Ethan's Resolutions
Keep my room clean.
Well, the floor is tidy right at this second. Does that count?
Not to stash things in my room.
FAIL. There is stuff stashed EVERYWHERE in his room.
I will try not to hit Jack.
Sigh. Do I really need to report on this? I think you all know how brothers work.
I will not yell at anybody.
Oh, Ethan. Did you really set the bar this high?
To not get mad when I lose.
Ahem.
To be nice to the environment.
OK, here he does actually shine. Well done on the composting and the recycling, o child of the Earth!
To Ethan From Jack: Play Beyblades with Jack.
He has played with him a few times, but the Beyblades craze has died down a little for Jackers.
To Ethan From Mummy: Control your emotions and be nice to your brother.
See above under yelling and hitting.
To Ethan From Daddy: Don’t lose your temper.
Ditto to comment above.
Jack
Be respectful.
What does respect mean to a 6-year-old? I think it may mean “forget you, it’s all about me” or something like that. Sooooo respectful. Hmpf.
Do what my parents say.
Well, if he is listening to us in order to play Club Penguin, then yes he is doing what we say. But with no incentive for him, well then it’s just exactly NOT doing what his parents say.
Try to not fart.
Did he really put this down? Because he had NO intention of EVER not farting. He is the worst farter I know.
Keep my room tidy.
Actually he can be surprisingly good at this. He’s making an effort anyway.
Be good at school.
Oh my gosh. He is doing so amazingly well here, and I am actually not being even slightly sarcastic. He is a changed boy since Christmas. Madame had some great suggestions for helping him behave in class, and we started those in January. He has gone from a couple of warnings a day, with zero or one block of rewards, to zero warnings and up to six blocks a day! I am very VERY proud of him. And Madame is awesome and amazing with him.
To not scream in people’s ears.
This has calmed down a bit too. Thankfully.
To Jack From Ethan: To not punch me.
Brothers, remember? What do YOU think?
To Jack From Mummy: Listen the first time and be nice to your brother.
Listening is NOT Jack’s strong point. I’m not sure it ever will be.
To Jack From Daddy: Listen the first time.
Yeah. See above.
Tamsin
Complete one anti-Hoarding project per month until December.
Living room now complete, since I did the coffee table cupboard and drawers in February. So three projects done in two months! Yay!
Finish all 3 runs in the Diva series.
Still haven’t registered but I have implemented the 6 week training program to the first race Mar 27. It’s week three and although I missed my run today - so far, so good!
Make 5 Green switches this year.
Still doing composting and trying to eat locally as well. This will get easier as things actually start to grow in this neck of the woods. C’mon, spring!
Get 5 items done off 40 before 40 list.
Yay! Two done this month! Trapeze and making pasta from scratch! I also started photographing 40 friends’ faces. Five of forty done there!
Celebrate Fridays.
Week one = unexpected houseguest arrives. I spend all day cleaning. NOT a celebration.
Week two = Pro-D Day – no school. Stick and Puck for the boys at the rink, then a couple of playdates before Ethan’s basketball. Totally not about me but a pretty fun day nonetheless.
Week three = had a good run in the morning and then made pasta from scratch as part of 40x40.
Week four = run first, an hour-long phone catchup with a friend and then organizing stuff! Made me very happy…
To Mummy From Ethan: To try to lay down with me every night.
Yes, I have been making an effort. Not that it’s an effort as much as a timing issue! I actually enjoy having the quiet time to chat with him.
To kiss and hug me at least 10 times a day.
Yes, we have been faithfully meeting this goal. No great stretch here!
To Mummy From Jack: Play Beyblades with Jack.
Yes, I have done this. Yes, I have pretended to enjoy myself while doing this.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
40x40
Here it is - the 40 Before 40 list! New Year's Resolution is to get 5 done this year, but if all goes well I should get 11 in 2011!
