Make Good Choices

Simple phrase, yet I see how deep it goes as I pursue a year of accomplishing personal goals.  Yesterday was comprised of making a whole lot of small, but good choices, & that made all the difference in the day.  Even the beginning of the day began with a choice to make good choices throughout the day.  It was my own awareness of need to choose good that got me to the end of the day, satisfied & contented with my responses to all that the day had brought.  So don't just chose one good thing – make a choice to choose well & remain aware of that fundamental choice. It made all the difference in my day yesterday. 

One big fail for today

It's not what you think.  I didn't fail at eating properly or at allowing myself an intense workout.  No, I've done those things and more over the last few days.  I even did 100 various types of crunches last night after the kids went to bed.  I'm seeing good things in terms of these goals...

But what caught me off guard today & caused a big "F" evaluation of my own performance lies on the emotional side of things.  Its that same stress that has caused me to genuinely fail at my other goals in the past.  My normal response is to crash, doing nothing, engaging with no one, just checking out of life for whatever amount of time I can.  And it wasn't even that this time I checked out for a large chunk of time, just long enough to process, pray, & write this post.  Maybe all of about 10 minutes.

This time my big fail was allowing myself to even get to such a stressed placed that I even contemplated sabotaging my own goals by getting off track just to feel better.  It starts alot sooner than the "Opps, I ate that" moment or the "Oh well I'll skip that workout" moment.  Its statrs in the heart, & mine was just so tired tonight that it did not make the grade.  But as my dear husband would say, its the perfect chance for a do-over.  Looking forward to conquering this obstacle next time. 

Choice is the death of progress...

I'm learning that I can do a very simple diet plan, one where you eat some of the same foods every day.  When trying to get healthy, I do not need the choices!  I love the idea of eating the same breakfast, same lunch, same snacks, etc each day, as long as they are foods I enjoy and are still within my range of caloric intake.  I've spent so much time trying to incorporate some fancy meal plan ideas into the line up, but now I'm scrapping all that & going with the straight & narrow.

And yes, I will press through the holiday by continuing to make healthy choices & by continuing to workout consistently.  This is my commitment & my intentions are to keep it. 

Sabbath Goals & Regimen / Why taking Sabbath is Essential

I am so incredibly proud of myself & the hubbs for taking this journey to the Burgh for a 1 year Sabbatical.  We've chosen this for our futures to be more firmly grounded so that any next steps we are led to take can be stronger.  We also want to prioritize our personal health, well-being, & family life over the things we do for everyone else, so this year gives us a chance to figure all of that out.

For me, this year is about ordering my life & getting productive routines to accomplish what matters most to me.  As I do this, I've decided on some goals that I will share here.

The first list is for the next 6 months - As a result of my time attending an amazingly rejuvenating & live–giving 9 day Pastor's Sabbatical Retreat, I've come up with this list to work toward body goals that have been long neglected, living in the shadows of busyness, childbirth, & ministry:

My 6 month S.M.A.R.T PSR Goals

1.  Healthy shopping & balanced meal planning

2.  Jazzercise 5x per week

3.  Reading about my body type & the healthiest ways to nourish it

4.  Home cooking verses unhealthy convenience foods & eating out

5.  Figure out how to "body cleanse" & add the right vitamins to my daily diet

6.  Taking my body back from the extra weight of 3 pregnancies & a stressful season of full-time work & ministry

This next list is for the entire year in Pittsburgh on personal sabbatical from ministry / work:

My Year in Sabbath Goals:

1. Body – Lose 100lbs through intentional eating & consistent workouts.  All around increase in activity & metabolism.

2. Home – Become a strong, well–rounded “Homemaker”, an all around renaissance kind of gal ;-)  Start making money from home, establishing my “business” legally & gainfully saving / investing from it.  Specifically learn to sew, scrapbook, hang personal art, keep a thoroughly clean house, cook for each meal, feeding us regularly from home cooked meals, setting up home office, copy & fax station for business, money making & gp, and whatever else I find this entails.

