30 before 30

Here are my 30 before 30 goals, in no particular order...

1. Run six 5k's (30k's... get it?), at least one with E.
2. Plant a garden.
3. Learn to sew.
4. Volunteer.
5. Ride a horse.
6. Have family or friends over once a month.
7. Commit 1 act of guerilla goodness per month.
8. Reconnect with old friends and family (Facebook doesn't count!).
9. Introduce myself to all of my new neighbors.
10. Make a 1 year album for E.
11. Buy a hammock. Try to relax in it.
12. Host a holiday celebration.
13. Dream up an original family tradition- the weirder, the better!
14. Learn how to use Photoshop.
15. Stop screening my phonecalls. What if it's Justin Bieber?
16. Try 10 new recipes (bonus points for using ingredients that scare me).
17. Write a children's book for E.
18. Make exercise a regular part of my life again.
19. Write inspiration letters (more on this later!)
20. Go on a family vacation.
21. Leave E with family overnight (dreading this- I might leave it until the last possible second before my birthday!)
22. Explore 10 new local "family attractions".
23. Decorate the new house (sorry, but if I don't put this on here, it won't get done!).
24. Make more mama & baby friends.
25. Have one new experience each week.
26. Get organized!
27. More DIY
28. Start or join a new group
29. Eat less processed food.
30. Get outside and play (aim for at least 30 minutes with E per day)

Copycat!

"Teacher, she COPIED me!" If I had a dollar for every time some little darling came up to me and said that in the trademark high-octave kid whine, I would be a very rich lady. Most young children do not like to be copied- period- but as they get older, their feelings about being copied evolve to depend on the copiers. If they think the copier is cool, they will welcome and even aggressively court his copying efforts. Just think about how many social media outlets depend on people wanting to copy and be copied- Facebook, thousands of blogs and (my personal favorite) Pinterest. Anyway, thinking about how the world has embraced copying made me feel better about becoming a copycat myself. My very eloquent and witty friend Kristy over at 35tomatoes (not about tomatoes, FYI)  made a list of 34 fun and interesting things she plans to do before turning 35. I plan on copying her by making a list of 30 things to do before I turn 30 in April. By the way, Kristy approved this in typical teacher style by saying, "Let's call it sharing." :)

Like most of my decisions since September, this was motivated by my little E-man. As a new mom, I find it extremely difficult to remember that E and I are actually two distinct people. I rarely do anything for myself outside of the occasional trip to the gym (which I have rationalized as being acceptable because it offers E a chance to socialize with his little gym girlfriend, Naomi). However, lately I've been thinking that I might need to become a richer person to be a better mom.

Anyone who knows me and my WalMart-shopping, clearance rack-cruising ways must think I've finally gone off the deep end. No worries- I'm not saying being richer in the monetary sense would make me a better mom (although I'm sure E would love it if I invested more money in toys for him to smash). What I mean is that I am starting to think I need to invest more time and effort in myself to meet my full mom potential. I want to be a mom who inspires my son to think deeply about how he wants to experience the world. I want to guide him as he grows so he can develop the confidence and skills to make those experiences happen. And more than anything, I want to guide him to this rich, full life by example, not words.

Who wouldn't want to inspire this little man?

Now, how exactly am I going to inspire someone to live life fully by spending my days cleaning, Googling potential childhood maladies and micromanaging naptimes? I'm not. I need to get up off my mama hiney (yes, we use the word hiney around here now) and do something. Lots of somethings, actually. When I read Kristy's blog, her list of fun, life-enriching activities seemed like the perfect format to push me toward the fuller life I know I want. I LOVE lists- they help me clear my head, organize my thoughts and (most importantly) make me commit to any items I add to them. Perfect! 30 fun, enriching things before 30, here I come! Follow along and if you see things that you would like to do, let me know and we'll enjoy them together!

Thanks for the inspiration, Kristy. Being a copycat is fun :).