I Heart Faces Challenge: Smile

Zander is our "cheesy grin" child; most photos of him involve eyes squeezed close or mouth wide open. This was a spur-of-the-moment shot over the side of a wall I captured while he was exploring. I somehow managed to catch his "real" smile: a beautiful, relaxed curve of the lips. This is the precious face I will remember when he's grown with children of his own.

This week I Heart Faces is celebrating their 2nd birthday! (Happy "birthday" guys!) Head over to check out this week's challengers.

**My apologies to the usual crowd for posting this picture again. I needed it to be in a post all its own in order for the picture to qualify. This effectively checks off one of my 101/1001 projects! Yay!**

101/1001: first year update (edit)

October 13th is my very favorite day of the year. It has been for as long as I can remember. It's not my birthday or our anniversary. Nothing particularly exciting has ever happened to me on that date. I just like it. If I was absolutely forced to pick a reason I would say that it's because October is my favorite month (it is!) and that 13 is my favorite number (this is also true); I don't really think that is why it's my favorite day, but we'll go with that.

And that is the grand reason why I picked October 13th of 2009 as the official start of my 101 in 1001 project. I have not done a great job of updating my progress over the year, which is probably why I am running way behind on getting things done. I have only completed 17 items from my list. That is not even 1% of my list; I have already used up 35% of my time! Argh!

*Ahem. I just realized that I have made a mathematical error here. So I am editing to say that I have completed 16% of my list. That's what I get for using a calculator to figure out something I could have done in my head. I think I must have input "1001" instead of 101 there. Oops. Please don't tell my kids.*

Here are some of my completed goals:

Ready all the rooms for the big move. I actually made it through everything before the movers arrived. We have tons of organizing to do on this end, but we left everything we didn't want to keep in Germany. It did not get dragged back to the states with us. Yay!

Several travel goals. We were unable to make a couple of our planned trips (not a surprise at all) but we did get in several at the last minute. Mainau Island on Lake Constance was just as beautiful as we could have hoped. Paris was more fun than I ever would have imagined. Keukenhof Gardens was probably our favorite location in all of Europe. And Lichtenstein, our very last trip before the move, was a fun treat for the kids.

Take the kids to an aquarium. I already told you all about our trip to the National Aquarium in Baltimore. So much fun!

Get a "current" cell phone. Oh my! So different! I'll go into this a little further in another post.

Learn how to text. With the new phone, this is not near as difficult as I would have thought. Now if I can just figure out how to integrate everything. I'm getting there. Of course, living out in the boonies means that I can only text when we "go into town." (Ha ha! I love saying that.) This is probably a good thing. Texting is ridiculously addicting.

And yeah. That's my grand update. I'm getting ready to really buckle down on a bunch of these, though. There were quite a few of these that I knew would have to wait until our return to the states. Now that we are here I am out of excuses! I should be able to knock out a chunk of these over the next few months. In fact, I am already working on several!

Anyone else doing the 101/1001? How is it coming along? If you aren't, what is one thing that you'd like to accomplish in the next year?

DayTrip: Mainau, Germany

Jason took a few weeks of leave in April. We did a lot of housework and prep for the move but we managed to have a little fun too. We planned and managed to take two trips during our little family vacation time. It was beyond spectacular to spend all that time together. We had so much fun!

Our first trip took us all the way down to where Germany butts up against Switzerland and Austria. In that small area there is a very big lake. Here in Europe it is frequently referred to as "Bodensee"; however, Americans generally know it as "Lake Constance." We didn't have time to see the entire area so we decide to make a one day trip to the island of Mainau. It was gorgeous! (This trip also managed to mark off one of the travel goals I have set in my 101 Project.)

This first picture was taken just as we crossed the bridge onto the island. The water was so crystal clear. I don't think I've ever seen such clean water.

Here's Jason with the welcoming flower which greets you at the park opening. I'm guessing that this display changes from time to time. It was so funny to come around the corner and see this cheerful flower and its smiling face. The kids really enjoyed it.

