Happy Days

Good morning!

I hope you had a fantastic Christmas filled with love and hope that is what this season should bring out!  Love is what God showed when He sent his precious son to this world for our behalf.  Hope is what Jesus brought us thru his resurrection!  What amazing gifts we already have.  This was the focus of our Christmas. 

We choose to buck the American tradition of overspending and pay for our Christmas with the money budgeted and planned ahead to spend.  I started looking for Christmas gifts in August and watching the wonderful blogs Money Saving Mom and Frugal Living NW for special deals.  That really helped. 

We had a nice quiet weekend at home, just the 4 of us spending time together and relaxing.  We didn't put any pressure on ourselves to go and do but rather to just be and enjoy. 

As I've been back to work the past couple days, I have tried to bring the weekends calm with me.  Problems have arose, like they invariably do but they are not causing a panic or anxiety like they normally do.  I have just been rolling with them and they are getting resolved.  Truck break downs, intense snow storms, road closures are just part of the business but in my being proactive about tracking the trucks that are in bad weather, I have been able to head off upset customers not getting their product on time by letting them know the problems before the truck just doesn't show up.  Much better way to go. 

That's my big success of the week.  Being proactive so I don't have to react to the situations.
I have a lot of goals for the new year but that is matter for another blog.  This proactive approach is something I want to get down to where it's 2nd nature before I try to tackle the rest of the list. 

How was your Christmas?  Did you make it thru without having to incur the financial hangover that comes in the mail in January?  I hope you did but if not, I encourage you to start today looking at the way you budget and plan for Christmas.  It comes every December so it shouldn't take us by surprise when we get there. 
By planning I was able to get my family far more and better gifts than I do by waiting til later to prepare.  If you don't follow any blogs about saving money and getting more out of what you spend, I highly encourage you to do so.  There are so many great one's out there that provide everything from the latest store deals/coupon match ups to how to stretch your money to save for your goals to basic budgeting.  If you need help finding one for your particular needs/wants, let me know and I will help point you in the right direction.

Coming soon, I will be blogging about a great book I'm reading called Blind Hope.  It's incredible so far.

I will also be sharing some of my goals and plans for the new year. 

Take it easy and be safe.

Redirecting

Well, I have reached the point where I have thought about giving up and just living my life the way I am but I know that isn't what I really want and it isn't God's plan for me either.  I need to redirect my thinking and attention.

I think my timing is ill advised but that's not stopping me because I know I can be successful.  I think because the eating plan is so restrictive, that I will wait until after Christmas to really commit to that aspect but there is nothing keeping me from becoming more active.  Yes, I know it's cold out but I have a gym membership that I am not taking full advantage of.  I also have a ton of video tapes I can work out to and a wii fit.  There are no more excuses.  Yes, I have a cold but working out improves the immune system so by that reasoning, I should get better faster as I work out, right? 

I am not saying that I am abandoning the eating aspect.  Not in the least!  I need discipline in that area.  If I don't look at my eating then I will end up taking full advantage of all the goodies available at this time of year.  That won't help my jeans fit better or help me breath easier. 

So, all that being said, I am administering grace into my life during this season. 

How are you showing grace in your life currently?

Day 1 part 2

I did it!!!!

I made it thru day one pretty much completely on track.  I even ate out and ordered sensibly and left some behind.

I drank my water goal.  Hooray for me!

Tonight when I got home I went grocery shopping to get foods to help me stay on track and enjoying the process.

Maybe tomorrow I'll make it to the gym.  Here's hoping!

Day 1

Hi!
Today is off to a good start I guess.  I am on track with eating so far.  I'm having a little bit of a struggle with my water intake.  I have only had about 8 of my 100 ounces.  That leaves a lot still to drink. 

I have a terrible headache and sinus pressure that is making my eyes hurt!  When I don't feel good all I want is comfort food...biscuits and gravy, mashed potatoes, etc.  Those foods don't work with my commitment to the one bite rule so they are off the list.  I am actually contemplating making mashed cauliflower to replace the potatoes.  That will give me an extra serving of veggies and hopefully satisfy the comfort food craving. 

If the pressure in my head will subside, I will try to get a workout in this afternoon.  Pilates or yoga maybe.  Or maybe just go down to the gym and get my sweat on.  Hmmm...

Well, I better get doing what I need to do. I'll try to update later with my progress.

Smiles!