101 Goals in 1001 Days

Inspired by my friend Kristi, I've decided to embark upon 101 goals within 1001 days. It took a couple days to come up with my list but I did it. This challenge is to run from February 27, 2012 to November 23, 2014. I was encouraged to come up with some goofy ideas too but after comprising my list, I failed at the goofy. Yes a bit odd seeing as I'm quite a goofy person to begin with. Maybe that's why goofy isn't on my list. Cuz it's a normal part of my everyday as is. So here's my quite practical list divided into a few categories:

Travel (this category is small due to the time frame and money required in such a small chunk of time)

1.       Go to Ushaka Marine World in Durban (as close to a "Disney" experience as I can now)

2.       Go to Burundi to visit hubby's home country and family

3.       Take the train with Freddy somewhere interesting but not too far away

4.       Go on a romantic mini break with Freddy (best before baby arrives!)

Home

5.       Own a sofa/couch

6.       Start a change jar towards our Disney 2022 savings fund

7.       Compile a book of my fav recipes including mom’s Hungarian ones, print and bind

8.       Get new sheets for the bed

9.       Take all glass bottles to be refunded and put proceeds into either Disney or baby savings

10.   Defrost freezer (not something I WANT to do but more HAVE to do)

11.   Replant my african violet into a bigger pot

12.   Complete all FHE activities in our FHE book (except a max of 5 which are impractical to our situation)

13.   Grow my own veggies

14.   Grow my own herbs

15.   Live in our own place that has at least one bedroom and yard area (rent or ownership)

16.   Own a washing machine

17.   Own a deep freeze

18.   Own a kitchen table

19.   Prepare a week’s worth of meals in one day so I don’t have to cook for a whole week

20.   Prepare a month’s worth of meals in one day so I won’t have to cook for a whole month

21.   Keep baby nursery to bare basics- bed, change table and breastfeeding chair

22.   Have at least 4 month’s food storage

23.   Have 3 month’s living expenses saved

24.   Get content’s insurance

25.   Make tortillas cuz they are really over priced here

26.   Paint a canvas to hang on the wall

27.   Bake wacky cake, cut into squares, wrap nice and have Freddy sell to co-horts on mtn

28.   Open an acct for baby’s education savings

29.   Have X saved in baby’s savings

30.   Frame and hang our wedding invitation

31.   Frame and hang our wedding photo

32.   Make baby’s first foods from scratch

33.   Prepare a CAD traditional festive meal for one of the holidays

34.   Make pumpkin pie (not sure why this recipe intimidates me?)

35.   Get pretty boxes to organize memories-my travels before marriage, me and freddy, baby

Leisure

36.   Eat out at Moyo

37.   Use our complimentary dance lesson voucher

38.   Check out the Kalk bay theatre sports

39.   Check out hout bay organic market

40.   Go to the reconciliation labyrinth at slangkop lighthouse in kommetjie

41.   Check out Long Street Baths for a mere R12 per person

42.   Photo shoot at 8 months pregnant of baby belly (I'd like to have some henna done on belly too)

43.   Serendipity maze at sea pointe

44.   Do the 45 min bird walk on intaka island at century city

45.   Check out cool runnings toboggan track in bellville

46.   Ride along the canal in the red bus co boat

47.   Get a tent

48.   Have family camping trip near Simonstown after baby turns 1

49.   Revisit Ratanga Junction and ride monkey falls and crocodile gorge until I get bored of them

50.   Go to the neighborgoods market in Woodstock

51.   Go to access park which is a bargain hunter’s dream

52.   Throw a birthday party a la my website style (me/freddy/baby)

53.   Start writing Freddy’s story of escape, survival to success

54.   Read the 1^st book of a popular series to see what the big deal is (harry potter or twilight, etc)

55.   Read all the remaining books of that popular series

56.   Watch a non-hollywood movie

57.   Watch a movie at grand west casino

58.   Learn how to play chess so Freddy and I can play our game

59.   Take the free tour of parliament

60.   Swim in the big pool in sea pointe

61.   Do the full circuit in the outdoor free gym at sea pointe

62.   Go to the national gallery

63.   Go skating with Freddy

64.   Go fruit picking in Ceres

65.   Play in snow in Ceres or somewhere else that gets snow in SA

66.   See some game animals

67.   Attend a local football game

68.   Go out for breakfast

69.   Try crocodile meat

70.   Host a nice garden party with finger sandwiches, teas and hoighty toighty mini pastries

71.   Host a mad hatter tea party

72.   Swim with the penguins again

73.   Revisit Kirstenbosch complete with a prepared picnic and really explore all the garden has

74.   Go to the observatory

75.   Go to Clifton beach

76.   Do 3 tourist things that I haven’t done yet

77.   Eat alot of sushi after baby is born

