the calmcrazy 101/1001

Anyone who knows me in real life knows that I loves me a list. I have about a gazillion notebooks (okay, like 12) filled to various capacities about things that need to get done, places I want to go, plans I need to make, and notebooks that I need to get started. (Yes, I have a notebook listing out ideas for other notebooks. What?) So when a similarly notebook-inclined friend of mine posted a 101 goals in 1001 days entry on her blog...well, I just had to do it too.

It took me awhile to decide to start, though. We know we are moving from Germany next summer but have no idea where we're going. I found it hard to make a list of goals (especially 101 of them!) when I don't even know which continent we will be living on. So I put it off and put it off, thinking I would start the project when we got to our next location. And then one day I realized: that is so against everything that I'm supposed to get out of this challenge! The whole point of this list is to get organized and goal-oriented enough to just do all those things that I keep putting off. And so here we are.

Putting the list together was a lot more difficult than I originally thought it would be. I thought, "Well who doesn't have 101 things that they want to get done?" and indeed, the first 40 or so flew right onto the page with no problem. But one of the parameters of the project is that goals have to be measurable in some way. I can't just throw "Be healthier!" or "Become more outgoing!" onto my list and call it good. I had to put more thought into it. What are some ways to measure health? How can I translate "more outgoing" into an action or measurable product? It made me think a little more; and, contrary to what I normally tell my friends, thinking is a good thing.

Over the next 33 months (or so) I will occasionally post an update on this list. If you are ever curious about how I am doing with it, just skip over to the sidebar and take a look at "The 101 List". That link will take you directly to this post. I'll come back as I finish projects and keep the list current. Completed goals will be red. Goals-in-progress will be in italics. I will post updates on my progress once or twice a month or as I finish some of the bigger goals. I'm really very excited about the whole thing. I think it will be fun!

And without further ado, here is my list:

Community Involvement/ Random Acts of Kindness
001. Gift $20 to 5 random people. (0/5)
002. Pay the toll for the car behind us on a toll road.
003. Find a church. Attend every week for one month. (o/4)
004. Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. Send money if location is an issue.
005. Volunteer for a Pancreatic Cancer Fundraiser. Send money if location is an issue.
006. Volunteer/send money to a charity benefiting U.S. children.
007. Volunteer/send money to a charity benefiting foreign children.
008. Work for a political campaign.
009. Get actively involved with a local charity. (Actively = at least once a month x 6.) (0/6)
010. Send money to the Angel Network responsible for Gramma’s hospice care.

Miscellaneous Household Goals
011. Make a family favorite recipe book.
012. All pictures in albums (to include pics not printed yet).
013. Ready all bedrooms for the big move. (0/4)
014. Ready living/dining room for the big move.
015. Ready kitchen for the big move.
016. Ready basement for the big move.
017. Ready garage for the big move.
018. Get display boxes made for Lovespoons.
019. Buy, fill out, address, stamp, and SEND OUT Christmas cards.
020. Strip and restain small living room table.
021. Strip and restain bedroom furniture.
022. Plant and maintain a veggie/fruit garden for one gardening season.
023. Learn how to can.
024. Learn how to fry chicken.
025. Update will.
026. Pay off van.
027. Set up monthly menu plan. Use menu/shopping plan consistently for 12 weeks. (0/12)

Travel
028. Maria Laach
029. Lake Constance
030. Black Forest
031. Koln (Cologne)
032. Paris
033. Keukenhof
034. Switzerland
035. Lichtenstein
036. Take kids on train.
037. Take the kids on a boat.
038. Go on one trip with Jason only.
039. Go on one trip without Jason or the boys.
040. Plan and execute one monthly roadtrip for 6 months. (NOT included in this list.) (0/6)
041. One big travel idea based from next location. (Details to follow orders.)
042. Find a great family vacation spot to “rendezvous” with extended family members during
PCS. Make the necessary arrangements for that to happen on our end.

For Family
043. Get family portrait taken.
044. Find weekly activity for family. Do it once a week for 3 months.
045. Print out and send month pictures to family (at least M, D, E, G, & N) for 6 months. (0/6)
046. Send a letter or box to family (same list) once a month for 6 months. (0/6)
047. Make a special scrapbook for each boy to each's current age. (0/4)
048. Take boys to a movie once a month for 6 months. (0/6)
049. Help Jason, Sam, & Jake make their own 101/1001 lists. (1/3)
050. Make Jason’s quilt.
051. Write a story with the boys.
052. Find one activity that interests each kid. Get them involved. (0/4)
053. Make volcano with the kids.
054. Read Madeleine L'Engle's "Time" quintet with the boys. (0/5)
055. Teach all kids to ride bike.
056. Teach all kids to roller skate.
057. Go to a zoo at least once a year. (0/3)
058. Take the kids to an aquarium.

Important for Me
059. Finish last 3 classes to complete AA. (1/3)
060. Find school for BA/BS. Apply and start.
061. Leave the house at least 3 times a week for 4 weeks. (Yard/walks with kids don’t count.) (12/12)
062. Talk to one stranger a day for a week. (7/7)
063. Stop cussing for one week. (Seven days.) Establish a “cuss jar” to pay a penalty for each
swear word. (Amount dependent on word.) Kids get to decide what to do with the money.

Health/Fitness
064. Exercise 3 times a week for 6 weeks. (0/18)
065. Exercise 5 times a week for 6 weeks. (0/30)
066. Get a pedometer. Walk 10K steps a day for 30 days. (0/30)
067. Be able to “walk” 2 miles in less than 30 minutes.
068. Be able to finish running 2 miles without walking.
069. Walk/run a 5K with Sam and Jake.
070. Climb a rock wall.
071. Cook one vegetarian meal a week for 6 weeks. (0/6)
072. Eat breakfast every day for 6 weeks.(0/42)
073. Take a multivitamin every day for 30 days. (0/30)
074. Go see Dr. V for PCOS follow-up.
075. Drink 64 oz. water every day for 6 weeks. (0/42)
076. Go 30 days with no fast food. (To include pizza that is not homemade!) (12/30) 1.24.10
077. Lose at least 50 lbs. Keep it off. (0/50)

After the Move
078. Set up and use household binder.
079. Set up new monthly budget. Follow for 6 months. (0/6)
080. Find Zander a pre-school. Enroll him.
081. Paint walls in home a color OTHER THAN white.

Just for Giggles
082. Complete 365 photo project. Document via separate blog.
083. Get flute repaired.
084. Take a pottery class.
085. Take a yoga class.
086. Submit a funny “blurb” to RD.
087. Update calmcrazy blog at least 3 times a week for 12 weeks. (0/36)
088. Take a quilting class.
089. Decide on design for at least one tattoo. Get it.
090. Send a postcard to PostSecret.
091. Bake a cake from scratch.
092. Go to a concert.
093. Get an iPod (or equivalent). Load at least 100 songs that I like into it. (1/100)
094. Get a “current” cell phone.
095. Learn how to text.
096. Grow hair past shoulders again.
097. Get a manicure.
098. Get a pedicure.
099. Enter and “win” NaNoWriMo.
100. Enter one photo in a photography contest.
101. Plant a blueberry bush.