Week two of nourishing myself. I am still telling myself stories of when I will be able to eat candy again. While I don’t miss bread all that much, I do miss being able to have sandwiches because when I go out to eat, it’s often salad or sandwich so this means I don’t have any warm options. Though I’ve been having soup, too. My problem has mostly been one of variety. I just need something like 3-4 reasonably easy breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas and I’d be set. But alas. I keep going. And I keep paying attention to my thoughts. It’s amazing how much negotiation I keep having to go through. All of this reminds me why I am doing this to begin with and keeps me on my toes.
So here we go:
Mind:
- I read: I read a lot this week, too. More detail tomorrow. I’ve also gone through pretty much all the “here are the books to look forward to in 2017” lists on the internet. Here’s the millions one which is by far the most comprehensive and if YA is your cup of tea, here’s the book riot review of 170 YA books coming in the first three months of 2017 .
- I learned: I signed up for several classes this week. Wholehearted Artist by Stephanie Lee. I’ve taken her classes before and they’ve been lifechanging for me. I wanted to sign up for Danielle’s A Color Narrative but I still haven’t finished doing all the work from her Storybooks and Studious Girls class so I wanted to resist. But as I was looking I couldn’t help myself but sign up for Be Still. (here are some lovely videos by Danielle, she is amazing.) And even though I haven’t bought any of her goodies yet, the unparalleled Jane Davenport has a free mixed media class. I am sure it’s amazing.
- I watched: Thank’s to swissmiss, here are a few lovely videos from this week. A little bit of joy, the danger of silence, talk about friendship, amazing wrapping trick, and farewell to obama. I also watched this lovely video of David Brooks’ ideas from his great book. A little TV this week mostly when I was sick.
Body:
- Exercise: I did the 7-minute exercise once a day, everyday. Knee is still so-so.
- Food: Still eating fresh food. No coffee, no soda. Lots of veggies.
- Skin: moisturized every day when i came out of the shower.
- Floss: flossed every night. love my floss.
- And More: my dentist encouraged me to use a flouride-rich toothpaste in the evenings so I’ve added that to my self-care routine too.
Soul:
- I rested: I’ve tried to rest as much as possible this week. I slept soundly some nights and not so well on others. But I went to bed early every night to allow for the possibility of an eight-hour sleep schedule.
- I connected: Not much connecting this week, I was quite sick.
- I journaled: I journaled very little this week. I will fix this.
- I made art: Meh. I did a bit of art but not nearly enough and I feel very uninspired to do more sadly.
Here’s to baby steps. Here’s to taking it one day at a time. I can do this.
Nourish Me Week 2017 is a year-long project for 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.
You can read about the start of this project here.
It says: real love begins where nothing is expected in return.
Loving Hearts is a Monthly Project for January 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.
I think I originally saw puzzles on Ali’s blog or instagram. I know she’s posted them before and for some reason this past October, I just decided I wanted to try them too. The last time I made a puzzle, I was around sixteen. All my puzzles were in Turkey and I didn’t even know how to buy one, where to buy one, which one to buy.
As it worked out, the week I was thinking about all this, my kids and I went to the local bookstore and found this wonderful puzzle on the Transit theme. Since I work on Google Transit, I decided it was serendipity. During Thanksgiving, I spent most of my moments working on that puzzle. And then I was hooked. Since then, I’ve done around ten puzzles.
The worst part of doing puzzles has definitely been the ache in my neck, arms, and back from all the bending over. At first, I was making them on the couch, which was likely the very worst position I could make them in and now I do them at the kitchen table but I still have quite a bit of pain after hours of sitting and leaning over.
On the up side, the best thing about them has been the sheer number of books I can listen to while I make puzzles. I love sitting at the table, drinking my tea and listening to a great book. I love the peace, the serenity. It’s become the thing I most look forward to in my weekend days. Certainly beats Candy Crush.
You can read about the start of this project here.
It says: respond to every call that excites your spirit.
Loving Hearts is a Monthly Project for January 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.
Weekly Intention: This is a bit of an odd week. Tuesday promises to be very stressful with several important meetings and multiple context changes and Wednesday looks mild at the moment but I suspect it will fill up and it certainly goes all the way into the night. And then the latter end of the week is quieter but will require two trips to David’s school. Both, possibly in the rain. One during rush hour on Friday. Not my favorite time to be on the road. I feel that if I make it past Tuesday, it will get easier. My intention this week is to be mindful, intentional and slow. Listen more than I talk. Be organized, intentional and methodical. I would like to be efficient in the work I get done and then rest as much as possible.
This month’s intention is: Rise and Shine. Hit the ground running.
Ways to Shine this week:
- One: Bold: Tuesday is going to be all about being bold, baby!
- Two: Open: I get to celebrate David this week. All of his accomplishments at school. I can’t wait.
