So for day 6 of the Minimalist Challenge I'm supposed to follow a morning routine. That could mean follow a typical morning's routine, or start a totally new, more meaningful morning routine. I chose the latter, although it's not all that different from what I've been doing for a few months.
I woke up at 5am. It's supposed to reach 110 today, so around 104 by noon. That means in my routine, 1) Anything to be done outside, like yard work or manual watering should be done as early as possible. I went out to pick up the oranges that the birds ate at the top of our tree (that we couldn't reach to pick) that have now fallen on the ground. They (and the occasional other critters) typically leave a hollow shell. I picked up about 3 handfuls with gloves on and was bit over a dozen times by the ant coming out of the new anthill I noticed about a foot from the tree. It's the best place for them to find water and food, so they're everywhere. They bite - hard! So I stopped pretty quickly after killing at least 10 of them on my ankles & hands. They move quick too! Guess I'll be buying some ant killer for the ground today.
I went back inside and washed the bites which were now tiny little welts, like a mosquito bite but much smaller, and no, they didn't itch or hurt, just as they're biting. Since I was already up, it made sense to do my workout. For the challenge, 2) Workout for better health, strength, flexibility, and a leaner body. I've been using the Trim Healthy Mama DVDs set. It's an intro DVD, 7 DVDs with a different workout on it, and the 8th DVD is the smartest thing ever - it lets you pick the beginning, middle, and end (warmup, strength, and cardio) parts of different workouts - you can mix & match to create your own favorite workout. It also has Gentle Fit starting moves to do if the regular ones are to hard in the beginning, and there's a third section to keep them challenging. I feel the sore muscles after almost every workout so I know they're doing something, and I'm working out different muscles as I switch them up.
After my workout I always immediately head to the shower and get dressed for the day. Not very exciting, but it's my #3 of the routine: 3) shower/dressed.
Next I'm trying to spend more time on something important to me, my faith. Feel free to insert your own routine or steps in your own challenge. But for me, 4) Read my bible while taking notes. Sometimes I go through Psalms randomly and pick out things it says about what God does or who He is. Other times I go through and pick out things Jesus said in the New Testament about how we should live to have a better life. It's whatever's on my heart that day.
5) Read - although I like to take a little time to read throughout the day, I like to start the day in whatever good book I'm into at the time. (I've almost always got a book going.) It helps me start the day with a topic, or metaphor, or something to think on throughout the day. I try to figure out how what I'm reading can add value to my life, regardless of if it's a How-To book or some kind of fiction.
That's a pretty good start for a morning routine of intentional living, simple but meaningful. Where it goes from there may vary from day to day, but it's a good routine for me.
What would your routine look like?
Thursday, July 6, 2017
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
Minimalism 30 Day Challenge: Day 5 - Identify 3-6 Top Priorities
What an interesting challenge this is in light of all The Minimalists books, videos on YouTube, and podcasts I've been absorbing. I have to really give this one thought because it's not about being the best at what others need from you, or what others want you to do or be. It's about figuring out what I'm truly passionate about. It's not about what "job" should I have, or what "career" do I want (although there's one I'm pursuing I am passionate about); instead it's about what motivates me, what would I do if I had the time to do it, even if it didn't pay me a penny.
Over the last 20 years I knew the answer of the tip of my tongue - HOMESHOOLING. It paid me nothing, cost us quite a bit of sacrificing, took most of my time, but it was important. It came with a whole slew of rewards that money can't buy, mostly my close relationships I have with each of my grown children, each one is totally different but all are just as deep. I woke up every day knowing what I did mattered. It mattered to me, to the kids, and when they become adults, it will matter to the world beginning with their bosses, spouses and kids (someday), their volunteer and charity organizations they choose to support, their logical thinking, problem solving abilities, hard work ethic, compassion, the list goes on and on.
After graduating our last a year ago I really spent all this time considering what it is I'm supposed to do in this new season of my life. I could go get some minimum wage job, trading most of my hours for a few dollars, to buy stuff we don't need. I suppose I could use it to save for our next (used) car or a future vacation, but what would I lose in the process? The answer I came to was: MYSELF
I need to be able to make a difference in what I'm doing. It needs to help people. It needs to have a purpose other than making money for some faceless corporation. I don't judge anyone working a minimum wage job because in many cases, it's paying the bills, or provided the extras their families can't get any other way, or helping them get out of credit card debt, or paying for medical expenses. In my particular case, I needed to follow my true calling, my passion, the purpose I believe God put me on this earth to accomplish. My heart is 100% in Women's Ministry. So what are my new priorities based on that?
1. I'm going back to college 30 years after I had to leave (ran out of money back then). I'm
taking Psychology to focus on Counseling, which I hope to bring to Women's Ministry. I'd
love to do that in my own home church, but in any church, I'll be pursuing my passion. If
I can't do that, I can still be a counselor in a non-profit organization. Worst case, I can still
work in Human Resources at any company and earn a decent living compared to min. wage.
2. I'm moving my mother (and brother) here from FL to AZ. She's not all that old, and she
isn't in such bad health that she belongs in a nursing home or assisted living center. I just
know how badly she and my brother have struggled over the decades now just to survive
and the rug is being pulled out from under them through no fault of their own. I believe our
family has been through what it has, and we own the larger home we have now, so that we
can be a blessing to them and give them a new start. Where would we be if my in-laws
hadn't stepped in when that was us? It's our turn to give back and pay it forward.
3. I have an opportunity to grow with a new church that took over our building when the last
one had to close its doors. I'm so excited about every aspect of it so far. I hope to really be
able to thrive, as well as help other women thrive, through the Women's Ministries and small
group opportunities they offer. I can truly pursue my heart's passion through them.
4. I have a great marriage. Like most couples, there's been a few times in 25 years that it wasn't
great, when one of us felt like giving up, fortunately it was never on the same day! We've been
through a lot and I won't speak for what Tim feels about it all now, but I know I've come
through the messes to the other side with a wonderful new appreciation and respect for Tim.
My faith helped me stick with it during the challenges, but now, I know without a doubt, I
CHOOSE to stay, every day, because I love Tim deeply, want him to be happy, and want to
never forget about his needs and desires. I seek to put even more into our marriage. On his
home time he usually just wants to rest watching tv, catching up on all the shows he misses
being gone for 3 weeks at a time (or more). I plan on coming up with some things to do
together besides tv that will appeal to him - as well as spend more time just being his friend
and companion watching some of his shows with him. And I can't wait for our 25th
Anniversary cruise that we're taking (4 months after the fact) in September to the Southern
Caribbean. I love cruising alone with him!
5. Number 5 for me is at a crossroads. Health is important to me, so I exercise, eat a mostly
gluten free diet (a low carb tortilla a week is about it), take supplements, avoid all forms of
sugar except Stevia and a little monkfruit, cut out all candy/chocolate/baked goods unless
they're remade with a Trim Healthy Mama recipe, and barely eat some type of chips once a
month - and I'm currently trying to perfect a recipe for homemade oven sweet potato chips.
With that said, after considering all I've read and heard from The Minimalists, health is one
the most important things, but if it's something you're passionate about, don't do it. I'm not
passionate about exercising, I'd rather just have a Dunkin' Donut or bubble gum ice cream
or salt and vinegar chips once in a while - but I don't because I want the results. I want to
drop a few sizes, lose some inches, feel better, live longer, have more energy, think more
clearly, get sick less often, etc. but I'm not yet "passionate" about it. I'm hoping that as I keep
up what I'm doing, I'll learn to enjoy it, or at least, I'll see results that give me more passion
for continuing.
So there's my Day 5 challenge priorities. As I typed this out and reread it all, I really do feel excitement in what I say I'm passionate about. If I were to add a #6 it would be travel. It's all I ever really wanted to do but never got much of a chance until about 6 years ago. I choose to get my finances in better order (although they're very good now) before taking off somewhere again. I'll be
more than satisfied with my cruise, then maybe it'll be time for some local travel to see CA or CO.
Maybe big trips will become rewards that are earned for getting my college degree(s)? Or after I
have all the money saved up and I'm completely debt-free except for our mortgage? We'll see where that goes, but I've got enough to work on with priorities #1-5.
Over the last 20 years I knew the answer of the tip of my tongue - HOMESHOOLING. It paid me nothing, cost us quite a bit of sacrificing, took most of my time, but it was important. It came with a whole slew of rewards that money can't buy, mostly my close relationships I have with each of my grown children, each one is totally different but all are just as deep. I woke up every day knowing what I did mattered. It mattered to me, to the kids, and when they become adults, it will matter to the world beginning with their bosses, spouses and kids (someday), their volunteer and charity organizations they choose to support, their logical thinking, problem solving abilities, hard work ethic, compassion, the list goes on and on.
After graduating our last a year ago I really spent all this time considering what it is I'm supposed to do in this new season of my life. I could go get some minimum wage job, trading most of my hours for a few dollars, to buy stuff we don't need. I suppose I could use it to save for our next (used) car or a future vacation, but what would I lose in the process? The answer I came to was: MYSELF
I need to be able to make a difference in what I'm doing. It needs to help people. It needs to have a purpose other than making money for some faceless corporation. I don't judge anyone working a minimum wage job because in many cases, it's paying the bills, or provided the extras their families can't get any other way, or helping them get out of credit card debt, or paying for medical expenses. In my particular case, I needed to follow my true calling, my passion, the purpose I believe God put me on this earth to accomplish. My heart is 100% in Women's Ministry. So what are my new priorities based on that?
1. I'm going back to college 30 years after I had to leave (ran out of money back then). I'm
taking Psychology to focus on Counseling, which I hope to bring to Women's Ministry. I'd
love to do that in my own home church, but in any church, I'll be pursuing my passion. If
I can't do that, I can still be a counselor in a non-profit organization. Worst case, I can still
work in Human Resources at any company and earn a decent living compared to min. wage.
2. I'm moving my mother (and brother) here from FL to AZ. She's not all that old, and she
isn't in such bad health that she belongs in a nursing home or assisted living center. I just
know how badly she and my brother have struggled over the decades now just to survive
and the rug is being pulled out from under them through no fault of their own. I believe our
family has been through what it has, and we own the larger home we have now, so that we
can be a blessing to them and give them a new start. Where would we be if my in-laws
hadn't stepped in when that was us? It's our turn to give back and pay it forward.
3. I have an opportunity to grow with a new church that took over our building when the last
one had to close its doors. I'm so excited about every aspect of it so far. I hope to really be
able to thrive, as well as help other women thrive, through the Women's Ministries and small
group opportunities they offer. I can truly pursue my heart's passion through them.
4. I have a great marriage. Like most couples, there's been a few times in 25 years that it wasn't
great, when one of us felt like giving up, fortunately it was never on the same day! We've been
through a lot and I won't speak for what Tim feels about it all now, but I know I've come
through the messes to the other side with a wonderful new appreciation and respect for Tim.
My faith helped me stick with it during the challenges, but now, I know without a doubt, I
CHOOSE to stay, every day, because I love Tim deeply, want him to be happy, and want to
never forget about his needs and desires. I seek to put even more into our marriage. On his
home time he usually just wants to rest watching tv, catching up on all the shows he misses
being gone for 3 weeks at a time (or more). I plan on coming up with some things to do
together besides tv that will appeal to him - as well as spend more time just being his friend
and companion watching some of his shows with him. And I can't wait for our 25th
Anniversary cruise that we're taking (4 months after the fact) in September to the Southern
Caribbean. I love cruising alone with him!
5. Number 5 for me is at a crossroads. Health is important to me, so I exercise, eat a mostly
gluten free diet (a low carb tortilla a week is about it), take supplements, avoid all forms of
sugar except Stevia and a little monkfruit, cut out all candy/chocolate/baked goods unless
they're remade with a Trim Healthy Mama recipe, and barely eat some type of chips once a
month - and I'm currently trying to perfect a recipe for homemade oven sweet potato chips.
