PLAN IT - MAKE IT! - CHALLENGE #13

PLAN IT - MAKE IT!

Looking at this picture of a pantry, you may be thinking one of  two things:  a) Wow – it’s huge!  Or  b) Yuk – what a mess!  They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  How you see this picture, may reveal a little something about you.                           J 

On a good week – my oversized pantry is sorted and houses an incredible amount of goodies.  However, a typical week (reality check) – I haven’t a clue as to what really is in there.  Periodically, I will take a stab at re-organizing it, though this job has mostly been delegated to my teenage sons. They actually do a pretty decent job - though I don’t believe it has ever occurred to them to pitch or toss anything. They more or less just wipe down the shelves and move everything back into some kind of an orderly fashion.  When you have free help, I guess you can’t get overly picky.

Always amazes me though how quickly a semi-organized space can go to the dogs.

Recently, my daughter spent some time at my house and as a favour, took some time to re-arrange my pantry.  It’s surprising how much stuff you can stockpile without giving it a second thought.  She found some awfully strange things in there.  Even surprised me (and I bought the stuff!)  After she finished re-organizing my little mini Safeway … I still managed to find things that had expired four years ago!  You don’t always think about expiration dates for non refrigerated foods – at least I don’t.

Most of these things were probably bought for a specific recipe, which just never got made.  A real waste of money. As the expression goes … "the road to hell is paved with good intentions."  That is probably why so many pantries look like a disaster zone. We all have good intentions. Same with freezers.  I have the good fortune (or not) or having three fridges (inherited 2 from moving) and one deep freeze.  You can store an awful lot of things in those freezers - to the point where you have no idea what is actually in them.  They become bottomless pits.  Some things had been in there so long, they were actually frozen to the bottom and sides of the freezer. The freezer below is a far cry from mine. This one is actually organized. Mine has loose freezies, empty boxes of ice cream bars, bags of who knows what, and packages of everything imaginable under the sun.  All things were bought with the plan of being used.

                                  

Since most meals in our household get prepared at the last minute, meat or frozen foods get pulled out and used as they are seen.  Out of sight, out of mind. So it’s not a surprise that those items stuck to each other never got used.  Last year, I actually filled 2 oversized garbage bags with berries, meat, casseroles, etc. and threw them out. Those were just from the 3 fridge freezers. Most of the contents were looking pretty questionable and freezer burned beyond recognition.

When our daughter was living with us for a few weeks and agreed to cook for the family, she commented on the surprising amount of meat she found.  In fact, she pointed out that we didn’t need to buy meat for a VERY LONG TIME.  That is what got me thinking about the incredible amount of waste in our house and all that gets pitched out - pretty sobering. 

It seems that our fridges only get cleaned out once a month (or so) and it’s scary when I see what is growing in those sour cream containers.  Storing leftovers in margarine/sour cream containers is probably not the smartest thing – again, out of sight, out of mind. I recall not buying sour cream for months, thinking that I had all this sour cream.  Fact is, there wasn’t a drop of it in the house – just lots of sour cream containers full of fuzzy green mold.  Can’t even tell you what the mold was covering.  Leftovers can go from great to gross in a heart beat, it seems.

Looking back at the waste that I’ve thrown out and prob. still will as there is still the chest freezer left to go through – it’s shocking to think of the money that has gone down the drain.  I’m reminded of voices from my childhood …. “You know there are starving children in Biafra that would eat that!” or “We could feed a whole country on that plate of food!  Eat it!”  Well – yes – now I see that we probably could have with all that I’ve chucked out these past few years.  It’s quite sickening to think about it, actually.

 

Time to get onto this Plan It - Make It challenge.  I would say that there are probably a fair number of meals that could be made out of the food that is still fairly “current” in our freezers, without having to invest in any more frozen food

Having a menu plan is really the way to go.  Even if I planned 3 out of 7 days for meals (and followed through on preparing them) that would be a huge step in the right direction. Having a list when you shop is imperative - and sticking to it is even more important. Ask anyone that is watching their money . . . there is none of this random aisle shopping.  Even looking for “a good deals” has the potential of being a money waster, if its not on the grocery list.  I know because I have a pantry and freezer full of those good deals.  Someone recently told me that it’s unrealistic to plan for 7 meals a week, if your lifestyle shows that you are not home to eat that food.  It just ends up as some kind of a weird science experiment in the fridge or sits for time eternity in the frozen abyss called my freezer.

