Days 9-21: Extra Time

Hello everyone! I am back to report a shocking new development in my perfect month of "Extra Time."

Despite this entry covering days 9-21, I am coming back to report that my blogging has not (this time) been adversely affected by my utter failure at my goal!!

Or in other words, I'm still perfect with my one-show-a-day goal. I should admit that I made a slight adjustment (as I have in other goals, and for which I feel no remorse or shame). There was a day when I watched a show while Matt was at school, but really wanted to watch something quick with him that night. I decided that I'd watch two shows and use my "movie" chip for the week. Two shows basically equal one movie, right?

Ok. Glad we're square.

Now...about Lilly. Lilly's been developing her imagination lately, by pretending that robots are coming. Her daddy decided that he ought to encourage this new fascination and built her her very own robot costume!

Here is version 1.0

And version 2.0 (with paper glued to it to cover up the "Raisin Bran") In the picture below, she's making a  "robot face."

Okay. My plan was to hurry and hook you with cute pictures and then keep talking about myself, so here it comes...

I'm also happy to report that, although I still feel like there are a plethora of unnecessary time-vacuums in my life, I have managed to attack my "avoid list" since the last entry. Can't say that I've gotten to everything, but here are a few of the things I've done. (Remember, though these sound like pretty simple tasks, that some of them have been on my to-do list for several years).

• Talked to co-worker about his contact with Centro Hispano
• Called Centro Hispano about possibly starting a youth psychoeducational group there
• Followed up with Eagle Heights about the same thing (need to do this again, though. I haven't heard back from them)
• Attached my water-bottle cage to my bike
• Called our insurance and found out we DO have dental coverage (WOOOO HOOO!!)
• Gotten the phone number for our dentist (still working on actually setting appointments)
• Completed the UW Health Initiative and already been rewarded with a nice fat pre-paid visa
• Filled out "Therapist Specialty" form and emailed it back
• Did online training for work

Wow. I was just looking at my last post's "avoid list" and I have actually done a lot more than I thought!

Go me!!!!!!!

For those of you who decided to join me in this perfect month, how is it going? I hope my lack of posts didn't cause anyone to fall off the wagon.

Days 7-8: Extra Time

Yesterday, as all Sundays are, was a crazy time-sucking vortex and I have no idea what happened to the day. All I know is that all the good intentions that I felt impressed to act on during the excellent Relief Society lesson fell flat when I got home and it was suddenly 12:00AM.

Just for the sake of completeness, I better not skip a chance to tell you what we watched last night.

Actually, now that I think about it, that's basically where all the time went. It was an hour and a half. Mystery solved. (Shameful)

Today, probably in response to yesterday's "what did I do all day" feeling, I worked as HARD as I could. In the morning, I took Lilly to the YMCA and dropped her in the daycare while I did the elliptical for 30ish minutes (ok, that doesn't sound like much, but anything over 5 minutes of cardio is hardcore for me).

Then when we got home, I did the laundry, washed all the dishes, cleaned the stove and wiped the countertops, made some banana bread (first time!) and swept the kitchen. Considering my dream of having the entire apartment spotless to surprise Matt when he got home, my results were actually kind of pathetic. I have had this dream many times since Lilly became mobile, but I don't think I've ever successfully accomplished it yet. Someday....

Anyway, it still turned out to be a more productive day than I've had in a while. Lilly even "helped me" clean by picking up a piece of food that she found on the kitchen floor and throwing it in the garbage.

As far as my goal to attack the "Avoid" list, I've done better than I have in the past, but it's interesting to see how there's a hierarchy of items that I'm avoiding and I happily do some before others. I think that's cheating. I'm supposed to start with the worst ones.

Here's what I HAVE done:

• Set up meetings for work that I've been nervous about
• Attended one of the meetings
• Sent out emails for RS
• Gotten completely caught up on case notes for work (woooohoo! This took almost an entire day)
• Attempted to find the phone number for our dentist
• Found out that it appears our insurance no longer covers dental (nooooO!!!!)
• Tried to put the waterbottle mount on my bike (the one I bought a month ago)
• Found out that we don't have the right size allen wrench to do that
• Finally put the ice scraper back in the car (it's been sitting next to the door for months)
• Make initial attempt at setting up Visiting Teaching visits
• And probably some other stuff I forgot.

