Needless, to say, things fell apart within about a week of starting--as evidenced by not having enough time to even get a blog out. The good news is that projects seem to be wrapping up, so time to revisit the big ol' accountability plan. Same basic plan. The only difference, 60 days instead of 90. And an emphasis put on not trying to do it all. Too much overcommitment = totally falling flat on everything.
That gives me 24 hours to figure out my schedule for the next 60 days. No pressure, right? ;)
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
The Ideal House (circa 2011)
Yesterday I was sitting at the car shop for an oil
change and tire rotation, so got a few minutes to go through my files. I found
our original list of things we were looking for in a house--so let's see how it
fits with the home we are looking at.
One story--check
3 bedroom--check
2 bath--check
Open kitchen--check
Dedicated laundry room--check
Utility sink--not currently, but we might be able to
add it on
Side by side drive--check
Central heat and air--check
Laminate floors--depends on what we pick out
Ceiling fans--check
French door fridge, but slightly smaller--again,
depends what we pick
Dishwasher--check
Garbage disposal--need to check
Sewer line, not septic--check
Electric, not gas--actually gas appliances, but that
isn't a bad thing
Sidewalk that leads to a park with a jogging
trail--probably...there are lots of sidewalks being built as houses are being
built, and the neighborhood will have parks
Orange tree and key lime tree--I'm rethinking the
orange tree, but we should be able to get a key lime tree
Countertop microwave--not at present, but we could
check on that for the future
Pantry--check
Tool area--in the garage
Decent size linen closet--check
Own pool or easy access--check
If our own pool, screened and heated and spa--will
need to check and see if we are getting a pool and then check on costs
Heat lamps and exhaust fans in baths--not at present,
but we could ask
Wire house for audio--with new Bluetooth speakers,
this isn't an issue
Decent home theater--something we can do
Linoleum in kitchen and bath--looks like it will be
tile instead of linoleum
Garage 2 car with automatic opener--check
Master walk in closet--two of them, check!
Lawn service--check
Pest control--need to see, but we could certainly hire
someone
Blinds--check
High speed Internet--check
Larger bathrooms--check
Front entrance porch--check
Better lighting options, dimmers and good use of
natural light--will need to look about dimmers, but certainly does better with
natural light
Easy access to job--well, depends on the job, but it
looks good so far for either WDW or Orlando
Easy access to schools--check
Solar panels--no, but we will see what options are
there
Heat recovery systems--no
Formal dining room not a must--not really, but a good
space off the kitchen for full dining set
Fireplace (gas or electric)--no, but with gas we could
put one in later
Decent grocery and shopping nearby--check
Dining options nearby--check
Family room--as part of the dining/kitchen extended
area
So given this list was made a couple years ago, it looks like we are pretty
consistent in what we want, and what we are picking out really nails it!
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Day 2 of 90
Busy day yesterday, so while I hit the physical milestones, didn't get all the housework done as planned. Also didn't get to publish my accountability post either.
6 tricep dips--done
4 pushups--done
8 mountain climbers--done
15 situps--done
5 crunches--done
5 leg raises--done
10 second plank--done
2 minutes free punch--done
1 minute weight punch--done
2 mile walk/run--done
grocery shopping--done
water goal--done
track breakfast--done
track lunch--done
track dinner--done
sort 50 computer files--not done
scan 10 papers--not done
sort 15 papers--not done
15 minutes in Lily's room--not done
15 minutes in bedroom--not done
Still digging out from under deadlines today, so we'll see how the housework goes.
Day 2 down, 88 days to go!
6 tricep dips--done
4 pushups--done
8 mountain climbers--done
15 situps--done
5 crunches--done
5 leg raises--done
10 second plank--done
2 minutes free punch--done
1 minute weight punch--done
2 mile walk/run--done
grocery shopping--done
water goal--done
track breakfast--done
track lunch--done
track dinner--done
sort 50 computer files--not done
scan 10 papers--not done
sort 15 papers--not done
15 minutes in Lily's room--not done
15 minutes in bedroom--not done
Still digging out from under deadlines today, so we'll see how the housework goes.
Day 2 down, 88 days to go!
