On this last day of the month, I am taking a look at my February resolutions and evaluating my performance.
My first resolution was to finish the wrap that I am knitting for my Aunt Eula. Although I did not finish, I made significant progress and it is probably 90% complete. I say "probably" because I am still not sure how long I want it to be, but I can say that I am ever so close to having it done and it looks lovely.
Resolution #2 was to exercise for 30 minutes, three times each week and I came incredibly close to meeting that goal. Most often I walked but when the weather did not cooperate, I used exercise videos. Last week's winter break threw a wrench into my plans, but I am proud to say that I met my goal every other week. True geek that I am, I determined that three times a week in the month of February equaled 13, and I exercised 12 times.
So while I technically did not meet my goals, I am declaring success...I kept working at my goals and I came extremely close to meeting both of them. The point of setting goals/resolutions is to inspire me, and that is how I feel at the close of February: inspired to not give up just because I did not exactly reach my goals.
For March, I am going to keep the same two resolutions from February, and I am adding one more: stop snacking. I am a terrible snacker, particularly when I am cooking dinner; even though I know that I am making a delicious meal that will soon be served, I can't resist a snack here and there. I'm not talking about tasting the food that I am cooking, I am talking about eating foods totally unrelated to the meal being prepared.
Just so you know, I do not plan on adding a resolution each month - no way am I going to be keeping up with twelve by the end of 2012! I think three is a manageable number and I want to set myself up for success, not failure.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
Works in progress
Earlier this week in one of my online knitting groups, this question was posed: "What is the biggest project you’ve ever undertaken? Define big however you like." Most people responded with details of their knit or crochet project, but one person said, "The biggest project I’ve ever undertaken is the raising of my sons! Nothing much compares with that."
So true. Having Aidan and raising him to be a confident, smart, responsible, honest, kind, and [insert positive adjective of your choice here] person is by far the biggest, most difficult project I have ever undertaken. Parenting is hard work and there is no time off. And while certain aspects of the job have gotten easier as he has grown, other aspects have gotten much more complicated. And as Aidan has grown, I have grown in my role as a parent. I have learned over the years the better ways to handle situations, how to elicit better responses from Aidan when correcting behavior...I just need to learn to REMEMBER better.
Most of the time I can honestly say that I like Aidan - he is funny, smart, inquisitive and interesting. But there are times (several this week alone) when I wonder when the reasoning circuit in his brain will be complete so he can think through what he is doing and see the consequences ahead. I wonder when he will use his fantastic memory for more than Pokemon cards, Harry Potter books, and Nintendo 3DS games. I wonder when he will look beyond this moment and learn that delayed gratification may be better than doing something right now.
In knitting, we have WIPs, FOs and UFOs - Works In Progress, Finished Objects and UnFinished Objects. WIPs are just what you think they are, FOs are completed projects, and UFOs are projects that are not finished but are not actively being worked on. I like to think that both Aidan and I are WIPs, and that we both have a lot more work to do on ourselves and on our relationship.
So true. Having Aidan and raising him to be a confident, smart, responsible, honest, kind, and [insert positive adjective of your choice here] person is by far the biggest, most difficult project I have ever undertaken. Parenting is hard work and there is no time off. And while certain aspects of the job have gotten easier as he has grown, other aspects have gotten much more complicated. And as Aidan has grown, I have grown in my role as a parent. I have learned over the years the better ways to handle situations, how to elicit better responses from Aidan when correcting behavior...I just need to learn to REMEMBER better.
Most of the time I can honestly say that I like Aidan - he is funny, smart, inquisitive and interesting. But there are times (several this week alone) when I wonder when the reasoning circuit in his brain will be complete so he can think through what he is doing and see the consequences ahead. I wonder when he will use his fantastic memory for more than Pokemon cards, Harry Potter books, and Nintendo 3DS games. I wonder when he will look beyond this moment and learn that delayed gratification may be better than doing something right now.
In knitting, we have WIPs, FOs and UFOs - Works In Progress, Finished Objects and UnFinished Objects. WIPs are just what you think they are, FOs are completed projects, and UFOs are projects that are not finished but are not actively being worked on. I like to think that both Aidan and I are WIPs, and that we both have a lot more work to do on ourselves and on our relationship.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Solitary walk
It is winter break for most central New York school systems, so Aidan has the entire week off from school. He has been having a great time playing with friends, but today he is at Beaver Lake Nature Center's day camp. Last year when he went to winter day camp, he played in snow caves, cut ice from the lake and snowshoed. Not today! With temperatures well above freezing and only scant patches of snow on the ground, some other kind of fun will be in order.
