Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to meeeeee! Today is my 31st birthday and you can absolutely tell I am officially in my 30's by how I've chosen to spend my week. Since we're saving up for a minivan, we won't be taking a vacation this year. I decided the best use of my vacation time would be to take a birthday Stay-cation and do all of the house projects that I never have the time for.
So, all this week I've been dropping the boys off at daycare and returning home to clean out my basement and garage, scrub all my floors, do some painting, study for my upcoming test- all of the things that I never have the time to do as a full-time working mom. And let me tell you, it's been glorious.
I know that with young kids, you have to lower your expectations for the cleanliness level of your home, but the truth is- I like a clean house. A chaotic, messy house = a chaotic, messy mind for me. So while it probably doesn't sound very exciting to most- it's been a huge blessing to me!
Since today is the day I turn the big 3-1, I figured it was a good time to check in on my 32 Before 32 goals:
1. Take an international trip
2. Host a foreign exchange student
3. Pay off a student loan
4. Return to work full-time | COMPLETE! (June 4, 2018)
5. Visit a new state
6. Convert attic to a fourth bedroom | IN PROGRESS! This is literally happening as we speak. Part of my Stay-cation goals were to have our handyman friend Dale finally install a window in our spare, attic room as a bedroom for Charlie. He finished all the exterior work, and is now working on the interior. I have such a cute vision for this space and I can't wait to share it when it's finished! You can see "before" pictures of the room here.
7. Take an anniversary trip | COMPLETE! (September 1, 2018)
8. Adopt a four-legged friend
9. Run a half marathon | IN PROGRESS! As you may or may not remember, I was supposed to run my first half marathon last summer. Due to circumstances outside of my control, I had to cancel the marathon in order to work at our local Farmers' Market. Thankfully, I was able to defer my registration until this year, so training has begun for my Half Marathon in July (and by training I mean I've gone out for one three-mile run. Wish me luck!)
10. Replace our back porch
11. Visit Frankie's grave
12. Attend a cooking class
13. Pay off all credit cards (2/3) | IN PROGRESS Our last credit card will be paid off next month, which means our family will have ZERO DOLLARS in credit card debt. This also may not seem like a big deal to some people, but this will be the first time this has happened in our married life and we have no desire to go back to our impulsive, debt-filled days!
14. Renovate our kitchen
15. Get a fourth tattoo
16. Take a family camping trip
17. Update my wardrobe | IN PROGRESS Since starting at my current job back in June, I've been slowly using Stitch Fix to upgrade my lacking professional wardrobe. I generally only get 1-2 new pieces per month so it's been a slow and steady journey to creating a closet fit for a grown-up!
18. Add a railing to our front porch | COMPLETE! (October 23, 2018)
19. Try 10 new restaurants (2/10) IN PROGRESS | We really haven't done much eating out in the last year. I think there's things, especially house things, that we'd rather spend our money on.
20. Enroll Charlie in preschool | COMPLETE! (June 2018) He graduates next month!
21. Landscape our front yard
22. Meet a blogging friend
23. Plan something for Chuck's 30th birthday | COMPLETE! (April 15, 2019) Chuck celebrated his 30th birthday last week by taking a weekend trip to visit his sister in Kansas City, MO. It required very little planning on my part, but it was what he wanted, so we were both happy. On his actual birthday, I picked up a Chocolate Peanut Butter cake from a cute little bakery that recently opened in our town and had pizza delivered. It was a low-key, simple way to celebrate my low-key, simple man!
24. Purchase a minivan | IN PROGRESS Saving, saving, saving! We're nowhere near close to where we want to be, but we're working on it!
25. Take a photography class | COMPLETE! (January 2019) Our family photographer offered an Intro to Photography class and I was so excited to kick off the new year by completing an item on my bucket list. It wound up being just the two of us and I was so appreciative of the time we spent together. I haven't had much time to practice, but at the very least, I can now take pictures in manual mode!