Monday, July 1, 2013
Day 1 of 90
Here's the recap of day 1:
6 Tricep Dips--done
4 Pushups--done
8 Mountain Climbers--done
15 Situps--done
5 Crunches--done
5 Leg Raises--done
10 Second Plank--done
2 Minutes Free Punches--done
1 Minute Weighted Punch--done
Take supplements--done
Daily water goal--done
Swagbucks goal--done
Make bed--done
Shine sink--done
Track breakfast--done
Track lunch--done
Track dinner--done
Come in at or below WW points goal--done
Sort 50 files on the computer--done
Scan 10 papers--done
Sort 15 papers--done
15 minutes cleaning the dining room--done
15 minutes cleaning the kitchen--done
Made all my milestones for today. Only 89 days left!
6 Tricep Dips--done
4 Pushups--done
8 Mountain Climbers--done
15 Situps--done
5 Crunches--done
5 Leg Raises--done
10 Second Plank--done
2 Minutes Free Punches--done
1 Minute Weighted Punch--done
Take supplements--done
Daily water goal--done
Swagbucks goal--done
Make bed--done
Shine sink--done
Track breakfast--done
Track lunch--done
Track dinner--done
Come in at or below WW points goal--done
Sort 50 files on the computer--done
Scan 10 papers--done
Sort 15 papers--done
15 minutes cleaning the dining room--done
15 minutes cleaning the kitchen--done
Made all my milestones for today. Only 89 days left!
Friday, June 28, 2013
Where is our dream house?
For more than the past six months, I've been looking through real estate listings for the Orlando area. On our trip down last winter, we actually toured a property--and overall, we liked it....except.
So many of the properties that we've looked at have been great....except. From being in neighborhoods that aren't our ideal to floorplans that simply don't work for our needs (for instance, with all the bedrooms on the second floor, making it impossible for our families to visit comfortably), it seems that every house has some sort of major downside. In some cases, it is largely cosmetic--with enough cash, we could theoretically fix the issues. In some cases, the issues just can't be fixed. And in some cases, the cost for the house, while being something we could afford, would mean making major sacrifices to pay for it, both in terms of the house itself, the remodeling needed, and the HOA fees.
We had a very specific time frame we were looking at. We didn't want a house built before 1994 (when there were code changes in the wake of Hurricane Andrew). We didn't want a house that was built in 2002-2004 (when houses were being finished very cheaply because of the huge downturn in the Orlando economy post 9/11).
Recently, we talked and decided that the best way to get what we wanted would be to build from scratch. The minute we made that decision, all the pieces fell into place. I started looking at builders, and just about had a minor nervous breakdown--the horror stories about builders made me question living in a house at all. Maybe we could just build a yurt in a field and pray for the end to come soon so we wouldn't have to live in solid walls ever again!
Specifically, I was scared about the stuff I saw about KB Home. I can understand a builder having an unsatisfied customer here and there--but from that link...yipes.
I went to the Better Business Bureau's web site, and it seemed that every builder I looked at had failing grades. Every. Single. One.
Then I found D.R. Horton, and they had an A rating. So far so good. I then found a community in the Winter Garden area where they were building. Originally I had eliminated Winter Garden from our list, because it was in Orange County and was closer to the 30-minute-from-Disney mark. There also was the issue that all of the one-story homes were three bedroom, and we really need to have a home office room, a bedroom for us, a bedroom for Lily, and a guest room, so I was trying to go with four bedrooms.
But the more I looked at this floorplan, I wondered what I would need to do make it work. In the end, we'll ideally want to move a couple windows by a few feet. That's it. Move a couple of windows by a few feet.
The neighborhood looks good, the price is within our budget even if we do some extras (like building a pool), and the layout works. I think we've found a dream house. Now to go back to our old, old list of the things we'd be looking for in the area to see if this works.
Two years ago, we compiled this list, and most of it still stands as desired things for us. So, here's the list, along with how this house stacks up.
So many of the properties that we've looked at have been great....except. From being in neighborhoods that aren't our ideal to floorplans that simply don't work for our needs (for instance, with all the bedrooms on the second floor, making it impossible for our families to visit comfortably), it seems that every house has some sort of major downside. In some cases, it is largely cosmetic--with enough cash, we could theoretically fix the issues. In some cases, the issues just can't be fixed. And in some cases, the cost for the house, while being something we could afford, would mean making major sacrifices to pay for it, both in terms of the house itself, the remodeling needed, and the HOA fees.