The island is home to a huge variety of flowers, bushes, and trees. They even have a few sequoias. Here are Izzy and I with one of them. I guess we'll be seeing some more of these in the nearish future.
Sam spotted this tree and instantly just had to have his picture with it. About 30 seconds after I shot this picture he realized there were bees in the tree. Sam has had a rather intense fear of bees since getting stung last summer. Needless to say, we didn't get any more pictures after that.
Jake really loved this trip. He's very cooperative about getting his picture taken (for the most part) but we usually get this funny little closed-mouth smile when he knows the camera is pointing in his general direction. It was nice to get a big old grin for once!

Zander has been to several parks and whatnot where there were flowers growing, but never quite this many and never without being in a stroller. We spent a lot of the day swooping down on him as he attempted to pick every flower in the park. It was an interesting experience! Here he is with a beautiful bed of daffodils near the front of the park.

One of the neatest things about Mainau is the butterfly house that is in the middle of the park. It is supposed to be the biggest butterfly house in Germany and it has a TON of butterflies! Just for fair warning, it is hot in there. If you go to Mainau in the summer I'm not sure that you'll have as enjoyable experience in there as we did, but it was great the day we went. You shouldn't have any trouble spotting the butterflies, but there are several of these "feeding stations" scattered throughout the place. It sure does make it easier to snap a few pictures!

The whole place is set up like a little tropical forest, with all sorts of plants and flowers. There is a stream that runs across the path at one point (just a small amount of water) and a waterfall too. Here are the three older boys in a small "cave" in the butterfly house, underneath the waterfall. If you look through the water you can make out a bridge across the way. The platform in the water is covered in turtles.

In the kids' section of the park there is a small pond where ducks and fish live. I thought I would throw this picture in just to show how very clear the water was. No murk, whatsoever. And one really, really big fish! That thing was nearly the length of my entire arm.

The park was very family friendly, although it didn't appear that we were allowed to take our own food in for a picnic. That is pretty unusual for Germany. We took our backpack carrier that day because we weren't sure the place was stroller-friendly or not; it was! (The butterfly house isn't, but the rest of the park definitely is. You could leave your stroller outside the butterfly house if you took your valuables with you.) A backpack carrier works pretty well, though! Izzy spent most of the day in his and he was pretty happy. See?

101 update, aka "back in the saddle"

Okay! I'm picking up all my discarded reins here. (Is it bad that I just had to double-check that I didn't want to use "reigns" there? Ugh!) Here is a quick update on my Project 101 stats.

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.

In the area of prepping for the move, I am still pink on everything. No red just yet. Boo! I have finished a few areas within these bullets, however. For example, I have gone through all the baby clothes in the basement and I have consolidated all my recipes into one recipe box in the kitchen. Those were both pretty big tasks, so I'm quite proud of myself! I see a lot of headway being made in this area over the next couple of months. I am hoping to have the kitchen and basement done this month.

019. Buy, fill out, address, stamp, and SEND OUT Christmas cards.

Yes, I understand how truly sad this is. I am still going to send them out, though. I never said that the cards had to be sent out before Christmas, so even if they don't go out until June I still consider it a win. Yeah, I might have left that part out on purpose. So what?

054. Read Madeleine L'Engle's "Time" quintet with the boys. (0/5)

The boys got these books for Christmas. We'll start these up soon. Not sure when just yet.

059. Finish last 3 classes to complete AA. (1/3)

This is a small source of frustration for me. I enrolled in two classes last term, with the understanding that it would leave me one class short of my AA. The plan was to then CLEP that class before we left here. Unfortunately, the school screwed up. Halfway through the term (when it was really too late to drop the class without a penalty and long after I could have transferred over to a more fitting class), I was told that my writing course did not count toward my AA degree plan. When I first enrolled I was told differently. I can use it later, so it's not a complete loss, but it certainly derailed my short term plans. Oh well. I'll just finish the AA up when we get to our next duty station.

060. Find school for BA/BS. Apply and start.

I haven't marked this one yet, but I have started looking for a school at our next possible duty stations. (More on that later.) I have been relatively successful in finding programs near each location, which both surprises and delights me.

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)

I was going to give these a post of their own, but I changed my mind. If you don't know me (well) in real life you might wonder what on earth those two are doing on a list like this. I have an anxiety disorder which I have struggled with for years. Germany has been really rough on me at times because of it. I have to make a concerted effort to leave the house...otherwise I will just stay at home. Putting it on the list was my way of trying to bring the issue up into my every day thoughts. Last summer Jason and I went to the BX one day and he brought it to my attention that I hadn't left our house/yard in over two weeks. That made me realize that I spend a lot of time making excuses in my head as to why I don't need to leave the house when the real underlying reason is my anxiety.

