Our Pantry is Empty! What We Learned From No Spend March

We survived a month of "no spending".  Overall we spent about $150 in groceries and only paid our regular expenses.  We didn't buy anything extra or spend any money on entertainment.  Although we weren't able to keep our weekly groceries under $20, we did pretty good.  Here are some of the things we learned through the month:

The Italian and Mexican shelves suffered the most!

• Things last a lot longer than we thought.  The whole month I thought we were going to run out of ketchup and my facial cleanser but we never did.  Turns out I was really bad at judging how much is left in the container.
• Meals can be easy, quick, and cheap and still taste really good.  We went back to our old favorite recipes and remembered why they used to be our favorites.  We didn't get bored at all although by the end of the month, I was craving more fresh vegetables.
• You can survive a month without peanut butter and all purpose flour but not tamari.  We ran out of all of these the first week but the tamari is the only one we bought in March.  
• The world doesn't end when you pull the last non-dairy milk carton from the closet.  I always have at least 4 or 5 cartons in the closet so that I never run out.  By the last week, we were on the last soy milk but it lasted and I didn't even have to skip a smoothie.
• Speaking of smoothies, it is fantastic having a month's worth of greens and bananas in the freezer.  I'm going to buy those in month-long quantities from now on instead of every week.
• Lemons and limes make your life happier.  We ran out of both mid-month and our meals suffered.  
• There is something very satisfying about seeing the food in your pantry actually decrease.  It made me just as happy as when I would see it fully stocked.

Overall it was a really good experience and worth the time and effort.  We saved a lot of money and learned what to buy and what not to buy.  There are a lot of pre-made sauce kind of things still sitting in the pantry which we obviously don't like so I am determined not to buy them ever again.  Bill and Kayleigh were very supportive through the whole thing and very patiently waited for April to arrive!  

Catch-All Room

Despite what feels like constant chaos in my house, I love decluttering and organizing the different areas whether it is a room, closet, or just a drawer.  There are certain parts that I've done over and over but there is one room that I have put off because it was so overwhelming.  I wish I had thought to take pictures before we cleared the room.  It is truly impossible to even imagine how bad it was.  But I guess that is why there aren't any pictures!  I did find a couple to show that it was actually a functioning room at one time.

This room used to be my daughter's room (as you can see from the random Winnie the Pooh items).  When she was about 8 years old we moved her down the hall to what was then a spare bedroom.  That's when the disaster started.  First, we took the water bed that was in the other room and put it in this room.  The problem is that we didn't actually set it up as a bed so we started piling boxes and general junk into the big open bed frame.  Finally, we came to terms with the fact that we weren't going to have (nor did we really need) a spare bedroom and got rid of the water bed.  We decided to use the room as a "study room" for Kayleigh.  We set up my parent's old kitchen table for her to do her homework.  A couple months later, she got a sewing machine for her birthday so it became her sewing room.  Then a few year's ago, she really got into baking so the table was used to store all her baking supplies.  

Kayleigh sewing back when you could actually see the top of the table.  

There was even enough room for the ironing board.

Through all this, the room served several other purposes as well including a place to feed the cats, store Bill's bowling and bike supplies, keep the paper recycling, and general junk collection place.   We used to clear the table off every year for Christmas and use it as a second table for the food.

Here is the best I could do for a disaster picture.  I took this last year to show Kayleigh's cake decorating supplies organization.  Yes, we tried to organize in the middle of a big mess.  We were trying at least! You can barely even notice what we were trying to show because there is also a tower of scrapbooking paper, a bike wheel, a bowling bag, a random cup from when I was in college, and a tea pot.  You'll have to just imagine what the other 90% of the room looked like!

Eventually that became too much of a hassle so we just started shutting the door. When we were remodeling the family room and computer room, we started simply piling everything from those rooms into any open space in here.  Then, as I decided not to move some of the stuff back into the original rooms, they started to collect dust.   It was terrible.  It was almost impossible to even find an open spot to feed the cats.  The worst part is that you look straight into this room when you walk in the house.  

One day about 2 months ago, I decided I'd had enough and started clearing everything out of the room.  We took the table down and then looked around at the space.  We decided that the bowling and biking stuff would get permanently removed and that the other items needed to be better contained.  Kayleigh and I ran to Target for something completely different but stumbled across these shelving units that were on sale.  Then we found the bins and everything came together.  

Recycling is still there but hidden in that basket in the corner.  This unit has several of our larger items that used to be under the table including a pressure cooker, serving dishes and Kayleigh's sewing machine,  And, of course, there is always Dot!

This is the other shelving unit.  We managed to get tons of stuff hidden into those containers but it is still all very accessible.  My scrapbooking supplies are to the left.

One of these is holding Bill's extra water bottles and the other is actually empty!

There are Kayleigh's baking supply drawers that we were trying to show off before.

All the other, larger, baking items are in these.  

Here's inside one.  I couldn't believe everything fit so well.

 

Just for reference, that is the main door to our house as seen through the kitchen.

