101 Progress Check - February 24th 2013

Yay!!!

Les Mills Combat is going well - I am doing my workouts every morning before work as this works better for me than doing them when I get back home. Today is a rest day - I was planning on swapping with tomorrow and doing Combat 60 this morning, but both boys were up way too early and there is no way I can face it this afternoon/evening.

I'm still going to be extra good though and do X-Stretch from P90X later as I think that'll do my legs the world of good. I did Tummy Tuck from Brazil Butt Lift on my other rest day, and am very pleased with how well I'm doing. So pleased in fact that I joined Ben to do the Bulk Shoulders workout from Body Beast yesterday afternoon (with very light weights of course).

After I've completed Les Mills Combat I think I may do the Body Beast programme (with light weights, I don't want to look like Sagi).

I've started doing some planning for our family weekend away and it's looking like I'll be booking for us to go to Europa Park (nearer than Disneyland Paris, much better value for money, and from reports it seems like it is a better option).

This morning I finally got round to reviewing my 101 list with a view to removing all items that I either don't actually want to do (go skiing etc), things that are really longer-term goals, or items that have no real way to measure them.

Things to be removed:

-    One on one time with boys (half day each a month) - my boys have said they would rather have big
     family days out rather than one on one time, so I'm not going to force them into this.
-    Develop boys independence - this is really a natural ongoing thing, there is no end to this so it is
     something that would never be crossed off the list.
-    Take a two week holiday with no children - after the successful big family holiday that we had last
     Summer, our boys really want to do this again, and as they are both tied into school holiday dates
     then it is pretty much impossible for Ben and I to fit in a two week holiday as well.
-    Eat the five a day for four weeks - I am following the nutrition plans that go with my workout
     programmes instead.
-   Try a Zumba class - what was I thinking, the only thing clapping me would be my butt?
-   Go skiing once - OK, so I live in Switzerland, this doesn't mean I want to go skiing.
-   Learn Spanish basics for holiday - it's looking like Mexico is off the cards (see two week holiday
    with no children above).
-   Go to a festival - not sure what the point is in us spending a small fortune to go to a festival when we
    are really only going for one (maybe two) of the acts, who we will only get to see perform for half
    an hour anyway. I'd rather wait until they are touring and spend the money going to see them play
    for longer
-   Fix up kitchen (UK) - not sure if we're planning on doing this before the end of the 1001 days, we
    may end up with a much bigger project further down the line so it makes sense to wait.
-   Learn Swiss German to an undecided level - I think I'll be better off trying to consolidate my High
    German knowledge, although I am struggling to find a level to aim for. Maybe I should just aim to
    be confident in general day-to-day conversation and vocabulary and phrases for emergencies.
-   Happiness binder - I have this set up and use it sporadically for things, but don't feel happy that I
    have completed anything by doing this.
-   Scrapbooking (physical or digital). Another task with no definite measures, bye...
-   Go to Mexico
-   Introduce one new Flylady habit per month - this is so not working for me, but I am doing my own
    thing using my Plannerisms planner.
-   Get ripped abs - I'm not totally giving up on this, however, I am not so daft as to think that all the
    excess skin from pregnancies is going to just disappear because my stomach muscles have
    strengthened.

Things to be added:

-   One big family day out every month
-   Knit a scarf
-   Embroider a sampler
-   Write a poem
-   Read five banned books
-   Journal daily for two weeks (minimum of 15 minutes)
-   Drink a cup of Rooibos with honey daily for two weeks
-   Set up a recipe binder
-   Set up an events planner
-   Transfer all data from the Dodo Book of Christmas to the events planner
-   Set up playroom for boys now that they are sharing a bedroom
-   Scrapbook three photos of the boys
-   Write a short story for the boys
-   Keep to a basic household routine using my Plannerisms planner.
-   Complete Les Mills Combat workout programme
-   Donate to charity (sponsoring someone who I would sponsor anyway doesn't count)

There are a couple of other items still under review, but I need to discuss those with other people first, so leaving them as they are for now.

