8 weeks to a better me: Week Seven (Personal Style)

{a funny thing happened on the way to the blog....}

I was downloading and looking through random photos that I have in order to show what kinds of things I usually wear.  I was thinking that the target of my Personal Style goals could be to pare down some of the weirdo things that I own.  Who, after all, needs 5 gowns from the 70s one in lime green with metal details?  Who needs 15 pairs of lamé pants and every color of lamé top and high waisted booty shorts possible?  And why do I actually have an entire portion of my closet devoted to "costumes"?

Then I realized...because it is FUN, and I like it, and it's ME! 

Sure the closet article in Shape magazine gave me a little bit of inspiration, having a sparse closet with a few choice pieces sounds great...but what kind of terrible predicament would I be in when invited to a hillbilly dance party, a zombie festival or an 80s prom dance party...I would have nothing to wear! Let's face it, that is just unacceptable.

Sure I have a lot of clothes, and yes, I have a lot of impractical clothes too, but for right now...I am not over playing dress up!

So here are my 3 personal style goals for this week:

Goal 1:  Cut up and redesign any clothing that I just never wear.  Donate things that are nice enough to donate, or put vintage wear for sale.

Goal 2:  Put aside any shoes that need repair, donate or get rid of shoes that are beyond repair or that I haven't worn all season.

Goal 3:  Switch seasonal clothing out and reorganize school clothing versus play clothing (Mister Rogers style).

Thanks Danielle and Elsie for the inspiration!

xoh!

d

8 weeks to a better me: Week Six (Home Sweet Home)

This week's goals brought to you by Danielle from Sometimes Sweet and Mandi from Here's Looking at Me, Kid are all about making your home a wonderful place to be in!

My apartment is less than charming, I will be the first one to admit it. I have been lucky to usually live in large loft spaces, or amazingly beautiful Queen Victorians renovated into apartments, complete with claw foot tubs and even a terrace. I have lived in apartments with high ceilings and hardwoods, funky slanted walls and original woodworking. At the very least I have had a large kitchen, or a killer backyard, or ample space with which to add fun vintage furniture, build a huge bed frame with wall pockets, or house a sectional and a large farmers table.

This apartment has none of that.

1. It has carpets. I almost puked when I realized I would have carpets, especially with a dog and two cats...but the view to the park and the proximity to it kind of cancelled out that fact that I vacuum every other day (sometimes every day).

2. It's small. Actually...it is pretty big for NYC...maybe average or small for Brooklyn...but darn it I have more than one room! I thought on my teachers salary and living alone that I would probably have to settle for a studio...but alas, I have a one bedroom! WEEEE!!!

3. It's in an apartment building, so it is pretty much a cookie cutter apartment...a little bit awkward and just...sort of...normal.

But, there are MAJOR pluses!

-I have two very large windows...one in each room. You can see the park from the windows and my neighborhood isn't all that loud, so the windows can be opened to get a nice breeze.

-I have enough room for my loom and my drafting table and my easel. Basically I have enough room that I have a full studio room. I use the main room when you enter as a dining area/bedroom and the other room is for my creative self.

-I have plenty of closet space. Like, a ton. This is great for me and I'm not sure what I would do without it!

Here are Mandi's tips for keeping your home awesome: You can read the full post here.

1. Don't buy or keep anything you don't love.
2. Start small.
3. Don't neglect function.

{so here are my goals for this week, regarding my home}

Goal 1: Finish putting together new chairs and set complete new dining set. Dad, if you are reading this: please don't hate on me! It is so hard to get the new chairs together and I don't have the right tools...plus I already have chairs so I only have put 1 of the 3 together. I promise I will borrow some tools and get this done this week!

Goal 2: Switch out my seasonal clothing, purge anything I don't wear or need. I do own too much clothing, I have a large closet and also a full dresser worth of clothing, and if all of my clothes are clean at the same time: I have to admit, I don't have enough space to house all of it. I have been slowly trying to get rid of pieces I don't use and focus on a smaller amount of staple pieces...but thrifting is so fun, dressing like a maniac is so fun, and clothing is just...so fun! I did make a commitment that anything I buy will be 90% handmade or vintage so that helps cut down on the crazy. This week I will make sure to switch my clothing over for the season and get rid of anything I didn't wear during fall/winter.

