It still feels like the holidays! February 18, 2015

HAPPENINGS

It sure does feel like the holidays! I don’t believe anything has slowed down at all since Christmas. We’ve all been keeping up with all the holidays and yesterday we had Mardi Gras at work. Gumbo, king cake, masks, and beads! Fun and games!

The hardest thing for me is keeping up with, well, everything! Adding the gym to my routine has really made me feel extra busy. Between work, workout, church, extracurricular activities, and trying to keep the family fed, clothed, and in a tidy (decluttering) house, I am out of time at every turn.

I have GOT to start meal planning! I’ve been trying to do it a week at a time and make enough on less busy nights to cover the nights where I just need to throw something in the ‘wave and run back out the door. My goal is now to have 2 weeks planned, then move on to a full month.

I’ve started trying to organize little by little and more things are being decluttered, more things are being organized, and we are trying to make it look nicer, in general. Nothing makes you feel better at the end of the day than a clean house and things ready for in the morning! (Especially on those sleepless nights when you oversleep the next morning. *ahem*)

There have been days where I have felt so overwhelmed that I have skipped the gym, thrown a frozen pizza in the oven, and lost myself in Pinterest for a while (of course I’m looking for organization ideas and motivation!)

I’m determined to beat that. I know that work is going to slow down and there won’t be so much overtime. When that happens, I can really sit down and plan a schedule.

It’s more of a challenge now that I’ve been struggling to make it happen. You know how you feel that rise up in you when someone tells you you can’t? That’s how I feel about this organization. I won’t let all these inanimate objects win!!! :)

I hope everyone has been able to keep up with their resolutions and find more time in their days!

Peace and love, everyone!

A very different year January 31, 2015

PERCEPTIONS

Okay. Well, January is nearly over. Who is having a hard time believing that? It seems like we just had Christmas! And here we are nearly 1/12 of the way through the year.

We did take down our Christmas tree on Christmas afternoon. It had been up since Thanksgiving and we’d had to rearrange furniture in order to accommodate it.

So, that’s done.

And with this new year, a lot of things are changing. I’m going to hit one of those decade mark birthdays this year, I’ve decided I need to start taking better care of myself, and I really don’t enjoy schlepping around all this junk from house to house.

So, yes, things are changing: for the better.

I was given money for a gym membership for Christmas and I have already put that to good use. It’s going on 3 weeks now. I go to a yoga class, I walk the track, and I’ve learned how to use some of the exercise equipment. (there are some I love!)

I’ve also decided to up my game in the fashion sense. I see all these put-together moms dropping off their kids at daycare and running errands and I often wish I was like them. Whether they are frazzled to the end of their nerves or whether they have it all together, they look great! I used to have disregard for that life, thinking that they were just “putting on appearances”, but now I see how much more accommodating it is to have ducks in a row and, even if you don’t, to at least appear as if you do. At least your whole look is pulled together!

I’ve done the usual: I scrounged Pinterest like a crazy woman and saw outfits they had put together. I got an idea in my head of what I want to look like and I plowed on from there.

The first thing I did was impersonate Stacy and Clinton from What Not To Wear and I purged my closet of all the frumpy stuff I had previously though was nice looking. Trust me, there are a few things I purged, like this one purple shirt. Then I realized how great it would look with some grey pants and a cardigan I got (yes, on clearance)!

(Confession: I’ve never been accused if looking “polished”!)

I do have a lot of great pieces in my wardrobe and I definitely used them. Seriously, I didn’t have a $5000 debit card to use!!! So I took what I had and decided what was missing. I found a few shirts that were on serious clearance and a great navy blue knee-length skirt. I found shoes at Target that I paid under $6 for on clearance with the Cartwheel app. Yeah, I may have gone a little crazy, but all the pieces work with things I already have in my closet.

