Day One:

Stomach aches are not unfamiliar territory for me. After some testing, without conclusion, I am trying two weeks without dairy and caffeine! This is not going to be easy. I drink multiple fancy coffees a day and I eat out almost daily. 

Obviously my habits are not the best and I am in need of a change. Today I was sick in the morning and eventually had a fruit and kale smoothie, sweet potatoes, spaghetti, and some almond milk. I also had a caffeine free beverage made with soy milk from Starbucks. 

I felt sick all day. Went to bed with a slight headache and hoped I could sleep it off and drink some water. I try not to take medication when I don't have to. Woke up at 3 am with a pounding headache and took some Advil.

Onward March!

Day Two:

The first day is over. No coffee today. I had some chamomile caffeine free tea, fruit, soup, and an Oreo so far. There is probably some caffeine within the Oreo but, dairy free. I'm okay with a little bend as long as I can keep it together. 

Exercise will be my next step. Insanity workout will do the best for me, I think. However, insanity is a pretty difficult workout. 

Stomach has been feeling full and burning all day. No headache so far. The first three days of a new habit or kicking an old one, seem to be the worst for me. Cold turkey also seems to be best for me. 

I think that there are multiple ways to get your life "in order". There are basics in life and psychology that have been proven. 

Having a clean space, being in good health, healthy relationships, all important. Maybe I can start from the most common "protocols" and more easily figure out what works best for me when I need to get my life back "in order".

This is probably all just apart of growing up. I like reading other people blog about daily events and getting them done. Life can be difficult and social media typically portrays the good things and few of the negative things. With a blog you can see the depths of peoples thoughts. Posting on a blog can hold you more accountable for your goals and make them more real. It also gives you something to look back on and see your changes. 

Some days I may not make sense but I'm happy about this blogging business and I'm willing to fail over and over again until I get it right. 

Have a wonderful day internet goers!

Checking In

Nike+ Sportwatch is really helping me keep on track with my goals. I really like the myfitnesspal app as well. I am not ready for that yet.

 I made a goal to run three times a week for two weeks (starting small). I have two out of six down. I'm not very fast. I used to vomit every time I ran and I haven't gotten sick in a few runs. That is definitely what I would call progress. Whether or not I am running a 12 minute mile... I am. 

I know I am out of shape and I just need to get back into it, but I can't help but feel a little embarrassed by that number. It will only motivate me to get better. You watch!... Hopefully.

The fast food free week went well. It won't last until I make a meal plan though.

As for Thirty-One, I have mostly been doing preparation and research. I think it will be low key until next season. I learned how to make a bag out of catalog pages and got everything labeled. I have big dreams for this.

I could not handle the biography on Thomas Jefferson. I have moved onto "In Malice, Quite Close" by Brandi Lynn Ryder. It is CRAZY! Much more interesting...Sorry  Jefferson.

Here are some sidebar goals:

Open a Coffee shop, Write songs, photograph, sew, make jewelry, farming, gardening, Personal Training

Heading up north this weekend! 

I am so excited. It will be so nice to get away. I have gone up since I was little. My family had a cabin. Ever since the first time I brought my boyfriend Dennis, he has been in love with it. He wants to move up north, on the lake. We have a cabin and a boat and friends. YAY!!!

That sums it up for now.

I put up that last post about a week later than written. If it seems like enough time has not lapsed, that is why.  ;-)

It's only giving up if you stop trying

Blogging again! Wondering, once again, why I don't keep up.

It would be nice to have something to look back on and see progress. Such is life.

A personality quirk of my own, is the fact that I can be completely scatter-brained. I want to learn about and do so many different things that I find it hard to be productive. Lately, I have adopted a "Three Main Goals" rule. Trying to focus on fewer things will be helpful, I think. 

Here they are as of today:

1.) Improve my health

2.) Improve my Thirty-One business

3.) Write more

There are always things that I can work on. These are things that I plan on setting aside specific time for, even if it means sacrificing elsewhere. 