Goal 3: Work on one area of studio. I need to make sure that my studio is in good working condition for the extra time I will have coming up in 10 days when school is out! I will focus on one aspect of the studio: the space behind my drafting table. Here I will make sure to create something to house ideas, sketches, and keep me organized and accountable. So this week I will create a inspiration/to do area in my studio.

I am excited to spruce up the place a bit...and in order to keep me accountable, I will share some before and after pictures with you later this week!

xoh!
d

8 weeks to a better me: Week Five (Loving Life & Having Fun!)

Before I dive right into week 5, I would like to take a look back at what goals I have set so far and how I have done with those goals.

Week 1:
Goal 1: Create a weekly post regarding Brooklyn. I have not been doing so hot with this one, good reminder to look at this goal again and document the great places I have been and share!
Goal 2: Share a recipe that I use often.
Goal 3: Connect more with other bloggers.

Week 2:
Goal 1: Commit to drinking at least 6, preferably 8 glasses of water throughout the day.
Goal 2: This week I pledge to do core exercises Monday, Wednesday and Friday and to run or skate Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Goal 3: Get 7 hours of sleep a night.

Week 3:
Goal 1: Eat one salad everyday.
Goal 2: Snack on raw nuts and veggies.
Goal 3: Have one raw smoothie every morning.

Week 4:
Goal 1: Me time.
Goal 2: Sign up for a yoga class.
Goal 3: Set the alarm clock a few minutes earlier every day this week.

I am actually surprised that I only have one goal so far that I have let slip by the wayside! I haven't kept up all of the core exercises M,W,F but I also only committed to focusing on that for week 2.

{Other things I have changed}
-Taking the stairs instead of the elevator in my building.
-Riding my bike or walking for any errand within 6 miles.
-Took a 3 day internet break during Memorial Day weekend.


So this week's goals are all about loving life and having fun! Danielle featured guest blogger Lauren from Busy Bee Lauren to speak to having fun and loving life. You can read the post here!

Goal 1: Cut negative things and situations out of my life. I took the first step in this process this weekend, where I sat down and thought about how certain people make me feel and how communication with particular people at this point is a very bad idea and bad for all parties involved. Then I did something about it! Instead of continuing to think that things would change, I stepped up for myself and set boundaries that I feel comfortable with. I already feel an enormous weight lifted off of my shoulders.

Goal 2: Strike up conversations with strangers, or at the very least, say hello! Now that the weather is nicer I have been spending a lot more time outside and wandering around my area. Why not take that a step further and take some time out to ask the little old lady down the block about her garden, or ask a stranger for restaurant suggestions. One thing I find really ridiculous is the ability people have to walk passed one another on an empty street without even a smile. That has to stop people!

Goal 3: Exercise caution in what I chose to read. This is a hard one with the internet and goes along the lines of Goal 1. There is no reason to waste one precious second of my life looking at or reading anything that does not serve the purpose of uplifting, informing, or bettering myself.

{and a bonus goal for this week}
Never drink more than 2 alcoholic beverages a night. I paid the price Sunday morning for this when I was up all night dancing (yes, and indulging) the night before. For this week I will make sure to never have a hangover. The good news is, I am a lightweight now and so 2 drinks is absolutely sufficient! All of the refined sugars in alcohol doesn't work so well with eating all of this raw food...nor does it work well with the amazing, but HOT, weather we have been having lately!

{here's to a positive week!}

xoh!

d

8 weeks to a better me: Week Four (Loving Yourself)

It's funny, I feel that I have slowly been integrating this self-love concept into my life! I just posted recently about accepting your quirks and "flaws" as a wonderful part of who you are. Lately I have been writing out things that make me happy on one of my dresser drawers so that when I wake up, I see those joyful things in my life right away. Mostly, I have been focused on what good things there are about me...sans anyone else making me feel good about myself!

Thank you Danielle and Kaelah for the self-love posts, and the prompt to set some goals for this week.

Goal 1: Me time. Take one evening this week to soak in the tub with lots of bubbles and tea (or wine!) and a good book and shut the whole world out, just be alone with my thoughts and some candles nearby.

