What is with all the snow?

Seriously, we must have a foot of snow on the ground here. What is UP with that?? I thought somewhere I read we were going to have an easy winter- really? We haven't hit 30 degrees in over a week!! I think we got 5" of snow after I went to bed- and the sad part is that I'm (for once) NOT exagerating!

I'm already sick of it. I had to shovel the driveway Saturday night. We had 6" of snow in the 3 hours we were gone to a 4 year old's birthday party. It took me an hour and a half to shovel! I don't have THAT long of a driveway. The snow was blowing, though, so I'd just get one section done and what I finished would drift back over. blech.

I'm calling uncle- It's not even January, and I'm DONE. Ugh- I've so had enough of midwest weather.

Sick of winter ALREADY!

First - a warning. I'm in a pissy mood today, so this is going to be a bit whiney. Stop reading now if you're not in the mood to hear my bitching.

Ok. It is DECEMBER 5, for Chrissakes. The daytime high today? 28 freakin' degrees! Seriously? It was 70 degrees out less than a month ago. I freaking HATE Michigan. I really do- I hate it here. I hate the economy here, this area makes me depressed and unmotivated. I love it here in the summer - you simply can not beat the west coast of Michigan for summer weather- it is GORGEOUS. However, I'd so much rather just visit than live here. Winters are too much for me.

Today it is snowing and blowing- and did I mention that it's freakin' COLD? The roads are an ice rink- I can not get my son to school on time when they don't salt the roads. Oh, but this weekend? It's supposed to be too cold for salt to work. Grrr. Winter.

Oh, and I have a sinus headache from hell and I feel like I haven't slept in a week. We have plans ALLLLLLLL weekend long (fun plans, but still... plans) so there will be no rest for me. Oh, and when we don't have plans, I'll be writing papers. I have a few of those due on Tuesday- and I haven't started them. I've done all the research, but I haven't started WRITING the papers. Great. AND I have a kitchen design to finish- cost estimates need to be done still. The design is mostly complete, but I need to put together a presentation board and do my cost estimates. FUN!

Ok. Done whining. For now anyhow.

101 things in 1001 days

I've decided to jump on the 101 things bandwagon. There's a huge movement on the internet right now for people to do 101 things they've always wanted to do in 1001 days. Almost like a New Years resolution list, but with 3+ years to complete it.

I couldn't quite come up with 101 things- I do most of the things I'd like to do- but I did come up with 64. Here's my list. The ones in blue are the ones I'm currently working on. I'll update from time to time as to how it's going.


1- Lose 10 pounds

2- Lose 20 pounds

3- Get my weight back into the mid 120s

4- Work out 2-3x a week, every week

5- spend more time PLAYING with my children

6-- Be stupid...lighten up

7- Find a new source for grass fed free range beef and buy.

8- Plant a garden, keep up on the weeding, and harvest from it

9- Get current and stay current on our bills

10- Help Andy keep motivated to find a job

11- Finish my degree

12- Clean toy room and donate at least 1/2 of the toys, organize the rest

13- Set the kids up with spaces for their things in their rooms

14- Donate time, money, or resources to an organization I believe in

15- Eliminate weekly junk food meals

16- Only buy REAL food- no fast food, no junk in my grocery cart

17- Keep the dishes out of my sink at all times

18- Keep bathrooms "guest ready" all the time

19- Listen to more music- make the time for it

20- Learn to sew well

21- Spend more time painting and doing art

22- Have sex with my husband 2x every week

23- Complete the Couch to 5K running program

24- USE the yoga classes that I've paid for

25- Do pilates videos 1x week

25- Try 1 new recipe a month

26- Take bike rides as a family 5x a summer

27- Go hiking with my family 8x a summer

28- Take more pictures of my children

29- Find a way to make an adequate living doing the job I went to school for

30- Get Kaya back in private school

31- Eliminate use of plastic and paper grocery bags- USE the reusable ones I bought!

32- Throw out junk mail and unwanted school papers the minute they come in the house

33- Find an affordable source to replace my non-green cleaning products with green ones

34- Set a budget and stick to it

35- Find a good resale shop to buy clothes for myself and the kids

36- Visit a winery

37- Befriend someone over the age of 70- listen to them tell me their stories

38- Drink 8 glasses of water a day

39- Take a ballroom dancing class with my husband

40- Start a savings account for each of my children. Contribute to it.

41- Clean my office up and USE it

42- Go meat free 1x a week

43- Go gluten & dairy free 1x a week

44- Create and use a cleaning schedule

45- Have a girl's night 2x a month

46- Clean up my credit report- write letters and have old things removed

47- Run a 5K

48- Run a 10K

49- Complete triathalon

50- Get kids enrolled in some sort of martial arts or other physical activity

51- Take monthly road trips in state during the summer

52- Go camping with the family 3x a year

53- Get Aiden to school on time every day

54- Find missing CD of Kaya's infant photos

55- Print photos of my children

56- Create photo albums so that I don't need a computer to look at photos of my children

57- Have a family portrait taken 1x a year

58- Have a will drawn up

59- Figure out who should be guardian of our children if something happens to us

60- Draw up a living will. Have it notarized.

61- Spend 1 day every 3 months completely alone doing something I want to do

62- Meet every AM I haven't met so far

63- Visit Colorado at least 1x a year (if we don't move there!)

64- See Lake Louise in Banff