Reward System

On my last post I let you in on how my list has been almost non-existant. I started thinking about what I could do to motivate myself to get back on track. We had my son's first parent-teacher conference for the year on Thursday and they talked a lot about how they run their "reward system". I thought if stickers and candy work for 5 year olds then they have got to work for me. (ok maybe not stickers and candy).

I have had a lot of down time at work the past week and have been reading novels in just one or two days. I've practically read every novel from all my favorite authors. Number 86 on my list is Read The Bible. (remember I wrote the list in random order) My mother-in-law purchased Read The Bible in 90 Days and finished it again over the summer. She was gracious enough to loan me this Bible to read. For the record I've been reading off and on for two years and am only to 2 Chronicles. My new goal is not to just read the Bible, but to complete it by Christmas. I'm already on day 34 so this is totally achievable.

I've also set up a reward system for working out. I need to get back into shape so that I can complete #12,13,39,48,87 &91. Most of these could be checked off in 2011 if I stick with the program. So far I've exercised 3 times since Saturday. I need to exercise 3 more times and this week I get to buy a new makeup product I've had my eye on. Next week my reward is a home spa day with no interruptions. I decided that little rewards now will keep me motivated to hit my goals and get bigger rewards down the line.

Also this week we listed out house. YAY!! Hopefully we have people lining up to purchase our home so we can move and start a new project, but in the mean time I am really enjoying living in a super clean house.

Long Lost List?

If you have been reading,you know I have a list with over 90 items on it that I would like to check off, but I just am sooo not motivated to get moving on them this year. If you know me personally, you know that I am a planner. I'm not only a planner, but the kind of girl who has a plan b,c,d,e.. and so on. Well my plans are no more. At the start of the year I thought I would check off more than 13 items on my list, and it is just not going to happen. So far I've only checked off 3 (splits, zip line, going vegan) and one of them (splits) needs to be put back on the list. There are currently 8 items on my list that I thought I would have checked off in the next two years that I am now wondering if they even belong on this list at all. I'm mean it is my list, can I remove the things I'm not sure I even care to complete? I guess I really need to decide what's important to me. I have even hidden my list in a binder to try to avoid it, but it calls to me with it's muffled voice, "What about me? Shame, SHAME" I know, I should probably seek professional help.

I really do want to complete my list and constantly add new items to it, I just need to get out of my way. It's almost like I have an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other, and from the looks of things it seems like the devil has won.

Other than being a wife, mother, and employee, I have not worked on anything since my last post. Hopefully, this isn't the case for the next one.

Status Update

It's been a somewhat busy week. I started working out more consistently this week with the help of my wonderful husband. It's so much easier to get motivated when you have someone else with you.

Ed and I have been talking with the bank to see if we can qualify for another mortgage. And YAY we can! We have been super busy getting our house "ready" to go on the market. (Isn't it funny how some projects only get finished when you want to move) We ordered a new roof which will get started on Thursday, we spent Friday removing SIX bags of trash from the house. I couldn't believe we had so much junk. You will just have to trust that we are sooo not hoarders. After we complete a couple other small to dos we will list our home.

Ed and I have also been out shopping for a new home. When I say new what I really mean is dilapidated, moldy, maybe even have had a fire, kind of home. As long as the house looks sturdy, it could be our "dream home". Ed and I love renovation, and the price tag that goes with a home that needs it usually fits our budget.

Aidan was spiderman for halloween. He was so excited to go out to trick-or-treat! Towards the end of the night he looked into his bag and said, "I think I have enough candy. Can we go home?" What kid out there says "that's enough" when it comes to candy?

Anyway, this was my week. No items checked off the list, but we had a really good week.

