Final Summer To-Do List Update

Sigh...now that I have been teaching for four weeks, I think I finally need to admit that summer is over. Honestly, though, this is the first time I really have had time to think about summer being over. My school year is off to a great start (my students are better behaved and working harder than ever before--thank you, Common Core), but it has been BUSY.

Here are the last few things I got done this summer (more or less):

• Finish decorating the laundry room, thanks in part to these lovely printables from View Along The Way (#13)
• Created a cool "ohana" sign for the Hamel family portrait session and spent about 45 minutes changing me and my son in and out of our street clothes, family t-shirt one, and family t-shirt two (#37)
• Made good use of the well-loved yard clippers, lopers, and garden shears my dad gifted to me--and goodness knows I love (almost) anything secondhand! (#46 & 47)
• Decided to go a different direction in our tiny entryway and nixed the family photo monogram project (#54 & 55)
• Finally surrendered the keys to the church building's nursery cabinets (nearly four months after I received a new calling), simultaneously releasing myself from ever doing a full reveal of the very cute Moon Valley Ward nursery--sometimes you just need to let it go (#59)
• Finally pulled the trigger and ordered a tripod, remote, and extra battery for my camera as my birthday gifts from my dad (FYI: I turned thirty in April) (#68)
• Relaxed, had fun, and enjoyed myself all summer long (#71)

What I learned this summer:

Honestly, I couldn't be happier with the choices I made this summer. When school started again, I was actually happy to start teaching. Although I worked hard all summer, I felt well-rested, centered, and relaxed. For me, keeping a project-centered life still makes the most sense, and this to-do list and these periodic updates were the best possible way to keep my summer on track.

Now what am I going to do for the other four seasons?

Summer To-Do List Update #3

I am so proud of myself right now. Summer is nearing its end (for me, anyway), and I know I have accomplished so much! Writing my to-do list back in June was the one of the smartest things I've done recently, and that's saying something (not that I'm one to brag).

After reading a friend's goals for July, I realized my focus needed to be the "less-fun" items on my to-do list. Since I mentioned that on her blog, it made it much easier for me to stay motivated and follow-through on some nagging items from the list. Of course, I made sure to leave plenty of time for the fun options as well.

Here is what I have been up to since my last update:

• Went camping in northern Arizona with my son and husband (#35)
• Repaired two dry-wall holes (#6)
• Repaired holes in the pantry and my son's bedroom doors (#7)
• Designed and hung gallery wall in family room, although I can't paint the frames until it cools off (#10)
• Nearly finished Brannon's fourth Shutterfly book (#30)
• Hung bath photos of Brannon to finish his bathroom (#3)
• Bought the hardware and other supplies for my clothesline (#12)
• Wrote & posted a lengthy DIY bulletin board tutorial (a bit of #14 and #71 combined)
• Made & hung an awesome and almost-entirely-handmade wreath for my front door (#24)
• Decided not to sign Brannon up for swim classes this summer--which still counts (#26)
• Continued do kid-pins with Brannon, even while camping (#27)
• Finished reading The Bean Trees so I can complete a text-analysis on it (#34)
• Chose a date for our family photo session and procured cardboard for the "ohana" sign I plan to make for it (#37)
• Helped my husband kick-off Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet, which he definitely appreciated (#31)
• Read The Perks of Being a Wallflower (#33)
• Reviewed a few letters with Brannon--he knows more than I realized (#38)
• Completed 3-4 projects from my project drawer (#57)
• Deep-cleaned shower and tub stalls, although I still need to tackle the shower doors (#63)
• Visited my dad (#69)
• Nagged my husband to take care of our NSP residence verification (#66)
• Made a decision about my birthday gift from my dad, but I haven't taken action on it just yet (#68)
• Tried lots of new recipes, including this delicious gluten- and dairy-free coconut ice cream (#32)

Quite the list, am I right?

PS: Literally while I was typing this, my husband brought me my back-to-school letter from my boss: Monday, August 5 is my report date. I told you summer was ending!

20 Things I Am Grateful For This Week

In order to streamline my posting process, I will be using the above "Attitude of Gratitude" banner each week--or at least until I get bored with it and make a new one.

