Archive for the ‘101 things’ Category
Writing Prompt 3/20: 20 Things That Annoy You
A writing prompt that lets me be snarky? Sign me up…
1. If you give me a book to read and want it back, I am borrowing it. You are lending it. You are NOT borrowing me a book.
2. Unimportant phone calls between 5:30-7pm. I’m eating. Or bathing my kids. Or just enjoying some family time. You should be doing the same.
3. Barring medical reasons, immunize your kids. Or don’t go out in public.
4. Get off your damn phone. You are not so important that you need to be talking to someone every instant of every day. At the very least could you please ignore it while driving? You are not the one person who can talk and drive at the same time. I promise.
5. They’re, their, and there are three different words and mean three different things. They’re = They are. As in, They’re going to the movies. Their = possessive pronoun. As in, Their coats are hanging up. There = denotes a place. As in, I left my planner there. Let’s use all three in a sentence: They’re going there to pick up their coats.
6. It’s = It is. Its = possessive pronoun. Lets = verb. Let’s = Let us
(I’m noticing the grammatical trend too.)
7. Politics on Facebook. No, it’s not going to stop. But I’m not interested in your opinion, I have my own (which I’ve no doubt shared on Facebook).
8. People who have one opinion with one group, and a different opinion with a different group. It’s called conviction. Get some.
9. Wrinkles. Cellulite. Gray hair. Dark circles. Yeah, they suck.
10. Goopy pens. Or scratchy pens. Or gel pens (which always seem to be impossibly both scratchy and goopy).
11. Stuff that has absolutely no value (emotional or otherwise) that I can’t bring myself to throw away.
12. The television.
13. People who assume because I don’t like dairy I’m not getting enough calcium. Spinach, broccoli, almonds, brazil nuts, celery, kale (and the list goes on) are all good sources of calcium. And seriously, even if I am at risk for osteoporosis – are you my doctor? Bug off.
14. Speaking of dairy – the smell of parmesan cheese. Cheese in general really. Except cream cheese. Or cheesecake.
15. Picking up the same room five times a day.
16. Burning my tongue.
17. People who tell me how to raise my kids. Last I checked, I’m their mom. And unless I ask (I ask a lot, so I’m sure you’ll get a chance to tell me your opinion on 1-redshirting 2-dairy 3-cosleeping, etc.) just be supportive, ‘kay?
18. Seeing someone smoking in a car with kids.
19. People canceling, showing up late, or treating me and my time like it isn’t valuable.
20. Those people who drive around parking lots to get a spot up close – especially if I happen to be riding in the car with them. Just park the car. The walk won’t kill us.
So what’s something that annoys you?
50 Things I’ll Never Do – Writing Prompt 2/20
I will never:
1. run a marathon
2. eat raw oysters
3. or lutefisk
4. be 100% sure about Christianity
5. or anything else for that matter
6. be a blonde
7. or wear contacts
8. like wide ruled paper
9. or those plain bic pens
10. pierce a body part that is covered in polite company
11. tattoo my lip
12. be good in the kitchen
13. not love a box of new crayola crayons
14. or a bookstore gift card
15. be the perfect mother
16. or get over how amazing my kids are
17. travel to Antarctica
18. or Iran
19. learn to speak Russian
20. or Portuguese
21. or Mandarin Chinese
22. like milk
23. or tequila
24. get through all of the books I want to read in my lifetime
25. or see all the places I’d like to see
26. understand chemistry
27. or advanced physics
28. or cruelty
29. be President of the United States
30. or a Fortune 500 company
32. stop writing
33. or learning
34. or trying to be better
35. or make my little corner of the world better
36. want bigger boobs
37. or a bigger waist
38. or a bigger nose
39. enjoy dusting
40. or dishes
41. be good about having blood drawn
42. or my pulse taken
43. be a great photographer
44. or painter
45. or potter
46. or artist of any type, really
47. give up dreaming about having a library named after me
48. or living on yacht (at least for a little while)
49. or Lake Michigan beaches
50. stop dreaming – not ever.
What is something you’ll never do?