076. Go 30 days with no fast food. (To include pizza that is not homemade!) (12/30) 1.24.10

I am in the midst of this now. It's actually not bad, although we are missing the weekly family pizza night. Next week we are going to start trying to make homemade pizza (including the crust!) on Friday nights.

082. Complete 365 photo project. Document via separate blog.

I am getting this back up and running soon. I may make some changes to it, though. Certainly the blog will have a new official "start date."

093. Get an iPod (or equivalent). Load at least 100 songs that I like into it. (1/100)

Jason got me an iPod for my birthday, so I'm starting to load up the songs. The first one is a Black-Eyed Peas song. I don't ordinarily go for Black-Eyed Peas (I absolutely loathe the Lady Lumps song) but Zander, Izzy, and I love the "Feels Like a Good Night" song. It is so much fun to "dance" with them to it.

And there you have it. The CalmCrazy 101 January Wrap-up. In February. Oops!

happy new year...and stuff

It has been super-quiet here at the old blog lately. Jason has been home and we've been enjoying some serious family time. We didn't really go anywhere, but we did all sorts of fun stuff around the house: mock gingerbread houses, salt dough ornaments, paper snowflakes, Christmas cookies, a ton of Wii playing, movies out the wazoo, and a whole lot more. I honestly did try to upload and post some of these activities; I just didn't have the time to go through the entire process. (Have I ever whined about the internet speed here? Yeah, it's bad.)

In addition to all that I have hit major "we're moving" mode. I have started cleaning out the basement of alllll of our unneeded baby items. If you are here in Germany you are probably familiar with the RYS site. If you aren't, it is a good place to get used (and sometimes new) items at (most of the time) reasonable prices. (No, I am not getting anything for saying that. Take that FTC.) In addition to the four Rubbermaid totes and various "big ticket" baby items I have photographed and posted, we have also taken 15 bags of children's clothes to the donation station here in the village. I knew we had a lot of stuff but holy moly! I'm afraid for when I start the toys. It's going to be ugly.

This will probably be another light week on the posting front. I have a couple major projects due in my classes and I've let myself get a little behind. I have to get cracking! I have started another blog however, and I want to put it out here. It's for my 365 Project (which is, of course, part of my 101 project). There won't be a lot of words going on over there; it's mostly just pictures. The goal is to have daily pictures, though. It will be interesting to see how that goes!

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year. I cannot believe that 2010 is finally here! This is going to be such a huge year.

the one month 101 update

It's been a little over a month since I started the 101/1001 challenge. I thought I was about due for an update. So here goes! I have completed exactly squat! That's right, nothing.

If I were to give any advice to someone who was thinking about starting this challenge I would suggest getting a good mix of short and long term goals. I did not do a very good job of that. So while it seems that I have completely stopped working on this project, I haven't. I just haven't gotten to a finishing point on anything. Here is a list of the items I am currently working on:

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.

All of the above items will likely not be complete until April at the very earliest even though I do a little bit nearly every day. I've made a list of all the 220v appliances that need to be sold (plus bought new when we get back to the states!) but that's as far as I can go with that. We have already determined much of what will not be going back to the states with us when we leave here. It's just a long process! If you've moved overseas you understand. If you haven't then count your blessings. (Ha ha...just kidding.)

019. Buy, fill out, address, stamp, and SEND OUT Christmas cards.

Okay, this one is bad. I have been absolutely horrible about Christmas cards ever since we got to Germany. I think I've gotten them mailed out on time twice but it could have been just once. I have them. I just haven't gotten any further than that. Must.complete.soon.

031. Koln (Cologne) Christmas Market

This one will get done in the next couple of weeks. We just need a break in Jason's work schedule. It will get its own post when we do make it. (Note that positive attitude...it's got to count for something!)

049. Help Jason, Sam, & Jake make their own 101/1001 lists. (1/3)

Sam is the only one who has completed his list. Jake has repeatedly asked me for help with his and I keep putting him off. Jason was supposed to work on his while he was in San Antonio. I know he thought about it because he asked me a couple of questions; I just don't know what the current status is.

