I totally had plans to write and publish this by the end of the month. I really need to stop making plans because NONE of them seem to be happening at the moment. However, I think I'll be catching up on a few blog posts though since I'm now laid up with a chest infection. I wont be able to do much more than sleeping, sitting and some very light walking (just to avoid cabin fever). In the mean time here is how my 101 in 1001 challenge is going.
I'm chuffed to bits I got 5 things completed this month! Hurrah! Go Me!
15. Visit PAX Lodge (the GirlGuiding World Centre in London)
This was a totally inspiring trip, as much for the company I kept- I felt very priviliedged to spent a weekend with 6 inspiring fantastic women!
{Me, Emma, Kateri, Jo, Kirsten, Alison, Elizabeth}
68. Keep the car clean- inside and out.
This is finally under control. We have a whole strategy of stuff being removed from the car every day (except maybe today!). The rubbish is collected in a bag and spare bags are in the glove compartment. It's actually pretty simple, I have no idea why we haven't worked out this simple plan before, perhaps it's simply because we can now park in what I will loosely term "driveway" and it's easier to motivate myself to do it. Apparantly, it was 10 feet too far before.
71. Sell or Recycle all the old technology floating around the house.
Chris assures me this has been done. I didn't even ask him either. Double WIN. Actually, he's probably earning cash through selling stuff so that's a Triple WIN.
79. Get a family portrait taken.
The photographer at my brother's wedding took a portrait of Chris and I with the girls. All of us dressed with hair vaguely tidy and only some bruises and scabby knees. Added to this she also took a full family picture- something we have never managed to achieve before now- Mum, Nash, my brothers and I , all of out partners, my step sisters, the girls AND even my Auntie Ellen. It's a miracle.
{hopefuly it'll be better than this one}
82. Go caffeine free for a month.
Did you read how hard this was? Thank goodness it's done. I'd never have got through the last 2 weeks without caffeine.
That's not a bad haul or goals really, but I did even better than that- I even worked on a few extra bits and pieces this month to get some more things completed. Here are four that I'm really working towards (well "working" is a loose term really!)
7. Grow my own vegetables and get the kids to help- at least five different things.
Last week I got around to planting out some of my vegetable seeds that the girls had sewn a few weeks earlier. I've got a good range- Lettuce, Spring Onions, Carrots, Parsnips and Beetroot to start with. I plan to try out some other things but it will have to wait until I am feeling a bit better, but for now they are growing well and my little greenfingered helpers are rather enjoying the process too.
{Harvey trying to help with the planting}
14. Go camping with the family in Europe
Whe I wrote this on the list I was thinking France, Belgium, Germany... but since we are going to Northern Ireland in the summer for a wedding I guess we should make it our holiday and head to Ireland and go camping, it's not the UK, it's in Europe. It totally counts. My list, my rules!
39. Go Swimming regularly until I can swim a mile without stopping.
For the Easter holidays we bought a family swim pass for the local pools (that's another post on it's own) and we went swimming pretty much everyday. Without too much building up to it I managed to swim half a mile. I was surprised that I could get so far so fast. I didn't feel that I was at my limit at the time either. So, once I've recovered from my current chest infection we will buy another pass and get back to swimming every night. I know I'll enjoy it and three girls adored it! This one is totally in the bag in a few months.
101. Become and Auntie (strictly speaking out of my control but god-darn it, it would make my 1001 days amazing!)
Woop Woop. Callum and his wife Selena are expecting a baby! I'm beyond excited, as are they. Hurrah! Back in Victorian (or possibly earlier) pregnant women were given an "expectancy glass" -basically like a small sherry glass- which read "may the launch of the little ship proceed well" so Selena, may the launch of the little ship proceed well.
So after all that great success here are somethings I have no idea what I'm going to do to complete
13. Finish my GirlGuiding Adult Leader Qualification
I have exactly one thing to complete. One. An eeny weeny tiny clause. First Aid. The problem is no one responds to my emails (to be fair, I have also given up chasing this because of the next point) and I have no free time to do the course. I really need a free day on the weekend. I have the kids at the weekend- Chris works. I'm totally using up all my babysitting time with relatives between hen nights, London trips and what not that asking for another day is not fair. Plus, I actually quite like spending time with my children (sometimes).
21. Get the front and back garden looking like a "garden" and keep it that way!
Time, I need more TIME. We're tackling it a bit at a time ask me again in October. Maybe.
32. Attend an Olympic or Paralympic event.
I had decided to bid for a set of tickets. Just one and leave it to fate. Then right before the deadline mum got ill and I forgot. Clean didn't remember to do it. I still have a plan...but you know how me and planning is.
44. Try out a new recipe once a month
This is not working out. I need to really get a plan together on this one. Suggestions anyone?
45. Teach Christopher one of those recipes every three months
Yeah, see if 44 fails, 45 is a goner.
96. Visit Melanie, Dan and the kids in Leeds
I am determined to do this. We had planned to go in June... now it might be October. Time.
As far as my progress goes I'm quite pleased by how many things I've wanted to do have been done. Things I would have thought about and never actually got around to doing. Back in three weeks, hopefully with some more successes.
