I think I missed September somehow......

I forgot to post any goals or progress for September.  Oops.

 

1.  Post every day in September.  (So far, so good.)

2.  Go on a fall family vacation.  I think we should do this every month.  (Done.  Fairmont.  Fun.)

3.  Buy new bras and new boots.  (Half-assedly done.  I got a couple bras at Target.  I bought three at Macy's and HATED them so I took them back.  I'm shopping for cute fall boots but haven't really focused on them yet.)

4.  Hang pictures in both kid rooms.  (Almost done.....)

5.  Reorganize the kitchen.  (About 50% done... need to do the two upper corner cabinets this weekend.)

6.  Find a place to store the sewing machine.  (Ideas?)

7.  Plan a minor exercise routine.  (Done.  October's goal will be to implement.)

8.  Do some fun things with Tuff.  (Ears pierced, coffee shop stops, planning a "girl party" and plans for a lunch date.)

9.  Wash outside windows.  (Fail.)

10.  Paint porch posts.  (3 done... thousands to go.)

 

Fairmont Hot Springs: The Vacation Guide

So we decided to get the hell out of Dodge this weekend. 

So it was off to Fairmont Hot Springs.

We left fairly late on Saturday and stopped in Anaconda for lunch.... at Pizza Hut.

It was one of those lunches....  Milk, please.... we only have chocolate milk.  Ok.  A sandwich please... we don't have sandwiches.  Salad bar.... nope.  Ok.  Well.  What DO you have?  And, also.... this Pizza Hut does not have the classic (and iconic) Pizza Hut Ice.  (Side note:  I just googled to find an image of the ice and I can't find one.  That's a first.  Google failed me.)

We checked in (early) and hit the pools.  The kids decided to do the slide.  The water slide is $8.75 for a half-day, $10.75 for a full-day or $1 a ride.  The pools are free if you have a hotel room. 

Lots of fun.  I recommend bringing a few floaties and life jackets.  We also travel with googles and snorkels.... but we are those people.

In a perfect world I would get to the pools earlier, swim, then get out and have lunch and rest and then swim again later in the afternoon.  I'd also pack a delightful picnic lunch of crackers and fancy cheese.  And some microwave soup for the kids.

Alas... I don't live in a perfect world... but I did remember a giant bottle of red wine AND a corkscrew.

We had dinner at the cafe.  We could have done the dining room.

Everyone was pretty beat so we went to bed.  The next day we soaked early, showered and got ready and hit the Sunday brunch before it closed at 11:30.  Then we visited the little animal menagerie (horses, goats, ducks etc) and played on the playground.  We didn't do folf or golfing or mini-golf (although we would have done mini golf if we had realized it was there).  It was a little chilly and windy.

Cost breakdown:
Fuel:  less than a tank ($60)
Lunch:  Pizza Hut $34.96
Hotel:  $145 plus tax
Dinner:  Fairmont Cafe... we probably could have done the dining room so Hot could have steak but it was still pretty tasty.
Lounge:  ?  Hot had a drink or two while watching football scores while the kids and I "rested" in the hotel room.
Waterslide:  $20.50 (2 kids 1/2 day at $8.75 plus three single rides for Hot)
Brunch:  ?  ($10.95/adult and $5/96 for kids... but I think they gave us free coffee and I think the girls both ate for free....)  Also... I totally snagged three chocolate chip cookies from brunch and fed them to the kids on the drive home.... is that awful??
Snacks:  Pretzels, chips, water bottles in the car.  A bottle of wine for the hotel room.  Some microwave popcorn would have been good and maybe some other snack foods for in the hotel.

We drove home via Anaconda-Georgetown Lake- P-burg.

I recommend the fish hatchery at Washoe Park in Anaconda.  Great visitor center and for a nickel you can feed some GIANT trout.  Very cool.  We wanted to visit St Timothy's at 7 Gables and the candy store in P-burg but kids were conked out so we didn't stop.

Our next grand adventure may be to P-burg to do sapphires and the candy store. 

The Technology Challenge

In case you hadn't noticed.... I can be a bit, ah, scattered.  I wouldn't call it a disorder.  I just really like to start things.  Finish them?  Not so much.

