Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 30

Assignment 30: You did it!

Thank goodness this is over. I didn't get to put in the effort I would have liked. Anyway, today I need to list all the ways I will keep myself accountable and reinforced what I've learned. I will keep making to do lists - not in my blog but somewhere easily accessible. I'll have my daily list and longer term lists, as well as periodic goal evaluation.

To do list:
laundry
floors
monthly 5k
buy newspaper
organize coupons

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 29

Assignment 29:  How will you do this?

Brainstorm ideas for achieving my goals. Let me first re-think my goals.

To do list:
change kitty litter
catch up on dvrs
watch Fringe (if it's available online)
make shopping list
change printer cartridges
sort Sebastian's coloring bucket

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 28

Assignment 28: To do list management

Edit today's to do list. What can be removed? Categorize my priority.\

None of it is critical. None of it has to be done today, but I'd like it all done.

To do list:
laundry
work out
make shopping list
buy printer ink
deposit paycheck

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 27

Assignment 27: Desitnation fixation

What do I want to stop fixating on? Where will I be 12 months from now?

I want to stop fixating on the things I can't control, but a year from now, I will be in control of more things in my life.

To do list:
work out
change kitty litter
clean comforter
catch up on bedroom dvr
read with Sebastian

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 26

Assignment 26: FAQ

I'll be honest - I only skimmed the page and didn't watch the video. I didn't get the email before work, and then I had to sub so I didn't get home until late and by then, I really didn't feel like messing with it. I didn't have much of importance to do today anyway.

To do list:
laundry
empty compost bucket

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 25

Assignment 25: Celebrating success.

List my proudest accomplishments since beginning this challenge. How will I celebrate my next accomplishment?

Well, I am pretty pleased that I mapped out a strategy for getting my house cleaned and organized. That has been keeping me positive, which helps me not freak out on Sebastian. My next accomplishment will actually be the execution of the plan, and when it's all done at the end of next month, I'm going to celebrate by starting my garden indoors, since I will actually have a place to do that!

To do list:
work out
laundry
change kitty litter
clean microwave

Busy day, huh?

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 24

Assignment 24: Time management.

Journal every minute of the day for two days and identify the one activity I have to cut back on to make better use of my time.

I don't need to journal to identify my time suck! It's the freaking internet. It's Babycenter and Facebook and my private message boards and my silly "researching" of various topics.

And it seems to be another "eat that frog" day, so I need to do my most important thing first. Nothing today is absolutely vital, but I definitely think the biggest "thing" is my workout. I'm starting a new program today so I'm eager to test it out. At the same time, it's a day off from school and work (thank you, teacher work day) so I'm tempted to be lazy.

To do list:
work on recipes
read for 20 minutes with Sebastian
build catapult with boys
laundry
put dishes away
Boxtops for Education
work out
do one week of meal planning for next month - I actually finished the menu!

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 23

Assignment 23: Environment for success.

How can I design/maintain my environment so that I can reach my goal? Since my goal is all about the home being calm, my entire house being organized is a big deal. We've been taking steps to make the environment easier for me to deal with. We got rid of a pain in the ass entertainment center and got some pieces that look better and are easier to keep clean and organized. We moved the old bulky piece into Sebastian's room, where it's perfect for storage of his stuff.

I keep my actual work space organized. I recently moved all my computer peripherals closer and bought an organizer for storing notepads and my USB cords. It's all good.

And next month's 30 day challenge runs off this theme (though I came up with the idea a week or two ago). I scheduled one small area of the house to organize and clean each day for the entire month. By the end of February, I will have a clean and organized home. A clean and organized home makes me a less stressed parent.

To do list:
buy news paper
organize coupons
grocery shopping
get gas
get booster seat from truck
change kitty litter
clean floors
hang entry-way rack
clean aerobic stepper
laundry
file taxes
finalize new workout program

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 22

Assignment 22: Share your success.

Let people around me know how they can help me achieve my goals.

