Archive for March 2008
Goal Setting
Posted on Fri, Mar 21, 2008 at 8:37 by Michelle
Goal setting, I decided on this topic because my wonderful son asked me what had I wanted to do when I was a child. I remember vividly that I wanted to be American. I expect I was swayed by the wonderful lives I saw that American kids had via our TV. Huge, plush bedrooms with walk-in closets, school with no uniform you could chew gum and play baseball. It was a magical place, and it wasn’t that I was growing up in poverty or destitution or in a developing country. I lived in the UK.
Now of course I see that it was idealistic but when my son asked me and after thinking for a while I responded. “As a kid I wanted to be American”, it is probably no wonder that the states feels like my spiritual home. I’ve been lucky enough to spend extended visits in Florida, and I never want to come home. When I do get back to the UK I yearn to be back in the states. When I visit, my homecoming starts when I step off the plane, that first interaction with the burly security guards, who call me “ma’am” how nice is that, how polite it sounds. Obviously I didn’t know what to expect on my first visit, but it surpassed my imagination. The vastness of it, no wonder there are walk in closets there is so much room everywhere. This is particularly noticeable on the roads, they are so big, the difference was highlighted on the movie “The Holiday” although not all of our roads are as tight as the one Cameron Diaz was filmed in, they are not unusual either. I love to drive in America. I drive an automatic at home, so I’m comfortable with that, but the idea that I could get on a road and drive for 10 hours and not see the sea, that I could drive for 20 hours and still be in the same country, that is spectacular to me.
My ambition as I got older (and still) is to do a road trip in the states, to spend 6 months driving around and meeting people in the different states, finding out about their lives. When this dream first started it was going to be motel to motel, then I thought I’d rent a motor home, but now I know I’d do it by couchsurfing and visit with people on my way, because for me, it’s much more about the people than the place.
|Posted in Family (RSS), Travel (RSS)
Family Easter
Posted on Thu, Mar 20, 2008 at 10:36 by Michelle
Dinner
Posted on Thu, Mar 06, 2008 at 14:38 by Michelle
Usually I can just get on with dinner. I enjoy making the food for the family, and this week has been the easiest for a long time. For the last few months in accordance with my frugal ways I’ve made a monthly meal plan, and for the most part that has worked out. I work much better with lists and my life feels ordered if I know what we are having for dinner tonight and tomorrow night and next Thursday night. With the exception of a few items very little has been repeated over the last 2 months. We have similar themes: curry, fish, pasta, rice and something and soup night. This week has been better than others I have planned, and I can only assume that is because I haven’t stuck to the plan at all. I feel safe with the list, and always know I can cook what’s on it, but feel much more relaxed making what comes to hand. So for instance tonight was supposed to be sausage plait. Well, I bought sausage meat from my butcher last week and made some sausage rolls for packed lunches, and although they were nice I was fed up of sausage and didn’t buy any at the butchers this week. What I did get was 2lbs of beef mince.
That was on Monday. and everyday I’ve thought, we’ll have that mince tonight. I have been going to make burgers with it all week, but last night decided instead we’d have a mince curry made with it. Dave took me out to the post office when he got in from work. I had a quick skate around the supermarket for eggs, and saw some reduced organic turkey. So we had turkey curry instead.
Tonight we are going to have the burgers, I’ve bought buns, and we have to because the mince won’t last any longer. Normally I’d have had the burgers made and in the fridge ready to be cooked when everyone is home this evening. But, I’m putting it off, I know I am procrastinating on it, but not sure why. There is no way I will waste the meat, so it is going to be cooked, and I just have to get on with it. Zen Habits is great for help with procrastination, and reading from there I’ve learnt that it’s no good trying to rationalise or convince. I just have to do it, not think about just get on with it.
Therefore, I just have to finish this blog, um, better check my email, and er, sure there’s a program I want to catch up on, but then absolutely nothing will stop me making those yummy burgers.
|Stale Muffin
Posted on Wed, Mar 05, 2008 at 11:36 by Michelle
Hard topped muffin for breakfast.
Not for everyone of course, Kate has fruit, Chris cereal, and Dave crumpets. I could have had any of those, but there was one stale shop bought muffin left, and even though it was made with eggs which aren’t free range, (bought by Dave of course) wasting food seems like a bigger crime. It sat on the end of the bench where things are relegated before the bin, and I had my eye on it as I went to and fro through the kitchen. First time was for my wake up coffee, and at that time I wouldn’t have cared if it had been put in the bin. Next was when I made the lunches, and even considered throwing it into Katie’s pack up, she wouldn’t mind, she’d be pleased to have something shop bought and full of sugar, but my parenting guilt kicked in and she had a pear instead. My final and fatal trip was for my 2nd (and last) coffee, which I can sit quietly in front of the PC with, as they’ve headed out to school and work. While making this regular morning treat, I am cleaning away the results of the packed lunches and wiping down the benches. Last chance for the muffin, if it wasn’t eaten then it would go into the bin.
Of course before my blogging, eating that muffin would not have had this level of scrutiny, but it’s crumpled, tired wrapper is next to me as I type, and has me wondering why I ate it. Waste of course is one of the options, but the possibly, more realistic reasons, are greed and laziness.
I have always been greedy, only the last year or so, since turning 40 does it seem to be abating. I always had a passion and hunger for life itself, but that too seems to be abating.
|How to start a non pretentious blog?
Posted on Tue, Mar 04, 2008 at 9:33 by Michelle
I’ve tried to start writing a blog and even have a few entries in cyberspace, but never managed to keep it up. Apparently this is a problem for many blog writers.
This time, it’s going to work. I feel positive about it.
Until recently I wasn’t into the whole blog thing. I never read them and my writing of them, well, that’s already been explained. Then a frugal forum I regularly read had a link to ‘The Years Are Short‘ it is a wonderful one minute movie about how quickly our children grow, and from there was a link to the movie producers blog, The Happiness Project. This truly inspired me, not to blog at first, but to read blogs. I loved the concept behind The Happiness Project. This was something myself and my daughter had discussed on a few occasions, could we ‘choose’ to be happy. Gretchen has gone through this subject with a fine tooth comb, and what she does not know about how to be happy, really is not worth knowing. From Gretchen’s blog, there were links to many other’s, some I read for a few days and some I’m subbing to and reading avidly. The most recent favourite is Zen Habits I’m definitely looking at ways to incorporate ideals from there. I’d already started decluttering, but it’s a slow process. The goal setting is the next thing on my agenda. Yesterday for a few minutes I sat with pen and paper and wrote the goals that came to mind. I want to spend more time on them and then share, but what surprised me was that finishing the kitchen was not one of them.
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