Unfortunately I can't add any links to the post today, as my internet seems to be having a fit about something... oh well :-)

Have a great week,

LJx

101 List Progress Check - 30th December 2012

I have to admit that I have achieved very little this week, although I hadn't intended to (it being Christmas and all) so I'm quite happy.

I can now cross one item off my list (planning Christmas in my Dodo Book of Christmas), and I am pleased to say that I will definitely be using this again next year (or at least the inserts).

I also received a most fantastic Christmas present that will help with at least one of my other challenges, more about that in my Christmas post later.

Have a great week,

LJx

Christmas Planning 2012

Thanks to some of my 101 in 1001 challenges, namely having my Christmas presents and cards bought and written out by the end of November, and using my Dodobook of Christmas to plan everything, the run up to Christmas has been a lot less fraught this year.

Using the Dodobook of Christmas has made things so much easier. This is a fab organiser and has dividers for sections Holiday Planner, Cards, Gifts, Festive Fare, Decoration, Children, Parties & Events, and Traditions, all of which are complete with traditional Christmas pictures. All the dividers have a handy slip pocket on the back for storing recipes, ideas from magasines, cards, receipts and a variety of other bits and pieces that you may accumulate on your Christmas planning journey. In true inimitable Lord Dodo style, each of the pockets is adorned with relevant quotes.

As well as these great dividers, the organiser includes Christmas Card List inserts. These are set up with five years of columns for received and sent, so each sheet lasts five years.

The inserts for all other sections are based on that classic favourite... quadrille paper, complete with a pic of Lord Dodo delivering presents in the bottom right corner of the page. It is just enough to give it that Christmassy feeling, while not being so intrusive that it distracts you, and it doesn´t take up enough space to get in the way either.

Lord Dodo and his team at Dodo Towers have clearly designed these inserts for long-term use. Not only is the card list template set up for five years, but all inserts are printed on a lovely, smooth, heavy-duty paper - in fact I´d say it´s thick enough to be classed as card. I was thinking of setting up a Filofax for next year for all events planning and adding Christmas planning to that, but then I think my normal Filofax inserts may get a major inferiority complex... oops!!!

The only sections I have really made much use of are Cards, Gifts, and Festive Fare, but maybe today I will use the holiday planner section to write out all the things that I need to do on Christmas Eve and on Christmas morning.

How do you plan for Christmas?

LJx

Dodopad Goodies

Woohoo!!! I've finally had time to take a pic of my latest Dodopad delivery.

I've got the AcadPad in A5 to go in my Filofax - I'm not decided on what to use it for this year though. Last year I used it for logging my food and exercise. I currently have three options. I can:
       
       i)      monitor food and exercise as before

       ii)     set up up to five different logs - potentially water, weather, exercise, weight, with space for
               category to log data for.

       iii)    use it as my main diary, it's basically a week on one page with a page for notes...

I also had to get myself some Dodon't forget and Dodo Remember stickers as I've seen these so many times and as I was ordering the Acad Pad it would just have been rude to ignore the stickers again...

I got a couple of Leuchtturm pen loops to fit in notepads so that I can always be sure there will be a pen at hand when I need one. However, now that I have them I can't remember which notepads I had intended them for, and I'm not actually brave enough to stick them into the notepads directly. I think I may have to set up a card insert that I can shut inside the notepad with the pen loop attached.

My other purchase was a stylus for use with my iPod touch. It may seem like a totally unnecessary purchase to many people (yes, people have already asked why I can't just use my fingers like normal people). It's true - I don't have big, fat, fingers and so should have no problem, but there is just something about touch screens that doesn't seem to agree with me. Some days I have no problem at all, but others I can't do things properly on my iPad, and don't even get me started on those touchscreen things to help you find the location of what you want to buy at IKEA... I swear those things hate me. I can never get them to register any thing I do and end up getting very frustrated, so I am hoping that my stylus will be my new best friend (after the Roomba of course).

LJx