With that said, after considering all I've read and heard from The Minimalists, health is one
the most important things, but if it's something you're passionate about, don't do it. I'm not
passionate about exercising, I'd rather just have a Dunkin' Donut or bubble gum ice cream
or salt and vinegar chips once in a while - but I don't because I want the results. I want to
drop a few sizes, lose some inches, feel better, live longer, have more energy, think more
clearly, get sick less often, etc. but I'm not yet "passionate" about it. I'm hoping that as I keep
up what I'm doing, I'll learn to enjoy it, or at least, I'll see results that give me more passion
for continuing.
So there's my Day 5 challenge priorities. As I typed this out and reread it all, I really do feel excitement in what I say I'm passionate about. If I were to add a #6 it would be travel. It's all I ever really wanted to do but never got much of a chance until about 6 years ago. I choose to get my finances in better order (although they're very good now) before taking off somewhere again. I'll be
more than satisfied with my cruise, then maybe it'll be time for some local travel to see CA or CO.
Maybe big trips will become rewards that are earned for getting my college degree(s)? Or after I
have all the money saved up and I'm completely debt-free except for our mortgage? We'll see where that goes, but I've got enough to work on with priorities #1-5.
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
Day 4: No Complaining
Well, I'm glad I didn't have this one yesterday! As soon as I got done blogging, I looked out the living room window and realized something was wrong with my sprinklers. The water was flooding the lawn instead of shutting off after a few minutes and beginning watering the other side of the lawn. I also noticed there was water bubbling up from the ground next to one of the sprinkler heads. I ran outside and switched off the sprinkler at the system - and nothing happened! Then I turned the valve that I thought was supposed to shut off water to the whole house - and nothing happened! Now I was in a total panic, and all I could think of was the hundreds of gallons of water I'd be paying for, to water the sidewalk and street. I called the water department who said they couldn't get here for an hour and no, they will not note my account, and I will definitely be billed for all the water that continues to come out.
Now imagine if yesterday was the No Complaining day! (Fortunately, it all turned out okay, as it always eventually does. A neighbor had a contractor working there who was kind enough to shut off all water to the house to make it stop. The water company showed up within 5-10 minutes instead of an hour & found the valve to shut everything off to the sprinkler system while returning water to the rest of the house. I had called Tim for advice, and fortunately he was at a rest area for the day and was able to look up and call a landscaping/sprinkler system guy to come figure this out. Turns out he can fix everything, including the back yard that had an underground leak and uneven watering, all for an unexpectedly low price.)
Today is going to be a much easier day to not complain. I have the house to myself. It's a holiday so there's no errands I need to run, no responsibilities, financial or otherwise, that I need to get done today. Instead, I got to work out, clean things I haven't had a chance to do. I got to workout, do my bible reading/study, read, listen to the Minimalists podcast, blog, get some planning done for the rest of the week. But what if Day 4 didn't fall on a day like today?
In the real world, I would complain when someone cuts me off in traffic, or if something caused my well-planned day to get behind or off-track. I would complain if I had to deal with that one person we all have in our lives that does nothing but complain 24/7. I would complain if I had to be out in the heat involuntarily - like when someone messed something up and I have to go fix it. But here's a big question:
What good would that have done?!
It wouldn't have changed anything. It would've brought more negativity into my thoughts. How would I come up with solutions? or remove stress? or learn to bounce back to a relaxed state quickly?
Maybe on a regular basis, when things go wrong, a better way to get through it might be to ask an important question:
Will this matter in 5 years? - if not, let it go. Also, if the answer is no, ask again...
Will this matter in 1 year? - if not, let it go. Again, you may ask...
Will this matter in 6 months? What about in 1 month?
in most things like people cutting you off in line somewhere or in traffic - will it even matter in just 5 minutes from now? No? then LET IT GO.
With that said, I understand there are serious issues that happen in life that affect our lives dramatically. I also know that most people with the worst chronic pain, or are fighting cancer, or the single moms working full time while trying to raise good kids, they tend to be the last ones to complain. Maybe because they're thankful for every day, or have a good handle on what's really important? But most of us tend to complain way too much - and it doesn't need to be that way. It is a choice. It may have to be a learned behavior if you're one who complains on a regular basis, but the truth is, you CAN overcome complaining - and it starts with a single step, a single day.
Try it for yourself.
Now imagine if yesterday was the No Complaining day! (Fortunately, it all turned out okay, as it always eventually does. A neighbor had a contractor working there who was kind enough to shut off all water to the house to make it stop. The water company showed up within 5-10 minutes instead of an hour & found the valve to shut everything off to the sprinkler system while returning water to the rest of the house. I had called Tim for advice, and fortunately he was at a rest area for the day and was able to look up and call a landscaping/sprinkler system guy to come figure this out. Turns out he can fix everything, including the back yard that had an underground leak and uneven watering, all for an unexpectedly low price.)
Today is going to be a much easier day to not complain. I have the house to myself. It's a holiday so there's no errands I need to run, no responsibilities, financial or otherwise, that I need to get done today. Instead, I got to work out, clean things I haven't had a chance to do. I got to workout, do my bible reading/study, read, listen to the Minimalists podcast, blog, get some planning done for the rest of the week. But what if Day 4 didn't fall on a day like today?
In the real world, I would complain when someone cuts me off in traffic, or if something caused my well-planned day to get behind or off-track. I would complain if I had to deal with that one person we all have in our lives that does nothing but complain 24/7. I would complain if I had to be out in the heat involuntarily - like when someone messed something up and I have to go fix it. But here's a big question:
What good would that have done?!
It wouldn't have changed anything. It would've brought more negativity into my thoughts. How would I come up with solutions? or remove stress? or learn to bounce back to a relaxed state quickly?
Maybe on a regular basis, when things go wrong, a better way to get through it might be to ask an important question:
Will this matter in 5 years? - if not, let it go. Also, if the answer is no, ask again...
Will this matter in 1 year? - if not, let it go. Again, you may ask...
Will this matter in 6 months? What about in 1 month?
in most things like people cutting you off in line somewhere or in traffic - will it even matter in just 5 minutes from now? No? then LET IT GO.
With that said, I understand there are serious issues that happen in life that affect our lives dramatically. I also know that most people with the worst chronic pain, or are fighting cancer, or the single moms working full time while trying to raise good kids, they tend to be the last ones to complain. Maybe because they're thankful for every day, or have a good handle on what's really important? But most of us tend to complain way too much - and it doesn't need to be that way. It is a choice. It may have to be a learned behavior if you're one who complains on a regular basis, but the truth is, you CAN overcome complaining - and it starts with a single step, a single day.
Try it for yourself.
Monday, July 3, 2017
Minimalism 30 Day Challenge
I've really begun embracing a minimalist lifestyle. No it's not about owning only a certain number of items, or living without, or tiny house living. It's about simplifying your life until everything that remains brings or adds value to your life (and you in turn should also be seeking to add value to the lives of others). To get started, you can watch the Minimalism documentary on Netflix, or go to www.theminimalists.com and read their essays, listen to their podcasts, or even read their 3 books. The Minimalists are Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus. Although I follow their recommendations and often their schools of thought, I also include people like Joshua Becker who is a married guy with kids, as well as a few others. It's different for everyone, but the added value principle and removing excess is the common thread. This will be my journey into a 30 day challenge even though I'm not "a beginner".
See the challenge here:
30 Day Minimalist Challenge
Day 1: I switched Day 1 & Day 2 on purpose to fit my life better. MY Day 1 was adding an intentional 15 minutes of relaxation/meditation to my day. I'm not into eastern mysticism type of stuff, so for me it just meant a quiet time to clear my head, doing absolutely nothing during those 15 minutes. I recently found a youtube video called Weightless by Marconi Union that neuroscience says listening to it will reduce your anxiety by 65%. Not sure if I believe it but it couldn't hurt to try. Read the article through the link below:
Neuroscience report on Weightless reducing anxiety by 65%
I listened to it before bed. I did feel pretty relaxed, and I don't think I was full of anxiety at the time, but I'm not sure I felt overwhelmingly relaxed. Still it was a good thing to focus on clearing my mind for more than 30 seconds. I tried to concentrate on listening for a particular instrument in the song, then move on to another, then another, until I finally had my mind blank. I didn't sleep any better than normal because of it, but if it had been one of my stressful days, or if you live in a constant state of stress, this is a healthy exercise for you anyway. Dr. Daniel Amen, a leading psychologist on the brain, strongly recommends time every day to relax your mind. We all need better mind health, right?
Day 2: Stay offline for the day
Obviously this doesn't work if your job requires you to be online for the day or something, but in my case I took the day 1 and put it on day 2 because it fell on a Sunday. That's an easy day for me to stay offline since it usually involves church, watching baseball in the afternoon, and having a quiet Sunday night as I either read, watch TV I recorded on the DVR (I almost never just channel surf out of boredom - I'm much more intentional with what I allow into my head.), or else I work Sudoku puzzles, or plan out my week, etc.
Day 3: Reduce digital clutter
This one is easy for me. I went through Facebook a few weeks ago and unfollowed or un-liked pages I'd randomly collected over the years - mostly ones I agreed to like for some coupon or freebie. Then I took a serious look at my friends list. If I have someone on there that I never will see again in my lifetime, or someone I know posts nothing but total negativity and horror stories (abused animals, abused children, murders, political rants and nothing else, etc) I didn't unfriend them - they're still people I may want to pray for, or get in touch with for some reason in the future - but I did unfollow them so they don't show up in my newsfeed every day. I can choose to see what's going on in their lives when I want to but I don't need to see hatred, anger, darkness, or companies trying to sell me products over and over.
The next thing I did was go through my Twitter account. That one was easy too because aside from a few friends & family, I use it mainly to follow baseball - trades, injuries, stats, important plays, etc. I simply went down my list of those I follow and deleted all but those on the 2 teams I follow the most (Dbacks & Red Sox) and a handful of other players I like (Ender Inciarte, Anthony Rizzo, Chase Anderson). I was able to drop about half of those I follow, Many turned out to be temporary follows of authors, or famous people, as something was going on at the time but now I don't care.
I did the same thing with Instagram.
THEN I HAD TO GO THROUGH PHOTOS ON MY COMPUTER.
Anyone that knows me knows I was a scrapbooker for 20 years. I've come to that place in my life though that although I want to pass down those books to my kids and their kids, I don't need to continue scrapbooking them all to keep the memories. The memories are inside me, not just on a piece of paper. Important events I still photograph, maybe journal about it, but not in a formal way. I do an occasional Shutterfly book when it's free or almost free, but just a little 8 x 8, like after a cruise or vacation or something.
I went through my photos on my computer as well as those on my memory stick where they now live if they're older than the current year. After going through ones from 2011 - 2016, I realized I was hanging onto a lot of pictures I'll never need again, no one's in them, how many pictures of sunsets do I REALLY need? So I deleted literally hundreds of them. Now what I have is the best of the best, or ones with people I love in them, and not much else. It feels good to know I'm not carrying around (figuratively) all those extra things I don't need. They add no value to my life whatsoever.
The nice part about today's challenge is that now when I go to social media or look through my photos on my computer, I'm only seeing what's important, only that which adds value to my life, with no wasted time on uninteresting, unimportant things or even better, no more things that take the joy from my day.
Looking forward to tomorrow's challenge - it's the 4th of July, we have no plans, the kids will all be somewhere else doing something so I may actually get the house to myself. That almost never happens for more than 10 minutes, once a month or more. Tomorrow the challenge is No Complaining. Oddly enough, as I simplify my life, I find less and less to complain about anyway - but being home alone should make it easy too.
Enjoy your own journey.
See the challenge here:
30 Day Minimalist Challenge
Day 1: I switched Day 1 & Day 2 on purpose to fit my life better. MY Day 1 was adding an intentional 15 minutes of relaxation/meditation to my day. I'm not into eastern mysticism type of stuff, so for me it just meant a quiet time to clear my head, doing absolutely nothing during those 15 minutes. I recently found a youtube video called Weightless by Marconi Union that neuroscience says listening to it will reduce your anxiety by 65%. Not sure if I believe it but it couldn't hurt to try. Read the article through the link below:
Neuroscience report on Weightless reducing anxiety by 65%
I listened to it before bed. I did feel pretty relaxed, and I don't think I was full of anxiety at the time, but I'm not sure I felt overwhelmingly relaxed. Still it was a good thing to focus on clearing my mind for more than 30 seconds. I tried to concentrate on listening for a particular instrument in the song, then move on to another, then another, until I finally had my mind blank. I didn't sleep any better than normal because of it, but if it had been one of my stressful days, or if you live in a constant state of stress, this is a healthy exercise for you anyway. Dr. Daniel Amen, a leading psychologist on the brain, strongly recommends time every day to relax your mind. We all need better mind health, right?
