101 in 1001 Days: an Update

I remember starting this list a few years ago and thinking there would be no problem to get 101 things done in two and a half years.  Well, throw a pregnancy and baby into the mix and let’s just say I think I’m lucky I managed to get over 40 things completed :)  The travel items definitely will not get accomplished anytime soon, especially since we’re up in the air with house/moving stuff.  I am proud of myself for crossing off many items under Health/Appearance as 2011 was the year I lost 30 pounds and started a journey towards a more healthy lifestyle. I’d like to create a new list in the next month or so and start again, but my goal this time would be to get at least 60 things completed by the end! 

Here’s the recap of what I finished a few months ago:

• Start Date: January 13th, 2011
• List End Date: October 10th, 2013
• Items completed so far: 44/101
  

Key:

• items not completed
• items in progress
• items completed

Fun

• 1. Read forty new books (5/40).
• 2. Go to a Celtics game with hubby. (April 2011)
• 3. Go to a concert.
• 4. Host 5 dinner parties w/close friends (3/5).
• 5. Go to a water park for the day.
• 6. Watch The Hangover finally.
• 7. Visit the Museum of Science in Boston. (Aug 2012)
• 8. Visit 5 new breweries (1/5).
• 9. Go to a zoo. (Sept 2011)
• 10. Go wine tasting. (Oct 2012)
• 11. Finish 3 new TV shows on DVD that we never watched before. (2/3)
• 12. See Cirque du Soleil.
• 13. Get a new tattoo.
• 14. Go to my 10 year high school reunion.
• 15. Plan a Girl’s Spa Weekend.
• 16. Attend a midnight premiere of a movie.
• 17. Go pumpkin picking. (Oct 2012)
• 18. Go snorkeling. (Mexico - May 2011)
• 19. Make 5 new playlists on iTunes. (2/5)

Crafting/DIY

• 20. Finish my wedding scrapbook.
• 21. Finish my Italy & Greece scrapbook.
• 22. Make a diaper cake for a friend’s baby shower. (July 2011)
• 23. Go to an estate sale and buy a piece of furniture.
• 24. Make my own Christmas cards. (Dec 2011)
• 25. Make homemade vanilla extract. (Nov 2011)
• 26. Make homemade candles.
• 27. Buy something on Etsy. (March 2012)
• 28. Make my own flower-adorned headband.
• 29. Find an inspiring quote and work it into a piece of art/home décor. (Jan 2011)
• 30. Fill empty picture frames.

Personal Growth/ Hobbies

• 31. Take a Spanish class.
• 32. Learn how to use a smartphone. (Feb 2012)
• 33. Talk to my boss about possible promotions/other positions at work.
• 34. Post in my blog 4 times a week for a month. (April 2011)
• 35. Visit the local library and get a library card.
• 36. Write a list of 50 things that make me happy.
• 37. Learn how to hem a pair of pants.
• 38. Purchase a better camera. (Sept 2011)
• 39. Learn basic photography skills.
• 40. Take pictures of the kitties and enter them in the Cat a Day Calendar contest
• 41. Attend a cake decorating class. (March 2011)
• 42. Write a letter to myself to open in 5 years.

Financial

• 43. Set up a joint checking account. (Jan 2011)
• 44. Write a will and have hubby write one, as well.
• 45. Order new checks. (March 2011)
• 46. Take over the last student loan my parents still pay for.
• 47. Contribute a percentage of each paycheck to my 401k. (April 2011)
• 48. Put away an additional $5000 towards a down deposit on a new house. (Nov 2011)
• 49. Don’t use my debit card/credit cards for one week.

Acts for Others

• 50. Donate to a charity once a year (2/3).
• 51. Adopt a family for Christmas.
• 52. Donate blood.
• 53. Volunteer at an animal shelter.
• 54. Buy a toy for Toys for Tots.
• 55. Make hubby breakfast in bed.
• 56. Clear out my closet and give away clothes to charity (Nov 2012)

Health/Appearance

• 57. Lose enough weight to fit comfortably back into my favorite clothes. (June 2011)
• 58. Walk a mile in less than 17 minutes. (March 2011)
• 59. Exercise three times a week for two months.
• 60. Eat 5 fruits and veggies every day for 2 weeks.
• 61. Drink at least 3 glasses of water or seltzer each day for a month. (Dec 2011)
• 62. Get a facial.
• 63. Finish a bottle of multi-vitamins.  (Nov 2011)
• 64. Go to the dentist and then get a cleaning every 6 months after. (March 2013)
• 65. Get a full physical. (May 2013)
• 66. Style my hair every day for one week (no ponytails/messy buns!). (Feb 2011)
• 67. Get my hair dyed professionally. (Jan 2012)
• 68. Get my eyes re-examined and purchase new glasses. (March 2011)
• 69. Buy a pair of nice boots. (Oct 2011)
• 70. Don’t hit the snooze button for an entire week.

Home

• 71. Finish decorating the loft so it’s a completed space.
  72. Re-do the kitchen. (March 2013)
• 73. Re-do the tub in the master bath.
• 74. Update sink fixtures in all the bathrooms.
• 75. Add patio stones to our outside space.
• 76. Re-decorate the bedroom area of the spare room. (March 2011)
• 77. Re-carpet the bedrooms and main hallway.

