2014 Goals

In am no different this year, I still love goals! This year I have less of them, I want to crack the lot :)

- Get into shape physically

- Get into shape spiritually

- Make a Christmas quilt

- Potty train Oliver!

- Enjoy 1-to-1 time with Zach (will have lots of that with Oliver starting Playgroup next week!!)

I also plan to blog my progress more, but I don't want to make that a goal. Hopefully if I don't it's because I am doing something better?!

May 2014 be wonderful for everyone! :)

Goals for 2013!

Hooray, even better than reviewing and realising you've met your goals is MAKING goals... (am I alone on this one?? I LOVE goals...)

Goals for 2013

Me:

• Lose a further ½ stone and maintain it... GOAL: * st 12lb! :)
• Work up to teach two hours of music classes/lessons per week (currently one hour a week)
• Invite more people over... become a better hostess!
• Exercise twice a week (20 mins+)
• 30 minutes (genuinely timed!) church time every day (be it reading the Bible, Book of Mormon, teaching Oliver a story, reading the church magazine or Sunday school reading... I just need to do MORE!)
• Play the piano at church once a month

Family:

• Work hard to put Ben and his needs (and lots of wants)  first- every day! (this is probably the secret- if I put him first, and he puts me first then we will both be exquisitely happy and have an amazing marriage :D)
• Set aside uninterrupted time with the boys of play/read/learn, totally away from jobs around the house or anything else... at least one hour a day!
• Skype my family twice a month
• Buy a house!

Goal Review 2012

Last December I wrote my goals for this year- 2012. I think it's good to review them at the end of the year before I make ones for next year... some went well, some totally rubbish. Good to see that I've improved though!

Goal Review for 2012

Personal:

- Finish Oliver's Quiet book... not even touched it! (good start!)
- Join something musical and do at least one concert... This year I began teaching again, absolutely LOVED IT! Two beginners and one grade 5ish. Also organised and now running Tiddley-Pom (since February... quite successful!)
- Learn 12 hymns on the piano from the children's songbook (one a month)... Not worked on until September, when we got a piano!! Since then I play most days and can play at least 12 songs, wahoooo! :) Piano books are on my Christmas list :)
- Have another baby and be sane :)... I did it, and yes, I am at pretty much the same sanity level I always was! :)

Physical:
- Lose baby weight plus an extra 3lb by Christmas 2012... DONE!! I put a lot on... but then I lost the lot, plus an extra 5.5lb!! Woooo :)
- Begin colouring hair and make a concerted effort with doing something with it! … well, I'm colouring it every few months and quite pleased with it, but confess that I leave the roots quiteeee a while...

Spiritual:
- Read every Ensign cover to cover (The 'Ensign' is our church magazine)... I was doing so well at this one... until about October-time. Now I flick through but don't read the whole thing :( Will improve.
- Do Sunday school weekly readings before each Sunday lesson... hooray! We ended up being ahead! :)

Familial:
- Do something messy/arty with Oliver at least twice a week... started this twice week... now more like once a week, but it happens!
- Initiate more kisses! (Ben likes them and I forget to give them!!) Still not great at this. Will probably be on my goal list again in 2013...
- Go out on a date with Ben twice a month- get a babysitter and organise one each per month... again, started so well, but since Zach was born it hasn't been great. Something to do more of next year!
- Sort out Oliver's nap schedule... it's rubbish AGAIN! … we have come full circle on this one. I sorted it... and now it is rubbish again! I think he's managed one nap in the last month. Uhhh.

Zach, 17th May 2012

Ta-da! I feel quite good looking back on this year, it has been a good one.

Killing time and waiting for baby... urgh!

Hello!

I am still knocking around with a pretty huge bump and lots of hopeful twinges... nothing that has turned into a baby though!! I am now past the point at which Oliver was born, but still 5 days before my date (15th) and I have yet again reached the bottom of my 'extreme clean before the baby comes' list and the house is looking ok. Hooray!

