Regularly Scheduled Programming

In 2016, I started looking back and seeing what posts I used regularly and making a list. Every year, I look back for my own memory, mostly, but you may want to take a look back, too! I’m late to this article this year, but I think this year it’s especially important to log this info.

Why is that you may ask? Well in 2021, I pretty much didn’t post on my blog. If we looked back and did the calculations (I have not actually done that), I would have posted less blogs posted than in most of the past years. If these are my regular series, but I haven’t posted many of them this year, do they still count? How do we look at what series I stuck with despite being scarcely here? Which count and which don’t?

Below is a list of everything that I would consider a regular series. I’ve starred the ones that were more relevant or more often posted in 2021.

There are several series that are more usually updated, at least monthly and/or weekly:

Month in Review - A review of each month and my favorite instagrams for that month. *

Monthly Plant Update - A review of all the plants I've observed for each month. *

Mad Cat Garden - We started our garden a few years ago, but it’s become a great blog feature.

On My Mind On Friday Morning - A few things I've noticed around the internet, and life, recorded on Friday morning. *

Book Reviews - What I've been reading.*

Weekly Video Round Ups - Here I put the collection of videos from my BookTube each week. *

6 More Months of Zero Waste - In this series of posts we tackle moving to a more zero waste lifestyle. We will be taking a break (kinda) on this series up for at least the first six months of 2021.

Bullet Journal - I've been keeping a BuJo for several years now, and I like to check in about once a month.

Mad Cat Capsule - In 2017, I started keeping a capsule wardrobe, follow my progress here.

Zero Waste - 2017 also marked the start of my zero waste, plastic free journey. I post thoughts, ideas, recipes, and goals. 

Something Nice - Don't you love it when nice stuff happens? 

Something New - Something new I've learned or done. 

.Tattoo Story - To remember my tattoos and why I got them, I record it here.

Recipes - I want to include more recipes, specifically zero waste recipes, here.

Definitions - Some terms that I and other bloggers use but might be new to you. Here’s where you can learn more about all the things we talk about on MCQ.

Product Review - This is where I record reviews of products I have tried.

Monthly Goals - I have been trying to achieve several monthly goals so taht they can eventually become regular habits.

Pandemic Pantry - Originally started to showcase how to use up items druing the worst of lock down, I have taken aspects of this practice into daily life.

Homeschooling - In 2020, I started recording my homeschooling history. I would like to expand this series more in 2021.

Tattoo Story - The stories of my tattoos.

Joy of Using Up - This has been an off and on series, but I find myself gravitating to it more and more.

A Week of Books - Here I post even more book reviews to catch up and keep on track!

Sewing/Quilting - I would really like to bring back weekly sewing posts, but so far I’ve made it about one monthly.

Shelfie - Just pics of my home. (this one is an old series, but something I would like to bring back monthly).

There have been quite a few series that have fallen by the wayside, some I would like to bring back, others that might be gone forever.

Art and Nature... - Art and nature go together. I like to write about it here. 

Zoo at Home, Zoo Abroad - We love to visit animals, zoos, aquariums, etc... when we can.

Travel - One of my long standing goals is to document my travels.

Life Admin Day - This is where we check in on some admin goals we need to achieve, then see if we do achieve them.

Off Season - Notes on places I've seen, been, or explored and why I like them better in the off season. 

What I Eat in a Day - I love to eat, love to know what people are eating, love to share!

Habit Shift - Here I talk about the habits I love and those I want to make

So we can see that really only a few of these actually made in to be reoccuring series this year. And scrolling back through a year of posts, it’s easy to see what some of the issues, distractions and priorities were were. My booktube definitely was part of the reason the blog was not as loved in 2021. But also, I’ve been having lots of difficulties with the squarespace interface almost all year. Those issues not only derailed my being able to actually post, but frustrated me to the point that blogging become unpleasant and upsetting. Although those issues and frustrations haven’t ceased, I have developed some workarounds that have made posting a little easier.

It’s always nice to look back, see what series and posts make a regular scheduled programing on the blog and to reflect on what I love to post. Of course that makes me think of the year ahead and what posts will be like going forward.

Do you have a series on Mad Cat Quits that you enjoy? One that you missed in the year of 2021? One that you would like to see added? All feedback is welcome!