In the past (aka known as Basketball Season) I think it is fairly safe to say that we ate more meals out than we did at home. So you’d think that I would have caught onto that and not planned so many meals. 

This week, I will be planning the meals and shopping only for them. Ok - maybe one or two extra treats (I probably can't go totally cold turkey - I do have teenagers and a husband who loves their junk food). Anything I purchase this week and in the future (until the chest freezer is empty) will go into the one empty fridge freezer. That should be an easier reminder of what still needs to get used up.

I am actually excited about this challenge.  When I think of what we could have spent that money on or visualize simply burning it (because that’s what it really amounts to) … it irritates me.

                                         instead of

Will be interesting to see what creative meals we will have this week and in the coming weeks.  I hope this will really be a turning point for me - using what we have, making a realistic plan and sticking to it.  Hopefully the Saturday and Sunday free shopping challenge will be another positive step, as well.  The temptation is always there to run out and pick up something.  Today I was very tempted but decided to look in the freezer.  Didn’t need to buy buns – there they were!  Who knows --- maybe I’ll even get back to cooking and baking more things.  Nothing like a home cooked meal.  Sorry Wendy … I know my boys love your Baconator but at the $10 price tag (fries and drink, too) … it’ll be my home and not yours! 

 Food For Thought:

“Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink

a great ship.” 

                                                      Benjamin Franklin

Looking forward to seeing you next Sunday when I take on the Show Me the Money, Honey Challenge!  

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A FEW GOOD HABITS! - CHALLENGE #12

 

A Few Good Habits

It’s amazing how doing something good can be like shooting yourself in the foot. Try developing a habit and you will see frustration or pain at its finest. 

I’ve always been led to believe that the magic number of days for something to potentially become a habit was around 21 but all the research I am finding seems to disagree.  It’s actually 60 days.  Sixty-six to be exact – according to the UK Health Behaviour Research Centre.  Well ... doesn’t that just suck.  That’s a long time.  Seems that making bad habits doesn’t take nearly as long, does it? 


If you think about it … when we make those bad habits – it’s generally because there’s something in it for us … something instantaneous.  On the other hand, it seems to take forever to get that good habit thing going - generally involves a whole lot of work on our part.  Re-training your brain isn't an easy thing.  I'm told that missing the odd time here and there is not the end of the world when starting a new habit - get back on track and keep on keeping on!

From personal experience - one of the toughest things about developing good habits is getting started.  I have a tendency to overthink things - do I really need to put a dozen things into place before getting started – don't think so.  A few parameters and we are set to go.  Too many plans really only sabotage it.  Create enough road blocks and nothing gets started.  Though, you do want to incorporate some thought into the planning or chances are you won’t follow through.

Because we are such a busy generation … life tends to be done on the fly.  That’s ok for some things but if you want to make a serious attempt at being organized and slowing down some of the stresses in your life … you have to be willing to put some effort into changing a few things.  We have enough stresses … why not try to manage what we can.  It’s amazing how a few good habits can make our life noticeably better.  For instance …

. Leaving for your destination ten minutes before you have to – arriving on time (or a couple minutes early) and with a good disposition goes a long way to starting your day out right. I know kids sure appreciate it when Mom isn’t screaming her head off at them or the guy in the next car.

. Training yourself to put your credit and bank cards back in the same place, every time you use them. Ever find yourself in the longest check out line with the fullest grocery cart, only to realize you can’t find your bank card? Oh, my - aren't we a popular gal with the 20 people behind us.

. Checking the calendar every night (as Martha says – “It’s a good thing!”) Who wants to be informed as you are walking out the door at 8 a.m. that today was the day your child was to bring in cupcakes for the class party. Been there. 

Another biggie is deciding what to make a habit.  Not everything we come up needs to be an every day habit and seriously do we really want to waste 66 days developing a habit that only marginally improves our lifestyle? The reasoning behind making something a habit has to make sense.  The whole premise to developing a habit is that it somehow is a good thing for us.  Pretty simple.  Ask yourself if it's worth the hassle.  If not, re-think your choices.  Don't try to do too many at once ... could get a little confusing for a while.  A couple - max. - and then see how it goes. 

Making things a habit generally involves some kind of a prompt or a cue.  For instance … I have been terrible about remembering to take my Vitamins and Calcium pills.  Since I need to take them twice a day – I have started linking them up with brushing my teeth. That actually has worked well.  I keep 2 colourful little containers by my toothbrush.  Every night before bed I fill them both with my next day’s pills. At the end of the day, I can see if I’ve forgotten them. The same with drinking enough water.  I plan that at the top of every hour, I drink a glass of water.  If I get busy and miss an hour here and there, that’s not a big deal – there are enough hours in the day that I generally find that I can fill my quota easily enough. 

