What Do You Do For Fun?

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The chapter I'm reading this month from The Happiness Project is all about play and having fun.  So for the June goals in my own happiness project, I started thinking about what I like to do for fun.  I realized that there are several (and probably even more) types of fun.

1) Some things are fun for what you get out of it.  Like reading the classics.  Personally, I did not actually enjoy reading Anna Karenina.  But I like knowing that I have read it, which makes it fun now.  So that's not exactly pure fun; it's more of a fun-because-it's-done kind of fun.

2) Other things are fun as a whole, but may include certain steps that aren't fun.  I love having a blog and that is something that is definitely fun for me.  But when I'm struggling with good lighting and can't get the exact shot I want, it's frustrating in that moment, instead of fun.  

3) And then there's just pure, easy fun.  And that is the kind of fun that I want to focus on this month.  Things that I want to do just because I want to do them; not because they are beneficial or I feel obligated to do them for any reason.

When I was trying to figure out what things I enjoy purely because they are relaxing or fun, I kept coming back to this quote from The Happiness Project: "What you enjoyed as a ten-year-old is probably something you'd enjoy now."  So I thought about that, and I came up with a pretty short list of things I liked doing when I was 10:  reading, coloring, cutting pretty things out of magazines, and baking chocolate chip cookies.

And that is how I came up with my "goals" for June:

1. Read books for fun.  I have a stack of books that I know I should read, but this month I'm setting those aside for just fun books.

2. Color.  I've always found coloring a wonderful stress-reliever, and I think it's because it produces nothing and benefits no one - it's just fun and relaxing.  So I want to bust out my old coloring books and crayons.

3. Get back on Pinterest.  I haven't been on Pinterest much lately, but I really do enjoy finding pretty things and filing away fun ideas that I find.

4. Try a new chocolate chip cookie recipe.  When I was 10 my best friends and I would make chocolate chip cookies all the time.  It's refreshing sometimes to make something as simple and basic as chocolate chip cookies.

So what do you do for fun?  What did you do for fun when you were a ten-year-old?

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April & May Goals Recap

Roses in our backyard

I decided to extend my April goals into May because they were things that I still wanted to be working on!  So here's a recap of my goals and some pictures of life the past couple months in an effort to keep #2:

Strawberry picking in April

1. Enjoy the process:  this was the biggest goal I had for April & May, mostly because we bought a house!  I have really wanted to enjoy all of it - wrapping up the details before closing, packing up, moving, unpacking, and settling in.  It has definitely been a HUGE job, but I think I have enjoyed it for the most part!  We've officially owned our house for a month, but it feels like so much longer because every day has been SO busy.  This week has been the first week that we've been able to come home from work and just be.  We've been grilling out and eating outside and it has been so wonderful.

2. Take more pictures along the way:  I have been doing this, but I think I could do better...  I've been trying to do more weekend recaps (here, here, here, & here), even if we don't do anything super notable.  I want to remember the little things along the way; I started blogging so I could keep a fun record of our life so I need to make sure I stay on top of this!  I also took a picture of every room in our house before we moved in, so that I'll have pictures of each step along the way as we paint and decorate :)

Visiting Baby Mason in the hospital!  He was born April 13

3. Make time for more fun projects:  this has definitely been the most challenging to accomplish.  For so many weeks the goal was to unpack things so we could actually move around in our house, so fun projects got pushed to the side.  I have done some cooking for fun though - which is much more enjoyable in my new kitchen!  My favorites have been freckled lemonade & strawberry ice cream.  I also made a bourbon banana bread pudding (similar recipe here). Sounds delicious, right?  It did actually taste good, but I found out I don't like bread pudding because I just can't handle the mushy consistency (blech).

Our final walk-through the day before we bought the house!

So I'm going to keep plugging along with trying to enjoy the process (and taking pictures along the way) - even if it means enjoying stripping wallpaper and painting every day for a week straight - because this is life and it's full and I'm so thankful to be doing it all with Caleb!