And this is what you see now from the kitchen.  Much better.  And there is Dot, again,.

The room still isn't perfect.  You'll notice a huge piece of drywall still pushed against the wall (not sure what that was even bought for) but it is so much better.  Every time I walk in this room or even just glance in from the kitchen, I feel so good.  I wish I had done this years ago but better late than never!  

The dry wall along with Dot.  Can you tell it was almost dinner time when I took the pictures.  She couldn't figure out why I was in there without her food bowl!

Please tell me I'm not the only one with a energy draining junk pile in their house.  I guess all that is left now is to tackle the basement, or maybe the garage!

Back to School Update

Hey, I just remembered I have a blog!  Actually even though it has been 2 months since I posted anything, I have actually been writing posts in my head all the time.  The problem was sitting down and actually writing them.  My chaos that I couldn't talk about before is continuing but it is becoming more routine so that shouldn't interfere so much any more.  Summer in general is kind of crazy which is funny because it is really only Kayleigh's schedule that changes but that seems to throw the whole household routine off.  And the worst part is just as I start to adjust, she goes back to school!

So, the ongoing process of getting my Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) designation.  I had planned to study about 6-8 weeks for the first part, take the exam, study for the second part, take that exam, etc. After studying about 5 weeks for the first part I was feeling pretty good about it so I decided to schedule the exam.  I was hoping to take it within the next 2-3 weeks.  Unfortunately, they didn't have any openings for almost 2 months.  I was horrified.  After freaking out for a couple days, I decided to move on to studying for part 2.  Now that I knew the time slots filled up fast, I went ahead and scheduled the second exam for 2 weeks after the first.

From the beginning I had mapped out my studying day-by-day to keep me on track and that became really important now that I was studying for two parts at once.  I ended up completing my study units for part 2, two weeks before my part 1 exam.  So at that point I switched back to reviewing part 1.  My study materials said that only 57% of the people pass the individual parts on the first try so that bumped my nerves to a whole new level!  I am happy to say that I passed part 1 on the first try.  I was so nervous and then so relieved, only to be followed by being nervous about the next part!

After I passed the first part, my co-workers got me a fruit bouquet and balloons which was fantastic.  I couldn't stop smiling for days.  I quickly realized that I had part 2 coming up in less than 2 weeks though, so had to come back down to earth and continue studying.  I passed part 2 on my first try as well.  I really can't believe it because I did not feel very confident.  I followed the study guide exactly how they suggested and I'm convinced that was the secret.  Shortly after passing part 2, we went on vacation so I haven't started studying for the third and final part yet.  I plan to start tomorrow.  Part 3 contains a lot more material (20 chapters in the study guide as opposed to 7 in the previous) so I'm feeling a little intimidated.  I'm sure I'll feel better once I jump into it though.

So I am living proof that you can do anything you put your mind to if you truly commit to it.  I had plenty of moments of doubt through the process but even though I haven't had to study for the past 20 years or so, I was able to get back in that mindset and do what I needed to do.

In a similar fashion, my husband just did something much larger than anything he did in the past as well.  We just got back from 10 days in Wisconsin where he competed in the Tour of America's Dairyland.  You can go here for their website and here for the Facebook updates if you are interested in more information. I have several posts planned about the competition in general and also what we did to plan for the trip, what we ate, and how Kayleigh and I fit in exercise around his races.  I'll give you a sneak preview though and tell you that he got first place overall for the 45+ Masters Category 3/4.  It was so exciting and, at least for me, completely unexpected.

Bill with Greg Hayes and Ross Giese

Masters 45+ Cat 3 & 4

Too Much Stress!

The last couple weeks I've been under a tremendous amount of stress.  I'd love to get it all off my chest but unfortunately it isn't something I can talk about.  What I can talk about though is how I did exactly the wrong thing when all this turmoil began.  I quit exercising and meditating and started eating junk food.  Granted, my junk food isn't nearly as junky as the typical American diet but still it caused my body to get very confused.  I quit sleeping but then only had enough energy to sit around watching TV.

The worst of it is behind me now (I think) so I'm going to make it a priority to get back on track.  I bought plenty of fresh produce last weekend so our meals should be automatically more healthy since I don't want it to go to waste.  Also, I'm off work until next Monday so exercising shouldn't be a problem.

Even though I am disappointed with how I let this issue disrupt my healthy lifestyle, it provided proof that I've been doing the right thing over the past couple years.  Normally it would have taken much less stress to completely mess up my stomach, give me constant headaches, and kick my IBS back into full force misery.  None of that happened.  Yes, my stomach has been very quivery and nervous, but I've been able to eat and overall I've felt pretty good considering the circumstances.  I haven't neglected any of my other activities.  I still get up every morning, pack Kayleigh's lunch, fix breakfast, go to her track meets.  I'm really shocked at how well I managed to compartmentalize that small but extremely stressful part of my life so that it didn't interfer with the rest of my life.  Oh yeah, and poor Kayleigh had her birthday fall in the middle of all of this!