I Wish Someone Had Told Me (Writing Prompt 1/20)
More importantly I wish I would have listened when they said:
Forgiveness doesn’t say what the other person did was okay, it just says I’m not going to hold onto the hurt.
Motherhood is hard work.
Marriage is hard work.
No one is really paying that much attention to you.
You should be a librarian.
You are too hard on yourself.
Go to church.
If it isn’t going to matter in five years, don’t stress about it now.
Dreaming big is okay. So is dreaming small.
Think before you speak. Then think one more time.
Listen.
Be The Match Update
Each month, I’ve picked a different non-profit to highlight on this blog and earlier in the month I wrote about getting your name on list at the National Bone Marrow Program.
So my swabs came in the mail while I was on vacation. It took less than five minutes to do. Four swabs. Swallow – rub on your inner cheek for 30 seconds – place in the enclosed card. Mail back. It was free (it isn’t always and a donation to process is requested). It was simple. You can someday save a life.
Have you signed up yet? Go now and have your kit mailed to you.
101 Things in 1001 Days
So do you see that “Life List” tab up there? The one that has been sitting there for months and months and months without any content whatsoever? How annoying was that? Well, you want to know something exciting? It no longer a blank “more coming soon”. It is IN FACT a life list.
I used the site Day Zero to create my list, but I also thought I’d break down into categories and share it with you.
Connect
Send Christmas cards
Create my own personal stationary
Write a letter to someone I admire
Host a game night with friends
Send one handwritten letter a month
Send flowers to my mom just because
Write a love letter
Host a book swap
Do Good
Attend a city council meeting
Participate in a charity run
Become a bone marrow donor
Serve on a fundraiser committee for a local charity
Complete 5 random acts of kindness for strangers
Do 10 nice things for people you know without telling them
Vote
Write a letter a month to my sponsored child
Family
Have a family portrait taken
Build a blanket fort
Build a sand castle
Build a snow man
Play in the rain
Unplug for a weekend – no cell, no TV, no computer
Get a dog
Get A potty trained.
Grow
Go zip-lining
Make guacamole
Bake cupcakes from scratch
Read 5 classics that I should have read but haven’t gotten around to
Ask 20 friends to suggest 1 book & read them all
Bake bread
Learn basic Spanish
Make a quilt
Knit a hat
Eat 5 things I’ve never tried before
Learn to give myself a manicure
Memorize the Presidents in order
Try 5 new recipes
Go to the movies alone
Play Scrabble
Make limoncello
Go a week without buying anything
Health
No fast food for a month
Get to pre baby weight
Complete the Couch to 5K
Learn the art of meditation
Take a pilates class
Go vegetarian for a week
Drink only water for a week
Get mole check
Attend Hazelden’s family program
Join a yoga class
Go one month without soda
Get my eyes tested
Try a Zumba class
Journal
Write:
100 things that make me happy
100 quotes that inspire me
100 things I like about myself
a short story
a list of guidelines to live by
a wish list of places to travel
responses to 20 creative writing prompts
Photograph:
100 things that make me smile
A picture a day for 1 month
Just Fun
Watch both the sunrise and sunset in the same day
Watch 26 movies I’ve never seen each starting with a different letter of the alphabet
Don’t use Facebook for a week
Complete a coloring book
Take a photo of the same place every month and then use the photographs to make a calendar
Own 10 different colors of nail polish
Get a professional massage
Get fitted for a bra
Grow my hair to ponytail length
Complete a jigsaw puzzle
Try a new restaurant
Organize
Assembly and emergency kit for the house
Organize photos
Redesign blog
Create budget
Create family binder
Get rid of 100 things
Create 72 hour emergency packs
Make a book using blurb
Make a custom recipe binder
Clean out basement
Travel/Outdoors/Adventure
Visit Michigan
Go downhill skiing
Go camping for a weekend
Go to a drive in movie
Go to an outdoor concert
Visit another state (besides Michigan)
Go to the zoo
Complete the A-Z city challenge
Travel to another country
Go on a picnic
See a fireworks display
Go blueberry picking
Climb an indoor rock wall
Visit Mammoth Cave National Park
Go to Minnesota State Fair
Watch a meteor shower
Visit 10 museums
What I’m Reading Now:
Do Good