Something New: Meal Plan Stories

For a few weeks now, I’ve been making a meal plan and posting it to my instagram stories.

IMG_5767.PNG
IMG_5768.PNG

I pretty much copied this idea from @lindsaystrannigan on instagram and I’ve been loving it! It’s nice to go through the fridge each week to see what needs to be used up and to have a list so if I forget what I was thinking, I can refer back to it. I also find it helpful to have an accountability partner in wanting to post the recap for the week. Since I started, I can see that we have less food waste and don’t buy as many duplicates when shopping!

Do you make a meal plan? Do you use any kind of system? What other tips do you have for cutting down on food waste?

IMG_5769.PNG
IMG_5770.PNG

Life Admin Day 11/25/2020

Well, it’s been a long time since I have had a proper LAD and I need one! A Life Admin Day is a day (or a few hours of a day or a few hours over a few days) set aside to get your sh*t together and complete some annoying but necessary life tasks.

IMG_4466.JPG

Here’s what’s on my itinarary for today:
Marty pills (6am)
Marty surgery (8am)
Visit Gus (cat sitting)
Call my car insurance and sort out car
Call DMV if needed
Pay Bills
Look into eye doc bill from 2018
Find razor blades
Find doc, make appointment (me + chris)
Afternoon walk
Clean out fridge
Make soup
Film
ZW vid
Tag vid

Some of the things on my list are fuin, but most of them are things that I just need to get done. Many of these things are things that I HAVE to get done by the end of the year. I’ve known about them for a long time, but keep putting them off. Surprise, surprise it’s almmost the end of the year and I’m running out of time!

I often add these big tasks to my LAD list and also my more mundane tasks that I also need to get done that day. Sometimes breaking up the big tasks with more routine projects breaks up the bigger list and makes it feel more doable. LAD tasks are also sometimes things that can’t be totally finished in one day, so adding things like doing the dishes, etc… help me feel like I got a lot accomplished.

What are some projects, tasks and to-do items that you have been putting off in 2020? What do you need to finish by 2021?

~edit~ Editing Mo, jumping in here to say that this Life Admin Day was a total bust! Nothing in my day went the way I was planning and I was only able to cross off 3 or 4 tasks. This is why I often set my LADs up to have two days in a row to complete my goals. This time I’m not able to do that bc of the holiday. While this is terribly unsatisfying, it is a good lesson to not procrastinate and/or set up more regular Life Admin Days in order to complete all those pesky life tasks.

2020 Monthly Goals | August Goals and July Recap

Somehow I did worse on my July goals then my June goals??

IMG_2186.jpg

Inbox to zero, but really this time
Sometimes when I look at my inbox I just feel dread.
Did even touch it.

Make 1 comic
I’d really like to find a way to chronicle my experiences
I did actually do some sketches for this. I don’t have a clear goal or story in mind tho, so that’s as far as I got.

Make 1 video
I’ve made a few in the past, but I would like to get better at it.
Not at all.

Stretch
I’m not sure why I can’t get this into my routine.
Nope. But I am rolling this one over.

Restart sourdough
June was rough and I was not able to keep up with it but I really like having starter for breads, pancakes and cookies.
This goal I actually decided was not well suited for the Summer. I do plan on starting my starter again in the Fall.

Work on Decluttering
I’n not going to fool myself that I can declutter everything in one month, but I have been trying to get some progress made on this goal.
Did not do.

IMG_2188.jpg

Here are my August Goals:

Sew
I’ve started to get back into this and I want to make it part of my daily life.

Stretch
I have got to figure this goal out.

Make 1 video
it doesn’t matter what it is or what it’s about. I just gotta get the process started.

Tattoo work
I want a tattoo, I want to tattoo. I just have to do something on this goal. Either book an appointment for a tattoo, or practice the art of tattooing.

First steps on my book
In July, I had a realization of a book I want to write. I would like to take some baby steps to this.

Looking over my Aug goals, I see that they are all creative! I must be craving some creativity in my life right now!! Are your end of Summer goals about productivity or creativity?

Mad Cat Quilts | Pandemic Pantry - Planning is Key

Having to self quarantine is interesting. I miss things I expected to miss, like going to restaurants and bars and going to work, but I didn’t realize how much I would miss being able to thrift whenever I want and go to the grocery 2-5 times per week. On the other hand, having an unprecedented amount of time to be home, pet cats, take long walks, and cook and eat great homemade food has been pretty wonderful.