3. God – Practice “The Contemplatives” in monk–like life practices, maturing in my walk with Christ and also maturing in the triangle of God–me–hubby.

4. Art – Reconnect to my outter Artist / Hipster. Photojournalistic photography (and quarterly newsletters), break free into spoken word, acoustic growth in guitar & vocals, record w/Ramon & our musical friends, having a tangible musical product in the end, firm up my “stylo” in dress & appearance – general beautyness ;-)

5. School –Continue pursuit of my PHD & work through the right timing for it.

6. Kids – Get em on the right track for school, learning, independence & “self–sufficiency”. Entails potty training & educational / social / etc. steps of achievement. 

7. Rest – Trips, Visits, & Getaway planning.  Way of life of FUN & REST established & lived out loud!

I'm blogging regularly & posting a laminated poster board in the bathroom next to the mirror for constant accountability to these goals, in particular the body goals will be blasted so I don't lose focus.  You heard it here, & I also plan to post a pic of my poster when it is complete. 

As for the why ~ I am doing this as a biblical spiritual discipline for health & focus.   My time in ministry has been long & tiring, & I want to be strong for the next season in whatever capacity I am called into.  So this is not a frivolous random impulsive decision, but one that requires much sacrifice & planning & will keep requiring dedication & focus to stay on point.  Already I've been itching to get back involved with both work & ministry.  There is time, and it will come.  But for now, I pause for rest.

Feng–Shui the Thang!

When I was living in Cali, I created a new term when I "feng–shui'd" KJ & Cici's bedroom.  It was a lovely bright little place in our home, full of color & fun areas for play & rest.  I'd say it was somewhat of an accident, as I had no particular intention of doing a feng–shui kind of room.  But when done, I realized the positive effect it had on me to experience the peace of the room. 

From that experience I realized how "feng–shuiing" (my term) a home can provide peace & energy & enjoyment for me, mine, & those who love us enough to visit & spend time in our space.  It is a new pursuit of mine that I carry into this new home of ours & hopefully any others we live in from now on. 

So in our new funky Pittsburgh apartment, I have begun a similar journey.  I'm thankful for the time being present here at home for the best hours of my day to be able to work at it all the time.  I'll be taking pictures (another important goal of mine this year) & creating art from it all.  Hope you take a look when it is all complete!

Daily Duties

I'm finding there are some consistent things I need to do every day to maintain my sanity & keep order in my home.  For me, these things are not easy tasks.  I would say its because I have 2 little ones & a hubby who is away for a chunk of the day for work. 

And while these things are all true, I acknowledge my general lack in these areas.  I run by systems & have yet to develop systems that work well for me in balancing a home.  So I'm chugging away each day, 1st at the motivation to keep going & get these things done each day & secondly at the systematizing and setting up of routines that allow me to set-up shop in a way that flows & works well for my / our needs at home. 

What I know for sure is I love it when the elements of my home maintenance, care, & upkeep all fall into place.  Toward that end, I'll keep working hard & striving long hours until it is established.  That's the journey I'm on, so that is what I must choose to do. 

My "Jazzercise Obsession"

I am so thankful for Jazzercise!  Been shopping round the Burgh for Jazzercise classesthat suit my workout & schedule needs.  I've traveled far away for a variety of time options to ensure my continued participation in this season of Ramon working away from home more often.  Next I'll try the closer classes that offer fewer times & hope for a match. 

Ultimately this search drives me forward want to become a certified instructor.  Of course, I wish I would have done it a long long time ago back in 2003 when I started jazzin.  Totally considered it, totally didn't do it, & now I totally regret it!  But there is something about timing that you just cannot rush & there is always the season to consider & be thankful for. 

So I am totally thankful for the direction of my life, & look forward to to staying a jazzer for much longer into the future in one capacity or another.  It is my 1 remaining outlet that drives & motivates me, & has been there through the thick & trials of the last 8 years.  At first when we got here, I did feel a bit guilty for pursuing it so hard when I'm not even working now...but it matters to my well-being & that is enough to push until it happens. So push I shall!