19 in 19 - Final round up

Well I missed doing an update in November and it's almost the end of the year so here is an overall round up.


1. Be more organised, plan ahead and waste less time
I was definitely more organised at the end of the year.  Being involved in a Christmas dinner for 12 has that effect.  That was a lot of work but it did get me back on track with planning etc.  Hopefully that will carry through in to 2020.

2. Work on the garden
There's not much to be done out there at the moment but overall the garden is looking better than it was at the start of the year so I'm taking that as a win!
 
3. Plan a lunch date/date night with Nick once a month (theatre/cinema/meal/outing) 
Well we did get out for lunch recently but only because we had been invited by friends! Definitely need to work on this one next year.

4. Eat at 6 new-to-me restaurants
I definitely achieved this thanks to my holiday with my cousins.
 
5. Complete the A – Z blogging challenge 
Success!

6. Family weekend away for my birthday - in June
It was lovely! Read about it here.
 
7. Look after my health – eat well, sleep well, play well
This has been a bit up and down over the year.  Honestly, episodes of mild depression/anxiety make this one so important but also so difficult to manage.  My self awareness on this definitely helps but lack of motivation is my enemy.

8. Visit my brother
I failed this one.  I have two brothers and I have seen one of them a few times this year.  I honestly can't remember when I last saw my eldest brother.  That saddens me which is why this was on my list.  However, with a 12 year age difference, we have never been really close.  I probably wouldn't notice this so much if I hadn't married into a family that is the opposite of mine.  Hubby's family, huge as it is, is close.  Which makes me feel guilty that I don't have that closeness with my own family.  BUT that is a two way thing and I have often felt that I've been the one making all the effort.  SO I will not be putting this aim on my 2020 list.  If it happens all well and good but I'm going to try very hard not to let it bother me.

9. Visit the beach
Done!
 
10. Complete my reading challenge (52 books for the year)  Yay!  Done!  I've just finished book #69. Details and reviews can be found on my Goodreads site.  (Or you can use the tag book review to find them here on the blog.)

11. Keep a journal
Another fail.  Although I have been jotting down something I'm grateful for most days.  That's a start.

12. Blog at least once per week (plus regular memes)
November saw an improvement, things slipped again in December.  I'm going to blame that on Christmas and not get disheartened.
 
13. Organise/Take more photos
I took some photos at Christmas!  Not many, not enough. NEEDS IMPROVING!

14. Update my clothes/accessories/make up etc regularly
I did buy a few new things in the run up to Christmas but, as I've said before, this aim is too vague.

15. Do more crafting – move the sewing machine!
I finally finished a knitting project that had been on the go for way too long!  I still have a few things in progress that I'm going to try and finish before I commit to anything new.

16. Try out a new recipe or do a bake each week
Thankfully our Hello Fresh subscription  helps with trying out new things and I did bake a cheesecake for Christmas using a recipe that had been passed down in Nick's family.

17. Visit/see Grandson Noah every month
We managed a day visit in November and Noah and his parents are arriving later today and staying for a week!  Definitely in need of time with him.

18. Make progress on the house plan
I've written before how some of this was delayed by the uncertainty of whether my daughter and her family would need temporarily housing with us.  Fortunately they did not need a Plan B with us but that's no real excuse for us just dragging our heels.  We need to get moving on this in 2020.
 
19. Lose 19 pounds
Well this was an over optimistic challenge.  Hopefully I haven't gained anything over Christmas so that at least I haven't gone in the wrong direction.  Maintenance will be the aim for 2020.

Overall, if this was a school report, the comment would definitely be "Could do better!"  Has it put me off? No, but as I've said before some of these aims were just too vague.  I'm already working on drawing up a 20 in 20 list but it will definitely be a bit more specific than this one.

Watch this space!

19 in 19 - October update

Well at least I'm only a week behind on doing an update this month!
Not that there is a great deal to report, but here goes:

1. Be more organised, plan ahead and waste less time
October wasn't the best month for this.  I had some sort of virus for several weeks.  I went from having an irritating tickly cough to the opposite where I was coughing up stuff.  I'll say no more.
 
2. Work on the garden
I got the grass cut at some point and have bought some bulbs to plant but the weather has not been great.  Thankfully at this time of year there isn't too much to be done.
 
3. Plan a lunch date/date night with Nick once a month (theatre/cinema/meal/outing)
Well we did eat out last weekend but it was very much a spur of the moment thing and the food at one of our local pubs was not great.

4. Eat at 6 new-to-me restaurants
We didn't manage anywhere new this month.  I need to check how many I need to do before Christmas to complete this one.

5. Complete the A – Z blogging challenge
Success!

6. Family weekend away for my birthday - in June
It was lovely! Read about it here.
 
7. Look after my health – eat well, sleep well, play well
As mentioned above not the best month healthwise but all my blood tests came back ok.  Just keeping an eye on my blood pressure right now.  Really don't want to have to mess around with new medication.