Now here's the list that I still need to attack

• Call Centro Hispano about setting up counseling groups for kids
• Follow up with EH Community Center about the same thing
• Put the waterbottle on my bike
• Call our insurance to hear them tell me to my face (kind of) that we REALLY TRULY no longer have dental coverage (Wah!)
• Shop around for a dentist
• Participate in UW health initiative where they test our blood and we fill out a questionnaire about our health habits so Matt and I can qualify to receive $100 each, which we will most likely then put toward our dentist visits
•  Schedule dentist visits
• Get dermatologist referral renewed
• Set dermatologist appointment
• Fill out "Therapist Specialty" form and email it back
• Contact co-worker to find contact info for Centro Hispano
• Do online training for work
• Make appointment to visit WIC

I think that's it for now. It's funny what makes the "avoiding" list. I mean, I have a to-do list that's much longer, but these are the things that I usually put at the end of that list. Some of them have been at the end for a long LONG time.

Hmmm.

What does this list say about me?

Oh. I know, I know! It says I'm pregnant (WIC)! Surprise! I meant to tell some of my close friends before posting it online, but I figure if you read my blog, you either ARE a close friend, or you deserve to be one of the first to hear, anyway. :)  I'm due at the end of January.

If you're someone who doesn't know me personally, I would be very curious to hear how you found the blog and what you think of it. Please feel free to leave a comment. I noticed that I'm starting to get a little traffic from mormonmommyblogs, so I'd love to hear from that/those readers.

Thanks to everyone who reads and comments. As always, it means a lot to me and it gives me the motivation to follow through on these goals.

Love!

Day 6: Extra Time

This morning, Matt, Lilly, and I biked to the capitol for the annual "Art Fair on the Square." It was fantastic, as it was last year. The art there is beautiful and inventive and the food is delicious, too. Lilly especially enjoyed dancing to the music and running on the lawn outside the capitol building. She wasn't as much a fan of being carried through the crowds of people and looking at the art. (Too bad. I kinda liked that part. (Well, the looking at the art part. No one carried me, but if they had I definitely would not have resisted the way Lilly did.)

There are a few pictures of her dancing with her papa. Here's a quick video:

And, a lot of pictures:

Dancing with Daddy

Lilly found these little sequins on the ground and started to collect them on her backpack.

Getting grumpy

Posing with some cool sculptures

Some art that she was allowed to touch!

Daddy just poured water on Lilly's head

She found a good spot

Happy!

The spot's too little for Daddy

Drinking a free sample of cold juice

Hanging with the bikes!

Playing on the Federal Reserve Robot Chalk :)

A few moments after almost getting run over by the bike trolley! Yikes!

Lilly was really tired by the end and wanted to cuddle this sign. Hmm....

After Lilly's nap today, she found Mommy napping in Mommy's room. Daddy came in shortly after Lilly and got to play with us as Lilly set the scene for her first imaginary game (not counting using props to eat/drink).

Here's the scene: "The robots are coming with us!" (She often says "with" when she means "for") "The robots are coming in Mommy and Daddy's room!" (said with pretend fear and wonder in her eyes, and pointing at the ceiling). As we played along, we learned that they were "little tiny" robots, that there were two of them, they were "friendly" and one was coming into Lilly's room and one was coming into Mommy and Daddy's room (where we were all huddled on the bed defensively). We also learned that the one coming into Mommy and Daddy's room was a "girl robot." And that "we're family" and if "we cuddle" we'll be ok.

See all the fun things that can happen when I'm not watching TV?

Then Matt and I made funnel cakes and watched Doctor Who together. Wooo~! Fun day.

Days 3-5: Extra Time

You all thought I'd dropped off again like all those other times, right? Not so! I just didn't blog very faithfully, but here it is:

Wednesday was a slow day at work in that I only saw one client before the group I run, however, it was crazy day in that I managed to use those hours to do some intense catching up on notes. You may or may not realize that therapists have to do a TON of paperwork. Until recently, the agency I work at was actually doing this work on paper. Luckily, we have switched to electronic notes now, and that saves a lot of time. Unluckily, it took the first four weeks of my working there for me to get up and running on the electronic system, so I had four weeks' worth of paperwork to do.

