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Thursday, February 28, 2013

Document: February

I honestly cannot believe it is March.  March, as in the third month of the year, the beginning of Spring, and the season of mid-terms.  February seems like a blur (probably due to the two weeks I spent on DayQuil and NyQuil), but I'm sure I accomplished something.

2013 Winter Goals
After my improvements in January, I definitely took a step back this month.  Once again breakfast became a thing of the past, but I was able to eat Breakfast at least once per week, which is still a marked improvement from the beginning of the year.

The first two weeks of the month I did very well with my other goals (going to bed earlier and waking earlier, stretching and Yoga, and making it to the gym), however the "week of many appointments" became my downfall as the sickness took over.  Coughing and sputtering are not conducive to cardio at the gym, and sleep came at varied times for varied lengths.  Needless to say, I will be learning to take better care of myself using the "two steps forward, one step back" method.

Other Goals
I finally finished Jane Eyre!  I think every book has a "threshold" moment that draws you in, and once you cross it, the book instantly becomes irresistible.  I wasn't able to read through Dickinson's poems, but I did find a copy on my Nook to read in an upcoming month.  Likewise, Dial M for Murder has been sitting in its Netflix sleeve for the last two weeks!  I'm hoping I will finally get around to watching it this weekend.

I believe I have finished my Home Management Binder (as well as our Financial Binder), but there is still room to grow as we continue to use it.  Valentine's Day was really fun; it was one of my last "healthy" days for the month, so we were able to make the most of it.  Finally, Doug's birthday this past weekend was fairly successful even though I wasn't able to do all I had hoped.  Still, Doug said it was one of his favorite birthdays ever, so I'll score that as a win ;)

Moving Forward
For March, I will continue to find ways to take care of myself!  I really am hoping to tackle my eating habits, especially having breakfast in the morning.  Doug and I also have some time off school (Spring Break!), and we are planning on visiting my family in PA!  We haven't been able to drive up to PA for about a year, so this trip is really exciting and special for me.  Of course Spring Break means the end of one class and the beginning of another...

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Drive

Drive (noun):  a person's will to achieve; gumption, moxie, spunk, vigor

For the last week (more like 8-9 days), I have been fighting the sickness and, therefore, unable to blog about my goals, my meal plans, or anything else!

Well, let's be honest.  For the first 4-5 days I couldn't post because I was fighting the sickness and cramming Greek Verbs into my head.  And then I was fighting the sickness and cleaning my house.  And then I was busy with Doug's birthday weekend (including a house-guest, gifts, reservations, and a mini-party).  Then, as the dust settled (and the coughing continued), I didn't want to get on here and write about menus and goals and plans.

"Whoa.  De didn't want to make lists and plan things?  De didn't want to write and share with others?  This is madness!"  Yes, even I sometimes get tired of my own natural inclination to list out my life.  But, nevertheless, here I am.  Writing a blog.  About my life.  Why?

Drive.  For me it's not that much about gathering readers/subscribers, or being funny/witty, or even having an outlet to share and plan and list things.  It's about following through.  I began a blog in order to work on slowing down my life.  In order to appreciate life to the fullest instead of zooming through it in an effort to succeed.  And to do that, I need to take time to write.  Even if it is a list I review to show myself that I did accomplish something despite slowing down.  Even if it is planning meals so that Doug and I can have "family dinners" during the week.  I do it because I said I would.  I do it because I want to enjoy my life, not "deal with" it.

So, this is me, near the end of February, still working to decelerate my life.  Still trying to find time to take care of myself and watch movies and read books and enjoy nature.  Still intentionally spending time with my friends and husband.  Still fighting the urge to take on a million tasks.

And I call this "drive."  Sometimes it doesn't need to look fast and flashy; sometimes it can be simple, quiet, and slow.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Delicious: Weekly Meal Plan



This week has been a bit of a whirlwind for us; we ended up having some leftover meals from last week, AND we ate some meals we had been planning to eat this week!

Anyways, here is what we have left/planned for this week ;)

Monday:  Grilled Chicken Breasts w/ Cheesy Broccoli Rice
Tuesday:  Chicken Skillet Meal w/ Alfredo Pasta
                Pork Fajitas w/ Rice
Wednesday:  Valentine's Lunch Out ;)
                     Leftovers
Thursday:  Doug's Choice -- Shrimp, Scallops, and/or Steak
Friday:  Shrimp Skillet Meal w/Garlic and Oil Pasta
Saturday:  Chicken Enchiladas w/ Rice
Sunday:  Leftover Meal from Thursday

Since Doug works on Valentine's Day, we are "celebrating" on Wednesday (using some V-Day money from my wonderful parents); I still like to try to cook something special.  Doug loves surf and turf, so I always try to have some on hand to make special meals.  Orzo or baked potatoes make excellent sides, and a nice sauce gives it a restaurant feel. (I like making Spinach Cream Sauce.)

In order to have these "special" food on hand, I look for deals on frozen seafood throughout the year.  I like to stock up when our store has 25% of all seafood deals. For the steaks I always look in the Manager's Special section; I lucked out and found two small round steaks last week for $3.50 total!  Many times they have large packs on sale; those are easy to separate and freeze in portions for two ;)

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Design: Weekly Goals (Feb 10-16)



I can't believe it is already Valentine's Week!  February is one of those months that always seems to fly by too quickly, but I want to make sure I have something to show for the month and this week!

