Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Finally getting er done
Ever since I redid our guest room (aka Kadyn's room), I have had new photo frames unfilled on the wall. They still have the original paper in them that came in them. Jeff said he would tweak the photos I wanted and get them printed off for me. That was months ago. I finally just did it myself. I have no clue if this looks good in the tweaking department, but I can live with it anyways. This room also serves as our music room. The piano is in it and a very large metal music staff is on the wall above it. It seemed fitting to put musical pictures in those frames. So here is what is going up. Aren't they precious?
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Summer list
Monday was my last day. It was a nice day. The district actually gave us the entire day to work in our classrooms. Last year they made us sit through meetings. I had already packed up both of my classrooms, so I spent the entire day working on next year's lessons. I literally have the entire year planned out for next school year. Can we say Type A? I try hard not to bring much work home with me because I value my family time and know I can easily burn myself out if I am not careful. About the only plans I have for work this summer involve reading two books as part of my professional development plans.
On my way out of the building I felt giddy. I had a smile plastered off my face and I don't think anything could have wiped it off. I feel like I need summer more than I did at this time last year. This year I had some hard punches. I need time to disconnect from my professional life, relax, enjoy my family, and remember who I am outside of work. Here is my list of want to dos. Some of them may not get done. Depends on money.
1. Get a season pass to the beach. I really prefer the beach to the swimming pool.
2. Get the basement in better shape so it is more inviting or at least as inviting as an unfinished basement can be. Jeff is adding some walls. They won't be mudded or painted but at least it will help hide the girls' playroom mess, our storage area, and Jeff's office. I might staple a few sheets up to cover up the insulation on the outerwalls that don't have drywall. Maybe I'll even hang a few pictures. Why not?
3. Redo my bedroom. My bedroom/bath are the only rooms I haven't redone to the new color scheme. I have plans to conquer the bath over winter break.
4. Find a nice table/desk to refinish at a thrift store and turn it into a sewing table to put downstairs in my new sewing area
5. Find a trunk or chest of drawers at a thrift store and convert into a nice hidey hole for Harry's liter box downstairs. I've seen a lot ideas on pinterest that are really cool.
6. Set up a 10 gallon planted aquarium. I really miss having an aquarium. I got rid of my 55 gallon aquarium a couple years ago because it was starting to fall apart and we didn't have the funds to get it fixed back up. Plus I need a break from the maintenance of an aquarium. I'm ready again. Have you seen planted aquariums? They are gorgeous! I no longer can have real plants in the house because Harry has an affinity for them. I LOVE PLANTS! Having real ones enclosed in a tank with fish just sounds lovely. In another life, I should have been a marine bioligist. I have such an affinity for aquatic life.
7. Keep Brennan and Kadyn reading. Kadyn devours books so trips to Springfield are in order to keep a book in her hands all summer. Brennan improved leaps and bounds over the school year and is on the cusp of starting chapter books. I'm hoping to get her that far by the end of the summer.
8. Finish the girls dollhouse.
9. Cook up some new, delicious recipes.
10. Start a new addicting series on Netflix. My idea of relaxing and recharging often involves getting so lost in a good series you forget about the world around you. The kind that you are willing to stay up way to late to see because you've GOT to see what happens in the next episode. Those are the best!
11. Go to CO with my sister and her kids to see my folks.
12. Go to six flags in St. Louis with my family and the church youth.
13. Rent a boat and do the lake thing the way it's meant to be done.
14. Catch fireflies and make glow in the dark bubbles.
15. Make curtains for my classroom.
16. Read two professional development books.
Aw summer! I literally can't imagine my life without one. How do normal working folk do it? I'm a lucky gal.
On my way out of the building I felt giddy. I had a smile plastered off my face and I don't think anything could have wiped it off. I feel like I need summer more than I did at this time last year. This year I had some hard punches. I need time to disconnect from my professional life, relax, enjoy my family, and remember who I am outside of work. Here is my list of want to dos. Some of them may not get done. Depends on money.