I guess this means my husband is not a mind reader and I need to let him know that I can't do all the parenting by myself, that we need to be on the same page with discipline and expectations, and that we can't undermine each other. So, I shouldn't let Sebastian snuggle in our bed at 5 AM anymore :(

To do list:
have a fun day with my husband and son at two museums in Richmond
read on the way to and from Richmond

I must replicate this at home.

My favorite, favorite sauce/topping/marinade/dip is Chipotle People's Sweet Heat Addiction. My BFF, Amy, got some of this, along with some salsas, for my birthday a couple years ago. It was a huge hit, and she got it for me again. As long as Mad Men stays on the air, I'll be getting this mouth party for my birthday.

The problem is, it only lasts so long. My birthday is in May. I have been very, very conservative with my Sweet Heat usage but I finally ran out today. I haz da sadz. My eyes teared up. Mostly because my mouth was on fire as I licked the very last of it off my plate. Have you ever watched a hamster at its water bottle? Image I'm a giant hamster, standing in my kitchen, licking the hell out of an upside down bottle, contorting my tongue to get as far up in there as possible. Ew, okay, that sounds gross. Never mind.

The ingredients are simple:

brown sugar, chipotle paste (dried & smoked jalapeno peppers, tomato paste, water, vinegar salt, citric acid), water, fresh onion, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, cilantro, fresh garlic, salt, chipotle seeds, xanthan gum (this last weird thing, I actually have in my pantry)

All of this makes a 14.7 oz bottle of sweet & spicy goodness. Each tablespoon has 25 calories (1 g fat, 6 g carbs, 0 g protein). What's the best way for me to replicate this puppy? I neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed a constant supply of this stuff. It's called Sweet Heat Addiction for a reason!

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 21

Assignment 21: Review Day

Not much to do, except review! I might re-do my goal list.

Today's to do list:
work out
thaw shrimp
buy Flat Out bread and toilet paper
go to bank
spend some time thrift store shopping
read with Sebastian
work on February menu some more
work on new weight training routine
make hummus

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 20

Assignment 20: Uncomfortable assignment.

List an uncomfortable assignment I've given myself to master immediately.

I am not doing other people's jobs today. I'm going to do mine and only mine. I go above and beyond every day. Today, I'm not picking up the slack.

Today's to-do list
take Sebastian for shots - REMEMBER to get medicine refill
return library book
buy Flat Out bread
read for 20 minutes with Sebastian

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 19

Assignment 19: Skills vs. goals.

Schedule a day of the week to create 10 goals. List push goal and how it will enable remaining goals. I think I will create my goals on Sundays, as I head into the new week. My push goal is to be a calmer parent and if I'm less stressed and more organizes, everything will be smoother.

Today's to-do list:
take recycling in
read as much as possible because library book is due tomorrow
PTA meeting - Turns out it wasn't much of a PTA function. There was supposed to be PTA business but no one in charge knew what was going on. I already knew what the business was but I wanted to see parent reaction. But since it was such chaos, I blew it off.

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 18

Assignment 18: Confidence through action.

List 1-3 things I've done recently that have boosted my confidence.

I got my teeth fixed a bit. That's about all I can think of that's recent.  Bah. So much for confidence.

Today's to-do list:
workout
mail packages
return library book
read for 20 minutes
work on February menu
prep tomorrow's lunches

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 17

Assignment 17: Breaking down the push goal.

Oh, look, a worksheet.

List 2-3 small steps to take today to help reach the goal. The more I think about it, the dumber my goal seems. I read stuff from other people doing this challenge, and it seems like everything they've picked is business/career/money related. I just want to be a better parent. I don't care about building an empire. I just want to be a good mom. Maybe I will do a new push goal each month, to coincide with my other personal challenges.

Okay, so 2-3 things I can do today that will help that. Well, there's no school today and Sebastian is having a friend over. I can do some activities with them. So we'll make brownies and go to the park. Another thing I can do today is get off the computer to work on as assignment Sebastian has. Normally I listen from my perch at the bar. Today I will sit down with him and listen to him read, then ask him questions because he is going to be tested on his reading comprehension. We need to do this every night this week.

