October 2017 – Twenty Mantras – 10

karenika.comThis card says: Be consistent. The game is consistency here. Doing it every day. Getting up and choosing it even when you don’t want to. No need to do 2 hours or eat nothing. Just show up every day and be consistent. You will see that it always pays off in the end.

Also the impact has a cumulative effect. Consistency wins the game. 


Twenty Mantras is a Monthly Project for October 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here. You can read about the start of this project here.

Books I Read This Week 2017 – 41

Some solid reading this week. I still have 30+ books checked out from the library and don’t really have hope of catching up to my list. But this also gives me more variety and makes me feel less pressure about finishing books I don’t like.

 Flesh and Bone and Water was really different for me. I can’t quite put my finger on exactly while bit I liked it. I am glad I read it.

I had checked out I Liked my Life from the library a while back and never read it. This time, I was in the mood for it. I knew it would be light which is sort of was but it also was sad and heavy in parts. I am not sure if there’s meant to be a twist toward the end (which i totally guessed) but it was not an important part of the plot for me. I still liked the book.

The Ninth Hour was a slog to get through. I really don’t know why I continued to read it. It made me so very sad. She’s an amazing writer, yes, but I just can’t read these types of stories anymore.

Since We Fell had also been on my pile before but I’d not managed to read it. The only other Lehane I read was Mystic River which I really loved. I am not a huge mystery fan but Lehane does an incredible job of character development and this book was no exception. I think it wasn’t as good as Mystic River but I still liked it.

New People was also one I’d checked out before and felt uncompelled to read. This time I finished it pretty quickly and actually liked bits of it mostly because it was really interesting to read about characters so wildly different than I am. I also really loved the ending. 

Nothing absolutely amazing this week but I have some great ones on my pile that I am really excited to read.


Books I Read this Week 2017 is a year-long project for 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.

October 2017 – Twenty Mantras – 9

karenika.comThis card says: Make Space. You have no time. No one has any time. You never had any time. Except you do of course. This is not about having time. It’s about “making” time. You make space for this in your schedule. that’s how this works.

We all have the same 24 hours in the day. It’s what we do with our 24 that matters.


Twenty Mantras is a Monthly Project for October 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here. You can read about the start of this project here.

Nourish Me – 41

Mind:

  • I read: Since I often write the same things here (how i read books but nothing else) I’ve been wondering if I should be removing this section. It was originally intended for articles I find online that I might want to remember. But alas I read none. 
  • I learned: I’m almost all caught up in Stephanie’s class which is amazing. I’ve also watched all the videos of the three Courageworks classes I’d signed up for. I still have to do the art for them but I’ve listened to the content and, of course, it was fantastic.
  • I watched:  I didn’t watch any TV so far but I have a lot piled up in the Tivo and can’t wait to sit and watch Scandal, This is Us and a few others. 

Body:

  • Exercise: I did six classes this week:
    • Monday:Body Pump
    • Tuesday: Pilates
    • Wednesday: Pilates
    • Thursday: gBarre 
    • Friday: Body Pump Express and Pilates.

I haven’t begun any of the things that I mentioned last week but I also haven’t forgotten about them. I need to interlace them into my schedule. 

  • Food: 
    • I’ve been doing an okay job with smoothies. I did some variation this week but not a lot. 
    • I’ve had decent food and less than usual chocolate. But I’ve also been pretty lax with other tidbits here and there and I’d like to be better because it’s not too hard to slip from one small thing to many. So I think it’s better to be conscious all the time and make the healthier choices again and again.
  • Body Care:
    • I did soak my feet once this week but that’s all i’ve done so far!

Soul:

  • I rested: I slept a bit less than usual this week. Most nights I made it to bed between 10:30-11 instead of 10. Which seems like a little but it is not enough for me. I plan to do better this week.
  • I connected: with my friend on Thursday. We’ve made a recurring date to connect on Thursdays for now and it’s been really good for my soul.
  • I journaled: I did journal for MapMaker but not much else. I want to do more for mapmaker, some for brene’s class and some just for me.
  • I made art: I caught up for my mapmaker class but it’s time to think about November art and I have no plans. The small plans I had didn’t work out. Any ideas for me for November?
  • Flowers: I bought lots of beautiful flowers, I’ve loved adding this into my life. Worth every penny.

So grateful for my progress, I have more shots on instagram though not that many recently.


Nourish Me Week 2017 is a year-long project for 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.