We had a very specific time frame we were looking at. We didn't want a house built before 1994 (when there were code changes in the wake of Hurricane Andrew). We didn't want a house that was built in 2002-2004 (when houses were being finished very cheaply because of the huge downturn in the Orlando economy post 9/11).
Recently, we talked and decided that the best way to get what we wanted would be to build from scratch. The minute we made that decision, all the pieces fell into place. I started looking at builders, and just about had a minor nervous breakdown--the horror stories about builders made me question living in a house at all. Maybe we could just build a yurt in a field and pray for the end to come soon so we wouldn't have to live in solid walls ever again!
Specifically, I was scared about the stuff I saw about KB Home. I can understand a builder having an unsatisfied customer here and there--but from that link...yipes.
I went to the Better Business Bureau's web site, and it seemed that every builder I looked at had failing grades. Every. Single. One.
Then I found D.R. Horton, and they had an A rating. So far so good. I then found a community in the Winter Garden area where they were building. Originally I had eliminated Winter Garden from our list, because it was in Orange County and was closer to the 30-minute-from-Disney mark. There also was the issue that all of the one-story homes were three bedroom, and we really need to have a home office room, a bedroom for us, a bedroom for Lily, and a guest room, so I was trying to go with four bedrooms.
But the more I looked at this floorplan, I wondered what I would need to do make it work. In the end, we'll ideally want to move a couple windows by a few feet. That's it. Move a couple of windows by a few feet.
The neighborhood looks good, the price is within our budget even if we do some extras (like building a pool), and the layout works. I think we've found a dream house. Now to go back to our old, old list of the things we'd be looking for in the area to see if this works.
Two years ago, we compiled this list, and most of it still stands as desired things for us. So, here's the list, along with how this house stacks up.
- Sidewalks--yes, sort of. Right now, there's not many houses built, but each one is being built with a sidewalk.
- Easy access to a jogging/fitness trail--the web site says that the community has several parks and wide sidewalks "that make it easy to walk, run or ride a bicycle around the community"
- A house backing up to an undeveloped area (lake, field, forest, golf course...anything that isn't another building)--possibly. That's something we'll need to see when we look at lots.
- Target--6 miles
- Coffee chain (Starbucks, Caribou)--not as much of a need anymore, as we haven't been to a coffee chain since....a LONG time, but it is in the same shopping center as Target
- A diner open late--diner, yes. Open late, no. It appears that while there are many diners in the area, they are all breakfast/lunch establishments, not even open for dinner.
- Panera--At the same shopping center with everything else, about 5-6 miles away.
- A decent Mexican restaurant--there's several within 10 miles. I'm drooling looking at them right now. Seriously. Drool. Most of them look like holes-in-the-wall like Chapala, so that makes me VERY happy.
- Takeout Chinese--looks like a decent number to try.
- Sushi--more options for sushi than for takeout Chinese. Zoinks!
- Indian restaurant--although there's a LOT of really really good ones, they're about 20-30 minutes away. Then again, there's always Sanaa as an option...
- Bakery--*giggle* so when I looked for bakeries, the nearby ones were Kringla, Boulangerie Patisserie, the Boardwalk Bakery, and Babycakes. But, when I searched for Cupcakes, I did find an option on Main Street in town.
- Butcher--nothing nearby, but there is an excellent one in Sanford (about an hour away). It would be one of those things where we'd need to make a trip once a season and stock up. When I search for "meat shop", I get one location in town. It's reviewed with a "meh" on Yelp. I think we'll make the trip to the meat packing one.
- Fish market--wow, a big no. Hmmm...
- Farmer's market/CSA--yes to Farmer's Market, every Saturday right in downtown. For CSA, looks like the closest ones are about 45 minutes away. One of them offers half shares that goes every other week. That would be a much better option...
- Good middle and high schools--iffy right now. Because of the huge growth in the area, new schools for that area are likely to be built before Lily enters school. But since we're doing Virtual School, it may never be an issue.
- High Speed Internet--looks like Comcast is provided there.