This has been rambling and incoherent but I guess my main point is that although I didn't keep up with my diet and exercise routine over the past couple weeks, the good habits from the last couple years helped get me through this minor set back without too much damage.

I have tons of planned blog posts that I haven't got to this month so I'm going to make those a priority along with getting everything else back on track.  Stay tuned!

March Goals Recap

For March, I set 5 goals for myself.  Overall I'm happy with my results.  Two of them worked out so well I plan to continue.  The first success was drinking a glass of water every morning when  I first get up.  I managed to do that all but two days this month.  Now I'm so used to it, I feel funny if I don't drink water within the first half hour of getting up.

Parking in the back of the parking lot at work started off with a challenge because it was snowing the first day I went to work this month.  I was really tempted to pull into my normal spot but then I stopped myself.  I couldn't mess up a goal on the first day!  So I pulled all the way to the back and after a couple days discovered a hidden bonus.  I was actually able to get out of the parking lot much quicker in the evening because I didn't have to wait for everyone else before I could pull out of my spot.  So I walk a few extra steps and get home several minutes quicker!  Definitely going to continue that one.  There was only one day I parked closer but that was because it was raining and later in the morning I had to go to another location with someone else.  I didn't think it was nice to make her trek across the parking lot in the pouring rain so I parked in my old spot.

The exercising went OK.  I didn't always get it all in but I liked the variety of doing yoga, running and strength workouts.

I didn't meditate nearly as much as I would have liked but I did get more in than usual and I definitely felt calmer.

The sugar - well.... I really only gave this a half-hearted try.  I didn't make any cookies or anything like that this month but I still ate sugar.  I switched it from trying not to eat any sugar to just being aware of how much I was eating.

So overall it was a good month.  I haven't decided yet if I'm going to do something similar in April.  I have a couple hours to figure it out!

Back to School

When I was in college, I remember seeing a quote that went something like:

Every day do something for the sole reason that you don't want to.

I have no idea who said it and can't seem to find it now so I may be remembering it all wrong.  Regardless, the idea of stepping out of my comfort zone has always stuck with me.  So many times when an opportunity presents itself, my gut reaction is always to say no.  Even when it is something non-threatening like going out to lunch with someone.  Although, if I ignore my gut and do it, pretty much every time I'm happy that I did.

With my new job came the opportunity to get a new certification.  I already have one for a specialized area but this one is much more broad and covers every aspect of my profession (I won't bore you with details about auditing!).  I had actually considered doing this on my own when I was unemployed because I thought it would help me find a job.  Even though I'm now working, it can only help me in my current position and put me in a better position if I find myself unemployed again.

Even though I knew all this, when it was first suggested, I hesitated.  I've been out of school a long time.  This is a three part exam that will probably take about a year to complete.  That means hours and hours of studying and then concentrating through 2+ hours of testing at a time.  I was really tempted to say I didn't have the time to commit to it.  But then I realized that was crazy.  My daughter is in high school and always busy with her own activities.  She certainly doesn't need much of my time any more.  The more I thought about it, the more I realized this is actually the best time for me to do this.  Plus, what kind of example would I be setting for her if I didn't continue to improve myself?  I always tell her that you have to keep learning so it is only right that I lead by example.

So I agreed to work towards my certification.  I ordered a study program and immediately became overwhelmed!  But I quickly fell back into the routine of studying.  I worked out a plan of attack and scheduled all my study sessions for Part 1 in my calendar.  I'm now 5 weeks into it.  I'm hoping to take the first exam sometime in April.  Some of the sections have been easier than others but even when I struggle, I just keep going.  One chapter in particular is just killing me.  I've taken quiz after quiz and I feel like I'm getting worse!  But even when I get frustrated, I'm enjoying the challenge.  Losing my job last year was a bit of a blow to my confidence but now I can feel it coming back.  It feels good to take on a challenge and feel like I'm really accomplishing something.

Last year my big challenge was running that 5K.  Hopefully this will be just as successful as that!

March Goals

Back in December I had my workout goal of 2 hours a week including at least 4 miles of running.  That worked well to keep me motivated for a little bit but then that fell apart and wasn't really motivating me any more.  Kayleigh's track season started a couple weeks ago and Bill is training for his upcoming training camp (for cycling) so I decided I needed to come up with some kind of focus as well.  Last year I had the 5K that I was working towards but I don't really have anything specific like that this year.  Instead of picking one big goal, I decided to pick several enhancement kind of items that I could work on this month.  I'm generally happy with where I'm at right now but there are always small tweaks I can make.  I thought it would be good to have general health improvement actions instead of just exercising.  Here's the plan:

• Do yoga, running and ab workouts each at least two times a week.  I came up with this one because I was considering buying Insanity.  I decided I should prove that I was more dedicated to my current workouts before I spend money on a new one.
• Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning.  I usually drink a lot of water through the day but lately I've been so busy at work, I barely drink anything at all.  Starting the day with a full glass of water should get my day off to a good start.
• Park at the back of the lot at work.  I usually get to work early so a close spot is usually available but that doesn't mean I have to take it. 
• Meditate every day.  I already meditate on a regular basis but I'd like to increase it to daily.  I see a big difference in my stress level when I take the time to slow down for a few minutes.
• Reduce sugar.  That's my hard one!  I'm going to try to cut out most sugar and use only fruit, maple syrup, stevia,  or agave sparingly.  