78.   Go to an exhibition (baby, food, health, whatever)

79.   Go to a theatre show with hubby

80.   Go bowling with hubby

81.   Bike a portion of that trail along the R27 with hubby

82.   Attend a community/city event/festival

83.   Sign up for somekind of mommy and me class

Health

84.   Get down to specified weight sometime after baby 1 is done breastfeeding and before getting pregnant with baby 2

85.   Get rid of x on foot

86.   Successfully complete a fruit and veg cleanse for a whole weekend after breastfeeding is done

87.   Do yoga everyday for one week

88.   Get Freddy on medical aid before he turns 35

89.   Do regular breast exams once a month

90.   Go to the dentist for check up and cleaning before week 26 of this pregnancy

91.   Hypnobirth my baby

Personal

92.   Do dad’s temple work shortly after his one year mark

93.   Do my hair and make up every Sunday for 1 month

94.   Reconnect with 3 friends on facebook

95.   Write an old fashioned letter and mail to 3 family members

96.   Replace all current clothes (except lululemon stuff) with new pretty clothes

97.   Finish reading new testament all the way through with hubby

98.   Learn enough Kirundi so I can conversate with mama Gene

99.   Get a winter jacket

100.   Own more than 2 pairs of pants, 3 skirts and 2 shorts

101.  Carry my baby African style at least once- on my back with aid of a towel

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can do all these things within 1001 days. Here goes....

I'm not fat. I'm pregnant.

words i have to keep telling myself.

2012, the year of the dragon, is a nice year so far. i'm 15 weeks pregnant, hubby and i have our own business and it's going pretty good. i had dedicated 2012 the year of blessings. it's amazing how positive thought can have such an influence on how your life goes.

i'm super excited for my mom. she is finally going to get to retire back in budapest. she's going in may, yay! she also plans to come here once little peanut is born.

i'm looking forward to the baby coming. the first few months will be a sleepy blur, so i've been told, but i'm still excited. i was in clicks yesterday and wandered into the baby section (this is my new thing, suddenly i've wandered into the baby section of any store i'm in) and got really excited about a small pack of newborn diapers. one wouldn't think that diapers would get you excited but they did. had our second ultrasound done 2 weeks ago. the little guy's back was turned to us but everytime the gynae pressed the scan handheld device into my belly, the baby turned it's head and opened it's mouth as if to say "oy, stop that! it's uncomfy."

i read story books to little peanut. hubby read a book to little peanut the other day too. i have such a wonderful husband. he's even reading the hypnobirthing book. afterall, he will be my birth companion. the only tricky thing about pregnancy here is co-ordinating what you want with the right care provider that medical aid is willing to pay for a portion of. o my word. my admin skills can't keep up with the mind spinning and varying answers and political roundabout repsonses i get. my goal is to get all this jazz sorted before my third trimester so i can just focus on baby and baby stuff. it'd be much easier if we were rich but then again everything in life is easier if you're rich. sometimes, i feel a bit restricted as a pregnant lady. there are many things you can't have and can't do. but i'm trying to focus on the magic that is pregnancy and birth. last night, i started to feel the little peanut in my womb. it feels like a water balloon. but i can only feel it when i lay on my back. otherwise, i don't feel pregnant. the first trimester you feel pregnant only cuz you are nauseos all the live long day. i'm proud to say that i never threw up once tho. my fav things these days are purple grapes, papaya, orange juice, avo, egg and peanut butter. o and italian food.

for valentines day, hubby took me out for italian food. it was fabulous. the place was close by, cheap and nice. i'd like to go again today but we must restrain ourselves cuz baby is coming and man, baby is expensive! my dreams of having 4 kids is dwindling. bottom line, it's all in God's hands.

It's been awhile

so it's been awhile since i've written anythin. life has been very challenging. a couple weeks after the last post i got a phone call that my dad had serious cancer. so april-june was about trying to get both of us to canada to see him as his case was terminal. long story short, they denied my husband's visitor visa application. it was totally heart breaking for all of us. i flew out the day before we knew the results. we got word that his passport was ready for pick up from the embassy. we assumed he got the visa. when i landed in canada, i checked my email and he said he didn't get it. his 'purpose' of visit was not clear. um hello? wanting to see dying father in law is a very clear purpose of visit!