Try grouping things – that’s sort of like killing two or three birds with one stone.  Sorry to you bird lovers.  Vitamins – brush teeth – 10 stretches.    Empty dishwasher – refill dishwasher – wipe counters.    Monday / Wednesday / Friday – change towels and empty bathroom garbages.   Fill car with gas / empty garbage in car / organize purse. When it’s time for bed – take 5 minutes to clean off 2 or 3 of your worst hot spots in your house. Wondering where the hot spots will be? They typically are the same places, day after day - so you won't have to hunt very far.  A hot spot is a flat area that accrues junk in the most magical ways. (Courtesy of Flylady.com)  If you do this every night – you don’t have eye sores hitting you in the face in the a.m. and then there's the bonus of being able to find things.  They are actually where they should be. My 2 hot spots are my laundry room counter and my kitchen counter.  Ok – if your hot spot is actually the Black Hole of Calcutta - you will have to deal with that mess first.  Once you’ve got an initial handle on that, it’s pretty darn easy to take a couple minutes every night to stay on top of it.  If that’s too overwhelming – do one hot spot. 

One habit I am working on is not putting my keys anywhere except in the basket by the door.  Not in my pocket, not on a chair, not next to the mail on the kitchen counter, and not in the abyss known as my purse … but in the flippin key basket.  As I’ve said in a previous post – you know the chaos that erupts when you need to be somewhere at a set time and the keys are nowhere to be seen.  I think this silly habit may very well take me the full 66 days!  It’s like those things have a mind of their own.  Ah, but the day it becomes automatic … that will be an amazing day!

Don’t set yourself up to fail –– try your best to avoid going where or doing what is problematic for you.  You may have to come up with Plan B, if you find you are constantly sabotaging yourself. Give it your best shot, though - don't give up without really making an effort.  Sometimes we give up on hard things too easily. We can find enough reasons or even excuses, if we really want to avoid doing something. If worse comes to worse, give it a break and try a different habit.  It's not like we don't have any of those kicking around in the wings, right?

Plan B

Ok – then we are all set to go, huh?   May I say … plan for it to be hard at first.  Plan for yourself to fail a few times.  It happens. Remember – you are doing life here … messing up occasionally is a fact of life.  Write your habit down (maybe in several places). I'm thinking my little journal I carry with me or on my phone, are good places.  It’s amazing how quickly you forget something that doesn’t come easy.  Have a prompt or a cue for yourself. Make a few guidelines.  Circle it on your calendar (Day 1 and Day 66) and give it your best shot. Don’t wait until Monday or the beginning of the month – get started immediately. 

Some people reward themselves at the end but honestly, for me … achieving the habit is reward enough in itself.  Some time back, I recall reading about a study they did with people at a coffee shop. It was one of those places that gave out “loyalty cards”.  They punched it every time you bought a drink.  You had to purchase X amount of drinks for a freebie of some sort at the end.  Some people were given a card that actually had two more spots on it than the others. On those specific cards, however, the first two spots were already pre-punched. Both cards really amounted to the same thing, but with one, it looked like you got a head start.  In the end, those that had the pre-punched cards ended up actually achieving their goal, while most of the others rarely handed their cards in for their freebie.  Why is that?  The thinking is that when the customers thought they were "ahead" they felt encouraged or prompted to try harder – their goal was within sight.  So don’t get discouraged – just know that as you approach the end – your habit, too, will become easier and easier. 

 Food For Thought:

 See you next week for the Plan It, Make It Challenge!

  

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ONE NEW THING! - CHALLENGE #11

 

Oh, yeah!  Who’s up for something new? 

ME! 

Well, maybe ... hmm ... let me just think about it for a bit...

Actually, now I’m not so sure...

Probably should just wait and see, eh?...

Yeah, I don’t think the timing is right so maybe another time...

Nope!  I definitely have to pass on that.

If you are anything like me . . . trying something unfamiliar, out of your comfort zone, or even remotely unsafe is enough to make the hairs on your neck stand on end.  Don’t get me started on trying foreign or exotic foods.  My trip to Vietnam was pretty much sustained by Spring Rolls and Diet Coke.