1. Get a season pass to the beach. I really prefer the beach to the swimming pool.
2. Get the basement in better shape so it is more inviting or at least as inviting as an unfinished basement can be. Jeff is adding some walls. They won't be mudded or painted but at least it will help hide the girls' playroom mess, our storage area, and Jeff's office. I might staple a few sheets up to cover up the insulation on the outerwalls that don't have drywall. Maybe I'll even hang a few pictures. Why not?
3. Redo my bedroom. My bedroom/bath are the only rooms I haven't redone to the new color scheme. I have plans to conquer the bath over winter break.
4. Find a nice table/desk to refinish at a thrift store and turn it into a sewing table to put downstairs in my new sewing area
5. Find a trunk or chest of drawers at a thrift store and convert into a nice hidey hole for Harry's liter box downstairs. I've seen a lot ideas on pinterest that are really cool.
6. Set up a 10 gallon planted aquarium. I really miss having an aquarium. I got rid of my 55 gallon aquarium a couple years ago because it was starting to fall apart and we didn't have the funds to get it fixed back up. Plus I need a break from the maintenance of an aquarium. I'm ready again. Have you seen planted aquariums? They are gorgeous! I no longer can have real plants in the house because Harry has an affinity for them. I LOVE PLANTS! Having real ones enclosed in a tank with fish just sounds lovely. In another life, I should have been a marine bioligist. I have such an affinity for aquatic life.
7. Keep Brennan and Kadyn reading. Kadyn devours books so trips to Springfield are in order to keep a book in her hands all summer. Brennan improved leaps and bounds over the school year and is on the cusp of starting chapter books. I'm hoping to get her that far by the end of the summer.
8. Finish the girls dollhouse.
9. Cook up some new, delicious recipes.
10. Start a new addicting series on Netflix. My idea of relaxing and recharging often involves getting so lost in a good series you forget about the world around you. The kind that you are willing to stay up way to late to see because you've GOT to see what happens in the next episode. Those are the best!
11. Go to CO with my sister and her kids to see my folks.
12. Go to six flags in St. Louis with my family and the church youth.
13. Rent a boat and do the lake thing the way it's meant to be done.
14. Catch fireflies and make glow in the dark bubbles.
15. Make curtains for my classroom.
16. Read two professional development books.
Aw summer! I literally can't imagine my life without one. How do normal working folk do it? I'm a lucky gal.
A good predicament
In my last post I shared my journey starting to change my diet to be healthier. Since that post. I have lost another 2 pounds. Honestly, I thought I was done loosing. The last two pounds have come off very slowly and are a nice surprise. I am now on the cusp of having to buy new clothes; some clothes are starting to hang on me, others fit much better but if I loose more will also be hanging on me. Going without a belt is not an option anymore.
You would think I would be excited about this, and I am. However, today I had to take off my wedding ring. I just couldn't take it spinning around my finger all the time. It is loose enough there is a chance it could slide right off my finger when I'm swimming. All this is to say, as much as I want to own my weight loss as a done deal and a forever new me, I am cautiously optimistic. I have only been doing this new way of eating since Easter. Knowing my past, I have reason to believe I will eventually gain it back and slip into old habits. I always have. Why would now be any different? New clothes are costly. Then there's the depression that comes with spending all that money only to watch yourself grow out of all those nice new clothes. Buying them is almost feels like putting a guilt trip on myself. Want a piece of pie, better not, I might grow out of those new clothes. Want a big juicy cheeseburger, better not I might outgrow those new clothes. Blegh! I don't want to fear food. I wish I could just wait until a year is passed to make sure I can maintain through another Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas. Just time to know that even with an occasional splurge I can maintain if I stay consistent the rest of the time. Time to know that I won't let an occasional splurge let me completely fall off the bandwagon.
About the only decision I've come to so far is that for now, I am waiting to replenish my wardrobe with things that fit better. I just want more time to settle into this lifestyle change. More time to prove to myself that I can do this for the long haul. About the only thing I am planning on doing for myself at this point is to buy workout shorts. I don't own any so I wouldn't be replacing anything. I would really like to stay active this summer and my jean shorts aren't cutting it. I spent the better half of my time on the treadmill this morning holding my jean shorts up so they wouldn't rub and chafe my body.