Today's to-do list:
workout
put laundry away
change kitty litter
take boys to park
make brownies with the boys
read for 20 minutes
do yesterday's assignment to look up parenting sites

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 16

Assignment 16: Knowledge gives you the edge.

List the research I will add to my to-do list today and make a definitive statement about my push goal.

I picked a really freaking stupid push goal. Become a calmer parent? So, I guess I will look up some parenting web sites to find some methods of disciplining the pain in the ass challenging child.

I really failed on my list yesterday. There was a lot I didn't get done, but I did do a lot of things that were no on my to-do list. I didn't work out or do any cooking. I did brainstorm some ideas for monthly personal challenges, and even finalized next months challenge, complete with schedule. I backed up my computer and did some maintenance on it. I worked on my recipes, and printed out all of the recipes I needed for today.

To-do list:
laundry
grocery shopping
buy newspaper
organize coupons
catch up on DVR
work on February menu
read for 20 minutes
bake breads & bars, baked oatmeal

Updated baking recipes

I found another recipe for Sandwich Thins, this one is whole wheat and slightly less points than the first one I posted.

Sandwich Thins

1 1/3 cups warm water
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbs yeast
1 large egg
2 tsp canola oil
3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat bran
2 Tbs vital wheat gluten
1 tsp salt

1. In a bowl sprinkle the sugar over the warm water, then do the same with the yeast. Add the egg and oil and combine. In a separate container, use a fork or a whisk to stir together the flour, bran, wheat gluten, and salt. Add 1/2 of this mixture to the wet ingredients and blend. This is the sponge.

2. Let rise 30 - 45 minutes.

3. Add rest of flour mixture and knead for about 5 minutes. I use my stand mixer with the dough attachment. This dough will be sticky.

4. Spray 2 cookie sheets with cooking spray. Divide dough into 18 equal portions. This is a wet dough so instead of adding any additional flour, I weigh the dough on a food scale and divide it by 18. Then I weigh out each portion and put 8 on each cookie sheet. Don't worry about how it looks now.

5. Take a 4" biscuit cutter and place it over one of the dough portions. If you wet the inside of the cutter as well as your fingers you can spread the dough into a perfect circle by using your fingers to flatten it to the inside edge of the biscuit cutter. (These will be very thin but they will rise). Remove the cutter, re-wet the inside and use it to do the same thing to the remaining buns.

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Let the buns rise until double in bulk, about 30-45 minutes.

7. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Don't overbake. Cool the buns and then cut them in half for sandwich buns.

8. Edit Note: Since I first started making these I've made 2 changes. One is that I make them in muffin top pans sprayed with Pam. No cutting involved.

9. The other thing is that I use oat fiber instead of the wheat bran. I ordered oat fiber online. It is NOT the same as oat bran and is in many things these days, so I decided to try it instead of wheat bran. It is very high fiber, few calories, and pleasant tasting. Just use in moderation. In this recipe I use only 1/4 cup. It is 5 calories and 26 grams of fiber for the 1/4 cup. Also, it is more mild tasting than the wheat bran.

Servings: 18

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/18 of a recipe (1.7 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 103.51
Calories From Fat (9%) 9.6
% Daily Value
Total Fat 1.09g 2%
Saturated Fat 0.17g <1%
Cholesterol 11.75mg 4%
Sodium 134.63mg 6%
Potassium 59.48mg 2%
Total Carbohydrates 20.11g 7%
Fiber 1.4g 6%
Sugar 2.86g
Protein 3.63g 7%
MyPoints 2.84

Weekend Baking

Sandwich Thins

1 1/4 cups warm water
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/4 tsp yeast
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat bran
2 Tbs vital wheat gluten
1 tsp salt
1 large egg
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs rolled oats

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine water, sugar and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let sit for 10 minutes. Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl (start with only 1 cup of the AP flour) and add half to the mixer bowl (or just measure out half of each one). Add the oil and egg and then turn the mixer on to low and mix until thoroughly combined. Cover and let rest 1 hour.