DONE
1. Read up on Religion 101 or Religion for Dummies
2. Perform one random act of kindness every month, anonymously and without recognition
3. Swim with sharks
4. Learn to scuba dive - vetoed due to potential explosion of the heart
5. Sample more cuisines of the world – try something new each month
6. Surf
7. Go one week without watching TV
8. Spend an afternoon at the driving range, and try not to be a spaz
9. Start and continue an exercise regime for three months, even if it kills me
10. Read 3 classic novels I should have already read
11. Get rid of all the things in my house that are just clutter and would benefit someone else
12. Buy a plant and keep it alive, instead of treating plants as if they are meant to be disposable
13. Organize a box for each child to hold their special childhood memorabilia
14. Stay connected with my girlfriends
15. Try archery
16. Do an all-day movie marathon in a movie theatre
17. Watch all the movies (that I have not yet seen) on the IMDb Top 100 List
18. Check into a very nice hotel by myself for a weekend and order room service as often as I want and order pay per view movies (but not dirty ones) like they're going out of style
19. Go to the Olympics
20. Volunteer time with the children or without
21. Become debt-free (other than mortgage)
22. Learn how to make pasta from scratch - NEWLY ACCOMPLISHED Feb 18, 2011***
IN PROGRESS
23. Learn sign language - started but would like to learn more. Don't remember anything of what I learned 2 years ago.
24. Learn to play poker - April 2011 in San Diego with the girls - they're going to hone my "skills".***
25. Learn to accept my body and all its imperfections - Working on it.***
26. Visit a country for every letter of the alphabet (except O, Q, XYZ) – done 13/21; have 8 letters left to visit (D,G,H,J,K,L,R&T).
27. Take a trapeze lesson - Feb 26, 2011.***
28. Go through all our photographs and select some to mat and frame like they’re real art - began sorting and will print them this year.***
29. Photograph 40 of my friends’ faces - 5/40 photographed.***
30. Begin genealogy research and update family tree - must find documents and continue with online research.***
31. Shower under a waterfall in an amazing tropical setting - Maui trip booked. Waterfalls scoped and ready.***
32. Buy something from a TV infomercial - have tried this several times but didn't want what they were selling. Will try again.***
STILL NEED TO START
33. Walk in one of the 3 day walks for breast cancer
34. “Compete” in an Olympic distance triathlon
35. See the northern lights and/or experience the 24 hr sunshine or 24 hr darkness of the far north
36. Track down and help some of the AIDS orphans that I met in South Africa in 2001
37. Strut on a Catwalk unselfconsciously
38. Sew myself a garment that I would wear out in public
39. Learn to start a fire without matches or a lighter***
40. Learn how to make tortillas from scratch***
***No problem, right? I should get these 11 this year... that will only leave 8 to do in the 18 months from Jan 2012 to Jul 2013.
I've also documented everything so far in photographs so I will have one kick-ass scrapbook when all is said and done. Yee-haw!
I have made a few amendments to the list since its inception. Not many, but those involving travel will need to be prioritized over a little longer time period. I will still get to Asia, South America, and Russia one day - just likely not in the next 2 years! See the original 40 Before 40 list here.
DONE
1. Read up on Religion 101 or Religion for Dummies
2. Perform one random act of kindness every month, anonymously and without recognition
3. Swim with sharks
4. Learn to scuba dive - vetoed due to potential explosion of the heart
5. Sample more cuisines of the world – try something new each month
6. Surf
7. Go one week without watching TV
8. Spend an afternoon at the driving range, and try not to be a spaz
9. Start and continue an exercise regime for three months, even if it kills me
10. Read 3 classic novels I should have already read
11. Get rid of all the things in my house that are just clutter and would benefit someone else
12. Buy a plant and keep it alive, instead of treating plants as if they are meant to be disposable
13. Organize a box for each child to hold their special childhood memorabilia
14. Stay connected with my girlfriends
15. Try archery
16. Do an all-day movie marathon in a movie theatre
17. Watch all the movies (that I have not yet seen) on the IMDb Top 100 List
18. Check into a very nice hotel by myself for a weekend and order room service as often as I want and order pay per view movies (but not dirty ones) like they're going out of style