I'm proud to say that I am completely caught up on all of my electronic notes (notes describing each of my individual sessions with clients as well as a note for each individual member of each week of group). There are just a few more paper-chart things that I need to finish in order to be completely caught up. WOooo Hoooo! And all because I didn't watch TV at work. (JUST KIDDING. I have never watched TV at work, unlike a few PhD students I know...cough cough).

Okay, Matt says no one actually does that. My apologies to PhD students who I know.

I better get on to the good stuff, though. I know that in this blog about limiting TV consumption, the greatest curiosity is: WHICH SHOW DID I WATCH????

So...on Wednesday we watched the Food Network's "Food Network Star."

On Thursday Lilly actually took a nap (this is becoming pretty rare these days) and I decided to watch one of my faves, "Switched at Birth," a show about two girls (and their families) who found out as teenagers that they were accidentally switched at birth. Super over-the-top high-school dramatic, but almost entirely squeaky clean. Fun!!!

Should I be embarrassed that this month's goal is turning into an advertisement for my favorite shows? Probably.

I learned something important on Thursday, though. Watching TV in the middle of the day makes me feel like BLUNK. (Made that word up just for this). I didn't get a chance to get anything much done before Matt got home, then when he was ready to relax I couldn't watch a show with him (like we do every night after Lilly goes down) and I didn't feel like working since he was chilling. I was very unproductive and unhappy.

So there you have it. I've learned something valuable from this month already.

Tonight, although we're behind on several of our favorite shows, we have already decided to watch the episode that will catch us up on Food Network Star. I don't know why, but we are both really loving that show right now. It's been cracking me up.

Woooo. Long one. That's what I get for not blogging for a couple of days. I should probably post a picture of Lilly on here, or I'll lose my family-followers.

This one's a few weeks old, but it cracks me up and deserves some publicity. This is Lilly in the bike trailer after a particularly muddy bike-ride. Poor thing. She was a pretty good sport, considering.

Day 2: Extra Time

Today I am EXHAUSTED. Whoo. I had a great day with Lilly and her little friend today. We are very blessed to have come to a wonderful arrangement with some friends re: babysitting. They watch Lilly on the one day/week that I work, and I watch their little boy once a week. Today was it.

We started at the mall, since it was rainy. I was hoping they could get some energy out in the little play-place, but it was closed. (For no apparent reason. No one was cleaning it, no one was working on it, it just had cones and stay out tape across the entrance). So we walked around the mall with our one-seater stroller taking turns sitting in the stroller and pushing the stroller (I never got a turn to sit in the stroller, but I always had a willing stroller-pushers to "help" me push when it wasn't his/her turn).

After lunch and naps, we played outside since the sun came out. For whatever reason, they always seemed to want to run in opposite directions.

I am tired now. Whoo.

That's where I started, huh?

But I'm proud to report that Matt and I just watched my one show of the day, "Food Network Star."

But, did I use the extra time well today? Did I tackle the to-dos that I've been procrastinating?

...

Somehow even with the little kiddies running amok I managed to go through Lilly's room and pull out her outgrown clothes, box them up and unpack a few outfits that should fit her now. I also re-wrote a work email when I realized that I accidentally sent it to myself yesterday, instead of the intended recipient. I have the two meetings that I've been putting off set up. No avoiding them now!

It is really amazing, actually, to see how easy it is to get these things done. Most of them are simple, easy things that I just didn't want to do.

Still need to find out who our dentist is....that's been on my list for over a year. (Yuck, right? We need to get those teeth into that office!!!)

Oh, and Lillian's eye is MUCH better, if you're wondering. Here's proof:

If you're reading, please comment. It means a lot to me. :) LOVE!

Day 1: Extra Time

Guess what, everyone? I DID IT!!! Wooohooo! I'm so back on the Perfect Month train. Today, I watched only one tv show, and I made it my guiltiest TV pleasure....The Bachelorette! That's right. Got together with some friends who share the guilty pleasure and had a fun girls' night. (Which, by the way, is going to happen for at least four more weeks every Monday).

So, I don't have a recent picture of the group, but here we are at a Bachelor-themed baby shower for one of our friends (who has unfortunately since moved).

