2013 Bucketlist

This year, instead of resolutions...I'm making a bucket list.  I was at the movie Parental Guidance, and there was a scene where the grandparents were playing kick the can in the back yard with their grandkids and it started pouring, and they kept playing and it was even more fun.....in my head I thought, "they should go in, I would go in".  And I realized what a sissy mom I am anymore. I used to always play in the rain with my kids. I used to always make huge messes in the house with my kids. I used to do puzzles everyday, teach Kam new mom skills all the time, go on long walks almost everyday.  But now, I feel like I live my life ordering kids around and cleaning and cooking and organizing.  It's dumb!  It's super dumb!  So I'm making my 2013 bucket list to have a better, more funner (yup, funner), more exciting, bonding, loving, happier mom of a year!


1.  Play in the rain with the kids...more than 10 minutes...more than just once...and ENJOY IT!

2. Touch people more.  Sounds wrong, but I hate hugging anyone except Jase and my kids and my parents and my sisters, but I'm learning, people hug...and they hug a lot!  So instead of avoiding it, or dreading it, or even just enduring it, my goal is to learn to love it.  Along with touching people's arms, or back or whatever when I'm talking to them.   Whenever people put their hand on my arm or shoulder when they're talking to me, it makes me feel like they are really my friend, or that they really care about what we're talking about....I need to learn to do that.

3.  Less sarcasm....I think this makes the list EVERY year, and EVERY year, I suck at it.  But I want to be more optimistic.  I've avoided optimism because I'm married to it's king, and I slowly learned that my mind needs a balance of rainbows and reality, so I went extreme the other way to bring us back to reality.  But it's ok if we both think/hope for/notice the best in every situation...as long as we don't' want to jump off a bridge when things don't' go that way.

4. Eat Healthy!  This was probably my most unhealthy year of eating in 5 or 6 years, and before that I just didn't' understand nutrition, or at least the importance of it. I also want to make new meals. I used to LOVE going through my many WW cookbooks and making  a few new meals a week.

5. Early to bed.   We used to get crap for being in bed by 9:30 or 10.  This year we've slowly gotten on the 11pm or midnight to 5 or 6 schedule, and I don't' dig it at all.   When we go to bed earlier, I can get up around 4:30 and fit in a workout.  January 1st....bedtime....9pm!

6. Talk more sweetly.  I feel like my voice has gotten really uncaring this year with my kids...not kind and loving and fun like it used to me.  This should actually be my #1....I guess I shouldn't have even numbered them.  They're not in order.  But I am going to work hardest on this one.

7. Go to more Upick farms, community gardens, church picnics, trips to the beach, backyard barbecues and family game nights.  Of coarse this involves throwing some of these myself, but I feel these are the things that will help me endure the city more.  I miss my country life EVERYDAY still.  We have plans to get chickens and get a garden going ASAP, but I think our fun family time can also be country type events here in the city.

8. I want a friend.  I know that just sounds sad and pathetic...and I know I have some of the most amazing friends in the world, but I feel like I'm #2 on all of their lists....which is fine, I'm grateful to be there, but I want one good friend, that lives close enough to come over and chat while our kids play in the backyard for a few hours.  one good friend that calls me up and says, "get a sitter, let's go the movies" at 11am, one good friend that knows when I'm incredibly depressed and need a surprise to make me smile.  I know there are these kinds of friends out there...I have some...I've had friends do all of those things with me...but in 2012, I became a hermit....even worse, a snoody, depressed hermit who turned down lots of invites to fun events because I was either tired, felt fat, or ugly, or I knew I'd be social akward that night.  Not anymore. Another part of this one is to better meet the needs of my friends. I used to be great at sending little packages, or notes, or whatever to friends when I could tell they were down...I don't think I have all year!  I'm so lame.  I need a friend!

9. Be outside more.  Again, going back to the hermit thing.....intensely.  even if I don't get GO places...I need to get out...get out of my house.  Even though this house is more light than our last house, it's still one of our darker houses. I just painted the front room a much lighter color and that helped TONS, but there just isn't awesome light in the 3 main living areas....I need to get outside more.

10.  Less computer time...by half!

11. I need to cut out dairy. I know cutting out sugar helps tons with everything, especially my skin and energy (and belly), but when I cut out dairy I feel like my body energy picks up again and things start working how they're supposed to.  And since I'm not the most disciplined person int he world anymore....I'm leaving the exception of an occasional bowl of ice cream. But honestly, when I order thing w/o cheese or sour cream, I usually don't even notice a difference in the taste.

12.  I've gotta workout 5x a week.   In my crazy days a few years ago, I would workout 2-4 hours a day 5-6days a week.  This year, I just want 5-6x a week, for an hour a day....not an hour in a row, just at least an hour of Zumba class, or turbo fire videos.  Volleyball DOES NOT count as any type of workout.


13.  Read all 15 Ronald Dalh books to the kids.  We're almost done with Esio Trot, and the older two have just read the Twits and Magic Finger, but I want to read all of them, and then have the kids do plays with their favorite ones in the fall.  I know, crazy, wacky mom idea, but this is the only time in my life that all of my kids will be  young enough to cooperate...I MUST do this one!

14.  Paint the piano.  You'd think this would be a quick 1 or 2 day project...but I've had plans to do it for over 2 years...and now, thanks to stupid Pinterest, half of my friends have painted theirs.  ugh!  But it needs to be painted.

15.  Clean out the garage.  Don't ask

16.  Be a size 8 and have long hair.  Everytime I get into size 10 I chop my mop.  For once in my semi young life, I want hair half way down my back and a small waist.  Ive been flirting with the idea of chopping it shorter than I ever have before...a haircut I cut out of a magazine a couple of years ago, but I HAVE to wait til I enjoy long hair and a small body for at least a month.  I want to be size 8 by the end of March.

17.  Be super in love with J.  I do love him....a lot...he's a great hushband....but it seems each time we have a kid....we become a lot less in love.    I need to say more nice things....and touch him more (sickos! I'm talking about holding hands, hugging, kissing, butt grabbing, groping, etc.....ok ok, yea, you were right).

18. Keep my bank account  high...I won't say the number, but I'm tired of it getting low.  I'm the world's WORST saver!

19.  Do griller things with my girls.  Poor Kam...we did so many boy things for the first few years of her life and of coarse they stuck...and now since she's lost so many privileges til she pays for all the things she breaks during her tantrums, she hangs out with the boys all day....so I'm taking it upon myself to do incredibly girly things with her.  She LOVES to do girly things, I just never do them.

20.  Call my mom and dad more.  I talk to my parents usually once or twice a month.  Jase not only calls, but SKYPES his mom and grandma most every Sunday.  And the times I talk to my parents....they call me.  I'm a bad daughter....but not for long!



Alright, 20, that's good. I can get these mothers done w/in a year...easy peasy!


now I'm going to end this post with a little throw pack shot...only 13 years ago!