And I saved around $250-300! I really wanted some shirts that weren’t on clearance, but I couldn’t bring myself to pay $60 for a shirt that wasn’t a basic, I still love it. I still think about it. But I just couldn’t buy it. Most of the pieces I bought were under $10. :)

I still have 2 purses and 3 dresses I would like to add to my wardrobe, but that will happen in time. For one thing, I haven’t found them yet, clearance or not! For another thing, I may just have to buy a pattern and fabric and make the dresses myself!

As for the purses, well, Valentine’s day is coming soon. 😉

I don’t know how everyone at work or church or out and about feel about my look. I have received many compliments from people whose wardrobes I have admired. And from people that I wouldn’t expect them from in the first place.

I do sense an undercurrent from others, though. Nothing has been said directly to me and I’m sure they think I’m trying to one-up them or something, but honestly, I’m doing it for me, my hubby, and my child. End of story. Mostly for me. :)

But you know, deep down I’m still a SciFi nerd! I still watch Star Trek when it comes on tv, I did pick up a Star Wars t-shirt off the clearance rack the other day, and I did have a dream about Leonard from the Big Bang theory the other night. And I still have all 10 seasons of Stargate SG-1, and all the Stargate movies, and the Firefly series. ;)

GOALS

The gym is AWESOME! I am so loving it! It’s so great to get the daily stress off, feel like you’re stretching out all those kinked up muscles, and getting back in shape!

The first couple of days I only walked the track indoors. I did finally get to the outside track, which will be great in the spring! I also, as I previously mentioned, joined the yoga class. Wow! I am so NOT flexible anymore! I am loving it, though! I’m not up to Zumba or anything yet, but I may get there.

Over the past few years I have had some super fast bone degeneration and it is now hindering me from a lot of things, but the waking alone has helped unlock those muscles and release the spine a lot. I am seeing a significant difference in my pain level!

And sometimes my schedule gets a little crazy and I have to work overtime, which is great at payday, but stinks when it comes to scheduled classes at the gym!

Goal #2 is kind of a hold-over from last year: decluttering. I think I’ve mentioned this before….

That front is going well. I actually did have a few things already organized, so I was able to skip a few days of some things and make extra days for some things that REALLY need more attention.

Don’t get me wrong, I still have things in storage boxes that I just can’t get rid of. I have a box of papers from last year that really should have been filed away. *ahem*. I’m trying to get a handle on it this month so I can manage it all year round.

It’s not that I don’t know how to organize, because I do. I really do. One thing I’ve always been known for is my organizational ability. At work, everything has a place and is in its place. If it’s not, well….

Now I’m just trying to match my house ethic to my workplace ethic. :)

I hope and pray everyone’s 2015 is going well! If you made some resolutions, I encourage you to stick with them!

Peace and love, everyone!

New Year’s craft January 3, 2015

CRAFTS GALORE

I know this is just a tad late. A lot of things in my life lately have been a tad late…

So, we finally got around to our New Year’s craft…ahem.

We have been trying to do a lot of things related to the alphabet. Pinterest is a fantastic source for this outlet. I have found so many good ideas that I had to make a page just for that!

Anyhow, a few months ago I had bought a sheet of glittery craft paper at Hobby Lobby and had been unable to use it for its intended purpose. It was just too thick, but I had paid more than the normal price for it, so I kept it. This new project was perfect for it!

I wanted to do a couple more things but I just flat ran out of time. So, here is the finished product: a half sheet of construction paper, some glitter paper, curly ribbon, glue, stickers, and a shiny sharpie.

Don’t ask me what the alligator has to do with anything. Beanster picked that one out himself.

I explained that at midnight everyone smooches and music plays (we’ll delve deeper into Auld Lang Syne later), confetti is thrown, fireworks are shot off, and everyone celebrates a new year.

It was quick and easy. It took me longer to find the right stickers in the giant box o’ puffy stickers than it did to do the actual craft! Beanster still has a short attention span, so this was perfect.

Anyhow, here’s an idea for next year…ahem.

Peace and love, everyone, and happy new year!

Happy belated new year!

GOALS

Welcome to the new year! It seems like every year is met with several reactions: excitement and wonder, feat and trepidation, or a seeming lack of concern or expectation.