8. Visit my brother
Well he didn't make it to my cousin's party so still a fail on this one.

9. Visit the beach
Done!

10. Complete my reading challenge (52 books for the year) 
I'm still excelling on this one.  Currently on about to start book #64.  As always, details and reviews can be found on my Goodreads site.  (Or you can use the tag book review to find them here on the blog.)

11. Keep a journal
A slight improvement here and I've been trying to do a gratitude thought each day, not always successfully.

12. Blog at least once per week (plus regular memes)
October figures were up!
 
13. Organise/Take more photos
This was a fail this month.

14. Update my clothes/accessories/make up etc regularly 
As I said last month this is not a good target.  I know that some of you will be putting away summer clothes and bringing out winter ones.  My clothes just stay out all year round - you never know what weather to expect here!

15. Do more crafting – move the sewing machine!
Does making up a birthday hamper for my DIL count as crafting?  I'm going to say yes!

16. Try out a new recipe or do a bake each week
What was I thinking with this one?

17. Visit/see Grandson Noah every month
We had a visit from Noah in October and we actually babysat him and Rory together.  That was an experience (read about it here).  If anyone expresses a wish for twins tell them no! lol.  We're going to see them briefly this weekend and we have a trip to Nottingham planned before the end of the month.

18. Make progress on the house plan
What with not feeling great and helping the girls move this is still very much on the back burner.

19. Lose 19 pounds
I think this one should have been "Do not gain any weight" and then I could say I'm on track!

Doing these updates is a bit depressing as I'm not hitting many targets but as I reflected last month that's partly because the targets weren't great to start with.  I'll definitely be trying to make next year's targets more sensible.  I'm definitely not giving up on the whole idea though.  Plus I even had an idea for next year's A-Z challenge so that's a positive thought to end on.

19 in 19 - Oops!

Oh dear, I am way off track with this.  I didn't even get an update done for August and now we're into October so this will have to be a 2 month catch up!

1. Be more organised, plan ahead and waste less time
Ha I am still wasting time but planning ahead is definitely better and I like to think I'm an organised person.  (I'm trying to see the positives here! lol) 

2. Work on the garden
I've made a few more additions to the garden including a bird feeding station.  It's looking a bit untidy at the moment as my gardener has been on holiday (as well as me) and we have had lots of rain in the last couple of weeks.
 
3. Plan a lunch date/date night with Nick once a month (theatre/cinema/meal/outing)
Epic fail on this front.  This needs serious attention.

4. Eat at 6 new-to-me restaurants
Well I certainly managed this while on holiday with my cousins.  We ate out every night.  Although of course I'm hardly likely to revisit those restaurants unless I get to Kos again.

5. Complete the A – Z blogging challenge
Success!

6. Family weekend away for my birthday - in June
It was lovely! Read about it here.
 
7. Look after my health – eat well, sleep well, play well
I deinitely ate well and played well in August & September with our family get together and then a holiday with my cousins.  Not sure my health has benefitted though. 

8. Visit my brother
At some point!  (Although I may get to see him next week!  Rumour has it that he will be attending my cousin's birthday party which I will definitely be at.)

9. Visit the beach
Done!

10. Complete my reading challenge (52 books for the year) 
Yay!  Done!  I'm currently on about to start book #56.  I did a lot of reading during August and September (although reading up means blogging down).  I won't bore you here with the details but, as always, details and reviews can be found on my Goodreads site.  (Or you can use the tag book review to find them here on the blog.)

11. Keep a journal
Journal?  What's a journal?  Enough said!

12. Blog at least once per week (plus regular memes)
August figures were up, September down.  As I mentioned above, I've been doing a lot of reading and been away so the blogging has taken a back seat.
 
13. Organise/Take more photos
Well I definitely took photos while I was away so maybe a tick here.

14. Update my clothes/accessories/make up etc regularly
Well this is such a wooly target.  I will definitely build this in again next year but it will need to be more specific and time framed.  Although I did review my swimwear before my holiday family holiday and trip to Kos.  Just as well as I needed to buy new (and larger) swimsuits!  Definitely need to work on #19.

15. Do more crafting – move the sewing machine!
My one piece of crafting during this spell consisted of sewing some buttons onto a very plain dress.  The end result was well received by my cousins which was pleasing.  The amount of time that had lapsed between me buying the dress and the buttons and actually sewing them on was not.

16. Try out a new recipe or do a bake each week
Oh goodness this has fallen off the radar completely.

17. Visit/see Grandson Noah every month
Well we saw a lot of him in August (thanks to our family gathering) but September seemed to run away with us.  We will be seeing him in a couple of weeks though and then we'll need to get dates in our diaries to keep this on track.

