Go Against The Grain

First, I am all set for Honey's birthday surprise tomorrow. Whew. I hope I can pull it off OK.

Going against the grain.
So Yesterday when I had my too much to do and messy house melt down, I put in place the 15 minute day. http://joytobelieve.blogspot.com/2010/02/15-minute-day-welcome-to-my-therapy.html

But I have a couple of other tips to get you started when you don't know where to start.

I always clean the kitchen first.
Drink lots of water.
Take breaks.
Listen to music.

After the kitchen is clean and done, I do something a little unheard of. It really defies all logic. I clean the cleanest room in my house. uhhhh Wierd. Yes but it works. I figure out which room in my house is the cleanest (usually my dinning room). I put that room completely in order, vacuum it, dust it. It doesn't take long cause lets face it, how often do you use a formal dinning room. My point being there is not a lot of clutter in that room or toys as my kids aren't allowed to play in there. Then I sit in that room for 15 minutes. I soak it in. I sniff (not huff) the windex on the windows and the lemon scented pledge!

Ahhh.....two rooms down.
That helps me pick up the pace and encourages me.

Then on to the messiest room in the house. My family room for sure. Which you know is a testament to my family. We spend time in this room together every day. We mess it up. I would rather have a messy family room than a family that doesn't hang out together any day and twice on Tuesdays.

Anyways Just keep going like that. After each small or large accomplishment stop and pat yourself on the back.

One of my favorite quotes, which I can't find right now, goes something like this, "When things go poorly they call attention to themselves. When things run smoothly no one notices." My point to this quote is this, Is your family going to notice you dusted the bookshelf? Nope. But you need to notice and praise yourself!

Okay gotta go Honey's on his way home.
I may not post tomorrow. Wish me luck on the birthday surprise!
Joytobe

Day 16 Friday Feb 26, 2010 Honey's Birthday Eve

Good Morning!! The birds are chirping. It is my Honey's Birthday Eve. I am going downtown to have lunch with him. We (the kids and I) have got an exciting day planned for tomorrow. I still have a little prep work. Fun Fun

Trivia question from yesterday and the answer: "Gotta Go, Gotta Go, Gotta Go right now!" What is this about in a TV commercial? The medical problem of overactive bladder. For those of us who run to the restroom after a sneeze.

Open your journal and write Day 16 Friday Feb 26, 2010

• Eat Breakfast (make a check mark)
• Make your bed (make a check mark)
• Random Bouncing (make a check mark) Write name of song and artist.
• Act of Kindness: write down your act.
• For me: write down what you did for yourself.
• Exercise (make a check mark)
• Negative: write down something crappy about your day.
• Positive: Take that negative and turn it into a positive.

A funny and informative post about my break down and recovery yesterday.

Anxiously awaiting tomorrow.

Joytobe

15 Minute Day -Welcome to my therapy session

Have I got news for you.

I am not all together. Sometimes I am all together. Today ain't that day. I am irritated, overwhelmed, anxious and just plain blah today. I could figure out why but that would take energy. Beep beep beep, back up the truck. Maybe I should know why in order to fix it.

Things have not gone according to my "master plan" this week. Sick kids, sick dog, me sick, sick husband, connective tissue flare up, girlfriend break ups. But I should take a deep breath. I rolled with the punches this week. The kids are better, I feel better, the dog is better, husband feeling better, son's heart is on the mend too. Who-hoo my errands even got done today on my third attempt this week! I did it. I took care of everyone.

My house is a freakin pit. Almost nothing got done in the house this week. That makes me feel overwhelmed. My old favorite saying (I still think it is funny), "If I don't know where to start, then I am not going to start at all."

This is when I initiate the 15 minute day. I can't take credit for this idea at all. Thank FlyLady for this gem. I am setting my timer and working on one task for 15 minutes only. Her motto is you can do anything for 15 minutes. My timer is ticking right now as I write. This really does work. When I walked in my house from doing errands I wanted to curl up on the couch and pull a blanket over my head to hide from the insurmountable mess around me. Instead I went to the pile of dishes in and around the sink. I set my timer for 15 minutes thinking well ok I'll just stop when the timer goes off and take a break. My timer went off and I couldn't believe my eyes. The dishwasher was full and the sink empty. Who -hoo

So the timer just went off. I am off to finish cleaning the kitchen. (wipe down counters, put some kitchen clutter away.) Who knows what glory the next 15 minutes will bring.

Beep Beep
Joytobe

Day 15 Thurs Feb 25, 2010 Errand and Office day

Aswer to yesterday's trivia, I am running "round and round. What comes around goes around. I'll tell you why". Who sang that song in the 80s? Ratt


Okay....so far everyone is at school. I am high tailing it out of here so I can get my errands done.
Later I will tackle my office for Office day. Click here for a post about office day.
http://joytobelieve.blogspot.com/2010/02/200-office-day.html

Here is my routine for the day.

Open your journal and write Day 15 Thursday Feb 25, 2010

• Eat Breakfast (make a check mark)
• Make your bed (make a check mark)
• Random Bouncing (make a check mark) Write name of song and artist.
• Act of Kindness: write down your act.
• For me: write down what you did for yourself.
• Exercise (make a check mark)
• Negative: write down something crappy about your day.
• Positive: Take that negative and turn it into a positive.

Another post about something will come out later today. Not sure what yet!

"Gotta Go, Gotta Go, Gotta Go right now!" What is this about in a TV commercial?