I've managed to make it through the first two days but we'll see if I can keep it up.  I'm hoping by the end of March I'll see an actual improvement in my overall health, fitness and mental attitude.  

Active day - I am tired!

It was bad enough that I returned to a full-time job.  Then it started getting dark earlier.  That means that I basically come home every night and just sit around on the couch.  It is one thing to be too lazy to exercise but seriously, too lazy to blog?  That is really lazy!

Actually the main reason I haven't posted is that I have three main topics on this blog.  First, exercise.  I already commented about how I can't seem to figure out how to work and exercise all in the same day.  Second, food.  I now work until 5:00 which means my husband does all the cooking during the week which means I'm never in the kitchen.  Third, happiness.  Back to the working thing again.  I feel like I don't have time to think about things that make me happy because I spend all my time working or staring blankly at the TV.

But that all changed today because it was parent/teacher conferences.  I took the day off since Kayleigh was off and it was fantastic.  First of all, the weather was beautiful.  It started out around 50 and got up to almost 80 but it was sunny all day.

Kayleigh had cross country practice at 9:00 this morning so I dropped her off and then went to the park for a run.  I was a little worried because I haven't worked out the last couple weeks and I can't even remember the last time I went for a run.  I have been running around a lot at her meets but that isn't the same thing.  So I decided to start off slow and see how it went.  I ended up running 3 miles in about 35 or 36 minute which isn't too bad.  I then walked for about 5 minutes then ran a cool down of 1 more mile.  It took a total of about 50 minutes.  I felt like I could have gone even longer just because it was so nice to be outside running.
Then we went out to lunch with a friend of mine who Kayleigh has seen in years.  After that we had to go to the conferences which was actually really fast.  The only teacher I wanted to talk to wasn't there so we grabbed her report card, talked to her coach for a minute, then headed out.

Kayleigh's cross country team has sectionals next Tuesday.  This is the first year she is in varsity so her first time competing.  Her coach gave us a map of the course because it is different from last year.  We decided to head over to the park and check out the new route.  We ended up getting really confused in the woods so hopefully they mark it well.  We walked about 2 miles probably and raced up and down the hill.

It felt so good be outside today and moving around instead of sitting at a desk.  But, after all that activity, I am exhausted!  Think I'll head back to the couch - but with less guilt today than usual.

Since I haven't been blogging the last two months I should add that Kayleigh is having a fantastic season.  She has knocked about 4-5 minutes off her 5K time which is amazing.  Here she is in action.  That is her in purple.  This meet finishes on the track which is fun to watch.

Here is her team after that same meet.  It was an Invite with about 20 teams and they got 3rd place.  Kayleigh is #648.

We are very proud of her and I love to see her new-found confidence in her running.

The family that exercises together...

Or at least at the same time!  This evening it made me feel good to see Kayleigh heading of to cross country practice and Bill on a bike ride as I was heading out to run.  I'm slowly catching on to working and exercising on the same days.

This was my first day at work that felt like real work, not just walking around meeting people.  Half way through the afternoon I got a headache and it is still there.  I came home and immediately put on work out clothes.  After eating, I really wanted to sit on the couch and watch TV but I didn't.  I made myself get up and go for a run.  I figured I couldn't skip it when everyone else was out exercising and the weather has miraculously dropped down to the 70's! 

So as much as I wanted to stay on the couch, I didn't.  I went to the track and ran a lap, walked a lap, etc until I reached 3 miles.  My lap times were better than I thought I could do.  And now I'm back home, it isn't even 8PM yet, and I can watch TV without any guilt!

This picture has nothing to do with anything.  I just thought it was pretty and hate to have a post without a picture!  We saw this flower this weekend and thought it was so pretty, we went and bought one to plant at home.

Bad Attitude

I was tempted not to post this because it doesn't seen to provide many answers.  I'm mostly just venting my frustration.  But then I realized that it is good to remember that everything doesn't always go well and it isn't always easy but that is no reason to give up.  So here is my rambling post!

Our run last Friday.  Where am I?

 

I mentioned the other day that I went on a run and struggled the whole way but then ended up with my best time.  I've been thinking about this a lot the past few days trying to figure out what was going on.  It wasn't only that one run either.  The time before that I was not able to run the whole 5K.  I walked several times and felt terrible by the end of it.  I can't remember when I felt that bad during a run.  So when I again struggled this last time, I had doubts racing through my mind.  I went right back to my old pattern of thinking I couldn't do it.  There is something to be said for sticking with it and finishing but still, I'd like to feel better about the process. 

There I am - walking.  Even though I knew Bill had the camera, I just couldn't run.

