I read an article this week where a psychoanalyst was negative about the trend for five year plans. I don’t think like that, for me my 40 before I’m 40 list is about aspirations and dreams. Just as I’ve only done 22 of the things on my 30 before I’m 30 list, I see this as something to inspire me. I won’t see myself as having failed if I don’t achieve it all, instead if I only manage a handful of things, I’ll have done some awesome things!
Categorised because 40 is a lot!
Food
1) Eat at the Fat Duck
This was originally what I wanted for my 30th Birthday present but didn’t want to do it pregnant.
2) Run a restaurant
This will most likely be a pop-up or supper club rather than a restaurant in the traditional sense.
3) Do a sugarcraft course
My cakes taste great. I can’t decorate them for toffee.
4) Make jam
Doesn’t seem hard.
5) Cook all of the recipes in the Le Cordon Bleu at Home cookbook
There are 90 lessons. I’ve done about three
6) Learn to make sushi
I already have the stuff I need. I really should just do it!
7) Teach the boys to cook
Slightly value and the youngest will be 9 when I turn 40 but he can be a fair way there.
Travel and Experiences
8) Take my stepsons on their first foreign holiday
They have never left the country and we’ve discussed it with their mother. The hope is to go to Spain next summer. My parents took me to Spain a lot as a child so it’s rather special to me. Naturally the baby will be coming with us but taking him abroad is a given.
9) Take an annual trip with the husband
My mum and dad had time away from my brother and I. The first will probably be to a hotel in Manchester while the baby is at my mothers’ but what is important is that I am a wife as well as a mother.
10) Swim in the Dead Sea
Mmm floaty light.
11) Spend a week in Rome
I’ve never considered Rome for a mini break as I want to do it at leisure and see lots of sights. One to save up for.
12) Take the husband to the Far East
I can’t wait to show him!
13) Visit Egypt
My mum, brother and eldest stepbrother have all been and it looks amazing.
14) Experience the thermal pools in Iceland
Not that there’s much else to do in Iceland...
15) Attend the Goodwood Revival
Cars and Fashion together. What’s not to love?
16) Run the London Marathon
The idea of this terrifies me but I’d love to see London from that perspective.
17) Go on safari
I was never bothered until I did a mini elephant safari in Sri Lanka and was blown away by watching them in their natural habitat. Now I just need to convince the husband that he wants to go!
Fashion
18) Learn how to apply eye liner
I can’t. I need to be taught.
19) Buy a red lipstick
I have never worn red lipstick. Apparently there’s a shade for everyone.
20) Go blonde
I went red in the pursuit. I think it needs trying properly (ie. via hairdresser) once.
21) Fit back into my corset
My corset is tiny. I currently have a waist measurement over 40 inches. I want to lose the baby weight.
22) Have a dress made for me
My sister-in-law-to-be is having her wedding dress made for her. I was never that bothered about my wedding dresses (I’ve had three) but like the idea of something I wear time and time again.
23) Buy more designer shoes
I bought my Jimmy Choo’s when I threw out my ex husband and my Louboutins when I passed my PhD. I like the idea of my collection reflecting key moments in my life. Speaking of which, having a baby is a pretty big deal... is the Prada S/S range still in the shops?
24) Attend London Fashion Week
I’m not too concerned about trying to get tickets to a show but there’s so much else going on that sounds fabulous.
Home
25) Complete a large cross stitch kit
I’ve done cross stitch for years but rarely finish anything as I’m not a fan of the finished article (I do it because it’s meditative). I’d like to actually finish the one I’m working on now though. No real reason.
26) Make annual photo books and DVDs
I already sort my images but this is the next stage. I want to chart the children growing up.
27) Read a Dickens novel
I’ve read loads of the classics but have never finished a Dickens. My best was getting through ¾ of Great Expectations. It bugs me.
28) Rebuild the deck and get a garden room
To be exact, pay someone to do this for me.
29) Decorate seasonally
This is something I started in January when the living room felt really bare after the Christmas decorations came down. I have a few Spring/Summer decorations (eg. bud vases) and want to roll this out so that year round the house keeps changing its look.
Money
30) Pay off the mortgage
Really quite hugely aspirational since we have about 33 years left on it but our monthly repayments are small so once we’re settled regarding the husband’s post redundancy move I’ll look to increase them.
31) Not become a millionaire but...
Sure it’d be nice to be a millionaire but my focus is on having an income that requires minimum input such as that from rental properties, owned businesses and so forth. The husband and I have lots of ideas about how to make this happen.
32) Have a plan in case all three kids want to go to medical school when they grow up
See above.
33) Invest in a piece of art
The husband and I have been discussing future investments and rather fancy taking a punt on art. We’d only buy something we loved so it would be risk-free in that respect but you never know, we could hit on the next big thing.
34) Understand the stock market
Because I haven’t a clue.
Skills
35) Learn to ski
I wanted to do this at university but I had ME (Myalgic encephalomyelitis) then I focused my travel on the Far East. I imagine I’ll be terrible at it but want to give it a go. I reckon I’d rock après ski though!
36) Blow glass
I want to do a glass blowing course. I reckon a day long experience would do, just enough so I have something I can look at and think ‘I made that.’
37) Be able to touch my toes (again)
Just before I became pregnant I touched my toes for the first time as an adult (after doing The Shred). I want to be able to get back to that point and stay there. I’ve never been very flexible but want to change that, if only to help me stay healthy as I get older.
38) Teach my (biological) son to swim
I can’t wait to do this. I was getting excited at the Huggies Little Swimmers at Sainsburys today. I met a foster mum in a pool a short while back and she had taken her foster son from 6 weeks.