Joytobe

Randomly Busy Oh No

Errand Day Take 3 Just like that.....again
I was off to run my errands somewhere around Maple Grove. The cell phone rang. Crap..Billy is at school throwing up. Turned around and picked him up. Poor thing wasn't looking good. To leave the school we had to walk right by the lunchroom, where all the kids were eating lunch. Where his now x-girlfriend was eating lunch. He didn't know if he would make it to the car before he yacked again. I was praying hard he would make it. He did! Whew. Then threw up in the car. Now he's asleep on the couch. I'm bout to go cuddle him. Yes, at 15 he still likes to be cuddled, actually he likes the soft tickle on his arm. But only when he is sick. So I gotta grab the opportunity.

So here is the post I wrote earlier today before all of this.


I am running "round and round. What comes around goes around. I'll tell you why". Who sang that song in the 80s?



Lots to do but I wanted to give some updates.



Savanah is feeling much better than Monday when she stayed home from school sick. She is about back to her normal shenanigans ( I love that word).



Billy and his girlfriend broke up. I'm feeling bad for him. I do hope the next one is his age.



My dog, Cabby, has collapsing trachea, diagnosed by x-ray. It is a very mild case and sounds much worse than it is. It was actually a relief to find this is the cause of her coughing and gagging.



This Saturday February 27th is my Honey's 40th birthday. Wow



My sister, Viv, a pediatrician, is going to Haiti next month to Dr people. I am so proud of her!



My other sister is sicker than a dog with shingles (can dogs get shingles?) She is in terrible pain with no relief in sight. Please say a prayer for her.



I am not what you would call a super religious person. You will rarely hear me talk about my beliefs. I will never push my beliefs on you. What I believe as far as God is concerned is not the popular opinion. However, I may put prayer request out there from time to time.



I pray daily and Kate McRae is always part of my prayer. See this website for more information.

http://www.prayforkate.com/#/home-page/



Well off to finish birthday prep!
Joytobe

Day 14 Wednesday Feb 24, 2010 Errand Day Take 2

Good Morning. Errand day is today since plans changed on Monday.

I got lots to do for My honey's 40th birthday this weekend.

So here is my routine list.

Open your journal and write Day 14 Wednesday Feb 24, 2010

• Eat Breakfast (make a check mark)
• Make your bed (make a check mark)
• Random Bouncing (make a check mark) Write name of song and artist.
• Act of Kindness: write down your act.
• For me: write down what you did for yourself.
• Exercise (make a check mark)
• Negative: write down something crappy about your day.
• Positive: Take that negative and turn it into a positive.

A Very Random Post coming at you later today!

Get your go on!

Joytobe

Bouncing songs

Here is my short list for Bouncing songs. More to come.

For those who don't know what my bouncing is.
http://joytobelieve.blogspot.com/2010/02/and-there-is-time-to-dance.html

Bouncing songs

"Hot-n-cold" by Katy Perry
"So What" Pink
"I Will Survive" Gloria Gaynor
"Since You Been Gone" Kelly Clarkson
"I'm a Bitch" By Alanis Morissette
"I Gotta Feeling" By The Black Eyed Peas
"Let's Get it Started" by The Black Eyed Peas
" I will...but" By Shedaisy
"Jessy's Girl" By Rick Springfield
"Unwritten" By Natasha Bedingfield
"Here I Go Again on My Own" by Whitesnake
"Good Thing" By Everything

Day 13 Tuesday Feb 23, 2010

Good Morning,

Here is my to do list. I gotta go take the dog to the vet. Funny how quickly life changes!

Open your journal and write Day 13 Tuesday Feb 23, 2010

• Eat Breakfast (make a check mark)
• Make your bed (make a check mark)
• Random Bouncing (make a check mark) Write name of song and artist.
• Act of Kindness: write down your act.
• For me: write down what you did for yourself.
• Exercise (make a check mark)
• Negative: write down something crappy about your day.
• Positive: Take that negative and turn it into a positive.

I will be posting a list of some of my favorite bouncing songs later today.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." --Chinese Proverb

Have a fabulous day.

Joytobe

Just Like That.....

And Just like that....(hear my fingers snap?)....plans change.

I am home with my sick daughter. No errands today. We'll roll with the punches. Wednesday will be Errand Day.

No worries she is not super sick. It is that kinda sick, where you second guess several times whether or not she should have gone to school. To be honest if I was still a single parent (the only income maker) she would be at school right now. So she is wanting to snuggle and watch movies. I'll oblige.

If she naps you may see another post from me today. If not then probably not.

Have a cozy day!
Joytobe

Day 12 Monday Feb 22, 2010 Errand Day

Good Morning,

I usually choose Monday or Wednesday as errand day. I try to get all of my running around done on one day if possible. I usually look at my calendar on Sunday and decide for the next week. This week Errand Day is today.

Open your journal and write Day 12 Monday Feb 22, 2010

• Eat Breakfast (make a check mark)
• Make your bed (make a check mark)
• Random Bouncing (make a check mark) Write name of song and artist.
• Act of Kindness: write down your act.
• For me: write down what you did for yourself.
• Exercise (make a check mark)
• Negative: write down something crappy about your day.
• Positive: Take that negative and turn it into a positive.

Okay so I gotta run. There will be a post later about....well I don't know yet...It hasn't hit me. But I'll try to keep it short or shorter.

Joytobe

Day 11 Sunday Feb 21, 2010 No Post Sunday

Hey there,

I have decided other than declaring the date, I'm not going to really post much on Sundays. I just enjoy the day too much.

However, for your enjoyment a quote from the TV show Sunday Morning. This quote is from a man living in Latvia (where my Honey's descendants are from). In 1940 the country was forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union. The country later gained independence in 1991. This man is describing the hardship of following an illegal dream in a communist country.