February Goals
1.  Add Yoga to my morning stretching routine
2.  Wake up each morning by 9 AM

School/Homework
3.  Learn Greek Perfect Verbs
4.  Complete Bible Lesson by Wednesday

Housework/Errands
5.  Menu Plan (and blog!)
6.  Clean out Linen Closet
7.  Clean up Laundry Area in our Bedroom

Personal
8.  Make it back to the Gym
9.  Enjoy Valentine's Day ;)

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Determination: February Goals (Week 1)

I can't believe we are well into February; it still feels like January to me!  Here's what my weekly goals look like:


February Goals
1.  Add Yoga to my morning routine twice this week -- only once
2.  Wake up each morning by 9 AM -- I was slightly sick for a few days :(

School/Homework
3.  Study Greek Vocabulary and Verb Endings
4.  Complete both Bible Lessons by Saturday -- only one lesson

Housework/Errands
5.  Menu Plan and Grocery Shopping (and Blog!)
6.  Clean and Organize the Bathroom and Linen Closet -- sickness foiled me again

Personal
7.  Make it to the Gym 4 times this week -- evil sickness
8.  Take one day off this week for personal time

As for my February Goals, I have made some progress!

I made progress in each of my Winter Goals (eating breakfast, exercising, get enough sleep and rest)

I am still reading Jane Eyre, but I am more than halfway through!  Dial M for Murder came this week, and I am excited to watch it this week.

Monday, February 4, 2013

Delicious: Weekly Meal Plan



Another week, another meal plan!  This week I'm shopping for the next two weeks, so we'll have a lot of fresh food (and some simple meals) this week ;)

Monday:  Cheesy Enchilada Hamburger Helper (yes, still...lol)
Tuesday:  Chicken and Spinach Pasta
                Tuna Melts and Soup
Wednesday:  Doug's Surprise Beefy Lunch
                     Take Out ;)
Thursday:  Frozen Pizza
Friday:  Grilled Chicken Breasts w/ Cheesy Broccoli Rice
Saturday:  Taco Pie Bake w/ Rice and Salad
Sunday:  Breaded Pork w/ Potatoes and Green Beans

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Design: Weekly Goals (Feb 3-9)


February has just begun and I already feel behind!  That's the joy of a short, but busy month ;)

February Goals
1.  Add Yoga to my morning routine twice this week
2.  Wake up each morning by 9 AM

School/Homework
3.  Study Greek Vocabulary and Verb Endings
4.  Complete both Bible Lessons by Saturday

Housework/Errands
5.  Menu Plan and Grocery Shopping (and Blog!)
6.  Clean and Organize the Bathroom and Linen Closet

Personal
7.  Make it to the Gym 4 times this week
8.  Take one day off this week for personal time

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Determination: January Goals (Week 5)

It's February!

I just can't believe that 1/12 of the year is completed.  I did pretty well completing my goals for January, and I'm really excited to begin working towards completing February's goals in an effort to continue taking care of myself so that I can care for my family, home, and schoolwork.

Here's how I did this week:

January Goals
1.  Keep from getting sick!
2.  Read Jane Eyre (100-150 pages) -- Only about 80 pages this week :(

School/Homework
3.  Greek -- Aorist Verbs
4.  Finish all DSMN Assignments by Tuesday! -- They were completed by Friday
5.  Work ahead to complete the first Bible Lesson by Saturday -- I decided to work ahead on housework instead of schoolwork this week ;)

Housework/Errands
6.  Menu Plan (and blog!)
7.  Sort Paperwork (prep for Taxes)
8.  Have all Laundry completed (washed, dried, folded, stowed) by Saturday -- In progress; about half of the laundry is complete ;)

Personal
9.  Make it to the Gym 4 times this week
10.  Take a day off to relax ;)

On Monday afternoon, I found myself completed stressed out!  Doug and I prioritized and discovered that the majority of my stress stemmed from our Paperwork not being sorted, filed, shredded, etc.  We spent all day Tuesday gathering, sorting, filing, and shredding all of our paperwork (including emptying out our file box   to keep only the documents necessary).  On top of all that, I reorganized some of our paperwork into a Home Management Binder and a Finance Binder, and we created a Mail/Control Center.

Not only has this week been less stressful due to having this organized catch-all paperwork center, it has been such a benefit to help me in cleaning this week!

You can read more about how January Goals turned out here, and learn about my plans for February in this post!

Friday, February 1, 2013

Design: February Goals

February always seems to be the busiest month of the year for me, so I wanted to be sure to pick reasonable, achievable goals for this month.

Here are my goals!
2013 Winter Goals
1.  Eat Breakfast 5 times each week
2.  Add Yoga to my morning stretching routine
3.  Make it to the Gym 3 times per week
4.  Go to bed by 11 PM and get up at 9 AM daily
5.  Take one day off each week for personal time

Other Goals
6.  Finish Jane Eyre; read through the Poems of Emily Dickinson
7.  Watch Dial M for Murder
8.  Finish Home Management Binder
9.  Enjoy Valentine's Day
10.  Help to make Doug's Birthday really special ;)