari'ed three rooms: our room, walk-in closet, and bathroom so far.

26. Made enchiladas with my mumma 

31. Watched fifteen TED talks

33. got my hair highlighted

41. Read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone aloud with Greyson (we read the illustrated edition)

42. helped plan the YIFC Path of the Flood Cheer Rally

43. Volunteered in Greyson's classroom (a couple of times)

45. Set up TED-like talks at CV for the seniors

47. Had an AKT plus kids playdate in Richmond, VA

50. Updated my blog tabs

53. Cleared out the laundry room and made solutions for the kids coats/backpacks! Thank goodness!

54. hung our bat house (still no bat sightings though)

59. Put Gemma's hair in rags (twice!)

60. finished 52 weeks of 'Around Here' posts about our ordinary weeks (as of this Friday!)

62. Re-read The Alchemist (still love it)

68. Celebrated our pets' birthdays!  So fun and will definitely be an annual tradition :)

71. Bought a minivan! SHEILA!

72. wrote 100 blogposts

76. taught Greyson and Gemma to ride bikes without training wheels!

78. organized the kids' handmedowns:  I haaaaate this job and it already needs done again, ugh.

79. bought four new fish but then also had an Ick epidemic hit our tank this year!  We are down to three fish left?! 

80. camped out in the backyard 

84. added more books to the kids' Easter book collection 

94. got my eyes checked and bought myself a 'bubba chain' and I'm getting better at wearing my glasses (although that's partially out of necessity!!)

95. started a CVAA intramural league - we played kickball this past summer!

98. got our blood work checked (both B and I)- updating our life insurance was the catalyst for that, otherwise we never would have done it!

99. created yard flower arrangements for our table: the kids were able to do this one all summer!

Partially Done (11 of 100): 

1. Over 510 hours outdoors this year (more than half).  I have so so much to say about this and my thoughts on adding outdoor hours and screenfree-ness.  I know, I'm a broken record, I don't care.  haha.  full post coming up in the next day or two :) 

18. Brandon visited Austin, TX for his friends' wedding, so at least one family member made it there.  We had hoped that the whole crew could attend, but when it came down to flying all six of us and Rust was within the first rotten eight weeks - it just was not the best decision for all of us.  bummer.

24. watched 3 of 5 (the goal) documentaries.  I watched Meet the Patels, Living on One Dollar, and The Champions

36. I hosted One big family dinner at our house - for Christmas Eve like we do every year

48. visited two new-to-us local spots in town (Nykos and Bella Silia)

51. Kind of reinstated the days of the week activities with the kids at home, but it was inconsistent.  What's cooking Wednesday is all of our favorite)

52. Eating meals at the dinner table has been a lot better this year than others - but I still wouldn't say we did it at least once a week.  

64. Still working on potty training Violet.  Santa brought her Paw Patrol underpants for some motivation....we shall see. 

88. added KidYoutube and shut down some of the adult apps on the iPad, but I still have a lot to learn about child setting and profiles, etc. 

91. get in contact with my Costa Rican host family - I did and I'm facebook friends with my host siblings too!  (so glad) but I want to do better than that and send my host mum and email or two and share some photos with her.  

96. it wasn't a monthly game night, but we did have a few family game nights and the kids were over the moon about it like it was the most fun thing on the planet.  We really need to continue to take advantage of the fact that they like spending time with us right now (hah) before age wears that out of them!?!

We also added a few unplanned extras to our list this year: 

-we added additional Valentines' Day books to our kid holiday collection

-Tab got a part-time substitute teaching job as a Spanish I teacher
-Brandon got a new job!
-we met our new financial planner and made positive changes towards our future and planning
-Greyson got a new pet:  Spike the hamster
-Gave the blog template a mini-makeover

I've been reflecting on this year and thinking forward to the next.  I'm a list lover and goal maker, but I'm also in need of a big 'ole dose of dialing it back a notch or two.  I want to move in the direction of simple but intentional living.  I'm going to try to use this as a guide as I craft up my 2017 list....to come soon :)

cheers and adios to 2016! 