"Don't put some fence about your mind. Dream" --M. Sveiduks

Enjoy the Sunday Magic
Joytobe

Mommy to Mom WTH?

I don't know when it happened. Recently I suppose because I just noticed it yesterday. To tell you the truth I am a little heartbroken about it. I am now Mom. My youngest has stopped calling me Mommy. :(

Why? Why? Why? And dangit WTH (what the heck)..... Why is Daddy still Daddy? Why hasn't he been demoted like me? That is not fair.

It's weird because she still refers to me as Mommy when she is talking to Daddy and other people. But she doesn't call out to me as Mommy. To think I will never hear that sweet little voice, "Mommy". Ouch Stabbing pain in heart!

That is it, no more kids for us. I will never be Mommy again. OUCH again My uterus is contracting with each tick of the clock. I wish my dog could talk. I would always be Mommy to my sweet dog, Cabby.

Sigh,

Joytobe

Day 10 Sat Feb 20, 2010 Happy Saturday

Good Morning,

Ahhh Saturday. Do you remember getting up early on Saturday's as a child to watch Saturday morning cartoons? Long before there were Cartoon Channels, Nick and Disney. I still love Saturdays.

Open your journal and write Day 10 Sat February 20th

• Eat Breakfast (make a check mark)
• Make your bed (make a check mark)
• Random Bouncing (make a check mark) Write name of song and artist.
• Act of Kindness: write down your act.
• For me: write down what you did for yourself.
• Exercise (make a check mark)
• Negative: write down something crappy about your day.
• Positive: Take that negative and turn it into a positive.

I have been rereading some of my posts and they are tooooo long. I got bored reading them. In my desire to capture a moment I give to many details. So sorry bout that. I'll try to shorten it up.

A post titled, "Mommy to Mom WTH?" is coming today.

Have a great Saturday!

Joytobe

STS Disclaimer

STS as stated in my last post is Shakin Twitchin Syndrome. Which I described as: "Its symptoms include the twitch I get above my left eye when I want to shake some sense into my children!"

I realized for purposes of legal matters I needed to put a disclaimer out there lest you sue me.
Therefore, I do hereby declare (legal jargon) I , Joytobe, do not condone, practice, participate in or suggest anything to anyone that they should or I should condone, practice, participate in or suggest you or I shake your or my children. Basically I'm saying I don't shake my children. And don't shake your children.

On a much more serious note. It was not until an hour after my post while driving in my car that I thought about Shaken Baby Syndrome. I hope you all know it was not my intention to make light of this tragic abuse of babies.

Why all of this talk of STS?

I lost my daughter yesterday! I know all parents out there have felt the air leave them when they suddenly realize they cannot find their child. It is horrific. Thank God I did find her.

It started out calmly and slowly. You know...poke my head out the door. Don't see her. Okay she plays in the neighbors back yards and she was playing with two other kids. Go back inside. Getting ready to leave for her Karate. Watch the window a little to see if she appears. hmmm. Nope Put my shoes on, go outside, survey the neighborhood. Still no sight of her. Usually if I can't see her and the other kids playing I can hear them. Nope - nothing - totally quiet.

Start calling her name. Several times now. Each time the pitch in my voice getting a little higher and louder. Okay starting to panic a little. Thinking well she could be across the street in the back yard at the edge of the woods and can't hear me. Walk over. Nope. Walk to the end of the street. Nope. Walk through all of the back yards. Nope. Now the heart is racing. Go to the kids house she had been playing with hoping they went inside and she forgot to call me. Nope they are not there. That mom starts looking for them. I hear kids sledding pretty far away. She knows she can't leave our street but what if just maybe. I hop in my car, drive over there. Hoping she is there but I'm going ground her forever if she is. Nope not there. Call all the neighbors, nobody has seen her! As I am looking I'm talking to my husband on my cell phone almost crying. Screaming her name at the edge of the woods for the third time. I am about 1 minute from calling the police.

Then I see way back as far as my eye can see in the woods something moving.

I start yelling and screaming. Lo and behold three kids, including mine, start running towards me.

Now this child has been told to never go into these woods. I mean a three syllable "nuh-e-ver". People have spotted coyote and wolves in the neighborhood with pictures to prove it. A cougar was also spotted in our town with very large paw prints measured by wildlife specialist. There were photos in the newspaper of our neighborhood coyote. I can hear them sometimes at night. I have also heard gunshots in these woods from deer hunters.

She comes out of the woods all excited and flushed telling me about the cool fort they found. I got steam rolling out of my ears. I want to hug and spank her at the same time. (I don't spank by the way, that is just me. Don't want to open up that debate right now. Maybe later.) Come to figure out these kids found a deer hunting stand and climbed up in the tree to check it out. Needless to say she got an earful, two earfuls. I couldn't stop myself from crying and yelling.

After that breathless 20 minutes and the 45 minute lecture, I sat by myself. I couldn't help but think of the parents who don't find their children. I prayed for peace for them. The tears flowed.

As I wiped my eyes, my left eye started twitchin. And it hasn't stopped since.

Joytobe

Day 9 Friday Feb 19, 2010 My Day

Good Morning,

My Quote today out of frustration with my children is:
"This is GOD. I will be handling All of your problems today! I will not need your help, So please just relax- And have a nice day!" --Anonymous

Open your journal and write Day 9 Thursday February 19th MY DAY

• Eat Breakfast (make a check mark)
• Make your bed (make a check mark)
• Random Bouncing (make a check mark) Write name of song and artist.
• Act of Kindness: write down your act.
• For me: write down what you did for yourself.
• Exercise (make a check mark)
• Negative: write down something crappy about your day.
• Positive: Take that negative and turn it into a positive.