Goal 2: Sign up for a yoga class. I have been doing yoga on my own now for a while, but I would like to also be in a class setting and push myself even more. The more time I spend working on my body and loving what it can do the better I feel about me!

Goal 3: Set the alarm clock a few minutes earlier every day this week. With the extra time I will soak up some extra rays of sun in the park with Malomar, ride my bike around the loop quickly before heading off to work, or just get to work a few minutes early. As much as I love sleep, when I am not rushing to work, putting on my makeup at a stop light, or throwing an outfit together last minute I am truly loving myself by putting my best foot forward and starting off the day relaxed and prepared.

You can join in on the goal setting here!

xoh!
d

8 weeks to a better me: Week Three (Healthy Eating)

{OHHH! This one is right up my alley!}

I definitely think of myself as a healthy eater, (orthorexics unite!) of course I like sweets but I am aware and make sure that I eat them in moderation (okay, usually!) I have been slowly moving to more raw food so that I can tackle one of my Summer Goals for this year (eat one week on, one week off raw foods).

Check out the guest post on Sometimes Sweet from Tracy over at Shutterbean (and thanks Danielle for recommending her site, I can't wait to look through all of the recipes!).

Tracy recommends three things on the eat healthy tip: drink water, always have healthy snacks for on the go, and eat one salad everyday. Okay...so I already am fighting the water battle, and pretty much winning...but I need to keep that one a part of my everyday routine, so thanks for the reminder!

In terms of healthy snacks on the go...I am pretty good with this as well. I always have fruit or larabars with me when I head into work or head out anywhere, so as to curb my cravings for getting random vegan cupcakes or wings on the way home from work. This works like magic!

Salad once a day? I can hop on that rule! It's a good time for me to eat more greens anyway as more and more are showing up at the farmer's markets lately.

So without further ado:

My goals also bring me closer to my raw diet...

1. Eat one salad everyday
2. Snack on raw nuts and veggies
3. Have one raw smoothie every morning

I had already thought up these rules last night and made a raw smoothie this morning, so I am off to a good start!

Ingredients:
3 cups frozen diced banana
2 cups almond milk
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsps agave
1 tsp sea salt
Add all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth.
The strange thing is, I usually only have a clementine and water in the morning, and then a larabar around 9 am or so. This morning I had a really tasty smoothie and it somehow made me hungrier! Oh well, I am going to stick with this rule because it incorporates more fruits and more raw food into my diet!

Thanks Danielle and Tracy for the inspiration!

xoh!
D

8 weeks to a better me: Week Two (from Sometimes Sweet)

Okay, it is week 2 in the 8 week quest of self reflection and setting new goals, and this week's focus is fitness/working out. You can read the guest post here on Danielle's blog from Amber, someone who is quite motivated and dedicated to her own health!

I have already signed up for Derby Fit which starts this weekend. I have already started skating again but I figured it would be nice to start doing some drills in a group setting. I am not sure how advanced this exercise group will get, but regardless, being new to the area, I thought it would be a nice way to meet people. It is sort of hard to meet anyone just exercising by yourself, adding a social element to it is nice! Derby Fit starts this Saturday for me so this is a great time for me personally to focus on 3 fitness goals.

Goal 1: So the other day when I got out of my car, I dropped my bag and out of it tumbled my glass water bottle which shattered to a million pieces on the ground. I need to get myself a new water bottle and commit to drinking at least 6, preferably 8 glasses of water throughout the day. I am SO bad with the water rule, and having a pretty bottle of water near me is a huge help!

Goal 2: I already lift weights and stretch every day, but I am a bit of a slacker when it comes to getting my heart rate up and core exercises. This week I pledge to do core exercises Monday, Wednesday and Friday and to run or skate Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Goal 3: I have been a bad mommy lately, and end up hitting snooze too often and then rushing my pup on his morning walk. We used to go into the park and saunter around and now I bust around the block quickly and speed off to work. This week I pledge to Get 7 hours of sleep and wake up early enough for a longer walk with Malomar...in the park!

If you would also like to participate in 8 weeks to a better me, head over here!

xo!

8 weeks to a better me: Week One (from Sometimes Sweet)

I have been known to make a to do list that involves such items as "drink coffee" or "feed pets"...things that I always do anyway, but boy does it feel nice to put an X in the box...so when I saw Danielle's post over at Sometimes Sweet about setting small attainable weekly goals, I decided to participate as well, and feel the rush of checking off items on a weekly to do!

