April 2018 Life Goals

Let’s check in on March's goals and my progress.

• Read 10 Books -- Success! I went way above my goal and read 15 books this month! Very excited about my progress this month.
• Catch up on BOTM books -- Success! I'm completely caught up, just in time to receive my April selection.
• Focus on and complete Week in the Life this month -- Success! Documented and completed.
• Do something for my birthday -- Success, I guess. I had a few hours away from the kids and explored Pleasanton. 
• Check in with. few friends -- Success! 
• Keep up with Lunch planning -- Fail. Totally dropped the ball on this one.
• Restart MommaStrong (exercise in general) -- Fail. 
• Make Quentin's 18 month appointment -- Success! He had his appointment on the 30th. 

April's Goals:

• Clean out the downstairs closet -- It's gotten a bit out of hand and is a catch-all right now.
• Read 15 books -- Upping my goal from last month a bit. Hoping to keep my reading momentum up.
• Meal Plan for all of April -- I've gotten a bit lazy with meal planning. Really hoping to rectify that.
• Do a clothes clean-out for me and the boys -- Looks like it's about time to move Quentin and Arthur up to the next size. 
• Figure out our summer travel plans -- Need to figure out when the twins will be coming this year. 
• Knock off 5 items from my Spring Bucket list -- I keep forgetting that I made this. 
• Try 5 new recipes -- Itching for something new in our rotation.
• reate a grocery and activity budget and stick to it -- Last month got a bit out of hand. Need to get back into a stricter budget this month.

Next up on the TBR list:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• I'm losing the never-ending battle of having a clean living room...  Guess I just need to kick everyone out of the house...
• Still in a weird reading rut. The last few books haven't been great. I'm really hoping this changes this coming week.
• Arthur's so excited to dye Easter eggs this week. I keep holding him off to keep them fresh. I think today's the day.
• Feeling a brain dump is needed.
• The downstairs closet needs to be cleaned out. Not looking forward to that task.
• I need to make a clothing-needed list for the boys. We just got their sandals for this year, but I'm sure they will need a few more things. 
• Debating about various local attraction memberships. Thinking we will drop Chabot when it runs out (May). The zoo has been renewed until April 2019. Should we replace Chabot with something else? Need to explore our options.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Spring Bucket List 2018

I almost completely forgot about this! Thankfully I remembered in just the nick of time. I've been thinking about the activities we want to do before the summer comes.

1. Have an Easter Egg Hunt
2. Dye Easter Eggs
3. Beach picnic
4. Ride the steam train at Tilden
5. See the baby goats/sheep/pigs at the farm
6. Go to the farmer's market
7. Make fun cupcakes
8. Make a fairy door
9. Have a cookout
10. Visit Happy Hallow
11. Create a gardening project for Arthur
12. Paint my nails a springy color
13. Play with sidewalk chalk
14. Go to a botanical garden
15. Visit five different parks
16. Fly a kite
17. Make strawberry shortcake
18. Have an ice cream sundae night
19. Visit Chabot twice before our membership runs out
20. Blow bubbles
21. Make a rainbow craft
22. Host a tea party
23. Make dirt pudding
24. Bake flower pot bread
25. Go berry picking

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• I've had a couple of mediocre reads in a row this past week and I really need something great to read...
• I went a little crazy with buying beverages at the store this week. But they all look so good!
• Really enjoying listening to the sound of rain this week. 
• Berries are back at the store. Yeah!
• Q's been babbling even more this week. Maybe we'll get an English word or two soon.
• Itching to do a craft destash this month.
• I need to get back to time blocking to increase my productivity.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #2

Reading: Demonglass and Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins. After some more adult reads, I'm taking a bit of a YA break to finish this series. 

Watching: J and I have been on a movie kick lately. I actually made a watch list in my bujo because I keep forgetting the movies I want to watch. Now we can look at the short list, pick something to watch, and cross it off! (I'm a huge lister and completionist over here.)

Listening: I downloaded some albums onto my Apple Music app and one of my selections was the new Black Veil Brides album. I love some metal every once in awhile!

Making: I'm trying to finish a month in our family Project Life album from last year. Currently working on April and May. Plus, I'm documenting Week in the Life this week so I'm mentally planning spreads and stories for the album.

Feeling: Last week, I felt very scattered in my tasks and plans. This week, I'm much much more focused.

Planning: I've got a few new craft classes scheduled for April and May. I need to prep the rest of the card kits. I've also got Spring Bingo scheduled. Now I need to plan out my make n takes and finalize the prizes. Finally, I've still got one project to design for March stamp club and I need to start thinking about April stamp club (last in this round).