1. Traditions
2. Priesthood blessings
3. The loving service of my husband
4. Modern plumbing
5. My son's well-timed patience and obedience
6. Homemade coconut ice cream
7. Successfully being a one-car family
8. Bicycles
9. ASU's shuttle buses
10. Timeouts
11. Counting to 3 (or 5 or 10)
12. Backyards
13. Funny moments
14. Good memories
15. Photography
16. Projects
17. Personal revelation
18. Patience
19. Forgiveness
20. Laughing with my son over silly things

20 Things I Am Grateful For This Week

1. Air conditioning (check the highs for Phoenix this week and you'll understand why)
2. Personal progress
3. A happy, fulfilling marriage
4. A clean house
5. Nap time
6. 40% off one-item coupons
7. Learning new skills
8. The ready availability of fresh fruits and vegetables
9. Understanding my husband without saying a word
10. My internet-research skills
11. Another opportunity to contribute to Work Your Wardrobe
12. Making a difference
13. My artwork
14. Hanging the gallery wall frames in my living room
15. Choosing the fabrics for my son's new quilt (even if it took an hour and a half)
16. My son's increasing patience and obedience
17. Forgiveness for both my son and I when we slip up
18. Hearing "Mommy, I love you" ten times a day
19. Visiting my visiting teaching sisters with Nicole
20. Gluten-free chocolate chip cookie dough

20 Things I Am Grateful For This Week

It's been awhile since I've done a gratitude post, and I am starting to feel the loss of it in my daily life. It seems like a small thing, but anticipating this list each week puts a brighter spin on my entire life. If you are looking for opportunities to be grateful, you won't have time to complain. Every day is filled with blessings, so I have no reason not to do these posts each week.

1. My son
2. Summer vacation
3. Professional growth
4. New challenges
5. A renewed since in my creative instinct
6. New friends
7. Relief Society (read about it here)
8. Forgiveness
9. the Gospel (read about my beliefs here)
10. 8 1/2 years of marriage--all of them real, honest, challenging, and life-changing
11. Opportunities to save money
12. Family
13. Teaching Relief Society
14. Finger painting
15. A backyard
16. Gluten-free Chex cereals
17. Smoothies
18. The ability to let go of the small stuff
19. Watching my husband play softball
20. Being able to put others first when it really counts

Summer To-Do List Update #1

I am feeling a little under-motivated, so now seemed as good a time as any to review my progress on my Summer To-Do list thus far. (If you haven't read my list yet, you can check it out here.)

I am two weeks into summer vacation, and this is what I have accomplished:

• I finished and hung my fish sketch & painting (#1 & 2)
• I had a picnic with my son (#4)
• I got my hair cut and colored (#5)
• I completed Audrey's 7x7 fashion remix (#19)
• I found a good place to store our Slip N' Slide (#25)
• We completed some "kid pin" like activities (#27)
• We played a few founds of Zingo to work on Brannon's number skills (#49)

My thoughts:

It may not seem like I did a lot, but I think I was still able to keep to my "project a day" goal so far. The fish sketch was a time-consuming process, so it was essentially the only project I worked on for the first seven days or so. You'll see pics of it soon when I complete #18: "Fish Sketch Post."

Picnicking with Brannon was, simply put, a pleasure. While I was making chicken salad sandwiches for dinner last night, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to dine al fresco. I spread a blanket in the backyard, brought our food out on a tray, and dug in. Because our puppy loves to beg, we used an IKEA side table rather than eating off our laps, and sweet, adorable Brannon pulled up two chairs while I was inside getting the food ready. When dinner was over, we alternately played with Doc (our puppy) and laid on our backs, staring up at the sky. It was completely impromptu, totally relaxed, and we both really enjoyed it. Mother-son quality time at its finest!

I am so glad to have short hair again, and I am kind of loving being a brunette. I can wear so many more colors now! If you haven't seen my new do, you can check it out here.

Participating in the 7x7 fashion remix was so much fun, and I would totally do it again! If you want to see how other bloggers remixed their wardrobes, check out Audrey's link-up page.

If you have a Slip N' Slide and you don't know how to store it, considering shoving it into an old pillowcase before you throw it in a closet. That way you don't have to worry about folding it, and it is less likely to get tangled up with other items or fall on your head.

I planned to do "kid pin" activities each Friday, but I don't like to plan ahead, and my husband has decided to drive to school on the days I don't need the car for work. The audacity, right? In the end, that meant I couldn't go shopping for things like bouncing bubble and homemade goo ingredients, so I had to make due with what we have at home. As long as he is not watching TV and we're doing something together, I think I am on the right track. Last week, Brannon and I spent much of our time in the craft room playing with construction paper, scissors, paper punches, and glue. At Brannon's request, we did spend a bit of time in the backyard "writing messages" on our block wall using sidewalk chalk. 

Brannon can count to ten or twelve fairly well (although he usually skips seven), and he is great at counting objects. However, he seems to be hit or miss on recognizing written numbers. Luckily, my mom  bought him "Zingo 1-2-3" for his birthday last month. Zingo 1-2-3 is kind of like Bingo, but it focuses on helping kids recognize, count, and add numbers. Brannon loves it! If you have a pre-schooler, I highly recommend you check it out here or shop for it here.