Food & Cooking

• 78. Eat at 10 new, local, non-chain restaurants (7/10).
• 79. Make lasagna. (April 2011)
• 80. Make Grandma’s pecan pie with a home-made crust.  
• 81. Go blueberry picking and make jam. (July 2011)
• 82. Make tiramisu.
• 83. Bake a cake from scratch. (Guinness Cake w/Bailey's Frosting for St. Patty's Day - March 2012)
• 84. Drink an entire Guinness on St. Patrick’s Day. (March 2011)
• 85. Buy a teapot.
• 86. Make a gingerbread house. (Dec 2012)
• 87. Barbecue for dinner each night for one week (0/7).
• 88. Try out 50 new recipes (30/50).

Travel

• 89. Travel to Jamaica.
• 90. Travel to somewhere on the West Coast. (Feb 2012 - San Diego)
• 91. Swim in the Pacific Ocean. (stuck my feet in, good enough!  Feb 2012 - San Diego)
• 92. Travel to Washington D.C. (Sept 2011)
• 93. Go on a cruise.
• 94. Go camping for a weekend.
• 95. Take a trip with my sister.
• 96. Take a trip with my parents. (August 2011)
• 97. Take a trip with my in-laws. (August 2011)
• 98. Go away for a weekend with friends.
• 99. Stay at a new Bed & Breakfast.
• 100. Watch the sun rise and the sun set in one day. (Feb 2012 - San Diego)
• 101. Renew passport w/my new last name

12-18 Month Favorites

Haven’t compiled one of these posts in a long time…not since 7-8 months!  I do like going back to my monthly Toby recaps to see what toys he was playing with and things he enjoyed doing during the different stages, so I’m trying to make an effort to do more “Favorites” lists.  Some of these items are from previous favorite lists but it proves they’re worth the money!

Little Tikes Gas n’ Go Mower:  Toby used this later in the summer, both inside and outside, and still loves playing with it in our living room currently.  We’ll ask him to fill it up with gas, and he grabs the gas tank and “pours” it into the little opening while we go “glug, glug, glug”.  It sounds like a real mower when the beads start popping!  Great gift for a birthday present.  I like how this is a toy that doesn’t have songs or musical sound effects.

Bumkins SuperBib 3-Pack: I included this bib on an earlier list but these things are awesome – I highly recommend them!  Get the 3-Pack so that way you don’t have to be constantly washing one over and over.  They are lightweight, easy to pack in a bag, and rarely stain.

Leap Frog My Discovery House: Included this on a previous list…he still loves to play with it now.  He’s figured out what all the different functions do and can also switch settings.  It’s another rare toy that keeps him entertained on his own for more than 5 minutes.

Munchkin Snack Catchers: We’ve been using these since before Toby turned 1 and they’re pretty great.  Do some puffs still manage to sneak out sometimes?  Yes.  But they do a good job for the most part.  He hasn’t figured out how to take the entire top off yet, and the top has never come off while he’s stuck his hand in there to grab something.

Big Red Barn and Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom: These are two of his favorite books. probably have been since he received them for his first birthday. I love Big Red Barn because the rhymes are soothing and it’s a great book to read before naptime. I credit Chicka Chicka for his obsession with the alphabet and learning a lot of the letters.

Radio Flyer – The Ultimate Comfort Wagon: This was Toby’s big gift from Santa for Christmas 2012 as we figured we would start using it in the future summer months.  We splurged to get the canopy, padded seats, built-in cup holders, and storage bag, but it was so worth it.  The canopy was awesome when we had our beach vacation in August and gave Toby great sun coverage as we walked back and forth to the beach and downtown all week.  The storage bag was good to stuff in all the wet towels and sandy extras that needed to be hosed down once we got back to the house.  It looks like the price has increased a LOT since last year, though – almost $100!  Not sure if we got it for a good deal last year, but I do feel it’s a solid investment.

Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Smart Screen Laptop:  Another toy that Toby’s enjoyed for a long time since he received it for Christmas 2012. It’s been fun to see how he interacts with the laptop now as he understands which buttons cause songs to play.  He’s been into the alphabet letters song lately, of course.  Since this toy has been used so much, the white numbers on the keys are starting to wear off but I guess that’s to be expected.

Halo Sleep Sack Wearable Blanket: Yup, he’s been using these for over a year now. He moves around a lot in his sleep and I’m still nervous to let him sleep with a blanket so these are a great alternative.  Plus, I’m pretty sure he recognizes it as a sleep cue now, so he knows it’s part of the nap or bedtime routine. 

Infant Boy’s Genuine Baby from OshKosh Axel Casual Shoes: We love these shoes so much that we bought them in size 4 and 5 so he’s been wearing them for several months now.  I think he’s just starting to grow out of the 5’s which means we’ll have to look for something else soon.  They’re great for early walkers (that then transition to fast runners) as the sole is thick enough for support but not too heavy – helps to prevent a lot of tripping.

Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn: Learning Kitchen: Toby received this for his first birthday and I would say he’s played with it at least once a day since we took it out of the box in June.  He’s figured out what buttons to push to make noise, he loves opening and closing the fridge, and there’s a couple songs he will play over and over again. It’s one of the few toys that he will play with independently for more than 5 minutes.  While I would love for him to have a mini play kitchen, we just don’t have the room for it in our townhouse so this toy is a good compromise for now.  It fits perfectly in one of the squares of our Ikea storage system.