A Few Things I Wish...and am working on

It's a fact of life.  I think that most of us wish that we were or could be or could do something else.  We look at our friends or family and see what they can do or what is happening in their lives and we "wish" for those things.  Sometimes those wishes can be motivators, sometimes we simply need to put them out of our minds and move on.  Lately, however, I have had a few "wishes" of my own and I have decided to try to do something about them, rather than just keep on wishing.  Some of them are areas of my life that I once had tackled, but since having children and life getting busier, have let fall by the wayside.  Some of them are brand new altogether, but overall, I'm just working on them. 

My wishlist:

• I wish that I had more DIY skills.  For those of you that don't watch HGTV 24/7, it is Do It Yourself.  There is one friend of mine that can do just about anything she sets her mind to!  She sews, she decorates, she is just amazing.  She looks at something, analyzes it and completely tackles it.  Since we bought our house, we have come to realize the value of being able to DIY.  Kev has learned how to tile a floor, how to build various things, how to lay a subfloor and has bought several power tools to aid him in this process.  Lately, my DIY has gone towards the area of sewing.  When I was in high school I thought I was tough so I took the Agriculture class rather than the Home Economics class.  In retrospect, for the life that I lead now, Home Ec would have been the better option.  I would know more than I know now.  I CAN weld though, thanks to that Ag class!  I recently wished to be able to sew.  As I perused store after store looking for the perfect duvet set for our guest room I just wasn't satisfied.  I asked my friend, the super DIYer, to help.  She took me shopping for fabric and gave me some sewing lessons.  Although she ended up actually sewing the duvet cover and curtains, in the process I learned some lessons and I am in the process of creating two beautiful diaper bags and next on my list is curtains for our family room downstairs.  There is something so incredibly satisfying about creating something yourself, and getting it to be exactly what you want and not just sort of what you want.  The next things I would like to learn are some carpentry skills.  I have a few things that I want to build for our house and I think I need to just do it.  I'm smart, and I can learn.  These sewing projects have taught me that I do have the ability to do things myself, I just need to believe that I have those abilities.  Stay tuned for future projects!

• Another wish is that I cooked more from scratch.  I know that this is healthier for my family.  A blogger friend of mine has been on this journey for quite some time, and the way that she challenges me really makes me think.   I do use boxed mac and cheese for Rusty from time to time.  Sometimes we pull a frozen pizza out of the oven.  My claim is always that I just don't have the time or energy to make food from scratch but really I think the truth is that I am just too lazy.  Lately we have started buying less of that processed food and therefore I simply don't have it on hand and I am forced to make more from scratch.  I think this is a good thing.  It is healthier for us and helps Rusty's brain to grow more.  It is an area that I am really working on becoming better at.  We have so many resources now, especially thanks to the Internet, that I don't really have an excuse.  I put on my 101 things list that one of my goals was to go an entire month without using a boxed or frozen meal for my family.  I think I am going to make that month be the month of May.  It is a laid back month for us, we don't have any big plans and I also will be able to use the BBQ in many of the meals.  I think I can do it, and I'm going to start planning now so that I am ready for it.  I think going through that month will help me to realize that I can do it on a more regular basis.  It's a goal!

• Another important goal for me is to get back into exercising regularly.  This is one that I had down pat before all of the pregnancy drama unfolded.  I went for a run every week day without fail and I loved it.  I was superfit and happy.  Then, five pregnancies-three miscarriages and two kids-later I am not what I would call unhealthy, but definitely out of shape and MOST DEFINITELY not working out on a regular basis.  I have to fit it into my schedule, I know that about myself.  Another frustration has been that my knee simply does not allow me to run.  I get so frustrated when I see posts on Facebook of friends or family that went for a run and how great it felt, because I just can't do that anymore without experiencing immense pain, but I have to move on and get past that.  I have to find something else that I CAN do and just do it.  I love yoga and it doesn't hurt, so I can find a yoga class.  I like to swim and we have a pool pretty close, I just need to book it into my schedule.  I even can go to the $2 9-10 p.m. session at our local community center and work out...the kids are in bed, Kev can stay home with them, there is no excuse.  So, I need to get going.  I need to schedule it in, for me as much as for my family.  I need to stop looking at other people's workout status's and getting jealous and start working out myself.  I'm going to start today by taking little Rocky for a walk through the park when he wakes up.  It's nothing amazing, but it's a start, right?

• I wish for a get away with just my hubby and myself, and more than just an overnight stay in a hotel in Seattle or something.  I'm talking a get on a plane and go somewhere just he and I for at least an entire weekend thing.  We were talking about it last night and planning it.  We think maybe it can be a simple trip sometime right before I go back to work.  By then Rusty and Rocky will be old enough to stay with someone for a few days, it gives us time to save up money for it, and it gives us time to plan it.  I'm really hoping we follow through.  Then I will have that to look forward to, and hoping that we go somewhere hot also gives me the ambition to workout...if I'm going to wear a bathing suit to a beach again I want to look good for my hubby!

All of this isn't to say that I don't love my life.  I am crazy about it.  I am head over heels for my two sweet little boys and my handsome hubby.  They bring so much joy and light into my life that I spend most of my days smiling.  I am surrounded by incredible friends and family that fill up my cup all of the time.  I feel joy when I look around at our beautiful, warm home and realize that we are working toward it being ours, but it doesn't mean I can't work toward other goals too.  I can stop wishing and start making them happen.  I can stop sitting in the backseat watching the scenery go by and jump into the driver's seat and decide where I am going.  Here's to making that happen!  And now, I'm off to finish sewing those bags!!