Lately exercising in general has been a chore.  I did yoga today for the first time in a week and a half.  I can't remember the last time I did the elastic bands.  Mostly I've just been running a few times a week and doing a few general exercises like sit ups in between.  I have a feeling that is why I struggled with my last couple runs.  I already know that I feel better when I combine all the exercises but I just couldn't get myself to do it.

Another issue is that I'm spending too much time in my head.  I did finally get offered a job and I'm really excited about it but it was a long interview process on top of many months of being unemployed.  I think I spent too much time thinking (and stressing) about that instead of living each moment.  My natural comfort zone is sitting on my couch doing nothing and the second I let my guard down and allowed my mind to wander, I slipped right back into that bad habit. 

Friday night we went to the restaurant where Kayleigh works.

The third problem was something I could have prevented somewhat but not completely.  I ate too much restaurant food.  I never feel good when I eat out and over the past weekend I did it over and over.  My aunt was in town so we went out to eat with her on Friday night.  Then Bill had a race (cycling) in Milwaukee on Saturday so we ate lunch and dinner out.  Then on Sunday I ate my leftovers from the restaurants.  So by Sunday night, my body was in full revolt!

Before Bill's race.   Yes, Kay is wearing a coat.  It was cold!!

Actually I just thought of one more thing but this seems to be a constant in Chicago lately.  Our weather went from 95 degrees to 60 degrees in a day and now it is supposed to head back up towards 90 this weekend.  We've had heat, humidity, thunderstorms, and freezing wind all in one week.  That messes up my body and my mind.  And just as I typed this, it started pouring outside just to prove my point!

I'd like to find an easy solution to these recurring motivation problems but really there is only one answer.  I have to get up and just do something.  There isn't any magic to it.  As soon as I started my yoga this morning, I felt such a sense of peacefulness.  My runs (usually) make me feel proud and accomplished.  I just have to remember those good feelings and get off the couch!

Self Confidence

For anyone that didn't hear me screaming from the rooftops yesterday, let me fill you in.  I started running 2 years ago but since losing my job, I've really stepped it up and been more consistent with  my workouts in general.  A few months ago I set a goal of running an organized 5K this August.  I wanted to be able to run the whole thing without walking breaks. Yesterday, for the first time, I ran an entire 5K.  It felt amazing.  I immediately felt excited, proud, confident, and energized.  I felt like I was floating through the rest of the day.

During the run, I was thinking about the positive changes in my attitude since I started running and realized something interesting.  Years ago I started doing yoga to reduce my stress level.  I was looking for something that would be relaxing to my mind and body and help to reduce my nervous tendencies.  Don't get me wrong, I love yoga.  It is relaxing and I love when I can stretch a little further than last time.  But I've actually gained more calm peacefulness from running than I ever did from yoga.  I would have never guessed that. 

Strength training has always been mixed in with my workouts but my primary activity used to be yoga.  Then I switched and started mostly running.  The past couple months I scaled back on the running a little and increased my yoga and I've found that this is the best balance for me.  I run better if I do even just 15 minutes of yoga beforehand (yesterday I did one hour of yoga immediately before the run).  My yoga has also improved as my overall fitness increased thanks to the running.

The main lesson I learned through all this is that you need to find what works best for you and your goals.  The best solution isn't necessarily the most obvious.  But when you find that perfect balance, there is no limit to what you can do.

After getting back from our run, we went outside to pick a lot of strawberries.  Some bonus deep knee bends and stretching to cool down!

Food and Running and Books About Food and Running

I have a couple random comments today.  The first one is for everyone who always says they can't cook or that the food they make doesn't turn out or that they don't like the taste of whole foods.  We all have our bad days and today was mine. 

First of all, back when we were writing Besides Pizza, Kayleigh and I would often try new foods and then post our opinion.  Our biggest failure was papaya.  We hated it.  We didn't like the taste or the texture.  So that was a food I complete wrote off.  A couple weeks ago, we got together with friends and two of them were telling me how they love papaya.  When I said we didn't like it, they gave me a few pointers.  First they said to make sure you let it get very ripe.  Also, the peel has a very bad flavor so they said to make sure you get it all cut off.  Being the good sports that we are, we bought another papaya.  I left it sitting around until it looked nice and ripe.  Then I cut away everything except the very center part of the flesh.  It looked beautiful but then we tasted it.  Nope - still don't like it!

Then I made sweet muffins.  This is a recipe I learned in junior high cooking class.  I've made it thousands of times.  Today the muffins would not come out of the liners and they tasted all wrong.  I have no idea what happened.

So when you get frustrated with cooking just remember - everyone has things they don't like and everyone messes up recipes from time to time.  Forget about those things and move on.

Before Kayleigh went to work today (because she does that now!) we went to the library.  I've been taking her to the library on a regular basis since she was 3 years old.  A couple years ago they started remodeling our library and it is finally done.  We walked all over checking out where everything is now.  It is really nice and the layout makes more sense.  Kayleigh was a little disappointed that they removed the stuffed animals from the kid's section.  She used to line them all up and read to them.