Also on Friday I give a little extra time to myself. I think today I'll paint my nails. Also on Friday I always put some make-up on. I don't wear make up every day. I always put moisturizer and sunscreen on ( a must as I recently had a basal cell carcinoma, the least dangerous type of skin cancer, removed from my nose). Also a SPF lip balm. It protects my lips from the sun but also makes my lips soft and kissable!

Look for a funny venting type post later today about STS (Shakin Twitchin Syndrome). It's symptoms include the twitch I get above my left eye when I want to shake some sense into my children! Oh Lordy.

Go Seize Your Day.

Joytobe

2:00 Office Day

Hey there, Thursday is my office day. Around 2:00 or in the afternoon I start office work.

First, go to the mailbox, get mail.

I keep a wicker basket for all mail and papers that come into my house. (Not including kids school papers. That is a whole nuther story) My Honey has a habit of getting the mail and leaving it in different piles around the house. He is starting to get in the habit now which is great. I do think part of the key to this working is all paperwork goes in one room in your house. Every office day I clean out the basket and the office.

First, I set up shop. I pull out my :

• Paper recycling bin.
• Shredder.
• "To file" File
• "To Do" File (this file is for things that need my action)
• "Bills to pay" file
• "Paid Bills" Folders
• "To read" file
• "Honey" File (things that my honey needs to take care of)

Everything in that bin should be able to fit into one of the above places. As I go through my mail and papers everything gets touched once and put in the correct place.

Other supplies I have handy are:

• Calculator
• Checkbook
• Stamps
• Home address labels
• Trash can
• Pen
• Paperclips
• Stapler

Now get a big glass of fresh ice water with lemon or lime or whatever you like. Turn music on! A slow and steady beat is good. Now dig in. Don't get overwhelmed one piece at a time. If you get overwhelmed cause you haven't gone through mail in a long time, I suggest maybe doing it the FlyLady way. Set a timer for 15 minutes. Stop and take a 15 minute break, then try 15 more minutes.

As you go through your mail avoid the mistake I just made. Open anything from St. Jude's Childrens Hospital last. I am a firm supporter financially and through prayer of St Jude. But their mail can stop me in my tracks and slow me down.

Okay about 30 minutes I have gone through all of my mail. In this process I have not paid any bills yet but have placed them in the "to pay" file. I have cut out coupons and filed them. I have three things added to my "to do" file, a survey, a summer camp I want to look into and a reminder to set up a vet appointment for my dog. 90% of my mail went into the recycling bin. I shredded 4 documents, statements I am still getting via paper even though I have access to them electronically.

Now onto paying bills. I do this electronically as much as I can. I end up writing about 5 checks a month. Otherwise everything is paid online. Several things are set up as ongoing monthly payments that I don't even really think about. The mortgage, car payment, insurance. yeah hassle free. No Paper!

My "To file" File is HUGE! So I will probably tackle this beast today. I try to file once a month. But I hate filing!!!! My file cabinet is very organized so I don't know why I hate it. Just so time consuming! We can always do 15 minutes at a time.

Now I just need to put everything away. Files, shredder, recycling bin, etc. And I am done!!

Yeah. Because I do this every Thursday it only takes me about an hour. Now I spend about a half an hour doing any correspondence I need to do. Send B-day Cards, answer e-mails, yada yada yada.

Office Day Done
Joytobe

I am Related to a Gangster

Henrietta Younger and the Younger Brothers

Cole Younger

I am not sure if you would say a ganster. Or gang member. I am related to the Younger Brothers, who rode with Jesse James. They ultimately were caught right here in Minnesota!!

Here is how I am related (this gets confusing even for me).

My great grandmother was Bettie Rawlins. My father's, father's, mother. tee hee

She had a brother, my great great uncle, named A. Bledsoe Rawlins.

He was married to a lady, my great great aunt, named Henrietta Younger.

Her brothers were THE YOUNGER BROTHERS! The famous outlaws of the 1800's.

Okay so the relationship was an in-law type of thing. So I am only related to the Younger Brother by marriage not by blood. But still it is interesting as hell to me. (What an odd saying....is hell really interesting?) hhhmm don't know why I would have chosen those words? Moving on. I guess it was so interesting because my father remembered tales of the brothers coming to visit their sister in Alvarado. And that they stashed some of their robbery treasures around Alvarado!

Also Interesting. My great great grandfather, Captain R.A. Rawlins (Bettie Rawlins father from above) was a captain in the Confederate Army. His home is still standing and is a historical site in Texas. This home is still owned by the family. I have spoken with them and am invited whenever I am in town. Coooooooool. I love history.

Here is the story of the Younger brothers final robbery.

Frank and Jesse James, Cole, Jim and Bob Younger, Charlie Pitts, Clell Miller, and Bill Chadwell took the train to St. Paul and Minneapolis at the beginning of September 1876. They divided into two groups, one going to Mankato, Minnesota and the other to Red Wing, on either side of Northfield. They purchased horses and scouted the terrain around the town. On September 7, 1876, at 2 p.m., they attempted to rob the bank. Three outlaws entered the bank, and the other five stood guard outside. The citizens realized a robbery was in progress and took up arms. Shooting from behind cover, they poured a deadly fire on the outlaws, killing Miller and Chadwell, and wounding the Youngers (particularly Bob, who suffered a shattered elbow). They also shot Bob Younger's horse. One of the outlaws shot Nicholas Gustafson, a bystander, dead in the street. Inside the bank, cashier Joseph Lee Heywood refused to open the safe and was murdered in cold blood for his resistance. The infamous failure of the raid is celebrated every year in Northfield as Defeat of Jesse James Days.