Loving: My birthday was yesterday! We don't usually have anything big planned, but I do love commemorating it in some way. The retreat a few weekends back acted as my big present, but I also made sure to have a dessert and a few other little self-care items the day of.

Next up on the TBR pile:

March 2018 Life Goals

Let’s check in on February's goals and my progress:

• Read 15 Books -- Success! I read way more than 15 books.
• Gather documents for TK registration -- Fail? So much crap I need to pull but a ton of documents have be a from a specific time period. Seriously very confusing...
• Make Dentist Appointments -- Fail. Never got around to this one.
• Make Eye Appointments -- Success! Arthur and I both got exams. His eyesight is great for his age. Mine is not, but that's not a surprise. I ordered my new glasses and am just waiting for them to be ready (takes longer due to my ridiculously high prescription).
• Buy flowers for the house twice -- Fail. We acquired some flowers right before Valentine's Day so I did have some flowers in the house.
• Paint my nails twice -- Fail. Didn't even do it once.
• Make three new recipes -- Success! I made a dinner, a new side dish, and a new cocktail this month.
• Make donuts twice -- Fail. 
• Blog drafts for Feb and March -- Success!
• Have fun at the retreat!!!! -- Major success! It was such a great weekend!

March's Goals:

• Read 10 Books -- I'm lowering my expectations for next month.
• Catch up on BOTM books -- I'm running a book behind right now but want to catch up.
• Focus on and complete Week in the Life this month -- This may be a crafty goal, but it will take a bit of life planning also.
• Do something for my birthday -- It's coming super soon... what should I do?
• Check in with a few friends -- There are a few friends I definitely want to check in with this month.
• Keep up with Lunch planning -- I was doing well and then I fell out of the habit.
• Restart MommaStrong (exercise in general) -- I need to do this.
• Make Quentin's 18 month appointment -- Just a reminder

Next up on the TBR list:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• For my monthly photos, I'm going to take daily selfies. Trying to be brave, but honestly this ideas scares me. 
• Bought three pieces of clothing at Target this week. Two actually fit! Very excited at the results.
• Need to decrease my simple carbs, but damn bread is so good...
• Today feels like a good day to restart an exercise program. 
• I currently have a glut of tea in the house and am loving it.
• Quentin is on the verge of talking and it's so exciting!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• Scar tissue pain is the absolute worst. Not having a good week at all...
• Crazy drama on The Bachelor this week and I am so here for it!
• Reading a ton of comics this week and it's got me excited for reading again. 
• I'm counting down the days until the retreat. Seriously can't wait. I want to package and go right now, but need to wait...
• Itching to go shopping for clothes this week but financially probably not the best idea. Arthur needs new clothes first. 

Next up on the TBR pile:

February 2018 Life Goals

Let’s check in on January's goals and my progress.

• Make a Dermatologist Appoitment -- Success. Turns out all my moles are benign. 
• Make Eye Appointments -- Fail. I just never got around to this one.
• Make Dentist Appointments -- Fail.
• Make My Doctor Appointment -- Success. 
• Check in about TK for 2018-2019 -- Success I guess. I check in and registration opens on March 1st.
• Discuss Spring Break Plans -- Fail. Totally forgot about this one.
• Finalize Retreat Numbers for February -- Success! I've even got a chunk of the nonperishable groceries bought!
• Restart Meal Planning/Budgeting -- Success! After a couple of stock-up store visits, I'm back in track.
• Check in with Reoccurring Boxes -- Success! I canceled a few boxes, checked in with a few, and continued with a few. 
• Supervise the Q1 Care Exchange -- Success! We have a few packages outstanding, but the deadline isn't until Feb. 5th. So far, we're doing good.
• Send Out All January Cards -- Success!
• Update Birthday List -- Success! I went through and wrote out all the birthday. Easy peasy for sending cards. 
• Read 3000 pages and 10 books -- Success! I actually surpassed my goals with 18 books read and over 5000 pages. I know that I won't be able to keep up this pace, but it was nice to start the reading year off right.
• Schedule Winter (Jan-March) Activities -- Success! 

