Day 3: 2/3 Fudge

I worked very, very hard today, but to make my hard work fulfill my goals, it's gonna take a little fudging...

* Financially, I did not go anywhere, therefore I did not spend anything, thus I saved what I would have spent had I not slept through the alarm, gone to church, out to lunch, and then to the store to get this week's stuff. Like I said, I'm stretching a little here.

* Workout wise, I was on my feet all day, only sat down for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and now to blog. Somewhere between helping my son clean out his ENTIRE room (one big trash bag for donating and one big trash bag for dumping!), helping my daughter with 3 new piano pieces, and helping my husband de-rose the flower beds, I am sure I got the equivalent of a 30 minute workout. If you do not agree, please just pretend with me.

* Now for the 1/3 of this activity of which I can be proud: the housework. As mentioned above, we got my son's room totally cleaned out, reorganized, and completely decluttered. We knocked out the eight Knock-Out Rose bushes that literally took over the front of the house. I washed and dried not only all the regular laundry but also all four bedrooms worth of linens. I cooked all three meals, and with my husbands sweet assistance we are going to bed with the dishes done and put away. Backpacks are cleaned out and ready for the new year. Clothes are laid out to ease the rush and panic of getting going bright and early tomorrow.

And now this tired momma is hitting the hay. Good night, friends :)

PS: Our chicken laid her very first egg today - we are all SO proud!!

Day 2: The Beginning of the Beginning

Aside from completing one book, reading another one, and starting a third today (yes, it was a tough day), I did manage to do a little towards my goals:

• I wrote the check and prepared to mail our property taxes which are due January 31st. This task seems like a given when taking proper care of finances, but for me it is always very difficult to part with several thousand dollars at one time. I am fearful of a child getting sick, the car breaking down, or some other unforeseen need to have that money back. Said train of thought inevitably makes me hold the check too long, and then I look up and have to pay extra money. So, it is a small step, but I took care of our obligation in a timely manner, and small as it is, I consider it a success.

• I'm proud to say that I am headed for bed with a load of laundry drying, another washing which will be ready to dry first thing in the morning, and (best of all) a nice, clean kitchen.

• And now to the toughest part of this whole idea: working out each and every day. To begin, I did the "10 Minute Stretch" on page 192 of an amazing book my sister gave me several years ago called New York City Ballet Workout: Fifty Stretches and Exercises Anyone Can do for a Strong, Graceful, and Sculpted Body (ISBN 0-688-15202-3). If you think stretching won't make you sweat, this book will prove you wrong. And quickly. Not only does the stretching have incredible benefits for your body, but it feels really, really good. Because I had to flip back to each exercise to see how to do them, I actually spent about 25 minutes on this portion. Then I headed out to the garage to try my luck with the new-to-us BowFlex. In the equipment documentation I found a "20 Minute Better Body Workout" that hit all the major muscle groups (chest, back, shoulders, arms, legs, and trunk). Again, it took me a lot longer than 20 minutes, but I am certain that once I get better at switching cables and weights I will be much more efficient. Likely I'll be a little sore tomorrow, but as the infamous They say, "No pain, no gain."

So, after one day, I am still on track. Only 364 more to go...

PS: I weighed this morning. I have to lose 9 pounds to be comfortable again, 15 to be positively proud, and 22 to be living my body image dream. I keep telling myself, "A little at a time, each and every day."

Day 1: Another Day, Another Year

It's January 1st, 7:00 pm, and all I have done today is watch football on the couch. I deserved the rest after hosting an awesome and fabulously fun New Year's Eve party until 3 o'clock this morning! But I fear that if I keep on keepin' on, I'm going to learn to accept my current ruts as normal, and then they are no longer ruts, but routine and okay, and THAT IS NOT OK. My ruts aren't all that bad, but they keep me from being the person I really want to be for my kids, my husband, and especially for me.

Here is what I wish to "un-rut" this year (aka: my New Year's Resolutions)...

• Get back in shape, regain some strength, and lose some flab so I can feel better about how I look and just feel better in general.
• Improve as a homemaker so I can provide a positive example that will guide my children and teach them how to care for the many blessings they will receive in the years to come.
• Save, save, save and then save some more so that I position our family to fully achieve the goals we have set together.

Those don't sound so major; nothing too difficult, right? But actually accomplishing these tasks on a daily basis IS really tough! I'm not overweight, but I am not the size or shape I could be with a little diligence. Sometimes, though, losing a little is way more of a challenge than dropping 40 or 50 pounds. My house is never a true disaster zone, but I can certainly do more to teach my kids how to manage and care for their homes and belongings in the future by doing more in our's today. We're not in the poor house; we don't struggle to make it through the last week of every month like we used to do when we were first starting out. On the other hand, I spend too much and lose focus on our finances time and time again.

As you can see, I'm not trying to shatter the earth, but I need to initiate a little quality control. I have good intent, but since the road to hell was supposedly paved just this way, I figure I need a better plan. Since I watched and felt inspired by "Julie & Julia" over the holiday break, I think a blog is the way to go.

Thirty minutes and one crazy idea later, I now have this accountability tool to rely upon when I can't count on my own will power, when I have lost all motivation, or when self-discipline flies out the window. I'll do what Julie did: I'll write a little each and every day to keep myself on track. I've even set an alarm on my cell phone for "Each and Every Day" so I will not forget to blog.

Each and every day, sometime between when the wake up alarm goes off in the morning and when the blog alarm goes off in the evening, I promise to accomplish the following three things:

1. Work out for at least 30 minutes in some form or fashion.
2. Complete at least three housekeeping tasks.
3. Take one step toward financial peace and well-being.

Even though it is not Sunday, it is my day of rest, so I'll finish designing this blog, find the BowFlex video I've never watched, and go start my menu planning for the week...tomorrow begins the journey to being more than just a mom.