- Three: Heal/Nourish: I’d like to spend some time with self-care this week. Maybe a nice, warm bath is in order. Certainly, so is journaling.
I am looking forward to: David’s culmination.
This week’s challenges: a tough Tuesday. an interview on Thursday. all my nights this week are full. So i will have to work extra hard to rest.
Top Goals:
- Work: actually start creating weekly summaries, see if I can pull it together. i have an idea but we will see if it comes together.
- Personal: do art. i feel disappointed in myself that i’ve made no February art already.
- Family: helping Jake, getting back into routine for Nathaniel and helping David is all I want this week.
I will focus on my core desires (bold, mindful, nourish, love) by: slowing down this week. this will be hard with how full the week is but i will try to stay grounded in this moment. just take things one meeting at a time. i will remember not to put the urgent before the important. i will try.
This week, I will say yes to: some time with friends. i haven’t seen friends in a while.
This week, I will say no to: aiming for perfection. these status emails will be work in progress. one week at a time.
I am worried that: i will not get enough done this week. i am worried the emails will be terrible, not useful. i am worried that i will not be able to maintain this work of staying on top of all of the tracking craziness. i am worried that i will mess up the interview i am going to conduct. i am worried that it will rain. i am worried that i will be tired and mess things up. i am worried that i will never feel more energy even though i am trying to eat better.
This week, I want to remember: i am loved and worthy. my worth doesn’t come from my job, my ability to mother my kids or be a wife. I just am and it’s ok that i mess up. what matters is that i get up and i keep trying. i will always keep trying.
Here’s to a great week!
You can read about the start of this project here.
It says: i wish to live a life that causes my soul to dance inside my body.
Loving Hearts is a Monthly Project for January 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.
Three ways I shone this week:
- One: It was another week of logistical stuff but I got a lot of it done. My hunch is there might be a bit more this coming week.
- Two: Hmm, not sure if this counts as shining but I was really sick this week and decided to stay home and rest instead of going to a few events. Maybe that’s more nourish than shine? But maybe nourishing myself is shining? I am not sure….
- Three: I worked hard to be my kindest self in several occasions this week for some of the volunteer work I do at work.
I celebrate: feeling better. i am so glad i feel healthy again.
I am grateful for: working at home and for jake’s flexible schedule. jake really supported me this week while we were both pretty sick. he drove the kids to and from school multiple times so I could stay home and get better. Working at home meant that I could still work and keep up with most things despite feeling sick.
I nourished myself by: still eating a lot of spinach over here. resting. drinking water and tea. and reading. so grateful for books.
Reflecting on my worries: i worried about not giving enough time to the boys and as it worked out, I spent a lot of time with both of the kids. Nathaniel was home sick on Monday and he was also home on Friday because he had no school. We did indeed start a bit of a math routine. I also spent a lot of time with David on Friday night and Saturday night. So, all in all, yes it’s not perfect but I need to remember that we spend a lot of time together. I do listen. I do show them how much I love them.
I let go of: being super productive this week. I was really sick. I just tried not to be so hard on myself.
Core Desire Check-in (bold, mindful, nourish, love):
- I continued the trend of being bold (albeit very nicely) and I think it’s still paying off. Here’s to hoping it continues.
- It’s interesting how mindfulness comes with a lot of hardship for me. I had several more hard moments. Really tough ones. But I made it through and here is to being a bit more mindful next time, maybe. Hopefully.
- I am still working on nourishment. It continues to amaze me how my brain works and how hard this is.
- And love. Well this is the one I always mess up on. This is the one that I wish I did a better job with. I wish I could wear my love on my face, my sleeves, my words so much more than I do. I wish my people could just see it and have no doubt how much, how deeply I love them. I’ll just have to keep trying harder.
What made me laugh this week: snuggle time with Nathaniel.
What I tolerated this week: being sick. it was quite frustrating being sick, i had a cut on my tongue which drove me mad, too. it’s gone now thankfully.
My mood this week was: mostly lethargic this week.
I forgive myself for: needing more forgiveness this week. for being broken in places. i am learning we are all works in progress.
What I love right now: right now i am grateful for a long weekend. especially after being sick all week.
Here’s to a wonderful week three!
You can read about the start of this project here.
It says: kindness is like snow, it beautifies everything it touches.
Loving Hearts is a Monthly Project for January 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.
     I had to read Learning to Swear in America for my Young Adult book club. I’d started reading it a few months ago, but wasn’t able to get into it. When my Audible credit came I decided it was my best chance of reading the book in time for the book club. I chided myself a bit for “wasting” my credit on a YA novel since those are usually shorter and really quick reads. But I am so glad I did. I loved the audio for this book and I loved the book so so much that by the last 40 pages, I just gave up on the audio so I could read the pages and go faster. I loved this sweet book quite a bit and I think the wonderful audio performance had a lot to do with it, too.