Day 2: Stay offline for the day
Obviously this doesn't work if your job requires you to be online for the day or something, but in my case I took the day 1 and put it on day 2 because it fell on a Sunday. That's an easy day for me to stay offline since it usually involves church, watching baseball in the afternoon, and having a quiet Sunday night as I either read, watch TV I recorded on the DVR (I almost never just channel surf out of boredom - I'm much more intentional with what I allow into my head.), or else I work Sudoku puzzles, or plan out my week, etc.
Day 3: Reduce digital clutter
This one is easy for me. I went through Facebook a few weeks ago and unfollowed or un-liked pages I'd randomly collected over the years - mostly ones I agreed to like for some coupon or freebie. Then I took a serious look at my friends list. If I have someone on there that I never will see again in my lifetime, or someone I know posts nothing but total negativity and horror stories (abused animals, abused children, murders, political rants and nothing else, etc) I didn't unfriend them - they're still people I may want to pray for, or get in touch with for some reason in the future - but I did unfollow them so they don't show up in my newsfeed every day. I can choose to see what's going on in their lives when I want to but I don't need to see hatred, anger, darkness, or companies trying to sell me products over and over.
The next thing I did was go through my Twitter account. That one was easy too because aside from a few friends & family, I use it mainly to follow baseball - trades, injuries, stats, important plays, etc. I simply went down my list of those I follow and deleted all but those on the 2 teams I follow the most (Dbacks & Red Sox) and a handful of other players I like (Ender Inciarte, Anthony Rizzo, Chase Anderson). I was able to drop about half of those I follow, Many turned out to be temporary follows of authors, or famous people, as something was going on at the time but now I don't care.
I did the same thing with Instagram.
THEN I HAD TO GO THROUGH PHOTOS ON MY COMPUTER.
Anyone that knows me knows I was a scrapbooker for 20 years. I've come to that place in my life though that although I want to pass down those books to my kids and their kids, I don't need to continue scrapbooking them all to keep the memories. The memories are inside me, not just on a piece of paper. Important events I still photograph, maybe journal about it, but not in a formal way. I do an occasional Shutterfly book when it's free or almost free, but just a little 8 x 8, like after a cruise or vacation or something.
I went through my photos on my computer as well as those on my memory stick where they now live if they're older than the current year. After going through ones from 2011 - 2016, I realized I was hanging onto a lot of pictures I'll never need again, no one's in them, how many pictures of sunsets do I REALLY need? So I deleted literally hundreds of them. Now what I have is the best of the best, or ones with people I love in them, and not much else. It feels good to know I'm not carrying around (figuratively) all those extra things I don't need. They add no value to my life whatsoever.
The nice part about today's challenge is that now when I go to social media or look through my photos on my computer, I'm only seeing what's important, only that which adds value to my life, with no wasted time on uninteresting, unimportant things or even better, no more things that take the joy from my day.
Looking forward to tomorrow's challenge - it's the 4th of July, we have no plans, the kids will all be somewhere else doing something so I may actually get the house to myself. That almost never happens for more than 10 minutes, once a month or more. Tomorrow the challenge is No Complaining. Oddly enough, as I simplify my life, I find less and less to complain about anyway - but being home alone should make it easy too.
Enjoy your own journey.
Friday, June 30, 2017
2017: A recap of the 1st half, an exciting 2nd half.
I can't believe tomorrow is July 1st, and starts the second half of the year! Let's do a quick summary:
January - pretty quiet, our church had a nice formal dinner for the volunteers so Logan and & went together.
January - pretty quiet, our church had a nice formal dinner for the volunteers so Logan and & went together.
February - Adam turned 23, Logan turned 21, and Logan & Elorah got engaged.
March - St. Patrick's Day I went with Mom to Fountain Hills to see the fountain turn green & have lunch, that night we spent quietly at home, me & Logan drinking a Guiness, Jordan & I went to a Cubs Spring Training game, Jordan & I got matching 2nd ear piercings (in one ear), and Tim surprised me with a weekend away at the Desert Rose Bed & Breakfast in Cottonwood, AZ
April - Logan got his CDL permit & began his driver training with Roehl Transport Inc. in late Feb/early March. In April he went out with his Dad as his trainer, passed, and got his own truck. Jordan got a kitten, Albert Ellis (named after her favorite psychologist since that's her major), and my niece's Easter pictures revealed she was going to be a big sister to a little brother this fall.
May - for Mother's Day I
June - Adam & I went on our first ever (and probably only/last ever) trip together. We went back to New England to see family, friends, Boston, the beaches, and where we used to live/hang out when he was little.
Now that we're all caught up, what do I expect the second half of 2017 to bring?
July - I've been working towards being a minimalist but lately I've really taken it more seriously. I am down to about 30/35 hangars in my closet, got rid of an entire dresser of stuff, gave away lots of books & kitchen stuff (dishes, extra utensils, small appliances, etc.). One of my 2 nightstand drawers are now empty. There's lots of empty shelves in the office. Next will be getting rid of extra linens, but I'll probably give those to Logan for moving - then he can keep them or give them away. My favorites to follow are The Minimalists, Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus. They aren't Christians, their language gives them away, but the message they bring isn't about the number of items, nor living a life without. It's about keeping what adds value to your life and getting rid of all else that does not. With that in mind, I found a 30 day Minimalist sort of challenge on Pinterest. In July I have one task related to minimalism each day. It's not so much about decluttering for me at this point, but things like: Streamline a list of books to read. Stay offline for a whole day. Declutter my DIGITAL life (excess photos, excess apps, etc.). Evaluate commitments. Buy NOTHING today. Read - no TV today - I'll have to do that when the Dbacks have an off day since I love my baseball season. I'm looking forward to simplifying my life before I get busier this fall.
It's also Jordan's bday this month. I can think of a ton of stuff to get her, but she too realizes she has very little room for all the stuff people get her. Instead of frivolous things, I'll try to get her a new mattress for her birthday, then eventually replace her old bed frame with a daybed one.
August - I'm going back to college! For years I've been in Women's Ministry in some form, and I realized that if I'm going to do something productive to help bring in income (to ease the stress Tim has in supplying everything), I'd rather do it as a Counselor, hopefully in women's ministry, instead of working at some retail/restaurant/fast food job for minimum wage. I may still do a temporary part-time job for Christmas money, depends on how school homework & grades are going, but long-term, I have a passion to counsel women, and I'd need the freedom to do it through my faith perspective - so back to school I go to earn a degree in Psychology.
September - THIS SHOULD BE AN AMAZING MONTH!!! The first week will be pretty routine but then it gets crazy! Around the 12th my mother & brother are moving from Florida to come live with us. My brother is 30 this year and he's been supporting my mother forever. He'll finally have a chance to find a good job (or 2 part time ones if he wants), save up, gather the basics over time, and then he'll be able to move out into his own place, or with a roommate, at prices half what they are in Florida. As for my mother, she needs someone to care for her as she gets older. I'm in a better position than anyone else right now since I'm not still raising babies, or a single mom, and my kids are grown, and we happen to have a large enough home for everyone right now. Eventually we'll downsize to something with 2 bedrooms and keep my mother with us.
Just 3 days after they get here, Tim & I are leaving for our 25th Anniversary trip. It was in May but the timing was better for September. When we planned it a year ago we had no idea Sept. would be so crazy. We're heading to the Southern Caribbean to see Grand Turk, Dominican Republic, the island of Curacao, and Aruba. I can't wait to see the white sands and electric blue water! But wait, there's more!...
When we get back from our cruise around 11 days later, we'll have one day to get our hair done (me & Ma), I have school that second day, and on the third day, we all drive 175 miles to Show Low for Logan & Elorah's rehearsal, dinner, and wedding the next day!!! September will be crazy, I'll have to do some school on vacation since I'll miss 3 days - but it'll be worth it.
October - Ma's birthday is in the middle of the month, and if school is going okay, I may pick up a part-time job just for the Christmas season for some extra money. If not, I could still do Mystery Shops for a little extra cash as my schedule allows.
November - Thanksgiving could be small with everyone working in fast food, retail, and over the road trucking - or it could be huge if everyone comes - as many as 11 of us!
December - A huge Christmas gathering, our theme this year is the beach with beach type foods being served. This year, I'm going to ask for and try to give like a Minimalist - experiences instead of material stuff we don't need: movie gift cards, tickets to concerts, shows, sports, and other events, a consumable basket I/they can eat, gift cards to retail stores to replace things as they need replacing or no longer bring value to my life (like when shirts get stained or shorts get a hole in them or towels get really gross after years).
So what does YOUR second half of 2017 hold?
Friday, December 30, 2016
Preparing for 2017
1. Spiritual What would you like to do to focus on your spiritual life this year? Is there a particular book of the bible you want to read? Want to attend a conference/women's conference? Do you want to sign up for a new bible study or a small group in someone's home
- 2. Family What would you like to do to focus more on family? Plan a trip this year to see long distance relatives? Plan a weekly/monthly family day to do something together? Is it trying to get your family to all sit down to dinner together on Sunday nights?
- 3. Friends Could you plan to have lunch once a month with a different friend all year? Could you plan on vacationing either with a friend, a group of friends, or at least include a stop to visit with them during your vacation? What about sending written letters/cards like "in the old days" to stay in touch?
- 4. Finances This one is harder because life causes unexpected things that throw finances off track, but could you plan to put aside 1/2 to 1% of your paycheck if you aren't already saving anything each week? Could you change something to save an amount per month (turn the heat or a/c down by a few degrees, quit smoking, go to the discount theaters instead of seeing new movies in their first weekend, buy store brand instead of name brands on a few items each week, etc.)?
- 5. Mental Health What do you do to make sure you don't feel burnt out? Most people do nothing for this. Could you plan one day a month for a few hours to be alone? To sit or walk in a nice park? Could you take time to read a few books next year? What about a massage from a massage therapy school where it's cheaper because students are learning and practicing techniques on you?
- 6. Learn a new skill Ever want to learn a second language? Learn to work on a car? Learn to do something in the home or yard improvement category? There's so much info. out there between libraries, You Tube, books, and the Internet - it's easier than ever - and you may learn something that leads to either saving money by doing it yourself or get you a better paying job by speaking that second language.
- 7. Physical Fitness If you have time to workout at a gym, then by all means, sign up and do it for your own health, but if not, maybe just agreeing to begin walking a few days a week would help. You could clear a space to follow a DVD in the privacy of your home. Finding a friend or neighbor to buddy up with helps because of accountability - you're more likely to show up to walk or work out if you know someone's waiting for you.
Monday, December 12, 2016
The Not So Crazy Holiday Season
I know this time of year is usually very hectic but this year, I've been blessed with a low-stress December - perfect after such a tumultuous November, election season, car accident paperwork, going almost 2 months already with one car missing in our household, and Tim on an extra long trip that has him gone from Nov. 29 through Christmas Eve.
I am 2 weeks from Christmas and my shopping is completely done, including stockings! Everything is wrapped. I only need to mail out a package to MA and one to FL this week. That's it. I paid cash for all but about $200 (and the cost of my new computer & printed that we desperately needed for important things in January). There's nothing like going into January knowing you paid cash for your gifts and you've paid off the credit card before the 30 days are up so you didn't pay any interest, nor carry a balance into the new year.
I had a wonderful evening of looking at Christmas lights in our area with my youngest who's now in college. I miss driving around with the three of them in the back oohing and ahhing at the lights, something we've done every year since they were born. We got out and walked in one neighborhood getting lots of great pictures (and ideas for next year), as well as drove through another four. So relaxing, no stress, no complaining over work/grades/teachers/employees - just a nice night spent happily together.