18. Make progress on the house plan
Well the girls are making progress.  The house they are renting has been sold and they have to vacate by 8th November.  Unfortunately they have not been able to get a mortgage sorted out to buy anywhere but they have now secured another rental close to where they are living now and will move on the 1st November.  This will give them some breathing space to get their finances together (Becca has just started working as a consultant) get a mortgage offer and find a house.  They will probably wait about 6 months before looking again and hopefully the uncertainty over Brexit will have been settled by then.  (Sorry I had to mention the B word although it's all such a mess.)

However, now the girls have definite plans and we know we won't have to provide them with temporary accommodation between homes, it does mean that now we can get back on track with getting things done in our house.  We also don't have to worry about hosting Christmas either as Michael and Liz will be off to the States to visit Rory's other Grandparents and family, Matt & Amy will be staying in Nottingham with Noah and the girls have invited us to theirs for Christmas so that's all sorted!

19. Lose 19 pounds
Still on square 1 but considering I've had a holiday with lots of eating and not much exercise it could be worse.  I seem to have lost my "get up and go" recently which hasn't helped.  My medication review also revealed my blood pressure was up a bit so keeping an eye on that now and waiting on some blood tests to see if I'm just "getting older" or if anything else is going on.  Not sure which outcome is more depressing! 

Well a mixed bag of progress again.  It's definitely clear to me that my objectives need to be more specific,  actually they should probably be SMART! * Considering my background and training I should have seen that from the beginning but it's easy to get out of good habits when time is your own.

* Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant & Timely

19 in 19 - July update

Well we're a week into August already so I need to update on July before I forget what happened!


1. Be more organised, plan ahead and waste less time
July was a busy month with ongoing birthday outings and Grandsitting.  I think I was fairly organised but there was still a bit of time wasting going on.  I really should delete time consuming games from my iPad lol

2. Work on the garden
Not too much work to do at this time of the year but I've been keeping the grass cut and my new bench is now assembled and in place as well as more plants.

3. Plan a lunch date/date night with Nick once a month (theatre/cinema/meal/outing)
We had a whole weekend away together in July, in Broadstairs, which was lovely and we enjoyed some good food.

4. Eat at 6 new-to-me restaurants
We tried 1 new restaurant while we were away - an Italian Pizzeria - Posillipo.   It was good food and reasonably priced.  It was also quite busy (a good sign I guess) so it was a bit warm.  It overlooked the beach which was nice.  We also ate in one of the hotels but we arrived quite late and ended up having more of a supper than a dinner and missed dessert as we didn't realise they'd stopped taking orders :(

5. Complete the A – Z blogging challenge
Success!

6. Family weekend away for my birthday - in June
It was lovely! Read about it here.
 
7. Look after my health – eat well, sleep well, play well
Well I did all of those things in July but not sure it was great for my health! (or #19)

8. Visit my brother
At some point!

9. Visit the beach
Done!

10. Complete my reading challenge (52 books for the year)
I'd read  42 books by the end of July so way ahead of schedule.  In July I read:
The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley 2/5

The Girl Before - J P Delaney 4/5

Shelter in Place - Nora Roberts 3/5

After the End - Clare Mackintosh 3/5

So only 4 books completed but I also started 2 others from my hubby's finished pile:

The Shock of the Fall - Nathan Filer - seemed interesting to start with but then it became harder to engage with.  It's a debut novel about one man's descent into mental illness, following the death of his brother in childhood.  It's written in the first person and as his mental health deteriorates, understandably, it became a harder read.  I like a challenge but reading the same books as Nick isn't a challenge I feel I need to complete, especially when I'm not enjoying them.

The second one was Sweet Tooth - Ian McEwan.  The blurb says:   "Once again, Ian McEwan's mastery dazzles us in this superbly deft and witty story of betrayal and intrigue, love and the invented self."  Well I didn't find it witty and it didn't draw me in enough to persevere.

 

I hate not finishing books but I have enough book challenges going on without adding "read the sames books as hubby" to the list.

As always, details and reviews can be found on my Goodreads site.

11. Keep a journal
This is still not working. (Yep that's the same comment as last month but August has started a bit better.)

12. Blog at least once per week (plus regular memes)
Well July was worse than June!  You may have noticed I've opted for a challenge in August which will hopefully boost the number of posts this month.

13. Organise/Take more photos
I'm going for a tick on this one last month.  I organised my digital photo display to include the recent photos we had taken with all the babies.  Previously it had photos following Nathan from birth to recently so it was time for an update.  Took me ages to sort it out - finally realised the family photos were too large in size for the digital viewer so I had to resize them all.

14. Update my clothes/accessories/make up etc regularly
Hmm - maybe come the end of summer I'll get around to this again.

15. Do more crafting – move the sewing machine!
I shortened some trousers!  That counts as crafting in my book - and I used the sewing machine after having to oil it again.

16. Try out a new recipe or do a bake each week
I'm not sure how well I did on this as my bullet journal wasn't up to date but we were still using Hello Fresh for some meals so most of them would have been new.

