We were very naughty last week. We decided on Thursday (the day with a list of chores as long as my arm) that as the weather was so good we'd take Joe out of school and go to Chessington World of Adventures. Bad Mummy! In my defence it was the last week of school before the Easter break so they weren't doing much that day and his teacher was away so he'd have two supply teachers...
Anyway, we all had a GREAT time. We were there from when it opened til when it closed and by the end of the day we were all thoroughly worn out. The little ones fell asleep in the car and were carried straight up to bed.

One thing on list I have started is:

96. Make a quilt.

I've been thinking about this far a long time - months actually (it could even be a year I'm ashamed to say!)

I've never made a quilt before and of course I want it to be perfect, so I keep putting it off and buying more fabric, scared to take the plunge in case I mess it up and waste a lot of money.

But I've done it! I've come up with a design that doesn't require too much precision and planning (not my strong points. lol) and I've cut the fabric and started piecing them together.

Unfortunately my ancient sewing machine that was my Granny's has given up the ghost so I'm doing it all by hand. This could take a while....

I thought I'd take a look at my list and see where I am.



So far I've completed 3 tasks and started 15 others. These are ongoing long term tasks and wont officially be complete until the 1001 days are up.


There are definitely some that I can get started on now, such as:



84. Give blood.



I've checked the website and I can do it tomorrow at the Church Hall in town. I hope I'll be able to get there, but tomorrow is looking like it's going to be one of those crazy days where we try to cram in far too much. My "to do" list is ridiculously long already.
If I don't make it, it will have to be next month.

I plan to do it regularly not just the once but baby steps and all that!

Time to resurrect the blog I think! And time to take another look at the list....



My problem is I procrastinate too much. I'm full of good ideas and good intentions but they always fall by the wayside as I'm overrun by the boring drudgery of everyday life!

I spend FAR too much time reading and admiring over peoples' blogs that I never get round top doing my own.
So, I thought I'd share some the Blogs that distract me so much:

http://www.soulemama.typepad.com/

http://www.down--to--earth.blogspot.com/

I've read these two for a long time and I'm always inspired by them. They may not have much in common on the face of it, but they do. They've both found a way of living that makes them and their families happy - their niche in life - and crucially, they both write so eloquently about it.

A few more blogs I've come across more recently are:
http://www.ninimakes.typepad.com/
http://www.yarnstorm.blogs.com/
http://www.thelongthread.com/
www.thelongthread.com
www.crazymomquilts.blogspot.com

I'm always in awe of women who write a blog, make gorgeous crafts, write books, run businesses AND run a home and look after kids. I just don't have the organisational skills required!

Half-term has brought the opportunity to cross off another couple of tasks from the lists. We've had a few days out since we got the Merlin passes thanks to Tesco Clubcard vouchers!
Tuesday, we went to London and finally did the London Eye. Hurrah! It was great in spite of the cloud. We also went to the London Aquarium which was very dissapointing. They're doing loads of building work there so lots of the displays are boarded up and as kids go free during the school holidays it was PACKED. No fun at all.

To make up for this we went to Weymouth's SeaLife centre yesterday and had a much better time.

Ihope this post makes sense - I had a wisdom tooth out this morning under sedation and I'm still very woozy!

I haven't posted this week at all as all the boys have had stinking colds and so have I.

So, back to the list and an update of what I've done so far...

I made marmalade!

This is the first time I've ever tried making something like this but it turned out so well I 'll definitely be doing more. I'm already thinking about onion marmalade and maybe apple and ginger jam, mmmm. I think I could get obsessed with this preserving malarkey!

It's Jack's 2nd birthday in a couple of weeks and we've to do something a bit different. So, we're going to London on the train and taking the boys to the aquarium and the London Eye!
The boys are going to love it and I can tick a couple of things off my list!

We've exchanged our Tesco Clubcard vouchers for Merlin passes so we can do loads of family days out this year without breaking the bank. Some places are SO expensive if you've got a big family and when you add in the cost of food or a little souvenir it becomes hard to afford to go anywhere. Thanks Mr Ts!

Well, I've added another one to my list:
98. Make the boys a puppet theatre.

We saw one in a shop which the boys really liked but the price was ridiculous for what it was and I had one of my regular "I could make that!" moments. Typically I have't actually got around to making it and so it goes on the list.
Letterbox do a similar theatre herewww.letterbox.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_461_31_48942_-1_10433_puppet-theatre
It looks cool but its just bits of 2x2 knocked together and some cheap satin fabric for curtains!

Well, I've got one more ticked off the list. I've finally registered on the organ donor register. It's something I've been meaning to do for a long time but never get around to doing.

