Today’s page was week six’s part 3 (and final) homework for the Soul Restoration class.
This assignment was all about differentiating between things I want to spend less time on and things I want focus more on. The thing that struck me a bit with this assignment was more about what I did not include on my page as opposed to what ended up there. The things that are on the “no more” and on the “focus on” list are both relatively authentic to me and they seem obvious to me. They are things I really need to be more cognizant of when I am living each moment.
here are some things that didn’t make it on the “no more” list
- Abusing: Even though I’ve abused diet coke before and I do drink a little more coffee than I’d like at the moment, I am in better shape on this than I’ve been in the past. I still remember the days of 12 diet cokes.
- Greed: This is another area where I don’t focus too much on anymore. I don’t need promotions and raises. Money is nice to have but I only need enough to send my kids to good schools, have us live comfortably and not be in deep need. Anything else is extra and nice to have but it’s not worth dedicating all my free time to. My family and soul work is where I want the free time to go to, not trying to make a few extra bucks.
- Over-eating: Another area where things are more in control than they’ve been in the past. No devouring chocolate bars. I haven’t had chips or burgers or impulsive eating in a long time. I still don’t eat as well as I should but this is a definite sign of progress.
- Hoarding: I have made tangible progress in this area, too. With the help of digital books, I am not buying books anymore. I have also stopped buying just about any scrapbooking stuff with the exception of punches and white cardstock. I do need to find a good way to donate some of my existing stash but at least I am working on not growing it.
- Overworking: This is similar to “greed” where I am trying to focus on doing a good job at work and focusing hard and then spending the rest of my time doing things I love for myself or for my family. This is something that’s particularly hard for me but I didn’t include it because I think that compared to the 100-hour weeks I was working on Wall Street, I am really doing better on this item.
and here are some of the items that didn’t make it to the “focus on” list:
- Clutter: This is something I feel like I have more under control than usual. I do have a few areas of clutter that keep piling up again and again but in general I think the house is organized and we’re keeping things orderly so I am happy with it and feel at peace.
- Cooking: I have decided that I am not cooking. I might, one day, decide otherwise. But for now, this is not an area I want to spend my precious time on and as long as we all eat whole foods and not processed ones, we’re ok. We will stick to fruits, frozen veggies, yogurt, honey and nuts.
- Meditation: Another area where I often pressure myself to do better and I finally decided enough is enough. No meditation for me. I can focus on the journaling instead. It works well, makes me feel peaceful and allows me to work things out. This is good enough for now.
- Pretty Things/Clothes: While I am fully determined to lose weight and finally look the way I’ve always wanted to, I am not bent on having pretty things or clothes. I am happy with my one item a month rule and even if I didn’t have that, it’s ok. The focus is the weight/size loss here. Everything else is extra.
- Homemaking: Not my area of strength or interest. I like my house to be open, clean, and orderly. I am not spending hours decorating and redecorating it. And I am officially not feeling bad about it. There we go.
- Dancing: This is another area of major guilt for me. I don’t dance. I feel too awkward, self-conscious, etc. People always seem to feel sad for me when they hear this and I keep telling myself I need to work on it. Well seeing here on paper, I decided to let myself off the hook. I don’t need to dance. I do many other things that make me happy and allow me to share my joy. It’s ok not to do this.
- Vacations/Travel: My kids are still pretty young. Vacation for us is more torture than fun. A lot of planning, a lot of being off-schedule and cranky and disorganized. I’d rather just stay at home or take short trips where everyone comes back home to sleep in their own bed. This will change with time but for now, it’s totally ok to not go anywhere and just enjoy our home.
There you go. So many of the lessons I learned this week. And I let myself off the hook on many items. I think that was almost as important as coming up with my lists of “no more” and “focus on.”
With this, my classwork is over. I have some truth cards to make but that will come later this year. I have love love love loved this course and cannot recommend it enough.
Weekly Art Journal is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.
I woke up from the wrong side of the bed today (as they say) and could not shake it off. I just did not want to do anything at all. Despite all that, I did manage to exercise, journal, read to David and do a lot of work.
Nathaniel played quietly while I frantically tried to open bugs and find owners for issues.
Next thing I knew it was time to pick up David. Thankfully, soon after he came home, so did Jake. He and David built legos for a while as I worked. Then I realized I hadn’t taken a photo today yet. But David wouldn’t play along.