17. Visit/see Grandson Noah every month
We failed this month!  They came down to London on the weekend we were away but we have a date set for this month and we'll also be together at our family gathering at the end of the month.

18. Make progress on the house plan
Still on hold. Nathan & his Mummies have re-evaluated their situation and things will definitely happen soon (the house they are renting has been sold) but we're still waiting to see what that means for us.

19. Lose 19 pounds
I am back at square 1.  But that's better than where I have been.

Well doing these updates each month has convinced me of two things:

1)  It is good to have goals and challenges
2)  I need to be choose them better.  Some of them are too vague and not easily quantifiable. 

Food for thought for 20 in 20.  Oh no, I'm not giving up!

19 in 19 - June update

July is here and it seems that summer has finally arrived.  Time to reflect on June.


1. Be more organised, plan ahead and waste less time
Overall I think June was a good month. I'm settling in to Grandsitting 3 days a week which is tiring and definitely needs organisation. It was also my birthday month with a weekend away plus we had a short trip away with Nathan & his Mummies so planning ahead was a must! 2. Work on the garden
Well I haven't been doing masses of work but I have been liaising with my gardener and it's looking very nice. I'm also waiting for a wooden bench courtesy of Nick's family for my birthday so hopefully this sunny weather will continue and I'll be able to sit out and enjoy it. 3. Plan a lunch date/date night with Nick once a month (theatre/cinema/meal/outing)
A meal out for my birthday counts right?

4. Eat at 6 new-to-me restaurants
We had a nice meal at Rick Stein's restaurant while we were away with Nathan & his Mummies this month. We also ate at a nice Italian restaurant too. I'm counting one of those towards my goal which means I'm halfway there.

5. Complete the A – Z blogging challenge
Success!

6. Family weekend away for my birthday - in June
It was lovely! Will blog about it separately.
7. Look after my health – eat well, sleep well, play well
Well I've had plenty of exercise - 3 days of Grandsitting a week at the moment takes care of that. Haven't actually slept as well though but I read a lot!

8. Visit my brother
At some point!

9. Visit the beach
Well we didn't get to France as planned but we made it to Poole for a short break and then my birthday weekend was spent in Wells next the Sea so 2 visits to the beach this month!

10. Complete my reading challenge (52 books for the year)
Still ahead of schedule, in June I read:


Now you see her - Heidi Perks
The Promise - Katerina Diamond
The Brighton Mermaid - Dorothy Koomson
Little Liar - Lisa Ballantyne
The Songs of Us - Emma Cooper
The Angel - Katerina Diamond
An Act of Silence - Colette McBeth
The Lido - Libby Page

As always, details and reviews can be found on my Goodreads site.

11. Keep a journal
This is still not working.
12. Blog at least once per week (plus regular memes)
Well June was definitely a better month than May in terms of the number of posts but still room for improvement.

13. Organise/Take more photos
Well I took a few more photos this month - especially of my birthday meal, but have had no time to work on organising.

14. Update my clothes/accessories/make up etc regularly
Well I did give myself a pedicure and paint my nails for my birthday. That counts right?

15. Do more crafting – move the sewing machine!
This was a fail for June.

16. Try out a new recipe or do a bake each week
Well I didn't manage every week but I did do 2 new recipes one week so that was better than May.

17. Visit/see Grandson Noah every month
Noah helped me celebrate my birthday!

18. Make progress on the house plan
Still on hold. Hopefully Nathan & his Mummies will make some progress on their move this month and we can reevaluate our situation.

19. Lose 19 pounds
Ha! at the rate I'm going I'll be putting on 19 pounds!

Another mixed month.  Some things ticked off like visiting the beach but other things making little or no progress.  However I'm getting better at not beating myself up over what could be seen as failings.  And those Grandchildren just get cuter and cuter!

19 in 19 - May update

We're in to June already so it's time for another update on my 19 in 19.  May was such a busy month that I'm not sure this update will show many achievements.  I was tempted not to bother but that rather defeats the object of the whole thing.  So here goes:

1. Be more organised, plan ahead and waste less time
I actually think I'm keeping my head above water here, just! The Hello Fresh meals make a big difference, especially on the days I've been Grandsitting.  Nick and I are still trying to co-ordinate diaries regularly too.

2. Work on the garden
I really should take photos (oh wait that's further on!) as I put together some window boxes and they are looking lovely.  They're actually on the wall that separates the patio from the main garden and they've definitely added a splash of colour.  Lots of things are coming into bloom now so I'm trying to keep the garden watered when it needs it.

3. Plan a lunch date/date night with Nick once a month (theatre/cinema/meal/outing)
We didn't really do anything planned but lots of family things going on.

4. Eat at 6 new-to-me restaurants
Nothing new here.

5. Complete the A – Z blogging challenge
Success! 

6. Family weekend away for my birthday - in June
Looking forward to this.

7. Look after my health – eat well, sleep well, play well
Well I definitely played well in May with all the Grandsitting so I've slept well too. 