This all reminds me of a movie that came out a number of years ago.  Since then, scores of people have gotten on board with the Bucket List ideology.  In case you are unfamiliar with the list – it’s an inventory of things that you want to do before you die or “kick the bucket” – hence the phrase. Not entirely sure, but I suspect the expression was probably coined from that same movie, “The Bucket List” with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.  There are websites galore encouraging people to blog or post their attempts at fulfilling dreams and aspirations onto their sites. These can range anywhere from making eye contact with people (don’t laugh – that’s a huge thing for some people) to learning an instrument to travelling to incredibly fascinating places all over the universe.  The world is your oyster, so to speak.  You are limited only by your imagination (and possibly time, resources, and complaining family members). They encourage, if you can dream it, to go for it!

So what’s the benefit to trying one new thing?  A multitude of good things, I hear …

. could very well make you a better person

. gives you motivation to try other things – maybe even things

  that are really difficult for you

. inspiring to others

. feels pretty darn good to accomplish things you've always
  wanted to do

. it’s fun!

And . . . what is holding us back?  How about boredom, laziness, procrastination, lack of money, time or creativity, fear, etc. Interestingly enough, they say that when it comes to fear … most of the time, the things we feared would happen … seldom do.  Like people laughing at us for trying something new.  They may raise their eyebrows at first, but more often than not, they will be impressed or surprised at our “moxie” (not the restaurant – “courage / nerve / spunk / guts”) – now isn’t that so very cool!  Someone thinks we have “moxie”!

Oh, to be a teen again.  Teens are amazing at trying new things – especially if you dare them.  Ok – so that may be a little peer pressure happening here but sometimes we adults could use a little pressure in some areas of our lives.  Like this blog thing.  Once I decided on it … it would have been easier beyond belief to back out but I had already blurted it out to a few co-workers and so … I was sort of committed.  Glad I did it.  Keeps me sane, some days.  I didn’t expect to be enjoying it as much as I do – surprise, surprise.

Start small.  It doesn’t have to be anything overly crazy, pricey or difficult.  It doesn’t even have to be bucket list worthy – simply trying something different or maybe even doing something you normally do, but with a spin on it.  A weird thing for me is trying new foods when I go out to eat.  We all know that dining out – not the drive thru “dinners” – but actual dining out can be really costly.  What do I ALWAYS order? Ribs.  I like ribs but what the heck – I don’t live for the things – however, I’m compelled to always order them because I know they are generally pretty safe and filling.  The only problem with this is that there are likely 150 other great things on the menu that I will never try.  Not that the world stops if I don’t try them, but it’s a good thing to get out of your safe little box now and again.  Who knows … I might even extend that to something else (like Green Tea rather than English Breakfast Tea – oh goodness gracious – can’t you just see the conversation going on in my head the day that happens!!) 

Whatever it is you begin with …. be excited for yourself.  It may not be a big deal to anyone else, but, hey … who really cares - this isn't about them, it's about you.

Years ago, I heard something kind of quirky.  If you want to change something about yourself and ACT as if you are that way  . . . your body is actually capable of tricking your head (or is it vice versa?) into believing it.  Anyway - I took that to heart about 30 years ago and was surprised how very true that could be a lot of the time.  And … still holds true.  So don’t tell yourself you are too boring or scared … tell yourself that you are doing it because it’ll be great and sometimes you like to do really great things!

Don’t live a life of regrets.  Stop watching others be bold and exciting and wishing it were you.  Seriously, the only difference between you and them is that they didn’t listen to the voice in their head that told them, “NO!”

Start living in the sun, not in someone else’s shadow.

Wise words from my Mom, “What are you waiting for?  Christmas?”

FYI - I don't really have a Bucket List - honestly, never really occured to me but IF I did, here are some of the things that would be on my bucket list:  figure out some of those really useful features on my cool new cell phone / learn one new Spanish word a week / order the chicken, for pete’s sake / explore Ireland / go on a missions trip to a third world country and be a part of making a difference in someone’s life / finish all 55 weeks of my blog without compromising what I put in it . . . to be continued . . .

Hope you will give some thought this week (and down the road) to trying something new.  Who knows ... maybe doing one thing will lead to trying more things. You don’t have to have it all figured out with your ducks all lined up in a row before you attempt something - because as most of us know . .. . amateurs built the Ark / professionals built the Titanic. 