19. Go to the Olympics
20. Volunteer time with the children or without
21. Become debt-free (other than mortgage)
22. Learn how to make pasta from scratch - NEWLY ACCOMPLISHED Feb 18, 2011***
IN PROGRESS
23. Learn sign language - started but would like to learn more. Don't remember anything of what I learned 2 years ago.
24. Learn to play poker - April 2011 in San Diego with the girls - they're going to hone my "skills".***
25. Learn to accept my body and all its imperfections - Working on it.***
26. Visit a country for every letter of the alphabet (except O, Q, XYZ) – done 13/21; have 8 letters left to visit (D,G,H,J,K,L,R&T).
27. Take a trapeze lesson - Feb 26, 2011.***
28. Go through all our photographs and select some to mat and frame like they’re real art - began sorting and will print them this year.***
29. Photograph 40 of my friends’ faces - 5/40 photographed.***
30. Begin genealogy research and update family tree - must find documents and continue with online research.***
31. Shower under a waterfall in an amazing tropical setting - Maui trip booked. Waterfalls scoped and ready.***
32. Buy something from a TV infomercial - have tried this several times but didn't want what they were selling. Will try again.***
STILL NEED TO START
33. Walk in one of the 3 day walks for breast cancer
34. “Compete” in an Olympic distance triathlon
35. See the northern lights and/or experience the 24 hr sunshine or 24 hr darkness of the far north
36. Track down and help some of the AIDS orphans that I met in South Africa in 2001
37. Strut on a Catwalk unselfconsciously
38. Sew myself a garment that I would wear out in public
39. Learn to start a fire without matches or a lighter***
40. Learn how to make tortillas from scratch***
***No problem, right? I should get these 11 this year... that will only leave 8 to do in the 18 months from Jan 2012 to Jul 2013.
I've also documented everything so far in photographs so I will have one kick-ass scrapbook when all is said and done. Yee-haw!
I have made a few amendments to the list since its inception. Not many, but those involving travel will need to be prioritized over a little longer time period. I will still get to Asia, South America, and Russia one day - just likely not in the next 2 years! See the original 40 Before 40 list here.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Resolution Report - January
OK, one month in and here's where I'm at:
1. Complete one anti-Hoarding project per month until December.
Actually did 2-1/2! Trunk and ottoman in the living room both cleared out. Added two new storage cubes – one for piano books, one for Wii/xBox controllers. Cleared out my closet. Bonus! also totally reorganized the shed when I was packing away the Christmas decorations.
2. Finish all 3 runs in the Diva series.
Found out the dates and marked them all in my calendar. Thought about, but did not start my training.
3. Make 5 Green switches this year.
New curbside program is helping me here! Our city is switching from weekly garbage and biweekly yard waste / recycling pickup to biweekly garbage and weekly yard waste / recycling. They have also expanded the yard waste program to include all food waste and table scrapings, which is very exciting! Our family of four has been really good at keeping our amount of garbage to a minimum, but these new changes by the city have already made a big impact on the amount we’re putting in our garbage can.
4. Get 5 items done off 40 before 40 list.
I began geneology research online but I don't really want to pay anything at the moment. I know that somewhere I have a family tree I started about 12 years ago, with the help of my grandparents and my aunt, all of whom have since passed away. So I need to recover that treasure and build on it. Also, I signed up for a trapeze lesson! Actually it's a circus training session so I will also learn to hang from those long silk Cirque du Soleil things and a bit of trampoline, too! This also reminds me that I need to post the whole 40x40 list and its updates. I'll put that up in a few days!
5. Celebrate Fridays.
Went for lunch with friends twice on Fridays during the month of January. (Worked one Friday) Got roped into kids’ school activities twice – skating field trip with Jack (where I actually had a blast), and robot-making with Ethan (sorta frustrating, but since he really wanted me there it was worth it). But even on those days I did manage to take an hour and read a magazine or something that I never normally take the time for while the kids are in school. I WILL do better in February!
All in all, not a bad start to this year, but there will be some work involved in the months to come!