8. Visit my brother
At some point!

9. Visit the beach
We have a trip to France next weekend so this will happen!

10. Complete my reading challenge (52 books for the year)
Still on schedule,  in May I read:


The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
Home - Harlan Coban
They all fall down - Tammy Cohen
Parting Shot - Linwood Barclay
The Swedish Girl - Alex Gray &
The Tuscan Child - Rhys Bowen
 
As always, details and reviews can be found on my Goodreads site.

11. Keep a journal
This is still not working.

12. Blog at least once per week (plus regular memes)
May was always going to look bad after April with the A-Z challenge.  I just about managed to do some memes and book reviews.  There was almost no original blogging.

13. Organise/Take more photos
I think I'm taking more but the organisation side still needs a lot of work.
14. Update my clothes/accessories/make up etc regularly
I'm beginning to wonder how I ever thought this was a good idea!

15. Do more crafting – move the sewing machine!
I did lots of crafting in May - I was desperately trying to get blankets finished for both Noah and Rory.  Noah's was done in time for his birthday on 17th May and Rory's is almost finished.  

16. Try out a new recipe or do a bake each week
FAIL!

17. Visit/see Grandson Noah every month
Well we were always going to see him in May - for his birthday but he was here the following weekend so at least this one's been achieved.

18. Make progress on the house plan
This is on hold at the moment because the next big job involved sorting out the damp in the kitchen which will involve a lot of disruption and......Nathan's Mummies are trying to buy a house.  They are trying to buy a house before their landlady sells the one they're living in at the moment.  If they don't succeed they will most likely be staying with us until their purchase completes.  I don't think any of us could face the extra challenge of having the kitchen upside down if that happens.

19. Lose 19 pounds  I really shouldn't have put this on the list! 

Again a mixed month, some good things but some failures too.  I don't think I appreciated when I set this up just how much time being a Grandparent would involve.  I'm currently looking after Rory 1 day a week and still doing 2 days with Nathan.  Yes it's tiring but I absolutely love spending the time with them and watching them grow up.  We also try and keep up with Noah as much as we can.  Then there's the more mundane stuff of running the house and before I know it another week has flown by. And then we're into another month.  

At the end of the year I'm sure I won't have done all of my 19 in 19 but I know I'm being a great Nanny.

19 in 19 - April update - Alice style.

Now that the A-Z writing challenge has finished does that mean I'm allowed out on Sundays?

Oh hello Alice.  I wondered when you might resurface.  You've been very quiet this past week.

Well I thought you might want a break.  Wasn't that kind of me?

Yes it was Alice.  It's been a busy week and I really wouldn't have needed you wittering on in my head too.

Wittering on!  I do not witter.  Anyway isn't it time to do your 19 - 19 update for April?  It is now the 5th May you know.

Honestly?  I'm not sure there's much to update.  April was such a busy month what with babies, visitors and then completing the challenge.

Well that's one thing for updating for starters.  There must be more!  Lets have a look.

Ok Alice.  Anything for a quiet life!

1. Be more organised, plan ahead and waste less time
I think you were definitely more organised in April.
It was a case of having to be with the challenge & visitors.  But yes I think you're right I was more organised.

2. Work on the garden
You bought & planted flowers!
I did.  And I organised getting the shed roof repaired.
So 2 for 2.  This is going well so far.

3. Plan a lunch date/date night with Nick once a month (theatre/cinema/meal/outing)
Actually we managed 2 nights out that I can remember.  We went out for his birthday and then last weekend we ate out on Saturday.  
You're on a roll.

4. Eat at 6 new-to-me restaurants
Well we ate out a few times during the month but none of them were new to us.
What about the pub with the girls and Nathan?
Well it's like the pubs from last month - we're hardly likely to go there again.
But surely that doesn't matter?  You included a restaurant in Skegness last year that you'll never see again.
Fair point Alice but I'd like to think there's at least a chance of revisiting a new restaurant.
That's silly.  What if you don't like the restaurant?
Ok.  You win, this time!

5. Complete the A – Z blogging challenge
Success!!!
No need to get that excited expecially as half the work was mine!

6. Family weekend away for my birthday - in June
No progress here Alice.
I'll put my thinking cap on.
Just no nasty surprises please.

7. Look after my health – eat well, sleep well, play well
Well I think this month was quite balanced, apart from you keeping me awake Alice!

8. Visit my brother
At some point! 
He'll have forgotten what you look like.
No chance.  We're friends on Facebook.

9. Visit the beach
We're off to the South of France for a few days next month so this one will get done then!
Ooooo goodie a trip away.
I haven't decided if you're coming yet Alice.