Lots of text, no pics. Being an English teacher is my only excuse!

Now I am off to update my original list. Hooray to crossing off completed items!

2013 Summer To-Do List

The Rationale

Summer vacation is arguably the number one perk of being a teacher. A guaranteed two-months off every year makes things like disgruntled parents, piles of grading, and disappointing paydays worth it. At the same time, I am the type of teacher person who thrives on structure and a sense of accomplishment. While I can spend summer vacation doing (pretty much) whatever I want, I know I will be happiest if I can look back those first few weeks of August and say, "Look what I did!" rather than, "Where did the time go?" How will I accomplish this, you ask? Enter my to-do list.

When I say "tackling life one to-do list at a time," I mean it...literallly. I use to-do lists at work, at home, and in my head. They bring order to chaos, bring me the satisfaction of crossing items off one by one, and release me from the anxiety of feeling like I haven't done "enough"--and trust me, that last one is a HUGE accomplishment. They also keep me from spending hours of my free time on tasks that don't really matter...like watching TV, staring at the wall, and--you guessed it--perusing Pinterest. Whenever I start feeling overwhelmed, lazy, or unmotivated--I know it's time for a to-do list.

This summer, I want to live a more project-oriented life. I want to serve my husband and my son. I want to challenge myself, reinvigorate my creativity, and learn new skills. I want to be a better mom and friend. That is what I will build my summer around, and this to-do list will help me do that.

The Plan

Today, I write my list. Tomorrow, and for the rest of the summer, I will make every effort to do or at least work on one item from the list each day. When I find myself hating the invention of Netflix and shaking my head in disbelief over the time I've already spent on shows like "30 Rock" and "Parks and Recreation," I will pull up this list and find something better to do. To help keep me honest, I will track my progress via roughly weekly posts on how I've spent my time and what I've accomplished, hopefully inspiring one or two people in the process.

The List

Nota bene: Be prepared for a very, very long list. I like to itemize projects so I can cross off items throughtout the process. Tedious, right?

BTW: If an item has been strikedout, then it moved from "to-do" and became a "to done." ; )

1. Finish my fish sketch
2. Hang my fish sketch
3. Add bath photos of Brannon or other artwork to finish out the hall bathroom
4. Have a picnic with Brannon
5. Get my haircut
6. Repair the holes in the walls
7. Patch the holes in the closet doors (all from Brannon)
8. Start Brannon's bed quilt (Pattern & fabric bought)
9. Set-up a display system for Brannon's art & worksheets (I'll add more later)
10. Do something with unused picture frames & family room walls
11. Hang Derek's guitars (although this is really a honey-do item)
12. Install a clothes line on the back porch (even if I never use it) (Bought the hardware--waiting for hubby's help)
13. Finish decorating laundry room--wall art, homemade bunting, picture frames
14. Memo board tutorial post
15. 7x7 Putting Me Together fashion link-up
16. Sew a skirt
17. Sew something from Goodwill fabric
18. Make infinity scarf for Sande
19. Make blue and white infinity scarf
20. Make a wreath or other door hanging for the front door
21. Find a good place to store the Slip N' Slide
22. Sign Brannon up for swim classes (Decided to do that next summer)
23. Do one "kid pin" with Brannon each week (ongoing)
24. Plant something with Brannon
25. Paint something with Brannon
26. Create Brannon's fourth Shutterfly book (So VERY close to finished--just waiting for hubby's letter)
27. Help my husband lose weight (ongoing, but started)
28. Try new recipes (ongoing)
29. Read The Perks of Being a Wall Flower
30. Do work stuff that shall not be named nor fully committed to (working on it)
31. Take a road trip
32. Hang hooks in the master bedroom
33. Hamel family portrait session
34. Use my Gap gift card
35. Use my Target gift card
36.  Make the necklace and earring set for my mom
37. Weed the front yard (again) and treat it with pre-emergent spray
38. Purge all closets and storage areas
39. Decide whether or not I should continue to hoard Brannon's baby clothes
40. Start taking Doc for regular walks (started & he LOVES it)
41. Deep clean carpets, hopefully erasing the pet smell from every carpeted room in our house
42. Buy yard clippers
43. Use yard clippers to clean up bushes in the front yard
44. Help Brannon learn his letters (ongoing)
45. Help Brannon learn to recognize written numbers (ongoing)
46. Spend more time with Stephanie
47. Send Pinterest code to Kim
48. Transfer features and shut down "To Blog or Not to Blog" (decided I may as well ignore it & leave it up--no shortage of space on the internet, right?)
49. Try to make gluten-free play dough...cheaply (decided to skip this project)
50. Make family-photo monogram (decided to skip this project)
51. Family-photo monogram post
52. Wash the car
53. Continue weekly gratitude and The Everyday Celiac posts (ongoing)
54. Moon Valley Ward nursery post (letting go of this one, too)
55. Identify & commit to family chores
56. Hang spice racks
57. Repair grout in dining room
58. Deep clean shower and tub stalls
59. Deep clean and whiten bed pillows
60. Father's day gifts
61. Send verification of residence to NSP
62. Get knives back...hopefully
63. Make a decision about my birthday gift from my dad and act on it
64. Spend time with my dad
65. RELAX, HAVE FUN, and ENJOY MYSELF