10 days after i arrived, my dad passed away. he fell on father's day and hit his head. he had a bad hemorrhage (we didn't know that until 2 days after cuz the dr's didn't really do anything to check why he was suddenly unable to be fully concious and communicate. we had to convince them to do a brain scan). it was the most heart wrenching 3 days of my life. i still cry when i think about it. i harbored alot of anger towards this country in particular from preventing my dad's dying wish to meet his son in law in person. a prisoner on death row gets a final request, how come not my dad?

it's been a tough summer but august has been a bit better. downsized my mom to a 1 bdrm flat. it's bright and cheery. i go back in a couple weeks. starting to feel guilt and like i'm abandoning my mom. she's gonna be all alone. sigh. right now, my sweet husband is all alone. sigh. i'm looking fwd to getting back home to my boo bear. we'll still be poor as our financial situtaion hasn't changed. but i've come to realize that life is the same here or there. rich people thrive, poor people struggle to survive.

i'm reading a book on gratitude. i'm finding it helpful. i'm learning to live life like everything is a miracle and to focus on my blessings and to appreciate what i have. it's a challenge but a process i'll learn.

That Darn Cat

I'm having a secret relationship. Each day a special visitor comes by. The neighbor's cat. He is orange and as such I call him Archie. He is a gentle sweet young boy. He likes to sit in the empty concrete planter in the back area and he waits till I draw back the patio door curtains. Then he bounces towards our patio and meows one simple hello as I open the sliding doors. On laundry day he comes early cuz he knows there will be a cushy comfy chair for him to sit on- i bring out two chairs to balance the broom stick which holds up the twenty coat hangers with them under garments so they can dry in private. One day he was very cheeky and jumped up and thru the other neighbors bedroom window. He thought it was my room window cuz it is beside our sliding doors. Upon realizing that it was not my window, he high tailed it outta there! Today he is being very needy. He has not come by in two days and i think that is why his need for attention is higher today. So i was standing on the patio looking at the clouds, dont really get clouds here, and it reminded me of van on a clear day. Suddenly, archie reaches up, hooks a claw into the back of my shirt and gives it a tug as to say hey, i'm down here, pay attention to me please. Ya, like i didnt notice him kneading my feet and purring on them! I brought the grass mat outside cuz this sky called for some serious cloud watching duty. As soon as i laid down guess who was purring in my face. No, not freddy. . .he just got home. And now archie is making a run for the open sliding door my husband left open. He is very determined to go inside our house. Again not freddy but archie. Archie and freddy are indifferent to each other.

Racism

It's astounding that there is still such levels of racism. We went to check a flat on saturday. The lady who showed it to us was about fifty. She asked if it was for just me and i said no my husband too. Her face changed upon looking at my black boo. I asked for an application and she said she didnt have any. I asked how we could apply. She then said she is still running the ad and could email or fax us one. I said ok, here is my email. She said she didnt want it and will call me monday for it! Freddy was not suprised as he has experienced it before in this country. I dont understand racism at all. Not one tiny bit. Even in our primary one seven year old boy was sitting beside a sun beam and moved his chair over and said 'i dont like black people.' I was livid! I made it very clear that that kind of behaviour is disgusting and I will not tolerate and never again do I want to hear garbage like that. Imagine a child making such hideous remarks, in church no less! What are his parents teaching him? Sadly that boy comes from a not so nice background. My goal is to shower him with love and good example and sound teachings on Sunday. Growl to racism. WE ARE ALL PEOPLE FROM GOD!

ok, photos?

so I know some of you've asked for photos and seeing as i have one min on a comp here is a photo:)

Dis couraged

There's alot of poo raining down this week. Five sizable things of junk, dont feel like getting into details. I'm feeling discouraged. I just need to vent a bit about the cost of living here. I was told by a few locals that the minimum wage is about seven rand an hour (about one dollar) or about fifteen hundred rand a month. Rent for a safe complex is about three thousand. Or you can live in the ghetto or town ship-as a foreigner, you wont survive long there. Watermelon is twenty five rand. Bananas are eight rand a kilo unless on a special rare sale. Toilet paper is twenty two rand for ten cheapy rolls. The bus is ten rand during off peak hours or seventeen on peak hours, and you have to pay EVERY time you get on-no transfers or whatever. Plus you have to pre pay for phone and electricity. As you can see, it is impossible to live here. There is so much suffering! There are the rich people and the poor people. It stinks and is very dis heartening.