April: Lighten Up

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So here it is a third of the way through April and I'm just now getting around to posting my goals!  And that's okay because this month's chapter in The Happiness Project is about lightening up!  Gretchen Rubin really focused on parenthood and trying to keep a light and happy household. Obviously there are no little ones running around this house, so my goals are more about slowing down and loving right now.

1. Enjoy the process.  I am so goal-oriented that I find myself wanting to hurry through tasks so I can check things off my never-ending to-do list.  This means that I rarely actually enjoy what I'm doing!  Pathetic, I know.  Two things that come to mind right away are cooking and shopping.  I want to take my time and just cook or bake some things for fun!  And I'm really terrible at enjoying shopping.  I walk in a store, take about 30 seconds to sweep a glance over all the racks, and if nothing catches my eye I leave.  I want to take my time and really look through things, even if it means I look through a bunch of stuff and don't end up getting anything.

2. Take more pictures along the way.  This kind of goes along with #1.  Stopping and taking pictures will force me to slow down, soak in the moment, and enjoy whatever I'm doing, instead of just rushing through it.  Plus having more pictures of the little moments along the way will make me happier in the long run :)

3. Make time for more fun projects.  I haven't been making time for creative and fun projects lately, because I'm trying to do too many other things that I think are more "important".  Example: last night when I got home from work I really wanted to do this craft I've been waiting to do all week.  Instead I felt like I should fold the four loads of clean laundry first.  And then make dinner.  And run some errands.  And then I never got around to it!  I don't want to totally neglect our house and my responsibilities, but I think I need to let some things go and make time for fun projects, too.

Have you made any new goals lately?  Are you good at slowing down and enjoying the moment?

P.S. You can see the rest of my posts on The Happiness Project here!

March Goals & Life Update

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Wow we're already into April!  I need to review my goals from March.  I had just a few and they were all about work:

1. Learn my new job:  I love my job!  I really feel like I've gotten into a good rhythm at work.  I've loved learning a new field and have really enjoyed being challenged again.  I look forward to going into work each day and am so thankful for that!

2. Manage my time well:  the first couple of weeks this was a challenge, but I juggled things around and think I have a good schedule down now.  My day is super structured now, which I like, because it ensures that I get the things done that I want to.  There are evenings that I don't finish my blog post for the next day, but I've come to realize that's okay.  

3. Get to know my co-workers:  I LOVE the people I work with!  I'm so blessed to be in the office that I am.  Everyone gets along, there's no drama or gossip, and I truly enjoy my co-workers.  

Overall I am SO happy with my new job and schedule!  Caleb says I'm much happier now that I've been working.  It's nice to get out of the house and interact with people instead of working by myself at home all the time.  I don't miss my old job at all, which is a surprise to me since I had done it for so long.  In other news, this past weekend we went to my in-laws to spend time with Caleb's family.  It was the first time we had all been together in almost six months!  We got to meet our new niece (first grandbaby on Caleb's side!) and celebrate my sister-in-law's engagement.  It was a full weekend after a busy week at work last week, so I feel like I'm still recovering and catching up on sleep!


Giveaway update:  the winner of the OXO food scale is Jillian M.!  Jillian, email me your mailing address so I can get your scale to you!  Thanks for playing everyone :)

March: Aim Higher

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I can't believe it's already March!  Where is 2012 going?!  I'm plugging right along through my happiness project and it's time to make my goals for March!

The March chapter in The Happiness Project is all about work, which is quite appropriate because I started a new job on Monday!  It's going well so far and I think I'm really going to like it.  Yesterday was my last day of my other job, so the beginning of this week was really busy trying to juggle both jobs!  It will be nice to be able to focus entirely on my new job and get used to that adjustment.  My goals for March are:

1. Learn my new job, obviously.  This is an entirely new field of work for me so I have a lot to learn.  I had been doing my other job for six years, so it's been a while since I've had to start fresh and learn a new company, etc.  I do love learning new things and I like a challenge, so I've enjoyed this big change.  I don't really know what specific goals to make yet since today is only day #4.  But I'm hoping that this month will be a month of learning and feeling comfortable with my new responsibilities.