1. Complete one anti-Hoarding project per month until December.
Actually did 2-1/2! Trunk and ottoman in the living room both cleared out. Added two new storage cubes – one for piano books, one for Wii/xBox controllers. Cleared out my closet. Bonus! also totally reorganized the shed when I was packing away the Christmas decorations.
2. Finish all 3 runs in the Diva series.
Found out the dates and marked them all in my calendar. Thought about, but did not start my training.
3. Make 5 Green switches this year.
New curbside program is helping me here! Our city is switching from weekly garbage and biweekly yard waste / recycling pickup to biweekly garbage and weekly yard waste / recycling. They have also expanded the yard waste program to include all food waste and table scrapings, which is very exciting! Our family of four has been really good at keeping our amount of garbage to a minimum, but these new changes by the city have already made a big impact on the amount we’re putting in our garbage can.
4. Get 5 items done off 40 before 40 list.
I began geneology research online but I don't really want to pay anything at the moment. I know that somewhere I have a family tree I started about 12 years ago, with the help of my grandparents and my aunt, all of whom have since passed away. So I need to recover that treasure and build on it. Also, I signed up for a trapeze lesson! Actually it's a circus training session so I will also learn to hang from those long silk Cirque du Soleil things and a bit of trampoline, too! This also reminds me that I need to post the whole 40x40 list and its updates. I'll put that up in a few days!
5. Celebrate Fridays.
Went for lunch with friends twice on Fridays during the month of January. (Worked one Friday) Got roped into kids’ school activities twice – skating field trip with Jack (where I actually had a blast), and robot-making with Ethan (sorta frustrating, but since he really wanted me there it was worth it). But even on those days I did manage to take an hour and read a magazine or something that I never normally take the time for while the kids are in school. I WILL do better in February!
All in all, not a bad start to this year, but there will be some work involved in the months to come!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
The Boys by Alphabet
A - Awesome. Both
B - Busy. Both
C - Cute. Jack
D - Demanding. Ethan
E - Ethan
F - Funny. Jack
G - Generous. Jack
H - Hot-tempered. Ethan
I - Inattentive. Jack
J - Jack
K - Kind. Both
L - Loving. Ethan
M - Memory. Ethan
N - Nice. Ethan
O - Outgoing. Both
P - Personable. Jack
Q - Questioning. Both
R - Reliable. Ethan
S - Stubborn. Ethan
T - Thoughtful. Ethan
U - Unique. Both
V - Vain. Jack
W - Wild. Both
X - Xcitable. Both
Y - Young. Jack
Z - Zany. Jack
B - Busy. Both
C - Cute. Jack
D - Demanding. Ethan
E - Ethan
F - Funny. Jack
G - Generous. Jack
H - Hot-tempered. Ethan
I - Inattentive. Jack
J - Jack
K - Kind. Both
L - Loving. Ethan
M - Memory. Ethan
N - Nice. Ethan
O - Outgoing. Both
P - Personable. Jack
Q - Questioning. Both
R - Reliable. Ethan
S - Stubborn. Ethan
T - Thoughtful. Ethan
U - Unique. Both
V - Vain. Jack
W - Wild. Both
X - Xcitable. Both
Y - Young. Jack
Z - Zany. Jack
2011 Resolutions
#1 - post resolutions on New Year's Day - FAIL. Oh well. At least it's still January.
Christmas was lots of fun, and although the week leading up to Christmas was quite busy, the week after was calm. The boys really enjoyed their vacation, and so did I! We chose to stay home New Year's Eve and let the boys stay up until midnight. They made it, although it was a close one for Jack - we had to nudge him a lot in the last 15 minutes! They were both snoring by about 12:12am...