10. Complete my reading challenge (52 books for the year)
Well this is one I know you'll get through.
Well I hope so.  I'm still on track, ahead of shedule in fact and April was a good month.
I read:

A Widow for One Year - John Irving.  4/5

Liar Liar - M.J. Arlidge 3/5

Where the light gets in - Lucy Dillon 4/5 

Still Me - Jojo Moyes  4/5

My dear I wanted to tell you - Louisa Young 4/5

Accidental Heroes - Danielle Steele 3/5

The Fallen - David Baldacci 3/5 

End Game - David Baldacci 3/5

As always, details and reviews can be found on my Goodreads site.

11. Keep a journal
Well this still needs work but I can see slight improvement.
Thanks Alice.

12. Blog at least once per week (plus regular memes)
Well I nearly managed every day thanks to the A-Z challenge but some of my regular memes got missed some weeks.
A good effort!

13. Organise/Take more photos
Hmm that pile of photos and albums behind the sofa are gathering dust!
Alice do you have to reveal so many of my secrets?

14. Update my clothes/accessories/make up etc regularly
I've pinned up the trousers that need shortening!
Yes and they've been sitting on the sewing machine for over a week now.

15. Do more crafting – move the sewing machine!
Shall we say "No comment" on this one?
Well I guess that's better than a sarcastic comment from you Alice.

16. Try out a new recipe or do a bake each week
I really don't think that all these Hello Fresh meals count for this Wendy!
 
17. Visit/see Grandson Noah every month
We missed him in April.  But we'll see him soon as it's his first birthday this month!
Maybe if you spent less time drooling over his photos on Lifecake you'd get more done?
But I miss him Alice!

18. Make progress on the house plan
Woo hoo.  Roof works done.  Now on to the works that need doing in the kitchen.
You mean more banging and crashing?  It was very scary when those men were on the roof!

19. Lose 19 pounds  Did you even get on the scales this month Wendy?
Umm it seemed a bit pointless when I knew I wouldn't like what they registered.
Yep time for walkies!
I'm not a dog Alice.
Maybe you should get one.
Now that's the best thing you've said all day.

 

19 in 19 - March update

If you landed here looking for the A post of the A-Z Challenge it's here.

April is here so time for a review of how March went for my 19 in 19.

1. Be more organised, plan ahead and waste less time
I think I'm doing better.  We're enjoying having Hello Fresh meals 3 times a week so that helps with meal planning.  We're also co-ordinating our diaries more often.  It's hard establishing habits though when you get extra requests for Grandsitting.  March was a hectic month.

2. Work on the garden
I haven't done much but it's looking good.  (I cut the grass again today but doesn't count because it's April.)  I bought some new solar lights and my bulbs have producted some lovely daffodils and tulips and with the profusion of Helibores I have it's a nice display of colour.

3. Plan a lunch date/date night with Nick once a month (theatre/cinema/meal/outing)
I'm not sure we managed anything with just the 2 of us this month but we did have a weekend away with all his siblings which was lovely.

4. Eat at 6 new-to-me restaurants
Does eating at a different couple of pubs on the weekend away count?  No I didn't think so either as we're not likely to revisit anytime soon.

5. Complete the A – Z blogging challenge
Well my first post is up and I have just over half of them scheduled to post.  Not as well prepared as I'd like but other years have been worse!

6. Family weekend away for my birthday - in June
Accommodation is booked but I need to start thinking about the details.

7. Look after my health – eat well, sleep well, play well
I think I'm sleeping better.  We're eating better with the Hello Fresh meals but I need to work on the play well bit.  The weekend away was good and I have been trying to up my step levels.  I don't aim for 10,000 a day - my goal is at least 7500 and no less than 5000 per day.  March statistics were better than February's so going in the right direction.

8. Visit my brother
At some point!

9. Visit the beach
When it's warmer!

10. Complete my reading challenge (52 books for the year)
Still on schedule for this although I'm plodding through "A Widow for one Year" by John Irving at the moment.  It's long!

In March I read:

Because we are bad - OCD and a girl lost in thought by Lily Bailey
Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella
Origin by Dan Brown &
Day of the Accident by Nuala Ellwood

As always, details and reviews can be found on my Goodreads site.

11. Keep a journal
I need to establish a time for this.  It's not happening at the moment.  Before bed is probably a good time but I've been falling into bed and going to sleep most nights lately.

12. Blog at least once per week (plus regular memes)
March was not a great blogging month.  I didn't even do all the memes but hopefully April, with the A-Z Challenge will be better.

13. Organise/Take more photos
I took photos while we were away and I remembered the camera on Nathan's birthday!

14. Update my clothes/accessories/make up etc regularly
No change here. (I'm planning on sorting out some of my summer clothes in the next month or so - I have several pairs of trousers that need shortening.)

15. Do more crafting – move the sewing machine!
And no change here! (We've moved the sewing machine! It's a start. Although the room it's in is a bit of a dumping ground for the stuff I've earmarked to donate/dump. Two steps forward one back for now.)

