November was a blur! I feel like we had Halloween, I blinked and here we are at December’s door. Time flies when you’re having fun. Due to some unexpected health issues, I wasn’t quite as successful as I had planned, but still felt relatively accomplished for being hugely pregnant. Current totals: 13 completed and 8 partial finishes.
#5. Leave a positive, thoughtful comment on 50 blog posts.
I finished up the last batch of comments this month. Below are a handful of the blogs, some repeats from last month and a few new ones too:
- Brooke at Grace and Light
- Tabitha at Team Studer
- Nell at Whole Parenting Family
- Hannah at Gokie Notes
- Kitty at Wash the Plate
- Jen at Into Your Will
- Shelly at The Cunningham Family
- Mary at Let Love Be Sincere
- Ginny at Small Things
- Sheena at Bean in Love
#10. Send someone flowers, just because.
I sent a bouquet of fall-inspired flowers from The Bouqs (the bouquet was called Autumn’s Callin’). Every time I order, I’m tempted to subscribe to deliveries for myself! So many gorgeous options there.
I sent a bouquet of fall-inspired flowers from The Bouqs (the bouquet was called Autumn’s Callin’). Every time I order, I’m tempted to subscribe to deliveries for myself! So many gorgeous options there.
#87. Find a new winter coat.
To say I needed a winter coat is a big understatement. Every year, I convince myself I can make do with what I have, but really, it was time to be a grownup and invest in something that will last. I ended up going with a T Tahari wool-blend coat in black – super basic and boring, but something I think I’ll still like for years to come.
#97. Buy 2 new board games to play as a family.
We got Harry Potter Clue for M’s birthday. I loved the traditional Clue as a kid and knew M would enjoy the twist. Mark, M and I have had some really cut-throat games. So fun.
#97. Buy 2 new board games to play as a family.
We got Harry Potter Clue for M’s birthday. I loved the traditional Clue as a kid and knew M would enjoy the twist. Mark, M and I have had some really cut-throat games. So fun.
#1. Read 35 books. (7/35 completed)
I’m officially back in the reading groove! Four finishes this month: My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, The Book of Speculation, Flight Behavior, and The Quality of Silence. (Book report here.)
#6. Blog at least twice a week regularly. (4/12 months completed)
I’ve been trying to come up with a quantitative way to measure “regularly” and I think I’ve decided to go with the goal of 8 posts a month. So some weeks, I may be incredibly inspired and knock out five posts in a week; in others, I might only get in my weekly Around Here post done. The real goal is to just keep writing, despite the ebbs and flows. (My only caveat is to give myself a break in December – that new baby and all!)
My totals so far: August: 11 // September: 8 // October: 13 // November: 9
#52. Watch 15 documentaries. (10/15 completed)
The Beginning of Life: A beautiful look at the first few years of a child’s life. While this vocation can be insanely hard, the role of motherhood truly is a priceless gift.
Without Charity: An interesting crime story about a naive girl and the repercussions of her actions.
Amanda Knox: I’ve always been curious, but the case has been so dragged out through the years that I’ve never really known the whole story. Mark and I watched the Netflix exclusive and while it did fill in a lot of the unknowns, we still came away not quite sure of her involvement. Such a bizarre crime.
My Son the Jihadi: This was a mother’s story of watching her son’s involvement in terrorist activity. It was so heartbreaking.
American Experience: Murder of a President: If you’re anything like me, President James Garfield was just a blip in the history radar growing up. I knew he was a president and I knew he had been assassinated, but that’s about it. With all the hubbub of the election, I’ve become interested in past presidencies, and wow, does it all put today’s craziness in perspective! While it seems like the world is caving in right now, America felt much the same in the 1880’s. And somehow, despite racial divisions, political corruption and an assassination, we all managed to stick together. Hope for 2017 and beyond!
#57. Make 20 freezer meals before the baby comes. (2/20 completed)
I had high hopes for this goal, but bed rest put a stop to any real attempts. I did manage to help Mark make two gallon bags full of breakfast burritos, so that’s something!
#68. Grow BWF’s Instagram followers to 400+.
At the time of this posting, our Instagram account has 399 followers!! So, so close. I’m excited to finally *fingers crossed* knock this goal off the list in December.
#93. Try 5 new local restaurants. (2/5 completed)
For our anniversary, Mark and I decided to keep it super simple and try a new restaurant to go. At 38 weeks pregnant, I was all about the idea of staying home in my elastic waist pants and slippers, hah! The burgers were delicious and I may or may not have dreamed about the Tex-Mex Eggrolls (and had him go back for more on two separate occasions, ahem…) – loving this local challenge so far!