February's Goals:

• Read 15 Books -- I did so well in January, I want to keep up the momentum.
• Gather documents for TK registration -- Registration opens March 1st, so I need to get the documents together this month.
• Make Dentist Appointments -- Carry over goal
• Make Eye Appointments -- Carry over goal
• Buy flowers for the house twice -- Trader Joe's and Sprouts have had such pretty flowers lately. I need to brighten up my kitchen this month.
• Paint my nails twice -- I painted my nails over the holidays and forgot how much it makes me happy. Need to keep this going.
• Make three new recipes -- Part of my yearly goals is to make 52 new recipes. I did a few in January, but need to pay attention and make sure I add some new ones this month. I do have a Kofta Patties recipe ready for next week.
• Make donuts twice -- I got a donut cookbook for Christmas and have yet to use it. Granted I was gone for a few weeks, but I'm back and want fun donuts!
• Blog drafts for Feb and March -- Trying to get back into the swing of things on the blog.
• Have fun at the retreat!!!! -- I'm so looking forward to this! I haven't been away overnight from Quentin ever. Momma needs a few days to recharge!

Next up on the TBR list:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• I'm feeling a reading lull coming up... Unfortunately having an awesome reading month in January sets me up for a disappointing February.
• If I can get to the eye doctor this week, I'll actually be able to order some new glasses soon. 
• Not a huge fan of pink and hearts, but I keep using both while making cards lately. 
• Feeling the itch to make some baked goods soon. 
• Give me all the fruit right now!
• I have a huge stack of comics calling my name if I can finish my novel...

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• I went a little crazy at Costco yesterday... but at least we are stocked up.
• Excited about lunch prep for next week
• Thinking about making blueberry scones for this week
• Beyond ecstatic about OBM Live this weekend in SF. Hoping we can get it together to do drinks and snacks afterward somewhere.
• Need to do a clothing re-sort for the boys
• I feel like I've been reading the same book for a super long time... time to get cracking and finish it up

Next up in the TBR pile:

Currently #1

Reading: Nefertiti by Michelle Moran -- one of those books that's been on my shelves for a few years

Watching: Arthur has really gotten into Buster Keaton movies, so we've been watching a few here and there

Listening: Catching up on the Reading Glasses podcast

Making: Jumped right back into card making once I got back home. Only 8 more designs to do before this weekend...

Feeling: After being sick over the weekend with a stomach bug, I'm feeling much better.

Planning: The numbers for the moms' retreat have been finalized. The house has been booked. Now to get to the rest of the planning.

Loving: Being sick meant no real food as we couldn't keep anything down. So excited to eat food again.

Next up on the TBR pile:

January 2018 Life Goals

Let’s check in on Decembers's goals and my progress.

• Finish sending Christmas cards -- Success! I love sending out Christmas cards every December.
• Plan and buy Christmas presents -- Success! I'm excited that I completed these ahead of the crunch week before Christmas.
• Knock out at least 10 Reading Challenges slots -- Success! I ended my year with a decent bit of reading. 
• Plan my 2018 Reading Challenges -- Success! I changed up a few challenges this year for a bit of variety. Excited to get started!
• January blog drafts -- Success! I got a few posts done and all the drafts ready.

January's Goals: This month's goals are all about getting year start correctly. No flashy goals, but some necessary ones.

• Make a Dermatologist Appointment -- I think it's finally time to remove a few moles...
• Make Eye Appointments -- Arthur and I both need to go.
• Make Dentist Appointments -- Ditto
• Make My Doctor Appointment -- I'm due for a physical and a check in about some other issues. Related goal - I'm applying for my medical marijuana card to deal with my migraines. I know California is allowing personal consumption without a card, but I think a card is still a good idea.
• Check in about TK for 2018-2019 -- Arthur will be eligible. Last time I checked, registration was in February, but I know I need to gather some documents.
• Discuss Spring Break Plans -- Trying to decide if I will be going to Indiana or not.
• Finalize Retreat Numbers for February -- I resurrected the Mom group retreat for late February. Deadline for deposits is January 15th. From there I need to book the house and start proper planning, but I need the numbers first.
• Restart Meal Planning/Budgeting -- It's always hard to jump back in after being away for a few weeks. Once I return home, I need to do a pantry inventory and restart proper meal planning.
• Check In with Reoccurring Boxes -- Currently we either subscribe or sometimes subscribe to Munchery, Book of the Month, Kiwi Crate, Lola, Amazon Subscribe and Saves. I know I will be keeping the BOTM box and the Amazon boxes, but the others are up in the air. I think I will be canceling Lola. We do Munchery about once every 6 weeks so I just need to skip. Kiwi Crate is the only one I don't know about.
• Supervise the Q1 Care Exchange -- Sign-ups open on January 1st and close on January 15th with a delivery deadline fo February 5th. I know of at least one minor issue to fix and I'm sure there will be others. 
• Send Out All January Cards -- There's only a few, but you know.
• Update Birthday List -- I definitely need to make sure I have all my dates listed so I know who to send cards to.
• Read 3000 pages and 10 books -- Hoping to start 2018's reading off right.
• Schedule winter (Jan-March) activities -- Again, hoping to get the jump on the year. I've got a few activities posted, just need to get the rest on there.

