February is a short month…but so far, it’s been a productive one. And while Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow, I've hardly had time to stop and look for mine!
Since my last blog post, here are some things I’ve been working on and/or have accomplished. (Note: I’ve already visited the initial blog post and crossed off things that have been accomplished…so, if you want to keep track that way, you don’t have to read the rambling editorial on how they were accomplished).
I had hoped to blog about each item as they happened…but it’s very difficult to keep up with the blog during the week.
31. Go back to church. Attend mass at the same church every Sunday for at least 4 weeks. Today, Sunday, February 13th was the 4th Sunday in a row that Jon, M and I attended the 9:00 AM mass at St. Martha’s in Murrieta. I think we’re going to keep it up through the Lenten season. There’s another church in Temecula that I’d like to check out one of these Sundays…but I think that’ll be easier to do once we’ve established the regular practice of going to mass every Sunday.
34. Organize recipe folder. We have a new system for storing & filing our recipes. I haven’t actually organized the recipes inside the binder…but they’re all protected in sheet protectors now, so I don’t feel guilty when I spill on them!
52. Find good, trustworthy local teenage babysitter who M likes. Last Saturday night, February 5th, a former student (who billed herself as “The baby whisperer”) agreed to give up her Saturday night to hang out with M for a few hours so that Jon & I could enjoy a night out. She’s a peach of a girl. She LOVED hanging out with M. And M fell asleep in her arms about 20 minutes BEFORE her normal bedtime. I am 110% sold! She will absolutely watch M for us again.
And the best part…when I was trying to figure out what to pay her, I posted the question on my Facebook page and I had a bunch of people volunteer to watch M! So, I not only have a good teenage babysitter at my disposal, but I have a bunch of adults who want to hang with her, too!
53. Have dinner out with Jon sans M one night for no reason (can’t be Valentine’s Day or anniversary – just because). So, last Saturday night, Jon and I went to dinner alone for the first time in more than 7 months. In fact, neither of us could remember the last time we went to dinner without her…obviously, I was still pregnant, but we couldn’t remember where we went or how close to her birth it was.
We went to one of our favorite restaurants, Shogun, and sat at one of the hibatchi tables. The danger there is that we didn’t speak to one another too much…we were both eavesdropping on other people’s conversations!
62. Memorize a poem. While I haven’t actually accomplished this one yet, I did settle on 2 poems – both of which are poems I once knew by heart. The first is “She Walks in Beauty” by Lord Byron. The second is “Sick” by Shel Silverstein. Both poems meant a lot to me at different points in my life. I can start them, but not finish them…so, my plan is to re-memorize them both.
74. Learn the alphabet in sign language. Video proof coming soon! But my ASL teacher gave me a finger spelling pop quiz and I aced it!
95. Buy a new lens for the camera. We did some research…consulted some photographer friends…and this weekend bought a new lens for the camera.
99. Add $5 to savings account for every goal accomplished. Last week, I opened a simple savings account in trust of M at a bank we don’t use for normal, everyday business. I started out with $20…I currently owe the account a deposit!
And in looking ahead, we’ve ironed out some dates for our trip to RI…and with that, a number of things will happen. We just found out tonight that we’ll be taking M to Fenway for her first Sox game on Sunday, July 10th. You can bet we’ll put that new lens to great use that day!