Like many (hopefully everyone by this point), we’ve been trying to drastically limit how often we go out in to the world. We have dropped from going to the grocery whenever we please to going once every week or more if we can get away with fewer trips. This means that we have had to change a lot about how we shop. We used to buy things multiple times a week whenever we thought we might need something. Now we have to really plan what we need and what we will get. We also have to figure out how to do that.

The first thing I did before our first big shopping trip was to make a list of everything we already had. I didn’t write every single items down, but I did write down a lot and everything I thought was going to be relevant. While I was taking this inventory, I also jotted down a list of meals that we usually eat, as a reminder to myself, a list of items that we needed to eat asap and dishes they might be good in, and a list of a few recipes that I want to try in the future.

IMG_7935.jpg

Having all these lists in front of me helped tremendously when I wrote a very detailed shopping list. I actually remembered to take the shopping list with me when we went on our first trip! Having the items and the list of meals made remembering what I was buying and why I was buying what I did very easy. I reused the same paper, with a new list for the next week’s shop.

IMG_8256.jpg
IMG_8258.jpg

For the second shop, I also took a new inventory that was more thorough than the first. We ended up eating a few of the things between making the list and going shopping. I just crossed those off. Our second shop was bigger and even more thorough than the first and I anticipate a longer time between shops, which is a goal. From the first shop to the second was 8 days. We will see how long between second and third. I plan on making another inventory a day or two before we go.

IMG_7939.jpg

This inventory/sticking to a list method is very different from how I normally shop. Perhaps you always shop like this. Using this method allowed me to buy everything I needed but not over buy or buy duplicates. Here is my advice in easy steps:

1) Take a thorough inventory - write down everything you already have. Take note of meals you want to create, items that need to be used up, and things you want to learn to make. Remember the goal is not to hoard items, just to get you through a week or more of nutritional and pleasurable eating.

2) Write down a list of meals you can make/want to make with what’s in your inventory - You could plan it out by day and meal, or just write down the meals you normally like to eat or can make. I prefer to be spontanious, so I’ll often write meals that overlap and I can choose from when the time comes.

3) Make a shopping list based on what you still need - Think about getting thru a week or more but be careful not to over buy! We have to be even more concerned about food waste at this time. Waste not, want not.

4) Don’t forget your list! - And you reusable bags! Many groceries are not excepting refillable packaging or have done away with bulk items (in my area, at least). I do understand that these are hard places to ensure cleanliness. There is some debate about cloth bags, but most places will let you bring and use your reusable bags, as long as you bag your own groceries.

Now you are ready to brave the grocery! Good luck!

Life Admin Day 1/14/20

Hooray for the first life admin day of the year! I haven’t had one in a long time and it is over due! This year, I’m trying to work a little less each month, and I think monthly life admin days are going to be really helpful for me.

IMG_5937.jpg

I had a lot to get done this week.

-meeting 3pm-5pm
-clean fridge
-water plants
-dirt in plants
-clean old car
-call care care
-call rx
-pick up rx
-clean table
-clean desk
-bills
-finish capsule
-clean bathroom
-call insurance
-blog photos
-hungry puppy

A lot of these things have been on my list before, either bc they are reoccurring items or bc they are things that I keep putting off. One of the main goals of the life admin day is to get those nagging things finally crossed off!

Here’s where I got to on the first day. I admit, I didn’t try too hard.

IMG_5979.JPG

On the second day I was able to get a lot more finished. I still put off a lot of the major things. I find that that is common for my LADs bc I end up choosing the things that have a greater impact on my day to day. The longer term tasks often get pushed back. Littler things like laundry, cleaning, cooking and taking care of cats and plants often get pushed to the front. There’s something more satisfying about those things, as I can see the tangible work. Things like calling the car place just doesn’t feel as good. But all these items are important.

For this life admin day, I really really didn’t want to leave the house and that was restricting. There are a lot of reasons that I like to just stay home on my days off. I love my house and I love uninterrupted days at home, but staying home also helps me save money, keeps my waste low, and makes me take time to take care of my cats, plants and family.

Overall, I feel good about what I got done and how I spent my time. In the future, I would like to get better at limiting the time I put aside for getting things done, and getting them done within that limit.

Do you use Life Admin Days? What are some methods you use?