Lori Seaborg

A Wishlist of Things to Do in 2009

 

I keep a little spiral notebook handy for jotting down things. In it, is a long list of things I want to do, started on January 9th, 2008. I've added to it over the past year (I want to do everything in the world that's not scary or evil, so my list is quite long).

1. Streak*: A 28-day (Sundays off) of strength exercises each morning
2. Spin on a drop spindle
3. Weave on a loom
4. Design a rug hooked piece
5. Complete the rug hooked piece I designed
6. Learn Photoshop actions
7. Plan menu for 30 days
8. Create recipe notebook of healthy options
9. Streak: 14 days of moving every day (heart-pumping exercise, Sundays off)
10. Plant a fall garden
11. Schedule goat & cat vaccine and worming care
12. Streak: Carry a snack bag wherever we go for 14 days
13. Get new Nikon lens and learn it
14. Learn f-stops and other buttons on camera
15. Knit an intermediate project
16. Write an ebook
17. Learn how to create Adobe .pdf documents
18. Streak: Read to children for 10 days straight
19. Create school schedule for rest of year
20. Design a softie
21. Write a tutorial on that designed softie
22. Read all of the Old Testament (Bible) to kids
23. Streak: Go to the riverbank for 14 mornings in a row
24. Print 50 photos
25. Write a letter
26. Write a thank you note
27. Write a letter again
28. Teach kids a new sport (note: my man totally needed to help out here!)
29. Streak: 7 days of being only positive to my man
30. Start FreelyEducate.com
31. Visit North Carolina
32. Schedule time for my learning (use this time for learning new things)
33. Schedule time for creativity
34. Give away 20 books for nothing in return
35. Knit scarf for our big fella
36. Make salve
37. Streak: Tea Time at 4pm for 4 days in a row
38. Attend a symphony
39. Attend an opera
40. Learn to hand quilt
41. Finish a hand quilted piece
42. Identify five birds
43. Learn to needle felt the goat's mohair
44. Learn to smock
45. Put photos into at least 2 frames
46. Make our little gal a softie or soft doll while she's still little
47. Make a chore chart for the kids
48. Make a chore chart for me
49. Plant a spring garden
50. Design a punch needle embroidery (photo above)

There is an update in the middle of my lists that says, "On May 5, 2008, I had a big setback, tearing ligaments in my left ankle. It is now September 5th and it's still painful and swells but finally I'm up to working on this list again." It makes me sad that I missed so much time due to a silly injury, but, ah, well. While laying around, waiting for it to heal, I accomplished the things I could and dreamed about the things I couldn't.

I'm still working on that list. The problem is, it grows more quickly than I can complete it.

What would you add?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Streak means all in a row. For example, "Streak: 14 days of moving every day," would mean I need to move for 14 days straight in order to check it off. Streaks, I hope, will help me kick-start something so that it becomes a habit.

-------------------------
Lori Seaborg
http://loriseaborg.com

Habits for the New Year

I received an e-newsletter on New Year's Eve that caught my attention. In it, the writer wrote:

Dear Readers,

I've been told it takes four to six weeks for any action to
become a habit. So, keeping that in mind, one way I'm
going to insure my success at keeping my New Year's
resolutions this year is by working on only one new habit
at a time each month. Then, every time I turn to a new
calendar page, I'll work on developing a different good habit.

At the end of the year, I could easily have twelve new positive
habits in my life. Once something's become a habit, it's
simply a part of my life and not something I'll even have to
think about anymore.

What's the area of life you're most concerned about? Exercise?
Weight loss? Healthy eating? Getting organized? Saving money?
Spending more time with your kids? Break your goal down into
simple steps that you can easily manage, and then start working
your way to your goal, one small step -- or small habit -- at a time.
As the old cliche' says: "How do you eat an elephant? ... One bite
at a time."

By making small and consistent changes, it's possible to change
your health, your body, and your life. For more information on the
power of habits, see Catherine Levison's article later in this issue
of The Charlotte Mason Monthly.

Happy New Year!

Simply Yours,

Debi
(Deborah Taylor-Hough)
http://charlottemasoneducation.wordpress.com/
http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com/

What a great idea! Instead of goals or resolutions, which I often find hard to meet (primarily because I forget what they were), I will write down some habits to form for each month.

I began my list last night:

* Daily exercise
* Homeschooling tweeked and routines scheduled
* Fruits & Veggies daily
* Nature time, including beach days scheduled
* Storytelling and Reading Aloud
* Guitar learning
* Work hours schedule (I work online, from home)
* Journaling & God time

I don't have 12 things for 12 months yet, but I may not do so quite yet. I'm still thinking over my list, trying to remember my priorities in order of God - Husband - Children - Home - me - Work/Others, and deciding which things are most important.

Remind me to keep you posted on how it goes. Meanwhile, I'd love to read your list!

~ Lori Seaborg
http://loriseaborg.com