I also got to bring my mother-in-law to the annual Dback Nation holiday auction & fund raiser. Every year Jordan and I go to help raise money for the charities important to the Arizona Diamondback players we partner with. We have a silent auction for lots of baseball items, there's raffles and grab bags too. It's a fun night of friendly baseball fans coming together for one purpose. It was great to be able to bring Mom this year. She had a good time, met lots of people who were very nice to her, and she even won a few great items in the raffles and auction. She won the autographed Yasmany Tomas ball she wanted!
I really enjoyed when the ladies in our small group got together for brunch at Mimi's Cafe in Scottsdale and we did an ornament exchange right there at the table. It was great to get together with no time constraints, no daily agenda to cover, just enjoying each others' company. I got each of the ladies a coffee mug that I picked out especially for each of them, based on either how I saw them, or what I wished most for them - things like hope, grace, be still, etc. In the exchange I got an ornament that light up - so fun!
The most stress was when I tried to coordinate schedules for Christmas dinner(s). We're doing a quiet, plated, more formalized meal with just us on Christmas Day but up until today, we weren't sure when that could happen. One son works til midnight Christmas Eve (my original plan), my daughter has to work from 2 am until at least 8 am ON CHRISTMAS MORNING. Isn't that stupid?! The company is closed but her particular franchisee owner decided they WILL be open and already has a banner out front telling everyone. It's so wrong, and so sad to see people who heartlessly destroy family time together so they don't miss out on a few dollars. I bet THEY will be home with THEIR families on Christmas day. Anyway...we're also doing a family meal, buffet style, on the day after Christmas with my in-laws. They're the only family we have within 1000 miles. We've always spent the holidays with the kids' grandparents, and even though they're on a short weekend cruise til the 26th, we didn't want to break tradition. We'll eat with them and exchange gifts when they drive here from the ship's dock in Long Beach, CA.
Hopefully, by the end of the month, Adam will have found and purchased another car. The check has been issued and should be here this week. He was so impressed with how the car held up in such a terrible accident (so were the mechanics who gave estimates), that he'll probably look for the same car - he had a Hyundai Elantra that was about 8 or 9 years old. He may get one that's a bit newer, but it proved itself to be a great car in an accident.
Once Tim gets home, since the kids are working and busy right up until we open our gifts late morning on the 25th, we'll have lots of time to relax and just be together with minimal holiday rush. We can just sit back and rest, enjoying our time together. It'll be long overdue by then.
Hopefully 2017 will be full of wonderful experiences and memories together with family and friends, but for now, I'm happy to just focus on one thing at a time.
I am 2 weeks from Christmas and my shopping is completely done, including stockings! Everything is wrapped. I only need to mail out a package to MA and one to FL this week. That's it. I paid cash for all but about $200 (and the cost of my new computer & printed that we desperately needed for important things in January). There's nothing like going into January knowing you paid cash for your gifts and you've paid off the credit card before the 30 days are up so you didn't pay any interest, nor carry a balance into the new year.
I had a wonderful evening of looking at Christmas lights in our area with my youngest who's now in college. I miss driving around with the three of them in the back oohing and ahhing at the lights, something we've done every year since they were born. We got out and walked in one neighborhood getting lots of great pictures (and ideas for next year), as well as drove through another four. So relaxing, no stress, no complaining over work/grades/teachers/employees - just a nice night spent happily together.
I also got to bring my mother-in-law to the annual Dback Nation holiday auction & fund raiser. Every year Jordan and I go to help raise money for the charities important to the Arizona Diamondback players we partner with. We have a silent auction for lots of baseball items, there's raffles and grab bags too. It's a fun night of friendly baseball fans coming together for one purpose. It was great to be able to bring Mom this year. She had a good time, met lots of people who were very nice to her, and she even won a few great items in the raffles and auction. She won the autographed Yasmany Tomas ball she wanted!
I really enjoyed when the ladies in our small group got together for brunch at Mimi's Cafe in Scottsdale and we did an ornament exchange right there at the table. It was great to get together with no time constraints, no daily agenda to cover, just enjoying each others' company. I got each of the ladies a coffee mug that I picked out especially for each of them, based on either how I saw them, or what I wished most for them - things like hope, grace, be still, etc. In the exchange I got an ornament that light up - so fun!
The most stress was when I tried to coordinate schedules for Christmas dinner(s). We're doing a quiet, plated, more formalized meal with just us on Christmas Day but up until today, we weren't sure when that could happen. One son works til midnight Christmas Eve (my original plan), my daughter has to work from 2 am until at least 8 am ON CHRISTMAS MORNING. Isn't that stupid?! The company is closed but her particular franchisee owner decided they WILL be open and already has a banner out front telling everyone. It's so wrong, and so sad to see people who heartlessly destroy family time together so they don't miss out on a few dollars. I bet THEY will be home with THEIR families on Christmas day. Anyway...we're also doing a family meal, buffet style, on the day after Christmas with my in-laws. They're the only family we have within 1000 miles. We've always spent the holidays with the kids' grandparents, and even though they're on a short weekend cruise til the 26th, we didn't want to break tradition. We'll eat with them and exchange gifts when they drive here from the ship's dock in Long Beach, CA.
Hopefully, by the end of the month, Adam will have found and purchased another car. The check has been issued and should be here this week. He was so impressed with how the car held up in such a terrible accident (so were the mechanics who gave estimates), that he'll probably look for the same car - he had a Hyundai Elantra that was about 8 or 9 years old. He may get one that's a bit newer, but it proved itself to be a great car in an accident.
Once Tim gets home, since the kids are working and busy right up until we open our gifts late morning on the 25th, we'll have lots of time to relax and just be together with minimal holiday rush. We can just sit back and rest, enjoying our time together. It'll be long overdue by then.
Hopefully 2017 will be full of wonderful experiences and memories together with family and friends, but for now, I'm happy to just focus on one thing at a time.
Monday, November 21, 2016
Accident Part 2: The Unexpected Miracle
If you read my last post earlier this month, you already know Adam's without any compensation for an accident where another driver swerved into his lane and totaled his car. It was a very weird series of events that unfolded leading to that.
Here's the miracle that happened since then: We got a letter in the mail from a different insurance company that had nothing to do with the accident according to all we'd seen and heard from police reports and insurance companies. Our own insurance did a search they said and found out "the other car has no insurance on it according to its vin number and plate number". Well, according to the letter we got, a 3rd company was trying to contact Adam because THEIR insured customer had been involved in an accident CAUSING damage to Adam's car. They were admitting their client was at fault, and wanted to pay Adam!!! When does that EVER happen?! Maybe it was because the driver was given a ticket of some sort at the scene, according to Adam & his brother? Maybe the driver borrowed someone's car, that had no insurance, but he had to use his own company to pay to have their car fixed so he had to report it? Either way, there IS insurance covering his damages!
Since the last post, they fully admitted to being at fault, paid for Adam to have a rental car for a week (which really helps when we're down a vehicle). They paid him a reimbursement check to cover getting his car from the impound and having it towed to the garage for estimates. They also agreed to an amount a few hundred dollars more than he paid for the car! All should be done within another week or two, between Tim having to sign off on all of it, Adam working 60+ hours around Thanksgiving and Black Friday at Target, and getting a day off so he can test out a few cars for sale before buying one.
My prayer when we first heard there was "accidentally" no collision and no uninsured motorist policy (it's part of collision, not a separate policy) was that God would intervene, reveal all the truth needed so Adam wasn't stuck without a car and compensation for his loss. I prayed that somehow, the path to all of this working out right would be "made smooth". Sure enough, that's exactly what happened. Do you believe? I do!
Here's the miracle that happened since then: We got a letter in the mail from a different insurance company that had nothing to do with the accident according to all we'd seen and heard from police reports and insurance companies. Our own insurance did a search they said and found out "the other car has no insurance on it according to its vin number and plate number". Well, according to the letter we got, a 3rd company was trying to contact Adam because THEIR insured customer had been involved in an accident CAUSING damage to Adam's car. They were admitting their client was at fault, and wanted to pay Adam!!! When does that EVER happen?! Maybe it was because the driver was given a ticket of some sort at the scene, according to Adam & his brother? Maybe the driver borrowed someone's car, that had no insurance, but he had to use his own company to pay to have their car fixed so he had to report it? Either way, there IS insurance covering his damages!
Since the last post, they fully admitted to being at fault, paid for Adam to have a rental car for a week (which really helps when we're down a vehicle). They paid him a reimbursement check to cover getting his car from the impound and having it towed to the garage for estimates. They also agreed to an amount a few hundred dollars more than he paid for the car! All should be done within another week or two, between Tim having to sign off on all of it, Adam working 60+ hours around Thanksgiving and Black Friday at Target, and getting a day off so he can test out a few cars for sale before buying one.
My prayer when we first heard there was "accidentally" no collision and no uninsured motorist policy (it's part of collision, not a separate policy) was that God would intervene, reveal all the truth needed so Adam wasn't stuck without a car and compensation for his loss. I prayed that somehow, the path to all of this working out right would be "made smooth". Sure enough, that's exactly what happened. Do you believe? I do!
Monday, November 7, 2016
The Accident
I hear all the time that things happen "for a reason" and I believe it when there's overwhelming evidence it shouldn't and couldn't have happened that way - but it did. This time, it was the case of Adam's accident. He was driving west on the 202 in Mesa when a truck entered by a ramp, cutting off the car in front of Adam. That driver was not paying close enough attention because he panicked. He slammed on his brakes and started swerving all over the road. Adam put his brakes on to slow way down, and had the presence of mind to realize in that instant that he should try to switch lanes to avoid him. The left lane was occupied so he went into the right lane, and even a little beyond into the breakdown lane. It was too late...the car in front of him swerved out of his own lane, into the right lane, and again into the breakdown lane, hitting Adam's car at a 45 degree angle. He hit so hard it totaled the driver's front half of the car and pushed Adam hard into the cement wall on the highway, totaling the passenger's front half of the car, shattering wheels, rims, panels, everything. The transmission got stuck in neutral too, the car basically "shut off" but the key couldn't be removed if not in park, the key was never turned off, so we knew there had to be transmission damage, on top of bent frame, wheels no longer were where they belonged, etc.
Adam & the driver got out and began to exchange information when 8 police officers from the Dept. of Safety showed up. Because sometimes people get angry in these situations, they immediately separated both drivers, took everyone's information, and handed each back his own paperwork. The other driver was handed some sort of yellow ticket at the scene, skid marks clearly revealing (as well as the angle of the crash) that the other guy was at fault. Without asking, the officers called a tow truck to take Adam's car, which was not able to be driven, to "the yard". Adam asked if he could be towed to his house or our usual garage instead and was told, "No." He then asked if it would take money to get his car back and was again told, "No" since he was not at fault.
Here's where it gets weird:
1. We call our insurance only to find out there's no collision on the car even though we have it on all other cars and always have. Due to an error on their part, it was dropped. This is crazy - about a year ago, Adam was parked at Target working. He came out to find his last car had been hit & totaled. Our insurance company gladly paid to replace it since we had collision. They say we called to drop the car after that, since it was no longer ours. They think what happened was that the rep we talked to said, "No problem." After we hung up, he may have seen he could NOT drop the car from the policy if the case was technically still OPEN. The only thing he could've done to lower our payment was to drop collision, but keep liability til the case was officially CLOSED. After it was closed, no one dropped it, We thought it already was. No one went back to check. When we added his replacement car (the one in this new accident), we were told it was still on the policy, so they took it off then & added the new car. When they asked what we wanted covered, we said, "Everything the last one had, we want on this one, since it's just the replacement." They gave us a new quote and we moved on. Apparently when he looked, he saw just the liability since it looked like we dropped collision (within 1 or 2 days of them declaring it totaled and paying Adam). Adam's had no collision for almost a year and there's no way we could've known or expected it. Especially since everything is online and paperless these days.
2. The other guy gave the officer a license and insurance card (required in AZ). Both must have looked legit at the time. Come to find out, there is NO insurance on that vehicle, and he isn't the driver. Our insurance did a check to figure that out (explained in #3) and the driver is a broke renter in a super ghetto neighborhood with no car - and we weren't given the info as to who owns the car - but there is NO insurance on it anyway. Probably, the owner made 1 payment, got a card to look, valid, then never paid the premiums and was dropped.