I'm also doing well on the cooking front with two new dishes so far: sausages and lentils, and, fish pie. My cooking is getting pretty good now with everything edible if not brilliant

The cold weather has finally gone (-6c is ridiculously cold for Bournemouth!) and I feel like I'm coming out of hibernation.
Being forced to stay at home for the last couple of weeks has given me ample time to think about my list and where I want to be in 2 and a half years time, and now that the sun has come out I feel ready to start making things happen.
This weekend two little things happened that made me feel that the Gods were smiling on this project of mine:
Someone mentioned (in an internet forum on a completely different subject) a volunteering website called do-it.org and I can't believe how many vacancies there are in my town! (number 77 )
Secondly my stars for 2009 (not that I believe in it of course) said that I could make money from a hobby.(number 88).

I've just worked out the end date: Friday October 11th! God, that sounds a long way off doesn't it?
By then Joe will be nearly 8, Jack wil be 4 and Rhys 3. What a frightening thought!

I still need to finalise the list with those 5 last tasks.

Now, some of the things on the list I've already started but I know that others are going to be much more difficult to achieve.
Running a marathon, giving up caffeine, and climbing a mountain are probably the ones I'll most likely fail to do but I really hope this list will help keep me motivated.

Here it is then, the final list:



Health
1.Eat chocolate only 3 times a week.

2.Give up caffeine.

3.Drink green tea daily.

4.Eat 4 a day for 3 months.(2/91)

5.Eat 5 a day for 3 months.(0/91)

6.Take multivitamins daily for 3 months.(0/91)

7.Get cholesterol checked annually.

8.Keep weight below 9 stone.

9.Floss and mouthwash every day.

10.Wear SPF15 every day in Spring and Summer.

11.Learn to meditate.

12.Sleep 8 hours uninterrupted.(0/1)

13.Get a first aid kit.

Fitness.

14.Start running and run a 5k race.

15.Run a 10k race.Run a marathon.

16.Do sit ups every day.(4/1001)

17.Do a watersport.

18.Do a yoga class.(0/1)

19.Go bodyboarding.(0/1)

Me Time.

20.No TV one day a month.(0/33)

21.No reality TV.

22.Read for 1/2 an hour every day.(10/1001)

23.Read 50 classics.

24.Study something online.

25.Do an evening class.

26.Learn Catalan

27.Write a blog.

28.Get a haircut.(0/10)

29.Dye my hair.(0/8)

30.Have a long soak in the bath weekly.(6/?)

31.Pass my driving test.

32.Start teacher training.

33.Get a job.

34.See a West End show.

35.Go to the beach at night.

36.Climb a mountain.

Home and Family.

37.Go on holiday.(0/3)

38.Go on a city break.

39.Go on the London Eye.(1/1)

40.Go to an aquarium.(2/5)

41.Go to a zoo.(0/5)

42.Go on a boat trip.

43.Have 15 family days out a year.(2/40)

44.Go camping.

45.Go to a festival.

46.Swim in the sea.(0/10)

47.Spend quality time with Paul twice a week.

48.Go out with Paul once a month.

49.Go to the cinema.(0/10)

50.Have a party once a year.

51.All eat at the table 3 times a week.

52.Get the boys bunkbeds.

53.Potty train Jack.

54.Potty train Rhys.

55.Make a memory box for the boys.

56.Do more family tree research.

57.Watch Top 20 films.

58.Save £1001.(0/1001)

House.

59.Decorate the hall.

60.Put curtains up in the hall.

61.Put curtains up in the kitchen.

62.Decorate bedroom.

63.Maintain the garden.

64.Grow vegetables.

65.Plant a herb garden.

66.Get a compost bin.

67.Buy fruit and veg from the greengrocers once a week.

68.Sort out a store cupboard.

69.Write a weekly meal plan.

70.Eat veggie once a week.

71.Cook a new recipe once a month.(4/33)

72.No more plastic bags.

73.Recycle plastic bottles.

74.Get rid of 101 things.(4/101)

Others.

75.Call Granny once a week.(2/)

76.Join the PTFA.

77.Volunteer.

78.Knit for a charity.

79.Give everyone something handmade for Xmas.

80.Remember everyone's birthdays.

81.Support a charity.

82.Buy the Big Issue(0/10)

83.Find a charity that wants toys/teddies.

84.Give blood.

85.Get on the donor register.

86.Donate 1m grains of rice.(12030/1,000,000)

87.£5 to charity for every task failed.

Craft.

88.Make money from crafting.

89.Set up an etsy shop.

90.Knit 10 hat and glove sets.(0/10)

91.Make a tablecloth and runner for Xmas.

92.Make 50 Xmas decorations.(0/50)

93.Learn to crochet.

94.Make an amigurumi.

95.Learn to use the sewing machine.

96.Make a quilt.

97. Make jam, marmalade, and chutney.(2/3)

98.Make a puppet theatre for the boys.

99.Print off photos from PC / mobile and put them in a photo album.

100.

101.Make another list.

I've decided that instead of just one pitiful New Year's resolution I'm going to do the 101 things in 1001 days project!
It's taken a few days to compile the list but it's just about done. I am short of the full 101 at the moment but I think once I've written the whole list down, some other things will occur to me.