Oh come on! I know you've been there! 'Fess up!
01/07/2012
01/06/2012
Did you get your 2012 calendar yet? (A free printable calendar roundup)
Have you gotten your 2012 calendar up yet? Yes, I know, it's already January 6th and most people do their calendar shopping well before the new year starts in order to be prepared/organized. Well, I'm not most people. You see, I usually have three ways that I go about my calendar shopping.
The first method is easy. I use whatever calendar I get as a gift. I receive many calendars at work as part of the usual holiday vendor gift-giving. I'm a designer, so often these calendars are clever little things but sometimes I don't like the ones I get.
The second method is frugal. I don't like paying full-price for a calendar when if you are patient enough to wait until January 1st, voila! All calendars are immediately 50% off! Not only are you saving money, you're already behind! Bonus!
The third method is to find a free printable calendar. There are oodles on the internet, enough to please most folks. Unless you're me. In which case, you're never quite happy with the format/layout/font/color/picture selection...you get the idea. Anyway, hopefully if you haven't yet selected your 2012 calendar and you are like most folks, then perhaps one of the following will appeal to you! (click the link below your pleasure in order to access the calendar)
Vury purdy calendar via skiptomylou.org
First up I give you a lovely free printable calendar. Download, print 'em out, cut 'em up, hog-tie hole-punch and lasso 'em with ribbon and you've got a nice little calendar.
A lovely write-in calendar (via Creativemomma.com)
Perhaps you're one of those well-organized people that actually like to write things in their calendars like their upcoming doctors appointments and all of little Billy's 15 birthday parties he has been invited to for the month. If that's the case, this doodle-tastic little number is for you, momma!
Well?! What are you waiting for? Get going already! (via thetinyfig.tumblr.com)
Oh wait! Perhaps you procrastinated so long on getting a new calendar that you now need an additional kick in the ass to get motivated! Well, I give you an entire year's worth of ass-kicking! 12 months of motivational quotes sure to help you get up off your butt and go-go-go! (My personal favorite: "To succeed in life you need two things: ignorance and confidence. - Mark Twain")
Because one can't get enough of the ubiquitous Pantone (via brilicious.com)
I'm not a graphic designer, but I play one on TV! Well, actually, I don't do that either. But that doesn't stop me from dreaming in Pantone. And lest the fine art snobs scoff at the beauty of typography and carefully-composed pixels, the colors selected have been inspired by the paint colors the old masters use. You know, to keep it real?
One calendar, two ways. (via redstamp.com)
Are you really a step ahead though? Because see, it's already January 6th and you don't got no calendar yet and well, to me that seems like you're already behind? Whatever. Anyway, like the typography trend but don't want to get too jazzy, these little numbers are for you. An entire year on one page! Oh, the wealth! Available in a 2012 version or a TWO THOUSAND TWELVE with the words spelled out because you're a step ahead and have extra time on your hands to do things like read words instead of numbers.
standup calendar (via livinglocurto.com)
Perhaps you're thinking to yourself, oh, flat calendars...that's so 2011. What I want is a real calendar. A calendar that's wanting to get noticed in orange and red. A calendar not afraid to stand up for itself and shout "Oooooohhhh Snap!! It's 2012, yo! Check out my flowers!" You'll have to like her page on Facebook in order to get access to the calendar but if you're bold enough to use a stand up calendar, then you're probably bold enough to like her page. She also offers a flat vintagey-looking calendar that's pretty enough on its own but it's, you know...flat. *shudder*
your daily dose of time management (via getbuttonup.com)
Maybe you're looking to drill down to a daily basis. A daily planner of sorts to get you on the path of righteousness and organization. It's undated but you know, you could always write the date at the top.
drink up, buttercup! (via lifes-a-journal.com)
Oh, so you like that daily planner, did you but maybe you wanted it with a little more personality...a little more flair...maybe even with jazz hands! Here's one that gets down to the nitty-gritty, including making sure you drink your 8 glasses of daily water (that was a resolution, right?) and get your fitness on!
a blogging planner (via livinglocurto.com
Are you a blogger? Maybe you need help organizing your blogging ideas/schedule. Here's a little weekly planner. I plan to use this seeing as how I've been pretty inconsistent with blogging in the past and although it is not a resolution (ahem) I'd like it to be a fun hobby.
a courier-laden calendar just for you! (via printfree.com)
And last but not least, I give you...the plain vanilla calendar. Maybe your eyeballs are so overloaded from all the fun calendars that have come beforehand and now you can't even handle anymore calendar awesomesauce and you need the planning equivalent of blanc mange in order to deal with your day, then this, my friend, is for you. Stay vanilla!
Well, I hope you've enjoyed my first roundup. It was lots of fun and I hope, if you didn't already have a calendar, you do now! Well, I'm off to print out that blogging calendar.
01/05/2012
I know, I know...I said no resolutions!