I love B-12

Here's the update. When I said I was bummed and in a funk on my last post I was really minimizing what was really going on. I was trying to focus on being positive and glossing over all of my true feelings. The truth is I was just down right depressed. I would be in the car driving and suddenly burst into tears. Not because of a sad song, sad thought, something someone said or did, but for no reason at all. Every day I was feeling more and more down when I told Ed, "I think I need a therapist." If you know my husband than you know that he is totally supportive in everything I do, but my feeling so sad made him feel really bad. Aidan was always asking me if I was happy and in trying to be a good mom I would smile and say "of course I'm happy." After a while Aidan said "Mommy, please don't be sad." That's when I knew I needed to get help.
I was all set to find a therapist when my sister told me that on Monday nights our wonderful local Health Foods Unlimited has a doctor come in to administer vitamin shots.She was going to get a B-12 shot and asked if I wanted to go with her. I hadn't been taking vitamins lately (because of pure laziness) so I decided to go. We stood in a line that was longer than I expected, (because really who wants to get a shot?), when it was finally our turn. We got the last two shots that the doc had of the Classic B-12 2x. BTW the shot doesn't go into the arm like I had thought. I really didn't expect much from the shot, but the very next day I felt so much better. I no longer feel like crying, I have more energy, and am looking forward to life again. Could Tom Cruise be right? Do we really just need to take vitamins?
If you are depressed, you should totally seek professional help, but it wouldn't hurt to take your vitamins.

Gettin' Funky

I have been in a bit of a funk lately. Ok for the past couple months. I don't know why, but I've become extremely complacent. It's not because I'm completely comfortable either. There is an internal uneasiness that is a new constant.

I took a full-time job a couple of months ago working for a builder. I really do enjoy my job. I like to help people create their dream home and realize that Yes they can afford it! There are some drawbacks to the job. Sitting in a model home all alone can make me feel just a little creeped out and even my boss agrees that the hours stink. Because I now work on the weekends my family and I have not been to church in more time than I care to admit. There haven't been any search parties sent out from church so I guess no one has really noticed. Maybe I need to find a new church?

If you read my blog and are wondering about my progress with my list you are going to be sorely disappointed. I haven't completed anything. I even gave up running months ago and need to start all over again. If you are currently running do not stop. Starting over is sooo hard!! I started just exercising again last week. I only got two days in before the start of a nagging cold hit. Not the kind that is full blown and has you on the couch with tissues and tea, but the kind that makes you feel cruddy but able to still go to work. The kind that you feel any day now is going to take you out.

Aidan has been adjusting to kindergarten and my new work schedule. I love seeing him waiting for me at the door when I come home from work. This makes me happy:)

I'm not going to lie and tell you that I'm more motivated than ever to do everything I need to do to check off the list. I'm not. I am going to be honest about everything that is happening. I'll let you know what happens next week. Hopefully my gelatinous muscles will not hurt too bad to type!

Just Thinking...

Grown men should not wear velcro sandels. Especially when they have a size 15 foot.

5 Years Ago

Five years ago I received a wonderful gift. My baby boy, Aidan. I cannot believe how quickly the last five years went by. I was lucky enough to be able to stay home with him after he was born. I got to see all the firsts that every parent hopes to see. Even through there were trying times,like the "terrible twos", times were pretty good. Although there were times that I felt like I was failing as a mother and wanted to run away from home, I am so glad that I didn't. When I think about all the women out there who are desperate to pledge the "mommy club" but just are not able to, I am so thankful for the gift of my healthy, happy, wonderful boy, Aidan.



Happy Birthday Aidan! You are such a bright light in my life. You keep life so fresh and interesting. When I look at your smiling face, I can't help but smile myself. Your excitement over the small things in life make me excited about the small things as well. I will never forget the "Shrek" birthday we had for you this year and how you insisted on wearing your "ogre ears" when we sang Happy Birthday. Today your daddy gave you the whoopy cushion that you loved playing with at the store. Your excitement over that silly gift just made my heart do flips. I wish I could freeze time for just a little bit to really get to enjoy all our time together. Just know that I love you so much!

10 years later

Have you ever had one of those days where it seemed like all the progress you had made to becoming the person you want to be was gone. It's like realizing you started sprinting toward your finish line and then after a few steps got too winded to finish the race, so you sat down on the track and had an extra large piece of chocolate cake. What you don't do that!?! Just kidding. Kind of. Anyway, I had read over some of my old posts a couple of days ago. They boasted about all the progress I've made in my addiction to television, lack of exercise, and the like. Well I am sorry to say that I'm back at the starting point. Television has become a staple in our daily lives again. You wouldn't think so since it's summer and most shows are repeats but nevertheless I watch constantly. In May I found out that a team I was working so hard to be a part of didn't choose me so I stopped exercising so hard. In return my body is back in a gelatinous shape. Although I said that I'm committed to running a half marathon by September I have barely trained. Cardiovascularly I'm not ready. I gave my husband a big party for his 30th birthday. I decided to dig up all the pictures of his past birthdays and make them into a collage, when I came across this picture.