39) Learn a foreign language
I’ve been lazy. I didn’t even learn Malay when I lived in Malaysia. But I’d like to buy a property abroad one day and my current choice would be Istanbul so I want to learn Turkish.
And finally...
40) Make a 50 before I’m 50 list!
It’s the only way to go.
Categorised because 40 is a lot!
Food
1) Eat at the Fat Duck
This was originally what I wanted for my 30th Birthday present but didn’t want to do it pregnant.
2) Run a restaurant
This will most likely be a pop-up or supper club rather than a restaurant in the traditional sense.
3) Do a sugarcraft course
My cakes taste great. I can’t decorate them for toffee.
4) Make jam
Doesn’t seem hard.
5) Cook all of the recipes in the Le Cordon Bleu at Home cookbook
There are 90 lessons. I’ve done about three
6) Learn to make sushi
I already have the stuff I need. I really should just do it!
7) Teach the boys to cook
Slightly value and the youngest will be 9 when I turn 40 but he can be a fair way there.
Travel and Experiences
8) Take my stepsons on their first foreign holiday
They have never left the country and we’ve discussed it with their mother. The hope is to go to Spain next summer. My parents took me to Spain a lot as a child so it’s rather special to me. Naturally the baby will be coming with us but taking him abroad is a given.
9) Take an annual trip with the husband
My mum and dad had time away from my brother and I. The first will probably be to a hotel in Manchester while the baby is at my mothers’ but what is important is that I am a wife as well as a mother.
10) Swim in the Dead Sea
Mmm floaty light.
11) Spend a week in Rome
I’ve never considered Rome for a mini break as I want to do it at leisure and see lots of sights. One to save up for.
12) Take the husband to the Far East
I can’t wait to show him!
13) Visit Egypt
My mum, brother and eldest stepbrother have all been and it looks amazing.
14) Experience the thermal pools in Iceland
Not that there’s much else to do in Iceland...
15) Attend the Goodwood Revival
Cars and Fashion together. What’s not to love?
16) Run the London Marathon
The idea of this terrifies me but I’d love to see London from that perspective.
17) Go on safari
I was never bothered until I did a mini elephant safari in Sri Lanka and was blown away by watching them in their natural habitat. Now I just need to convince the husband that he wants to go!
Fashion
18) Learn how to apply eye liner
I can’t. I need to be taught.
19) Buy a red lipstick
I have never worn red lipstick. Apparently there’s a shade for everyone.
20) Go blonde
I went red in the pursuit. I think it needs trying properly (ie. via hairdresser) once.
21) Fit back into my corset
My corset is tiny. I currently have a waist measurement over 40 inches. I want to lose the baby weight.
22) Have a dress made for me
My sister-in-law-to-be is having her wedding dress made for her. I was never that bothered about my wedding dresses (I’ve had three) but like the idea of something I wear time and time again.
23) Buy more designer shoes
I bought my Jimmy Choo’s when I threw out my ex husband and my Louboutins when I passed my PhD. I like the idea of my collection reflecting key moments in my life. Speaking of which, having a baby is a pretty big deal... is the Prada S/S range still in the shops?
24) Attend London Fashion Week
I’m not too concerned about trying to get tickets to a show but there’s so much else going on that sounds fabulous.
Home
25) Complete a large cross stitch kit
I’ve done cross stitch for years but rarely finish anything as I’m not a fan of the finished article (I do it because it’s meditative). I’d like to actually finish the one I’m working on now though. No real reason.
26) Make annual photo books and DVDs
I already sort my images but this is the next stage. I want to chart the children growing up.
27) Read a Dickens novel
I’ve read loads of the classics but have never finished a Dickens. My best was getting through ¾ of Great Expectations. It bugs me.
28) Rebuild the deck and get a garden room
To be exact, pay someone to do this for me.
29) Decorate seasonally
This is something I started in January when the living room felt really bare after the Christmas decorations came down. I have a few Spring/Summer decorations (eg. bud vases) and want to roll this out so that year round the house keeps changing its look.
Money
30) Pay off the mortgage
Really quite hugely aspirational since we have about 33 years left on it but our monthly repayments are small so once we’re settled regarding the husband’s post redundancy move I’ll look to increase them.
31) Not become a millionaire but...
Sure it’d be nice to be a millionaire but my focus is on having an income that requires minimum input such as that from rental properties, owned businesses and so forth. The husband and I have lots of ideas about how to make this happen.
32) Have a plan in case all three kids want to go to medical school when they grow up
See above.
33) Invest in a piece of art
The husband and I have been discussing future investments and rather fancy taking a punt on art. We’d only buy something we loved so it would be risk-free in that respect but you never know, we could hit on the next big thing.
34) Understand the stock market
Because I haven’t a clue.
Skills
35) Learn to ski
I wanted to do this at university but I had ME (Myalgic encephalomyelitis) then I focused my travel on the Far East. I imagine I’ll be terrible at it but want to give it a go. I reckon I’d rock après ski though!
36) Blow glass
I want to do a glass blowing course. I reckon a day long experience would do, just enough so I have something I can look at and think ‘I made that.’
37) Be able to touch my toes (again)
Just before I became pregnant I touched my toes for the first time as an adult (after doing The Shred). I want to be able to get back to that point and stay there. I’ve never been very flexible but want to change that, if only to help me stay healthy as I get older.
38) Teach my (biological) son to swim
I can’t wait to do this. I was getting excited at the Huggies Little Swimmers at Sainsburys today. I met a foster mum in a pool a short while back and she had taken her foster son from 6 weeks.
39) Learn a foreign language
I’ve been lazy. I didn’t even learn Malay when I lived in Malaysia. But I’d like to buy a property abroad one day and my current choice would be Istanbul so I want to learn Turkish.
And finally...
40) Make a 50 before I’m 50 list!
It’s the only way to go.
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