A nice perk of all this change is my girls are watching. I get glimpses of how powerful our influences are as their parents when my kindergartener asks me daily after school if she made the healthiest choice for her lunch that day. The kids at school are always given the choice of two different main dishes at our school. The girls have also been very intrigued with my smoothies and are eager to try them. They have been good about trying new things I've been cooking up. They don't argue if I refuse to give them unhealthy snacks because they see my example and know I value health. In a nutshell, I am modeling the same eating habits I expect from them.
Now Jeff, he's another story. He tries to be healthy and goes through spurts, but can be downright stubborn with certain foods. The only thing I have asked of him is that he not give me grief for wanting to do this for myself and my girls. He may not always like what I cook, but he always has the option to opt out and do his own thing. He exercises this choice a lot. He's gotten better about not being grumpy about it, but it's hard for him. I will say he has been supportive in the fact that he lets me buy whatever I am wanting to try for the week foodwise without complaint.
It's been an interesting journey. It will be interesting to see where I sit a year from now. A good friend of mine also changed the way she ate a long time ago. She gives me hope because she said she never did go back to her old ways. It gives me hope. We'll see.
You would think I would be excited about this, and I am. However, today I had to take off my wedding ring. I just couldn't take it spinning around my finger all the time. It is loose enough there is a chance it could slide right off my finger when I'm swimming. All this is to say, as much as I want to own my weight loss as a done deal and a forever new me, I am cautiously optimistic. I have only been doing this new way of eating since Easter. Knowing my past, I have reason to believe I will eventually gain it back and slip into old habits. I always have. Why would now be any different? New clothes are costly. Then there's the depression that comes with spending all that money only to watch yourself grow out of all those nice new clothes. Buying them is almost feels like putting a guilt trip on myself. Want a piece of pie, better not, I might grow out of those new clothes. Want a big juicy cheeseburger, better not I might outgrow those new clothes. Blegh! I don't want to fear food. I wish I could just wait until a year is passed to make sure I can maintain through another Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas. Just time to know that even with an occasional splurge I can maintain if I stay consistent the rest of the time. Time to know that I won't let an occasional splurge let me completely fall off the bandwagon.
About the only decision I've come to so far is that for now, I am waiting to replenish my wardrobe with things that fit better. I just want more time to settle into this lifestyle change. More time to prove to myself that I can do this for the long haul. About the only thing I am planning on doing for myself at this point is to buy workout shorts. I don't own any so I wouldn't be replacing anything. I would really like to stay active this summer and my jean shorts aren't cutting it. I spent the better half of my time on the treadmill this morning holding my jean shorts up so they wouldn't rub and chafe my body.
A nice perk of all this change is my girls are watching. I get glimpses of how powerful our influences are as their parents when my kindergartener asks me daily after school if she made the healthiest choice for her lunch that day. The kids at school are always given the choice of two different main dishes at our school. The girls have also been very intrigued with my smoothies and are eager to try them. They have been good about trying new things I've been cooking up. They don't argue if I refuse to give them unhealthy snacks because they see my example and know I value health. In a nutshell, I am modeling the same eating habits I expect from them.
Now Jeff, he's another story. He tries to be healthy and goes through spurts, but can be downright stubborn with certain foods. The only thing I have asked of him is that he not give me grief for wanting to do this for myself and my girls. He may not always like what I cook, but he always has the option to opt out and do his own thing. He exercises this choice a lot. He's gotten better about not being grumpy about it, but it's hard for him. I will say he has been supportive in the fact that he lets me buy whatever I am wanting to try for the week foodwise without complaint.
It's been an interesting journey. It will be interesting to see where I sit a year from now. A good friend of mine also changed the way she ate a long time ago. She gives me hope because she said she never did go back to her old ways. It gives me hope. We'll see.
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