Bob Younger died in prison of tuberculosis at age 36 in 1889. Cole and Jim were both paroled in 1901 but Jim could not cope and shot himself to death the next year. He was 54. Cole lived until 1916, when he died at age 72. The Youngers remained loyal to the Jameses when they were in prison and never informed on them. They ended up being model prisoners and in one incident helped keep other prisoners from escaping during a fire at the prison. Cole Younger also founded the longest-running prison newspaper in the United States during his stay in Fargo.

Did you follow all that? Now I know where my rebellious side comes from.

Your rebel without a cause,

Joytobe

Day 8 Thursday Feb 18, 2010 Oops

Can you believe it? I put Day 8 on yesterday's post and it was really Day 7 of this experiment. Today is Day 8. Oh Boy I hope this is helping you be more organized. If I keep messing up here you are going to think it is June pretty soon. Ahhhh June..... flowers, sunshine, no snow. A girl can dream.

Open your journal and write Day 8 Wednesday February 18th OFFICE DAY

• Eat Breakfast (make a check mark)
• Make your bed (make a check mark)
• Random Bouncing (make a check mark) Write name of song and artist.
• Act of Kindness: write down your act.
• For me: write down what you did for yourself.
• Exercise (make a check mark)
• Negative: write down something crappy about your day.
• Positive: Take that negative and turn it into a positive.

Notice the office day. Today is my office day. I will post what this means and how I do it later today. Pick an office day for yourself. It really helps to have a specific day to tackle all the paper and bills and such that come into you home.

I have another fun post for today titled, "I'm Related to a Gangster"

Check back later.
Joytobe

Step into my World

Here are my random thoughts. Enjoy the ride.


So I was thinking about bouncing. How I love to bounce. (follow my insane train of thought here -try to keep up.) Why do I love to bounce? It makes me smile. It makes me lighter. It lightens my load not my weight I mean. This made me think of Tigger, my favorite Winnie the Pooh character. (I have a Tigger stuffed animal on my dresser.) So I am like Tigger I decided.


Tigger is an optimist. Happy go lucky. Confident even though he is often wrong in his analysis of a situation. Hmmmm... Maybe I am not like Tigger. Tigger would never use the word analysis.


So I started thinking. Maybe I am like Pooh Bear (the great Poohbah)


Pooh is cuddly. The best kind of best friend. He'll listen when that is what you need. Encourage you when you feel..... well....discouraged.


But maybe Piglet. Piglet is just sweet, kind and insecure. Aren't we all a little insecure? In many ways, Yep that is me.


But what about Rabbit. Oh Yeah Rabbit would definitely use the word analysis. Rabbit is smart. Maybe too smart for his own good.


Oh and then there is Eeyore, my sad floppy friend. The endless pessimist. Always down and out.


Through this train of thought I came to the conclusion that I am all of these. You are all of these. Maybe that is why so many children adore Winnie the Pooh. It's a reflection.


hmmmm...I just reread this and I am nuts.

Welcome to my world.
Joytobe

Day 7 Wed Feb 17, 2010 OUCH

Good Morning! and OUCH

Yes, I am quite sore from my exercise yesterday which tells me for sure I need to do it again today!

Yesterday's trivia question and answer:
"Good Mornin, Good Mo-o-ornin, It's great to stay up late. Good Mornin, Good Mornin to you." What movie is that song from? Singing in the Rain
But nobody gets a prize cause no one answered and maybe nobody is reading this. Then again I am doing this for me NOT YOU. So there!

Okay snotty brat tantrum is officially over.

My routine isn't changing today. I am going to keep with what I got now for about a week.
Soooo... Here you go.

Open your journal and write Day 7 Wednesday February 17th

• Eat Breakfast (make a check mark)
• Make your bed (make a check mark)
• Random Bouncing (make a check mark) Write name of song and artist.
• Act of Kindness: write down your act.
• For me: write down what you did for yourself.
• Exercise (make a check mark)
• Negative: write down something crappy about your day.
• Positive: Take that negative and turn it into a positive.

A post about a bunch of random thoughts coming at you later today.

"We learn wisdom from failure much more than from success. We discover what will do, by finding out what will not do; And he who never made a mistake never made a discovery." --unknown

Go Discover

Joytobe

LAUNDRY

Ack, Ewe, blah My words to describe laundry! It can be a full time job.

So here is how I TRY to do it.

There are three baskets in my upstairs hall linen closet by the bedrooms. One for light colors, one for medium colors, one for dark colors.

A couple of dilemmas here.

• Where do the dirty towels and sheets go. There is not room for another basket.
• Getting my family in the habit of putting their dirty clothes in these baskets. I have begged, pleaded and threatened. It works for awhile but then the clothes end up on the floor again.

I have one laundry basket in my laundry room near our main living area. This is supposed to catch the socks taken off watching TV, wet clothes from snow playing, towels from the kitchen, etc.

Dilemmas here

• Most discarded clothes again end up on the floor.
• While doing laundry I have to rifle through this basket to find the color groups I am washing at that moment.

Almost everyday on my way downstairs in the morning, accept Sunday, I grab the basket with the most stuff in it and wash that load. I have gotten pretty good at following through with that one load from beginning to end... folded and put away. I actually like folding clean clothes. They smell so good, fresh. It feels good to put them away knowing I am doing something nice for my family. Once they are put away and you have an empty basket.... Whew.... relish that moment of accomplishment.

