An analog update

A quick check in on the ever so slight twitch away from digital to analog.  I ordered the clocks, the clocks arrived in good order (thank you Amazon  Prime shipping!) Clocks were set up and the girls were instructed on how to use them (move lever on the side UP to set the alarm and DOWN to turn it off)….

First morning:  Girls not up….

child:   “which way do I move the switch?”  

me thinking:  (obviously, the OPPOSITE way it is now!)

Second morning:  Girls up!  Yay!!  Success!  I do the happy dance down the stairs to make breakfast and pack lunches knowing the morning will be much less crazy since the girls are up on time, have plenty of time to get ready, eat, pack their (incredibly over-burdened and heavy) backpacks, and head out the door.  Worked EXACTLY like I had dreamed!!  

Third morning:  Girls not up…  

me:  “Did you forget to set the alarm?”  

child:  “No, I set it”  

me:   “Did it not go off?”  (uh-oh I’m thinking bad things about the little clocks)

child:  “It went off, I just turned it off and went back to sleep”

And why do I get the sinking feeling we are going to have many more days like the third morning, and less like the second?  *sigh*

 

 

Going analog in a digital world

I think this may be a first…two posts in one day.

Today I went analog in a digital world

clocks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I ordered these:

Yes, my exciting life….old school analog battery operated alarm clocks.  They don’t flash, they only make one noise, they run on batteries, there is a FACE to read, not luminescent numbers, they don’t “dock” anything.  They just tell the time and wake you up when you set the (one) alarm.  And they cost less than $20 each.

In truth…the girls have been through several alarm clock/cd playing/cassette playing/ iPod docking clocks in the last twelve years.  And, the last dock/clock they have (they each have the same one) we cannot figure out how to reset the alarm…every time they unplug it…which is all the time,  SO   we are going analog over here.   Orange for Gwen, Ivory for Lily and the “classic” for me in my studio because I have no clock in here and need to know when to stop making stuff up here and head to the kitchen to make stuff to feed the fam.

Going analog in a digital world…*sigh* loving old-school.

Goals for 2014 …. the lists

Goals for 2014

IMG_3948Oh boy is there a lot of stuff I want to accomplish this year!  Holy Moly Guacamole… But it’s a good thing I love lists, I live by my list that I make for the week, lists for shopping, errands, to-do, books to read…you name it, I have a list for it.   So I thought I’d start the year by making a List of the Lists for 2014 and break it down into manageable parts. I may even post this to a separate section on the blog here so I can keep track and cross things off as I go. We’ll see…the important part for me is to get the process started and add to it as I go along.

IMG_4129General Thoughts

-Start working on ‘life list’ – I resisted this for a very long time for a variety of reasons but I am now coming around to the idea that making a list doesn’t mean it’s the last life list I”ll ever make (far from it if history is any indication) but there is a power in words and in writing things down and I”m seeking to manifest that for the good

-Family Time-We have a good time playing games together and doing projects together, I’d like to do more of that in 2014, even if it’s just a movie night!

-Date night- we’ve never really formally had a standing date night but this year may be the year to start, it’s nice to spend a little time just us, without the kids…it’s a pre-cursor to what it will be like around here in 6 years when the girls are off to (*gasp) college.

IMG_1949Adventures & Travel – I’d like to travel more this year, even if it’s just locally to see things we just have not gotten around to seeing  (soccer, basketball, and social obligations not withstanding!) The girls are at a great age to do things with and are terrific travelers.  Even things as simple as going to the ICA with my girlfriends (or dragging my family there on mother’s day) qualifies as an adventure in my book!

-Getting the gang back together for Homecoming 2014 at Syracuse….I had an awesome time last year and want to go back again with my sisters from the class of 2014. Going to put that in the works as soon as the dates are announced!

-Connecting with some of my like minded kindreds who I’ve become very close with through the “Be Present” retreats.  I visited my friend Kimberly last month and we had a blast…. scheming to get a group of us together this year.

-Family vacation…we don’t take a big vacation every year but would like to maybe do some smaller get-aways this year, we’ll see…I’m sure we will spend some time on the ‘Cape with Charlie’s family this summer which will be fun in the sun!

IMG_2799Homekeeping…

-Being that my chief position these days is “Domestic Goddess” (yes, that is what it says on my tax return), this year I want to keep adding to my routines that work and re-evaluate what doesn’t and simplify as much as possible.  This also includes my position as the “Queen of Finance” and re-evaluating how I handle our day to day finances and make sure we are doing what needs to be done.

-Make a list of projects we are going to tackle (or have tackled) this year and make them happen.  We are fortunate that this house has not required quite as much intensive hands-on work as our previous home but as always, there is always much to do!

IMG_1248Family History

-Continue to work on the family photo archives from all branches of the family, organizing, scanning, printing and getting things annotated and in albums for people to enjoy

IMG_0100Memory keeping

-Finish the online classes I have started and abandoned OR not even started at all

-Make progress on the girls school albums starting from last year and working backwards, also tucking away things from this year that have already been delegated to go “in the book mama”

-Continue with a fourth year of Project Life documentation…although I suppose we should call it “Project CSLG” around here

-Map out other album projects I’ve been thinking about

-Switch out old post bound albums for new ring binder albums and possibly re-arrange the pages…still thinking about that

IMG_2142Fiber Arts & Sewing

-I want to get back to my roots so to speak and really start some serious sewing, I did a number of projects in 2013 but I want to up my game in 2014

-Play … whatever form that takes

Professional 

-There are a number of different professional options/ideas I’ve been tossing around the last two years and I have to say, dithering about which one is the best path to take has just meant nothing has gotten done, this year I”m going to pick one and pursue it and if it works out, great!  If not, on to the next one.  Onward.

IMG_3014Connection and Personal / Creative Growth (the big journey)

-These have been something I’ve been working on the last few years a little at a time and I’m really excited to see where this takes me in 2014!

The scary thing is that this is just a few off-the-top-of-my-head ideas, the more I type, the more I think of so must. stop. now 😉

OK now…. GO !

for boston tonight

 

IMG_7364

today was a normal monday

until it wasn’t

i love this town,

i love New England

my ancestors came here on the mayflower

my ancestor was a preacher killed as a witch in Salem

my ancestor hung the lantern in the old north church to warn that the british were coming

my ancestors fought in the revolutionary war, were sons of liberty, fought to build a new nation

my ancestor was the wife of a president and the mother of a another president

my ancestors were patriots and brave did not cower in the face of terror or injustice or tyranny

WE are patriots

WE are brave

WE DO NOT COWER IN THE FACE OF TERROR OR INJUSTICE OR TYRANNY

we do however pray for the victims and weep for the fallen and hold our loved ones dear tonight

Good night Boston, we love you…

happy new year my friends

For last year’s words belong to last year’s language
And next year’s words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.

~T.S. Eliot, “Little Gidding”

Here is to making a beginning…Hello 2013!