On New Year's Eve, we did a Resolution Activity. We privately listed five resolutions each, then one resolution for each of our other family members. Here are the boys' results (they both decided to do six instead of five):
Ethan
1. Keep my room clean.
2. Not to stash things in my room.
3. I will try not to hit Jack.
4. I will not yell at anybody.
5. To not get mad when I lose.
6. To be nice to the environment.
From Jack: Play Beyblades with Jack
From Mummy: Control your emotions and be nice to your brother
From Daddy: Don't lose your temper
Jack
1. Be respectful.
2. Do what my parents say.
3. Try to not fart.
4. Keep my room tidy.
5. Be good at school.
6. To not scream in people's ears.
From Ethan: To not punch me
From Mummy: Listen the first time and be nice to your brother
From Daddy: Listen the first time
Oh, they make me laugh.
As for me:
1. Complete one anti-Hoarding project per month until December.
If something happened to me tomorrow, I would hate people to find out what the cupboard in my coffee table holds, the state of my closet, or the boxes in the garage. I'm no Hoarder, but still. I've already reorganized the shed as my January project - I did this as I packed all the Christmas boxes away.
2. Finish all 3 runs in the Diva series.
This year, they are planning an 8k on Mar 27, a 5k or 10k on Jul 24, and a 10k or 1/2 marathon on Oct 16. I think I'll do 8, 10 and 10. Which means I should have started training already. oops. But my only real goal for the 8k in March is to better my time from my previous Diva 8, which totally sucked.
3. Make 5 Green switches this year.
There's plenty I do for the environment, but I know there is more that I CAN do. So every couple of months I'll introduce a new habit until I've made five green switches this year. For instance, I've fallen off the local eating program this winter, so one of my green switches will be to renew that committment.
4. Get 5 items done off 40 before 40 list.
I'll repost the list on here soon, with the amendments and updates since last year. But this year I think I will focus on the following five: photograph 40 friends' faces, buy something from an infomercial, learn to make pasta from scratch, learn to play poker, learn to start fire without matches. But in case you hadn't noticed, I turn 38 this year, and I still have 19 left. I don't want to leave 14 items for 18 months so I'm going to try for 10 this year!
5. Celebrate Fridays.
Remember the Year of Tamsin? I really only had 3 or 4 Fridays this fall where I was able to make the 8:35am-2:35pm time slot truly all about me. So I'd like to celebrate Fridays a little better, starting now! The first Friday after school started again, I had a nice lunch with Susanna. This past Friday I was on a course downtown so it was a write-off but next Friday I will do something wild and crazy. Guaranteed.
From Ethan: To try to lay down with me every night. To kiss and hug me at least 10 times a day.
From Jack: Play Beyblades with Jack.
From Mike: (Nothing. Guess that means I'm perfect.)
So I plan to recap these resolutions at the end of each month to keep myself on track and honest. C'mon, 2011, here we go!
Christmas was lots of fun, and although the week leading up to Christmas was quite busy, the week after was calm. The boys really enjoyed their vacation, and so did I! We chose to stay home New Year's Eve and let the boys stay up until midnight. They made it, although it was a close one for Jack - we had to nudge him a lot in the last 15 minutes! They were both snoring by about 12:12am...
On New Year's Eve, we did a Resolution Activity. We privately listed five resolutions each, then one resolution for each of our other family members. Here are the boys' results (they both decided to do six instead of five):
Ethan
1. Keep my room clean.
2. Not to stash things in my room.
3. I will try not to hit Jack.
4. I will not yell at anybody.
5. To not get mad when I lose.
6. To be nice to the environment.
From Jack: Play Beyblades with Jack
From Mummy: Control your emotions and be nice to your brother
From Daddy: Don't lose your temper
Jack
1. Be respectful.
2. Do what my parents say.
3. Try to not fart.
4. Keep my room tidy.
5. Be good at school.
6. To not scream in people's ears.
From Ethan: To not punch me
From Mummy: Listen the first time and be nice to your brother
From Daddy: Listen the first time
Oh, they make me laugh.
As for me:
1. Complete one anti-Hoarding project per month until December.
If something happened to me tomorrow, I would hate people to find out what the cupboard in my coffee table holds, the state of my closet, or the boxes in the garage. I'm no Hoarder, but still. I've already reorganized the shed as my January project - I did this as I packed all the Christmas boxes away.