Improving my life this week:

- My goal is no fast food during weekdays. (I did this last week as well. I used to eat fast food about twice a day on average. Coffee does not count, as it is a beverage, and my addiction.It's all about baby steps.)

- Reading a biography on Thomas Jefferson. ( Reading is an important part of writing. Expanding my mind with a little non-fiction intensity.)

- Researching "living off the grid". (I would like to eventually be pretty self sufficient. It's a little hard in an apartment. I'll thank myself for studying about it in the future.)

- Getting a "Fresh Start" for my thirty one business. ( I have not been keeping up.)

- Blog ( Hello There!)

I tried two weeks gluten free. I didn't necessarily feel noticeably better. However, when I started eating it again, I had a stomach ache. I also did lacto-ovo vegetarian for three weeks during weekdays. 

There you have it, Progress in action.

Puppy Power

This is my little puppy baby MJ <3

She was born December 26 2012

She is a Jack Russel/Shih Tzu mix



I was never an animal person before. I had animals growing up. They were cool, but never as much fun as they were work. At one point, we had over 12 dogs, 6 cats, 2 birds, 2 fish, 2 turtles, and a horse farm next door.

(She sleeps on her back, like a little human.<3)

These pets caused a lot of problems for me too. Once, a litter of kittens climbed into a box filled with all of my past writings. This included diaries, young authors books, and stories from my entire life. They urinated on the entire box! There is no coming back from that. I never thought pets had emotions or personalities. 

One day out of the blue, something snapped. I wanted a puppy. I wanted to take care of it and show it love and have that relationship with a dog that I build a bond with. I went to the pet shop and walked the aisle of pups.There were so many cute puppies. Browsing my way to the end of the kennels, I see little, three and half pound, MJ. She was shaking and had the biggest eyes for her little body. The fur at the top of her head had a few tall strands sticking out from the rest. It made me giggle that she was a little awkward, just like me.

I said, "That one, can I hold her?" 

The store owner brought her from the back and handed her to me. She immediately clung to me, snuggled right up against me and stopped shaking. It was love at first sight. At that moment my entire view on animals had changed. 

(cow belly)

I love my little MJ. Every day I learn more and more about her personality. It is so strange that you can be so blind to something like that until one day...you just get it! 

MJ just turned one. She is a little over ten pounds and takes up the entire bed. She is so loving and affectionate. I can not imagine my life without my little puppy baby.



(She chooses coffee over toys)

(puppy teeth hurt, so sharp!)



Taking a Turn

   I would like to start heading in a different direction with this blog. I want to have something to look back on and see more stories from my past. I thought about changing the title of my blog however, it still fits.

  I finally have cable and internet after a 20 day break. It is nice to have. The quite was pretty nice too. I want to start being more active and trying new things. Saturday I tried my first kickboxing class. It was at title boxing in Ann Arbor. It didn't really have a lot of technique but, it was a crazy workout. It reminded me of insanity.You definitely burn a lot of calories.

    I think next week will be martial arts, yoga, or Sky zone. I want to learn to live a healthy lifestyle for myself and to one day help my children. I want them to make the right decisions and incorporate good things into their lives more easily. Hopefully this is a start to some part-time blogging.

Mental Efficiency

A rule of thumb when it comes to efficiency is planning. You want to clear the physical and mental clutter. Today I wanted to share a few things that I like to do to help clear the mental clutter. I try to do this on a regular basis. There are four main things that come to mind in this situation:

-          Planners/Organizers

-          To-Do Lists

-          A Few of my Favorite Things

-          Prioritizing

Planners/Organizers:

I like to have a planner with a monthly and daily organizer.

I use the month view to enter things that are important or out of the usual, such as doctor appointments or dinner with a friend. This gives you something easy to look at on a regular basis so that you are prepared when the event is getting closer. It can also keep you from missing the plan all together or double scheduling.