Ok, so I know I said no resolutions. But as I was brushing my teeth this morning, I had an epiphany. (Do you find brushing your teeth to be meditational? Somehow the mundane act of brushing allows my mind to wander to places it may not ordinarily go in the hurly-burly of everyday life
Last New Year's, while in a total crocodile-roll with a 6-month sinus infection/allergy attack/bronchitis/chronic cough, I couldn't even fathom attempting to make new habits a priority. Instead, I declared 2011 to be the year of skincare and accessories. I really suck at taking care of my skin and growing up Seventh-Day Adventist, had not the first clue about accessories other than they were the devil's playthings and were used by harlots and loose women. I realized, with a big birthday coming up in 2012 and I'm no longer quite so naive as I used to be, 2011 would be a year of taking care of myself and that included how I look.
Source: makingitlovely.com via Lynda on Pinterest
The results? I've totally embraced accessories, although I still draw the line at earrings. I'm still learning how to coordinate and goodness knows building a collection takes time and money so I feel like I'm wearing the same things over and over again, but all in all, it's been quite fun.
Skincare? Well, it was a nice thought and I've tried a few different regimes but none that seem to have stuck. They're either too fussy, too expensive, my skin doesn't like them or and there's such a plethora of options out there that it's absolutely paralyzing when it come to making decsions.
An unexpected benefit of being sick for so long? I joined a gym - a very nice gym that I love. It's not one of your Bally's or X-Sport fitness or anything like that. Instead, Galter Life Center is Illinois' first and only Certified Medical Fitness Center. I'm not quite sure what that means except that all the staff are extremely knowledgeable in their fields and are quite pleasant. There's none of that gym-rat feel and not only do they provide fluffy white towels, but their shampoo, conditioner and lotion are all organic! I don't know if because it's affiliated with Swedish Covenant Hospital, but the clientele seem much less concerned with their looks and more concerned with just being healthy in general. It definitely feels more like a wellness center than a gym.
You have to realize that I am exercise-averse. Although I loved being active as a child, always secretly wanting to do team sports but not doing saying anything because I knew my mother's answer...NO! It wasn't that she was against athletics, but since most team sports events and practices were on Saturdays and our religion prohibited any kind of non-religious activity on the Sabbath so sports were a no-go. Then, as I grew up and became an adult then sports became less and less a priority. I still despise any type of machines, instead choosing to participate in the numerous free classes my gym offers. I especially love the yoga and group groove classes. I don't mean to be this to be a total SDA bashfest but Adventists don't believe in dancing (yes, just like Flashdance!) so even though I had danced before, it was always with a guilty feeling. Now, it just seems like lots of fun! I love how they cover all different styles of dance but not in any kind of hyper-intense, get it right or go home sort of way, just a sing-along-if-you-can-manage-it and smile and laugh kind of way.
So that brings me to this year. Like last year, I'm not making any resolutions. I will however make proclamation. 2012 will be the year of bagged lunches and skincare! Yes, I'm going to try for skincare again (looking at a HUGE birthday this year) and the goal of bringing my lunch 3 days a week. Just 3 days. I think I can do it! Then I'll be able to save money, eat hopefully healthier and I will need to cook more often at home and therefore my family will be happier!
So there you have it. My resolutions for 2012.
01/02/2012
Glittery distractions
After posting that I wanted to make one last charitable donation run, I was completely unable to accomplish much of anything. Standing on my knee for longer than five minutes turns out to be extremely uncomfortable and not being able to get up and down easily makes it quite difficult to get much done.
That being said, I spent most of New Year's Eve and New Year's Day sitting on my butt, just decluttering my blog reader and pinning things on my Pinterest boards. Good heavens when one hasn't caught up on their blogs in a while, it can be quite daunting to try to wade through a few thousand posts. I'll admit to skimming through and looking at the pictures and just marking entire Tumblr blogs as read. I also took advantage of the enforced couch potato lifestyle and managed to give myself a manicure. I really suck at giving myself manicures but I've been obsessed with painting my nails lately but don't usually have the patience to sit still long enough to let it dry. This time, however, I was able to do one of the glitter manicures I've been admiring on Pinterest.
Like these:
Source: manicure-design.com via Lynda on Pinterest
I love these ombre nails. Well, I love ombre anything but I really love the colors chosen here.
Source: thebeautydepartment.com via Lynda on Pinterest
I am totally in love with this reverse french-tip look. Love it to pieces. I even went out and bought page reinforcers in order to try it out for next time!
Source: flickr.com via Lynda on Pinterest
The manicure that inspired mine.
my own manicure!
I am absolutely horrific at cuticle management. Which is part of the reason I hate giving myself manicures. I don't even like getting manicures in the salon because I hate when my cuticles are fiddled with but alas, they grow like weeds.
Anyone have any suggestions? I'm afraid of the Sally Hanson cuticle remover I used to use as a kid and I've tried the "gently push cuticles back with a cotton-ball-wrapped orange stick" and just leaving them be is frightening. I did see that Deborah Lippman has a cuticle remover that I hear is just "epic!" but is this stuff just totally toxic? I mean really, it eats away at your skin. It can't be good for you!