So I  made a list.  Of things.  Things that need doing.  It turned into an outline.  Remember doing outlines?  And how dumb they seemed?  I take it back.

The Technology Challenge
I.  Music
    A.  Remove all duplicates from iTunes
    B.  Have all music backed up on hard drive
    C.  Transfer good playlists from iPod to iTunes
    D.  Delete crummy playlists
          1.  iTunes
          2.  iPod
    E.  Create new and clever playlists
    F.  Make sure all random car cd's are copied to iTunes (and backed up)
II.  Photos
    A.  Have all negatives transferred to digital
          1.  Collect all negatives in one place.
          2.  Sort negatives by year and put in baggies.
    B.  Sort and purge photo albums (existing)
          1.  Collect all albums in one place
          2.  Toss crummy photos
          3.  Make sure photos were captured in negative scanning (above)
               a.  If not, scan.
          4.  Label, label, label
    C.  Create cataloging system with solid naming conventions for digital photos
    D.  Upload photos to Costco and Snapfish
    E.  Create digital albums for each year
III.  Video
    A.  Transfer all home video to digital format
          1.  Backup plan
          2.  Save native format with negatives (above)
    B.  Get rid of any VHS movies etc
          1.  Make list of VHS to buy in DVD (ignore blue ray)
IV.  Scanning
    A.  Sort all paperwork
    B.  Scan documents
          1.  shred as needed
          2.  find permanent and portable home fpr important stuff
    C.  Get rid of deposit box at bank
    D.  Have solid digital and paper filing systems
V.  Create digital baby books

Goal One

Here we are at the end of the first week of January and no posted goals.  Hmmm.

Ok.  Well.  Here's one for you.

I put all of the pictures for 2010 in a folder.  And all of them are broken down into folders within 2010.  Then I did a quicky change name thing so each picture has a decent label. 

Then I made a folder called Album 2010 and picked the best 200 (well 199 actually) pictures of 2010 and put a copy in there.  Then uploaded to Costco.com and ready to print... after I find the perfect 200 photo album to put them in.... or maybe I'll wait for a good deal at snapfish and just print a 2010 album direct.

So I read somewhere that if you aren't sure what to do with a room and you've become visually immune to the clutter..... take a picture.

The following is a series of photos of the bathroom this morning and my thoughts on what is stored where and changes that need to be made.

Does everyone have this odd kind of "stash" spot? Jammies, robes, shirts that need ironing.....

The dresser:  Top big drawer is Bugsy's clothes.  Bottom is Hot's.  Two little drawers contain Bugsy socks and shoes and the other one has a curling iron, a hair straightener, baby lotion and some baby-related items like aveeno soak and moisture stick.  That horse-shoe shaped wooden hook could probably go, couldn't it?  Fairly ugly, right?  The tub toy bin is hanging on it.

The white wood thing with hearts... what can I do with that?  It has some sentimental value but certainly isn't my taste in decor.  Hmmmm.  Also please laugh about the toilet paper situation in our household.  It's in that copper thing with the black lid.  Why?  Because the cats shred it on the roll.  Also... that tp holder needs replacing... U-G-L-Y.

The kid towels (except Sweet's.... for some reason it is over there on the horse-shoe hook)... this doesn't work... too far from the tub and too high for them to get themselves.... these pesky hooded towels hang really long.... I don't want the touching the baseboard heaters.  And, oh, hey... there are the swimmie googles.... I was missing those.

Paint the floor heaters white? Can you do that?  I need ideas for a new shower curtain.  The windowsill holds hand sanitizer, the adult toothbrush bucket and a 3-drawer container for hair pretties and randomness that the cats might steal.  I think I will move that white-curly-q shelf up and put hooks under it for kid towels.... but have to clear the baseboards.  Hmmmm.

Need to move this towel hook over.  And that big wooden expanse is begging for.... something.  And please don't get me started on the sexiness of hollywood lights over the sink.  I need an electrician.