It was taken spring break 2001. I was 19 and my husband and I had just started dating. Seeing this picture and what my body use to look like sent me into a shame spiral. I thought to myself, How did this girl who's diet consisted of frozen waffles, pop-tarts, bagels, and ice cream look like this? Yes I know that she hadn't given birth or entered her 20's let alone be almost through them, but I still somehow deluded myself into believing that I still looked like that. Well... to be honest I thought I was pretty close to looking like that again. Just a few more crunches......

You must be thinking that I'm a vain and shallow person who only cares about looks, but that just isn't true. What I care about is feeling good. Being healthy and in shape. The kind of shape that will keep everything in your body functioning to it's best and to live a very long vital life. And when your body starts to ooze out of the top of your pants you just don't feel your best. On the plus side, today I'm eating more vegetables than ever before. I can run a couple of miles without stopping, something that 19 year old girl never would have attempted.

I don't know if I'll ever even look remotely close to that girl again, but I sure as hell am not going to give up on creating my best body so that I can live my best life!

Zippity Do Dah

The last two days have been absolutely fantastic. Tuesday night was the All-Star baseball game. Every year it's right around my husbands birthday so he gets to watch it. (In case you didn't know,I mostly control the remote) Although it was not something I would have chosen to watch, it was a fantastic game. And as a bonus our team, the National League, won!!

Wednesday we woke up to head down to our zipline adventure at Camp Kern. It was a little cool out in the morning and combined with the high humidity caused it to be very foggy out. We got lost on the way to the camp. I started to freak out a little. If you know me I almost always have a little freak out when things don't go according to plan. And things don't go according to plan often. We did make it there. When we arrived we met the other people on our tour, a dad with his two young teenage daughters. They were a little quiet, but still fun. It took a few minutes to suit up in the gear we needed to wear, which BTW weighed 15 lbs, and off we went to our zipline adventure.








Even though this was a birthday present for my husband, I got to check off #89 Go on a zipline adventure off my list. Such a fun day!!

In Training

What a whirlwind the last couple of weeks have been. I started training with my friend, Tammy, for the Air Force 1/2 marathon that is this September. We started out really good the first week and now we've both become total slackers. I think the trick is to train with someone who is the opposite of your personality so that you stay motivated. For instance, I need a drill sergeant that will give me consequences for not showing up and running the full time. With less than 10 weeks until the run there is no more time to procrastinate. I am going to complete those 13.1 miles without stopping. I am vowing to run the entire way. Let's hope it doesn't kill me, but that's why we train right?

Ed's 30th birthday is coming up on the 14th and we are going to go on a zip line adventure to celebrate. I am so excited. Going on a zip line adventure is on my list. I've been terrified of heights ever since I fell out of my neighbors tree house in 7th grade. This will definitely be interesting.

On an adventure

I renamed my blog, "The list: An adventurers guide to life". I debated about this title for a bit. When I think of an adventurer I think of an Indian Jones type character wearing khaki clothing and a musket, driving a jeep through the jungle, looking for some rare bird, or discovering a new plant that will heal the world. Not to say that the people who fit that description are not adventurers, but we all are. Each day is a new adventure. Each day we are given 86,400 seconds to create any adventure that we want.

I read a quote that really spoke to me. "People say that what we are seeking is a meaning for life. I don't think this is what we're really seeking. I think what we're seeking is an experience of being alive." - Joseph Campbell.

Someone once poised an interesting situation to me. Say you were given $86,400 at 12:01 am that you had to spend everyday, how would you spend it? But here's the catch, At midnight the money disappears. You cannot save a penny. You have to spend the money everyday. We would get pretty good at spending the money and putting resources in the right hands. We wouldn't let that free money get wasted. So why are we wasting our time as if it were not as valuable?