The daily organizer is used for what you actually do every minute of the day. You want to include the big things on this list as well. This will help you maximize your time. At first you can go about your normal day and just track the things that you do. After figuring out where your time is spent, you can go from there.

An example would be:

7am-7:30pm Work

7:30pm-8:30pm Dinner and clean up

8:30pm10:00 pm Watch tv

10pm-10:30pm Shower

10:30 pm – 11pm Get ready for bed

11pm – 6 am Sleep

By keeping track of everything you do, you can tell how long it takes you to get certain things done. It will help you to plan the necessary amount of time for these things in the future. Another reason this is helpful is for revision. You want to take a look at where you are spending your time and decide if that is worth while or if something else would be more productive in that place. Do you really need to watch that three hour Friends marathon? Could you trade that in for three episodes, a workout, and some blog time?

There are 24 hours in each day. If you know what you need/want to get done and how long it takes, you can create a schedule to fit in the most important things and schedule leftover things for another day. If you don't plan accordingly you may be disappointed when you don't get things done. 

This brings me to the to-do list…

To-Do List:

I typically have a long term to-do and a daily to-do list.

The long term list is where you write down all of the extra things that you need to get done but don’t typically have a scheduled time. Things that would be included on this list would be:

- Take the mail to the post office

- Take clothes to the Salvation Army

- Schedule dentist appointment

This is something that you can incorporate into your schedule or you can just do them in your free time. It is also much more rewarding to have a physical list. With a physical list you can cross things off as you finish them and as you get closer to the bottom you will feel more accomplished.

The daily list is something I like to do as I am planning out my day or evening when I get home from work. I usually sit down and write out all of the things I need to get done that night. I review my to-do list and upcoming plans. I include everything and it is usually pretty close to what I will end up writing in my planner.

            I write them in no particular order to start:

Start Time – 5:30 pm Bed Time – 10:30pm Total = 5 hours

- Laundry ( 1 – put in load 1)( 3 Put in load 2 )(6 Fold first load )(9 fold second load)

- Homework (actually write out the exact assignments, separate them so that you can break up homework time if you decide to.) 7

- Shower 5

- Dinner 2

- Clean room 4

- Get ready for bed 10pm 10

- Watch My Show 9pm -10 8

After I write my list I usually write how much time I have to complete the list. I also include the start and end time. End time being bedtime.

After you write your list you should number them in the sequence that they will be done.

 It may be helpful to write the time next to things that need to be done at a specific time, (i.e. watch my show).

After you figure that out you can put them in numbered order and schedule them out. This is where your prior tracking will come in handy to decide how much time you need to plan for each. You may be surprised at how long or how short of a time it can take to complete some tasks.

I tend to write a start and end time for each thing that I need to do and end up revising my list throughout the night. Especially just starting out, it may be better to just put a “done by” time. This may also be a little less stressful and less discouraging if you start to fall behind.

It is easier to start with the time constricted items and work your way backward from there, based on the amount of time you have and time it takes to get things done.

Your revised list would look something like this:

                                   

Laundry                      5:45-6pm

Dinner                         6-6:45pm

Laundry                      6:45-7pm

Clean room                  7-7:15pm

Shower                        7:15-7:45pm

Fold laundry               7:45-8pm

Homework                  8-9pm

Watch show                9-10pm

Fold laundry               10-10:15pm

Get ready for bed       10:15 - 10:30pm

Don’t get discouraged if you fall behind on your list. If you start to get off track you can sit down and rewrite your list for the remainder of the night. In your revised list you can get rid of things that don’t need to be done, move them to another day, or add it to the to-do list. Depending on how closely you follow your schedule, you may want to add blocks of free time or catch up time. Even scheduling some lazy time can be a good thing sometimes.