Next up on the TBR list:

2018 Goals and Resolutions

I usually have about 10 resolutions for the New Year, but I must admit that life is a bit much right now. I don't want to over-burden myself with too many goals to think about. I'm going to focus on my smaller monthly goals this coming year. However, I do have a few resolutions to highlight.

Blog and Reading Resolutions:

1. Read 35,00 pages -- I've been hovering around this number for a few years now. I think 35,000 is my spot-on number. 
2. Read 100 books -- A realistic goal.
3. Clear off another shelf of unread books -- Still working on clearing off our bookshelves from all this unread books. I'm doing well not adding too many more books to the stacks. 

Life Resolutions:

1. Rejoin the SSINK Design Team -- I'm excited to rejoin the team this January. Looking forward to all the challenges and creations.
2. Restart MommaStrong -- Seriously need to get back on this in January. I am feeling the lack of exercise...

Revisiting 2017’s goals and resolutions:

1. Read 35,000 pages -- Check! I ended up just a bit over my goal.
2. Read 100 books -- Check! 
3. Reevaluate my person blog -- Success. I did a little reevaluation and changed a few things around. We also moved the entire thing to SquareSpace and I think I've finally gotten used to how things work here. I'm temporarily happy with my blog. 
4. Keep posting on my craft blog MWFS -- Success! I missed a few days here and there, but I ended up with a good schedule. 
5. Clear off at least one shelf of unread books -- Success. I didn't keep a very detailed record of this one, but considering I've taken three bags of books to sell at Half Price Books over the year, I've cleared off few spots on the shelves. 
6. Cut our grocery budget dramatically and stick to it -- Fail I guess. I did reevaluate our grocery budget and buying habits. We haven't really cut it, but we have held steady for most of the year. 
7. Continue with MommaStrong -- Big huge fail! I fell off the bandwagon so hard. Need to get back to this one soon.
8. Participate in SSINK Design Team -- I participated the first half of the year and took the second half off. Things were getting super crazy in the summer and I made the decision to step away for a round. I'm glad I did. I love the team, but I also loved the freedom of making whatever I wanted for a few months. I'm excited to get back into it in January.
9. Participate in the Awesome Ladies Project Design Team -- Fail. I started strong in January, but this proved to be one thing too many on my plate. 

Next up on the TBR pile:

Christmas Bucket List Wrap-up

We finished out our Christmas season strong with lots of fun activities and lots of lazy days playing. 