And then he couldn’t help himself.
and now the kids are down and I am still grouchy. I am stressed in anticipation of upcoming stress. How totally dumb is that?! Alas, I know everything is going to work out because it always does one way or another. And if it doesn’t that’s ok too. The world will not end. I just wish I could tell my heart all this. But it doesn’t listen when it’s so busy freaking out.
Instead I just decided to give myself the next few days off. I will do anything I want. Besides the exercise, all other things are optional. I don’t need to sketch or update my journal or anything I don’t want to do. If I do, great but it’s truly optional. If I just want to lie and watch TV or movies or surf for my spare time, it’s allowed until Thursday. After which I need to go back to being a good girl again.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that Jake is going to be around almost the whole time for the next three days to ensure my process is smooth and I have guiltless time to dedicate to work.
2. I am grateful for a very special guest coming on Wednesday.
3. I am grateful for not having anything on my todo list this week other than work so I can take downtime I know I need.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that we played Indiana Jones at school {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that mommy and I finished our book
3. I am grateful that I build my lego ship with daddy
I had the honor of being the December 2010 Guest designer for October Afternoon. This is one of the layouts I made for them.
Journaling Reads:
My little boy, you’re quite adventurous. You’re willing to try and explore everything. David’s toys and clothes are all exciting to you. So are new foods and places. But this openness generally only lasts for a few seconds. Sometimes so short that I can’t even captures it in film. So I was very happy to capture this brief moment of joy you had when you put on the baseball cap on. And then it was off, of course.
Here’s to another lovely, quiet, wonderful weekend day. It took me a while to get started but I did my exercise about an hour after I woke up and then it was family photo time. Here are some outtakes for you. Nathaniel complaining because David has the clicker.
Jake said something to make fun of me here (actually he was responding to me because I kept saying “don’t make that weird face” but he said it in such a funny way that I burst into laughter.
And I couldn’t stop. I love how Nathaniel has the clicker here and is staring right at the camera while the rest of us are cracking up.
And then it was tickle-time, of course. We always end with tickle-time. I love Jake’s face in this one.
And more tickling. David really enjoys the tickling.
Then everyone went to work for a while. Nathaniel went to nap (though he didn’t really nap until we took him back out and put him back in.) David tried to think of a way to play without electronics since I told him he’d had enough.
So he wouldn’t give me a smile.
I did some art, some sketching, and some reading. Then the little boy woke up and went shopping with his dad. When he came home, he played and I snapped photos.
I love it when I catch him looking right at me.
Then he went back to putting stickers on just about anything. Despite the fact that I kept saying “no Nathaniel, no” he just shook his head no and kept putting them on.
Then it was family time so we played Monopoly Jr again. And this time David won! He was very excited. He and daddy did some legos and then both the kids went down. I did some of my todo list items and I am now off to do some more art. This week promises to be stressful so I am going to enjoy these last moments of peace.
I hope your weekend was great!
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I made some more pages on my art journal.
2. I am grateful for family time. I love family time.
3. I am grateful for the peace and calm I feel right now. I don’t usually feel peaceful but this year it’s been more often than not. I am thankful.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that we had family night {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I got to spend some time with daddy playing legos
3. I am grateful that I got to stay up a little later than usual
David says:
I gave this story five stars because it was a fun book to read because it had adventures.
My favorite part was when they found out Tip was Ozma. And I liked that the witch got caught. I liked Ozma because she was a nice Queen. I also like that the Scarecrow is filled with money. I thought it was funny when the TinMan thought he could get the girls with his axe but then there was no one at the entrance. I like Glinda because she is just. I like that the saw-horse goes fast. I think Jack Pumpkinhead’s smile looks cool and I like Tip because he taught the horse all the words and what they mean. I didn’t really care for the Bug.
I didn’t like Jinjur because she didn’t let Scarecrow or Ozma be the ruler of Emerald City. I like that they caught Mombi because she was mean.
Reading a book a week with my six-year-old son David is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.
I woke up feeling tired today but also relieved because I had nothing I had to do. So I just relaxed for a tiny bit and then did my exercise. While I was relaxing, David lay on the floor and told Nathaniel to sit on him. And Nathaniel did. They both thought it was hilarious.
David was so good. He didn’t even complain when Nathaniel pulled his hair.
I love them so.
After my exercise and shower, it was family photo time. Since it was finally not raining, we thought it might be fun to do it outside.
Nathaniel grabbed the remote a few minutes into our session, of course.