Dilemmas here

• We have much more dark colors (a teenage son who likes black, a mom who feels dark colors are slimming). So everyone is out of white socks because often I am washing the darks.
• How often should sheets get changed and dirty ones washed? How does that fit in?

Okay so tell me your laundry tips and ideas. How do you do it? Sorry I gotta go get clothes out of the dryer. (I'm not kidding)

Joytobe

Bathing suit

Why do I feel the need to exercise? I have one word for you.......

Bathing Suit

Oh..well two words. And I have to put one on in 3 months!
Also I feel good when I exercise. Once I have done it for a few weeks I actually have less aches and pains than when I don't exercise.

Check mark on the exercise. yay!!!

Later we speak about laundry....I promise.
Joytobe

Day 6 Tuesday February 16, 2010 Yee-Haaww

"Good Mornin, Good Mo-o-ornin, It's great to stay up late. Good Mornin, Good Mornin to you." What movie is that song from?

OH Yeah, I almost forgot. You know the trivia question that I posted twice without giving the answer cause uuuhhhmmmm I'm silly. "A time to laugh and a time to weep. A time to mourn and there is a time to dance." What movie is that from? Footloose

Open your journal and write Day 6 Tuesday February 16th

• Eat Breakfast (make a check mark)
• Make your bed (make a check mark)
• Random Bouncing (make a check mark) Write name of song and artist.
• Act of Kindness: write down your act.
• For me: write down what you did for yourself.
• Exercise (make a check mark)
• Negative: write down something crappy about your day
• Positive: Take that negative and turn it into a positive.

Oh No!!!! Did you see I added exercise? I can hear your moans. Oh no I can't.... oopps that was me moaning. I have tried several different exercise routines. The closest I ever got to one of them becoming a fun habit was about 2 months ago. It lasted about one month. Pretty good for me. So I am going to jump back on the wagon....or treadmill. Okay so here is what I am going to do. First spend about 10 minutes stretching. Don't bounce when you stretch it makes it much less enjoyable. Have you really stretched recently? It feels good. Lay flat on the floor, stretch every part of your body. Think cat like. mmmmm-mmm it really does feel good. Then about 10 minutes of my own made up butt and ab exercises....uugghhh including sit ups. Then a 20 minute cardio something or other. Could be a work out with the Wii, a brisk walk or dancing. The part that worked for me was changing the cardio based on my mood. The part that didn't work for me, I don't know. Probably the sit ups. But because I have written it here I now have to do it. I commit to exercise 4 days a week and NEVER on Sundays! You can do it too! Oh come on! I believe in you and me!

GO and DO

Joytobe

Okay so on to the son's girlfriend thing.

Where do I start. Well first of all I do like her. She is funny, smart and attractive. He absolutely adores her! I mean really adores her. I can tell. He is nervous, happy and excited. And if it was anyone else's son I would think it was cute or endearing. But he is MY son.

And obviously I am not ready for all of this even if he is. I think I should have prepared myself. But how do you prepare for this?

I am having some weird funky emotions. Like ewe yucky. I am not even sure I can put all of this into words. Maybe I am jealous too. I was his first love after all! They cuddled on the couch a little and oh how my stomach turned. In my mind he is still 8 years old, dressing up as spiderman for the 4th Halloween in a row.

I love having a teenage son. We really connect and talk a lot. We laugh a lot too. He is a great kid. He and I have shared everything in his life up until now. We have worked through the bad stuff and celebrated the good stuff together. Maybe seeing him laugh and talk with her made me feel like I am losing a part of him. There are thoughts and feelings he will share with her and not with me. It is becoming more and more a reality in my mind that he is becoming a man. He will journey out into the world without me. (wiping the tears away) Whew...hard to write.....hard to think about.

So how do I get through this? Any suggestions? And God help me when Savanah, my last baby, travels down this road.

Well I gotta get myself out of this funk. I am going to go bounce.

Dealing with it
Joytobe

Day 5 Monday Feb 15, 2010 TO DO

Good Morning,

I have lots to say today. Meeting my son's girlfriend was interesting. I shall certainly post about my feelings on the matter later today!

For now we need to get on with our morning stuff. Open your journal

Write Day 5 February 15th in your journal

Eat Breakfast (make a check mark)

Make your bed (make a check mark)

Random Bouncing (make a check mark) Write name of song and artist.

Act of Kindness: write down your act.

For me: write down what you did for yourself.

Negative: write down something crappy about your day

Positive: Take that negative and turn it into a positive.


You may have noticed I added Make your Bed. I make my bed everyday. I can't explain it but my room can look like a pit. Clothes on the floor. Some of my daughters books on the floor. Little pieces of paper on the dresser. But if I walk in there and see my bed made it makes me feel good! It makes the room look nicer. The easiest way to accomplish this task is to make it as you are getting out of it. But you can't do that if your spouse is still in it!

Okay so I am off to Eat Breakfast. Check back later for more on my boy's girl scoop! Also I'll be examining laundry rituals!

Get Going
Joytobe

Day 4 Sun. Feb 14, 2010 Oh Boy..MY boy and other random thoughts

First Happy Valentines Day! Hope you and your loved ones are enjoying the day.

My Sunday routine does not entail much. I like to lounge. Spend family time. I might throw a load of laundry in. Speaking of laundry. We are having that discussion tomorrow.