2. Add the remaining dry ingredients and knead for 5 minutes. This dough will be sticky. Add additional AP flour by the tablespoon so that dough forms a ball. (It doesn't have to perfectly clean the sides of the bowl, but you don't want a gloopy mess.)

3. Spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray (I also used parchment). Divide dough into 18 equal portions - I weighed the entire ball of dough to figure out the weight of each bun. Roll each portion of dough in your hands to form a ball, and then flatten  it between your palms. Place it on the baking sheet and press down, working the dough into a thin 5-inch round. Brush the tops with water and then sprinkle with rolled oats.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees while you let the buns rest for 30 minutes before docking - I used the narrow end of a chopstick to dock the buns before baking for 12-15 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing.

Servings: 18

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/18 of a recipe (1.8 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 128.76
Calories From Fat (15%) 19.27
% Daily Value
Total Fat 2.19g 3%
Saturated Fat 0.36g 2%
Cholesterol 11.75mg 4%
Sodium 134.68mg 6%
Potassium 63.94mg 2%
Total Carbohydrates 23.45g 8%
Fiber 1.57g 6%
Sugar 2.88g
Protein 4.08g 8%
MyPoints 3.53

Protein Granola Bar - Vanilla

200 g rolled oats
100 g vanilla whey protein powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
122 g unsweetened applesauce
20 g ground flax
84 g honey
80 g brown sugar
56 g almonds, chopped
68 g shredded coconut

1. Mix the oats, protein powder, baking soda, extract, applesauce, flax, honey, and brown sugar in a bowl.

2. Stir in almonds, dried fruit, and coconut.

3. Spray a 9x13 inch cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

4. Press mixture over cookie sheet evenly to the edges.

5. Bake 18-20 minutes in a 325 degree oven.

6. Let cool and cut into bars.

7. Store in air-tight container in refrigerator.

Servings: 18

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/18 of a recipe (1.4 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 137.02
Calories From Fat (26%) 35.1
% Daily Value
Total Fat 4.23g 7%
Saturated Fat 1.46g 7%
Cholesterol 9.26mg 3%
Sodium 83.31mg 3%
Potassium 99.87mg 3%
Total Carbohydrates 19.91g 7%
Fiber 2.26g 9%
Sugar 10.18g
Protein 6.88g 14%
MyPoints 3.94

Cereal Bars

1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla
7 cups cereal rice krispies
½ cup chocolate chips

1. Combine sugar and corn syrup in saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add the peanut butter and vanilla, stir until well mixed and smooth. Stir in cereal mix. Fold in choc chips. Grease a 12x9 pan. Pour the mix into the greased pan. Using WET hands press the mix into the pan as evenly as possible. Let them cool on the counter or in the fridge. Once cooled completely, cut into bars. Store in an airtight container.

Servings: 18

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/18 of a recipe (1.9 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 224.54
Calories From Fat (32%) 72.83
% Daily Value
Total Fat 8.76g 13%
Saturated Fat 2.36g 12%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 172.92mg 7%
Potassium 113.43mg 3%
Total Carbohydrates 35.11g 12%
Fiber 1.22g 5%
Sugar 13.35g
Protein 4.5g 9%
MyPoints 6.51

English Muffins

2 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbs sugar
2 tsp salt
1 package active dry yeast
1 3/4 cups skim milk
1/4 cup water
1 Tbs butter unsalted
2 cups all purpose flour
1 large egg
cornmeal for dusting

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt and yeast... set this aside. In a small sauce pan, heat the milk, water, and butter until very warm (about 120*-130*F).

2. Add this gradually to the dry mixture and beat on medium speed in a stand up mixer for 2-3 minutes. Add one egg and another 1 cup of flour, and beat on high for 2 minutes. Continue to add small amounts of flour so that a soft dough forms. Remove this dough from the bowl, and knead until it is smooth and elastic. If the dough is too sticky, add small amounts of flour. Place back in the bowl, cover, and let rise until it doubles... about one hour.