20 Things I Am Grateful For These Two Weeks

Ever have those insanely busy weekends where the days seem both unbelievably long and all-too short? That was definitely last weekend for me. From Thursday to Sunday, we did something with my husband's family every night, and essentially all of Saturday was spent preparing for, having, and cleaning up after my son's fourth birthday party--and I loved every minute of it.

If you haven't guessed yet, said busy-ness, and the fact that I now have three days left in the school year, prevented me from posting last week. I hope you missed me!

1. Family
2. My creativity
3. My always appreciative and demonstrative son
4. An over-indulgent husband to shop for groceries
5. Family and friends to help Brannon celebrate his special day
6. Grandparents and great-grandparents
7. Water play
8. The entire Nelson family
9. One week left in school
10. Supportive administrators
11. Intelligent, articulate, and literate parents
12. Being a teacher and loving it (usually)
13. Self-confidence
14. Family togetherness
15. Sharing once-in-a-lifetime moments
16. A communicative and patient pre-school teacher
17. Improvement in my son's social and tracing skills
18. Hope for the future
19. My husband's dedication to school
20. A welcoming home for all my loved ones

20 Reasons I Love Being A Mom

20 Reasons I LOVE being a mom:

one: company

two: unexpected humor

three: progress

four: naptime

five: surprises

six: innocence

seven: grandparents

eight: freedom

nine: curiosity

ten: What the...? moments

eleven: sweet ignorance

twelve: quiet moments

thirteen: Christmas

fourteen: growing up

fifteen: mischief

sixteen: cousins

seventeen: Halloween

eighteen: playfulness

nineteen: aunts & uncles

twenty: traditions

And the list could go on and on...

20 Things I Am Grateful For This Week

Sometimes I get frustrated because I can't publish a post when I want to--but then I remember this pledge to myself: "Live a life worth blogging about."

1. Recognition for a job well-done
2. The fulfillment of being a mother
3. Opportunities to connect with people I have never met before
4. Friends who give great advice--even if I don't want to hear it
5. Old friends who keep in touch
6. My time as a church nursery leader
7. Getting at least one final day with our nursery class
8. Yard art
9. Learning to let go and make peace instead of trying to make a point
10. Continuing to whisper instead of yell--at least more often than I used to
11. Compliments!
12. Inspiration!
13. Attention!
14. Moderate culinary success
15. Love
16. Patience
17. Understanding
18. The improvement & determination of my students
19. Raising the bar & standing by my instruction
20. Learning new skills

20 Things I Am Grateful For

1. Chaperoning Relay for Life
2. Warm, freshly-baked gluten-free cookies
3. A healthy child
4. Blogging progress and success!
5. Grading progress!
6. Talking about art to people who "get it"
7. Dr. Who
8. My husband--just 'cause
9. A clean car
10. Making it to church in time to hear the end of a really great talk
11. A cute, cheery nursery classroom
12. An amazingly helpful child (he has started clearing AND rinsing his own dishes)
13. Working with students and teachers who can step-up in a crisis
14. Knowing I make a difference
15. Spring flowers
16. A beautiful, think green yard
17. Fresh flowers on my dining table
18. Awesome, funny in-laws
19. Birthday money!
20. Knowing that, at 30, I have a life I can be proud of

20 Things I Am Grateful For

I know this is a bit late--life (pleasantly) got in the way!