Unfortunately I have swollen ankles and legs so I'm suppossssed to be putting my feet up a lot- actually above my heart which is easier said than done, especially with Oliver around. But I usually manage it during nap time and the evenings, when Ben and I have been watching 'Larkrise to Candleford' which we've never seen before. Really enjoying it so far, and all the better for being 10 hours long!!! Ahhhh :)

Now Oliver and I are starting to turn a bit loopy in the house (it's been raining pretty constantly for weeks now...) but today was fab- Oliver and I read lots of books, played pictionary on his magic writer eraser thingy, and made a den with Mummy and Daddy's kingsize duvet, watched 'Charlotte's Web' (one of his first full-length films) and during naptime I made him a duvet cover with my very favourite material ever with co-ordinating navy underside, which will match his bunting and owl themed bedroom.

Isn't this material just wonderful??? I can't get enough of it, and am wondering what to make next out of it! Possibly a tie for Oliver for church?! Something else for his room? Suggestions welcome.

Also today I made chocolate chip Tollhouse cookies, mmm, the best ever American recipe. I found it is on google images too, so you HAVE to make them: (I just chopped up a lot of chocolate for the chocolate chips).

So after a fairly lousy week today was fab, and now I am close than ever to getting this baby out, and have got Ben at home for a three-day weekend now. Hoorayyyy! Just what I need :)

A Bit of 'Me' Time

Here is Oliver wearing my latest creations

While Oliver has been napping this last week or so I have done some of my favourite things. This is particularly great because it seems that when you have a baby you kind of have to put aside everything that you used to enjoy doing, or that 'defines' you, but I am happy to say that I am now making time to raise Oliver as well as spend a bit of time on hobbies etc.

- This week I popped into a gorgeous little bead shop opposite Magdalene College called 'The Beaderie,' spent a bit more than planned (there were so many pretty ones!!) and I threaded a necklace. Hooray! Ben thinks I am a funny little girl, but I can't help it! I love beads- especially shiny ones, and choosing combinations. I can't wait to get some more... maybe I will make a bracelet a week?? Though that could get expensive...

Now it just needs an iron... and the actual quilt bit

- I did some more on my quilt! I only do little bits every now and again, but I have nearly got all the patchwork pieces together now.

- I wrote some music!!! Allelulia, I haven't sat down to do any writing for about a year. One of my church friends, Mo, has written a beautiful poem called, "Bless His name" that I wanted to write for two sopranos and piano. I am yver pleased to report that I wrote a couple of pretty little verses straight off! No piano part yet (I'm not so great at that) but hopefully I can scribble something before too long, and we can sing it at something this Summer. Having brilliant words REALLY helped- much better than my own personal cheesy lines!

I am having a really happy life at the mo, hooray!

Goal Review 2011

I love making lists and I practically ADORE setting goals! I am not sure if that means I am a bit OCD or if that is just a girl-thing, but I am often planning my life and setting and re-setting goals, to make sure I know what I'm aiming for.

So far I haven't achieved ANY of the goals I set at the beginning of the year, but I am happily plodding along and improving gradually!

This means that so far this year I...

- have lost one stone and 3 lb (I planned to lose two stone this year)

- am making a quilt veryyyy slowly. I am stitching all the pretty bits of material together at the mo, before I can move on to the actual quilting part

- have read the first couple of chapters of the Book of Mormon in Spanish! This is mainly because it's a real effort and it takes such a long time to read a page...

- have not tried a new recipe every week, but I have made at least 10-15 new things. I've decided not to bake much though, since that doesn't help my first goal!!

- read to Oliver most days... but not every day. He has a library card (!) and we walk to Histon village library every couple of weeks to change his baby classics over.

- read one new book ('Call the Midwife'- it was excellent, although if you'd like to read it there are a couple of serious warnings I'd like to give you before you do!) I've also re-read a favourite teen book, 'Stormbreaker' and tried to read 'Northern Lights' but I couldn't get into it.

- am studying the scriptures at least five times a week (that means by myself as well as with Ben every day, which we already do) and I am loving it. I am hoping to up that to seven days a week, and make it a real habit.