As for me, I'm sure I will have some time wasting activities, but I will make sure I get the value that I really want out of my day. After all we all are on our own adventure. Even if it doesn't immediately look that way from the outside.

Better late than never

Can't believe its almost June and I'm just now getting back to my blog. I wish I could say a lot has happened since March 1st. I had been working on checking a couple goals off my list, but only managed to check off one,#81 Be able to do the splits. It took several weeks of stretching, lots of ice packs, and advil, but I can finally do my right split. YAY!!! I also took a couple of dance classes where I met a few new and wonderful friends. (It's always nice to meet people with similar goals)

There is one goal that I had really focused most of my energy the past 12 weeks, but it just didn't work out this time. Needless to say after all that time, energy, and dedication, I'm a bit bummed. There is always time to try again though, next year.

Right now I am focusing on work. I have a new kitchen remodel that I am working on for my design business. I should have my design website up and running shortly. I am training to run the Air Force 1/2 marathon in September. (p.s .I have almost completely abandoned running so it's going to be very hard) I am also drumming up more Arbonne business to get to my next promotion.

Even though not everything has been going my way, God is still so good!

No TV. Check

We made it all the way through February, through snow days and grumpy child attitudes without watching TV. I will admit that I watched more than one movie a week towards the end, but still no TV. I will say that the last week of February I started feeling much more positive than usual for no reason what so ever. I've just been feeling really up! My family has connected so much more with the television off. Even on the 1st we watched only one half hour show. I don't expect to watch much television, with the exception of NBC's Thursday night line up. I really feel like we conquered a huge problem!


I don't feel as accomplished as I desired. I was hoping that at the end of February I would have so many more items checked off my list. Some of those items are not checked off for lack of trying. The rest will just take more time. And that's ok. There is just something about seeing your goals checked off. Knowing that you completed something you set out to do, and completing them quickly. I guess that just the world we live in. Instant gratification feels so much better than waiting, and waiting, and waiting. I know that for the things that I want I need to work hard. I have been exercising one to two times a day to check off #39 Get in my best shape. I've been stretching a lot for #81 Do the Splits. I've been running on my treadmill for #12 Run a half marathon. I haven't done enough to complete my #1,2,and 3 promotion goals with work.

Which reminds me.... I need to get back to work!

Good Thoughts

Have you ever had a day where everything went your way? A day that felt like you orchestrated it yourself? I have been having those days frequently. Even if nothing truly eventful happens, the day just kind of happened the way that I planned. Have you ever heard the saying, "what you think about you bring about." I have been seeing instances of this being true all over the place. Not only in my own life, but in my friends and families lives also. Not just good things, but also the bad. I never ceases to amaze me about how many people dwell on just the perceived "bad" things that are happening in their lives and when they are surprised that things just don't get better. If you have a facebook page you will never read the end of disappointed people. I have made a deal with myself to really only focus on the good things in my life and just be grateful for everything that God has blessed me with, instead of what I may feel is lack.



1 Chronicles 4:10, we read: "And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that Thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that Thine hand might be with me, and that Thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested."



I plan on reminding myself of this prayer everyday. Even when God gives us challenging times we need to remind ourselves to trust in Him. He will work it all out for us. I don't want to be someone who is just getting through life, but someone who is living a vibrant life. What kind of life do you choose to live?

Ch-Ch-Changes

Woo Hoo! We've made it a week and a half without television. What's even more miraculous is that we stuck to it through 3 snow days! Yes, trapped in the house with no television. I struggled through the first couple of days bored, laying around like we had a gas leak in the house, and then I just decided to get off my butt and do something. I've stayed on top of cleaning the house, laundry, and have even stuck to my two a day workout routine. We went to the library and picked out some new books to read (I've read 3 already). I decided to take charge of my business and make those phone calls that make the phone feel like it weighs 100lbs. Things are really beginning to take shape. My family is actually sitting at the dinner table for our meals and having an actual conversation. Ok, so some of those conversations are recounting our favorite tv episodes, but they are conversations none-the-less. Before the snow days I actually made it out of the house every single day (that doesn't happen much) . I am so encouraged about the changes that are occurring in my life. Things can only get better.