1. Delicious gluten-free birthday cake
2. Nearly equally delicious gluten-free pizza
3. Lots of family and friends to celebrate with
4. Ultimate acceptance of and loss of fear from entering "that decade" of my life
5. A stress-free way of feeding an undetermined yet definitely large group of people
6. A beautiful family (meaning me, my husband, and son) who daily prove that the past 30 years have not been wasted
7. Gift cards!
8. Birthday wishes from family, friends (online and in real-life), co-workers, and even students
9. The most thoughtful instructional aide EVER
10. Recognizing getting older as something to be proud of--a privilege rather than a punishment
11. Faith in myself, my husband, and the future
12. A new nightlight for my son
13. The presence of my father and one of my two Best Friends at my birthday party
14. My mother's kind heart
15. My niece, Rui
16. Coworkers I can depend on
17. The continuance of a tradition--Indian food on my birthday
18. Friends I can count on--even if it is just for help decorating for a party
19. Clever ideas & people who are amused by them
20. My son who lights up my world every day

20 Things I Am Grateful For This Week

1. Antibiotics
2. Sick days
3. Immediate Care at Dearing Family Medicine
4. Kleenex
5. Cough drops
6. Understanding work superiors
7. The absence of flies (long story)
8. My favorite gluten-free cornbread recipe
9. My pint-size sous chef
10. A husband who still remembers my favorite flower
11. Family
12. Putting paint on canvas!
13. My artistic abilities
14. The Freedom Writers (the people, not just the movie)
15. Hand sanitizer
16. Children's Mucinex
17. Allergy medicine
18. Google+ Communities
19. A clean house
20. Plenty of clean underwear

20 Things I Am Grateful For This Week

1. Memories
2. Good health
3. Decongestants
4. Clean drinking water
5. Facebook (never thought I'd say that)
6. General Conference
7. the Gospel
8. Fly swatters
9. Opportunities to bear my testimony
10. Knowing I made a difference
11. Parents who care
12. A high-quality marriage
13. Effective communication with my husband
14. One angel of a son
15. To-do lists (trust me--they're effective)
16. My laptop
17. A vehicle for sharing my photography weekly (yep, its all mine)
18. Being smarter than Facebook (at least this one time)
19. My growing knowledge of HTML code
20. The future

P.S.

The amazing thing about adopting an "attitude of gratitude" is that it gets easier as you go. I cranked out this list in about two minutes flat, and there were plenty of ideas I had but didn't use. Makes my face smile!

Also, the photograph isn't fuzzy--the plant is.

When life makes you LOL

Happy April Fools Day!

To celebrate this funniest of days, I thought it would be appropriate to share a slide show of how my photo shoots generally go around here. Enjoy!

Hmm. I thought I had a left eye and forehead (guess I was mistaken)

Camera hog, you say? Quite--he is his mother's son.

PS: 

Doesn't it just figure that I inadvertently deleted the one picture that captured my entire face head and didn't have a little helper leaning into the background? Yep--that poor snapshot didn't even make it onto to my laptop.

Check out more of my photographic silliness on this style blog, Work Your Wardrobe (A young woman's guide to affordable fashion):

Work it!

20 Things I am Grateful For This Week

Happy Easter!

For the time being, I am going to make my "attitude of gratitude" a weekly feature each Sunday. I know it is going to improve my outlook, and I hope it improves yours as well.

1. The Atonement
2. Loving parents and parents-in-law
3. Modern washing machines
4. An outlet for my creativity
5. Homemade gluten-free desserts
6. My niece
7. A husband who knows when to (lovingly, but firmly) kick me off the computer
8. My Nikon D3000 DSLR camera
9. My mom's beautiful and picture-worthy garden
10. Orange blossoms
11. An honest & productive discussion with my most difficult class
12. The supportive and level-headed administrator who helped make said discussion possible
13. My son's day care center & all of his lovely teachers
14. A bandanna to keep me from sneezing long enough to weed my front yard
15. Little promptings that save me money or solve a tiny problem
16. Pampers Easy-Ups
17. My newly-cutified laundry room
18. A wonderful Easter Sunday sacrament service
19. Beautiful weather
20. Friends who never really lose touch

LIFE: A Project-Oriented Approach

A few weeks ago, I discovered I hated my leisure time. Why, you ask? Because I was spending most of it zoned out in front of the TV, watching episode after episode of some uninspired sitcom or dopey children's show, or running around the house, doing the same cleaning the same rooms in the same way week after week. I was bored, mentally stifled, and disappointed in myself. It was time for a change.

The solution?

Projects.

I decided to complete one project each Saturday, whether it was organizing a closet, doing a craft, or weeding the yard. Once that project was completed, I could spend the day doing whatever I wanted. More often than not, what I want to do is more projects--I do, after all, thrive on a sense of accomplishment.

The result?

I am happier.

I am seldom bored, frequently challenged, and rarely disappointed in myself. As an added bonus, I am spending more time with my son doing the things he wants to do--helping me, learning to be independent, and most importantly, not watching television.

Curious about my projects?

Stay tuned to this blog or follow me via Pinterest. I promise to share pictures soon!