Here is an update on my resolution list 2014, and relevant comments:
1. Organize the basement. Make it functional. Make it awesome.
Not quite awesome yet, but it is functional now!
Here are some before pics. This place was a mess!
And now for some after:
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| Still need to do something or get rid of the blinds on the right |
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| Decided to set up the table instead of letting it fall on someone. |
2. Start a toy rotation for Cora. Maybe once a month swap stuff out.
Being doing this on and off. We have 3 sets of toys, and a reminder in my phone goes off during her nap every other Monday. Sometimes I ignore it. The truth is that she mostly plays with the stuff we leave out all the time (toy kitchen and tea set, Lego duplos, books from the library). But when I change stuff out, she notices eventually. I should probably just sell/donate at least half of it at this point.
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| The other toys in a corner of the basement. She does like to play with them when she's down there! Also, the fish painting will be going on the wall. |
Ugh, we were doing so well until recently. B joined a sports league that has games on Mondays, which was our meeting night. We just moved them to Wednesdays, but sometimes I go to a running club that night. We do like to do it while we give Cora a bath. All of us in the bathroom together. And Cora loves us reading from her kids' bible.
I just started a weekly chore chart now that B is home with me, so maybe we should just move it to Sunday night so we revise our chart as part of the meeting?
4. Potty train Cora. Goal is to be daytime-trained around age 2, no later than 27 months.
She's now in undies all day except for naps and night (started right around 27 months!). But this child is a holder and refuses to use a public toilet. It was really bad on vacation--once or twice she held it for more than 12 hours. She often goes only twice a day and then in a diaper at night. She is self-initiating, though (finally!), so I'm gonna go ahead and say she is day-time trained!
5. Use time outs for Cora. She still doesn't quite understand it and won't sit in the chair.
Still working on this. She knows what it is and talks about it and sometimes puts herself in time-out for no reason. But when we give an actual timeout? I have to hold her down sometimes. And then she laughs. And then she kicks the wall. Then she laughs some more. I don't think she gets it. Anyone have tips for this? Should I use the high chair and face it toward the wall? Or is she too old for that?
6. Conquer Cora's picky eating.
We've had a few small short-lived breakthroughs, but we definitely can see that only serving her what's on the table is our best shot at this. Now we just need to follow through with it. She eats oatmeal and drinks milk at breakfast, and I like that but not her other meals. I just don't even know with this. I have to bring food to restaurants because she literally will not eat anything on the menu, not even your typical 'toddler food' like mac & cheese or hot dogs.
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| We went to Waffle House on our vacation, and all she ate was ketchup. (And yes, she just scrapes it off of whatever you put it on. No trickery gets by her.) She drank her milk, though. |
Has not happened. I currently cannot leave the country. Time to get the wheels a-movin'.
8. Make a home management binder.
I've started a file on my computer, and as of now it has less than 10 documents in it (including blank chore chart, blank menu plan, doctor info, etc.). It's a start!
9. Keep up with the budget on YNAB. And in effect, tithe more.
I don't reconcile accounts as much as I should, but I'm doing quite well with this. I wish I could get my husband on-board with using the app and inputting purchases right after he makes them, but he won't do it. I do about 80% of the shopping, and he knows to give me receipts, so we're making it work. As for the second part, we have been tithing about 20% more this year. We're still tithing even through this period of unemployment, thanks to YNAB's way of budgeting for a month ahead.
10. Read 7 books. And actually finish them. I was really bad in 2013 in regards to reading about 80% of a book and then not finishing it. It kinda drives me nuts when I think about it. (Most of the books are back on the library shelves, so it's not like I'll be finishing them tonight.)
Done!
- Unplanned by Abby Johnson
- Pope Awesome by Cari Donaldson
- Girl At the End of the World by Elizabeth Esther
- Strange Gods by Elizabeth Scalia
- Something Other Than God by Jennifer Fulwiler
- New Rules of Lifting for Women by Lou Schuler (my first textbook-style read this year, and it went pretty quickly)
- Saint John Paul the Great: His Five Loves by Jason Evert
11. Learn 5 new dinner recipes.
- Sweet & Sour Meatballs in the crockpot (we love these!)
- ATK Cooking School Hearty Vegetable Lasagna (this was a "labor of love" and was way too involved)
- Gouda/Cheddar Mac n' Cheese (from Betty Crocker)
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| Shredding the cheese for the best macaroni ever |
12. Get pregnant. (!!) And pray I don't have another miscarriage, will ya? Because that sucked.
I gave blood back on June 3rd, and you cannot do that while pregnant. I also drank way too much at a wedding on July 5th. You do the math.
13. Make 2 friends in this town. Like, actual friends that give me their phone numbers and call me to hang out.
I haz a running buddy! And went to the zoo with a different friend and her kids. (She invited us!) I have also brought meals to 2 friends who had babies. Feels good, man.
14. Run 2 races. Setting the bar low because I'm not sure how much I'll be able do if #12 happens (see: bad knee).
Ditched the knee brace this spring, and I've already done 3!
I just signed up for another one in July (and will hopefully be there with aforementioned running buddy!) and will be doing the one our church puts on in August.
Overall, I'd say it's good progress with my resolutions! Some of the Cora ones are slow-going, but when you think about it, I made goals for her, but I can't control everything about her so we can only expect so much here.
Good job on the resolutions! :) If you can find a Mommy Market type sale, that is a great time/place to sell used toys - you pretty much set the price and there's usually an option to donate if the item doesn't get bought. Maybe google one in your area?
ReplyDeleteDaphne is a picky eater too - she loves condiments though! Ketchup, mustard, soy sauce, mayo, cocktail sauce, worchestershire sauce, AI, etc . . . she does the same thing and just eats the condiment right off the food. The kids get to eat what I serve at dinner or not at all, those are pretty much their options. Even then, Daphne will happily skip dinner without complaint if she doesn't like what I made . . . I still can't get her to eat fruit (not even in dessert!), so no advice there. If you figure something out, I'd be anxious to know about it. :) Although usually every 3 or 4 days, she binges. For example, she ate 7 pieces of toast for breakfast the other day (that's over half a loaf!). I don't know . . . :)
I know that the Lord will bless you in tithing - it's the one thing that He says to test Him on, and I have seen His faithfulness through obedience to tithing, personally and with others. :)