2. Finish all 3 runs in the Diva series.
This year, they are planning an 8k on Mar 27, a 5k or 10k on Jul 24, and a 10k or 1/2 marathon on Oct 16. I think I'll do 8, 10 and 10. Which means I should have started training already. oops. But my only real goal for the 8k in March is to better my time from my previous Diva 8, which totally sucked.
3. Make 5 Green switches this year.
There's plenty I do for the environment, but I know there is more that I CAN do. So every couple of months I'll introduce a new habit until I've made five green switches this year. For instance, I've fallen off the local eating program this winter, so one of my green switches will be to renew that committment.
4. Get 5 items done off 40 before 40 list.
I'll repost the list on here soon, with the amendments and updates since last year. But this year I think I will focus on the following five: photograph 40 friends' faces, buy something from an infomercial, learn to make pasta from scratch, learn to play poker, learn to start fire without matches. But in case you hadn't noticed, I turn 38 this year, and I still have 19 left. I don't want to leave 14 items for 18 months so I'm going to try for 10 this year!
5. Celebrate Fridays.
Remember the Year of Tamsin? I really only had 3 or 4 Fridays this fall where I was able to make the 8:35am-2:35pm time slot truly all about me. So I'd like to celebrate Fridays a little better, starting now! The first Friday after school started again, I had a nice lunch with Susanna. This past Friday I was on a course downtown so it was a write-off but next Friday I will do something wild and crazy. Guaranteed.
From Ethan: To try to lay down with me every night. To kiss and hug me at least 10 times a day.
From Jack: Play Beyblades with Jack.
From Mike: (Nothing. Guess that means I'm perfect.)
So I plan to recap these resolutions at the end of each month to keep myself on track and honest. C'mon, 2011, here we go!
Friday, December 24, 2010
December Days - 24
I have been anticipating today's advent activity for a while now: "Go snowshoeing".
Since we have no snow, we drove up to Cypress Mountain this morning (home to all Olympic snowboard and freestyle skiing events) and although it was pouring rain, it was great! I got my Christmas present from Mike a day early - snowshoes of my own! The boys all rented, and off we went!
Here are Mike and Ethan on the trail:
And Jack was mostly in this position:
We never made it to the cabin that was only 1 km from the start of the trail, due to a 6-yr-old whose nickname is Molasses, but even in the downpour it was fun.
We were soaked, but stopped for a quick burger (eaten in the car because we can't take boys into restaurants dressed only in underwear) before going to my parents to see them, my brother, my cousin, her dad, her husband and her beautiful baby daughter. We had brought clothes to change into and enjoyed an afternoon of visiting, gifts, treats, and drinks.
Now it's just about time for nestling them snug in their beds, so I wish you all visions of sugarplums and a very Merry Christmas! xoxoxoHOHOHOxoxoxo
Since we have no snow, we drove up to Cypress Mountain this morning (home to all Olympic snowboard and freestyle skiing events) and although it was pouring rain, it was great! I got my Christmas present from Mike a day early - snowshoes of my own! The boys all rented, and off we went!
Here are Mike and Ethan on the trail:
And Jack was mostly in this position:
We never made it to the cabin that was only 1 km from the start of the trail, due to a 6-yr-old whose nickname is Molasses, but even in the downpour it was fun.We were soaked, but stopped for a quick burger (eaten in the car because we can't take boys into restaurants dressed only in underwear) before going to my parents to see them, my brother, my cousin, her dad, her husband and her beautiful baby daughter. We had brought clothes to change into and enjoyed an afternoon of visiting, gifts, treats, and drinks.
Now it's just about time for nestling them snug in their beds, so I wish you all visions of sugarplums and a very Merry Christmas! xoxoxoHOHOHOxoxoxo
December Days - 23
Today's advent was a cop-out, I admit. "Eat treats and drink egg nog" - well, duh! I've been doing that EVERY day! But 2 days before Christmas when I worked all day, well it had to be simple. So after dinner Jack enjoyed a candy cane, Ethan and I had shortbread and Mike had an egg nog. Then all was good, advent fulfilled and off to bed!
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