Yes! The podcast is back! I’m 45 and ready to kick ass during the second half of my forties.

My original post introducing Project 24 in ’24 is over here.

And my post recapping my Project 23 in ’23 is yonder.

At the beginning of last year, I picked 23 projects that I wanted to tackle in 2023. I knew at the outset I would not finish all 23 projects, but it’s fun to see what sticks and what doesn’t. Let’s see how it went!

1. Attend fifty hot yoga classes: I attended my 50th class on October 2 and finished the year strong with a total of 70 classes. Go, me! (This year I’m excited to attend 100 classes.)
2. Track what I eat for 30 days in a row: I completed this in January. 
3. Drink at least 64 oz of water/day for 30 days in a row: Ditto.
4. Publish my second novel: Yes! I published Once Upon An Anxious Mom in December.

5. Read 100 books for myself: I read 110 books. I think about 68 of these were audiobooks.

6. Try 23 new recipes: I tried 11 new recipes in total. I’m trying again this year with my 24 in ’24 project.

7. Cook with mushrooms 23 times: I cooked with mushrooms four times, but Nathan, inspired by my efforts, starting roasting mushrooms often when he grills steak. So mission accomplished: mushrooms are part of our life.

8. Bake 23 loaves of bread: I baked one loaf. Lol.

9. Make 23 different buttons with my button maker: I imagined that I would design and make 23 buttons for myself. What ended up happening was I used my button maker at different events during the year — the school’s Welcome Back Fair, my niece’s birthday party, a Girl Scout meeting, a Girl Scout pumpkin patch — and made over 100 buttons during the year. I didn’t design them, but I am now a pro with the button maker. Mission accomplished!

10. Finish 23 craft projects (not including buttons): I completed 15, but some were big, like crocheting Christmas stockings for the kids. I’m trying this one again in my 24 in ’24.

11. Watch 12 different Creativebug classes: I watched one. So I just stopped working on this post and cancelled my subscription. I can rejoin whenever I have the time or inclination.

12. Draw 12 times: I drew seven times. It’s not my main crafting/artistic outlet.

13. Play 23 different board/card games: I got so close! I made it to 20 different boardgames and was going to play three games on December 31, but then I was so completely gassed from the holidays and a cold, I spent the day lounging in bed instead. But I’m giving myself a Win on this one because I played a ton of games multiple times, and the kids and I got into the habit of playing boardgames and card games together.

14. Watch 23 movies with my kids: We watched sixteen movies together. A decent chunk! Half credit.

15. Write 23 blog posts: I did this and then some! I think of blogging as something I do for myself. If I end up attracting readers who enjoy my work and buy my books, fantastic! But that’s not the objective. This is a practice that helps me reflect and live my life intentionally.

16. Visit 23 new places: I completed this goal early in 2023 and I’ve noticed that visiting new places is definitely good for my soul. My cavewoman ancestors were the ones who strayed far away from the cave and found new streams and date trees and shit like that. I’m not content staying at home 24/7.

17. Go on 12 hikes: I went on three hikes. I realize I have a couple of impediments on this front: my kids play sports, so our weekends are busy; and I love hot yoga, so that eats up a lot of my exercise time during the week. But the three hikes I went on filled up my soul so this year, I’m endeavoring to get 52 mega doses of nature.

18. Do 23 things I have never done before: I did this! This might make a good podcast episode…

19. Finish decluttering the house!  I’m giving myself an A+ here because I made so much freaking progress. Most importantly, I gutted and reclaimed our garage and basement (just one room, but more than most Californians have). I learned along the way that decluttering is not an end goal but a state of mind. I have to keep decluttering throughout the year, especially with growing kids.

20. Indulge my inner child 23 times: Mission accomplished! Highlights include making fudge, having Lucky Charms for breakfast in March, getting passes to Universal Studios, and starting tennis lessons in August.