3. After it's doubled, punch it down like it called your spouse fat, cover, and let it rise back again... about 45 minutes. Punch it down again like it didn't learn it's lesson :) On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until 1/2" thickness. I use a water glass, cut out the muffins.

4. Sprinkle a cookie sheet with cornmeal, and place the muffins about 1" apart from each other. Sprinkle the tops with more cornmeal. Cover and let rise again for another 45 minutes... I know but they need it.

5. Over low heat, lightly grease a griddle or a heavy skillet. Once the surface is hot, place the muffins with a metal spatula - be careful not to damage or deflate them - on the griddle. They will expand both up and outwards as they cook on each side. Flip over each muffin as they brown, but don't let them burn... they will get too crunchy. This takes about 5 minutes a side. Make sure each side is evenly brown, and cool them on wire racks. This recipe makes anywhere from 20-24 muffins, depending on how thick they are.

Servings: 24

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/24 of a recipe (1.6 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients. One of the recipe's ingredients was not linked. This ingredient is not included in the recipe nutrition data.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 94.42
Calories From Fat (9%) 8.08
% Daily Value
Total Fat 0.92g 1%
Saturated Fat 0.41g 2%
Cholesterol 10.44mg 3%
Sodium 204.97mg 9%
Potassium 61.51mg 2%
Total Carbohydrates 18.01g 6%
Fiber 0.65g 3%
Sugar 2.03g
Protein 3.18g 6%
MyPoints 2.5

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 15

Assignment 15: Learn to say no.

Oh, I don't think I have a problem saying no. I don't do things I really don't want to do.

To-do list:
workout
put dishes away
vacuum
make hummus
bake protein granola bars
make cereal bars
make Sandwich Thins & English muffins
activate new Brandy's VisaBuxx card
do laundry

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 14

Assignment 14: How do you spend your day?

Identify my "frog" and start with that to create a schedule for the to-do list.

I'm not sure I really have a frog. Usually the biggest thing I need to "get out of the way" is my workout. So, assuming I do not have to work late, I will start laundry before work, and when I get home, I'll workout, then do everything else.

Today's to-do list:
change kitty litter
vacuum
work out
finish the book I'm reading, then start the next one
create weekend baking list
work on shopping list
begin February menu
work on long term to-do lists & schedule
laundry

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 13

Assignment 13: Who are your friends?

Make a list of people who push me to be my best.

In general terms, I hope this means, not just with respect to my push goal of being a calmer parent. I am lucky to have many people touch my life in some way. M pushes me to be stronger and healthier physically. C led me to my current job. D and T and M are good parental role models.

Today's to-do list:
start shopping list for the weekend
put dishes away
re-stock laundry detergent
vacuum floors
prep lunches for tomorrow
make hummus

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 12

Assignment 12: Be your own coach.

Today's assignment is to write down a negative thought, cross it out, then write the opposite in the form of an affirmation.

I'm a selfish parent and often act out of anger.

I am a good mom and do my best to create a safe, loving environment for my son.

Today's to-do list:
work out
change kitty litter (I hate when it's my turn!!)
Green Team
wrestling
prep tomorrow's lunches
work on long term to-do list & schedule
read for 20 minutes

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 11

Assignment 11: Skill Mastery

List the things that will help improve my skillz and help me achieve my push goal. Yo.

To recap, my push goal was to become a calmer parent. So I guess some things that will help me do that are:
recognizing when I'm reacting emotionally and irrationally, seeking out alternatives to yelling all the time, and actually learning to do less for Sebastian.

Today's to-do list:
put dishes away
work out
clean bathroom
read for 15 minutes
prep tomorrow's lunches
pack camera for Green Team
review this month's menu and adjust based on wrestling schedule
roast chicken for Thursday's soup
put pork chops in marinade for tomorrow's dinner

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 10

Assignment 10: Stay on task.

If the rest of this challenge is going to be just making to-do lists in my blog, I won't be boring you any longer.