As we wandered, we found tons of books to check out.  I ended up with one running book and several cookbook/nutrition books.  If I like them, I'll be sure to do a book review for everyone. 

We are about to head out the door to run.  Will it be a good run like our visit to the library or a bad run like the papaya and muffins?  We'll see!

Things Are Looking Up

The past two days have been really good for me and I can feel a shift in my attitude.  It started yesterday morning when Kayleigh and I went running first thing in the morning.  We had big storms during the night and it was really hot and humid in the morning.  We went running anyway but there was actual steam coming off the path and we were miserable.  Kayleigh has to run 3 miles each day for her training but after running at my pace for 1.5 miles, she decided to stop and come back later after it hopefully cooled off.  We walked another lap and then went home.

Shortly after getting home, I was called for a third interview - hurray!  We ran a lot of errands in the afternoon and did some cooking.

Around 6PM we went back out to the park to finish the run.  My plan was to run maybe one lap (2/3 mile) with Kayleigh and then walk until she was done.  I ended up going a full two miles with her.  That means that during the day, I completed 5K total.  At the start of the evening run my toes were cramping and I didn't think I would make it but then, before I knew it, we were done!  This is a huge step towards my goal of running that 5K race in August.

When we came home, my legs were killing me but I spotted some strawberries so I went out to pick them.  Look at this, I got a full bowl!  Squatting down to pick them was a little more difficult than usual though!

I felt so happy and fulfilled last night and that feeling has continued today.  Kayleigh went to work for the very first time.  It went really well.  I quit my first job, also at a restaurant,  after the first day so she is already doing better than me!  While she was at work, I had my job interview.  It went well (I think) and I'm really excited about this opportunity. 

Overall, everything is good right now.  I feel like I'm surrounded by positive energy!

Motivation from Strangers

Usually when I run outside, I'm running basically in a circle. My favorite places are the track at a nearby school, the park with the lake or the other park near our house.  One enjoyable part of circular routes is that there are almost always other people out there and, if they are going the opposite direction from you, you pass them several times.  I enjoy seeing the various people out there at different stages of fitness and different ages.  I especially like to see parents and their children because it is so important to set that healthy example.  I'm often tempted to say something encouraging as I pass people such as "Good job" or "You can do it" but I usually don't because I'm afraid they'll think I'm crazy.

Today, Kayleigh and I went to the local park first thing this morning.  She had worked out late yesterday so decided to slow down to my pace for as long as I could keep running.  I was shocked to make it 20 minutes before I had to walk.  At that point she sped up and continued her training.  I walked for 10 minutes then ran the remaining 10 minutes.  I reached the 5K mark at 38 minutes 23 seconds which is a new record for me.  Not bad considering I'm still coughing.

About one lap into our run, a family of two parents, another woman, and two teenagers showed up.  The two women walked at a slow pace.  One of the daughters walked at a quicker pace.  Then the father and other daughter started out walking quickly and then started jogging for short distances.  Once Kayleigh left me, I was really struggling but every time the father passed me, he would say something encouraging.  It was a huge motivation and kept me going.  The final time I passed him was right after the 5K point.  I said "I'm almost to my finish line" and he said "You got this mama".  I smiled all the way to the end.  Kayleigh was waiting by the car for me.  I was about to tell her about how much he had helped me but before I could catch my breath she said "That guy is awesome.  I wish he was always out here."  He had cheered her on along the way as well.

It is a shame that we didn't get a chance to tell him how much he motivated us.  I decided one thing after today's run though.  From now on, I'm not going to hold back from encouraging the people I pass.  It might be just the validation they need to keep going.


Also, happy birthday to my husband!

One Strawberry

It has been really cold around here lately.  I planted basil and parsley a few weeks ago and I've been a little worried that they wouldn't grow.  I went out to check on them this afternoon and luckily they are doing fine.  The basil is actually really thriving which is interesting because it usually does well when the weather gets really hot and humid.

As I was pulling a few weeds, I noticed this:

A perfectly red strawberry.  I got really excited and went inside to get a bowl.  As it turned out, that was the only red strawberry.  There are a lot of white ones though so we should be flooded in strawberries soon. 

The plants are so high and full now that I almost couldn't make out where the stepping stones were.  I had to reach down and move the plants to the side so that I could see where to step next.  As corny as it sounds, I immediately thought of my life path over the past year.  I haven't always been able to see clearly where I was going but somehow along the way, I managed to find those stones and navigate through it.  Then I was thinking about how maybe that one strawberry is the perfect job that is waiting out there for me.  There are plenty of others that are almost right but only the one that is the right fit for me. 

Regardless of any deeper meaning, I ate the strawberry immediately and it was delicious!

Interviewing Tips

I had my first interview today with a local bank.  I'm very happy with how it went but I'm trying not to get my hopes up because I've been down this road before.  Here is a picture before my interview:

That is the best I can look!  It is humid today and I was very concerned about my hair but it stayed somewhat tame.  I was also really stressed out picking something to wear because my nicest clothes are all winter.

