*Deep Breath* NaNoWriMo

I just signed up. I suppose that means I'm doing it.

I guess most people don't even know that I write in the first place, other than this blog. I've always loved reading because I can immerse myself in a different place or time, but it's really fun to be able to create all the details myself! I've started a couple of novels (or what I hope will be novels someday) but never finished one.  Kind of like every other artsy thing I do, I start it and then it sits, ignored, for months. Years. My pile of unfinished crochet projects will attest to my lack of finishing power!

I'm hoping NaNoWriMo will be the motivation and inspiration I need to actually put a whole story together and not just write a few scenes. Creating expectation for myself is a hard thing for me to deal with. Every time I tell someone about a project I'm working on, I feel obligated to work on it and finish it. I don't like feeling obligated to anything…so it doesn't get done.

I know….right? Totally contradictory. I'm not sure why I think telling the whole world that I'm writing AND have a 30 day deadline is going to help me write, but I might as well give it a shot!

So here I go….50,000 words from November 1st to November 30th.

Meal Planning

Yep, I need to get back to it. It saves my grocery budget, and a little bit of my sanity.

I dont make as many "quick runs" (read: $40 bucks later I get out of Albertson's with everything BUT what I went in for) and I dont have the stress of "What the crap am I going to make for dinner?!" at 6pm.

I'm also planning on making some freezer meals as I go, as well as some meals for Chuck to take back to work with him.

I'm going to start with an inventory of my fridge, freezers, and pantry to figure out what I have in the first place! Then I'll go through the millions (only a slight exaggeration) of pins on my recipe Pinterest board and decide what we're eating for the next couple weeks!

I'm going to use this system from The Resourceful Gals to streamline it. Hopefully.

And, of course, I'll share it on my favorite Cafemom group, Make Life Beautiful! 

Throw Back Thursday!

Throwback to this crazy little boy and his dog! 

Where does the time go… 8 years ago, he was a spunky little baby. Now I'm dealing with parent teacher conferences and baseball teams and his three siblings!