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Progress, not perfection

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 I am starting to work on cleaning the house with the intent of paring down our "stuff" and potentially moving in a few years.  I suppose boot camp cleaning works, and I could spend summer days doing it.  However, and hour a week on the weekend will also work.  I am motivated by visible progress.  It could be a check list, a progress bar, or a physical change.  I had yet to put Christmas items away--I just boxed up and stacked downstairs.  So I took before and after pictures of my mini success. Before--this is the view going down into my basement.  It was my daughter's "room" when she moved back in for five years.  But the 25% as you come down the stairs was not part of her room.  We had just cleared the basement to this side. I neatly stacked up the bins in the storage closet.  I filled a garbage and a recycle bag.  A total basement vacuum (as well as sprayed the baseboards to prevent bugs).  My granddaughter helped by ru...
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Christmas Card Stress

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 The stress associated with Christmas cards is one I have sworn off but revisit each year.  If I had a dollar for every box of cards I have purchased but have not sent . . . My intentions are good, but I rarely have the energy to send out.  I do have my students sign a bunch of cards, and we distribute them to school and church personnel.  Personally, I fail.  Now that we are empty nesters, I don't have much to say. One last thing on this topic--I don't wonder why I did or did not get a card from anyone, so you do not have to post your reason online.  
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23 Hard Things for 2023

 Here is my list to review this time next year and see how I did. 1.  Read 100 books 2.  Journal 200 days 3.  Hit 200 days on Bible in a Year podcast (on #68 now) 4.  Hit 200 days on Catechism in a Year podcast (begins 1/1/2023) 5.  Keep weight in last year's decade (w/ the exception of the last month) 6.  Log 500 miles of walking/running (around 280 miles last year) 7.  Do yoga 50 times 8.  Finish all my required PD hours for licensure 9.  Mammogram 10.  Establish a regular doctor 11.  Skin cancer screening 12.  Two dental visits 13.  Schedule colonoscopy 14.  Schedule gyn appt. 15.  Visit Madeline's new home 16.  Get Michael's teeth extracted 17.  Eliminate 25% of excess in closets (including basement) 18.  Monthly date night (something different) 19.  Monthly friend social 20.  Double house and outdoor plants 21.  Make a quilt 22.  Monthly massage or pamper  23....
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22 Things I am proud of in 2022

 Twenty two things I did right in 2022 (in no particular order) and written quickly (less than five minutes): 1. Getting reinvolved with my faith. 2. Being more eco-conscious in my shopping for a school bag. 3. Using more reusable or no bags when shopping. 4. Wasting less food. 5. Reading a decent amount--and from a variety of genre. 6. Joining Aspiring Leaders. 7. Reimaging my weekly and daily class slides. 8. Signing up for monthly massages 9. Visiting both sides of the family this summer 10. Going away with my husband. 11. Being married for thirty years. 12.  Planting flowers in planters on my deck 13.  Removing two huge, overgrown bushes from the front flowerbed. 14. Having N. graduate from U.C. w/ her O.T. degree. 15. Having M. graduate from high school. 16.  Having N. & Ma. move out in May. 17. Getting new mattress for upstairs bedroom. 18. Going to female doctor and eye doctor 19. Painting the deck 20.  Going to a book club 21. Participating in a char...
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The Signs Are There

 Well . . . the signs are there.  I am officially aging.  There is the empty nest this year.  The constant aches and stiffness new this year.  I went to the eye doctor yesterday (first time in over four years).  More signs--the beginnings of cataracts.  But this morning was the kicker--an ad in my junk email for . . . drumroll . . . burial stuff.  Excellent. Currently, I do not get alarmed about aging ever since it was presented to me this way:  think of how many people you know that do not get this privilege.  So thank you, God, for the crackly joints, bifocals, and even junk email to remind me that I am lucky for each day.  These signs are a great reminder to be thankful and motivation to take care of my health.  My health is my new focus for the next year.  No more excuses to take care of others as a primary--MY health is my primary focus.  Now, to spend an hour googling what do I need to do to slow down cataracts ...
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Christmas Break

 Today is the first week day of Christmas break--a FULL week before Christmas.  I don't think this has ever happened before.  Today's two goals:  go to my massage and get my eyes examined. First--the massage.  I got a gift certificate last Christmas, and I finally used it at the end of October.  I decided that I work hard, paid for two of children to get through college, and sacrifice for everyone at the risk of my own mental and physical health.  So I said, "Screw it!  I'm signing up for a monthly massage."  I have been a lifelong headache sufferer, but the last two years have been escalating in intensity.  I have not had a knock-down headache since my October massage.  Coincidence?  Maybe.  But I also am on no medications and my body is shifting to older age.  I have overall body aches and stiffness which started almost instantly after I quit taking my prescription which has started (please, please, please!) menopau...
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Beginning

 Trying to get back into frequent journaling.  I would say "daily journaling"; however, that immediately sets me up for failure.  I struggle to find consistent routines, and I tend to binge on them:  binge writing, binge reading, binge organizing, etc.  And when I say "binge," I really mean three or four days of effort.  Yep.  Mediocre.   Things I'd like to write about?  Books.  Bible.  Catechesis.  Pedagogy.  Food.  Fitness at midlife.  Frustrations.  Humor.  Creative outlets.  
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