When I say my routine doesn't include much on Sunday I guess I should clarify. There are some things I just naturally do everyday. Clean up the kitchen, run the dishwasher, make my bed. Eat Breakfast. So the essentials get done but that is about it. Some Sunday's Jeff and I may do a project. Put down mulch, yard work, put together an air hockey table (ewe that was a bad day.) We read the newspaper together. I always read the obituaries. I know it's weird but I guess it's my way of honoring and acknowledging life. We watch Sunday Morning on TV. Sunday is pretty much the only day I will take a nap. So there you go.

Still right in your journal today!!! And everyday!

Now onto the juicy part of my post. Not sure I should do this but what the heck. My little baby boy is going on a date today with his first real girlfriend. They are going to the movies. Then she is coming back here and we are all eating Valentines Day dinner together. Where has the time gone? My little baby Billy Boy!

My husband and I were discussing vacation time. In these difficult financial times many people are looking at their budget trying to trim it down. We are also doing that. We decided our two short traditional family getaways were not on the chopping block for our budget. We will trim elsewhere. We decided this upon the realization that we only have three years left before Billy goes to college. Those family vacations may change from the four of us to the three of us. These are times I am not willing to give up.

Okay so about bouncing today......I am not sure I can bounce just yet. I had a few beverages last night. I had a good time but I am suffering a little today. You Play, You Pay. So I'll bounce later. Maybe I'll bounce in front of the new girlfriend! Wouldn't that be great?

Answer to trivia from the other day. ( I hope I get better at this). "A time to laugh and a time to weep. A time to mourn and there is a time to dance." What movie is that from? Footloose The only person to know the answer to this question, who actually spoke up, was Dan G. Congrats Oh Danny Boy! Your prize is your sense of accomplishment!

This is my Sunday motto. "Peace is when time doesn't matter as it passes by." -Maria Schell

Well my couch, a blanky, the Olympics on TV are calling my name!

Savor your day
Joytobe

Day 3 Sat Feb 13, 2010 So Far...But...Laundry?

Day 3 February 13th 2010

Okay we are building on things everyday. Kind of like a routine. The thing about routines is that we all have them in our life we just may not recognize them. Part of my method (in the planning stages) for helping people with organization is to look at what in their life already works. Everybody (I mean you too) has some system in their home or life that works really well. Maybe the way you pay bills or handle kids homework or a room that just flows exactly for the purpose it was designed. Look around you and think of what just really works. Write it down in your journal. Soon we will examine that routine.

SO, So far....the habits I am trying to instill in myself and you are the following.

Eat Breakfast

Do daily random acts of kindness

Write in a journal everyday

Do something kind for yourself everyday

Bounce everyday (this is probably optional but heck if it doesn't work for me)
see this post for more info on bouncing http://joytobelieve.blogspot.com/2010/02/and-there-is-time-to-dance.html

Take a negative from your day and FLIP IT, SPIN IT, with humor or grace make it positive.

So here is how your journal page should look.

Day 3 February 13th, 2010

Eat Breakfast (make a check mark)
Random Bouncing (make a check mark) Write name of song and artist.

Act of Kindness: write down your act.

For me: write down what you did for yourself.

Negative: write down something crappy about your day

Positive: Take that negative and turn it into a positive.


Then do a normal journal entry, your thoughts, your frustrations, your dreams. Anything you want to get off of your chest.


Now my question for you regarding routines. Has anyone figured out a way to handle laundry efficiently? Without wasting a whole day? I get so close to figuring it out. I will share my way later and you share your way. Maybe we can find a really good (not perfect- nothing is perfect) way to do it together.

That's it for me. Saturday is my family day! Go Play
Joytobe

And There is a Time to Dance

"A time to laugh and a time to weep. A time to mourn and there is a time to dance." What movie is that from?


Okay so I just did one of my To Do's. I bounced, danced and sang.

So why is this so important to me. It doesn't have to be your thing. But you should try it out and see.

I came to this decision to dance every day about one week ago through watching both of my children.

You ever see teenagers with the earplugs hanging out of their ears. Watching my own 15 year old son can drive me crazy. I don't think I have seen him in two years without crap hanging around his neck and wires sticking out of his ears. Moly Holy it's like the things attached themselves to him. Some sort of symbiotic relationship. But....I thought back to my teenage years. When you can't understand your teenager, I suggest you think hard about your teenage years and emotions.

Music was everything to me. It lifted my spirits. The lyrics helped me express myself. I still have a strong connection to music. At any given time during the day some music is playing somewhere in my house.

Then my 7 year old daughter's influence. Have you ever watched a young child just suddenly change from walking to skipping? Or suddenly start jumping around a room. You may wonder as I have, what the heck made them do that? Just completely random. I LOVE that! No particular reason and no filter to stop them from doing whatever pops into their mind. When do we lose that? Yes, as a mature adult we need to have a filter but heck, at what age did I forget how to play?

So the other night I was getting ready for a date night with my husband. I was in the bathroom doing all the girly stuff listening to a CD a friend made for me. I named it "Girl Power CD". I was in such a good mood, happy to have a babysitter, alone time with my husband. I was listening to Katy Perry "Hot 'n Cold" ( a great suggested bounce song). Suddenly I felt like jumping. Dancing. Skipping around the bathroom. Instead of shrugging off this feeling, I did. I bounced. I jumped. I sang at the top of my lungs. I laughed. I damn near cried I was so jubilant.

When the song was over I looked in the mirror and I was smiling, I was glowing.

When I came downstairs my husband asked, "Were you dancing upstairs?" YES, YES I was!

So now I play the music super loud and just bounce and sing at least once a day when the mood strikes me. If the mood doesn't strike me I do it anyways and I find my smile.