October 2017 – Twenty Mantras – 8

karenika.comThis card says: Push Harder. It’s okay to take it easy when you need to but it’s also okay to push harder every now and then. It’s ok to understand your limitations and to test them. See if you have improved. See if you can do better now. Give yourself that nudge occasionally. Push a little harder.

We can’t tell if we can now do what we couldn’t before, unless we try.


Twenty Mantras is a Monthly Project for October 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here. You can read about the start of this project here.

2017 Stories – 41 – Nathaniel’s Letters

Nathaniel started a new school this year. He was the only newcomer to the Third Grade and I wasn’t sure how it was all going to play out. He’s pretty outgoing and pretty easygoing so I was optimistic that things would be okay but I wasn’t sure. As it worked out, he has been adjusting fine for the most part (thankfully). 

There are many things I love about this new school but one of my favorite things is the Weekly Reflection letters he writes each Friday (I know it will come as a shock to you that I like exercises that help you reflect, he hee!) These lovely hand-written letters come in a lovely, colored envelope each week and contain tidbits from his week. He also writes a glow (something he’s proud of) and a grow (an area of improvement) each week. 

These letters are the highlight of my week and I savor them. I am so grateful to his teachers for creating such a wonderful memento for this scrapping mom and giving the kids an opportunity to reflect each week. 


Stories from 2017 is a year-long project for 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.

October 2017 – Twenty Mantras – 7

karenika.comThis card says: Show up. If you can only do one thing, it’s this one. Show up. You have to show up to your life. To the things that matter. You have to participate in shaping it the way you want it to turn out. The universe has your back but you must show up.

I show up to so many things but not always to my own life. I need to remember this one the most.


Twenty Mantras is a Monthly Project for October 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here. You can read about the start of this project here.

Living Intentionally 2017 – 41

 

Weekly Intention: I fly to Seattle for work at the end of this week so I won’t have a solid weekend and lately weekends are where I catch up on my life and even work. I also have promotion committee all Monday which means I have a foreshortened week. More reason to be super-diligent about getting things done this week. My plan is to use my time effectively. To sleep a lot. To eat really super well since who knows what will happen in Seattle. To get solidly on track since I know stuff will pile up while I am in Seattle and when I get home my parents will be here so I will want to spend time with them. So intention is to be productive, spend a ton of time with boys, and self-nourish.

The next few weeks have some culminations for our family. Things we’ve been working on and we’ll get to see the results, so I am also praying and hoping for some good results and the ability to handle whatever comes with grace and self-compassion.

Things I want to get Done: Here’s the list for his week.

  • Work: stay on top of email. 
  • Work: do the deck + come up with plan + email.
  • Work: do posters
  • Work: evaluate form results x2
  • Work: finish booking SYD
  • Work: make plan for life in SEA
  • Personal: exercise 6/7 times. 
  • Personal: kick it up a notch with eating clean. 
  • Personal: Journal three times.
  • Personal: Do mapmaker #11
  • Personal: start Brene’s art
  • Personal: November art plan
  • Personal: donate + cash check + call for taxes
  • Personal: Continue with the new scrapping/storytelling system.
  • Family: do math+spelling with N
  • Family: make a plan with D
  • Family: go to 3rd grade coffee for Nathaniel
  • Family: Check in regularly with my nephews and my sister.
  • Family: take photos!
  • Family: Make lunches for when I am gone.

This month’s intention is:  Shine On: You’re doing great. You made it through September. The year is starting its countdown and you can do this. Remember to keep going. Shine on. Don’t stop now. Just one day at a time. Each time these are the best reminders.

Ways to Shine this week:

  • One: Bold: Bold with getting things done this week.
  • Two: Open: Open to restructuring my life a bit, my schedule seems exceptionally bad.
  • Three: Heal/Nourish: Do at least 2 new self-care items this week.

I am looking forward to: spending time with my boys. 

This week’s challenges: Monday will be a long day. Here’s hoping it doesn’t throw off the whole week.

Top Goals:

  • Work: getting C+T teams into a routine.
  • Personal: exercise+food+journaling.
  • Family: time with kiddos.

I will focus on my core desires (bold, mindful, nourish, love) by: being kinder when i speak, having some perspective.

This week, I will say yes to: revising my calendar a bit.

This week, I will say no to: wasting bits of time.

I am worried that:  i won’t exercise. i’ll continue not eating well. i will fall even more behind. david will be sad. i won’t give enough attention to nathaniel. i will get bad news for me. i’ll disappoint even more people. i am just feeling worried in general lately because i feel more disconnected and like i am dropping more things on the floor.