21. Publish 12 podcast episodes: I published 6 episodes, but I did get back into podcasting and like blogging, it’s a practice that helps me feel like my best self. This year, I’m attempting 24 podcast episode in ’24. I think it will be easier to hit the higher number because I’ll build momentum and procrastinate less.

22. Attend 12 live performances: Done! And damn, I saw some amazing shows. This was so good for my soul.

23. Spend 20 hours gardening: Done, and then some.

I completed thirteen of these projects and nearly finished #13, so WOOT WOOT.

Lessons learned: I’m not the bread baker I thought I was but I do love boardgames.

Another year, another project! Instead of resolutions, I like to concoct lists of projects that I hope to complete during the new year. I got this idea from one of my favorite podcasts, Happier With Gretchen Rubin, and I’ve been doing it since 2022. I need to do a recap soon of my 23 in ’23, but I wanted to post my 24 in ’24 before we get too deep into 2024. Without further ado:

1. No soda or caffeine. I broke up with caffeine (for about the millionth time) last summer, but I continued drinking caffeine-free diet soda, and ugh, I’m sick of that habit. I want to see how healthy I feel without diet soda.
2. Take an introductory class at a rock climbing gym.
3. Read 100 books. Bonus points: read at least 25 books for Project Read Around the World.
4. Attend 100 hot yoga classes. This includes the hot pilates classes offered at my studio if I decide to expand my repertoire. Also, my studio offers streaming classes that were recorded during the Covid shutdowns, and if I take those classes outside in the heat while traveling, I’ll count those to my goal.
5. Write the rough draft of my third novel. This can be either the third book in The Motherhood Circus series or a children’s chapter book. Stay tuned!
6. Paint a room in our house. Or the front door. Or a mural on the bleak bare wall that’s out back by our lemon tree. Point is: paint something at home.
7. Try 24 new recipes. My goal was to try 23 recipes in 2023 and that didn’t happen, but I’d like to give this another go.
8. Record an audiobook. This is a longterm career goal. Hopefully putting it on this list will motivate me to take the time to learn how to record an audiobook and then invest the time in that project.
9. Get 52 mega nature doses. Taking a neighborhood walk does not count. Things that do count: hikes; beach days; walks through botanical gardens; anything that gets me out of City Mode and into the healing presence of Mother Nature.
10. Make a five year plan. Seems like the time to do this is ripe because I’m turning 45 tomorrow, and holy shit, in five years I will turn FIFTY.
11. Complete 24 craft projects. This is another do-ever from 2023. I didn’t finish 23 craft projects last year, but I had fun trying. Let’s see what happens this year.
12. Help the kids prepare a family meal once a month. Each kid gets to pick a recipe and prepare it for dinner or breakfast.
13. Plan a family trip to the Grand Canyon. I’ve learned that the best months to visit are March-May and that hotels can get booked a year in advance, so I want to do the research now so I can make it happen in 2025.
14. Get 24 minutes of fresh air every day. Last year, Gretchen Rubin challenged her community of podcast listeners to get 23 minutes of fresh air, and I really liked that idea, but I never got momentum on it. (Probably because my dad was in the ICU for 10 days in February.) I’d like to do it this year, and so far, it’s been a helpful reminder to get my butt outside. Fresh air feeds the soul.
15. Tap dance 20 times. I think this was on my list in 2022? I always imagine myself tap dancing. Damnit, let’s make it happen.
16. Walk an average of 10,000 steps/day. On days that I practice hot yoga, I typically get 7000-8000 steps. This goal has been motivating me to walk extra to make up the deficit on hot yoga days.
17. Record 25 podcast episodes.
18. Create a TikTok 100 weekdays in a row (though if I actually make a weekend TikTok, that will count toward the streak)
19. Visit the Gamble House.
20. Take monthly family portraits.
21. Learn how to make balloon animals.
22. Visit The Broad.
23. Track time spent sitting vs. time spent standing for a month.
24. Joy Tracking! Wherein I keep track of things that boost my wellness and happiness but are not part of this project (e.g. boardgames played; movies watched; new places visited)