3. The officer wrote ins. info for the other guy. The phone # & company was right, but the policy number was wrong. It wasn't even in the right format for that insurance (3 letters, 7 digits). When we called the insurance company, before we found out the car was uninsured, they had no one by that name or address in their files.
4. The officer allowed the other driver to skip date of birth and phone number on the police report, which are the 2 most important pieces of info. we needed to track him down through insurance and to get in touch with him to pay to fix Adam's car.
5. We talked to the officer at the scene. He didn't seem to care the guy gave all false info., apparently fraudulent info to an officer isn't worth his time to chase him, or drive to the guy's house, or check DMV records to contact the owner of the car. When asked about the policy number error he didn't think it was important, and did not take responsibility for it. Also, Adam DID have to pay to get his car out - almost $200 3 days later. He was told by the officers that ins. adjuster would need to see it before we moved it, so we left it til we realized what was going on.
So the results - Adam's out a $5500 car, no one will pay for it, it's totaled. Even if we could repair it, it would cost as much as the vehicle, or even more, to get it on the road safely and other issues could easily pop up after that. End of story. None of it was his fault. There were errors on the part of every single person involved except Adam, and he's the only one who lost out. The other car was driveable after just changing the tire - probably would never get the repairs done, or just cover it over with a new side panel.
How could so many things have gone wrong behind the scenes in one split second? It must have been for a reason, although it's hard to figure that out right now. All I know is that we're very thankful Adam was protected in that accident. It could have, and should have, been much, much worse. He walked away without a single scratch, nothing sore, perfectly fine. Thank God for watching over him. Here's a few of the pictures from the accident (the last one shows the car was stuck in neutral & couldn't be shifted, so we know there was transmission damage):
Adam & the driver got out and began to exchange information when 8 police officers from the Dept. of Safety showed up. Because sometimes people get angry in these situations, they immediately separated both drivers, took everyone's information, and handed each back his own paperwork. The other driver was handed some sort of yellow ticket at the scene, skid marks clearly revealing (as well as the angle of the crash) that the other guy was at fault. Without asking, the officers called a tow truck to take Adam's car, which was not able to be driven, to "the yard". Adam asked if he could be towed to his house or our usual garage instead and was told, "No." He then asked if it would take money to get his car back and was again told, "No" since he was not at fault.
Here's where it gets weird:
1. We call our insurance only to find out there's no collision on the car even though we have it on all other cars and always have. Due to an error on their part, it was dropped. This is crazy - about a year ago, Adam was parked at Target working. He came out to find his last car had been hit & totaled. Our insurance company gladly paid to replace it since we had collision. They say we called to drop the car after that, since it was no longer ours. They think what happened was that the rep we talked to said, "No problem." After we hung up, he may have seen he could NOT drop the car from the policy if the case was technically still OPEN. The only thing he could've done to lower our payment was to drop collision, but keep liability til the case was officially CLOSED. After it was closed, no one dropped it, We thought it already was. No one went back to check. When we added his replacement car (the one in this new accident), we were told it was still on the policy, so they took it off then & added the new car. When they asked what we wanted covered, we said, "Everything the last one had, we want on this one, since it's just the replacement." They gave us a new quote and we moved on. Apparently when he looked, he saw just the liability since it looked like we dropped collision (within 1 or 2 days of them declaring it totaled and paying Adam). Adam's had no collision for almost a year and there's no way we could've known or expected it. Especially since everything is online and paperless these days.
2. The other guy gave the officer a license and insurance card (required in AZ). Both must have looked legit at the time. Come to find out, there is NO insurance on that vehicle, and he isn't the driver. Our insurance did a check to figure that out (explained in #3) and the driver is a broke renter in a super ghetto neighborhood with no car - and we weren't given the info as to who owns the car - but there is NO insurance on it anyway. Probably, the owner made 1 payment, got a card to look, valid, then never paid the premiums and was dropped.
3. The officer wrote ins. info for the other guy. The phone # & company was right, but the policy number was wrong. It wasn't even in the right format for that insurance (3 letters, 7 digits). When we called the insurance company, before we found out the car was uninsured, they had no one by that name or address in their files.
4. The officer allowed the other driver to skip date of birth and phone number on the police report, which are the 2 most important pieces of info. we needed to track him down through insurance and to get in touch with him to pay to fix Adam's car.
5. We talked to the officer at the scene. He didn't seem to care the guy gave all false info., apparently fraudulent info to an officer isn't worth his time to chase him, or drive to the guy's house, or check DMV records to contact the owner of the car. When asked about the policy number error he didn't think it was important, and did not take responsibility for it. Also, Adam DID have to pay to get his car out - almost $200 3 days later. He was told by the officers that ins. adjuster would need to see it before we moved it, so we left it til we realized what was going on.
So the results - Adam's out a $5500 car, no one will pay for it, it's totaled. Even if we could repair it, it would cost as much as the vehicle, or even more, to get it on the road safely and other issues could easily pop up after that. End of story. None of it was his fault. There were errors on the part of every single person involved except Adam, and he's the only one who lost out. The other car was driveable after just changing the tire - probably would never get the repairs done, or just cover it over with a new side panel.
How could so many things have gone wrong behind the scenes in one split second? It must have been for a reason, although it's hard to figure that out right now. All I know is that we're very thankful Adam was protected in that accident. It could have, and should have, been much, much worse. He walked away without a single scratch, nothing sore, perfectly fine. Thank God for watching over him. Here's a few of the pictures from the accident (the last one shows the car was stuck in neutral & couldn't be shifted, so we know there was transmission damage):
Monday, September 5, 2016
Beginning Week 13 (I think, I'm losing track)
THM has become my way of eating for life. That doesn't mean I'm 100% perfect all the time, just that if I have one meal that's off plan or a crossover (healthy but has too many fats & carbs to be either an E or an S meal), I know I'm just 3 hours away from being back on track.
This past week, I had an opportunity to eat out with baseball friends. We're trying to do it every 6 to 8 weeks or so, but life gets busy. Under any other "diet" program, eating out was the kiss of death. I'd order what I'd been forbidden to have before, then never get back on track. It was the whole attitude of, "Since today's blown, I'll start again tomorrow." Then I would eat the leftovers the next day. Now that's 2 days blown so I'd mess up the rest of day 2. Before you know it, a week's gone by and I'm completely off plan. Not so with THM, This week, when I went out, I had a plan to eat my E meals, all carbs, limited fats - fortunately we went to Sweet Tomatoes, a buffet of salads, soups, pasta, potato bar, and other healthy things. My plan was to skip the foccacia bread (cheesy bread made similar to no sauce pizza), skip the ice cream, and skip the macaroni & cheese (they serve my favorite tasting mac & cheese). Well, I messed up. I had about a 1C measure of mac & cheese, I ate 2 small pieces of the foccacia bread (less that the size of 1 slice of pizza though), and I had about 1/2C serving of the soft serve vanilla ice cream, no toppings. No guilt because I still had E type salad, soup, tons of veggies, avoided other fats like creamy dressings and cream soups. I drank unsweetened acai iced tea. And the next morning I was right back on plan with a cinnamon muffin recipe out of the THM book.
When I have a crossover or off plan meal now and then, the scale stops dropping, it also doesn't go up - something I never experienced before. My body simply maintains at the current loss point, which is about 20 lbs give or take a pound on any given day. The more days I'm 100% on plan, the more it goes down. Lately I've been busy and don't feel like eating much. I seem to be going about 4 hours between meals instead of 2 1/2 to 3. I'm eating less at each sitting when I'm busy. Instead of gaining weight because my body hangs onto every single thing on days/weeks like that, it simply maintains. That's never happened on any other diet plan, and I've tried Atkins, Weigh Down, Weight Watchers, NutriSystem, and Body for Life, along with Lowfat, Fat Free, and LowCarb programs. I've tried the 1000 calorie to 1200 calorie per day programs. All have 2 things in common: They didn't work, and one meal off plan made me gain about 5 pounds back, even if all I ate was about 1000 calories. Mathmatically, it doesn't even make sense, but that's the story of my life for the past 30 years.
I think the hardest thing has been to try to incorporate my Alcat test results with THM since there's quite a few healthy foods I should be avoiding for other reasons, things like coconut oil, olive oil, zucchini, basil, cucumbers, etc. I'm slowly using just a little here and there, but if I have any type of change for the worst I drop it back out again - like trouble sleeping again, or tired in the early afternoons, or bloating, or just feeling "out of it", or not happy like I have been after following Alcat recommendations. So far so good, but I know I've been using too much coconut oil. It's SUCH a super healthy food, that it makes its way into most THM recipes. Sometimes I can substitute butter or just use pan spray instead of oil to cook, but I'm finding that balance as I go.
One other scary thing coming up, vacation. I'll be gone a total of 2 weeks between getting to TX, a week long cruise, then getting home from TX. I'm already planning on snacks & meals to bring on the way out, looking over the cruise menus and getting used to picking E or S dinners, and figuring out a small grocery list for the drive back home. Hopefully I can balance most meals being on plan with a few crossover things like maybe 2 or 3 desserts in 7 days - or having a drink or two here and there in place of a snack, or maybe add a little protein when sipping. The authors answered me about cruising on plan on their member chat board. They basically said, enjoy all the S dinners like steak, and sauces, and buttery/cheesy sides, as well as E meals like ahi tuna with wild rice and mushrooms, etc., have a few treats along the way so you don't feel deprived or like you're dieting on vacation. Love that they answer in person, and they said exactly what I wanted to hear!
I know I say this all the time, but if you want a lifetime eating plan for better health, weight loss, and still enjoy life - Trim Healthy Mama is your plan. Don't waste your money on programs you already tried and know they don't work. Happy Labor Day, everyone!
This past week, I had an opportunity to eat out with baseball friends. We're trying to do it every 6 to 8 weeks or so, but life gets busy. Under any other "diet" program, eating out was the kiss of death. I'd order what I'd been forbidden to have before, then never get back on track. It was the whole attitude of, "Since today's blown, I'll start again tomorrow." Then I would eat the leftovers the next day. Now that's 2 days blown so I'd mess up the rest of day 2. Before you know it, a week's gone by and I'm completely off plan. Not so with THM, This week, when I went out, I had a plan to eat my E meals, all carbs, limited fats - fortunately we went to Sweet Tomatoes, a buffet of salads, soups, pasta, potato bar, and other healthy things. My plan was to skip the foccacia bread (cheesy bread made similar to no sauce pizza), skip the ice cream, and skip the macaroni & cheese (they serve my favorite tasting mac & cheese). Well, I messed up. I had about a 1C measure of mac & cheese, I ate 2 small pieces of the foccacia bread (less that the size of 1 slice of pizza though), and I had about 1/2C serving of the soft serve vanilla ice cream, no toppings. No guilt because I still had E type salad, soup, tons of veggies, avoided other fats like creamy dressings and cream soups. I drank unsweetened acai iced tea. And the next morning I was right back on plan with a cinnamon muffin recipe out of the THM book.
When I have a crossover or off plan meal now and then, the scale stops dropping, it also doesn't go up - something I never experienced before. My body simply maintains at the current loss point, which is about 20 lbs give or take a pound on any given day. The more days I'm 100% on plan, the more it goes down. Lately I've been busy and don't feel like eating much. I seem to be going about 4 hours between meals instead of 2 1/2 to 3. I'm eating less at each sitting when I'm busy. Instead of gaining weight because my body hangs onto every single thing on days/weeks like that, it simply maintains. That's never happened on any other diet plan, and I've tried Atkins, Weigh Down, Weight Watchers, NutriSystem, and Body for Life, along with Lowfat, Fat Free, and LowCarb programs. I've tried the 1000 calorie to 1200 calorie per day programs. All have 2 things in common: They didn't work, and one meal off plan made me gain about 5 pounds back, even if all I ate was about 1000 calories. Mathmatically, it doesn't even make sense, but that's the story of my life for the past 30 years.