1000 hours outside goal reflections: April

I was inspired by Ginny of 1000 Hours Outside blog and instagram account last year in early spring and I have not been able to get the idea out of my head.  So this year, as part of my 100 small things list, I included attempting to log 1000 hours outside as a goal. 

I made this a personal goal after going back and forth and trying to figure out if it was going to be a goal for the kids or our family as a whole - but I started questioning myself about then how would I determine if time counted?  What if one kid wasn't with us because they had school, or practice?  So I settled on the goal being my own personal goal - most times the kids are with me anyway, but if I take the dogs for a walk alone, or a I steal away some morning sipping coffee on the front porch while everyone sleeps in - those are my counted hours.

In logistical terms, I try my best to start my cellphone timer when I go outside and then pause it and start again during the day as needed.  At the end of each day, the timer shows how many hours/minutes I spent outside.  Because I'm tracking it and it's such a huge numerical goal, I haven't had trouble forgetting to set the timer because I want that time to count and be accurate!  I keep track of my daily time on a notepad entry on my cellphone and then at the end of each week, I total it all up and update in my Around Here blog posts on Friday.  

The morale behind 1000 hours (as you'll see on 1000 hours outside blog), comes from the research that an average American kid spends about 1,200+ hours on a screen yearly - so a goal of 1000 hours outdoors to match the screen time seems like a reasonable idea.  There should be some balance to life, so it makes sense. 

What didn't make sense to me at first is how difficult it feels to actually log that many outdoor hours!  How quickly time seems to pass when I'm writing a blog post or stuck in a Law&Order SVU marathon during naptime while multitasking some household chore.  But when I started this year, I'd find myself outside and glancing at my timer and be shocked that no more than twenty minutes had passed.  I mean, I considered our family a fairly outdoor-kind of a family, but this goal has proven that to reach the equivalent to what is the national standard for screen time, take some serious dedication and focus. 

It has taken me all the way until now to FINALLY, in late April!, surpass my first 100 hours (of 1000) outside for the year.  (Please know I am doing a happy little dance over here about that).  I'm hopeful that my next 900 hours will go by easier as the days are warming up and lasting longer, but only time will tell. 

I have been reflective on my goal so far and if these increased outdoor hours have done anything to me in terms of productivity, energy levels, my mind, body, and spirit well-being.  As I'm only four months into the year and still have a long (900 hours long) way to go to reaching my goal, there surely is a lot more to be discovered about the effects of significantly increasing my time outdoors - but for now, here are some of my initial thoughts.  

Being outside makes me feel more calm.  When we're inside, the clutter, the noise, the messes (!), the chores piled up, the pings of notifications from my phone - even (unrecognized until I take it away) the constant hum of electronics working in our home gives me this tense shouldered feeling that is released after only a few minutes outside.  It's astonishing honestly.

A few weeks ago, I was just at the end of my sanity rope with the kids and chores and I just shouted, "get on your coats! Outside!" and I just dropped whatever I was doing and we all went outside.  The kids found things to do and I sat there listening to the wind and the birds and after a few minutes could feel this literal calmness wash through me.  Like, yes, THAT was what I needed; I needed to get out and be a speck in the vastness of the world with the endless sky above us and the winds circling me from who knows where they just were, and my kids tiring themselves out in the fresh air and realize that all my silly little stresses are nothing to be upset about.   That fresh air can do something to a person's soul that is for sure.



Lately, I've used my goal as a motivator for when I'm doing things that can be done anywhere - so why not outside?  If I'm going to read, I head outside with kids in tow.  We've been enjoying long, slow mornings eating breakfast, reading, and playing in the front yard as the weather has been beautiful.

Sometimes I literally just go outside and do nothing.  I just watch the kids play and rest - I'm using the third trimester as an excuse - but then I also just read from The Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv, this statement that made me realize it's not so bad to be an example for our kids of just doing nothing every once and a while: "most parents have an acutely tuned sense of responsibility - to the point where they consider relaxation and leisure, for themselves or their children, a self-indulgent luxury."  He goes on to talk about the real danger of 'supermoms' (and dads) who are running on impossible schedules only to crash and burn - and their kids who feel the pressure to jump on that same incredibly fast moving treadmill to do everything possible, and all of it perfectly.