After I dropped him off at 9 am, I decided to stay at the nature center and walk, rather than return to the village for my walk. When I walk around the village, I take my iPod and listen to the various podcasts that I download. But since I was away from traffic, I choose to forgo the iPod and just listen to the outdoor sounds. I walked two different trails, Deep Woods and Pine Meadow, for a total of 1.6 miles. I met several other solitary walkers but for the most part, it was just me and the creatures. Woodpeckers were hammering on trees (for what at this time of year?), squirrels and chipmunks were running around, chickadees were chattering and the crows, as usual, were in a royal snit about something. I enjoyed the fresh smell of the outdoors, the crispness of the air and my own thoughts.
It was a lovely way to start the day and a nice change of scenery.
After I dropped him off at 9 am, I decided to stay at the nature center and walk, rather than return to the village for my walk. When I walk around the village, I take my iPod and listen to the various podcasts that I download. But since I was away from traffic, I choose to forgo the iPod and just listen to the outdoor sounds. I walked two different trails, Deep Woods and Pine Meadow, for a total of 1.6 miles. I met several other solitary walkers but for the most part, it was just me and the creatures. Woodpeckers were hammering on trees (for what at this time of year?), squirrels and chipmunks were running around, chickadees were chattering and the crows, as usual, were in a royal snit about something. I enjoyed the fresh smell of the outdoors, the crispness of the air and my own thoughts.
It was a lovely way to start the day and a nice change of scenery.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Baby gift
Another coworker of James is having a baby soon, so I knit a little hat:
Who says that babies can only wear pastel colors? I really like the combo of purple and greens in this hat and since I don't know the gender of the baby, I thought it would work well for either a girl or a boy. I knit the hat out of Claudia Hand Painted Yarn in fingering weight, and the pattern is Swirl Hat by Mandie Harrington. It is an easy little hat to make, but the swirling rib pattern is interesting, particularly when knit with hand painted yarn.
We will pair the hat with a copy of Lisa Loeb and Elizabeth Mitchell's Catch the Moon book and CD, which was our favorite CD from when Aidan was a baby. Truthfully, the three of us still like the songs and play the CD fairly often. Have a listen:
We have given many of these CDs as gifts over the years; I don't know what we will do if we can't buy them anymore!
Who says that babies can only wear pastel colors? I really like the combo of purple and greens in this hat and since I don't know the gender of the baby, I thought it would work well for either a girl or a boy. I knit the hat out of Claudia Hand Painted Yarn in fingering weight, and the pattern is Swirl Hat by Mandie Harrington. It is an easy little hat to make, but the swirling rib pattern is interesting, particularly when knit with hand painted yarn.
We will pair the hat with a copy of Lisa Loeb and Elizabeth Mitchell's Catch the Moon book and CD, which was our favorite CD from when Aidan was a baby. Truthfully, the three of us still like the songs and play the CD fairly often. Have a listen:
We have given many of these CDs as gifts over the years; I don't know what we will do if we can't buy them anymore!
Monday, February 13, 2012
In the closet
The hall closet on the second floor of our house is a little unusual: there are four built-in drawers topped by two shelves. In order to open the drawers, the door must be completely open and flat against the wall.
This closet has intrigued Spenser since the day we moved into the house. A closed door is absolutely irresistible to a cat and Spenser has been known to sit outside the door for hours on end. When the door is finally - FINALLY! OH JOY! - opened, he seems baffled that there is not a room behind it.
One day last week, one of us left the hall closet door open for just a few minutes and when I started to close the door, I realized that I was being watched:
There Spenser was, crouching on a pile of towels and when I reached in to pick him up, thinking that he was unable to get himself out, he took a swipe at me. Obviously he liked hunkering down in the closet, so I left him alone.
He has climbed in there several times over the past few days. I think he is rather proud that at the age of 14 he can still jump four feet to get onto the shelf, and it provides him with a neat little hideaway.
This closet has intrigued Spenser since the day we moved into the house. A closed door is absolutely irresistible to a cat and Spenser has been known to sit outside the door for hours on end. When the door is finally - FINALLY! OH JOY! - opened, he seems baffled that there is not a room behind it.
One day last week, one of us left the hall closet door open for just a few minutes and when I started to close the door, I realized that I was being watched:
There Spenser was, crouching on a pile of towels and when I reached in to pick him up, thinking that he was unable to get himself out, he took a swipe at me. Obviously he liked hunkering down in the closet, so I left him alone.