I think the hardest thing has been to try to incorporate my Alcat test results with THM since there's quite a few healthy foods I should be avoiding for other reasons, things like coconut oil, olive oil, zucchini, basil, cucumbers, etc. I'm slowly using just a little here and there, but if I have any type of change for the worst I drop it back out again - like trouble sleeping again, or tired in the early afternoons, or bloating, or just feeling "out of it", or not happy like I have been after following Alcat recommendations. So far so good, but I know I've been using too much coconut oil. It's SUCH a super healthy food, that it makes its way into most THM recipes. Sometimes I can substitute butter or just use pan spray instead of oil to cook, but I'm finding that balance as I go.
One other scary thing coming up, vacation. I'll be gone a total of 2 weeks between getting to TX, a week long cruise, then getting home from TX. I'm already planning on snacks & meals to bring on the way out, looking over the cruise menus and getting used to picking E or S dinners, and figuring out a small grocery list for the drive back home. Hopefully I can balance most meals being on plan with a few crossover things like maybe 2 or 3 desserts in 7 days - or having a drink or two here and there in place of a snack, or maybe add a little protein when sipping. The authors answered me about cruising on plan on their member chat board. They basically said, enjoy all the S dinners like steak, and sauces, and buttery/cheesy sides, as well as E meals like ahi tuna with wild rice and mushrooms, etc., have a few treats along the way so you don't feel deprived or like you're dieting on vacation. Love that they answer in person, and they said exactly what I wanted to hear!
I know I say this all the time, but if you want a lifetime eating plan for better health, weight loss, and still enjoy life - Trim Healthy Mama is your plan. Don't waste your money on programs you already tried and know they don't work. Happy Labor Day, everyone!
Friday, August 26, 2016
A New Chapter in My Life
Life is changing. I'm closing a chapter of my life forever and starting a new one. My time as a homeschooling Mom is over. My last has graduated. All 3 kids are now over 18, have their own car (we're sharing two cars with #3), they all have jobs, and they're all in the adult world now. My youngest just started college. So what's next? I have no idea.
I'm taking the next few months to try to figure out my purpose now. I could get a part-time job although who wants to give me 5 days off every 3rd weekend when Tim's home? I'm not going to have him home and I'm gone so that we never see each other. That's really bad for a marriage. My fear is that I'll give away my time, have to drop doing the things that ARE part of my life's purpose that I'm doing now, for about $100/wk difference - meanwhile, I'm miserable, and so is everyone else that I'd have to step away from to work.
I could go back to school, I actually love being a student - but I can't imagine putting thousands of dollars of more pressure on Tim to pay for it for the next 2 to 4 years. I'd probably be okay as a teacher in a private Christian school, but I couldn't do it in a public school since I disagree with almost everything they decide these days. I'd be in court for not silencing my beliefs if a student asks. I also would love to study psychology, or even business. Again though, at the end of the schooling, I'd still need to work, full time to justify the cost of education, and I'm back to the dilemma of not pursuing what I believe I was called to do - I just wish it had a paycheck attached to it. What I do helps people, helps me be a better person to those around me, and makes the world a better place, but it's on a volunteer basis.
I am over the MLM thing. I had a wonderful experience in Monavie, and would've stayed with them til I died. Loved the products. Loved the pay plan. Loved everything about it - then they sold the company to sort of a parent company that changed it all. The pay plan was not cut & dry anymore, it was harder to plan for it, the best Monavie products got changed or discontinued (except for the juices - but those are only available to those of us who moved TO the new company. New people can't sign up & have access with the new company. I was sad to see that chapter close after years in that business, and all the friends I made there, but it's finally nice to talk to someone without the pressure or guilt of saying/not saying anything about a company. I can just meet people and not feel like I have an ulterior motive, regardless of how pure my motives were to get to know them. I'm happy not worrying about the next event, having to find people to go or else sit alone in a big venue. It's nothing Tim's schedule would EVER allow for these days.
So where does that leave me? Confused. Scared. My head is constantly rolling ideas around, comparing the good and the bad of each option, it's keeping me up at night feeling like I'm running out of time to decide or something. It's a bad place that I haven't been for many, many years. I pray for direction, but I haven't been given any indication what I'm supposed to do, or at least, none of the options so far are the right answer. I'm trying to be patient, but I need my head to be quiet again. It's like listening to an out of control courtroom full of people arguing both sides of my options.
In the meantime, I'm catching up on all the things I haven't been able to do for the last 6 months while getting Jordan graduated, passing her GED, teaching her to drive, getting her enrolled in college, among the other day to day stuff I already have on my plate. I'm trying to cook more to save money on groceries. I'm trying to rid our home of materialistic things we don't need, cleaning closets, tossing out boxes of stuff we don't need, thinning down the years of collected dishes, serving platters, mixing bowls, storage containers, etc.
I'm trying to take time to hunt down new ideas for a job I may be able to do without a college degree and without ANY work experience in the last decade. My last real work experience was before companies used computers! I know I can DO and LEARN just about any job with on-the-job training, but to get in the door, my application is just one of literally hundreds for every job, and without experience and without a degree, it NEVER gets called to the top of the pile for an interview.
I wish I knew someone who owned a company willing to give me a shot, who knows I'm dependable, honest, and hard-working. Unfortunately, my friends are mostly retired, stay-at-home Moms & wives, or they work a regular job themselves (most with a degree of some kind). I know the answers will come, I'm just impatient and unsure. Hopefully things will get clearer soon, but for now, I guess I'm stuck with the voices in my head.
I'm taking the next few months to try to figure out my purpose now. I could get a part-time job although who wants to give me 5 days off every 3rd weekend when Tim's home? I'm not going to have him home and I'm gone so that we never see each other. That's really bad for a marriage. My fear is that I'll give away my time, have to drop doing the things that ARE part of my life's purpose that I'm doing now, for about $100/wk difference - meanwhile, I'm miserable, and so is everyone else that I'd have to step away from to work.
I could go back to school, I actually love being a student - but I can't imagine putting thousands of dollars of more pressure on Tim to pay for it for the next 2 to 4 years. I'd probably be okay as a teacher in a private Christian school, but I couldn't do it in a public school since I disagree with almost everything they decide these days. I'd be in court for not silencing my beliefs if a student asks. I also would love to study psychology, or even business. Again though, at the end of the schooling, I'd still need to work, full time to justify the cost of education, and I'm back to the dilemma of not pursuing what I believe I was called to do - I just wish it had a paycheck attached to it. What I do helps people, helps me be a better person to those around me, and makes the world a better place, but it's on a volunteer basis.
I am over the MLM thing. I had a wonderful experience in Monavie, and would've stayed with them til I died. Loved the products. Loved the pay plan. Loved everything about it - then they sold the company to sort of a parent company that changed it all. The pay plan was not cut & dry anymore, it was harder to plan for it, the best Monavie products got changed or discontinued (except for the juices - but those are only available to those of us who moved TO the new company. New people can't sign up & have access with the new company. I was sad to see that chapter close after years in that business, and all the friends I made there, but it's finally nice to talk to someone without the pressure or guilt of saying/not saying anything about a company. I can just meet people and not feel like I have an ulterior motive, regardless of how pure my motives were to get to know them. I'm happy not worrying about the next event, having to find people to go or else sit alone in a big venue. It's nothing Tim's schedule would EVER allow for these days.
So where does that leave me? Confused. Scared. My head is constantly rolling ideas around, comparing the good and the bad of each option, it's keeping me up at night feeling like I'm running out of time to decide or something. It's a bad place that I haven't been for many, many years. I pray for direction, but I haven't been given any indication what I'm supposed to do, or at least, none of the options so far are the right answer. I'm trying to be patient, but I need my head to be quiet again. It's like listening to an out of control courtroom full of people arguing both sides of my options.
In the meantime, I'm catching up on all the things I haven't been able to do for the last 6 months while getting Jordan graduated, passing her GED, teaching her to drive, getting her enrolled in college, among the other day to day stuff I already have on my plate. I'm trying to cook more to save money on groceries. I'm trying to rid our home of materialistic things we don't need, cleaning closets, tossing out boxes of stuff we don't need, thinning down the years of collected dishes, serving platters, mixing bowls, storage containers, etc.
I'm trying to take time to hunt down new ideas for a job I may be able to do without a college degree and without ANY work experience in the last decade. My last real work experience was before companies used computers! I know I can DO and LEARN just about any job with on-the-job training, but to get in the door, my application is just one of literally hundreds for every job, and without experience and without a degree, it NEVER gets called to the top of the pile for an interview.
I wish I knew someone who owned a company willing to give me a shot, who knows I'm dependable, honest, and hard-working. Unfortunately, my friends are mostly retired, stay-at-home Moms & wives, or they work a regular job themselves (most with a degree of some kind). I know the answers will come, I'm just impatient and unsure. Hopefully things will get clearer soon, but for now, I guess I'm stuck with the voices in my head.
Week 11 - It Got Real (stressful)
So here I was, gliding along doing THM when out of nowhere, life hit me! I won't get into details, but I had stress coming from each of my 3 young adult, living at home kids - none of which was because they screwed up. Just wanted to be clear about that. They all were just doing or going through stuff at exactly the same time and as their Mom, it was a lot of stress for them.
On top of that, my husband is only home a few days a month, and this time, he came home a day early. I LOVE when he gets home early, it just meant that I had one less day to tidy up loose ends so I could spend his home time with him and not running around taking care of the house and doing errands.
Did I mention we also had just a few days to find, finance, and purchase a car? With him heading back out so quickly, my husband has a very short window to get things like this done. We don't have the usual, "We'll start the process, get back to you in a few days, and then we'll go from there." It has to be done, and done now.
All this, in addition to the stress in my own head and life, caused a weekend of bad choices regarding THM. I spent hours on two separate days looking at cars and sitting at the dealership. I missed my snacks so was ravenous by mealtime. It was a really hot Arizona summer day, about 108, so leaving things in a 200+ degree car wasn't an option (coolers don't even work well after 6 hours in that heat). So what did I do? I stayed mostly on plan, but...I had a few drinks on one night, I ate boxed candy at the movies when all the car stuff was over. I ate white bread toast with butter - even though I know not to mix my carbs & fats like that. I ate Pringles for supper on the worst night. I even ate a tube of mini M&Ms somewhere in all that. I felt guilty. I felt awful health-wise compared to how I feel when I eat wholesome food on plan. What would the scale say?! I dreaded Monday morning when I normally weigh in. The sugar cravings definitely came back, and I've been so happy up to this point finally breaking free from them.
Here's why I love THM, well, one of the reasons, I weighed the same on Monday morning! I did manage a few on plan meals in all that so it was pretty forgiving. I did go up by a pound or so a day later, but I'm back where I was before the weekend already. I immediately got back on plan Monday, sticking mostly with all THM cookbook recipes and less "freestyling" my own meals. I drank a slimming drink they share. I was a bit bloated from the sugar and wheat for a few days, but that seems to be gone now too. Trim Healthy Mama is such a wonderful program. It's healthy, forgiving, and normally if you find yourself eating off plan, you can just jump right back on 3 hours later at the next snack or meal. You just don't want to do a whole weekend like that, like I did, but life happens, and I'm real with you. The sugar cravings did stick around for about 3 more days, and that sucked, but it's over already. I found myself wanting chocolate and doughnuts for the first time in months. Glad it's over.
This week, I made a few snacks ahead of time that are Fuel Pulls, meaning they have very few calories, carbs, & fats - like the Lemon Pudding recipe. This way, when I get hungry, I'm prepared. Fuel Pulls (FP) are great because they can be eaten alone, early if you can't wait til the next meal, or as a dessert after a meal - regardless of if you had an E or an S meal.
Back on track, I'm ready to really focus on being careful for the next 5 or 6 weeks before our cruise. I know I'll be eating off plan during that 2 week trip (driving there/back, cruise, 1-2 days in TX). It's a LIFETIME eating plan, so I don't worry about it. I know a year from now, I'll be better off, healthier, trimmer, adding years to my life, and one meal, one weekend, one vacation won't change that. Have a great weekend.
On top of that, my husband is only home a few days a month, and this time, he came home a day early. I LOVE when he gets home early, it just meant that I had one less day to tidy up loose ends so I could spend his home time with him and not running around taking care of the house and doing errands.