 So! I have revised my goals for the second half of the year. There are about 20 but here are a couple of highlights:

- To improve my geography!! I want to study some maps and know more about places in the UK, and also the world

- To read a science book (or other non-fiction). Possibly Origin of the Species or something by Stephen Hawking?

- To IRON at least every two weeks (I honestly have only ironed a handful of times since being married, so I really need to improve that one)

- To gradually becoming more stylish (but not too fast- it would shock people!!) :)

Since it was a family goal session Ben was wonderful and thought of some for him too- over the Summer he wants to learn how to do some complicated computery stuff (including building one, woah) and go back to doing a couple of intense workouts every week.


Token picture of one of my very favourite people-

In his new door bouncer!

"Abby's Intense Workout!"

One of my goals for this year was to lose 2 stone- 1 and 1/2 to get back to pre-pregnancy weight, and another 1/2 stone to where I really want to be (and was in my glory days, haha)

Anyway, I lost the first 1/2 slowly but without really trying from the beginning of the year, but I'd then plateud (sp?) for a while... boo hoo. I have always disliked exercise, and I HATED PE, but I had much rather do it than feel deprived by eating less food, SO, bearing that in mind, my brother-in-law Tom, is now my personal trainer! He did a degree in physio something (!) and is really good at it!! (Anyone else who is interested should get in contact with him too, he's amazing).

Last week we stayed with them in Basingstoke, and I told them of my fat woes and my dream to be thin... ahh... And Tom drew me up my own "Abby's Intense Workout" plan! I have started running on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and doing set exercises at home on Tuesdays, Thursdays and I've added Saturdays. There have been a couple of food rules too, but I am already slowly rebelling... oh dear. I will have to improve.

Last week I lost 2 lbs, just following the plan!!!!!!!! Hurrah, it is good to see progress so I can keep motivated. Tom is keeping me on this one for six weeks, and then changing it so I don't get bored. He's also made me think of rewards (non-food related... boo hoo again!) for when I have lost 1/2 a stone, 1 stone and a stone and 1/2. I thought carefully and they are pretty amazing! Here they are...

1/2 stone: Day trip of my choice
1 stone: Hot dress (for my sister Sarah's wedding??!)
1 and 1/2 stone: I might be allowed to have another baby one day, haha :)

Part of my homework is to keep my journal and blog updated on my progress, which is a very good idea so I feel responsible- and embarrassed telling everyone that I've given up! I know it's early days so I'm not a hero yet, but I've got to start somewhere, and now Oliver is nearly 4 months old, it's about time!

Culinary delights

This afternoon Oliver was asleep for about three hours!!!! This is miraculous since he NEVER sleeps longer than a 5-minute power nap during the day. So, I celebrated by rushing around the house and doing everything I have ever wanted to do (!) I did the washing up, cut out some squares of fabric (I'm going to start quilting) and... I made some scrummy chocolate fudge brownies.

These brownies are part of my new year's resolution to work on my culinary skills- especially on baking since I never do any- in fact, we never have pudding! How sad. I think I'm pretty much keeping up with my yearly goal- to try out one new recipe a week. So far I've made-

- Spicy curry potatoes- alright but so covered in spices I could hardly taste the potato
- Pizza, including dough- delicious. I even cracked an egg on top, and felt rather fancy!
- Gingerbread men- Really good but very fat and a bit different from ones I'd ever had before... (and Ben burnt the others!)
- Yorkshire puddings- HUGE and yummy!!
- Leeks with cheesy sauce- they were surprisingly good
- Sticky chocolate pudding- we didn't have any steaming equipment so Ben helped me invent a complicated system involving a chopping board on top... and eventually we caved and used the microwave. It kind of worked!!
- and Chocolate fudge brownies- they look good but they haven't cooled yet so I can't really tell

So, nothing tricky at all, but all NEW! Hooray. And I really enjoyed it... I'm VERY gradually becoming a domestic goddess!! :)


Ooh, and he's a token picture of Olly Woo, because he's just so cute! He is clearly amazed by my yummy creations