2. Manage my time well.  I am used to working from home where I can juggle my work schedule between errands and making dinner and doing laundry.  Going into work and being in an office all day has been the biggest adjustment for me.  I need to re-figure my cooking, cleaning, keeping up with the house, and blogging schedules.  I don't want to give anything up so I'm going to need to use my time wisely and not waste any.

3. Get to know my co-workers.  I really like everyone I'm working with, which is such a blessing. I want to get to know them better and feel like I'm contributing to the positive work atmosphere we have going on.

February: How I Remembered Love

Time to check up on how I did with my February goals!  I loved that the focus of February was love and marriage; it coincided perfectly with all of that Valentine spirit in the air and also Caleb's birthday.  

Read The Excellent Wife:  I honestly haven't gotten very far, but I like what I've read.  One sentence at the beginning of the book caught my eye and I've been thinking about it since: "the husband should be the primary benefactor of his wife's time and energy, not the recipient of what may be left over at the end of the day".  After a really busy day, it's hard to make sure I'm still pouring energy into us!  I've been trying to consciously work on this.

Frame and hang our wedding vows: done!  I hung them on one of the walls in our bedroom, and I love having them there.  They are hanging across from our bed, so I love that I see them every night before I fall asleep and every morning when I wake up.  It's definitely helped me to be more conscious of the things that I've promised Caleb.  Caleb said he really likes that we have them hanging up now, too.  I highly recommend hanging your wedding vows where you can be reminded of them often!

A few other things I learned:

1. I was sick for almost three weeks February, which obviously sucked.  But it was so much harder to pour into my marriage and consider my spouse better than myself when I wasn't sleeping well and felt gross and couldn't breathe.  I already know that I am so selfish, but not feeling well reminded me that it really is a constant battle to fight that selfishness and put Caleb's wants and needs first. 

2. I need to write Caleb more notes.  We were long distance when we were dating and engaged, and I wrote Caleb letters all the time then, but since we've been married I haven't been doing it as much.  Caleb absolutely loves loves reading notes from me; his Valentine card and his birthday card are still out because he loves re-reading them.  I need to make the time to put in words how thankful I am for him!

February: Remember Love

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The February chapter in The Happiness Project is all about marriage and loving well.  Basically the overall goal is to be a better wife, which is quite impossible to achieve in one month since it's something I'll be working at every day, all day, for the rest of my life.  Needless to say, I've had a hard time coming up with measurable goals for this month. Loving Caleb better means I need to be less selfish, more considerate, less demanding, more understanding, more patient, etc.  I don't think putting all of these things in a big list and labeling it goals would be very helpful; I already know I need to work on them.  Instead I've thought of a just a couple of practical things to do to keep me focused on being a better wife to Caleb. 

1. Read The Excellent Wife.  My sister recommended this book to me a while ago and it's been sitting on my bookshelf ever since.  I'm going to set aside time each day to go through the book, really thinking about the areas that I need to work on in order to be a better wife to Caleb.

2. Frame and hang our wedding vows.  I intended to do this right after we got married, but have never done it. We wrote our own vows, and I think hanging them up where we see them all the time is a great way to be reminded of what we promised each other.

How do you work on loving your significant other better?

January: What Boosted My Energy

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I'm blogging about my monthly goals to help keep me accountable, so it's time to look at the goals I had for January!

As far as boosting my physical energy:
Decrease caffeine:  this was a struggle at first, but I only had coffee twice in January and I think my body has adjusted.  I love feeling energetic knowing it's not coming from my morning cup of coffee!  I think this one wins as far as what has boosted my physical energy the most.  I was pretty dependent on lots of caffeine.