Did I mention we also had just a few days to find, finance, and purchase a car? With him heading back out so quickly, my husband has a very short window to get things like this done. We don't have the usual, "We'll start the process, get back to you in a few days, and then we'll go from there." It has to be done, and done now.
All this, in addition to the stress in my own head and life, caused a weekend of bad choices regarding THM. I spent hours on two separate days looking at cars and sitting at the dealership. I missed my snacks so was ravenous by mealtime. It was a really hot Arizona summer day, about 108, so leaving things in a 200+ degree car wasn't an option (coolers don't even work well after 6 hours in that heat). So what did I do? I stayed mostly on plan, but...I had a few drinks on one night, I ate boxed candy at the movies when all the car stuff was over. I ate white bread toast with butter - even though I know not to mix my carbs & fats like that. I ate Pringles for supper on the worst night. I even ate a tube of mini M&Ms somewhere in all that. I felt guilty. I felt awful health-wise compared to how I feel when I eat wholesome food on plan. What would the scale say?! I dreaded Monday morning when I normally weigh in. The sugar cravings definitely came back, and I've been so happy up to this point finally breaking free from them.
Here's why I love THM, well, one of the reasons, I weighed the same on Monday morning! I did manage a few on plan meals in all that so it was pretty forgiving. I did go up by a pound or so a day later, but I'm back where I was before the weekend already. I immediately got back on plan Monday, sticking mostly with all THM cookbook recipes and less "freestyling" my own meals. I drank a slimming drink they share. I was a bit bloated from the sugar and wheat for a few days, but that seems to be gone now too. Trim Healthy Mama is such a wonderful program. It's healthy, forgiving, and normally if you find yourself eating off plan, you can just jump right back on 3 hours later at the next snack or meal. You just don't want to do a whole weekend like that, like I did, but life happens, and I'm real with you. The sugar cravings did stick around for about 3 more days, and that sucked, but it's over already. I found myself wanting chocolate and doughnuts for the first time in months. Glad it's over.
This week, I made a few snacks ahead of time that are Fuel Pulls, meaning they have very few calories, carbs, & fats - like the Lemon Pudding recipe. This way, when I get hungry, I'm prepared. Fuel Pulls (FP) are great because they can be eaten alone, early if you can't wait til the next meal, or as a dessert after a meal - regardless of if you had an E or an S meal.
Back on track, I'm ready to really focus on being careful for the next 5 or 6 weeks before our cruise. I know I'll be eating off plan during that 2 week trip (driving there/back, cruise, 1-2 days in TX). It's a LIFETIME eating plan, so I don't worry about it. I know a year from now, I'll be better off, healthier, trimmer, adding years to my life, and one meal, one weekend, one vacation won't change that. Have a great weekend.
Friday, August 12, 2016
8 1/2 weeks so far
Today I'm about half way through week 9, ending on Sunday night. I'm down 18 pounds! I don't post unless I hit the same weight 2 days in a row. This morning the scale said 18 lost, I wanted to be sure so I measured one more time and it said just over 19 - but I'll say it's 18 for now. I feel good, considering I've had interrupted sleep to drive my daughter to work in the middle of the night for the past 5 months. I also have to get up early to pick her up since her shifts are short. In spite of that, when I sleep it's restful usually, and although I may occasionally need a short nap in the afternoon, I feel great.
The past week or two I've started my day with a Trimmie - it's basically coffee with super healthy additives like protein, coconut oil, sunflower lecithin, etc...stuff to help my nerves, brain, inflammation, improve skin & hair, and detoxify my body for better health. Hot or iced, it's making a big difference that I can feel now (compared to in the past). I'm still trying to avoid most of the foods my Alcat test told me to avoid, but slowly adding in foods, mostly veggies, that it said to add back in slowly, like once or twice a week the most. So far so good.
My favorite new recipe of the week was the Salisbury Steak in a creamy mushroom & onion sauce. It was so good that I made a quick patty the second day with leftover sauce. Both times with French Cut green beans. It's something I'll definitely be making again.
As I approach Week 10 on Sunday/Monday, I have new recipes added to my list: Cinnamon Roll Toast, Dark Chocolate Raspberry Dessert, Strawberry Slushy, Banana Bread Pudding, Orange Chicken, Peanut Butter Cookie Muffin with Chocolate Sauce, Fajitas, Boneless Wings, and Potsticker Patties. This is such a wonderful way to eat!
The book tells you not to exercise in the beginning. It's such a different way of meal creation that they want you to get the hang of it before trying to account for extra calories to exercise. It's been about 2 1/2 months and I'm ready - but being over 100 degrees every day and humid because it's monsoon season - sure does make it hard to want to begin a new program that will make you hot & sweaty on top of the weather we already have. I'll probably start soon with yoga, pilates, wall sits, and walking. It's too hot for zumba and other aerobics. I have a few weights around the house I'll use too. I'm already losing at a good pace without exercise. I just hope by adding it, my body doesn't start to hold onto everything again.
I wish I could show everyone how easy it is to follow the plan, to make the super quick meals, and how to take just a little time to plan ahead. I know so many out there are frustrated because they do everything right and don't get results from other plans - I was one of them - for 20 years! This works.
The past week or two I've started my day with a Trimmie - it's basically coffee with super healthy additives like protein, coconut oil, sunflower lecithin, etc...stuff to help my nerves, brain, inflammation, improve skin & hair, and detoxify my body for better health. Hot or iced, it's making a big difference that I can feel now (compared to in the past). I'm still trying to avoid most of the foods my Alcat test told me to avoid, but slowly adding in foods, mostly veggies, that it said to add back in slowly, like once or twice a week the most. So far so good.
My favorite new recipe of the week was the Salisbury Steak in a creamy mushroom & onion sauce. It was so good that I made a quick patty the second day with leftover sauce. Both times with French Cut green beans. It's something I'll definitely be making again.
As I approach Week 10 on Sunday/Monday, I have new recipes added to my list: Cinnamon Roll Toast, Dark Chocolate Raspberry Dessert, Strawberry Slushy, Banana Bread Pudding, Orange Chicken, Peanut Butter Cookie Muffin with Chocolate Sauce, Fajitas, Boneless Wings, and Potsticker Patties. This is such a wonderful way to eat!
The book tells you not to exercise in the beginning. It's such a different way of meal creation that they want you to get the hang of it before trying to account for extra calories to exercise. It's been about 2 1/2 months and I'm ready - but being over 100 degrees every day and humid because it's monsoon season - sure does make it hard to want to begin a new program that will make you hot & sweaty on top of the weather we already have. I'll probably start soon with yoga, pilates, wall sits, and walking. It's too hot for zumba and other aerobics. I have a few weights around the house I'll use too. I'm already losing at a good pace without exercise. I just hope by adding it, my body doesn't start to hold onto everything again.
I wish I could show everyone how easy it is to follow the plan, to make the super quick meals, and how to take just a little time to plan ahead. I know so many out there are frustrated because they do everything right and don't get results from other plans - I was one of them - for 20 years! This works.
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
End of Week 7
Yes, I didn't get to an End of Week 6 post. Tim got home on Tuesday morning instead of the previous Thursday. That means he was home during the week instead of the weekend. Between changing our routine, running around getting his errands done, shopping for his food for the truck, and then his home time being cut short - it just didn't get done, so don't look for it. You didn't miss it. I did.
So I ended Week 7 at about a 17 pound loss. I was so happy! As I began this week, Week 8, I took my daughter to the store so she could buy some clothes for work & college. I found some great deals for myself too - a $3 dress, a $5 skirt, and a $5 shirt. The dressing room didn't work out like I expected, though. I brought in my usual size and began trying them on. We've all been there, it looks great on the rack, but once you try it on you realize it just doesn't fit. That's what happened to me...THEY WERE ALL TOO BIG! I have officially gone down a whole size! Oddly enough, I recently cut my hair short, very short. When I began losing weight, I had to pin the back of the neck on some of my shirts. Now it shows and looks awful so I guess I outgrew those too. I don't think I'll have to buy much as I lose weight because like most women, we hang onto some items hoping to get back into again "someday". I'm almost back into quite a few shirts and almost into a few more pairs of shorts & pants. By the time we go on vacation in October, I should be able to get into them with a little room to spare...already so close.
What's new with the foods? I find myself easily avoiding most temptations. I was at the food court in the mall yesterday. I was thinking for a second that one meal wouldn't undo everything. I'll just do my best, not make a horrible choice, then 3 hours later I'd be back on track again. Know what happened? I walked past every food place, searched every menu, and realized I didn't want to eat the "Crossovers" (fatty meats with tons of carbs paired together). I also didn't want to go near sugary sauces like Panda Express' orange chicken either. I ended up getting Chick-fil-a grilled (unbreaded) chicken nuggets, 8 pieces of good lean protein without sugary sauce. I barely dipped them into Buffalo sauce but realized I liked them better plain. I drank an unsweetened iced tea from Paradise Bakery next door. Filling. Satisfying. Not really an S or an E meal, but not a cheat meal either. I had a single small waffle fry and called it a done deal. I didn't feel deprived like when I used to eat "healthy" instead of ordering the junkfood I really wanted. Must be because there's no sugary or gluten pull on me anymore.
As for recipes, I had my usual favorites, Swedish Meatballs, Chicken Cordon Blue Casserole, Pizza, French Toast in a Bowl, Frosted Cinnamon Muffin, and Fajitas. I made Chocolate Chip Cookies & Skinny Chocolate last week, along with Berry Gummy candies - I love those!!! Next time I'm going to make Lemon Gummies to take to the ballgame on Friday & Saturday. I bought candy molds so I can monitor portions of the chocolate (small squares almost like a Hershey Bar) and the gummy candies. Love making Thinnies too - Sargento ULTRA THIN cheese slices, quartered, and baked on low heat for half an hour - they get crispy like chips, but yes, they're a bit greasy - but so good. Those are great for the ballgame.
Looking forward to more victories on and off the scale going forward. I'm on my way and off to a great start.
Monday, July 18, 2016
End of Week 5
The scale is moving again...as of this morning, I'm down a full 14 pounds! The NSV (non-scale victories) are adding up: 2 pairs of shorts I don't have to unzip/unbutton to put on & take off - they're THAT loose! Also, I've been going through my closet and found I already can get back into about half a dozen items I wouldn't wear for the last 6 - 12 months. The bloating was the worst! An item would fit, but there was this bulge I didn't like, so I retired that item. Now that I'm avoiding regular gluten and sugar (although I'm still eating THM cakes, muffins, cookies, candies, shakes, etc), it seems to have almost completely vanished in those half dozen things I tried on. What's better than new clothes? Fitting into every single thing in your closet and getting use out of what you ALREADY spent money on. I'll be so excited to get into the next 6 because I'm almost back into some of my favorites. I hoped THM would work where no other plans would, but I'm shocked how well it seems to be working. Almost 3 pounds a week on average - that's phenomenal for me!
What good recipes did I have during week 5? Trim MacSalad, Iced Samoa Swirl Coffee, Open faced mozzarella & turkey toast/melt (2 slices per recipe), Sweet & Spicy Stir Fry, Strawberry Big Boy shake, Pancakes with syrupWaldorf Cottage Salad, the Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole was AMAZING, and I invented a quick, 5 minute "S" meal by combining chopped turkey ham, mayo, yellow mustard, a little shredded mozzarella, then just threw in salt, pepper, paprika, and onion powder. Mixed it together and it was so good! Served with non starchy veggies like green beans or broccoli, it's perfect.
What do I look forward to in Week 6? Root Beer Float, Bean Boss Soup, Fish & Green Chips (the chips are baked, seasoned, crispy green beans), Pudding, and maybe a candy recipe or two to take to the baseball park this week. A small group of friends are getting together Friday night for dinner, so we chose a healthy restaurant called "Sweet Tomatoes". It's a salad bar, soup, fresh, healthy ingredient type of place. They also have baked potatoes, pastas, mac & cheese, and ice cream. I may have a few Crossovers (when you have too many carbs & fats in the same sitting - but healthy foods, not junk food). It's just one meal, and I'll do my best to stay on plan, and I already eat much smaller portions than I used to, so I'm not worried. At the same time, I will enjoy myself, not feel deprived, and 3 hours later (or by breakfast) I'll be back on schedule again.