This year I have excitement and wonder. I am excited about several things that will be happening soon, things that will happen later in the year, and I am determined to live life fully this year; to experience every day as fully as possible and to learn from my experiences instead of avoiding them. 2015 is going to be a great year!

I looking forward to joining the gym! I got the $ as my Christmas present! Yea! I’ve never been a gym member before and I’ve spoken of my anxiety about it all, but knowing it will help reduce my stress and get me in shape is the weightier matter, no pun intended.

I am also looking forward to getting on a budget and getting some small debts paid off. And… Hopefully building some savings.

I am looking forward to the continuing education of my son. I LOVE that he loves leaning and I throw everything at him that I can. He is such a sponge right now!

I am also excited about where God is going to lead us this year. I just feel in my heart that I need to be preparing for something. I have no idea what, but I want to be ready when it gets here! Part of that nudging has to do with minimalizing.

I have already started a 365-day decluttering program. I had already started it in December, which allowed me to get a jump on organizing Christmas things for next year.

I have a pegboard for bills, a calendar for everything like meetings and bills due and birthdays, a magnetized list on the fridge that makes it easy to make a grocery list, an an updated address book.

The one thing I do want to start is menu planning. I need to stock up on a few things, too, but I need to menu plan. I don’t go to the grocery store hungry, but I don’t get a newspaper with coupons either, so we end up spending lots o’ hard earned $. I do get emails for coupons but I’ve never found a way to lessen the ink and so I feel like what I save in printing coupons, I make up for in ink!

All in all, I feel like things are getting more organized. More things are finding homes and more things are going out the door. I feel like some things are streamlining and some things just need a system of organization.

And I also think I may accomplish some of last year’s goal this year, too!

It’ll all happen. I believe it. And I believe 2015 is going to be a great year! Happy new year everyone!

Onward! December 13, 2014

GOALS

So. I’ve begun my fitness, uh, whatever it is right now. I haven’t started at the gym yet, since it’s a Christmas present and Christmas isn’t here yet.

However, I have bought a scale and a light set of weights. I’ve taken my BMI and started a food journal. Hey, it’s a start!

It really helps to see what I eat on a daily basis. I have purchased a couple new cookbooks recently, one being Indian food, and I am excited about cooking a few new things! Sometimes the repertoire gets a little boring. I am also trying to do more meal planning so that I don’t get stuck eating junk food dinners.

I also have a cousin who is super fit! She is going to be my mental coach. If I have a day where I want to slack off, I can text her and let her tell me to get with the program!

I have my issues of Shape magazine sitting around, along with my Yoga magazine. Nothing like seeing what my goal is in a picture. I don’t see it in the mirror, obviously, so I need to see it somewhere else. Especially when I want to be lazy!

I am doing a lot of things around the house, too, that are leading to a more organized household. I don’t want to have excuses holding me back: well, I really need to clean the house, well, I really need to do laundry, well, I really need to blah blah blah… I also plan on having a yard sale in the spring. It’s amazing how much I’ve accumulated in my house and around my waist simultaneously. I know I’ve said it before, but I am a minimalist deep down somewhere….

So, now that I have a plan and I’m moving forward, I feel like I’m getting somewhere! I have lost 3 pounds already from drinking all that water!

I have a couple of fellas that I need to get healthy and be in top shape for. Plus, I still want to go to the beach this summer… :)

Peace and blessings, everyone!

A new year is coming! December 6, 2014

GOALS!

I am so excited! Christmas will not be a big surprise, but I am still super excited about my Christmas presents! You know how you have to tell your husband what you want (please, be as specific as possible)? Well, I have 3 things that I want and 2 of them are repairs! The other is bookcases, so I can unpack some of our boxes!

Anyhow, the one I am getting from my family is just something I was debating on and had told my mom about. Obviously, I went in to great detail and spoke with great desire. I was going to do it myself, but… Other things are more important. So… I am getting a gym membership!!! I’ve never had one, but this gym has been around a long time and has a beautiful location. I checked it out two months ago when a new gym (ahem, fitness center) was opening up. Anyhow, I fell in love with the place.