I do have a suggestion If you've just gotten out of the shower put clothes on before you bounce! Especially a bra for the gals! If not bouncing just ain't that fun!

Do the dance
Joytobe

Day 2 Friday Feb 12, 2010 For You

Rise and Shine

Okay today..
Eat breakfast again

Page two of your journal put the date. Then write "My Day!"

Again perform some random act of kindness. This can be something small or some grand gesture to human kind. It's up to you. Write it down.

Write any other random thoughts in your journal. There is no right or wrong.

To do's today:

Number 1
Now today do something for yourself. A special treat. A long bath, paint your nails, read a book. Take at least one hour total to just do something for yourself. Tell me your ideas.

Number 2
Put on an upbeat song with words in it. Something bouncy. Then bounce. Jump around the room. Be silly. Sing at the top of your lungs. I guarantee you will be smiling by the last note.

Number 3
In your journal this evening write the word "negative".
Beneath that write something in your journal that irritated you today. Something that just put you in a yucky mood or just gave you a yucky feeling.

On the next line write the word "positive".
Beneath that I want you to think of that negative event that you wrote and somehow turn it into a positive. This can be a difficult task but we can do it. It often works to use humor to see the lighter side of a negative.

An example of this in my journal:
Negative
It snowed again today! I hate snow.
Positive
The snow filled in the potholes.

Tomorrow you show me yours and I'll show you mine. ;)

Go Get Your Day
Joytobe

Thursday Office Day

Today is my office day. I go through all the mail and pay bills. Do any correspondence that needs to be done. More on this next Thursday. I'll give you my tips for keeping paper clutter under control. Think about picking an office day once a week.

Sorry FlyLady....you're wrong about this

FlyLady is an organization self help website. Don't get me wrong. It is great. I use many of her tips in my daily life but her rules are too strict and not flexible enough for me. One of her steadfast rules is the dishes HAVE to be done EVERY NIGHT after dinner. Your sink needs to shine before you go to bed. I rebel and say NO.

Well FlyLady approximately 3 minutes ago I did last nights dinner dishes. And I feel great!!

When once upon a time I called myself a flybaby ( a follower of FlyLady) I use to cringe when I saw the sink full of dishes or the counter with dishes on it at the end of the night. Oh the guilt I used to feel. No Thank you

Here is my deal. At night I am tired and the last of my energy for the day is going to spent enjoying my family. My daughter wants to read me her library book curled up on the couch. My teenage son wants to tell me about his day. My husband wants to watch a movie after the kids go to bed. Holy Moly would I give up these moments to do the dishes? (I used to). This is the only time my whole family is together. The dishes will be there tomorrow, these moment would be lost forever.

So here is my method. My teenage son, Billy, clears the table. Stacks the dishes on the counter near the sink. I put away any leftovers. My 7 year old daughter, Savanah, wipes off the dinner table. I make sure one counter space is cleared off to make her lunch in the morning. And VIOLA We are all done for the night. Yay! Play time Fun time Family time. All worth it.

The dishes usually get done in the morning unless I have something going on like I did today. Today I used my time wisely volunteering at Savanah's school. Again the dishes can wait.

The point to this is: Find what works for you. Never sacrifice time well spent with your family.

Enjoy the kids before they are gone.
Joytobe

Day 1 Thurs Feb 11, 2010 Get ready, Get set, GO!!!

Good Morning!


Word of warning...I stink at spelling and grammar. I love run on sentences and incomplete sentences and exclamation points!! My thoughts spew from me without abandon or any thought of language arts. I ramble too. But I have some good ideas so if you can get past all that read on.


Did you eat breakfast? Do it now!!!! Something easy. A banana on the way to work, a bowl of cereal or my favorite, oatmeal. I am sure many of you are moaning, "I don't like breakfast, I don't have time." Well ZIP IT. I am not talking a huge meal just enough to get your energy on track and your metabolism started. I used to be just like you. Please trust me you will feel better if you eat breakfast. The sun will shine brighter. The birds will chirp for you!



We (you and I) have two chores today. Well on top of the 500 or so other things you have got to do today.



Number One: Do something for someone else. Volunteer or perform some small random act of kindness! See what it feels like to help out a stranger or a friend.



Number Two: Get yourself a spiral notebook, write today's date on the first page and write down your random act of kindness. And any other random thoughts you would like to get on paper.



That is it!!! See this will be easy. No excuses and please perfection is NOT allowed here!!



Quote of the day is:

"Love thy neighbor as thyself, not better than thyself." --unknown



Basically love everybody! including yourself!



Have a great day!

Joytobe

In the beginning...... again!

So okay all I have to say is...Here we go again. Well not exactly.

I have decided going forward this is my outward purpose. I mean my true purpose is always my family but aside from that. I want a purpose. Have you seen the movie "Julie and Julia"? Well I highly recommend it! It made me think about this.


What are my passions? finding a balance between all of these; my marriage, parenting, self reflection, faith, organization, helping others, finding/feeling peace, reading and writing. These are in no particular order. I believe none of them could exist without the others. The key to the juggle of these is to accept imperfection. How boring is perfection? Life is a constant realization and adjustment.


This is my journey to my own self awareness and discovery. Want to join me?


Yes? Well great meet me back here tomorrow. Eat a good breakfest, get a good nights sleep and let's dig deep!


On a side note please spend a few moments lifting up Kate Mcrae in loving thoughts and prayer to whomever you pray. This family is struggling with childhood cancer needs our help.
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mcraekate



A. Joytobe