Day Zero Redux

Still basking in the glow of the the Expat Blog Party - I mean Challenge - and three yoga practices down (28 to go) in my next challenge, this seems like an apt time to talk goals.

Those of you who have been reading this site for awhile know that I completed my first Day Zero Project in April 2013. Basically, Day Zero is a list of 101 things to do in 1001 days. It's a place to track goals and wishes, and I like the time limit because it pushes you to just do some of those things that you always put off. When I say that I "completed" the project, the truth is that I only got through 55 of my 101 things. I was fine with that because, by the end of almost three years, there were some that I just didn't care about anymore, and others that simply didn't fit into my life. Still, the ones I did complete seemed like a an accomplishment.

It didn't take me long to get to work on a new list, and I actually started it in July 2013, so this round is set to complete in April 2016. Try as I might, I have only come up with 52 goals this time. At first, I was kind of bummed - have I lost my ambition since having a baby? But, the more I thought about it, I realized that with a baby - and perhaps even another one some day in the next few years - I have to be more discriminating and realistic about my time and resources. There are travel goals on this list, but not as many as on the previous list because I know we're just not going to be taking as many trips. That's reality. And, frankly, I don't have as much time to read, or watch movies, or do hobbies as I did, so better make the goals I set count.

I still reserve the right to continue to add (I mean, who's going to stop me?), but right now, the list looks like this (with a couple of the goals even completed - huzzah!).

Hushpuppy Related Goals

-Decorate nursery
-Take Hushpuppy to the aquarium
-Take Hushpuppy to a children's show at the -Sydney Opera House
-Take Hushpuppy to visit both grandmothers
-Finish Hushpuppy's baby book
-Start an education fund for Hushpuppy
-Host a Halloween party for kids (thinking this is when she's about 3)
-Have family photos taken (we got some gorgeous ones at Hushpuppy's first birthday party)
-Find a playgroup for Hushpuppy to attend

Personal Health and Wellbeing Goals

Sydney Smiles and me at the Color Run

-Make a will
-Run a 30 minute 5K
-Do the Color Run
-Have a "mom's night off"
-Do City to Surf
-Get back to pre-baby clothing size
-Find a great moisturizer
-Reinstate weekly yoga practice

Literary Goals

-Finish reading the August Wilson cycle
-Read 10 classics I haven't read
-Get the book part of book club going again (Sydney Smiles and I are well underway on this one!)
-Reread an old favorite book

Things to Watch

-Watch 20 TED talks
-Watch 15 movies from 15 different countries
(Did both of these on my last list and loved them)

Food and Cooking Goals

-Grow a tomato plant
-Sustain a kitchen herb garden
-Do a canning projects
-Set up a meal planning system
-Stock kitchen with all utensils and appliances on Jamie Oliver's list
-Make almond milk

Home Projects

-Sell or otherwise offload our long table
-Host an open house
-Follow house cleaning checklist for one year
-Decorate our bedroom
-Buy a piece of art that we love
-Have made or make Christmas stockings
-Organize the linen closet

Personal Projects

-Do a month-long blogging challenge focused on writing
-Get a NSW driver's license
-Donate blood at least 3 times
-Replace my nose ring
-Send Christmas cards
-Set up a small Kickstarter honorarium (having a lot of friends in the arts means that there's always a a plea for help on Kickstarter. It occurred to me that if I set aside just a token amount of money each month, I can consistently be a small contributor to my friends' worthy projects)
-Migrate blog to Word Press
-Keep a plastic bag in diaper bag for picking up trash at the park
-Save $1 for every goal completed and put into Kiva loans

Travel Goals

-Go to Uluru
-Go to Taronga Zoo
-Plan a trip with my college girlfriends
-Put $xxx into National Park trip fund (a summer-long trip around the U.S. visiting National Parks that we've been dreaming about for ages and plan to take in 8 or 9 years)
-Go on another cruise
-Visit Bali
-Do a North American Christmas