So now, nails complete, maybe I will go through some of the mountains of boxes of paper that I have around the house. I can do it sitting down and I can admire my new manicure at the same time. Not only would the Iceman be pleased, but maybe we could step foot into the study again. And that, my friends, would be EPIC!!!
12/31/2011
New Year's Eve. A time to look back over the past year's accomplishments and the coming year's optimistic goals. I find myself in a funk as I usually feel around this time of year. I feel discontented with what I've accomplished and a vague feeling of foreboding that I will not be able to accomplish the lofty goals one usually resolves to make in a Panglossian fashion.
Every year, I try to avoid making resolutions, instead attempting to create one new habit a month. Let me tell you, out of the handful I attempted last year, I did manage to get one under my belt, albeit in a higgedly-piggedly fashion. I was really good about going to the gym after last winter's 4-month-long cold/bronchitis/allergy ordeal. Although I don't go quite as much ever since the kids went back to school in September, I do try to average at least a couple of hours, once a week. I would like to try to keep that up, and add in at least another hour one other day a week.
As for other habits, for 2012, well, let's just say I'd like to work on tightening my belt...both physically and mentally. I have a number of things I'd like to attempt this year but I really need to have a good sit-down and thrash out the reality of whether these things can be accomplished.
As for looking back over 2011, I think I'll leave that for another post at another time. I do feel like I got some shit done last year that I surprised myself with...like that gym thing.
In the meantime, I must get on with belatedly celebrating my version of Boxing Day, which consists of me going through the house bagging up all the clutter and hopefully more to get that last end-of-year charitable donation write-off. It'll be difficult with this apres-ski bum knee, but I'm determined to make Isaac take one last trip to Salvo if it kills me/him.
And so my friends, I will see you next year!
09/02/2011
01/13/2009
The 183/26 Challenge
Well, I did it. I went and made a public commitment. And here I am, doing it again, because lo and behold, if I say it out loud and proud, maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to stick with it.
Those of you who know me "for reals" know that I am exercise averse. I pretty much abhor anything that might make me break a sweat or raise my heartrate. I did, for a little while, succumb to the allure of waking up early and doing 30 minutes of yoga a day, but alas, the need for sleep (or actually, the need to stay up and knit at night) has won out and I find myself not dragging myself out of bed at 6am, like I am supposed to do.
My old friend Rachael, (who Always Wanted Four, btw) blogged recently how another blogging buddy committed to 500/50 for 2009. That would mean running 500 miles and reading 50 books for the year. Well, Rachael, about 99.9% of the time the voice of reason, realized that perhaps, 365/26 was a more realistic goal for her. Kudos to Rachael for A) being a runner who has actually competed in a marathon and B) realizing that 1 book a week was more her speed.
Unlike Rachael, I am not a runner, but thanks to Rodney Yee and my new Wii Fit Balance Board thanks Santa! perhaps I can average out 30 minutes a day by hook or by crook or by snow shovel as I discovered the other snowy day. Like Rachael, I am an Olympic tuner-outer and will devour a book until it is finished as evidenced by the Great Harrypalooza of 2007.
So I am settling for 182.5 183 hours of exercise and 26 books for the year. I've got to find a little blog widget to put on the side to track my progress. So far today I have hula-hooped on the Wii for 7 minutes. Crap! Gotta get moving!
Wanna join me?
01/06/2009
housekeeping and resolutions
Every January, I start to rethink my housekeeping habits and shying away from resolutions. And I mean staying far, far away from making resolutions. Because in my mind, once a resolution is made, then dammit! It's meant to be broken! And so therefore, I (think I) trick myself by not committing to the resolution and so therefore, if I fall off the wagon, its okay because it wasn't really a real resolution. Clear as mud?
So no real commitments like exercising on a regular basis or eating healthier or spending less money. Instead, I aim to just do them as I remember them. That way, I won't mess up as often. I get a success rate on this method of behavior change of about 25%. Not great, by any stretch, but at least it's better than if I didn't try. And I try to only tackle one thing a month. So instead of making 12 "I'm gonna try (fill in desired new habit)" for January, I make only one. And for January, I'm going to TRY think of the other 11 things I'm going to do for the year.
As for housekeeping habits, I am forever resolving to keep my home cleaner, declutter more, organize better, blah, blah, blah. Actually, I'm kind of addicted to housekeeping websites, organizing books, planners, moleskine notebooks and the whole shebang. HOWEVER, you would never know that by looking at my house! Rather, instead of getting more organized, I think I'm going to just try to work on keeping the crap out. Declutter in every aspect of my life. That way the stuff I really do want, like blogging, can find a way to creep back in.
Now that I think about it, during one of my other January brainstorming sprees in during a previous year when I attempted to craft my personal mission statement (don't laugh. It works.) I hammered out something similar. Maybe I should peek through those old journals and see if I can find what I had written down then.
And now, because I hate blog posts without pictures, I give you my mother and two of my sisters and myself..and my Dad in the background!
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