- Good hospital--a hospital is currently being built.
- Good doctor and dentist--have heard there are good options
- Good grocery store (probably Publix, given the area)--supposedly 4 minutes away
- Good vet--looks like good options in the area.
- Sporting goods store--there's a runner store in the downtown area
- More than one road to get around/out of the area--check!
- Kohls--the nearest one is in Clermont. But I'm very hopeful with the new shopping being built, one might go in.
- Bank that is easy to get in and out of--there's a couple in the area, but we'll have to see which bank we're sticking with.
- Post office that is easy to get in and out of--another "we'll have to see" issue. There's plenty around, but we'll have to see how easy they are to get in and out of.
So far, looking good....I think we may need to make an in-person trip when we're down in Florida next.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Aggressiveness and Accountability
I'm very goal-driven, when I've got a goal in mind with a definite endpoint. When it is more freeform (either in terms of what to get or in terms of when to get it), I falter miserably.
Case in point, I'm doing awesome on paying off certain debts, preparing for the move, and so on. I'm meeting my quarterly goals for my business.
When it comes to things like getting my health back in order (read: weight loss and exercise), I just don't seem to be able to get a move on.
Before my cruise last year, I was able to go doughnut-free for February through May because I made a commitment to do that and didn't have many distractions to keep me from it.
Lately even if I make a commitment on health issues, I always have "that stuff" come up that makes it so I can't stick with it.
So I set myself a deadline--3 months. I've set a very aggressive plan. The plan includes Weight Watchers to track food points, the Galloway 10K app to get back into the running plan, the 30-day Abs and 30-days Arms intensives to cross-train. There's also focus on making sure I keep up-to-date with my supplements and water intake. It includes a focus on clearing files off of the computer and scanning/sorting/tossing papers that have been creeping into the house. It includes focusing on keeping the house clean, now that we've really spent a while getting it in good shape. It also includes pretty tough fiscal discipline--no more "retail therapy" for the next 90 days. (Both in terms of the problems created by going shopping and buying things that aren't needed and the fact that I waste several hours per week going out shopping. It means getting up with my husband and daughter (and taking naps if needed) sometimes to make the most of every day.
Did I mention I'm sticking with this for 90-ish days?
I'm not focusing on how many pounds I'm going to lose or how many sizes I'm going to drop (although, truth be told, if I don't lose weight or drop at least a size, I'm going to be profoundly disappointed).
I've watched my husband drop 80 pounds on willpower alone (well, and Weight Watchers and training for a half marathon, but both of those are willpower things). I've watched my cousin drop close to 100 pounds in a similar way. I'm a paltry 20 pounds below my pregnancy weight. I'll admit it. I want to be greedy on this. I want it to be me who has people come up and say "Wow, you look amazing." I want to be the person who inspires folks instead of being the one constantly inspired by those around me.
Yep, one week left and then I'm putting myself into life boot camp. Before you feel bad for me, know that I'm going to plan for little rewards along the way. Still trying to decide what they are, but I'm certainly going to reward milestones.
And it is only for about 90 days...how hard can it be?
....Yeah, be prepared for lots of whining on here.
Oh, and that's where the accountability comes into play. I'm going to be putting my daily goals on here and then updating throughout the day as things get completed. Even if no one is reading, it does make me feel somewhat more accountable to the greater interwebz. After all, the internet is forever, right?
Case in point, I'm doing awesome on paying off certain debts, preparing for the move, and so on. I'm meeting my quarterly goals for my business.
When it comes to things like getting my health back in order (read: weight loss and exercise), I just don't seem to be able to get a move on.
Before my cruise last year, I was able to go doughnut-free for February through May because I made a commitment to do that and didn't have many distractions to keep me from it.
Lately even if I make a commitment on health issues, I always have "that stuff" come up that makes it so I can't stick with it.
So I set myself a deadline--3 months. I've set a very aggressive plan. The plan includes Weight Watchers to track food points, the Galloway 10K app to get back into the running plan, the 30-day Abs and 30-days Arms intensives to cross-train. There's also focus on making sure I keep up-to-date with my supplements and water intake. It includes a focus on clearing files off of the computer and scanning/sorting/tossing papers that have been creeping into the house. It includes focusing on keeping the house clean, now that we've really spent a while getting it in good shape. It also includes pretty tough fiscal discipline--no more "retail therapy" for the next 90 days. (Both in terms of the problems created by going shopping and buying things that aren't needed and the fact that I waste several hours per week going out shopping. It means getting up with my husband and daughter (and taking naps if needed) sometimes to make the most of every day.
