What Ana Does

At the beginning of September, I created a list of goals for our first Fall here in Paris (you know I love a goals list!) and here's the update.  (Post: This Fall in Paris I Will...) I'm happy to report things are really starting to roll. Ballerina Alice First, I got the girls into some (not a lot) after-school activities. Alice joined a French ballet class -- as in not one person, including the teacher, speaks English. She's learning quickly. Leah decided to join the school soccer team, after almost two years off. And now that she's taller and so much more coordinated and confident, she's so good! I'm so happy she was willing to try again -- though, I think it had more to do with the friends who are also playing. For me, I found a yoga class, and friend, to take weekly. And a bootcamp class through another mother at school. Then, I committed to take up a weekly CrossFit class because it's something David loves and I thought we could eventually d...

Now that we're settled here in Paris (a sentence I say more often than I should because it sounds so cool!) it's really time to thrive here. To that end, I have some aspirations for our first Fall season in Paris ... Enroll the girls in after-school activities. At least three a week. And not be limited by non-English classes. Throw them in with the French kids! Immersion!  I will consider finding a French tutor to help the girls. They are having trouble picking it up and a little help after school with a fun teacher might work.  I will also consider hiring a cleaning person to deep clean the apartment once a month. I'm not keeping up.  I will find weekly activities for myself. Such as: yoga, boot camp, volunteering, helping at kids' school.  I will book several weekend travel trips, that are three-hours or less on a train. Includes: Amsterdam, London, Strasbourg, Nice, Antwerp, Geneva, etc.  I will also book amazing family vacations for school days ...

I've been giving a lot of thought to my five-year goals . Since moving to Paris, I have all this precious time to think about what I'm passionate about, what I want to accomplish, and the life I want to have once we return to the States and get back to "real life." (While taking full advantage of living in Paris, too.) I've come up with list of FIVE GOALS I feel pretty excited about. There are a few things I can do while here in Paris, and then other steps that will need to wait until we're all back in the States. Once I hit "publish" these goals will be out in the universe, which can be magical!  It will be time to start talking about them and making them into reality. Or see them change and morph into something else. Goals are fluid like that. 1. Become Bi-Lingual. I'm not even close with French, but Spanish ... yes thanks to years of lessons and my Spanish family. So, once I leave France I'm going to really focus on Spanish. Next St...

Other than resolutions and the odd ambition here and there, I haven't thought much about my goals or an ideal 5-year-plan in a few years. But, the last time I did -- in April 2014 -- I aimed high and you wouldn't BELIEVE how many of those goals I hit.  Here's that post.  (Living in Paris is actually on there. Crazy!) I sincerely believe there's power or magic in saying your goals OUT LOUD and often. Publicly. I've read this before but didn't buy it until recently. I'm currently living the life of a Parisienne homemaker, so it's the perfect opportunity to really dig into some of my ambitions. What do I seriously want to pursue? Either here in Paris or when I get back to the States. It's a lot to consider. So here's my game plan: Step 1: Gather a list of what I'm passionately interested in. It's a big question: What deeply interests me? Looking at what I write about on this blog is a good start. And looking at past year's go...

I'm going to come clean about something ... I am no cake maker. I try, but I stink at it. Big time. I try to make a cake for each of my kids' birthday parties every year. And every year it's a mixed bag of results. This weekend, I made an Angel Food Cake for Leah's 11th and it came out pretty good. It's a simple cake to begin with, so tough for me to mess up. Though, I forgot some kind of (chocolate) frosting. Fortunately we had whipped cream and chocolate ice cream at the ready so this year was a win. Last year she requested whale-shaped brownies, and that was a disaster. You should also know I have an on-going feud with icing, that's were it usually goes wrong. I've never been able to get it right. In the early days, I just used store-bought but have you SEEN what's in that?! It's chemicals in a plastic cup. No bueno. But it's still the go-to when the homemade attempt turns into cement/soup. And that's 90% of the time. Each birthday...