He has climbed in there several times over the past few days. I think he is rather proud that at the age of 14 he can still jump four feet to get onto the shelf, and it provides him with a neat little hideaway.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Friday, February 3, 2012
Pink'd
Unless you avoid all methods of news distribution or have been away in, say Antarctica, for the past week, you likely know all about the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization pulling their funding of Planned Parenthood's breast cancer screening. You don't need me to tell you why they chose to cease the grants or hear me surmise about the political over- and undertones of the issue; you can read for yourself at CNN or the Washington Post or the trusted news outlet of your choice.
But I will tell you that I am angry. And hearing that SGK has revised their policy after the outpouring of outrage doesn't minimize my anger in any way because I think their "policy change" is less about what is right for women's health in rural communities and more about a tarnished public image.
I have long supported SGK. I tried to rationalize in my mind when I heard some time ago that they spend $1 million a year on legal action against other nonprofits or organizations using the phrase "for the cure"; I understand branding, I really do, and I understand the concept of protecting your brand. But threatening some small town group that wants to have a "Jitterbug For the Cure" fundraiser? Really? And it has slowly come to light over the years about how money is spent and how little of the money from pink merchandise goes to fight the fight.
I give money to organizations with the trust and belief that they are doing good with the money, as much as they possibly can. So I can't help feeling like my trust has been broken by SGK. And I am angry about it. When I disagree with a company's business practices, I choose not to do business with that company; it is the only way I know to express my displeasure. And so it goes with SGK - I choose not to give them money from this day forward. There are many other groups out there doing the same thing but doing it better that deserve our contributions.
Read about the fracas, if you like, and make your own decision.
But I will tell you that I am angry. And hearing that SGK has revised their policy after the outpouring of outrage doesn't minimize my anger in any way because I think their "policy change" is less about what is right for women's health in rural communities and more about a tarnished public image.
I have long supported SGK. I tried to rationalize in my mind when I heard some time ago that they spend $1 million a year on legal action against other nonprofits or organizations using the phrase "for the cure"; I understand branding, I really do, and I understand the concept of protecting your brand. But threatening some small town group that wants to have a "Jitterbug For the Cure" fundraiser? Really? And it has slowly come to light over the years about how money is spent and how little of the money from pink merchandise goes to fight the fight.
I give money to organizations with the trust and belief that they are doing good with the money, as much as they possibly can. So I can't help feeling like my trust has been broken by SGK. And I am angry about it. When I disagree with a company's business practices, I choose not to do business with that company; it is the only way I know to express my displeasure. And so it goes with SGK - I choose not to give them money from this day forward. There are many other groups out there doing the same thing but doing it better that deserve our contributions.
Read about the fracas, if you like, and make your own decision.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
February resolutions
Fresh off my success in keeping my January resolution, I am throwing caution to the wind and setting not one but TWO resolutions for February. I know, I am such a daredevil!
My first resolution is once again related to knitting. I want to finish the wrap that I am knitting for my Aunt Eula. I am over halfway done and just need to commit a little more knitting time than usual to it. It is not at all a difficult knit but because it has longer rows than my usual projects, I need to be able to take the time to sit down and complete a row, and not just pick up/put down every few minutes.
Resolution #2 is to exercise for 30 minutes, three times each week. Those who know me well know that I loathe exercising, and it shows. So I am endeavoring to take walks, snowshoe (if we ever get enough snow) or use On Demand exercise videos to get my lazy butt up and moving.
Now if I could only figure out how to knit and exercise at the same time.
My first resolution is once again related to knitting. I want to finish the wrap that I am knitting for my Aunt Eula. I am over halfway done and just need to commit a little more knitting time than usual to it. It is not at all a difficult knit but because it has longer rows than my usual projects, I need to be able to take the time to sit down and complete a row, and not just pick up/put down every few minutes.
Resolution #2 is to exercise for 30 minutes, three times each week. Those who know me well know that I loathe exercising, and it shows. So I am endeavoring to take walks, snowshoe (if we ever get enough snow) or use On Demand exercise videos to get my lazy butt up and moving.
Now if I could only figure out how to knit and exercise at the same time.
Derby P.S.
The finals of the 2012 Pack 248 Pinewood Derby were held last night and Aidan's Emerald Raptor won first place in his den:
His car was barely edged out of third place overall in the pack by mere hundreds of a second, so he placed a respectable fourth place out of the 18 cars in the finals.
Here is Emerald Raptor crossing the finish line in first place in one of the heats, and you can see just how close the cars were to one another:
Emerald Raptor is now officially retired and Aidan is already thinking of ideas for next year's car.
His car was barely edged out of third place overall in the pack by mere hundreds of a second, so he placed a respectable fourth place out of the 18 cars in the finals.
Here is Emerald Raptor crossing the finish line in first place in one of the heats, and you can see just how close the cars were to one another:
Emerald Raptor is now officially retired and Aidan is already thinking of ideas for next year's car.
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