And then everyone went to do their own thing. Jake went to get some work done, I did some art, David played his wii, and Nathaniel played with his trains.
Toward the end of the day, we decided it would be fun to watch a movie so we watched the one where the princess becomes a swan. Sadly, I can’t remember the name. It was ok. Now the kids are eating and soon it’s bath and bedtime. I am hoping I get to work on my art journal a bit tonight but I can’t seem to share the tiredness no matter how much I try. So I might just have to curl up in bed with a book.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I did some fun sketching.
2. I am grateful that I also worked on a page on my art journal where I did a she art piece.
3. I am grateful for another weekend day tomorrow.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I get to play batman on the wii {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that we watched a movie together
3. I am grateful that daddy will spend some time with me
jake
Even though we both feel really tired at the end of the week, I think this was a good week for Jake. He had a few great meetings and forward motion in several of his projects. I know that he’s trying to juggle a lot more than usual for the next few weeks and it’s hard but he’s dealing with it all like a champ. He’s positive, optimistic and still so much the guy I fell in love with. Jake’s childlike enthusiasm for so many things is intoxicating and makes you so happy to have him in your life. I am so grateful.
karen
Good week for me, too. Three dev releases in one week. A first for me. But I do it all with so much more ease and confidence now. I understand the things under the hood and that’s all I needed to feel 100% better. I am hoping next week’s branching will go well too and then I can rest easy for a bit. I also had a great week teaching my class and making some art. And even sketching. I am looking forward to so much next week.
david
David had a good week as well. He’s fully back to school and handled the transition like a champ. He didn’t melt down and has come home happy each day this week. He does all of his chores without complaint (at least not too much.) He eats his veggies, reads his book, does his workbook exercises and then he gets to play. He even plays with his little brother and they really like laughing together. I love watching them so much.
nathaniel
Nathaniel has been having a rougher-than-usual week. He fell down and busted his lip earlier this week and then had a lot of trouble falling asleep (I am guessing it hurt to suck his thumb.) Then Jake taught him a game with the stuffed animals in bed and he kept wanting to play that and refused to sleep. But, of course, he always falls asleep in the end and he’s so cute, so sweet that we just try to be patient with him. I am guessing his schedule is changing a bit too since he’s getting older but we’ll deal with that as is comes.
and here’s the card version:
Us Right Now is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.
I need to be reprimanded today because I agreed to not one but two things I should not have to this week. TWO! What’s wrong with me? Do I learn nothing? It made the last two days considerably less pleasant than they needed to be. There was really no reason for the stress I incurred and the lack of attention all the other things in my life got because of it. Lesson learned.
Again.
Apparently I need to learn this one again and again.
I have, however, still been exercising. And Nathaniel loves my FitBit. He loves seeing the flower. He presses until he gets it and then signs “flower” when he sees it.
David was in a good mood when he came home and he is such a delight to see .
I tried to grab another photo of Nathaniel but he wasn’t really feeling up to it.
As bedtime approached, I got to go out with my friend Nicholas to see Beastly. Then I came home, finished my daunting task and now I need to crawl into bed. I didn’t get to sketch today and i will not get to my art journal even so it will have to wait until tomorrow. The good news is my big task is finished and I can truly relax this whole weekend. All of it.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I finished what I promised to do.
2. I am grateful that I got to go to the movies. Love the movies.
3. I am grateful for my empty schedule this weekend.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I get to play wii tomorrow {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I stayed up extra late tonight
3. I am grateful for daddy
Wow, that’s a mouthful, eh?
I wasn’t sure what to call this (feel free to jump in with suggestions!!) but I was so inspired by Julie’s post in January that I decided to do pages like that each week. I’ve already been a huge fan of Judy Wise and her journals but I never felt I could do it. And then I saw Julie’s post and it all felt so doable suddenly.
Thank you, Julie!!
I decided to give it a try for February. I ordered one of the same watercolor Moleskine journals and then started right on February 1. Since that was a Tuesday, I used the first page for that shorter week.
I tried not to pressure myself to do great art. Just had fun with it. Here’s week 1:
Then for the second week, I had the idea to draw these two faces looking at each other:
and I just added a bit each day. I also bought a polaroid printer which prints not-so-great photos but they are stickers and small so it’s perfect for the journal.
