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Today I am officially in my mid thirties! It’s my birthday and I am 35! I love to have a to do list or a goals list so I have put together a 40 Before Forty list to motivate me to get some wishes, dreams and simple tasks complete!
Back when I was six months from turning 30, I published a 30 before Thirty list on the blog. Since I only had 6 months to do it, I kept the tasks doable but ones that required motivation. This time around I have 5 years so I can think big and think small with this 40 Before Forty. Some are very specific things I want to do (example #24) while others (like #25) are general so it has flexibility to become whatever I want it to be.
The first half of my 30s, my body was dedicated to my daughters. I was an incubator then a food source and really I want my body back. You’ll see a theme that this second half is all about taking care of ME, as well as, building memories with my family.
- Go on an adults only vacation. This could even count as ONE night away since we have yet to do that with out littles! HINT: I’ll need a babysitter! (cough MOM cough)
- Take a family road trip someplace we’ve never been before. I’m taking suggestions!
- Renew and use my passport. It currently has my maiden name and an awful photo so it just needs all sorts of newness!
- Have a “YES” day with my kids. Within reason of course. And I wouldn’t tell them that was what was going on. I’m thinking I should do this sooner than later when they’re more sneaky and have bigger requests.
- Visit 3 new states. There isn’t many in the surrounding area that I haven’t vacationed at so this might be tricky.
- Officially stop biting my nails. Been doing this since pretty much forever so it will take a lot of will power!
- Host a multi course dinner party with food made from scratch. If you know me in real life, you know I’m not really a cook so this will be challenging for me to achieve!
- Learn HTML so I can fix blog problems myself. Shout out to Darice and all that she’s done for my blog! But it’s about time I learn more HTML!
- Read Gone with the Wind… again. I’m named after it so I was due to read it again and did so by January 2018!
- Upgrade my DSLR camera and/or lens. DONE! I must’ve been a good girl as Santa brought me a new Canon 80D! 12/2017
- Get finances in order and write a will. Luckily my hubby is going for his masters in accounting and helping get all our outstanding accounts/401K/investments in order but we really need to write a will. It’s an adult thing to do!
- Have a tech free day. Would love to pair this with #1 or #2 but when you’re in social media for a living, it can be a challenge!
- Book a professional photoshoot session. We’ve used the great talents of my friend Jamie for many of our milestone photo shoots but really, we’re due for some sort of professional experience, right?
- Return to my pre-pregnancy weight. I got back down to it about a year after having Brielle but haven’t so far with Hailey and she’s 18 months. It’s time! I joined a gym last month so I’m on my way!
- Be fit enough to wear a bikini again. I’m actually not 100% sure I want to wear a bikini as a 40 year old but I do want to be fit enough that I COULD be comfortable wearing one if I had one.
- Go on a multi mile hike. Derek isn’t a hiker but I grew up completing many with my parents. Just feel like this long walk in the woods is due!
- Try a new hairstyle. Not necessarily like an everyday do but even learning how to properly curl my hair with a wand would be an improvement! (Pst Cherylin, show me how!)
- Try sushi. I’m not really a fish fan but I’m also not anti fish. Feel like I should at least TRY it and see if I like it!
- Learn what the different knives in my kitchen are used for. Ya know, that kitchen knife set you get when you’re getting married? Besides a bread knife, I’m not 100% sure when to use the different ones in there. Derek always goes for the biggest and I always choose the smallest for every task. Rachel Ray, help!
- Complete a physical challenge. DONE: I completed a 10 mile woman’s only race 10/2017
- Start a new family tradition. Feel like this one should be easy since the girls are so little and there’s so many we want to do with them but it will be fun to document!
- Find a personal mantra.
- Watch the sunrise in a beautiful place. Currently we are up before sunrise all the time but I wouldn’t say I’m in a beautiful place.
- Binge watch a triology back to back to back. Derek votes Back to the Future but ugh that last one is tough to sit through!
- Do something scary. Speak in public? Hold a tarantula? We’ll see what this task has in store!
- Take a class to learn a new skill. DONE: Participated in a Paint and Sip experience with fellow NJ bloggers! 11/2017
- Pull off a big surprise! DONE! Disney World Vacation Reveal! 1/2018
- Create a beauty routine that includes moisturizing. How boring is this one? haha. But really, I can get such dry skin but HATE putting on moisturizing cream as I hate how it feels on my palms. Maybe I just need to find the right cream or just suffer through it but my body aches for this!
- Create a flossing routine. I just upped the boring factor!
- Perfect a new craft. In the last 10 years I haven’t added many new crafts categories to my go to list besides cross stitch to maybe I just need to get better at this!
- Learn how to grill. I’m an impatient person when it comes to cooking which is really the root of why I’m not good at it. So grilling falls in that category. Ultimately if I at least learn how to turn the grill ON, this will be an improvement!
- Publish something. An e-book? An article on a high level blog? A print magazine feature?
- Try 50 new recipes. I know this sounds really ambitious and I hope that doesn’t end up being the case. But this is less than 1 new recipe a month. Surely I can add to our rotating recipe list in the next 5 years, right?
- Learn a new makeup technique. I have freckles so I’ve always found it hard to wear makeup but there’s still cool stuff I can do with my eyes, right?
- Volunteer my time somewhere. It’s been a long time since I’ve volunteered for something.
- Attend another blog conference. Maybe another small one with NJ bloggers or a larger ticketed venue but I am craving another connection with those in my niche or bloggy mindset!
- Treat myself to an expensive experience or splurge item. Day at the spa or maybe something that goes along with #10?
- Complete 5 random acts of kindness.
- Complete 5 random acts of mail!
- package #1 sent Box of Sunshine
- package #2 sent Booed our nieces with a printable from Dylbug
- package #3 Wintertime Blues
- Try a trendy new gym class. I’ve never done Pilates and always see people like Heather from My Life Well Loved talking about Pure Barre so maybe I’ll have to give one of those a go!
I hope this blog will still be kicking in 2022 to show you the final results of my 40 Before Forty list, but I will also update this post with things accomplished that are either shown on future posts or on instagram (Follow me @spotofteadesigns).
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