Eat breakfast:  this has definitely helped me get through the morning working more productively.  I've also found that I don't eat a huge lunch trying to make up for not eating breakfast.

Start strength training:  I haven't done that well with this one.  I bought a kettle bell and have done it some mornings, but I need to do it more consistently.  (side note: the people who live below us complained that we've been "consistently stomping and throwing things".  We don't stomp or throw things, so the only thing I can figure is they must have heard me doing my jumping jacks with the workout video - whoops!)

Take more walks:  it rained a lot this month, but I did make a bigger effort to get outside when it was nice and walk a little bit.  I did help me refocus and gave me a little energy burst.

Boosting my mental energy:
Make a list of nagging projects:  I had 8 things on my list and I've finished 5!  I can't even explain how wonderful it feels to cross these things off.  All 8 are things that I've been needing to do for a long time, and to finally be able to stop thinking about them and stop reminding myself to just do them feels amazing.  This was definitely the most rewarding goal of January!

Organize the pantry: done!  I found more expired food than I thought I had, and I can now see what's on all of the shelves.  It makes cooking dinner and making my grocery lists MUCH faster.

Tidy up before bed: this helps me get going on my day faster in the morning!  It's totally worth taking a few minutes at night to clean up the kitchen and put things away.

If something takes 5 minutes or less, do it now:  another super rewarding goal!  My email inbox has gotten down to ZERO!  Also our "dump zones" (kitchen counter and coffee table) have stayed cleared off because I'm dealing with mail, etc. right away instead of letting it pile up.

Get rid of unnecessary stuff:  I went through all of my stuff and found a lot to get rid of.  Some of it just needed to be thrown away, but clothes and shoes I'm donating to Goodwill.  Also, I found a bunch of unopened toiletries and cleaning products that are just extras, and these are great to donate to women's shelters.

I think focusing on energy and working towards these goals did make me feel happier.  I think this has more to do with the mental energy goals.  I'm not wasting time and energy thinking about the things I want to get done, but mostly I've eliminated many of the little things that were annoying me.

Have you made progress with your goals or resolutions for 2012?

Goals for 2012

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Happy New Year!  OK, I'm a few days late, but we have been out of town relaxing with family, not thinking about anything!  It feels good to be home, and I'm happy to be back to the blog world!

I love fresh starts, and January is one of my favorite times of the year because it is the ultimate fresh start!  After our time away and off of work, I feel super energized to stay on top of cleaning the house and eating healthily and tackling some projects I've been avoiding.  This brings me to my goals for 2012.

In making my goals for each year, I stay away from vague resolutions like "be healthy" and "get organized".  What does that even mean?  I want a goal that's clear and measurable so that I know exactly what steps I need to take to accomplish that goal.  Not only have I found that this mindset helps me actually meet those goals, it's also much more satisfying along the way.

1. Re-read and put into practice The Happiness Project.  I loved this book and have incorporated some of the principles and habits into my life and have found them very helpful.  Since the book is broken up into a chapter for each month of the year focusing on one area of life, it's basically a year plan of mini goals.  I will be posting about the goals I make each month for that specific area of my life, since I've found announcing it to the internet is a pretty strong source of accountability.

2. Buy a house.  This is our big family goal for the year.  We've started the process and it's exciting!

3. Make ingredients from scratch.  I want to do a better job of controlling our intake of preservatives and high fructose corn syrup, so I want to make some simple things from scratch.  I have a list in my head and will post about them as I make them throughout the year!

4. Get back into memorizing verses of the Bible.  I have fallen out of the practice of regularly memorizing verses, and I miss it.  I want to write them down in a notebook and carry them around in my purse with me.

5. Make cake pops.  This is my fun goal.  I've tried to make them before and utterly failed!  I want to make a perfect batch, meaning they actually stay on the stick, they don't crumble into the chocolate as I dip them, and they look pretty when I'm done!

So there are my goals for the year!  What are your goals for 2012?