 

Honestly, lest you all get the idea that I am a total TV bum, I will explain how today felt different from most days. (And it really did!) Usually, during Lilly's nap (or more recently her quiet-time in her room), I will sit down and watch a show or two while eating something that she would beg for if she were there. It's my "me" time when I relax and don't have to worry about caring for my adorable little toddler. Today, I used that time to get the to-dos I've been ignoring done, and it felt great! 

Today, I:

• Sent two work emails that I've been putting off
• Found out who my doctor is (haven't been to the doctor for ages....the dentist is next)
• Set a doctor's appointment
• Got my bum over to Costco and signed up for a membership

All things I've been putting off for a LONG time.


PAUSE!!!!!! Just noticed that the balloons in that picture make some really cool colorful shadows on the wall.


Random fact about today: Lillian woke up with a big red, swollen eye. :( I took her to the doctor and she said that it's nothing to worry about, probably a bug bite, and it will go away in a day or two.

A couple hours later it was much worse, to the point that she could hardly open her eye. :( Following my mom's advice, we bought her some benedril which seemed to help a little, but it's still pretty bad. I hope it's better tomorrow! Here's a couple sad pictures of my pirate baby:

That's all for today! Peace!

The Perfect Month of Extra Time

Hi! I'm here to report another failed perfect month. You see this happens relatively frequently? I just like to keep the suspense alive, you know? Will she ACTUALLY follow through? Probably not, but....she has in the past....a LoooOoOoong time in the past....

Here's the deal: The perfect month of getting up at 6:30 was not in the cards. Matt, Lilly, and I all came down with something and it's making me EXHAUSTED. Even if it weren't, though, I learned on my mission that if you actually sleep a little more when you're sick, it works wonders and you get better a lot faster. (I must've been a slacker missionary, right?)

So, I could be a crazy perfectionist and just get up at 6:30 in the morning ANYWAY, or I could remember that the whole point of a perfect month is for it to make me happy. Losing any small allotment of extra sleep time would not be doing that for me right now.

Therefore, just to prove to you all that I am hardcore amazing and dedicated to my blog, I'm switching to a different goal.

Too much text. Here's a picture of Matt and Lilly after she finally calmed down from her 45 minute tantrum.

Back to text.

Since I was feeling motivated by the idea of having an extra 30-60 minutes to be productive each day (before Lilly woke up), I am going to run with that. But, I'm going to have to find that time somewhere else since sleep is indispensable right now. So, I'm calling this month the Perfect Month of Extra Time, meaning I am going to create extra time out of thin air and then use it well!

The fine print of my next perfect month, beginning tomorrow, iiis (drumroll.....)

• A perfect month of not-very-much TV. To be specific, no more than one show/movie per day. Movies will only be permitted at the end of the day once a week (though I don't see that being a problem, we're more TV-series-marathons-on-Netflix-or-Amazon types around here.)
• A conscious effort to use that free time to conquer my to-do list, STARTING with the stuff I most want to put off (learned this from Teri) OR to dedicate to special time for Lilly

Wooo. So there you have it. I'm going to create extra time out of thin air without even losing any of my much needed sleep. AND on top of it, I won't have to be ashamed of my couch-potato-ways anymore. (At least for a month.)


Wish me luck. And JOIN ME!!!!!! Seriously, anyone else watch too much TV? Jump on the bandwagon. I'm going for 31 days, starting tomorrow and ending on Friday, August 9th. Also, feel free to join me for the TV-A-THON-GORGE-A-GROSSY-ALL-DAY-TV party that is sure to take place on Friday, August 9th. (just kidding). Maybe.

Excuses in Pictures

Sorry I haven't had a perfect month for a LONG time...I've been busy! Finishing the last projects and papers, completing my final field hours, playing with Mom, Dad, Matt, and Lilly, getting sick for several weeks, looking for work, finding a job, getting sick again. :) It's been a bit crazy and I've been preoccupied, but I have been feeling like I need to start this again and I decided that as much as I'd like to go along with my former plan of letting my cherished few readers determine what the topic of my perfect month would be, I'm choosing my own.

Tomorrow begins the perfect month of getting up early. I am shooting for 6:30am. I'm not making any goals about going to bed early, but I figure that will come on its own if I know what's good for me.

By the way, all three of the sleeping Lilly pictures are from when she had pneumonia. Poor little baby.