I try not to add too much dimension as I don’t want it to get hard to write in but I use it also as a way to try new things. Like molding paste.
so here’s week 2:
closer up – left page:
closer up – right page:
and then for the next page, I wanted to try some acrylic since I’d only used watercolor before then. I was inspired by Christy’s girls but this was before the class so I did my best:
and here’s the full, finished page:
closer up – left page:
closer up – right page:
and then for the next page, I just tried to draw some butterflies. I’ve been taking Alisa’s sketch class so I figured it was a good idea to try. I do not love how it turned out.
And here’s the left page:
and the right one, which you can tell is much less artsy since it was a busy part of the week.
and there we are. I’ve actually done February 28 as well but that’s with this week. I generally make the backgrounds on the weekend and sometimes I make a few. Sometimes just one. And sometimes none. I try to make sure I have at least one extra so I don’t stress. And then as I go along, I add a little bit each day. Whatever I feel like. Some days it’s just 15 minutes and other days it’s more.
And the journaling. Some days it’s really emotional, personal and other days it’s more of “here’s what we did today” and that’s fine too. I don’t stress about it too much. It’s sort of like the December Daily where it’s a little bit each day. And sort of like Project life where I put something about our day each day. But it’s more art than either. Nothing time consuming like photo printing. I just relax and enjoy the process.
So I love it. And for now, it stays. I will keep doing it until I don’t love it anymore. I love that it will show my progress and my life as it is. With portraits, watercolors, girls, sketching and all the other things I am trying right now.
I think my plan is to post these on Tuesdays along with the Weekly Art Journal post which I still plan to keep up separately for a more art-focused piece. But I can’t decide what’s the best day of the week so if you have good ideas I am open to it.
And there we are. I love this new project and thank you Julie for showing me I could do it!!
Finally. It looks like after a few weeks of bad or no news,I ‘ve managed to lose some weight. The funny thing is, I got mixed up and weighed myself a day early this week. But once I saw the good news, I didn’t want to jinx it and didn’t even get on the Wii once more. I’m sure I’ll find out if it was a fluke next week.
I still need to take photos of me wearing them but here’s another of the three items I bought for January. It’s a long, summer skirt with lace. It’s really pretty and versatile. And though Jake has reservations about it, I love it and can’t wait until the weather is nicer so I can wear it.
I’ve been doing better with the food. I’ve switched to eating just veggies for lunch (instead of veggies and potatoes) and I’ll be honest that it’s almost equally filling and this way I have a few extra points to play with during the day. I’ve also stopped snacking on peanut butter. I try to be conscious of everything I am eating and make sure it’s fresh or whole. With the exception of coffee and graham crackers, I am doing pretty well actually. And I am up to 2.8 on the treadmill. So far so good. Let’s see how things look next week..
and here’s this week’s card:
Healthy for Life is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.
After the long post about getting things done, I got off course today with a new task that wasn’t even on my list. But once it came my way, I pretty much couldn’t focus on anything else so I just worked on it so I could get it off my chest.
Which might be why Nathaniel spent the day in his pajamas. Or maybe it was just that he looks so cute.
Lest you think I was being totally lazy, David and I did finish our book and do workbooks and write his gratitudes before he was allowed to play.
he even gave me a smile.
and so did the little boy. Is he not the cutest in his PJs?
The good news is that I did finish my task. Though now I have to sketch, journal, do my art page, and do a bunch of blog posts all before 10pm. That gives me three hours. Let’s see how much I can get done.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I finished my task and hope that the opportunity it was for really does open up!
2. I am grateful that tomorrow’s Friday. I love Friday.
3. I am grateful for my kids. They make me laugh so much and so often. I don’t know how I got so blessed.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that we played tiny wings at school {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I will visit Daddy’s office this weekend
3. I am grateful that mommy got me three games for the phone
I often see comments here and in other places I am about how much I get done. Like most things you see online (or even in the real world) your view is, of course, skewed. You see what I do get done, but you don’t see what I don’t get done. You don’t see the millions of little choices I am making or sacrifices to make sure I carve the time to do the things I want to do. I have written about this before, but I don’t think we can ever be reminded enough. My life is far from perfect. I yell at my kids. I fight with my husband. I fail. I get rejected. I cry. I worry. I hover. I annoy. etc etc. I’m human after all. I think I am pretty good about being honest (and not too whiny) here but feel free to tell me if I am not. Not even for a moment would I want you to think I’m anything other than a flawed person struggling and trying to do her best each day.