Completed 20/28  71.4%

1. Go see Santa! -- We got to meet with Santa on the Christmas train last weekend.
2. Got to Fantasy of Lights at Franke Park -- Arthur, Q, and I went. Q fell asleep before we even got to the lights. At least Arthur enjoyed it. And it's way bigger this year.
3. Watch Christmas Movies -- We didn't see all of them, but a good chunk.
   1. Elf
   2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas ✓
   3. A Charlie Brown Christmas ✓
   4. The Polar Express ✓
   5. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer ✓
   6. Christmas Vacation
   7. Love Actually
   8. A Christmas Story
   9. Holiday Inn ✓
   10. White Christmas
   11. Christmas in the Smokies ✓
   12. Christmas Crush/Holiday High School Reunion ✓
   13. A Dogwalker's Christmas Tale ✓
   14. A Christmas Crush ✓
   15. My Santa ✓
   16. Christmas in the City ✓
   17. Merry Kissmas ✓
   18. Naughty & Nice ✓
   19. How Sarah Got Her Wings ✓
   20. A Princess for Christmas ✓
   21. Christmas Inheritance ✓
   22. Home Alone ✓
   23. Frosty the Snowman ✓
4. Make Christmas Cookies -- We iced and decorated mom's sugar cookies.
5. Ride the Christmas train (New Haven)
6. Visit Oakland Zoo lights
7. Go ice skating
8. Make Christmas cocktails
9. Send Christmas cards
10. Make peppermint bark
11. Load computer/phone with Christmas music
12. Make a Christmas craft -- Arthur and I have been making the various crafts we bought at Michael's last month.
13. Check out and read 25 Christmas books  -- We surpassed 25 books, I just returned some to the library before listing them here. Silly me.
    1. Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson
    2. Jingle-Jingle by Nicola Smee
    3. What Santa Can't Do by Douglas Wood
    4. A New Improved Santa by Patricia Rae Wolff
    5. How Many Sleeps 'til Christmas? by Mark Sperring
    6. Albert's Christmas by Leslie Tryon
    7. A Small Christmas by Wong Herbert Yee
    8. Holiday Helper by Jill Abramson
    9. Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney
    10. Monster Needs a Christmas Tree by Paul Czajak
    11. Christmas Coal Man by Joe Kulka
    12. Dear Santasaurus by Stacy McAnulty
    13. Pig the Elf by Aaron Blabey
    14. Best Christmas Book Ever by Richard Scarry
    15. Merry Christmas Pocoyo by Kristen Depken
    16. The Night Before Christmas by Jan Brett
    17. I've Seen Santa! by David Bedford
    18. Click, Clack, Ho, Ho, Ho by Doreen Cronin
    19. The Chicken Who Saved Christmas by Daniel Howath
    20. Santa Rex by Molly Idle
    21. It's Christmas by Tracey Corderoy
14. Make Christmas ornaments
15. Make paper snowflakes
16. Write a letter to Santa
17. Decorate a gingerbread house 
18. Host/attend Christmas cookie exchange 
19. Read a Christmas-themed book (or two)
20. Participate in Secret Santa 
21. Find a new Christmas album 
22. Make Hot Chocolate
23. Drive around to see the Christmas lights
24. Make Christmas albums -- All three albums are done!
25. Make a snowglobe
26. Have a Christmas dance party
27. Call Santa
28. Have a candy cane hunt

Next up on the TBR pile:

Christmas Break

It's time for my annual Christmas break from blogging. I hope everyone has a happy Holiday season and I will be back in early January with more posts!

Christmas Bucket List Update #3

We're now Indiana for the holidays and have completed even more Christmas related tasks.

Completed 11/28

1. Go see Santa! -- We got to meet with Santa on the Christmas train last weekend.
2. Got to Fantasy of Lights at Franke Park
3. Watch Christmas Movies
   1. Elf
   2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
   3. A Charlie Brown Christmas ✓
   4. The Polar Express ✓
   5. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
   6. Christmas Vacation
   7. Love Actually
   8. A Christmas Story
   9. Holiday Inn
   10. White Christmas
   11. Christmas in the Smokies ✓
   12. Christmas Crush/Holiday High School Reunion ✓
   13. A Dogwalker's Christmas Tale ✓
   14. A Christmas Crush ✓
   15. My Santa ✓
   16. Christmas in the City ✓
   17. Merry Kissmas ✓
   18. Naughty & Nice ✓
   19. How Sarah Got Her Wings ✓
   20. A Princess for Christmas ✓
   21. Christmas Inheritance ✓
4. Make Christmas Cookies -- Arthur and I made more of my Ginger Molasses cookies. We're going to iced and decorate mom's sugar cookies after the twins arrive.
5. Ride the Christmas train (New Haven)
6. Visit Oakland Zoo lights
7. Go ice skating
8. Make Christmas cocktails
9. Send Christmas cards
10. Make peppermint bark
11. Load computer/phone with Christmas music
12. Make a Christmas craft -- Arthur and I have been making the various crafts we bought at Michael's last month.
13. Check out and read 25 Christmas books
    1. Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson
    2. Jingle-Jingle by Nicola Smee
    3. What Santa Can't Do by Douglas Wood
    4. A New Improved Santa by Patricia Rae Wolff
    5. How Many Sleeps 'til Christmas? by Mark Sperring
    6. Albert's Christmas by Leslie Tryon
    7. A Small Christmas by Wong Herbert Yee
    8. Holiday Helper by Jill Abramson
    9. Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney
    10. Monster Needs a Christmas Tree by Paul Czajak
    11. Christmas Coal Man by Joe Kulka
    12. Dear Santasaurus by Stacy McAnulty
    13. Pig the Elf by Aaron Blabey
    14. Best Christmas Book Ever by Richard Scarry
    15. Merry Christmas Pocoyo by Kristen Depken
14. Make Christmas ornaments
15. Make paper snowflakes
16. Write a letter to Santa
17. Decorate a gingerbread house 
18. Host/attend Christmas cookie exchange 
19. Read a Christmas-themed book (or two) -- I finished Christmas Magic and am reading A Christmas to Remember anthology.
20. Participate in Secret Santa 
21. Find a new Christmas album 
22. Make Hot Chocolate
23. Drive around to see the Christmas lights
24. Make Christmas albums
25. Make a snowglobe
26. Have a Christmas dance party
27. Call Santa
28. Have a candy cane hunt

Next up on the TBR pile:

Fall 2017 Clothing Summary

My goal is to keep my quarterly clothes budget to $200. I've still got some weight loss goals to achieve, but I need to do a bit of fill-in in the meantime.

