Good intentions are not enough

I had all summer to be with my boy and spend my time writing and organizing my life. Lou and I had a great time. We played and sang. We swam and read. We walked and baked. My house is much more in order than it was in May. (Most of the) boxes are unpacked in the proper rooms. The painter did a nice job of brightening up our walls. I worked hard so my classes would start out on the right foot. The lessons I created have enhanced the quality of my courses. My students are engaged and wonderful. My writing...stopped in June. I want to write. I try to take time for writing but it always comes in as the last thing on my to do list. I think of it as something that needs to be done instead of something I really want to be doing. I need a change in perspective.


I too often get caught up in all I HAVE to do and forget to by mindful of the moment. Every day I notice little reminders about slowing down and enjoying what I GET to do instead of NEED to do.


I have a house I get to clean and food I get to feed my family.
I have a baby (almost one year old) I get to rock at night when he can't sleep.
I have a partner who I get to empty the DVR with instead of going to bed early.
I have a job where I get to read papers and hear speeches from students who are excited to start their journey toward independent adulthood.


May I change all of my needs to gets and wants. May I remember what is really important. May I notice the beauty of the leaves as they fall and I think about getting to rake them up!

30. Take a swim class with Lou.

53. Cut my hair stylishly short.

While not as short as I initially imagined when I wrote this goal, this is the first step. I went in to Jiva to put a little life in my limp, pinned up hair and in the process let her give it some spunk. I love it! We'll see how it looks after a shower and a minimal amount of mousse. I have been blessed with nice hair, but I despise doing it. I hate blow dryers and curling irons, flat irons and large amounts of product. It is for these reasons that long pony tail and short textured are my only real options!

Can I do it all? Do I want to?

My first semester as a working outside of the home mom went relatively well. I was a good teacher and a good mom 85% of the time. I completely failed at taking care of myself at almost every juncture though and while he's too wonderful to admit it, I wasn't always the most attentive and happy wife. I'm hoping (as what I can only assume every mom who's trying to do everything does) to find balance in my new life. I've been excited about the concept of The Day Zero Project for awhile now, and I'm hoping to take this opportunity to find a state of equilibrium. Not everything on my list will lead me to accomplish this goal, but I'm hoping a great deal of it does.


I want my time as a teacher to be focused on my teaching. I want the time I have with my son to be totally dedicated to him and not to worrying about what I "should" be doing. I want to take time every day, even if it's just a fleeting moment, to look at my husband and remember why we got ourselves into this to begin with in the first place. Finally, I want to remember that none of the above can happen if I don't take care of myself first and foremost. 


Can I do this or will it be moved to the list of things I wish I had done in my lifetime? Only time will tell.


This list of 101 goals was started May 26, 2011 and is scheduled to finish Feb 21, 2014.

1. Answer blue milk's, "What does a feminist mother look like?" 
2. Don't complain about anything for 21 days.
3. Take a vacation with Nevin.
4. Give up fast food for a month.
5. Give Louis a brother or sister.
6. Take Louis to the zoo.
7. Run a 5K.
8. Upgrade my car to a more family friendly ride.
9. Start my own veggie/herb garden.
10. Complete Louis' "First Year" book.
11. Always use reusable shopping bags.
12. Get house painted.
13. Paint front door navy blue.
14. Give up all caffeine (besides my one cup of morning Joe...come on, let's be serious)!
15. Plant daffodils.
16. Go to an apple orchard with my boys.
17. Buy new towels for our upstairs bathroom.
18. Create a family photo display for our living room.
19. Have the floors in our house redone.
20. Go on a family bike ride.
21. Start wearing nighties to bed each night.
22. Get back into pre-pregnancy clothes before getting knocked up again.
23. Eliminate as many chemical cleaning products as possible.
24. Blog about my own Day Zero project.
25. Go to a professional baseball game.
26. Find a local place to walk/hike and start frequenting it regularly.
27. Throw a theme party for our friends.
28. Fly a kite.
29. Become certified in CPR.
30. Take a swim class with Lou.
31. Get a will written up.
32. Organize my recipes.
33. Visit a winery.
34. Attend Tulip Time in Pella.
35. Go to Oktoberfest in Amana.
36. Go to the Des Moines Farmers Market.
37. Master my homemade pie crust.
38. Read the 75 books every woman should read. 
39. Complete a random act of kindness.
40. Go to a movie by myself.
41. Play miniature golf.
42. Take Louis on the Wildlife Loop at Custer State Park.
43. Take Louis to Storybook Island.
44. Sleep through the night.
45. Find a place in the Cedar Valley to volunteer.
46. Try two new recipes a month.
47. Successfully follow through with making meal plans.
48. Get three new pairs of stems for my glasses.
49. Purchase (and wear) prescription sunglasses.
50. Get a new laptop.
51. Start a travel savings account.
52. Keep at least two house plants alive.
53. Cut my hair stylishly short.
54. Get Louis registered for preschool.
55. Create a photo book of Louis' first year.
56. Roast marshmallows in a fire pit in our backyard.
57. Start a Christmas family tradition and then follow through for three years.
58. Go to a costume party.
59. Learn to make homemade cinnamon rolls.
60. Make a new friend.
61. Take a random road trip.
62. Learn to use a power drill.
63. Read Anna Karenina.
64. Get a bird feeder.
65. Go to the chiropractor.
66. Host a formal holiday dinner.
67. Make homemade pasta noodles.
68. Eat a genuine Chicago dog.
69. Go vegetarian one day a week for three months.
70. Offer to watch a friend's baby/child so they can get out of the house for awhile.
71. Create a list of 101 things that make me happy.
72. Give up swearing.
73. Organize my photos.
74. Learn to golf.
75. Take care of my nails for one month (hope it becomes a habit).
76. Find a doctor with which I'm happy.
77. Go camping.
78. Go fishing.
79. Start a family Christmas cookie share.
80. Sing karaoke.
81. Spend a whole day in bed.
82. Build a snowperson.
83. Vote in every election for the next three years.
84. Spend one weekend with only my music, art and books. "Unplug"
85. Learn to make tiramisu.
86. Learn to apply "grown up" makeup that's best for me.
87. Go to two movies back to back.
88. Buy Christmas gifts for a child Louis' age and donate them.
89. Find a poem that means something to me and memorize it.
90. Hike on at least 10 of Iowa's best hiking trails. 
91. Take a dance class.
92. Make homemade ice cream.
93. Learn how to use all the functions on my camera.
94. Learn to play Two-Handed Pinochle with Nevin
95. Learn to play at least three songs on the guitar.
96. Stay in a bed and breakfast.
97. Send a secret to PostSecret.
98. Knit a baby sweater.
99. Ride on a train.
100. Workout five times a week for a month.
101. Learn to tile and change the back splash in my kitchen.