I am also very lucky in that I have a patient husband who forgives me regularly and with whom I’ve already shared 17 years of my life. So he’s patient and kind with me. So are my kids. They play a lot on their own. They listen to my requests. They are easy going and kind. They forgive me when I mess up. They also don’t have a lot of activities or playdates so I am not carting them around all day. I have a full time job so I work a lot and while my job is flexible and wonderful, it supports our family and I prioritize it over activities and playdates during the week. I don’t cook. I don’t clean. I tidy up, run dishwasher and laundry etc but those do not take the same amount of time of course. I have no idea where my iron is and I haven’t vacuumed once since we moved here two years ago. I have a wonderful cleaning lady who comes every other week and I am deeply grateful for her and the time that grants me. I rarely talk on the phone and rarely do one thing at a time.
So all this is to say that I do a lot and I don’t do a lot of other things. It’s all about prioritizing. Having said that, I’ve recently had some major revelations about what helps me get things done. I’ve also realized getting things done is a really really big part of me. Something that makes me happy. Some people get stressed with deadlines and long todo lists. I am the opposite. I thrive on deadlines and get frustrated when I don’t have a lot to do. So I have found ways that help me get things done and I wanted to share with you in case any of you are like me. Here’s some of what works for me (these are not in order):
Schedule I am a strong believer of schedules. That’s why I have one here on the blog. I schedule my posts for specific days. It keeps me honest and it helps me schedule my tasks. I have daily, weekly and monthly schedules for things. For example, I weigh myself every Wednesday. Or I take family photos right after I exercise each weekend day etc. I find that scheduling a task makes it more real. It’s like a meeting. If it’s on my calendar, I show up and do it.
Organize Similarly, I make lists and organize myself daily. For the last two weeks, I’ve been writing a personal and a work todo list every night before I go to bed. This way, before I wake up and face that day’s disasters, I already know what needs to get done and I can get up and get one thing done before I check my mail or do anything else. During the day, I check off items and anything that didn’t get done moves to the next day’s list. (if it still needs to get done. sometimes they are moot by then.) I write my lists by hand but that’s cause i like to. I used to do them on the computer. I like the feeling of pen.
Do Anyway I wrote about this in the newsletter. I learned not to wait for inspiration to strike. If I scheduled something or if it’s on my list. I do it. I don’t wait to feel like it. I just sit and do it. Almost always a few minutes into it, I feel like doing it. So now, I just do it. No matter what.
Figure out the Frog I figure out the one thing that has to get done. If I did only one single thing on each list, which would it be? And then I do that first. For personal, it’s always exercise. If my exercise is done for the day and I dropped the ball on everything else, it was still a great day. The other thing about eating the frog first is that it puts you on a roll. It gives you a push and an adrenaline. So then you’re pumped and ready to get more done. So when I make my lists, I always identify the frog and underline it.
Choose Wisely Time is a limited asset. Not everything is going to get done. So I prioritize my life according to my personal goals. I don’t cook because I don’t like doing it and I don’t want to spend my precious time on it. I feel like as long as I give my family a nutritious meal, it doesn’t matter if I cooked it. I use that time to do art, to read to my son, etc. It’s personal to me. Some people love to cook. It calms them, it’s bonding time, etc. That’s great. I don’t judge at all. I just think you should spend your time on your own choices. Not what you think you should do or what you feel guilty about etc. We all have things we have to do but we also get a lot more choice time each day than we’d like to admit. Choose wisely.
Discipline This is one of my strongest assets. I am very disciplined. Sometimes I want to read longer but I remind myself that it’s time to move on to something else on my list. It feels hard to tear away from the book, TV, game, whatever but everything on my list is something I cherish so once I start the next thing I am always happy. I just need to keep myself disciplined. I also work before I play. So I exercise first thing. Then I can relax and have my coffee. I read to my son before I read for myself. Etc. I try to stay very disciplined and focused.
Hold Yourself Liable And probably the most important one is that I hold myself liable. I value my tasks and make sure I do them. I look at my scrapping, reading, exercising, etc the way I look at my tasks at work. I would work hard not to disappoint my boss and I work hard not to disappoint myself. I set my goals and then try to have high integrity, even if just to myself. No one will care if I stopped doing my art journal. But I will and I value that as much as I would if it were someone else. If a task is becoming cumbersome, I revisit that priority and reassess. I might change it. I might even scrap it. But it’s always a conscious decision.
And remember, I fail often. These are just things I try to do. When I succeed, they are what make me succeed so I wanted to share. I hope this was helpful in some way.
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projects for twenty twenty-six
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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