This week's theme is...

Go and check out her post, and open your eyes to some other bloggers as well. This week Danielle had guests posts from both Don and Rachel, a lovely couple who both blog and set their three goals for blogging. Check out what they have to say about why people blog, and their focus on supporting their local community. Just seeing this post made me so happy to see other like minded people sharing away on the web.

Since I am relatively new to blogging, I am excited that the first goals are about our little corners of the internet.

Goal 1: Since I have moved into NYC I have been so busy with work that perhaps I haven't gotten enough time out to notice my hood...so I will create a weekly post regarding Brooklyn. Not only will it be fun to share the cool things I have already found in my new home base, but it will force me to get out and explore even more! This Sunday I happened into the Cobble Hill area and immediately fell in love. It honestly made my Sunday amazing to find this new little area of town and explore. This goal will get me out and about with purpose, and I will really be prompted to take the time to notice all of the cool things my new city has to offer!

Goal 2: Share a recipe that I use often. Food is something I am very mindful of. I would say after rent, it is what I spend the most money on (voting with my wallet). I also spend a lot of time preparing and enjoying all different kinds of food and I would like to share!

Goal 3: Connect more with other bloggers. I have started to really enjoy coming online and checking out my daily reads and I should definitely tell some of these people how great they are!

Three cheers for small attainable goals!

Summer Goals 2011

Inspired by Summer Goals posted by Danielle of Sometimes Sweet, I jumped on the planning bandwagon!

I only have a little over a month off during the summer, which is way different from a lot of teachers...BUT I plan to make the most of that break with the following to dos! Some of the to-dos will help me prepare for the next school year, therefore ultimately allowing me to settle back and not think about instruction for a little while! This is almost an impossible task, so I plan on tackling the work related to dos first, and then settling into a productive but relaxing and adventure filled break!

Here are my Summer 2011 Goals!

1. Make demonstration videos and outline my entire 2011-2012 Curriculum. Order all supplies for Fall 2011 School Year. The Curriculum outline will be hard if our schedule is not set, but I plan on at least mapping out the year with hopes that instead of the block schedule we have now, that I will have all classes across the entire year instead of in blocks. Either way, I am going to plan out exactly what happens that allows my students to progress from one skill to another. I am also planning on creating a block of time during the year that is devoted to TAB. I have already outlined what this will look like, but I will spend a couple of days creating rubrics and finalizing how this system will work.

2. Drive cross-country. I have not yet decided how this will happen but I know that this summer is the summer! I have wanted to do this for a while, but never really felt I had the time...but why not? I will either fly over to California and make my way back, or drive over and then fly back...not sure! I know that the things I want to see are: Redwood Forest, Austin Texas, Yosemite National Park, New Mexico, some hot springs, and as much as it sounds crazy, I really want to see deserted flat lands of sprawl and take photographs. I am really excited for this, and excited to hash out the plans for this in the coming weeks! Is there something that you know I really have to see?

3. Get a community garden plot and grow grow grow! I have been dragging my feet on this thing for a bit now, and I really need to lock down my growing space within the week. Living in Providence had the added benefit of backyards, and sometimes decks, and so I was able before to make raised beds or do container gardening right on my own little rented space. This year being in NYC prevents the challenge of land...so I will be locking that down soon. I already started my seedlings, without a place to put them once they get big! How irresponsible!

4.Baby I like it raw! So, a few spring/summers ago when I was rounding out my graduate degree at RISD, I was doing raw every other week...and boy did I like how it made me feel! I mostly used recipes from Raw Food Real World, and would fill my belly with smoothies in the morning, huge salads from my garden in the afternoon and get adventurous with cashew cheeses and raw soups in the evening. Summer is a great time to embrace a raw diet because there are so many options for fresh produce, and you naturally crave things like raw fruits and veggies during hot months. I plan to do the week on, week off raw diet again this summer. Maybe this will be the year I finally spring for a dehydrator, who knows!

5. Visit with friends! Carr's pond, perhaps a kickball game, picnics, girl dates, bike rides, doggie play dates...I will use the time I have to make sure I get out in the sun, jumping off rocks into cool water with my buddies. Can't wait!