I'm almost pleased with the storage shelves.  Almost.  Need a clever way to store the vitamins and to hide Hot's pit stick and shaving cream.  He culled his hair cut kit and now it all fits in a tub in the back along with his razors and blades.  Notice the classy spare cat pan stacked up on top... it is sealing and protecting the tp stash.... those kitties are shredders.  Also... that's a cat bed up there... than tan thing... and another on top of the laundry basket.  3 wicker bins... jammies for each.  A stack of baby blankets, a potty seat for those "stuck" poopies, and the mop bucket and toilet plunger is stashed in the back of the bottom shelf.  Also... diapers and wipes are stashed in the back of these super-deep shelves.  And, the final count:  7 adult towels (two on hooks, five for guests), 3 hoodie kid towels, 3 hand towels, 5 wash rags.  Finished.

Ugly light fixtures.  Cream ceiling fan.  Ew.

Gross-out.  The trim by the tub came out and, since we were planning to tear down this part of the house, I didn't fix it.  NOW LOOK.  BLACK MOLD.

Drawer shot for Kae.  This will totally gross her out.  Toothbrushes run amok.  Everywhere.  This is the kid tooth drawer.  Ew.  But please note the bottom drawer is EMPTY.  What should I put in there?  Hot had his razors, pit stick and shaving cream in there but he got tired of Bugsy taking them out and wandering around so now his stuff is on the storage shelves.

Under the sink... why do you care?  Because it looks so much better than days of old.

The bottom drawer of no return.  This has a container of bath packets and a contain of salt packets for my nose.... a container of mama hair pretties & mama's fancy makeup.  This needs further culling but, considering how it started, it looks pretty good.

This is mama's drawer.  My makeup in the striped bag.  All the hairbrushes and combs.  (The good brown brush has gone missing again....)  It also appears my pit stick is on walk-about....  I actually found it later in the laundry room... I love you Bug.

Here's a point of chaos in our household... how do YOU organize hair pretties?

I have this box on the shelf.

And clips are all here.... and there are 3 drawers in that jewelry box looking thing on the window sill that house overflow.

But that's a lot of hair stuff to wrangle.

And then there is this cute thing that came in from the swing set (at 6:30am) to give me a grin.  (Note the boo-boo where he ran into the hammock frame with his face.)

Resolution Update

Elle is posting resolution updates.  I originally posted this on Thursday, January 07, 2010
I'm following her format here.

A. Healthy Diet. We are eating our way through the Christmas gift candy. In the great kitchen overhaul project I tossed several giant bags of, um, is it Halloween candy?? I don't know and it doesn't matter because it is gone now. I'm focusing on eating a little healthier every month without denying myself. I gave up freakin' sugar for 6 weeks in 2009 (not shedding a single pound I might remind you) and if I can do that, well, just call me Wonder Woman. So my healthy diet goal is: Eat until you are full, not until you are tired.
Eh.  Why is this always everyone's first resolution?  Stupid.  I've been eating very carefully for the last six months and.... I've gained five pounds.  WTF?  Maybe I need to re-think this and just resolve to move more to drop the pounds? 


B. Getting rid of the stock up stuff. I figure if I moved it into this house from the old house it is now 5 years old... toss it. That's my current standard. Also ditching interesting items dumped on me by various family members.... (Mom, don't think I didn't notice the stuff you slipped in my take-home box last week....) And I purged a giant box of kitchen stuff... who knew my tiny kitchen could even HOLD a giant box of kitchen stuff? How many sippy cups do you really need anyway?  Can we talk about spices?  I have a spice container that says "King Soopers" on it... do you know what that means?  I probably bought the spice in college 20 years ago.  I think it can go... although I may toss the spice and refill the canister... just for the memory.....  Also... 1999 expired bactine.  Random shout wipes, alcohol swabs and antibacterial wipes (long since expired) that are in the glove box.  Gone.  An unfortunate intestinal incident led to the depletion of our soon-to-expire immodium stash... so that's all fresh and updated.  I've also changed my buying habits for certain things.  Buy the 20-tab size with a dollar off coupon at CVS instead of the 200 tab two-pack at Costco.  Cheaper and less chance of expiration....  As I toss a bottle of advil that expired many years ago AND for some reason tastes vaguely of soap. 