I started working out again ... which means I'll be sore every day for the foreseeable future. Sweet. This time I'm starting with a combination of a Fit36 gym and yoga classes. Which is funny because Fit36 is loud music and instructors shouting affirmation; "YOU CAN DO IT. ALMOST THERE!" While yoga is quiet reflection and softly-spoken instructions; "Now breath into downward dog. Ahh." Anyway, I have a goal. It's a number and I want it. I'm pumped. (And now that I've printed it into this post, there's no going back.) And once I hit that number I have a shirt goal. It has to do with the buttons. 'Nuff said. And once I hit that, I may have a new number goal but I also have an ultimate goal which is an activity: I want to run again. In high school I ran long distance and I loved it. I remember the feeling of freedom and clarity. It was such a drug. Then I hurt my knee and running was never the same. Then I had babies and even atte...

I've been feeling a little blue today. Just overall cold and bummed and low energy. So to cheer myself up I made a list of my 2016 accomplishments ... so far ... I sorted out all the holiday decorations , trashed some stuff (except for the Dancing Homer-Santa, I can't seem to part with it) and neatly put away the decorations into tubs, keeping like things together, and labeling each tub. (* I got a label-maker for Hanukkah.) There are two books that have been languishing on my ToRead piles for years: Longbourne and The Night Circus . I DO want to read them, but other books keep making more noise. I'm determined to clean out the pile, so I pulled the audiobooks from the library and started on Longbourne this week -- which I absolutely love. You can tell the author is a true fan of the Pride and Prejudice story, weaving it into the storylines of the house servants.  I dumped Facebook from my phone. It was sucking up my time and it wasn't all that interesting, ...

Alert! Alert! We're entering a transition month. Soccer and fall activities are ending. The days are shorter and colder. Winter coats are out, along with winter boots and all the hats/mittens/scarves I can find. And with all this change come a chance for me to gather goals for the winter months. - Wake up earlier. Leah is currently pulling me out of bed in the morning, being dressed and starving. It would help her out if I was actually getting out of bed myself. - Evening working outs. I did this once and now I'm not on the soccer field (being semi-active) three times a week, I need to find a weekly class or something to increase activity levels ... at a time of the year when I really just want to start hibernating. - Train the girls to do more stuff for themselves. Like picking up their after-school-snack wrappers. This should be subtitled, "I continue to nag my children" as that's what it feels like. - Back to weekly menu planning. Only one night a ...

I have always desired to be home when the girls got off the bus after school. Preferably working through the day until that time, but home to greet them, start their homework and prep dinner before evening activities. It's not too crazy. Right? Well, Alice will be in first grade next year and therefore that goal to be home is starting to wiggle and churn in my brain. How? How? How? How can I make this possible? How do I swing it with my current position? Do I need to start a new job hunt? Do I even want to? Sometimes having too many options is overwhelming. Related posts: Let's talk about staying home

OK people, I want to post my 2015 resolutions , so I will feel like a jerk when I don't follow them --because somehow having them out on a public blog makes me feel more accountable. Toes BUT before I dig into that list, let's review the 2014 resolutions from this blog post ... 2014 Resolutions: 1. Lose 10lbs. Check! Thanks to watching my calories and upping my exercise with T-25. And was able to keep off the lbs by meal planning and continuing the morning shake for the rest of the year. Though, let's admit that December was a disaster. 2. Make a doll. Nope. But I did learn to quilt. So, I'm going to count it. 3. Continue house improvements. Obviously! The update list included: the entryway, the blue wall in the kitchen, the laundry room, and new windows. All posted on this blog. But still lots and lots to do. 4. Continue landscape projects. Not as much as I wanted to, but attempted some things on the front garden, added peonies and hydrangea to the ba...

I would never have believed David would have any desire to run a marathon when we first met over a decade ago -- or even first dating. Heck, even three years ago! I still don't know what got into him, but he ran the Chicago marathon this weekend. He's officially crazy.  Pre-Race! And we're all so proud!! I even got the girls t-shirts to wear while we cheer him on on this chilly October day. Related posts: All the weekend posts

Leah started piano lessons this week. There's a teacher who lives down the block and provides lessons to most of the neighborhood kids. Such a good deal! This is monumental for two reasons: 1) Dave and I have discussed finding piano lessons since the girls were born. We don't play and we agreed learning to read music and play instruments was something important to teach the girls. Promise fulfilled! 2) This was on my list of goals for 2014. Especially after the free piano fell out of the sky and into my lap (or front hall). It always feels good to check a list off that BIG list. Recitals in concert halls filled with Mozart, Beethoven and Bach are sure to follow.

