Well, if you count the one time in January when we took Hudson to kid splash.....
17. Make a new friend
Remember when you were a kid, and you could strike up a friendship simply because you sat in a desk next to someone at school? Not that easy when you become an adult. : (
18. Potty training
Right. The only "action" the potty has seen recently was this.
So sad. I swore I would never have one of those children who is old enough to ask for a diaper change before he grows out of them. But come to think of it, my child does not ask for a new diaper. He asks for a "pit stop".
19. Find a "feel good" job
Right now, I do not even know what that would be : (
20. Hot air ballooning
2 Christmases ago, we got a gift certificate to do this. (thanks mom and dad). We were saving it for the fall, because we wanted to see all the pretty colours from up top. We made an appointment, it was canceled due to poor weather. Then we made another one. And it was canceled due to high winds. And then another one... canceled again. Then it snowed. Wish us better luck this year!
21. Reading
Now this one I am actually feeling pretty good about. (psst.... you can check my progress here.)
22. Take the family to a concert
I am so excited! We are going to Hillside this year!
At first, Karl uhmed and ahmed.. and then I uttered the word "Weakerthans" and he was sold! Yay
23. Give Back
Did you know that in 2005 Warren Buffet donated nearly $31 billion to the Gates foundation? Holy Cow! (Ok... so I did some research into this, and turns out that a huge portion of that was actually stock in his company and not cash, but still... )
Karl and I are not rich. Not by a looooong shot. But we do have a roof over our heads, food in our bellies and at the end of most months we somehow manage to stay in the black. From what I see that means we are a whole lot more fortunate then many others.
Here are a few small things we do to help us keep things in perspective.
1. Both of us have KIVA accounts. We have had them since 2007, I think. From time to time, we top them up a little, but I would be surprised if there was more then $200 dollars there between the two of us. And yet that $200 has, by my count, helped no less then 12 people look after their families. At least I tell myself that. Who really knows.
2. About 2 years ago, we started putting something extra into our shopping carts each week (or at least those weeks I remember to do so). A jar of PB, some rice, a can of beans.... little things. Never more then a couple dollars worth. On the way out the store we drop that off at the food bank bin. If you never noticed it, look a little closer as you are heading out. Each store has one.
I drive past the food bank everyday on my way to and from work. What I see is mostly women. Many of them with children Hudson's age. Just saying...
3. This last one Karl came up with.
There is a man that comes around the neighborhood on garbage days. He may or may not be homeless, in either case, we are probably much better off then he is. He picks through peoples garbage and collects beer and liquor bottles. Until recently, we used to take what little "empties" we had back ourselves. (It always seemed to me to be more hassle then it was worth)
Now we leave the cases at the side of the curb. The cans in a plastic bag beside the bin. On purpose.
On several occasions I have seen this man at the beer store. Always returning empties. Never buying anything. (and even if he was). I am yet to be a couple of bucks short on a case.
24. Continue to grow my hair out
This one may seem silly to some, but for most of my adult life, my hair had been about an inch long. And now, its almost down to my shoulders. I don't love it, but I am learning to live with it. Oh... but mind if I do a little product plug here? Because really, I think I have tried every shampoo at both the salon and the super market, but this one here comes out on top. Hands down. And.... it's organic (or at least contains organic ingredients). And... it costs $7.00. I know! A win, win, win situation.
I bought mine at Zehrs, but I have it sold pretty much everywhere.
25. Donate Blood
Check!
In late March, I may or may not do it again. You see, what I left out of the post above was that it actually took a lot out of me. I spent pretty much the whole weekend either sleeping in my bed or on the couch. And I am not normally like that. So, while I realize that those receiving my blood likely have a tougher go than that - I think I might wait until we are a little less busy before I do it again.
26. Go Vegetarian for a week
We will do this, but I think I will wait until the summer.
 |
| Hudson the Gardener |
Last year we had (way too many - again) tomatoes, zucchini, beans, peas, carrots, lots of herbs, cucumbers, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. We tried (and failed for the second year in a row) to grow some peppers. This summer we are hoping for maybe a plumb or two, and possibly cherries and some grapes (we bought little trees/a shrub last year) Karl really wants to try potatoes. I am thinking some lettuce, but we have bunnies (who are also partly responsible for our pepper failures) so I am not sure about that yet. I will for sure do a post or two about the veggie patch, once we get it going. Which will be soon enough ;)
27. Hand write a letter
I mean to write to my grandparents, because I do not keep in touch with any of them (kind of a complex family set up, so I kind of have 3 sets of grandparent. If you do not count the Canadian once we adopted. But they are pretty tech savvy so from time to time we skype with them. Or actually see them in person. I can not say the same for my European grandparents) Which is a shame. Anyways, I promise (mostly to myself) to make this one a priority.
28. Learn something new
Oh boy, what did I get myself into. I will keep you posted.
30. Say "yes" when I really want to say "no"... and the other way around.
I left this one purposefully way, hoping the Universe would provide a way. Ahhhem... Universe.... hurry up! It's March already.....
But, all jokes aside, I think I am getting there, no?
xo,
M
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