Being outside gets me to move my body.  It's just a natural tendency to both want and have to move more when you're outside.  I've been wearing my fitbit for the past few weeks and I can usually guess just by looking at the steps for any given day how much time I spent outside.  With three young kids and two big dogs, I am lucky to have a lot of body moving motivators - even when in my state of 34 weeks pregnant, I generally would rather lie on the couch and blaming it on being too tired.  This is the least amount of weight I've put on for any of my pregnancies (granted, I am chasing after three living kids this time- but even still) and probably the most amount of energy I've still had towards the end too. 

It feels good to move my body, especially when I'm outside.  I've been noticing that my tired feeling after a day of busting my butt doing chores feels a lot worse than my tired feeling after a day spent outside moving naturally with the kids. It's a very unscientific note, but one that I think warrants some kind of recognition.  

Another completely random and surprising vanity-type payoff of my increased outdoor hours - you would not believe how many people have been commenting on my 'tan' in late April.  Literally, just this morning three people said something about how tan I look - to which my only reply is, 'thanks, I've just been outside a lot with the kids.'

Being outside causes a natural runoff into quality family time.  It has been such a joy this year so far to watch them learn and explore and play independently and actually get to watch it all as we've spent more hours outside.  I've been recognizing that being inside makes us all bored and whiny.  I can only read Dinosaurs Love Underpants or play Memory so many times before becoming officially unhinged.  They want me to watch all the things they're doing but also the chores and all of our life are staring me in the face and I find myself tending to other stuff.  But outside, I watch - and what's more, I can just sit back and watch - they aren't begging for my attention because they're invested in whatever imaginative, weird, inventive little game they've concocted at the moment.  They.just.play.



I also find it so much easier to say 'yes' outside.  They're not wrecking the house with toys or spilling stuff on furniture or carpets - usually outside, they're only messing themselves up and a quick bath or shower can remedy that problem.  I say yes to mud and rocks and dirt and water- all of my kids favorite things to play with.  When I say 'yes,' their eyes light up and it's as if I can see their wheels turning in their minds about all the ways they're going to experiment and create new stuff.  They are freaking happy, and I'm happy because I just get to watch their joy unfold.

I already mentioned our slow mornings on the porch, so we've been adding quality family time during the early hours of the day - but with the longer days, our quality time (and outdoor time) has extended into the night.  We've already enjoyed dinner outside a few times and then at the request of the kids stayed outside until bedtime watching the stars and moon take their place in the sky.  

As soon as Greyson gets off the bus, his first question is, "Can we play outside?" and Violet now knows how to open the front door herself and plenty of times while I'm making breakfast for Greyson before school I see her little white-blonde head outside on the patio with the dogs.  Gemmi has been cracking me up with how she has been pretending to be on a cooking show and will mix up all sorts of weird stuff into buckets of water while talking aloud about what she's doing, "and then two spoonfuls of this water mix and then you have to flatten the top or the juice pie just won't turn out right..." 

Yesterday, we picked Grey up from the bus stop and headed out to our favorite summer spot at the swim beach at Quemahoming Dam.  It's not officially summer yet, and actually the Que isn't even officially opened yet for the season, and we were the only people there - but can I just tell you that our three kids - ages 6, 4, and 19 months - played for two and half hours.  They built moats in the sand, dipped their toes in the water, Gemmi made her juice pies (like 20 of them), they played on the playground, Grey tried to catch minnows, Violet spoke to the geese in what I think is actual Geese language, we took a hike on a path that led back to a great fishing hole that Grey lost his mind over, we helped a fallen tree stand up again, we threw rocks into the water, and we talked and laughed and LIVED out there under the great blue sky.

I'm so glad I made this goal for the year, because if I'm being totally honest, I really don't know that if I didn't have it, I would be so willing to LOOK UP and notice this great, big, beautiful world that swirls around me every single day.

xxox