6. Focus. I am going to start meditating and make sure I set aside time for this. I am reading a lot about meditation and I think summer break is a great time to slow down and try it out.

7. Get buff! Ha, well not really...but kind of! Without a job to rush off to be at in the morning, there is no excuse to not do my pushups, yoga and cardio each day. (okay okay so maybe a day off here and there), but I plan to make a schedule and stick with it...because when I make myself sweat and I work out my body, I feel so much better!

8. Paint & start my illustrations I started the preliminary work for a new series, and also have started some brainstorming for a book I want to draw. I will make certain to keep a regimented time inside the studio, and I am sure that my trip across country will help inform my work as well. I already try to log at least an hour a day making art (you know, the kind that isn't a demonstration piece for a kindergarten art project)...so I will increase this and get myself focused and in my studio. I haven't yet set a plan for the amount of work I want to create, but I have started the sketching and thinking part of this new series and I am really excited to have the time to focus on my own pieces!

9. I know this is completely wishful and perhaps insane, but I really want to travel out of the country. Considering that I already went to France this year, I will have to stick with something like Canada, Mexico or St. John...but at least if I don't get that done during my break, I need to set a date and get going to one of these places. I could hit up Mexico during my cross country drive, and I have never been to Montreal so I really want to check that out! My sister and her husband have gone to St. John a few times, and I would love to get away and camp on the beach there....ahhh to dream! This is a WANT goal, and it would rule if I can accomplish it, but it may be trying to cram in too much.

10. Sorry parents! Get tattooed! It has been a long time since I have gotten any new pieces, and baring my skin makes me realize all of the empty space I could put beautiful new work on! I have been wanting a few particular pieces for a while now, and so I am going to commit myself to at least one of those...and my best friend Missy was just talking to me last night about what our matching tattoos should be. We have some pretty funny ideas already, and I don't want to give anything away here yet, but I can say, "I'm the Block Island ferry, coming to take you to Newport!" (this is an inside joke and don't worry if it makes no sense...it never has made any sense to anyone but us!)

11. Create! Time to keep that sewing machine warm with work and make some new pieces. I want to make some practical pieces, and I want to finish this crazy design I came up with that is completely impractical but hopefully so awesome that it just doesn't matter!

All of this hype is making me count down the days...36 more instructional days...Summer break is almost here! YES!

Spring Break!

I have off this week for Spring Break, and so of course, with unstructured time, I did what any workaholic does, I made a to do list to keep myself busy.

This is what my days usually look like:
5:20 AM: wake up

Get dressed for work, feed dog and kitties and have Claudia shoulder time.

Walk Malomar at Park

Get to work around the time the sun is rising.

Prep for the Day

Teach the little ones...

Clean up whatever crazy messes occurred during the day. I usually leave work around 5:30 or 6 on good days. We have an extended school day, so my scheduled work hours are 7:00 or 7:30 AM (depends on day) until 5:00 PM each day.

Get home and feed kitties, doggy and myself...then head outside for a workout, listening to my favorite music.

Take Malomar to the Park for his 3rd walk of the day (yes, I spoil him...but it gets me out there walking too!)

Get into my studio and paint...

Get back to bed and get rested so I can do it all over again!

So now for my Spring Break to do list...can you imagine having all of this extra time for a whole week! Here we go...

-Paint texture in kitchen
-Pick up photographs from show
-Paint, Paint, Paint
-Sleep in!
-Make at least 1 piece of clothing (itching for a bright yellow spring skirt or dress!)
-Either visit Providence or Boston
-Visit Maryland and go to sister's cabin
-Long walks and photographic adventures with Malomar
-Read When Things Fall Apart
-Thrifting
-Start seedlings
-A big apartment cleaning
-Purge any winter clothing that I did not wear (or turn it into new clothing!)
-Elsie's Blog Love E-Course
-Lots of exercise...including picking up my bike from my sister's!
-Bake
-Wander around my city

The favorite thing about my list is that it is filled with a lot of to dos, but there is no time constraint and I can do it all at my own pace. I am not used to unstructured time, and usually fill my breaks from school with trips (like the impromptu trip I took to Paris during my winter break)...so this is a nice change of pace!