16. Try out a new recipe or do a bake each week
Apart from the Hello Fresh meals I think I managed one new meal in February.  Weekdays seem to fly by with Grandsitting and we've had a few busy weekends as well.

17. Visit/see Grandson Noah every month
We saw him twice in March!  We went up to Nottingham and stayed overnight earlier in the month and then Noah was here this weekend for Nathan's birthday.

18. Make progress on the house plan
Hopefully the roof works will start next week so moving forward.

19. Lose 19 pounds 
I think this aim will definitely fall by the wayside or at least be made more attainable.  I know I'm not great at resisting sweet treats but even when I've had what I think has been a good week - no real binges and more exercise - the weight doesn't seem to be shifting.  Maybe I should just opt for not putting on any more weight!

I'm beginning to feel I might have been over optimistic with this list.  March was a good month in lots of ways.  We got to see Grandson Noah twice, we had a weekend away and we celebrated Grandson Nathan's 2nd birthday.  It was also a hectic month - I had lots of days of Grandsitting for at least part of the day and one week I did 4 full days back to back.  That's not something I will be doing again if I can help it.  But actually I love being able to help the kids out when they need it.  As I approach a big birthday this year I'm reminded that I'm not getting any younger, we never know what's around the corner and I don't want to miss the milestones the Grandchildren are hitting.  I want them to have good memories of us as Grandparents.  Family is more important than ticking things off a list. (But I'm still going to keep trying!) 

I might also celebrate that this is my 900th post here on blogger but instead I'll show you some pics.

These were from Nathan's party yesterday.  We struggled to get a good one of all three of the Grandsons together!

19 in 19 February Update

March is here so time for a review of how February went for my 19 in 19.

1. Be more organised, plan ahead and waste less time
I'm trying! Really I'm trying. Reading isn't a waste of time is it?

2. Work on the garden
Still not much to be done yet but I did get the grass cut.

3. Plan a lunch date/date night with Nick once a month (theatre/cinema/meal/outing)
Checking back it looks like we only managed one outing this month - a walk and a Pie & Mash lunch. I'll have to up my game!

4. Eat at 6 new-to-me restaurants
Still 5 to go so I think I'll have to combine this with #3 in March!

5. Complete the A – Z blogging challenge
Sign up opened today so I'll be making sure I do that and I have done a bit more prep.

6. Family weekend away for my birthday - in June
Woo hoo! Have booked the accommodation. A big tick on my to do list!

7. Look after my health – eat well, sleep well, play well
This is looking better. I realised that my Fitbit wasn't always correct when recording my sleep and then I also realised that I could edit the sleep log. Now I'm getting nearer to have at least 7 hours most nights although I'm still waking up quite a bit. Switching to decaf tea at the end of the day has also helped though because although I'm still waking I'm finding it easier to get back to sleep.

8. Visit my brother
At some point!

9. Visit the beach
When it's warmer!

10. Complete my reading challenge (52 books for the year)
Still on schedule for this. In February I read:

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold - John Le Carre
Look for Me - Lisa Gardner
The Chosen Ones - Howard Linskey
Why Mummy Swears - Gill Simms
The Hourglass Factory – Lucy Ribchester
The Queen of Bloody Everything – Joanna Nadin
The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae – Stephanie Butland
The Search – Howard Linskey

As always, details and reviews can be found on my Goodreads site.

11. Keep a journal
This still needs work - it's not an established habit.

12. Blog at least once per week (plus regular memes)
I managed 25 posts this month so definitely on track with this.

13. Organise/Take more photos
I did some organising this month but this is a huge task. I have broken it down into areas so I just need to pigeonhole the time to carry on with it.

14. Update my clothes/accessories/make up etc regularly
I'm planning on sorting out some of my summer clothes in the next month or so - I have several pairs of trousers that need shortening.

15. Do more crafting – move the sewing machine!
We've moved the sewing machine! It's a start. Although the room it's in is a bit of a dumping ground for the stuff I've earmarked to donate/dump. Two steps forward one back for now.

16. Try out a new recipe or do a bake each week
We're still doing Hello Fresh so we've had new recipes most weeks. I also prepared a Lamb casserole with apricots when I had friends for lunch at the beginning of the month plus a chocolate tart which I hasn't made before. I realise some might view using HF for new recipes a bit of a cheat but for me it's as much about trying as in tasting new things as it is about cooking.

17. Visit/see Noah every month
They came to us this month - our son was taking part in a half-marathon at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic park. It was a hectic weekend with them and the dogs here plus we had a get together with the other two Grandsons and parents on the Saturday. Of course I wouldn't have it any other way!

18. Make progress on the house plan
Need to chase up the roofer. Note to self!

19. Lose 19 pounds
Still 1 down 18 to go. I need to take this one more seriously.

Not a bad month overall, especially as we have also managed to rearrange furniture in the house. Something I've been meaning to do for a long time. As usual there was a lot of Grandparenting going on.