Still the best eating plan for LIFE ever! Have a great week!
What good recipes did I have during week 5? Trim MacSalad, Iced Samoa Swirl Coffee, Open faced mozzarella & turkey toast/melt (2 slices per recipe), Sweet & Spicy Stir Fry, Strawberry Big Boy shake, Pancakes with syrupWaldorf Cottage Salad, the Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole was AMAZING, and I invented a quick, 5 minute "S" meal by combining chopped turkey ham, mayo, yellow mustard, a little shredded mozzarella, then just threw in salt, pepper, paprika, and onion powder. Mixed it together and it was so good! Served with non starchy veggies like green beans or broccoli, it's perfect.
What do I look forward to in Week 6? Root Beer Float, Bean Boss Soup, Fish & Green Chips (the chips are baked, seasoned, crispy green beans), Pudding, and maybe a candy recipe or two to take to the baseball park this week. A small group of friends are getting together Friday night for dinner, so we chose a healthy restaurant called "Sweet Tomatoes". It's a salad bar, soup, fresh, healthy ingredient type of place. They also have baked potatoes, pastas, mac & cheese, and ice cream. I may have a few Crossovers (when you have too many carbs & fats in the same sitting - but healthy foods, not junk food). It's just one meal, and I'll do my best to stay on plan, and I already eat much smaller portions than I used to, so I'm not worried. At the same time, I will enjoy myself, not feel deprived, and 3 hours later (or by breakfast) I'll be back on schedule again.
Still the best eating plan for LIFE ever! Have a great week!
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
End of Week 4
I know, I'm about 48 hrs late in posting. So I'm officially into Week 5 of Trim Healthy Mama and still loving it. I love their concept of Non-Scale Victories (NSV). That's when maybe the scale doesn't move, although they recommend forgetting the scale - most of us have lived on one long enough. Maybe you don't feel like you're losing weight or thought you'd be smaller by now. By the way, anything more than 1 to 2 lbs a week, other than maybe in the very beginning, is usually unhealthy and doesn't stay off. At the end of Week 4, I was hovering at about a 12 or 13 lb loss, I don't really see much going on day to day, but, I know I feel better, I'm almost never hungry where before I was ALWAYS feeling "unsatisfied" from the overdose of sugar, high fructose corn syrup, junk fillers, & chemicals hidden in supposedly healthy foods. Now it seems I should be eating more than I want to, so I'm making my portions a bit smaller at times, but not so small I'm starving at the next meal or snack. I have been using more Fuel Pull (FP) meals, which center on a good protein, but have so few carbs or fats to be an E or an S meal. Sometimes a Triple Zero Greek Yogurt is perfect. Just enough to keep my blood sugar stable. If I get hungry sooner than the recommended 3 hours, I stayed at a FP so I can choose either an E or an S next time. If I had eaten either an E or an S, I should wait a full 3 hours before "switching gears". By the way, I also noticed I fit in shirts & a particular pair of shorts better than before starting THM.
Good recipes from Week 4? Waldorf Cottage Cheese Salad, Quesadillas, Taco Salad, Crepes with Berries, of course Pizza! That's a once or twice a week now, Superfood Chocolate Chews (candies/FP), Creamless Creamy Chicken - that was really good, Sloppy Joe's, Sweet & Spicy Asian Stir Fry, Peanut Puff Cake (for one, with creamy frosting), and Chocolate Nut Granola (cereal with almond milk). Yeah, best foods I've even been allowed to eat on ANY plan out there!
Challenges? Not really any. I have no sugar in my system and I find in this state, I have no craving for it when I see others eating a doughnut, or cookies, or anything else sweet. I went to Paradise Bakery yesterday for lunch and although it's all healthy, I chose to try to pick either an E or an S meal so I had to give it some thought - nothing with too many carbs along with heavy dressing, nothing that would have lots of hidden sugars (esp. lite dressings), nothing with meat and cheese (S meal) served on 2 pieces of bread (E meal carbs), etc. I chose the Caesar salad, pretty much lettuce, chicken, and creamy dressing - an easy S meal - but it arrived at the table with croutons/carbs. I simply ate around the croutons leaving them in my bowl. I felt satisfied by the S meal, didn't feel like I was missing out at all by not eating the croutons. I left pleasantly satisfied, not stuffed, and happy I stayed on plan. Eating out without guilt? I love it!
This week should be easy since I'll be eating at home, but next week should be challenging. I have J's birthday so there will be cake & ice cream somewhere along the way, then a full long day at the ballpark, I'll probably just eat a loaded burger w/o the bun and bring some snacks, dinner out Friday night (we picked Sweet Tomatoes, a healthy place), and date night with Tim, no idea where that'll be.
This week's greatest recipe so far? Trim Mac Salad. All the flavors of a Big Mac but 100% healthy, nothing bad in it at all. I haven't eaten at a McD's in about 7 or 8 years, mainly because the junk hidden in the food made me sick every time before that. This recipe though - makes you feel like you're cheating on the plan, tastes so much better, and is good for you. I also love my Strawberry Shortcake Shake when I'm not hungry, but want something a little sweet.
If you haven't jumped on board with THM yet, take the book out of the library. Get started. You'll be so happy you did. The days of diets are over.
Good recipes from Week 4? Waldorf Cottage Cheese Salad, Quesadillas, Taco Salad, Crepes with Berries, of course Pizza! That's a once or twice a week now, Superfood Chocolate Chews (candies/FP), Creamless Creamy Chicken - that was really good, Sloppy Joe's, Sweet & Spicy Asian Stir Fry, Peanut Puff Cake (for one, with creamy frosting), and Chocolate Nut Granola (cereal with almond milk). Yeah, best foods I've even been allowed to eat on ANY plan out there!
Challenges? Not really any. I have no sugar in my system and I find in this state, I have no craving for it when I see others eating a doughnut, or cookies, or anything else sweet. I went to Paradise Bakery yesterday for lunch and although it's all healthy, I chose to try to pick either an E or an S meal so I had to give it some thought - nothing with too many carbs along with heavy dressing, nothing that would have lots of hidden sugars (esp. lite dressings), nothing with meat and cheese (S meal) served on 2 pieces of bread (E meal carbs), etc. I chose the Caesar salad, pretty much lettuce, chicken, and creamy dressing - an easy S meal - but it arrived at the table with croutons/carbs. I simply ate around the croutons leaving them in my bowl. I felt satisfied by the S meal, didn't feel like I was missing out at all by not eating the croutons. I left pleasantly satisfied, not stuffed, and happy I stayed on plan. Eating out without guilt? I love it!
This week should be easy since I'll be eating at home, but next week should be challenging. I have J's birthday so there will be cake & ice cream somewhere along the way, then a full long day at the ballpark, I'll probably just eat a loaded burger w/o the bun and bring some snacks, dinner out Friday night (we picked Sweet Tomatoes, a healthy place), and date night with Tim, no idea where that'll be.
This week's greatest recipe so far? Trim Mac Salad. All the flavors of a Big Mac but 100% healthy, nothing bad in it at all. I haven't eaten at a McD's in about 7 or 8 years, mainly because the junk hidden in the food made me sick every time before that. This recipe though - makes you feel like you're cheating on the plan, tastes so much better, and is good for you. I also love my Strawberry Shortcake Shake when I'm not hungry, but want something a little sweet.
If you haven't jumped on board with THM yet, take the book out of the library. Get started. You'll be so happy you did. The days of diets are over.
Monday, July 4, 2016
THM: End of Week 3
This just keeps getting easier and easier. This week I did less cookbook recipes and more "regular" foods I had in the house. I always have Morning Star Farms meatless foods in the house since Jordan is allergic to all meats, poultry, and fish. I know there's a lot of good/bad press out there on soy products, but she can't just eat beans and nuts for protein every day. Anyway, Morning Star Farms is the only company I've ever found with vegetarian products that taste really, really good. They also make foods that resemble what you're replacing so you never feel like your missing out, for example, they make meatless versions of chicken patties, hamburgers, steak strips, chicken nuggets, ribs, breakfast sausage, bacon, etc. When I don't feel like cooking, it's great to just make a pre-made food like that, add some veggies, or a low carb wrap, or put it on a salad - easy, I just don't abuse the soy. I have maybe one or two items a week, out of 35 meals & snacks. Not too bad. Trader Joe's also makes a great Chili Lime Chicken Burger. They're in a frozen 4 pack, not too high in calories, fats, nor grams - so you can make them go either S or E depending on what you do with it.
I also am trying to pull away from the bad habit of getting on the scale every day. I know I lost a healthy 2 pounds this week, about 12 total in 3 weeks, That's better than all the other exercise and diet programs I've tried.
One of the Trim Healthy Mama things I love seeing in their social media posts are the NSV, Non-Scale Victories. That's when maybe your scale doesn't seem to be moving hardly at all, but you still find obvious benefits like a before & after photo shows you much smaller, or someone who no longer needs meds for high cholesterol or blood pressure, or dropping a few clothing sizes. I know a lot of women get frustrated when the scale isn't moving even when they're doing everything according to plan. That frustration can easily lead to an emotional justification of a "treat". Psychologically, you're not getting that happiness from a lower scale number, so your mind wants one even if it comes from somewhere else. Then the guilt settles in over "cheating", then you justify the whole day is blown, and before you know it, you're entirely off your plan. With NSVs, you can avoid this by not focusing on a number, but on various positives along the way.
This week, as I enter week 4, I'm going to go back to cookbook recipes now that the house is pretty cleared out and I have ingredients for the recipes I like the most, plus a few new ones I want to try. Maybe the way to stay on plan the best (for a lifetime) will turn out to be 1 to 2 weeks of lots of cookbook recipes, then a week of less of them so I can incorporate a few foods not in the cookbook, yet still are okay for THM eating.
I'm most excited about being 100% sugar free for 21 days, and in 3 weeks I believe I've only had 2 slices of naturally sprouted Ezekiel bread (on plan) and about 3 low carb tortillas (also on plan). Everything else in the baked category has been gluten-free, so I know there's tons of health benefits going on inside my body I haven't even realized yet. Best of all, I know I'll have better health in the future because of my choice to remove sugar and gluten from my diet now. Have a great rest of your week, make it a good one.
I also am trying to pull away from the bad habit of getting on the scale every day. I know I lost a healthy 2 pounds this week, about 12 total in 3 weeks, That's better than all the other exercise and diet programs I've tried.
One of the Trim Healthy Mama things I love seeing in their social media posts are the NSV, Non-Scale Victories. That's when maybe your scale doesn't seem to be moving hardly at all, but you still find obvious benefits like a before & after photo shows you much smaller, or someone who no longer needs meds for high cholesterol or blood pressure, or dropping a few clothing sizes. I know a lot of women get frustrated when the scale isn't moving even when they're doing everything according to plan. That frustration can easily lead to an emotional justification of a "treat". Psychologically, you're not getting that happiness from a lower scale number, so your mind wants one even if it comes from somewhere else. Then the guilt settles in over "cheating", then you justify the whole day is blown, and before you know it, you're entirely off your plan. With NSVs, you can avoid this by not focusing on a number, but on various positives along the way.
This week, as I enter week 4, I'm going to go back to cookbook recipes now that the house is pretty cleared out and I have ingredients for the recipes I like the most, plus a few new ones I want to try. Maybe the way to stay on plan the best (for a lifetime) will turn out to be 1 to 2 weeks of lots of cookbook recipes, then a week of less of them so I can incorporate a few foods not in the cookbook, yet still are okay for THM eating.
I'm most excited about being 100% sugar free for 21 days, and in 3 weeks I believe I've only had 2 slices of naturally sprouted Ezekiel bread (on plan) and about 3 low carb tortillas (also on plan). Everything else in the baked category has been gluten-free, so I know there's tons of health benefits going on inside my body I haven't even realized yet. Best of all, I know I'll have better health in the future because of my choice to remove sugar and gluten from my diet now. Have a great rest of your week, make it a good one.
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