Amazon: $25.99

I was looking for some cute low oxfords to wear this winter. Thank goodness for Amazon as I was striking out at all the physical stores around here. 

Amazon: $0

My care exchange partner bought me these two lovely tunics. I had been eyeing them for awhile, but I rarely buy clothes. It was a nice treat to get them in my box.

Target: $21.81

I love the Target clearance rack! I found this cute denim skirt and black sleeveless top. The top has gone into regular rotation for my outfits. 

2017 Total: $322.59

Next up on the TBR pile:

Christmas Bucket List Update #2

We're now Indiana for the holidays and have completed even more Christmas related tasks.

Completed 7/28

1. Go see Santa!
2. Got to Fantasy of Lights at Franke Park
3. Watch Christmas Movies
   1. Elf
   2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
   3. Charlie Brown Christmas
   4. The Polar Express
   5. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
   6. Christmas Vacation
   7. Love Actually
   8. A Christmas Story
   9. Holiday Inn
   10. White Christmas
   11. Christmas in the Smokies ✓
   12. Christmas Crush/Holiday High School Reunion ✓
   13. A Dogwalker's Christmas Tale ✓
   14. A Christmas Crush ✓
   15. My Santa ✓
   16. Christmas in the City ✓
   17. Merry Kissmas ✓
   18. Naughty & Nice ✓
   19. How Sarah Got Her Wings ✓
4. Make Christmas Cookies
5. Ride the Christmas train (New Haven)
6. Visit Oakland Zoo lights
7. Go ice skating
8. Make Christmas cocktails
9. Send Christmas cards -- All have been sent out!
10. Make peppermint bark
11. Load computer/phone with Christmas music
12. Make a Christmas craft
13. Check out and read 25 Christmas books
    1. Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson
    2. Jingle-Jingle by Nicola Smee
    3. What Santa Can't Do by Douglas Wood
    4. A New Improved Santa by Patricia Rae Wolff
    5. How Many Sleeps 'til Christmas? by Mark Sperring
    6. Albert's Christmas by Leslie Tryon
    7. A Small Christmas by Wong Herbert Yee
    8. Holiday Helper by Jill Abramson
    9. Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney
    10. Monster Needs a Christmas Tree by Paul Czajak
    11. Christmas Coal Man by Joe Kulka
    12. Dear Santasaurus by Stacy McAnulty
    13. Pig the Elf by Aaron Blabey
    14. Best Christmas Book Ever by Richard Scarry
    15. Merry Christmas Pocoyo by Kristen Depken
14. Make Christmas ornaments
15. Make paper snowflakes
16. Write a letter to Santa
17. Decorate a gingerbread house -- Instead of a gingerbread house, we made a gingerbread tree! 
18. Host/attend Christmas cookie exchange -- I made my Ginger Molasses Cookies and in return we got Cardamon Shortbread, Iced Sugar Cookies, and Stem Ginger Cookies. Oh so good!
19. Read a Christmas-themed book (or two)
20. Participate in Secret Santa -- Arthur and Quentin had their Secret Snowflake exchange through the parent group. And I sent off my book-related Secret Santa gift. Hopefully mine will be waiting in Indiana when I get there.
21. Find a new Christmas album -- Done! I found two actually: Leslie Odom Jr.'s Simply Christmas and Lindsey Stirling's Warmer in the Winter. Both have been on repeat.
22. Make Hot Chocolate
23. Drive around to see the Christmas lights
24. Make Christmas albums
25. Make a snowglobe
26. Have a Christmas dance party
27. Call Santa
28. Have a candy cane hunt

Our Christmas Tree disaster... 

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• Traveling alone with two kiddos is hard. Ugh! We made it, but so tired.
• I love participating in secret Santas and this year I got some great little gifts. 
• Q is into everything! Toddlers are crazy.
• From 65 degrees to 20 degrees. Brrr!!!!
• Craving some hot chocolate today. I may have to stop by Starbucks for their new hot chocolates. 
• Arthur is so on board with Christmas this year. He's having so much fun!

Next up on the TBR pile: