Top 3 Update

Dear Friends and Family,

It's been a tough spring. And, we're on the cusp of heading into summer. I think I need to revisit my Top 3 because I can't even remember the last time I gave it any thought.

Two things that I've got momentum on that I'd like to keep momentum on are working towards my goal weight and going through the clutter the house. I'd love to see how much I can accomplish between now and the end of summer vacation against both of these goals.

And, that leaves me with space for one more item. And, since it's summer vacation and there's a couple of weeks when P is off and almost a month when she's in half day camp, my last area of focus will be spending time with P and enjoying summer vacation together.


Cheers!
mouse

Week 1 of 4 with P

Dear Friends and Family,

We're into the heart of summer vacation, the four weeks P has half-day camp. And, I have been enjoying a mix of frenetic activity in the morning with kid time in the afternoon.

Monday, we started on a silhouette project that went awry in March. We also spent some time completing our Brazil mystery kit.

Tuesday, we went to the park for a picnic and play time. We finished the silhouette when we got home.

Wednesday, we went out to the suburbs for lunch, mail and a car wash. We played school when we got home and spent most of our time talking about the human body and how the lungs work.

Thursday, we made mummies and started on a game of Life. Mr. mouse came home early so P went for a bike ride.

It has been a lot of fun. But, I'll admit it, part of the reason it is fun is that I know I only have a four week window of this and I still have time to myself in the morning and most evenings. If this was my full-time job, I'd go crazy.

It might be time for a new Top 3.

I've actually managed to wrangle my to do list down to five items for next week:

• catch up on emails
• download photos from Lego event
• return books to P's friend
• schedule eyebrow appointment
• go through June art work

I don't think I've had a to do list that is this short in a LONG while. So, while it's not empty, I'll consider it at a happy spot.

Looking on my happiness map, I think I'll tackle only two.

Organizing House/Clean House: There are pockets of happiness. I'd like to extend that. My thing on this is that sometimes Mr. mouse helps. And, when he helps, he helps a lot. Sometimes I feel like I live with a Messie and could be featured on the next episode of Hoarders.

Time with Family: I'm doing this by default, since I have time with P for the next three weeks.


Cheers!
mouse

Day 10: First Day Off and a New Top Three

Dear Friends and Family,

It didn't feel real. But, yesterday was my first day off.

I got through a lot of things that had piled up over the two week drama of leaving work. I paid my insurance bill. I took care of some licensing paperwork. I did an hour of billable work. I did payroll. It felt good.

I ate breakfast and lunch at home. I ate breakfast on the roof deck. I ate lunch in front of the TV. It felt good.

I made some progress on keeping the house in one piece. I worked on the photo album from spring break. It felt good.

Everything felt good. But, in the long run, I think I will need more than this to feel fulfilled. Tomorrow, I'm going to tackle marketing material. That'll feel good.

Perhaps what I need is a top three. Seems appropriate.

I've been working under the premise that getting all of my to dos done and the house in order will make me happy. Now, I'm wondering if that's enough. Or, if I need more than that. I think I need more than that.

So, let's assume that a house that is in order will make me happy because I know that a house that's not in order does make me unhappy. Perhaps I start from there. I know that once it's in order it's usually not difficult to maintain. So, maybe for now, I'll continue to work against getting the house in order.

The to do list. I guess I do get a sense of peace from having a completed to do list. Maybe I'll give this another week.

Which brings us to number three on the list. I guess this has to be new work. I need to focus on it even if it's hard and even if I'm a little scared. I know that this will make me feel fulfilled.

My list:

1. new work
2. the mouse pad
3. the to do list

Okay. That feels good.


Cheers!
mouse

Top "3"

Dear Friends and Family,

Seems like a good moment for a new Top 3.

I'm excited to say, I have a new one. My idea. I'm ready to spend the time now on it. It's real and I feel like I have this year to either prove it works or understand why it doesn't. So, I'm motivated to make it a top 3.

I think this one was on my last list. If not, I'll add it to my list now - spending time with family. P's going to be five soon. And, in the imminent future she's not going to want to play with Mr. mouse and me. She's not doing to want to read with us. She's going to be even more independent than she is now. I'd like to live in the moment and savor the time with her.

Not sure what my last top 3 is. Perhaps with the introduction of a big new one, I should moderate myself and keep to only two.


Cheers!
mouse

Top 3, Jumping Off the Hamster Wheel

Dear Friends and Family,

I feel like I'm on a hamster wheel so I think I need to revisit something. The question is what.

Each week feels like some game to try and keep the to do list under control. Then, there's the work I'm doing to keep the house under control. And, the endless cataloging of photos from P's old school. And, the constant juggling of my work schedule.

It feels like a hamster wheel.

Realistically, there's approximately 120 more days of photos I need to download from P's old school. I've been doing about 10 days per day, give or take, for, it feels like forever. 120 more days means I should be done in two weeks. Okay, two more weeks. I can do this. Then, I'll take a break from photo cataloging. There's one more monster cataloging project. I think I'll put that on hold for the time being.

And, then, I think it's time to stop over-scheduling. I'm perpetually guilty of this. The week of the 20th (of October), my mom was in town on Wednesday and Friday. The following week, I had lunch duty and lab work and interviews and a play date. The following week, I had a book drive and a call with a friend and work and a show and a play date and friends in town. And, this week I had a doctor's appointment and now a quote on my car. And, next week I have lunch duty again and a play date.

I think, when I over-schedule my time, I get that hamster wheel feeling. Okay. Time to commit to not over-scheduling. I should really try to leave my Wednesdays and Fridays completely free to focus on my new idea. I guess the play dates don't really wreck my schedule since those are after I pick up P. I'm kind of shot through Thanksgiving, but, after that, I'm going to really try and keep my schedule under control.

Then, I think my Top 3 can stay:

1. work on my new idea
2. keep the house and the to do list under control
3. spend time with friends and family

Good job, mouse.


Cheers!
mouse

My New Life

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Tuesday. My to do list is under control. I got to spend an hour on P's room yesterday. We have dinner with P's old teacher tonight.

I think I'm making progress on my top 3. Just need to find the time today this week to work on insurance, pay structure, and picking my first employee. Tomorrow's as good a time as any, I guess.


Cheers!
mouse

Time for a Top 3

Dear Friends and Family,

The to do list is under control, for the moment. The house is beginning to resurface from years of neglect, slowly. The old work continues, although I am not as engaged as I was when I was working full time. The new work is beginning.

It seems like a perfect moment for a top 3 update.

My idea. I think I'm ready to devote more time to it. I have two interviews coming up this Friday. This means, in a couple of weeks, I could potentially have my first employee which means the meter starts running on my cash flow which means I will need to go big or go home. I am excited about this. And, this will definitely fill the "intellectual challenge" box.

There's keeping up with the current routine of progress on the to do list and on the house. I like that there are oases of calm that my eye can rest on. But, the more I uncover them, the more I realize that there's miles upon miles of house that still needs to be uncovered.

And, last but not least, is spending time with friends and family. This actually takes planning, but I enjoy it. We've got some big weekends coming up. I think I'll just kick back and enjoy them.


Cheers!
mouse

Friday, Made it Through One More Week

Dear Friends and Family,

Made it through week 10. Next week will be week 9.

The sad part is there are parts of work I truly enjoy. There are people I will miss working with.

But, I am still excited about the time off.

I'm inspired to write a new top 3:

1. enjoying the remaining 9 weeks of work: I know that sounds counter-intuitive. But, I think I will. There's going to be a lot of change in the upcoming months. I know there will be days I miss work. I may as well enjoy the weeks I have remaining.
2. managing P's transition: There's stuff to do at her current school like the letter we need to send to let them know we're officially leaving. There's downloading all of her stuff from her current school portal. There's putting together something for her teacher's and the center to say thank you. Then, there's stuff to do for her new school like sending in forms and attending the welcome events.
3. estate plan: And, last, but not least, is using my free benefits to complete our estate plan.

I think that's our top three for the summer. A lot of things will change in the fall, but I think focusing on these three things will make the summer a bigger success.


Cheers!
mouse

05.06.13: Work Filled Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Monday. Wow. Did the weekend go ever quickly.

Saturday, we had a haircut followed by a show at the Symphony followed by lunch followed by a birthday party followed by mattress shopping followed by dinner. And, I wonder why the day went quickly.

Sunday, we went to church. Then, I napped and P napped. And, then I worked through the evening. Seriously, I worked through the evening on a presentation for a job I know I will be quitting in the very foreseeable future.

There's nothing worse than giving 100% to something you're not 100% committed to. I'm sure there is. But, it requires a level of discipline and will power that only comes with experience powering through things that must be done even if they're unpleasant.

Fortunately, I know there's an end in sight to the recent long hours. We have a presentation tomorrow. After that life should return to normal. So, at most, I should have 24 hours more of this.

On the good news front, my doctor reduced my medication. I'm back on 1 pill once a day. I'm super focused on not letting my symptoms flare. I have an appointment in six weeks. I would LOVE if I could get off the medication at that appointment.

So, here's a top three update.

1. my health: I'm not going to let anything get to me in the next six weeks. I'm not going to let anything get to me in the next six weeks. I'm not going to let anything get to me in the next six weeks. I'm not going to let anything get to me in the next six weeks. I'm going to continue with my probiotics, medication, Omega three caplets, calcium tablets, and multi-vitamis. And, I'm not going to let anything get to me in the next six weeks.
2. I'm going to enjoy the upcoming weekends. We have P's birthday party. We have my nephew's birthday party. We have plans with friends from college. We have F1 racing. All fun things. I'm looking forward to the unofficial start of our summer. Last year, this all got convoluted with a trip to Hong Kong. This year, I'm hoping for a chance to enjoy the slow weekends with friends.
3. will/trust: The one thing left to do before I leave work. Not something for this week, but perhaps after all of the birthday festivities are done with, this is something we can kick off.

Okay. Time to get ready for work.


Cheers!
mouse

12.03.12: Now Is Your Time to Push

Dear Friends and Family,

Now is your time to push. That's one of our favorite lines from auto racing.

I know it might seem as if drivers are driving as fast as they can for the whole race. After all, isn't that the point of driving in a race? But, it turns out, even if they're going as fast as they can, there's moments where their crew will tell them, now, you should try to go even faster.

Where does that extra come from?

I don't know. But, I do know, Mr. mouse and I need to find it for the next three weeks.

This weekend, we finished off three more school applications for P. I took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather to take P out to the library, brunch, and park to give Mr. mouse time to work on the applications. I swear, if anyone can procrastinate, Mr. mouse can procrastinate.

Sunday, I took a break and let Mr. mouse take P out for bagels and a bike ride.

Now, it's Monday and we have one more application due in a couple of weeks. If you add holidays on top of that, January begins to look like the promised land.

Top Three for December?

• two more school applications, one more school tour, our first parent meeting, and whatever else we need to do for school
• holidays... holidays... holidays... tree, presents, cards, invite for our January party... we need to do our tree this week
• my health, I've got a doctor's appointment tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

Now is your time to push.


Cheers!
mouse

Progress, Of Sorts

Dear Friends and Family,

After four drafts, we submitted P's first school application. We need to call today to schedule the parent interview. One down, six to go.

Halloween is behind us. Goody bags distributed. Candy collected. Dogs avoided. Pictures taken. It was fun.

P's shoes, winter coat, and snow pants arrived in the mail. Disaster averted.

Sneakers are on order. Ink is on order.

What's ahead of us in November? Two more school tours. Three more applications. Snow tires. Soap.

Hmmm... This is beginning to feel suspiciously like a Top 3 Update. Except, I don't think I have time for a full fledged update.

1. school admissions
2. winter/holiday preparation
3. November weekends

That's it. That's all I can handle. I'll assume low iodine is a priority, but doesn't take any additional work on my part outside of the blood work and potential endocrinologist visits.


Cheers!
mouse

July Plans

Dear Friends and Family,

July.

It's just around the corner.

And, before I know it, I'll be saying the same about August.

Am I moving the ball on what makes me happy?

Goal Weight: I'm back on the Weight Watchers bandwagon for the umpteenth time this year. I'll say it. This year hasn't been as successful as my first round of Weight Watchers. But, I don't think it has to do with the new points system. I think it's because I set myself up for failure. I figured I could go back to old Weight Watchers, but I couldn't. Life's completely different now with the commute and P. I was trying to add the old Weight Watchers routine to my new life. What I needed was a new Weight Watchers routine. And, that's the approach this time.

The old Weight Watcher habit loop?

cue: time of day - breakfast, lunch, dinner

habit: log on, plan food, enter food, get food, portion food, eat

reward: weight loss every Tuesday (my weigh in day)

What was I thinking. This only works when you've got dedication and time. And, the other thing that was tripping me up was having points left over at the end of the day and the end of the week and then grazing.

The new Weight Watchers habit loop?

cue: whenever

habit: eat, right it down in the pink book, the next morning enter it into Weight Watchers

reward: at least being able to try to stick to the program

Clean House: It's definitely looking more organized around here. Not organized. Just more organized than when we started. For July, we need to clean the deck and the basement. If we do that, I'll consider it more than adequate progress for July.

Completed To Do List: This is definitely better than before. The NOW NOW NOW list is essentially empty. I think this next week I will try to merge it with the NOW NOW list. I know this is weird, but a list with five things on it seems manageable. A list with thirty things on it seems like utter chaos. So, sometimes I prioritize and break up the thirty things into six mini lists with five items each on it. If we manage to pack away the old G5 and to put together a plan for P's school, that seems like an ambitious enough target for July.

Spending Time with Family and Friends: This feels like it'll happen. We've got friends visiting in July. Perhaps I'll add a plan to figure out 2013 so we can look for cheap tickets now.

Travelling: After our June chaos, I'm okay with a bye month.

Saving for Retirement: I'll continue my $100/week budget experiment.

So, what does this boil down to?

• continue with the pink notebook - writing down food and spend
• organize the deck and the basement
• pack away the G5
• put together a school plan
• 2013 travel plan

Seems like a good list - makes progress without seeming overwhelming.


Cheers!
mouse

Mouse Finds Her Center, Again

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday felt like a normal day. Work was a little dull. The commute was a little long. But, nonetheless, it felt normal.

Our upcoming weekend is busy, but manageable. There's nothing on our NOW NOW NOW list.

After some heated back and forth, Mr. mouse and I decided to dip into our savings to make up for some over-spending in the first half of the year. It's not really savings, it's money we had set aside for fun that I guess we used for fun.

And, now, there's still stuff to be done and still a budget to be watched, but we're beginning to find normal again. The next three weeks look like they'll be a good time to get through a bunch of stuff on our to do list.

The second half of June?

It's shaping up to be a time to focus on completing our to do list, organizing the house, and spending time with family.


Cheers!
mouse

Top 3 Update

Dear Friends and Family,

April showers bring May flowers. What do May flowers bring? Pilgrims!

Or, in this case, a Top 3 Update.

What will my focus be for June?

Well, what are my options?

I can focus on getting back to goal weight. I can keep my nails growing. I can keep my teeth cleaned. I can clean up 15 minutes every morning. I can keep getting rid of big things. I can keep tackling my to do list. I can sleep. I can focus on spending time with family. I can enjoy time with friends. I will travel. I can work on my idea. I can work on my budget.

Wow. I'm not short of options.

I'm actually going to break June into two halves.

The first half of June, I will focus on the travel. We've got a lot of it planned. Instead of letting it stress me out, I'm going to enjoy it. I'll get to spend a lot of time with friends. And, I'll be spending time with Mr. mouse's family. It'll be good.

The second half of June, I will not think about now. I can't think about now. It's only a couple of weeks away, but it's too far away to focus on right now. I will figure it out once we're done with our travel.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: here's a link to the site on how to get the clutter in the house under control

BRRR...

Dear Friends and Family,

It is so cold I can barely think straight. I thought I would get used to it, but one hour in, I'm still cold. That's it. I'm turning on the heat so I don't have a miserable morning.

I know being cold is a cue for nail biting. And, I'm remembering, as my thumb nail finally grows in, so is my thumb nail in general. Huh? My nail fell off a long time ago and it never grew in right. Because it is so thick, it feels funny when it's grown in and I am writing. I think I need to practice writing more with it now that my nail has grown in. Overall progress? My left ring finger and my right thumb are still on the short side, but, overall, to the casual observer, I have ten legitimate finger nails. Yay, mouse!

I do need to get a manicure this weekend since the polish is beginning to chip and the cuticles are growing in.

And, the rest of April? It's quickly devolving. I'm not working on the idea. I'm spending a lot of time thinking about the call from the headhunter. I have a follow-up call with him this morning to learn more. I don't think I'll get the job, but for now, it's interesting enough that I still want to pursue it.

Oh, and this weekend is dedicated to the IRS. We need to file our personal taxes and I need to find out what I need to do for my business taxes. I can't owe taxes yet, can I? I haven't earned any income yet. Odder things have happened.

Must warm up...


Cheers!
mouse

March Top 3 Revisited

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Friday. It's spring. It's three quarters way through March. Time to revisit my March Top 3.

Eating Right. Hasn't been happening. I realize one of my top cues for nail biting is hunger. However, on the nail biting front, I've had lots of progress. They're slowly growing. I realize that can all change in an instant and I'll be back at square one with ten nubbins and another cue as to what drives nail biting.

Time with Family. This week has been bad with work. Actually, I don't feel like I've spent a lot of time with family because I've been sharing P with my extended family, oddly enough.

The Idea. Slow progress. We submitted the paperwork for our legal entity. We're waiting for our federal employment identification number. I reached out to two people in my network to look for potential employees. I need to write a job description this weekend.

April? Continued automation of my life which oddly enough gives me back time - not real time, but the perception of time. Spending time with family which contributes to being relaxed. And, I'll continue to work on my idea which gives both intellectual challenge and hopefully at some point in the future financial security.


Cheers!
mouse

Nail Biting

Dear Friends and Family,

I know I'm trying too many things at once. But, I'm curious.

The laundry thing has been working this week. On nights we get home at a reasonable hour, I bring down a load of laundry to do during the evening. Too early to declare success, but progress.

In the mornings, I set the timer for 15 minutes. I organize while I make my coffee. Then, when the timer goes off, I stop and resume my normal morning routine of coffee, news, blog, etc. Too early to declare success, but progress.

Now, I want to see if I can add another "thing" to the loops. Nail biting. This week I want to try and figure out what my cues are. Unfortunately, I don't think it's a single one. I think it's a panacea of sorts for me. I wouldn't be surprised if there are multiple cues.

But, I'm optimistic. I think this isn't an impossible nut to crack. Why? Well, I already have some clues.

• I only bite my nails at work. I don't bite at home. I don't bite during the car ride. If we go on vacation, I inevitably come back with progress on the nail front.
• I don't think I bite during meetings. I'm almost certain it's when I'm at my desk alone. Not 100% certain, but almost certain.
• I know if I get regular manicures, my likelihood of biting goes down. I've had several instances of growing my nails through this process. Polish reduces the likelihood even more.
• I know there's a certain point when my nails get too long and then they all go at once.
• I know it's hardest to recover when they are bad. When they are decent, I somehow don't bite as often. Like it's either a virtuous cycle (of sorts) or a vicious cycle (most of the time).
• I don't bite evenly. My right thumb and left ring finger are the most frequent victims. My pinkies tend to fare well.

If nothing else, it'll give me "intellectual challenge" in March. And, it'll definitely help on the "when things look good" front of the happiness map.

Which reminds me. The laundry? It helps with getting to "completed to do list" which leads to "being relaxed." And, the 15 minutes in the morning? It helps with "clean house" which leads to "when things look good."

Optimistic.


Cheers!
mouse

Happiness Map Revisited

Dear Friends and Family,

It's the last week of February. How did I do on my three goals of eating right, spending time with family, and spending time with friends?

Well, I've been trying to eat right. And, I'm happy with my weight loss. I guess I continue on that for now.

On spending time with family? I've been doing that and I like doing that so I guess I will keep doing that.

On spending time with friends? Less successful. I have a trip planned to see my sister. I invited my mom to see P. But, frankly, it's a pain in the neck to schedule and then manage a calendar. I think I need to replace this one.

There's traveling which we do have lined up for later this year. And, there's work. I can either focus on current work or my idea. Perhaps, that'll be my goal for March - progress on the idea.

Okay. New Top 3 for March. Eating Right. Time with Family. The Idea.


Cheers!
mouse

February

Dear Friends and Family,

Looking at my happiness map, I've got a couple of options for what to focus on in February...

• eating right
• organizing the house
• doing tasks
• doing nothing
• spending time with family
• sleeping
• spending time with friends
• travelling
• working
• saving for retirement

Yep. The 10 primary activities that ultimately lead to a happy mouse.

That's not so bad. And, it all falls under four umbrellas.

1. financial security
2. intellectual challenge
3. being relaxed
4. when things look good

Top 3 for February (or until I revisit this). Drum roll, please.

Eating right has to be on the list. I need to do this and it takes time. It's, sadly, not overnight.

Organizing the house. We've made a lot of progress on this front. But, I feel like I'll be neglecting other things if I spend a lot of time here, now.

Doing tasks. Actually, our to do list is pretty stable at the moment. So, I'm not feeling a compulsion here.

Spending time with family. Always a good go to top 3. I'll keep it on the back burner and see what else pops.

Spending time with friends. That one has potential. Huh. I need to think on this one.

Travelling. I don't feel like I've got the time or the money to think about this one now. I'll wait until later in the year when we're recovered from the holidays and the IRA contributions.

Working. This one is one to think about. I think I should let the latest round of changes soak in. I have a new boss starting in a couple of weeks. I think I'll put this on the watch list for now, but it's not a priority.

Saving for retirement. This one also has potential. If I wanted to tackle this one, it's not going to be fun. I know we could be saving more. But, we're saving a lot and we're enjoying life. If we save more, in a way, we'll enjoy life less. I don't think there's a ton of fat to cut. I do think the one area we could cut back on is eating out. And, given the focus on eating right, I think that'll happen naturally without us spending a lot of time focused on this arena. There are two things I need to stay on top of - watching the investments and making sure we don't stockpile in cash. We need to be investing our dollars, not holding them in cash. So, work to be done, but not a new priority.

So, where does that leave me?

Potential Top 3

• eating right
• spending time with family
• spending time with friends

There you have it. After much agonizing and rationalizing. My Top 3.


Cheers!
mouse

10.17.11: Fall Colds

Dear Friends and Family,

P caught her first cold of the fall season which means I caught my first cold of the fall season. Her runny nose started on Saturday and my sore throat started last night.

Feeling under the weather made for short tempers all around. But, hopefully, we turn that corner and begin to function again before... vacation.

Yes, long awaited, much overdue vacation. What was supposed to be a spring trip to Asia, but then got delayed to a summer trip to some undetermined destination may finally metamorphosis into a fall trip to Italy.

I've determined there's just too much going on. Uh-oh. I know! This is a perfect moment for a Top 3 Update.

1. Trip Planning. If you're going to take vacation, you might as well throw yourself into the planning so that your precious time off is well spent.
2. Survival. I have a conference. Mr. mouse has work meetings. Mr. mouse has a haircut. P has school pictures. Just need to power through.
3. Recuperation. Must get better.

But, when I get back...

1. My weight. I went shopping for clothes for my trip and realized I've got two choices. I can take the time to manage my food and be happy with everything I try on in the store because I look good (this was me, pre-P) or I can let food happen and then join the ranks of people who are looking for the perfect "thing" that makes them look good because the clothes have to hide my myriad flaws. I'm going to really focus on the former.
2. Time with P. Even it it's dropped to number 2, it's still important to me. It's important to spend the time with her. She's only going to be this little for a short while and then she's not going to want to spend every waking moment with Mr. mouse and me.
3. My business idea. Time to get with the lawyer and open the account and get things rolling. I'm so glad graduate school recommendations are over. Three recommendations, three weekends that I could have spent focused on me.

And, then, before I know it November will roll into December will roll into the holidays. Definitely time to focus before things get too far.


Cheers!
mouse