059. Finish last 3 classes to complete AA. (0/3)

You know I am knee deep in two of these classes right now. So far so good. I just need to keep pushing through for another few weeks. The last class I will need is a math class. I'm not sure how I'm going to get that in just yet but I'll get it figured out.

061. Leave the house at least 3 times a week for 4 weeks. (Yard/walks with kids don’t count.) (9/12)

Almost done with this one. If you don't know me in real life this one is probably a little on the odd side. I'll explain when I get it done. Just one more week to go!

087. Update calmcrazy blog at least 3 times a week for 12 weeks. (0/36)

Groan! I had to restart this one. I was doing great until Jason came home and then I just lost it. So now I have to start all over again.

099. Enter and “win” NaNoWriMo.

You know, I don't know if I'm going to "win" this year. I'm not even sure it should count if I do make my word count. I'm working on it, though. Either way it's a win for me. I have learned so much from NaNo and I am so very glad I started it. I fully intend to enter again next year--with a for "real" novel!

So that is my update. I haven't forgotten or fallen off the wagon or whatever. I'm chugging along, trying to get things done. Anyone else working on this thing? How are you doing?

perhaps a smaller bite would have sufficed

When I was younger I spent much of my time writing. I wrote for entertainment. I wrote for joy. I wrote for escape. I have oodles of stories downstairs in the basement; ragged spiral notebooks and pages of peach and turquoise loose leaf paper filled to varying capacities of completeness. I spent so much time in the make-believe worlds of my youth that the memories of some of the characters from my stories seem more real to me than do some of the friends I had at the time.

I was pretty good at it too, the whole "writing thing". The mechanics of writing always came easy to me. My grammar was never perfect (although it was better then than it is now) but the errors were minor. I was involved in any and every writing activity I could find in high school. I entered a lot of writing contests my Junior and Senior years and did very well. I may not have always come away with top honors but I always placed. I was proud of that.

I am not sure when I quit exactly. I remember trying to sit down and write a handful of times after Sam was born but it just didn't go anywhere. The notebooks and papers were gradually shuffled from the top of the desk, to a drawer, to a box. Each move saw them shift a little further from the forefront of my mind. I started doing a lot of technical-type writing at work and writing started to seem like a chore. I nearly forgot that I had once enjoyed it. It's only been these last couple of years that I've wanted to write again. I am rusty. My grammar leaves much to be desired and I am still searching for my voice, but I'm getting a little better about writing on a consistent basis. It is definitely something I would like to get back into.

In an effort to accomplish this, one of my 101 goals (see #99) is to enter and "win" the NaNoWriMo. It's a yearly challenge for writers to take the month of November and use it to just write. The goal is to finish a small novel, good or bad, of at least 175 pages (roughly 50,000 words) by midnight on November 30th. It is a daunting, yet attainable, goal. The "win" is simply the successful completion of your goal. That's it. The plot can stink to high heaven, the characters can be wooden and completely unbelievable...the point is just to finish the story.

Due to my official 101 start date I only get two shots at this thing before my 1001 days is over. So I've signed up and plan to start writing...have you noticed that November starts on Sunday? As in, this Sunday? I'm a little freaked out. I still don't know what my story is going to be about. I don't know if my main character (characters?) is going to be male or female or even human. To make my goal I need to write about 1667 words a day. I feel like I'm starting at a severe disadvantage if I can't get at least the skeletal outline of the story figured out before the official start date.

I used to write that way when I was younger; I would sit down at the table and scribble into my notebook for 10 pages at a time, never knowing from one paragraph to the next what was going to happen. I don't think I can do that now. I was very idealistic and fantasy-based (for lack of a better word) back then. I tend to be more realistic and process thoughts in a more linear fashion now. The idea of sitting down and writing something with no pre-thought put into it is nearly enough to give me hives. And yet I am running out of time! That may be just what I end up doing. Talk about leaving your comfort zone.

Have I mentioned that Jason leaves for a conference this month? I get to play single parent for a couple weeks. And, oh yeah! I'm starting back to school on the 9th. Methinks there are going to be some late nights in my near future. Is it times like these that make people start drinking coffee?

If you write, how do you do it? Are you a "by the seat of your pants" kind of writer? Do you plan? If writing is not your thing, what is something you did when you were younger that you still do or want to do now? Has your approach changed over time?

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.