Tuesday, January 21, 2014

2014 Check-In


So how am I doing on some of these goals I set for myself?  Let's be real here.

1. Reclaim control over our family budget and stick to it.  We're not terrible, but we've definitely bent a few times.  Also, factor in plans for our dreams.
-January is a rough month for this one…right after the holidays, and Corey's birthday pops up, heating bill is outrageous, oh and I go an extra two weeks before seeing my paycheck.  (We get paid right before Christmas break, and don't get paid again until the end of January.)
-We've actually set up envelopes a la Dave Ramsey, and are both keeping track of our spending pretty well.  
-There may have been some splurging for Corey's birthday…but nothing out of the budget.
-I've even passed on ordering lunch with my teammates (a Friday ritual) the past two weeks to save that additional $10 a week.

2. Reclaim my body and energy.
-Got a fitbit and have been actively logging my activity and food intake with the app.  It is really helpful to see calories in vs. calories out.
-Got a gym membership at the new XSport Fitness center that just opened down the road, and went for two days.  One of which was a free personal training session, and BOY do my quads, hamstrings, and gluteus HURT!  Was planning on going today…but with the snowfall I'm not sure I'll make it there…perhaps I'll just do some stuff at home.  I am looking forward to trying some of the classes though. (Zumba, Cycling, maybe even some Yoga!)

3. Give fully in all areas.
-I have to say this is a work in progress and something that doesn't just change over night.
-One major area I've tried to focus on giving more fully to is actually my work, and in praying over that I've been inspired to create some exciting projects and lessons for my kids, so I think that's headed in a really good direction.  Still a work in progress, but headed in the right direction.
-I'm still figuring out what it means to give fully in ALL areas of my life…there's still a long way to go, but it's important to celebrate the lessons and victories along the way.

4. Have an adventure.
-Hmmm…nothing too adventurous yet.

5. Uncover true passion in my life.
-Praying through this one big time.

6. Be more intentional in prayer.
-I have been keeping a prayer journal which helps me focus during my conversations with God and not get lost in my inner thought world.  I don't write in it nightly, but still frequently.
-Prayer sometimes feels like a battle for me even when I write it down, because sometimes I feel like I'm being fake…not that I don't mean what I say, but I'm saying words that I hear other people say when they pray and using language they use, and that's not how I talk in real life…so why am I talking to God that way?  Why can't I talk to him the way I talk in real life?  I don't know it's a mindset thing and another element that I'm praying through.

7. Be more watchful and expectant.
-The prayer journal helps me with this one a lot.  If I write down what I ask for, I can revisit and record when I receive the answer. I can also see how persistent I've been in praying for it.

8. Go on another mission trip.
-No developments here.

9. Take a vacation.
-Potential development here that I'm quite excited about, but I don't want to say anything until it's a done deal--booked and paid for.

10. Do something that feeds my creative soul.  (Take a cake decorating class or something).
- Honestly….nothing here.  Maybe the projects I'm creating for my students counts…but I'd rather create something else.

Honesty box time ya'll, how are your goals coming along?

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

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Baby It's Cold Outside!

In the spirit of today's arctic freeze that is sweeping across the nation and subsequently granted me a "it's too cold to leave the house," day off from work, (Seriously…schools are closed because it's too cold here…the sun is shining and the roads are clear…it's just cold so no school.), today I'm touching on cold-weather wear.

Let's begin with a lesson in cold weather wear history.  Particularly, MY cold weather wear history.
My family used to live in Fairbanks, Alaska.  So this business today is cold, but it's NOTHING compared to the regular -60 degree temps I saw and went to school in.  Now I was win 5th and 6th grade at that time, and we can easily label those years the dumb years in fashion for me.

My mother insisted I wear something like this during the winter:
 


If only I had a picture of my actual get-up.  Yes folks, I was indeed a frozen purple grape.  My younger sister who my mom still liked to dress to match me at this point, had the same get up but in all pink…we dubbed her the pink marshmallow.  Now being the little rebel that I was…the cool thing to do amongst my friends was to actually only wear something like this.

 

Yup, us too-cool-for-school upper elementary kids would dress ourselves head to toe in adidas track gear, because that was "cool."  And our poor mothers would give up the battle everyday and probably secretly wish we froze all our fingers and toes off in the sub-zero temperatures at recess just so we would learn our lesson.  And trust me, it was cold.  The sneakers did nothing to keep the cold wet snow from seeping in.  Our tooshies froze in those flimsy little track pants, and the jacket, HA!  Maybe that's why we spent all our time at recess huddled together gossiping instead of playing and having fun.  Anyway, you get the picture.  We were stupid, all of us, but in our own minds we were cool.  I think this especially now as a teacher of 6th graders and the lot of them insist on wearing something like the picture below every day.  Even in freezing temps.

Notice the switch from Adidas to Nike? True story! Maybe it's an east-coast/west-coast thing…who knows?  In my day is was Adidas all the way.  But anyway, yes the COOL thing for 6th graders now is to wear little track or lacrosse shorts, MAYBE a sweater, and bright sneakers every day. Regardless of how cold it actually is.  And I think man…your mother let you out like that today?  And then I remember…yeah, my mom gave up that battle too…OK, well enjoy freezing at recess.

Let's move on to cold weather wear of today.  I will probably venture out to the store in a bit to pick up a few items and when I do I will don something like this.
Mine is black and not the exact same but this is pretty close.
Although, I wish I had one a bit longer so it would cover my butt.  Like this one down here.

While it is freezing, there's no damp snow…so I'm not feeling the need for snow pants.  I will most definitely try to wear leggings underneath my jeans as an extra layer, and probably just my riding boots as I no longer own snow boots.  (maybe I should fix that soon).

I think underneath all the bundling I'll have something like this:
J Crew (No longer available)
Bought this pretty for myself on Black Friday and wrapped it up to open Christmas morn.  It's so comfy, and I love it!
Love my LuckyBrand jeans!
Eddie Bauer (no longer available)

Stay warm my dears!  It's ok to dress warmly, cold weather fashion has come a long way!