I've been thinking a lot about aspirations lately. Maybe because of this diet and how close I'm getting to my goal -- it's a pretty fantastic feeling. Like, I put it down (the lbs, not the inches around the middle, unfortunately) and now I'm getting there. And the saying is, if you put it out there, it might come back to you. Not sure where "there" is, but this blog seems "there" enough for me. Alice in Paris! 2010 Goal 1: Live in Paris for 2 or 3 weeks.  - I dream about renting a small apartment and living as a Parisian for a time. What we discovered during our time in Berlin is you get so much more out of a city if you're at their grocery stores and taking the kids to playgrounds and little restaurants. Bring my kids, my hubby and just enjoy the sights and sounds of daily life in France. Goal 2: YA book reviewer/editor or something.  - Let's just say it. I would love to read as an occupation. I'd be good at it. I find holes...

I love the art of shopping: Discovering neat and different objects. Hunting for the best prices. Using coupons or big sales to get exactly what I want. I love bringing home new stuff. And the internet is my frenemy in this shopping fad. If Leah needs new snow boots, I can be picky and visit all my favorite "boot" sites, to find the best quality at the lowest price -- all on my lunch break. So -- for the past several years, as a reaction the major spending/shopping extravaganza that is Christmas and early January after-Christmas sales (love em), I've made a practice of cutting down personal spending in February (or sometimes March) to just the essentials. Essentials = food, kids activities and needs. And the "big NO" to clothes shopping for me, hunting new house decor, or books, etc. I usually have a surplus of new stuff I haven't even worn/read/framed from the holidays, anyway. The most important step to this shopping diet is to unsubscribe to all th...

This new year is going to be IT! THE YEAR! Here's how I know ... it's an even year and, in my life, many of the BEST things happen in an even year. Births, graduations, exciting trips -- all in even years. So, good things are coming. What will you be reading about in 2014 on this blog? Here's the rundown: - dropping a minimum of 10lbs. I know it's cliche to set a weight-lose goal in the new year, but this IS happening, people. I've got goals, help, incentives and a 10-week challenge. But, never fear, this blog will not turn into a weigh-loss diary -- because that's just lame.  Selfie in NYC - making dolls. I've been inspired by the dollies that I see on Etsy and in the Kiki and Coco book to hand-make a doll. Or two. Or more, if it's fun. I ordered a doll from Etsy that I'll use as a sample and we'll go from there. If all goes well, no surprise what the nieces will get for Christmas next year.  - continue house projects. Thi...

Leaving New Jersey we had some serious goals. I mean, we didn’t just pick-up and leave, right? I think about those goals everyone once in a while and stifle a laugh. Then, a sob. Because some of those goals were not met. Not even close. And it frustrates me. Killing my commute time was high on this list. In New Jersey, I was reliant on NJ transit to get me into New York City each day. There was a train strict schedule, so every morning and evening I felt the stress of hitting all the milestones that meant I would be on time for the train. And home to the kids. One of the catalysts for the big move out was to be freed of train schedules and that hectic morning stress. Not to mention the 2.5 hours a day that was spent in transit between work and home each day. Sure, I read a lot and got to talk to my friend Sonja, but getting home at 6:30, throwing together something frozen or pasta -- or even toast -- was not going to fly once elementary school homework and after-school extracurri...

We started giving our unfinished (and spider-populated) basement some thought. What would we want it to look like when it's done? What's the plan? What's our goals? Sometimes, when I struggle to fall asleep, I think about how I'd finish the large space. Those plans usually go like this: A large storage area. A closed-off bedroom space, for guests. An area with cabinets and large work table for crafts and other messy projects. An area for home-gym equipment (a mat, weights, Dave's punching bag, a TV for workout videos). A projection TV and u-shaped sofa for movie nights and football games. The ping-pong table, ready for the next match. And a scoreboard on the wall.  Overall, lots of lighting, plushy carpets and bright colors -- so it doesn't look like a dark cave. Light and Lovely Carpet This time, we've gone so far as to call a contractor recommended to us by Dave's work colleague. Because, we can't really know what to save up for, ...