You may think this is extravagant. And it is. But my health has declined and my stress level has risen. We have neither a beach nor a Barnes & Nobles (or any bookstore). That is how I burn off stress. Quiet and deep thought. Well, we have none of that for at least 2 hours in any direction.

But I digress…

I also cannot do yoga or Pilates at home. There are a few reasons: boxes, it’s an apartment, and a 4 year old named Beanster. My yoga session turns into his tumbling session and my bones are just too fragile right now to handle a child jumping on me while I’m in plank position. :)

So, I’m very very very very very excited about this. I know how most people look when they join a gym. I know how most people look after they’ve been at the gym for months. And yes, I have to face my social anxiety and just go do it. I am overweight. It’s gotten worse this year. Last year I was overweight. The year before that…

This picture was right after we had Beanster. He was about 5 or 6 weeks old. Yeah. I had dropped a lot of weight. Well, it has slowly crept back on over the past 4 years.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got muscle. I have to wrestle a child! I have to run around with him. I have to play soccer with him. But I still can’t do what I would like to. I can’t keep up with his energy.

And I can’t stand how I look in the mirror: (excuse the boxes)

I’m hoping someone out there can relate to my desire to have something a lot closer to a beach body by late spring. No, I don’t want to wear a piece of thread and a couple of band aids on a string and call it a bathing suit, but I would like to at least wear a one piece and not be embarrassed.

And yes, I’ve been to the beach and seen women at 250 and 300 wearing skimpy bathing suits. I know some people don’t care. I do. Partly, because I know what I used to look like…

I’m also a stress eater. You see that wedding dress? It had been let out as far as it could and we still had to nearly cinch it up like a corset. I was unable to bend.

So, today I am going to go buy a scale and take my weight. I am going to measure my hips, waist, thighs, and upper arms.

My part 2 of this plan is to eat healthier. I do have food allergies and it’s all for processed food! So, between having my own kitchen again and a gym membership, I am looking forward to this experience!!!!

Wish me luck and say a little prayer that I don’t pull a hamstring on the exercise bike the first day….

Long time, no see…again…ahem. September 14, 2014

New crafts – multiple uses

CRAFTS GALORE

I finally found a few things, then searched out Pinterest for a few ideas.  I love that site.  My pages are more like wish-lists for things I want to do at some point.  Beanster will probably have outgrown some of them by the time I get around to them, but there are few that I know he’s ready for this year.

So, it’s Sunday afternoon and I decide that we can do a craft (after incessant begging and whining).  I have an 18-count foam egg carton and a bag of fuzzy balls.  Beanster is in my lap and goes crazy when he sees the helicopters.  So, off we went.

This craft required an egg carton and tons of other stuff that we didn’t have.  So, I used a sheet of cardstock, scissors, and markers.  They all worked.  We also needed brads (I used the smaller ones), and a glue gun.

First things first:

I cut out 3 egg cups and the knot that is in the lid.  We whipped out the Sharpies and went to town coloring.  (Someone is very focused when he colors.)

Then we cut the tails out of the knot and colored them, then glued them on with the hot glue gun.

Then we simply cut a strip of paper about 1/4″ wide off the cardstock.  I folded it in half and snipped it, then used the scissor point to make a tiny hole in the middle of each length.

I pushed the brad through, gently, then we poked it through the top of the egg cup.

The good thing is that they just take a little time to make and they are just pennies on the dollar.  So, if a certain Beanster decides to destroy it and smash it to smithereens, we still have the memory of spending time together!  :)

I’m also hoping that we can find plenty of phonics lessons and other fun things for a 4-year old to learn more about.  Plus, there’s always Kindle, which always has a huge selection of books to choose from!

So, now that we have internet and we no longer have to commute, I hope that there will be more posts!  It’s good being back online!  Have a great rest-of-the-weekend, everyone!  Peace and love!