28 March 2007

101 things in 1001 days (part one)

Okay, it's been a whopper of a "My Kids are Driving Me Crazy" day (I made a third child cry today! How evil am I to expect a preschooler to carry his own sweatshirt?!?! Oh, the tragedy!), but I feel like I've been really negative on the blog lately, so I want to switch gears here and write something positive for a change.

From the blog Get Rich Slowly, I found an interesting meme: make a list of 101 things to accomplish in 1001 days (roughly 2.75 years), and try to achieve them. I've been mulling it over in my mind for the last couple of days, trying to decide if I really feel ambitious enough to take on a challenge like this -- it'll be hard enough to even think of 101 goals in the first place, much less actually complete all of them! But then I thought, it's so rare these days that I actually challenge myself (instead of being challenged, in both good and bad ways, by various small children) -- why not give it a try? Worst case scenario: I don't finish everything (though I will surely finish some things. I've got almost three years, after all). Best case scenario: I accomplish 101 things! And I think it would be really exciting if I could do that.

I don't have a whole list worked out yet, but I'll post it in sections as I think of things. They won't all be monumental challenges; some will likely be pretty mundane. Some will be short term, some will be long term, some will be difficult, some will be easy. We'll see what I can do. To begin with, here are my first 10 goals.

1. I will buy suits for the boys for my sister's wedding. (This will be done by the end of May, or I'll be in trouble.)
2. I will toilet train Evan. (Three years should be enough time, no?)
3. I will knit another Christmas stocking, so my boys can each have one. (To be completed before Christmas 2007.)
4. I will bake a cheesecake. (I have never done this, even though I love cheesecake. I've just never had an occasion.)
5. I will clean out the basement (and the rest of the house) and either sell our things at a yard sale, donate things to James' nursery school's garage sale, donate to the Salvation Army, or throw away the worst of it. (Hopefully in the next couple of months.)
6. I will grow tomatoes and eat them. (And hopefully other delicious things, too, once I have the space.)
7. I will move out of our current apartment to go live somewhere else. (Lack of details aside, this will hopefully happen in 2007.)
8. I will register James for kindergarten. (In April, once we find out about extending our lease here.)
9. I will play in a frisbee league this spring and summer (and fall if we still live here then). (I will do this even though it scares me because I am ridiculously out of shape.)
10. I will take my children camping this summer.

Anyone want to try it with me? Anyone have any suggestions for things you think I should try to do?

5 comments:

and rudeness said...

Hmmm, I am trying to decide if this is an awesome thing or a stressful thing. :)

I think it is GREAT that you have taken on this challenge to do things that you havent done. And need to do. And should do.

Like baking a cheesecake. YUMMY!

Suits for you boys... I HOPE that turns out to be fun.

I think your list so far is a good one and I look forward to hearing more about what you want to do and what you have done.

Anonymous said...

If you're going to grow tomatoes, I suggest starting from baby plants and not seeds - it's a lot easier. Not to mention delicious! :)

kim said...

What a good idea - once upon a time, I set a year's worth of goals for myself and it was very motivating for me. Maybe I'll try this, too.

Didn't you make a pumpkin cheesecake once? I remember it was very delicious. I thought you had sent me the recipe (I was looking for it last week when I baked my first pumpkin cheesecake myself) but I could be wrong.

Heidi said...

Darn it, Kim, I have baked a pumpkin cheesecake! But I don't remember it being that good. Anyway, that's no reason that I shouldn't aspire to make another in the next three years. Kind of loses some excitement, but hey, cheesecake is cheesecake. Always a worthy goal.

Anonymous said...

that's such a great idea! and of course you'll play in the frisbee league. you'll rock at it too.
big hugs,
m.