This week, I want to remember:  that i am just one person and while i like to do a lot of things it’s good to be clear on what matters most and give myself grace on doing the other things less well.

October 2017 – Twenty Mantras – 6

karenika.comThis card says: Be gentle with yourself. This is going to take a while sweet girl. It’s not a shortcut when you want to change your life. So it’s going to have ups and downs. That’s to be expected. Do not be unkind. Be gentle with yourself and allow for faltering. Then go on!

I I’m not that great at being kind to myself and it’s all too easy to just give up when one thing goes wrong. So this is a reminder to keep at it. And to be gentle!!


Twenty Mantras is a Monthly Project for October 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here. You can read about the start of this project here.

Weekly Reflection 2017 – 40

How I shone this week:  This week started with the horrible news of what happened in Las Vegas. I woke up 6am on Monday morning and before I did anything, I saw the CNN alert on my phone. I had gone to bed early enough on Sunday that I hadn’t seen it. It made me so sad that the undercurrent was there all week. I always find myself worrying about the smallest things all the time and this was a reminder that I need to have more perspective and a better understanding of things that matter. (and things that don’t.) I am still really sad about all that’s been going on in the last few months in the world. (not that there aren’t really horrible things going on all the time but I feel like there’s been a lot of devastating natural disasters back to back recently.) I feel like while I am still mourning one horrible tragedy, there is a new one and I haven’t even processed the previous one yet. Just a lot of sadness. 

This week was another hurried one (are there any others at this point?) but I managed to support my kids, their school, work and my family. And still exercised and ate relatively ok. I am proud of myself for making it through lately. That’s just going to have to be good enough.

Things I wanted to get Done:

  • Work: wasn’t great about email this week but I just sat down and cleared all of it so I am caught up now, did some initial plan for October, didn’t even look at the dashboard, did the deck but not email this week, did posters, didn’t evaluate form results yet. 
  • Personal: exercised 6 times, had two client calls, eating 5% better than last week, journaled once, did mapmaker 9 and 10. Finished Brene’s class (nonart work). Scrapping is also going well.
  • Family: supported david all week. went to 3rd grade social, didn’t check in with sis and nephews as much as i would have wanted, will do better this week. Took photos!

I celebrate: having a good balance between work, me, family, school and friends this week. I went to the kids’ school 4 times, met with a friend once, supported both kids with school work, took six exercise classes, and got some decent work done and even managed to have some lovely time with my husband this week. I put this week in the win column. 

I am grateful for: the amount of support i have in my life. a really loving family, an incredible husband, kids who are the kindest, a few solid friends, and a really supportive manager. I am quite lucky.

I nourished myself by: exercising this week.

Reflecting on my worries: i did a bit better on the eating over all. also gave myself some more grace. i think i need to still work on chocolate but i won’t take it on now. i’ve been better about catching up. one day at a time. i am sure i did disappoint some people but i am trying. everyday i get to try again. and david’s week was okay so far.

I let go of: knowing the answers, controlling the outcome. cause who am i kidding?

Core Desire Check-in (bold, mindful, nourish, love):

  • bold: driving to the high school for a many-hour meeting.
  • mindful: mindful that i am still feeling overwhelmed and seem to have an undercurrent of sadness.
  • nourish: i need a daily dose of nourish. healthy nourish. make the time each day. 
  • love: love feeling done with a big item on my list. even if it only lasts a moment.

What made me laugh this week: Jake and I laughed a lot. 

What I tolerated this week: still craving some alone time. also some more downtime.

My mood this week was: sad.
I forgive myself for:  being really stressed on Thursday.
What I love right now: i love that i booked my tickets to SYD. it’s a big relief.

Here’s to a great week 41. 

October 2017 – Twenty Mantras – 5

karenika.comThis card says: Do the next right thing. You can’t think too far ahead here. There will be things you can’t plan for and things that are tough to deal with. It’s okay. Just do the next right thing every single time and you will see that it all works out.

Honestly anything more than that is just fooling yourself. Making plans is nice but you can’t count on anything but this moment.


Twenty Mantras is a Monthly Project for October 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here. You can read about the start of this project here.

October 2017 – Twenty Mantras – 4

karenika.comThis card says: Just a little more. When you feel like you want to give up, just remind yourself you can do a little more. Just a small amount more and you will be done. Just a tiny bit more each time will be a huge change over time. It will work out. Just give a little more.

drop by drop. one step by one step. a little more and next thing you know, you can do it! 


Twenty Mantras is a Monthly Project for October 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here. You can read about the start of this project here.