Today's to-do list:
PTA meeting
wrestling
mail dvds
return library books
prep tomorrow's lunches

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 9

Assignment 9: How to make a habit stick.

List the triggers I will use and the time and the time I scheduled my to-do list to be made each day.

I am going to make my to-do list at 7:30 each night, and I will use my cell phone alarm system to remind me.


Today's to-do list:
grocery shopping
get newspaper, organize coupons
catch up on living room dvr
laundry
read for at least 20 minutes
read with Sebastian
email info to mother-in-law
balance checkbook
finish backing up files

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 8

Assignment 8: You are not a quitter.

No worksheet today.

I didn't get everything on my to-do list done yesterday. I didn't get to read with Sebastian. He's tired of the book he's been reading and I'm trying to get him to read the last three chapters so we can take it back to the library.

I think I need to start making my to-do lists before I go to bed. Chalene suggests starting the day with it, but there are some days when I literally get called from bed to work so I'm going to do them the night before. My life is pretty predictable so I can't imagine a lot of variety.

Today's list:

wash the sheets & blankets
re-do Sebastian's music mix cd
exercise
tidy up the kitchen and bathroom
dust
put Sebastian's box of books he won from Scholastic away
clean the floors
make brownies with Sebastian (he's dying to try out the new Perfect Brownie pan my mom got me) - I'm taking this off the list because one condition of making brownies was that Sebastian could not bug me every 10 seconds about making them, and he blew it.
figure out and play U-Build Monopoly
pay cell phone bill
email some info to a friend
work on one of my web sites

It's the little things.

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 7

Assignment 7: Create and follow your to-do list every day.

There's no worksheet or new assignment. Just create and follow the to-do list.

Oh and for the record, I didn't vacuum yesterday.

Today's list:

work out
spend at least 20 minutes reading my library book
read at least 1 chapter of Sebastian's library book with him
put laundry and dishes away

Tomorrow's list will be longer.

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 6

Assignment 6: Creating a carefully created diligently maintained to-do list.

Here is the worksheet.

I am pretty good at creating a to-do list. I started doing it in the fall, right around the time I inherited the PTA fundraising responsibilities. Fall is our busy time, with two insane fundraisers back-to-back. I was also leading two other school-related activities and things would slip my mind. Following Chalene on Facebook, she always mentioned having a to-do list. So I started one, and it was wonderful!

Since my days aren't super-packed, I tend to keep a running list on a notepad, and cross things off as I do them. Right now there are only two things on it for this weekend: pay the phone/internet/car insurance bills and pick up a book from the library. But the book is going to have to wait because a book I requested a hold for is in and I have to read that first. I add things to it as they come to my head, and I keep it right my computer. If I have a lot of school-related stuff going on, I keep it with me.

So, today's to-do list:

pick up library book
vacuum the floor
do laundry

That's it. Oh, I'm going to add relax to that list because my feet are killing me from the craziness of the last two days.

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 5

Assignment 5: Important person promise. 


Here is the worksheet for today's assignment.

My push goal is to be a calmer parent.

I promise to make my best effort to stop and think before I react, to be a fair disciplinarian, and to appreciate the time my son wants to spend with me, before he's too old and thinks he knows it all.

I am going to tell my son.

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 4

Assignment 4: Clarifying your push goal.


And here is the worksheet.


Recapping the 10 goals from yesterday:

1. be a calmer, more dedicated parent
2. reduce the amount of processed food my family eats
3. squat my bodyweight
4. dead lift 1.5 times my bodyweight
5. explore additional career options
6. read at least 2 books per month
7. run an 8K
8. adopt a home cleaning and organization system
9. complete NaNoWriMo
10. spend time more time outside

Put a star next to the two goals that make all the others easier to achieve, and two stars next to the push goal. I'm supposed to write down what it's going to feel like when I achieve this goal, and be really specific about it.  I picked some shitty goals because there are a few distinct categories, but nothing that really relates to anything else overall. My fitness goals aren't going to jack for my parenting, or vice versa. My leisure goals, well, okay, I guess that's it. My fitness and leisure goals affect my overall well-being, which influences my home life. Okay, so. I don't know. I'm not really in the right frame of mind to think about this right now. I may have to come back to it tomorrow, after I've had time to think. Maybe this would a good pre-bed meditation.