Speaking of changes, my family and I have decided to become vegan. This is something I've been considering for some time now. After reading "The China Study" we decided to implement these changes. I am so excited about our new lifestyle!

Addicted

Hello. My name is Sarah, and I'm a television addict.

Ok, it sounds totally ridiculous, but I have to tell you it's true. I've been feeling very blue about how I've been basing my life on what is on television. I knew I watched it a lot, but didn't realize how much of a real issue it was until my four year old son, Aidan started reciting my television "playlist". That was when I realized that I have it on all day long and my child expects it to be this way.

I have this list of goals that I want to achieve, and they will never be completed if I don't make some serious changes. For the month of February I will not watch television. My family has made a pact. No tv except for workout dvds and one movie a week. This will be very interesting.

Stay tuned!

What are we all afraid of?

Fear. It's truly an ugly four letter word. It's inside us all just waiting to spoil our plans. I had coffee with my friend and sometimes business partner, Tammy, last week. We were talking about our plans for our businesses, what was working and what wasn't. I had started to go through my list of gonnas with her. You know, "I'm going to...", and then "I'm going to do ...", when I was struck by the reason I hadn't done any of my gonnas yet, FEAR. I said it out loud for the first time without an excuse as to why I hadn't finished the things on my to-do list. "Tammy, I'm just scared." And it was the truth. Tammy told me about how she was scared to do some of the things on her to-do list as well. And I thought, "How can so many bright individuals be so scared. What are we all afraid of'"?

Someone once told me that fear is just False Evidence Appearing Real. We all have it and it's different for each of us. I look at my son and he is fearless. Even when we play hide and go seek and I jump out at him he doesn't even flinch. It seems that most of us are born with bright-eyed optimism ready to go after our dreams with gusto. After a little while trying to find our way in the world we shrink down to our sometimes very small circle of comfort. We often look at the ways others view us as the truth, when in reality it's not. And it's also none of our business what others think of us anyway. Even the most successful and famous people have just as many nay-sayers as they do fans. So what's really stopping us from reaching our dreams?

We all have our own battles that we fight within. What if we just did what we wanted to do? What if we just asked for what we want instead of hoping that it will come? What if we did one thing today to take us out of our comfort zone? We might say something stupid, or look foolish, but who cares that much anyway? Honestly, no one in this life is as hard on us as we are on ourselves. I don't see any shows like ESPN highlighting our shortcomings like a Monday morning quarterback. (unless your a celebrity and you've been featured on TMZ) I say this as someone struggling to get out of my comfort zone, which is getting smaller by the minute. I will not look at the "False Evidence" and believe that it's real. And I hope that you will do the same.

Off The Hook

I don't know about you, but I am often renegotiating all the promises I make to myself. I always keep a promise I make to others but rarely keep the ones I make to myself. I think there are millions of people out there just like me. I recently read that only one in four people are successful in achieving their resolutions each and every year. Just think about how many times you made a new years resolution. How many of those did you keep? I think it's sad how so many people, myself included, think "well, nobody keeps those anyway". Resolutions are promises we make to ourselves to try and make our lives better than the year before. Why is it acceptable to let ourselves down?

My four year old son often replies, "I don't like to do it," when we ask him to do something. Well, I have been saying the same thing to myself for a couple of days now. Applying this statement to exercise, stretching, preparing a healthy meal, cleaning, and even work. It started when a tremendous snow storm hit and schools were closed on Thursday, so I let myself take the day off. Then I continued to take Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off. Let's just say I had a loooong weekend.

After the boss in me noticed all the things I let go to pot, I gave myself a firm talking to. "Look Sarah, if you want to be lazy then be lazy, and if you want something better for yourself and family then do something about it." The truth is no one is going to just hand us a better body, life, insert your desires here. It takes work, commitment, and fulfilling those promises we make to ourselves.

I got back on track with cleaning my house, eating healthy meals, and exercising again. I even started to get caught up with all the work I let pile up. I don't know what it takes in general to keep a good momentum going. I do know that for me, my desire to check things off my list is what is getting me off the couch and away from my television. I refuse to let myself off the hook!