30 day Challenges

Here are my 30 day challenges for 2012


This is a page of links to each challenge's blog post and descriptions of each of my challenges.


1. Clean (and I mean deep clean, purge & organize) 30 different areas of my home (as small as a draw & as big as a room)

I'm tired of the clutter. I'm tired of the unmanageable mess. I'm tired of the stress.

Now don't get me wrong, in a couple of hours I can make my house "mother-in-law visit" ready, but that's because I move it all to my room and close the door. Then over the next several days and weeks those things get "put away". Some times that means I put it in an overstuffed drawer or closet. Sometimes that means I tell my kids to put it away and then I never see it again. Out of sight...out of mind.

I'm not saying that after this challenge that my house will be clean, manageable and stress-free. I am saying that I'm reducing the clutter, making it more manageable and reducing the stress. I love to purge and donate and I think my hubby loves it when I do. So at the end of this challenge, I hope to be a little more organized, have a little less and be a little happier...and if hubby's happier, then that will be just the cherry on top.

    2. Crock pot cook for 30 days (this I would like to do 30 days in a row)
    I have several 30 day challenges in the cooking department...mostly because I love to cook.

    OKAY...let me clarify that a little bit. I love cooking new things when I have time, energy and all the "perfect" ingredients without extra trips to the store in the middle of all that. So in other words, I hardly ever love to cook anymore.

    This past year I pushed myself to make a plan in advance, then shop and then have a menu list from which to pick what to cook. When I stuck to it, it worked and I enjoyed it. Many of the challenges in the cooking area are to encourage me to find my creativity and to continue to enjoy cooking for my family. 

    I hope to share some recipes and spices we discover in this challenge. So far, I have found inspiration from some great food blogs and will share sites from any recipes we try and love (and maybe warn against those recipes we hate).


    4. Try 30 new spices in my cooking (some may be in my cabinet that I've never used...toss the ones we don't like)


      5. Don't eat out or order pizza for 30 days (great one to be combined with 30 days of crock pot cooking)



      6. Knit 30 new & different projects

      This challenge many not be very interesting to many of you. My challenge is to knit 30 new and different patterns. In there, I hope to have a few of my own original designs.

      I hope to share pictures of my process and pictures of my finished project.I also hope to grow my business of selling my knitted projects as well as get my website up and running.

      If you see anything you would love to have, let me know...all my projects are for sale. Love something but would like it in a different color or fiber, let me know. I'll make something just for you.


      7. Read 30 new books (obviously this will take more than 30 days)

      My reading challenge this year is to read 30 different books. I don't plan to do this one in 30 days. I'm open for reading suggestions. I love to read and would love to read some classics I haven't ever read.

      I hope to include a personal review of a books as I finish them.

      This year I will also be reading the whole Bible and hope that all three of my girls will join me. Some of them will be reading the children's version of the One Year Bible (which will not be reading the entire Bible but reading a portion of the Bible each day).
      8. Walk/Jog/Run 30 miles every 30 days (so that will keep me going to the gym more regularly)

      Yes...I'm challenging myself to exercise more in 2012 along with the rest of the nation.

       I want to walk/jog/run 30 miles every 30 days.

      I've added an app on my phone call RunKeeper. I can plan my fitness goals and keep track of what I have done. Being that I love to be active, I know this goal is manageable. I want to be healthier and trim the fat. This is just my running goal and I know as I get moving more I will work out at the gym more. I think it's a win win win.

        9. Go 30 places I've never been (explore Colorado a bit)

        This year I would like to get out and see new things, go new place and explore the world around me. My exploration may be a park down the street or traveling hours away to hike.

        My challenge is to go 30 place I've never been. I'm not talking about the grocery store across town. I want to see new parks or national forest and also landmarks I've never seen. I like to see places like the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver or go to Estes Park or even a drive down a CO "Highway" in the mountains that I've never traveled.

        I live in one of the best states of out door exploration so this year, I'm on the go to find the best and greatest spots to see in this state. I want to photograph some of the beauty around me. I don't want to look back years from now and realize I'm one of those people that never went to any of the great "spots" in my state.

        I would also like to hike 30 trails this year. I'm pretty certain there are more than that in just my town let alone the state. Some may just be a nice path and others may be a hike.  I just want to get out hike! I love being a Colorado outdoors girl. I don't want to lose sight of that!




        10. Hike 30 trails




        11. 30 dates with my kids this year. We have 4 kids so that will be about 7-8 dates with me this year.

        All ready I've added a new challenge for this year. I would like to personally go on 30 dates with my kids this year.

        Our family really started being intentional about kid dates last year. Hubby and I each had dates with kids and a few when we both took a kid out for a special date at the same time. This year we will continue this but I am challenging myself to take out the kids on 30 individual dates. 

        NOW JUST WAIT A MINUTE...I'm not taking my 4 kids on 30 dates each. I wouldn't have time to date my husband if I went on 120 dates with the kids. That's 1/3 of the year! My challenge is 30 individual date. If you did the math just now, that's about 7-8 dates per kid (or 7.5 to be exact but how do you have 1/2 of a date?) That means I would take a kid out a little more than every other week. 

        I'm going to try to shoot for weekly, meaning taking a kid on a date once a week, and then know that grace is built in for the busy weeks or the times it doesn't work. In our house dates don't have to be costly or even mean we go out. One date that was just the best last year was sitting in a store looking at patterns. Hubby has had several Chess dates with one of the kiddos right at our dining room table. 

        Our dates with our kids mean that the other parent keeps the other kids away. It is strictly one on one time. Sometimes we talk and get "deep" and other times we just have fun. Some times the kids get to pick what we do and sometimes an impromptu moment arises and we just end up on a date with a kid. 

        I hope to share some of my dates and how they went. I look forward to a year of dating my kids!



        12. Give away (or get rid of) 30 things for 30 days. (I think this one is going to go hand in hand with my cleaning)

        Along with the cleaning, I am trying to donate 30 things (or groups of things) for 30 days. This is probably not be 30 day consecutive but 30 days of donations will help de-clutter, keep my spaces clean and pay it forward.


        13. Green or Clean ~ 30 ways to make my home more green and naturally clean.


        This is a new challenge that I'm adding in March. I have been doing some research on natural cleaning products and making my home more "Green". I'll be adding "recipes" for cleaning products and other helpful hints I have found to make our family green.


        14. RAOK ~ Random Acts of Kindness

        This is a new challenge that I'm adding in March. I have been inspired by many other blogs and Pinterest pins about RAOK or Pay it Forward acts. I want to engage my entire family to do 30 days of RAOK.




        Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)