This brings me to my next subject…

A few of my favorite things:

When you fall into a rut or have a bad day or even just get stressed out, it is always better to get your mind in a clear and peaceful place. If you don’t have a clear head, it is going to make it even harder to get things done. By taking a small amount of time to clear your mind and cheer yourself up, you are going to be much more productive and you will feel better about doing it in a good mood.

It is easy to fall into a downward spiral in a hectic situation. Once you are headed down that path it may be hard to get motivated to do anything at all. The first thing you need to do is become aware of your emotions. You need to find yourself. As soon as you know that you are starting to become overwhelmed, you need to implement your plan immediately.

My best bud Steph and I came up with this idea a few years back. You think of ten things to do to cheer yourself up. The more you have planned out the easier it will be to follow through. You want to make it as easy as possible. Try to make it fool proof... or self-proof.

To be well prepared, make a list of at least 20 things that you enjoy doing or things that make you feel better about yourself. This is where finding yourself comes into play. You need to discover what you like, what makes you feel good about yourself, and what can cheer/lift you up when you are down.

Some examples of items on your list could be:

-Paint your nails – It will take your mind off things and you will feel better about your appearance. You look at your hands multiple times a day. Doing a cute design or smiley face can be a nice reminder all day long.

-Take a bubble bath- Try to find relaxing scents such as lavender and maybe some candles, this will really help clear your mind and get a fresh start.

-Read – lose yourself in another world, Hunger Games anyone?

-write music

-play a game

It is easy to get in over your head quickly with all of your daily tasks, this brings me to my final point…

Prioritize:

Only allot yourself a certain amount of time if you have a task to complete. You don’t want to get yourself in deeper by overwhelming yourself. Becoming efficient can be extremely overwhelming, that is why there are many misadventures.

Try to keep your priorities in order. You are most important, don’t stretch yourself thin. Take a deep breath and figure out which things are most important and which things can wait until you have more time.

You are in charge of your own life, which is something I am starting to learn. It is your life, so take control.

Failing just means that you are trying. 

Whenever you have free time, try to clear your to-do list. It is easy for things to pile up. You also want to plan time for, and review, your to-do list as much as possible. Don’t procrastinate. If you just get all of your responsibilities done and out of the way, you won’t have anything to worry about and you can spend the rest of your time doing things you enjoy.

If you find yourself starting to procrastinate make a list. I like to make a list with at least five options for what I could be doing at that time (I like lists, in case you didn’t figure that out already). This helps give a starting point and helps me become more productive.

Proper planning, scheduling, and preparing can really maximize your time.

An example would be:
- Put in a load of laundry
- Do a workout
- Read
- blog
- Do homework
- Play guitar

These are all things that I have tried to implement in my life. Sometimes it is hard to keep up with all of it. I just try to stay as organized as I can and keep learning and making habits of useful tactics. I hope this is helpful or at least a good motivator to live to your full potential.

Getting Creative

I'd like to start a portion of my blog with crafts and creative ideas called... getting creative. One of the things I can see myself doing on a regular basis, taking it back to middle school, is a journal prompt. Let's get those creative juices flowing.

Write a children's story. The title of the story will be "If my cat ran the news". You can make it as long or as short as you want. Children's stories are typically pretty short. This is to keep young readers interested, so if you aren't writing for anyone but yourself and the words are flowing, go nuts. It doesn't have to be professional, it is just intended to get you thinking out of the box. In fact, make up your own title if you would like. Try using another animal in an uncharacteristic situation. 

It would be so cool if my cat ran the news. 

The dressing room would be filled with scratching posts and yarn.

  He would have to wear a cat suit and a little cat tie. There would be lost people posters instead of lost pet posters, If my cat ran the news. 

 If my cat ran the news, he would be distracted by all of the camera lights and wires that looked like the yarn from his dressing room. He would play with the wires until he chewed right through and made the power go out. 

No one could watch the news if the power went out. We couldn't see the weather, if there were no news. How would we know if there were snow days?

Maybe it wouldn't be so cool if my cat ran the news.