C. Purge negativity. Uh-huh. Actually, I'm feeling pretty negativity free in people in my life. I should count that as a blessing.  Or is it a lack of people in my life in general?  Who cares?  It works.



D. Seeing a doctor? I just saw my doctor... he was at Costco shopping with his son. Although I do promise to consider getting a colonoscopy sooner rather than later based on family history.  I saw a doctor... several times.... for a stubborn sinus infection.  And I'm set to get a health screening (the free one) in July... but I added on some tests for extra money....  just in case there is something wrong with my thyroid and it isn't just that I'm a lazy fat hog.  Also... I was going to go to the doc and get my vit D levels tested... but I'll just take a supplement instead.


E. Knitting. I wish I was better at knitting. I also wish I knew how to digital scrapbook. Maybe that will be my next goal.... learning to digital scrapbook.  Heh, heha... yeah.  No progress.  I am still plodding along trying to sort and label digital photos.  And I'd really like to scan some old photos and trash the photo albums but I'm not that brave just yet.  I also discovered I somehow trashed all of my 2003-2004 emails that I'd saved to use to make Sweet's baby book.  So if anyone has email from me from that time period... please send it to me.
 
F. I will see my family several times this year. And I will go to a 100 year celebration for the town I graduated high school.  The celebration is next weekend.  I'm trying to figure out ways to get out of going.

G. Grow my garden? How about I resolve to pull the grass in my flower beds. And I resolve to brush my dog's teeth because he is old and deserves some extra love.  I dug the grass up.  It looks fantastic and loved.  I also reduced the number of pots of flowers.  So pleased.  Dog teeth... check.


H. Money. I make money resolutions weekly, don't I? I resolve to determine, once and for all, if we can afford to remodel and add on. And I resolve to put double money in the kid college funds this year. And continue our goal to have the house paid off in 8 years. And continue putting $75 per month into a special secret account to be spent on the unglamorous items in life... like a new dishwasher and new carpet. And I refuse to freak out about the new higher price of daycare.  Check.  You've all been on this wild remodel ride with me.  And the rest is going pretty much according to plan.


I. Finding a position that lights my fire? My goal for 2010 is to just maintain. I just want to maintain this level of serenity and organization. I'll look for fire next year. Next week I start back with 5 days a week in the office. Total dread. Complete and total dread.  Working full time in an office sucks.  I know my perfect world and I'm not quite in it. 

J. I will love my childen even if two-thirds of them sleep in my bed every night.  Tuff just informed me she will stop sneaking into our bed when she is 16.  She wants to get her ears pierced.... there should be a bargaining chip in there somewhere, shouldn't there?
K. I will baby proof the house for Bugsy. And I will not put those goofy baby girl headbands on her head.  Success.  Although her hair is getting long in front and she does sometimes sport a Pebbles-style pony on top.  And I baby proofed with zip ties, outlet plugs, plugged-in thing covers, a few eye-rings, and a lot of de-cluttering.
L. I will play loud music and dance with Tuff. Oh, and I will teach her to do a headstand.  Also... I will get her started in dance or gymnastics classes.
M. I will play legos with Sweet. And I will honor his wish to only wear Wrangler jeans.  Check.... Also I will gut it up and play Stratego with him.... even if I don't EVER win.


N. I will try not to nag Hot. And I will support his attempts to drop weight.... even if it means I don't get to eat pasta for the next 365 days which might kill me.  He lost a lot of weight... too bad I found it.


O. I will continue to add little bits of working out into my days.  And I will continue to be frustrated when it doesn't pay off in big blobs of fat dropping off on the side of the road.

N. I plan to do one fun family thing every month. January: rodeo on the 17th and dinner somewhere fun after. February: Um, I'm already out of ideas.   Score.  We've had some really good times... including kayaking yesterday.

300. But not the Movie.

I've been toying with the idea of creating several 300 calorie "meals" and then just rotating 5-6 of them into my day every day.

Um, Homestead....

Yes?

Six times 300 is 1800 calories.

Yes.

Isn't that, well, a LOT for someone trying to drop a few pounds?