26. Pay off all medical bills from Crosby's birth (1/3) IN PROGRESS We are so stinkin' close to being paid off- just in time for Crosby's third birthday... *eyeroll*
27. Run a race in 3 different states (0/3)
28. Visit the American Sign Museum
29. Paint and finish decorating our master bedroom IN PROGRESS | It's pretty much done after I painted it last August, but it does need some new curtains. Once I get those hung up, I'll hopefully get around to sharing on the blog!
30. Take the boys to an amusement park
31. Visit Old Man's Cave in Hocking Hills
32. Attend a concert | COMPLETE! (July 13, 2018)
Honestly, I've accomplished more than I anticipated I would. Not a bad way to spend the first year of my 30's!
So, all this week I've been dropping the boys off at daycare and returning home to clean out my basement and garage, scrub all my floors, do some painting, study for my upcoming test- all of the things that I never have the time to do as a full-time working mom. And let me tell you, it's been glorious.
I know that with young kids, you have to lower your expectations for the cleanliness level of your home, but the truth is- I like a clean house. A chaotic, messy house = a chaotic, messy mind for me. So while it probably doesn't sound very exciting to most- it's been a huge blessing to me!
Since today is the day I turn the big 3-1, I figured it was a good time to check in on my 32 Before 32 goals:
32 Before 32: A 2-Year Bucket List
1. Take an international trip
2. Host a foreign exchange student
3. Pay off a student loan
5. Visit a new state
6. Convert attic to a fourth bedroom | IN PROGRESS! This is literally happening as we speak. Part of my Stay-cation goals were to have our handyman friend Dale finally install a window in our spare, attic room as a bedroom for Charlie. He finished all the exterior work, and is now working on the interior. I have such a cute vision for this space and I can't wait to share it when it's finished! You can see "before" pictures of the room here.
 |
| This is what my driveway looked like on Monday! |
7
9. Run a half marathon | IN PROGRESS! As you may or may not remember, I was supposed to run my first half marathon last summer. Due to circumstances outside of my control, I had to cancel the marathon in order to work at our local Farmers' Market. Thankfully, I was able to defer my registration until this year, so training has begun for my Half Marathon in July (and by training I mean I've gone out for one three-mile run. Wish me luck!)
10. Replace our back porch
11. Visit Frankie's grave
12. Attend a cooking class
13. Pay off all credit cards (2/3) | IN PROGRESS Our last credit card will be paid off next month, which means our family will have ZERO DOLLARS in credit card debt. This also may not seem like a big deal to some people, but this will be the first time this has happened in our married life and we have no desire to go back to our impulsive, debt-filled days!
14. Renovate our kitchen
15. Get a fourth tattoo
16. Take a family camping trip
17. Update my wardrobe | IN PROGRESS Since starting at my current job back in June, I've been slowly using Stitch Fix to upgrade my lacking professional wardrobe. I generally only get 1-2 new pieces per month so it's been a slow and steady journey to creating a closet fit for a grown-up!
19. Try 10 new restaurants (2/10) IN PROGRESS | We really haven't done much eating out in the last year. I think there's things, especially house things, that we'd rather spend our money on.
21. Landscape our front yard
22. Meet a blogging friend
24. Purchase a minivan | IN PROGRESS Saving, saving, saving! We're nowhere near close to where we want to be, but we're working on it!
26. Pay off all medical bills from Crosby's birth (1/3) IN PROGRESS We are so stinkin' close to being paid off- just in time for Crosby's third birthday... *eyeroll*
27. Run a race in 3 different states (0/3)
28. Visit the American Sign Museum
29. Paint and finish decorating our master bedroom IN PROGRESS | It's pretty much done after I painted it last August, but it does need some new curtains. Once I get those hung up, I'll hopefully get around to sharing on the blog!
30. Take the boys to an amusement park
31. Visit Old Man's Cave in Hocking Hills
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