This morning I was thinking about everything I know about interviewing and a few things really stuck out in my mind.  The first is from my former boss.  He said that no one gets a job based on their resume.  The point of the resume is to get you a first interview, the point of the first interview is to get the second interview, etc.  That was a really good reminder and it takes some of the pressure off.  At this point I wasn't trying to get the job, I just needed to make them want to talk to me further.  I feel like I accomplished that.

The second piece of wisdom came from my friend after I didn't get the last job that I interviewed for.  I went through three interviews but in the end they picked someone else.  I was really happy with my interviews and thought I represented my skills and personality well.  I had commented to her that I wish I knew what it was that made them not choose me.  She said it didn't matter because if I knew what it was and changed that part of me, I wouldn't be true to myself.  If they saw who I was and didn't think I was right for the job, then it wasn't the right job for me.  Even though I was very disappointed, this really made me feel better.

The final thing was e-mailed to me by another former employee.  His job was eliminated several months before mine and he hasn't found anything yet either.  He said we just need to be patient and the right position will come along.  I think this is possibly the most important reminder.  I always say that everything works out in the end but sometimes I get so wrapped up in my day-to-day issues that I need someone to remind me of that.

So now I'm going to try to remain optimistic and wait to see what happens.

Changing perspective

I thought I had a really bad day yesterday.  It started off good but around 7 AM my stomach became really upset so I ended up sitting around watching TV all morning.  I finally drug myself off the couch and made a terrible lunch.  I ran in the evening and was very disappointed that I could only run 20 minutes and then I couldn't even walk to finish the 3.1 miles. 

But when I look back through the whole day, there were actually a lot of good things, too.  In the afternoon I got all the housecleaning and laundry done.  I planned out meals for the next week and fixed dinner.  My parents came over and my mom commented that I had "really slimmed down" which is always nice to hear (although I think it was just a flattering outfit).  Then we went to Kayleigh's final orchestra concert.  It was sad that this was her last one but the concert was really enjoyable.  They performed a lot of fun songs and I always enjoy the spring concert because all the students (6th through 12th grade) perform "Ode to Joy" together.  Then even though I could have come home and watched TV, I chose instead to go downstairs and run.

I was letting a few bad points in the day overshadow the good.    First I was upset that I didn't run in the morning.  But does it really matter if I sat around in the morning or in the evening?  In the end, I still managed to workout.  Then I was really disappointed with my run but my husband was very nice to point out that "you can't PR every time".  A few weeks ago I would have been thrilled with 20 minutes running. 

So I am going to try to remember that just because a few things don't go as planned doesn't mean that the whole day gets a negative mark against it. 

Here is Kayleigh in her orchestra dress (which she hates) for the last time.

I tried to get pictures at the concert but they all came out like this!

Using goals as motivation

I had planned a completely different post today but then on the spur of the moment, I decided to go for a run and came up with this post as I was suffering!

It is really humid here today and I did not sleep well because of it.  This morning I cleaned the house and started laundry as quickly as possible so that I could head out to the porch where it was more pleasant. 

Although I'm not very strict with my exercise schedule, I do have a basic order for my workouts.  Today I thought I was going to do that dreadful elastic band workout again.  The idea of heading into the family room did not appeal to me at all.  Then I considered doing some weight training since that is in the basement where it is a little cooler.  As I sat there thinking about these options, I noticed that it was actually pretty nice outside.  That's when it hit me - I should run outside today. 

I'm working on running longer and longer each time and I was afraid that if I ran outside, I would run at too fast of a pace and wouldn't be able to match my last time.  After a few minutes, I decided it was worth giving up all my monitoring to just get a run in so I headed out to our local park/lake.  The last bit was a big push for me (at one point it felt like I was running in place) but I ended up running 25 minutes straight and about 2.25 miles.  I walked the rest of the way and ended up going 45 minutes and about 3.6 miles.  Hurray!

During the run I was thinking about my whole new outlook the last week or so.  I finally realized that the change came around the same time that I decided to run an upcoming 5K in August. 

There are several important things to keep in mind when setting a goal.  First it should be a challenge but still be achievable and something you have control over.  My goal is to run the entire 5K.  I have a general time in mind but the main goal is just to not walk.  The goal also has to be measurable so that you know when you've achieved it.  Finally, it needs to be specific.  I want to run an organized 5K.  Originally I had planned to just run 5K but when I changed it to a named race, it gave me more focus. In my case I picked a specific race for proving that I've achieved my goal. 

These guidelines can be followed for any goal.  But for me, there have been some additional steps that have made me more focused and dedicated to reaching my goal.  I've had the idea of running a 5K in my mind for awhile but I became much more committed when I started telling people about it.  First I told my daughter and husband, and then this last weekend my best friend.  Knowing that there are people out there expecting me to complete this race in August not only got me up off the chair this morning, but kept me running until I reached my 25 minutes this morning (I really wanted to stop at around 21 minutes!).