The google group I set up for the readers in our family seems to be a hit. We had a lot of interaction about the books we read in January and one of my DILs beat me to e-mailing around yesterday to look at our February reads. Hopefully the enthusiasm will continue. One of the nice things I like about it is that one of hubby's sisters can participate in it. She (and her husband) is blind but she reads a lot of books. We often overlook that although they are very proficient with e-mail and computers they can't use Whatsapp. We have a Whatsapp family group that is a constant chain of messages nearly every day. We have to make a point of making sure they are included especially if it's anything important. With the book group being on e-mail it's easy for her to let us know what she's been reading and I know she enjoys being part of it.

19 in 19 - January update

February is here so time for a review of how January went for my 19 in 19.

1.   Be more organised, plan ahead and waste less time

Wellllll I think there was slight improvement here.  According to my i-phone app I have spent less time on my phone and judging by the ever increasing amount of recorded TV programmes I have I've not been watching loads of television.  I'll have to watch or delete some soon or my storage will be full!

2.   Work on the garden

In January?  Not likely.  But also not necessary.

3.   Plan a lunch date/date night with Nick once a month (theatre/cinema/meal/outing)

We managed a couple of outings this month, a lunch and a meal out one evening.  Both quite impromptu but still good. Hmm maybe my planning ahead is not as good as I thought lol.

4.   Eat at 6 new-to-me restaurants

One down 5 to go.  I ate at a new Argentinian steak restaurant early in the month.  It's nearby and had only been open a month.  I went with some friends and will definitely be taking Nick there at some point.  We also ate at a new to us restaurant in Nottingham when we visited Grandson Noah and his parents but as we're unlikely to visit it again due to its location I won't count that in.  But we did have a very nice meal.

5.   Complete the A – Z  blogging challenge

This doesn't happen until April but I have been doing some preparation.

6.   Family weekend away for my birthday - in June

We've tentatively agreed a date and an area so now I have to sort out the details 

7.   Look after my health – eat well, sleep well, play well

I think we've been eating reasonably well - we've gone back to having our Hello Fresh deliveries so that is giving us variety.  I've also tried switching to decaf tea at the end of the day and I think that is helping with my sleep.  I started the month trying to be more active but haven't really kept it up.  I find January quite a hard month - such an anticlimax after Christmas and then it's often cold and miserable so hard to get motivated.  Spring's coming right?

8.   Visit my brother

At some point!

9.   Visit the beach

When it's warmer!

10.                Complete my reading challenge (52 books for the year)

On schedule for this.  In January I read:

Why Mummy Drinks by Gill Sims

Our Souls at Night by Kent Harud

The Accidental Further Adventures of the 100 year old Man by Jonas Jonasson &

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying - Marie Kondo

As always, details and reviews can be found on my Goodreads site.

11.                Keep a journal

I'm improving on this one.

12.                Blog at least once per week (plus regular memes)

Well I (almost) completed the Just Jot it January challenge so this month was a success.

13.                Organise/Take more photos

This needs work!

14.                Update my clothes/accessories/make up etc regularly

Well I did a bit of a Marie Kondo on my clothes this month so a good start.  I think this is something I'll look at seasonally so I'm done for winter!

15.                Do more crafting – move the sewing machine!

No comment!

16.                Try out a new recipe or do a bake each week

Thanks to Hello Fresh we've tried out new recipes most weeks.  I also made a Lentil & Veg stew for the first time which was ok and I tried out a recipe for a piece of pork loin that we had which involved wine and rosemary.  That actually didn't turn out so well, probably because I used cheap wine and it tasted a bit vinegary which was a shame.

17.                Visit/see Noah every month

We visited the weekend of the 19th and had a lovely time including eating out on the Saturday evening.  Noah was very good although he was a bit noisy when we first got to the restaurant and as we were the first there and it was quiet for a little while he sounded Very Loud lol.  Once it began to fill up and there was more background noise he was less conspicuous.

18.                Make progress on the house plan

Well one of the first things we need to get done is a few repairs on the roof - no point in fixing things inside if there are external issues.  We've had a quote so now we just need to sort out a date for the works to be done.  Moving in the right direction though.

19.                Lose 19 pounds

1 down 18 to go.  I definitely need to be more active. (Or eat less but as I said above January is not a good month for getting outside and when I'm inside a lot snacking is very tempting!) 

Quite a good month overall, especially as I had a lot of Grandparenting going on.  That didn't always leave a lot of time, or energy for other things.  I was certainly pleased that despite that, I still managed to blog nearly every day and do a fair amount of interacting with other bloggers too.

One other thing that I managed was to set up a separate google group for the readers in our family.  A few of us posted lists of our 2018 reads and there was a lot of interaction about it so we agreed to set up a separate group just for book discussions.  There are 17 of us and we've just been sharing which books we read in January.  It's good to get suggestions for books to read - or which to avoid lol.