Yes. But, dear reader, you must remember I am an acception to every rule. I'm powering a small human with my chesticles.... I NEED those calories.

I'm a creature of habit. I can eat the same couple of things every week and be perfectly happy. So, in my ever-planning-never-doing mind I was lining out the things I eat most often:

1. Mountain High low-fat vanilla yogurt, fiber one cereal, chocolate sauce.
2. Tortilla, refried beans, cheddar, peppers, cherry tomatoes.
3. Veggie & cheese omelet.
4. Fried egg sandwich.
5. Toast with cheese.
6. Chai tea.
7. Coffee with 2% milk.
8. Apple with caramel sauce.
9. Spaghetti.
10. Caesar salad.
11. Chicken tender salad with cheddar and ranch.
12. Pita with olive oil and cheese melted on top. (Pizza!)
13. Tacos.
14. Wheat thins.
15. Avocado and cheese grilled sandwich.

So imagine my suprise when Prevention came out with a whole diet book about it!! Here's a preview of some of the menu ideas they suggest. I shoulda got on this... I coulda made a million.

Elle is posting resolutions.

Game on.

I haven't taken time to really think it out yet this year (I'm more of a Lenten resolver myself) but here goes.

I'm following her format here.

A. Healthy Diet. We are eating our way through the Christmas gift candy. In the great kitchen overhaul project I tossed several giant bags of, um, is it Halloween candy?? I don't know and it doesn't matter because it is gone now. I'm focusing on eating a little healthier every month without denying myself. I gave up freakin' sugar for 6 weeks in 2009 (not shedding a single pound I might remind you) and if I can do that, well, just call me Wonder Woman. So my healthy diet goal is: Eat until you are full, not until you are tired.

B. Getting rid of the stock up stuff. I figure if I moved it into this house from the old house it is now 5 years old... toss it. That's my current standard. Also ditching interesting items dumped on me by various family members.... (Mom, don't think I didn't notice the stuff you slipped in my take-home box last week....) And I purged a giant box of kitchen stuff... who knew my tiny kitchen could even HOLD a giant box of kitchen stuff? How many sippy cups do you really need anyway?

C. Purge negativity. Uh-huh. Actually, I'm feeling pretty negativity free in people in my life. I should count that as a blessing.

D. Seeing a doctor? I just saw my doctor... he was at Costco shopping with his son. Although I do promise to consider getting a colonoscopy sooner rather than later based on family history.

E. Knitting. I wish I was better at knitting. I also wish I knew how to digital scrapbook. Maybe that will be my next goal.... learning to digital scrapbook.

F. I will see my family several times this year. And I will go to a 100 year celebration for the town I graduated high school.

G. Grow my garden? How about I resolve to pull the grass in my flower beds. And I resolve to brush my dog's teeth because he is old and deserves some extra love.

H. Money. I make money resolutions weekly, don't I? I resolve to determine, once and for all, if we can afford to remodel and add on. And I resolve to put double money in the kid college funds this year. And continue our goal to have the house paid off in 8 years. And continue putting $75 per month into a special secret account to be spent on the unglamorous items in life... like a new dishwasher and new carpet. And I refuse to freak out about the new higher price of daycare.

I. Finding a position that lights my fire? My goal for 2010 is to just maintain. I just want to maintain this level of serenity and organization. I'll look for fire next year. Next week I start back with 5 days a week in the office. Total dread. Complete and total dread.

J. I will love my childen even if two-thirds of them sleep in my bed every night.

K. I will baby proof the house for Bugsy. And I will not put those goofy baby girl headbands on her head.

L. I will play loud music and dance with Tuff. Oh, and I will teach her to do a headstand.

M. I will play legos with Sweet. And I will honor his wish to only wear Wrangler jeans.

N. I will try not to nag Hot. And I will support his attempts to drop weight.... even if it means I don't get to eat pasta for the next 365 days which might kill me.

O. I will continue to add little bits of working out into my days.

N. I plan to do one fun family thing every month. January: rodeo on the 17th and dinner somewhere fun after. February: Um, I'm already out of ideas.