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 3

Assignment 3: Select your top 10 goals for the year.

Here is today's worksheet.

List your top 10 goals for the next 12 months. Choose your number one push goal.


Hmmm, interesting. Chalene wants us to set tough goals - financial, personal, relationships, happiness, etc - as in not things that we'll be doing anyway. Nothing related to things I can't control.

1. be a calmer, more dedicated parent
2. reduce the amount of processed food my family eats
3. squat my bodyweight
4. dead lift 1.5 times my bodyweight
5. explore additional career options
6. read at least 2 books per month
7. run an 8K
8. adopt a home cleaning and organization system
9. complete NaNoWriMo
10. spend time more time outside

I guess, out of all of these, number 1 would be, well, number 1 - be a calmer, more dedicated parent. I'm pretty involved in Sebastian's school and activities but I'd like to do more things with him, one-on-one. I'm also a screamer, discipline impulsively and while angry, and hover. I want to change those things.

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 2

Assignment 2: How to determine your priorities.

There's a great worksheet for this assignment.

First, make a list of all the areas of importance in my life. Okay, let's do that! In no particular order (because brainstorming is just about getting your thoughts out there, refining comes later):

providing for my family, making memories rather than accumulating things, providing learning opportunities, trying things once, being a positive influence on others, making life easier for everyone, being healthy and encouraging healthy behaviors in others, learning, being organized

Next, identify the 5 most important areas.

providing for my family, providing learning opportunities, making life easier for others, being healthy and encouraging healthy behaviors in others, learning

Then, identify the top 3 priorities.
providing for my family, providing learning opportunities, being healthy and encouraging healthy behaviors in others

Put the top 3 in order.
providing for my family, being healthy and encouraging healthy behaviors in others, providing learning opportunities

Now, take priority number one and complete the  following statements:

The reason why I have placed the greatest importance on this area of my life is because: there are many things I can do to ensure my husband and son are taken care of, and that my son grows up to be a well-rounded, caring, and helpful member of society.

I will honor my number one priority by vowing to do my best to always: think about what is best for my family in the long term, treat my son and husband with respect, and taking care of myself so that I'm the best "me" I can be for them

The following action(s) would be inconsistent with my commitment to my number one priority: being selfish, ignoring my family members, not taking the time to be with them

To honor my number on priority I will limit: frivolous spending, impulsivity on decision making and negative behaviors,

To live my life according to my number one priority I need to make the following changes: spend less time on the computer, seek out opportunities for growth (for them and myself)

Now make a clear Priority Statement:


My number one priority is to be a good role model and provide my family, my son in particular, opportunities to experience life and learning, with the confidence to try new things and pursue their own goals.

Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge: Day 1

Chalene Johnson is my favorite, favorite, favorite fitness person. She does Turbo Kick, Turbo Jam, Hip Hop Hustle, PiYo, ChaLEAN Extreme, and Turbo Fire. She's also a motivational speaker and has her fingers in all sorts of fitness-related pots. I follow her on Facebook and she's always posted about using To Do lists to stay organized. I started doing that and it helped me get through all the PTA fundraising business last fall. So when she posted about a 30 day challenge for organization and achieving goals, I was all over it. I signed up and we get assignments each day. Here is where you read all about it!

Assignment 1: Think about what is important to you.


I don't know quite what this means. Family is important to me. Learning is important to me. Being able to provide people with information (I guess that would be "teaching" huh?) is important to me. I sure do like telling people how it is! LOL

But in all seriousness, I do think it's important to share, whether it's knowledge, opinions, experience, time, things. I've spent so long keeping to myself, like I've been in a cocoon for 35 years and I've just now completed my metamorphosis and am ready to emerge and show the world what I have to offer. Being the best me I can be for others is what's important to me.