101 in 1001: update 1

Wow! It’s hard to believe we’re already 100 days into 2024. A lot has happened so far this year: my maternity leave ended, I went back to work in a new area of the school, we got approved for a mortgage, and my baby turned one!

I’m also pretty pleased with my 101 in 1001 challenge progress, not least with the fact that it’s often at the forefront of my mind – “how can I make progress towards these goals?”

Completed Goals

In this first 100 days I’ve completed 8 goals. Not quite the 10 I need to be on track, but I’m pretty impressed with that considering many of the goals are longer term.

14. Go to the dentist

I’d been having earache for over a week which I could feel in my jaw and teeth. I wasn’t getting any real help from the GP as they couldn’t see any infection, so I tried getting in touch with a dentist to see if it was tooth ache masquerading as ear pain.

Somehow, I managed to get a private emergency appointment not too far away. The dentist was very reassuring and for £160 she gave me a check up, x-ray, put some dental plaster in place of the filling that had fallen out, and gave me some advice about further treatment.

It didn’t fix the earache, but it’s been nice being able to use those back teeth again without worrying about getting food stuck! We’re still on the waiting list for an NHS dentist, but I think I might go back privately to get a few other dental issues sorted.

17. Lose 10lb

I kick-started the challenge being really good with calorie counting, daily walks, and increased fruit and veg intake. By 24th January, I’d lost 10lb.

I fell off the wagon a little, and I’ve put some of this back on (but not all!). Now Easter is over and I’m back at work again, I’m back to counting those calories and being more active. This time, Brett’s a little more on-board with increasing our fruit and veg which should make that part a little easier!

Here’s hoping I can tick off a few more “lbs lost” goals at the next check in.

25. Get my eyes tested and buy more than one new pair of glasses

I finally got around to getting my eyes tested in March. It’s lucky I did really. A slight change in my prescription, but possibly more concerning was the change in my eye freckle.

Two years ago they found a small freckle in my right eye that hadn’t been seen before. They said it would be fine, but to make sure it was looked at properly next time I got tested. This time, after a really long look, they found two freckles and some whiteness around them.

I’m not 100% sure what this means, but they’ve referred me to hospital for further investigation. It’s unlikely to be cancer (it’s quite a rare form), but it’s best to be checked. I’ll share more about this as things progress – it’ll be months before the appointment comes through!

42. Try 5 new foods or recipes

I’ve smashed this! In fact, I’ve more than doubled it. I’ve always been a really fussy eater and like to stick to what I know, but I’m trying to show the kids that it’s good to try new things.

We did a Lunar New Year project which involved a trip to the Chinese supermarket. We had Chinese dumplings, noodles, egg fried rice, Japanese sausages, Chinese curry… all of which were totally new to me! To my surprise I liked everything, and it spurred me on to try more things.

Since then I’ve had more curries (korma and tikka masala), pakora, onion bhaji, popadoms, pilau rice, burritos, and quesadillas. I’m enjoying trying new things now and feel like I have so many more options and variety in my diet.

46. Have an uninterrupted bubble bath with a book

My Mother’s Day treat this year was that Brett took the boys out for the afternoon while I had a long bath. Granted, I had to clean the bathroom first, but I spent just over an hour in the bath and read half of the new novella the boys had bought me for the occasion.

56. Read 5 new books per year

So far this year, I’ve read 5 Heartstopper graphic novels. At this stage, I’m counting them as books. Going forward, I might change this to be novels, as they took me less than an hour each!

57. Read Bertie a chapter book from my childhood

My mum bought Bertie Flat Stanley for Christmas, and at first he was reluctant to read it. We dug a little deeper and he said it’s because there weren’t enough pictures. We gave it a go anyway, and needless to say he soon forgot about the lack of pictures.

We’ve read it at least 5 times since and now begun reading an illustrated Harry Potter too.

84. Publish daily on Pinterest for a month

I posted twice daily for a month, and three times daily for 20 days. By that time I’d gone back to work and time for blogging dramatically decreased and therefore I had nothing new to post about!

I did notice an increase in Pinterest traffic during this time though (from 600 impressions in January to over 1,700 in March). Nothing groundbreaking, but for a couple of hours spent scheduling content for the month, once I get back into weekly blogs, I’ll be making sure I schedule this content too.

Progress with goals

Some goals are going to take a little longer, but I’ve made progress towards them which I think deserves recognition!

1. Most house

We have an agreement in principle for a mortgage and know exactly what we can borrow. Our deposit has actually increased a little since then, so I feel we’re in a good position. We’ll be finding out Bertie’s school place a little later this month, then it will be all systems go as we’ll know what area we need to be looking in!

6. Donate/sell 101 things

12 items sold on Vinted.

23 items donated to charity shop.

35 total so far.

12. Buy fresh flowers for myself 5 times

Whilst shopping in Asda I couldn’t resist picking up a bunch of daffodils. Cheap and cheerful, I think they look lovely in the window in Spring. Since mentioning this, Bertie has bought me bunches twice whilst shopping with Brett.

54. Re-read Harry Potter

Bertie has suddenly got really into Harry Potter and has been working his way through the films (I know, I know, he’s only 4. Shoot me!). He loves reading, and Brett has been buying me the illustrated editions for the past few Christmas’s, so we began reading Philosophers Stone together. He’s loving it. We only do a chapter (or less) each time, but he’s constantly asking for more!

55. Read 5 classics

I restarted Les Miserables in February. I’ve not got very far, and it’s going to take me a really long time, but I’m happy to have started on one of my most ambitious reading projects!

58. Read a book originally written in a different language

See above. I’m reading Norman Denny’s translation if that makes a difference to anyone!

64. Submit paperwork 1 week in advance at least 3 times

I completed the computing MTP’s (medium term plans for non-teachers) over a month ahead of schedule, and my EHCP annual reviews 10 days ahead. As it was my first half term back, I made a real point of being organised with this side of things as I had a lot to focus on! I’m really hoping to keep it up.

82. Make 5 review posts with affiliate links

I got round to making 3 Easter round ups of gift and book ideas. They’ve not made any money this year, but I feel like I’m working toward a bigger goal and each round up post is an improvement on the last.

Conclusion

8 goals complete. 8 goals in progress. I’m quite happy with that as a starting point. I want to start making more plans to conquer more of these goals before my next check in which will be 19th July. I just know the time until them is going to fly by!