I've also found it helpful to vary my training.   This is a good idea for any physical activity so that you improve your overall fitness and not just one specific aspect but for me it has also helped me focus more on each run.  Since I'm now only running 3 times a week, I really try to make each run productive.

Finally I've started logging my workouts.  I'm the kind of person who is motivated by lists and checking items off those lists!  Since I've started recording my workouts on Twitter, I'm more likely to workout every day.  Yesterday my husband had a race so we were gone all day and I didn't work out (although I did quite a bit of walking!).  I really didn't want to have two days in a row without a workout so that was extra motivation to get up and do something today.

Although my main goal is running right now, I think these ideas can help with anything.  For example, if you want to write a book, tell people about it, record how many pages you write a day, and take time to work on other writing projects to give yourself a break from the book.

These pictures have nothing to do with this post except that they were taken today right before I went for my run.  It is so beautiful, I couldn't resist including it.

Who am I?

I realized recently that I've really defined myself by my job.  If you were to ask me a year ago who I was, my first response would have been "an auditor".  I really enjoyed my job and I was good at it.  I am very proud of my success.  But if I define myself through my professional life, then who am I now?  It all falls apart now that I no longer do that job and there is a chance, as my job search stretches on, that I may never do it again.  Do I really want to be known forever as a former auditor? 


Several months ago I wrote down everything I could think of that I'm good at or enjoy doing.  I made the list one night while watching TV.  I didn't think about it too much and just wrote whatever came to mind.  My idea was that through identifying my strengths and what I enjoy, I may be able to think of new professions I could look into. 

I have 40 items on my list.  While auditing is actually on the list (because I really do think it is enjoyable!) I noticed something interesting.  There are several other things that contributed to me feeling right at home in that profession such as organization, time management, research, and logic puzzles.  It isn't the auditing that necessarily made me happy, it is the fact that it involved many of my interests. 

But that is only a small part of the list.  Most of the things have nothing to do with auditing and actually bring me more happiness.  So this seems like the perfect time to focus on those other items.  Last night I realized that is exactly what I have been doing.  I've been creating new recipes, exercising, reading, spending time outside just relaxing. 

The last couple weeks I've been focusing on moving past all the things I've accomplished in the past and just focusing on the person I want to be, not the job I used to do.  There are things that I can be proud of but it isn't the position that accomplished those things.  I did them using my strengths and abilities.  The main thing is that I want to be happy and that doesn't have to include auditing.
 
I was thinking about this and wondered what my husband's answer would be to "Who are you".  I didn't get a chance to ask him but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have anything to do with his job.  He would probably say a cyclist!  I did ask my daughter.  I asked, "What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of who you are".  Her answer was "funny".  I guess it is a good thing I listed laughing as something I enjoy doing! 

Seeing the Positive

I am generally a positive person.  I thought I better get that out there right from the beginning because I can hear my mom saying, "Not everyone is like you, Dana"!  BUT, even if you don't naturally look to the bright side, I believe that everyone can train themselves to stop focusing so much on the negative. 

This idea first came into my mind last week when we were still enjoying nice weather (we are now back into the 30's and frost warnings).  I was taking general pictures of our yard and realized that I might be able to get several of my favorite things in one picture.  Here it is:

It is hard to make everything out because it is still early in the year and it is not a very good picture but it contains:

• Stepping stone made by our old neighbor
• Soon to be blooming rose I received for Mother's Day a few years back
• Buddha who we stumbled across on a different Mother's Day after searching for years
• The very bottom of a hummingbird feeder
• The pots that will soon hold my herbs
• Waterfall

So many of my favorite things are right in that one corner of the yard.  When I looked closer at the picture I also noticed other not so beautiful things such as:

• Garden hose and exposed pond tubing
• The unfinished porch
• My husband's old bowling balls that he keeps trying to insist are art

The important thing is that when I was standing outside taking pictures, I didn't even see those ugly things.

A similar situation came up the next day when I was sitting on our porch relaxing (this is actually what I was doing a few weeks ago when I came up with "Pondering Happiness").  I was listening to the birds and the waterfall and I noticed that you could really smell the lilacs.  When I really started to pay attention to the sounds, I noticed there was also the constant sound of traffic, garbage trucks, sirens, and a dog barking.

The important thing is to find the good, happy, beautiful things.  Even if they aren't what you notice first, train yourself to quit focusing on that barking dog and hear the birds instead.

I use this all the time, especially lately.  When I'm frustrated about not having a job, I think of all the things I've been able to do with my time off.  Of course that means I actually have to do something with my time, not sit around feeling sorry for myself!

I recently received an e-mail from a friend who is also out of work.  She had asked how I was staying motivated in the job search.  I ended that e-mail with "Whenever I get frustrated or overwhelmed I just think, this is life.  Every little moment.  You can enjoy it or not.  Why waste it being miserable, sad, depressed, overwhelmed, etc?"  I prefer to be happy and content. 

Here are a couple better pictures:

On a side note, I've decided to use my twitter account to record my workouts.  I thought that would be extra motivation to exercise daily!