Did I mention I'm sticking with this for 90-ish days?
I'm not focusing on how many pounds I'm going to lose or how many sizes I'm going to drop (although, truth be told, if I don't lose weight or drop at least a size, I'm going to be profoundly disappointed).
I've watched my husband drop 80 pounds on willpower alone (well, and Weight Watchers and training for a half marathon, but both of those are willpower things). I've watched my cousin drop close to 100 pounds in a similar way. I'm a paltry 20 pounds below my pregnancy weight. I'll admit it. I want to be greedy on this. I want it to be me who has people come up and say "Wow, you look amazing." I want to be the person who inspires folks instead of being the one constantly inspired by those around me.
Yep, one week left and then I'm putting myself into life boot camp. Before you feel bad for me, know that I'm going to plan for little rewards along the way. Still trying to decide what they are, but I'm certainly going to reward milestones.
And it is only for about 90 days...how hard can it be?
....Yeah, be prepared for lots of whining on here.
Oh, and that's where the accountability comes into play. I'm going to be putting my daily goals on here and then updating throughout the day as things get completed. Even if no one is reading, it does make me feel somewhat more accountable to the greater interwebz. After all, the internet is forever, right?
Friday, June 21, 2013
Preliminary Apartment List
I do wonder, how did people find an apartment before the Internet?
A bit of quick typing, and I was able to come up with a list of apartments in the areas where we're looking at. I'm going to update this list as we go along to remove ones that just don't meet our criteria, but all of these qualify for being in a decent distance from WDW. They are in order from closest to farthest.
32836 (1 mile)
Alexandria Parc Vue
32821 (7 miles via 535)
Century Palms at World Gateway
Sabal Palm at Lake Buena Vista
The Vinings at Westwood
Camden World Gateway
34747 (10 miles via Osceola Parkway/World Drive)
Evander Square at Celebration
Bella Apartment Homes
Camden Town Square
Tierra Vista
Mirasol at Celebration
32837 (11 miles via 417)
The Parks at Hunter's creek
Courtney Chase
Urbana
Osprey Links at Hunter's Creek
The Parkway at Hunter's Creek
Camden Hunter's Creek
32819 (11 miles via I-4W)--also check, are any of these in Tangelo Park? If so, that's a no.
Bell at Universal
The District at Universal
34787 (12 miles via Reams Road)
Inland Seas
The Promenade
34786 (12 miles via 435)
Buena Vista Place
Colonial Grand at Windermere
Windermere Cay
Casa Mirella Apartments
33896 (17 miles via I-4E)
Victoria Park Resort
Legends at Championsgate
A bit of quick typing, and I was able to come up with a list of apartments in the areas where we're looking at. I'm going to update this list as we go along to remove ones that just don't meet our criteria, but all of these qualify for being in a decent distance from WDW. They are in order from closest to farthest.
32836 (1 mile)
Alexandria Parc Vue
32821 (7 miles via 535)
Century Palms at World Gateway
Sabal Palm at Lake Buena Vista
The Vinings at Westwood
Camden World Gateway
34747 (10 miles via Osceola Parkway/World Drive)
Evander Square at Celebration
Bella Apartment Homes
Camden Town Square
Tierra Vista
Mirasol at Celebration
32837 (11 miles via 417)
The Parks at Hunter's creek
Courtney Chase
Urbana
Osprey Links at Hunter's Creek
The Parkway at Hunter's Creek
Camden Hunter's Creek
32819 (11 miles via I-4W)--also check, are any of these in Tangelo Park? If so, that's a no.
Bell at Universal
The District at Universal
34787 (12 miles via Reams Road)
Inland Seas
The Promenade
34786 (12 miles via 435)
Buena Vista Place
Colonial Grand at Windermere
Windermere Cay
Casa Mirella Apartments
33896 (17 miles via I-4E)
Victoria Park Resort
Legends at Championsgate
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