I then was looking for something new to read and glanced through my Overdrive checkouts and came back to the new Jodi Picoult book, Small Great Things. I read Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper many years ago and was so devastated with the twist at the end that I swore to never read her again. But then I read more of her over the years anyway. Though I was a lot more hesitant and picky. I didn’t like her previous book all that much and wasn’t sure I wanted to read this one. But I was working on a puzzle and needed a book and just figured I’ll give it a try. I am so glad I did. I swallowed this book up. I basically listened to it until I was completely finished with my puzzle and then read the rest of it into the late hours of the night. I loved the author’s note at the end and I really am glad I read this book.
I then moved on to Mr. Terupt because it’s the book we’re reading in the Lit Club I am co-leading in David’s school for the 3-4th grade group we have. David read this book when he was in third grade and loved it. I was looking forward to reading it but had no idea how much I was going to love it. If you have a middle grader, this is a lovely book with soul (though also some tough, sensitive subject-matter if your kids are sensitive, so keep that in mind.)
I had Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us checked out and wasn’t sure if I wanted to read it but I decided to give it a shot. In the end, I ended up reading about a third of it. I am already off all the packaged goods so this was mostly a reminder that it was a good choice to turn to natural foods. And a good reminder that it’s going to be tough to get all these things out of my system, especially the sugar.
So unlike me to read not one but two non-fiction books in a month, let alone a week but I also had Organize Tomorrow Today in my Overdrive checkouts and I decided to check it out while I started my second puzzle of the weekend. I am already a pretty intentional and organized person, but this book was fantastic with specific tasks on how to be considerably more intentional and purposeful with my life. This is one I will come back to and reread as I implement it in pieces since there’s so so much in this little book.
That’s it for this week’s reading. A wide range and good mix this week.
Books I Read this Week 2017 is a year-long project for 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.
You can read about the start of this project here.
It says: to be able to look back upon life in satisfaction is to live twice.
Loving Hearts is a Monthly Project for January 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.
You can read about the start of this project here.
It says: we choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them.
Loving Hearts is a Monthly Project for January 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.
So here we are. It’s been a week of working on nourishment. On the first two days without coffee and sugar, I had debilitating headaches. On the second day after exercising for merely 7 minutes, my arms and muscles hurt. If I needed a reminder why I need to do this, well I got it. I haven’t been taking good care of myself and I am hoping that I can remember this week when I am tempted to not stick to my goals.
What also scared me was how much time I spent in my head trying to find a way around my self-imposed rules. I kept thinking maybe I could have a “cheat” day or that lattes are really just milk and coffee, both of which are natural so theoretically I should be able to have them, no? On and on. I kept hearing myself (in my head) trying to find ways to convince myself why it would be ok to get off course. So many, many times. It was quite astounding. And eye-opening of course.
So here we go:
Mind:
- I read: I read a lot of books this week. More on those coming tomorrow. Some YA, some middle grade, some literary and some nonfiction. I didn’t however, read about nutrition at least not the type I’d have intended to. More on what I did read, coming tomorrow.
- I learned: I didn’t pick a class. However, I did get the Loving Yourself Workbook but haven’t started it yet.
- I watched: I watched this lovely TED talk which was quite thought provoking. Very little TV this week and some of the Golden Globes. No movies.
Body:
- Exercise: I did the 7-minute exercise once a day but I did it everyday. Knee is a bit better but not fully recovered.
- Food: I’ve done a good job with the food. I’ve eaten only whole foods. Not the Whole 30 or any specific diet. Just things that are whole and not processed. I’ve eaten a LOT of spinach this week. I love spinach. I’ve also had no coffee or coke zero. only tea and water this week.
- Skin: moisturized every day when i came out of the shower.
- Floss: flossed every night. love my floss.
- And More: no mediation. sorry.
Soul:
- I rested: I did sleep eight hours or more every night except Thursday where I chose to work a bit more. It was worth it. I also stopped eating and drinking about 2-3 hours before bed on each night. I also rested most of the weekend, worked on puzzles while I listened to books. Lovely way to spend my time when it’s pouring rain outside.
- I connected: Our friend Adam came over with his family on Friday night and it was really lovely to see them and see our kids play so much.
- I journaled: I journaled every day. Woohoo!
- I made art: No new art this week. Still thinking about my February art. Open to ideas.
Here’s to baby steps. Here’s to taking it one day at a time. I can do this.
Nourish Me Week 2017 is a year-long project for 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.
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projects for twenty twenty-five
projects for twenty twenty-four
projects for twenty twenty-three
projects for twenty twenty-two
projects for twenty twenty-one
projects for twenty nineteen
projects for twenty eighteen
projects from twenty seventeen
monthly projects from previous years
some of my previous projects
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