Food For Thought:

Meet Alice – a gutsy l6 year old English teen that is fighting terminal cancer and has started her very own Bucket List.  As she says, her blog is a diary of the precious times she has had with her family and friends doing things she’s always wanted to do.  She realizes that lots of things on her list will probably never get accomplished but she is determined to do as many as she can “before I go”.   Is that motivation or what?  Kind of makes our whiny little excuses seem like … whiny little excuses.   Go Alice! 

Well, next week I’ll be taking on my 12^th challenge – Making Some Good Habits!

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TAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF! - CHALLENGE #10

TAKING TIME FOR YOURSELF.  Hmmmm …. What does that even mean? That was a concept we may have embraced 'back in the day' - when we were still in school ... but who has time for that these days?


A few years ago I came across an unbelievable situation. I was sitting in a hair salon having my hair cut and mindlessly listening to these young gals in the chairs next to me.  They were discussing their “schedule for grad”.  I recall it going something like this …. Sept. – start tanning sessions  Oct. – begin nails and pedicure routines  November – book hairstylist   December – Christmas break   January – begin dress search   February – book flight (Huh?  What for?  Wait for it … New York for THE dress)  March – Spring Break – dress shopping in New York  April – accessories  May – Grad!  Oh, wow – can you imagine?  Here I am wondering if I should splurge on a new colour of toe nail polish!


What in the world? Ok – so we aren’t going down THAT path but it does address keeping a little balance in our lives. While it is important to be mindful of expenses and time, its also necessary to recognize that somewhere in all of the running around being a wife, mom, co-worker, family member, etc. there still needs to be time to kick back and set aside personal time. As women, we are so quick to look after other people’s needs, often putting our own health and welfare on the bottom of the To Do List. That’s how we burn out. Unfortunately, we are not the Energizer Bunny – no matter what our families and co-workers may think. And quite frankly, even the Energizer Bunny’s batteries run down now and again.

 

When my kids were young, I used to regularly meet a friend at McDonald’s. We’d let the kids play and just enjoyed spending time together having coffee. No cleaning up or preparations. What wonderful memories I have of those days. It was a great mental and physical break away from the daily grind.


Taking stock of your day gives you a good picture of what your priorities are. Often it involves kids, cooking, cleaning, out of the house employment, laundry, driving to and from sporting events and kids’ activities, shopping for food and necessities, bill paying, etc. Seldom in there is anything that even remotely looks like something where you have some “me” time.


Guilt is probably the biggest culprit behind taking time for ourselves. Young moms, who are run ragged trying to keep up with the demands of small kids, need to stop thinking they have to work while their kidlets are napping. If a nap is in order for Mom, too, a nap is in order. You don’t even have to be a young mom – sometimes the rest of us need to do this now and again, too! The house work and basic chores do need to get done but not at the expense of your sanity and energy. Even 30 min. on the couch can act as a “spa nap” - refreshing and rejuvenating you as opposed to rushing around trying to get ironing started or another load in while the baby naps. Taking time for yourself is not selfish. It’s called ‘SURVIVAL’. So grab a cozy blanket, pillow and snuggle up on that big comfy couch. Set the timer for 45 min. and prepare to relax and take in those well deserved ZZZZZZ’s. It will take you about 10-15 min. to settle down and drift off. Even if you don't actually sleep - a rest can make a noticeable difference to the rest of your day. If you need it, take it. Consider that one of the perks of the ‘job’.


For anyone needing to blow off steam – getting out is a good place to start. Meeting a friend, going for a run, gardening, or perhaps crafting, scrapbooking, curling up with a great book, having a bubble bath – it’s all good. Electronics are prob. not the best way to take time for yourself. Actually, I’m not even a fan of talking on the phone or shopping (unless it’s looking for books that you’d enjoy) when you finally get some time to yourself. We don’t need to multi-task all the time. Let whatever you take time to do be something that refuels you, not drains you or adds to your busyness.   

Aim for one little thing every day that gives you a sense of “away”. It may even be sitting in a cozy chair in your bedroom at the end of the day, wrapped up in your fluffy robe, feet propped up, sipping a cup of tea and reading some terrific stuff. That’s generally how my day now ends.



Gone are the days of rushing to throw in yet another load of laundry before heading to bed, making late night calls to family, etc. I now mentally slot into my day – ‘me time’. It’s important because I’m important. Not that laundry and family calls don’t have a place but like anything … chores and obligations will fill all our time, if we let them. Parkinson’s Law – ‘work will expand to fill the time available for its completion.’ Work never seems to go away. It’s always there waiting for us the next morning. Kids always need our time … they don’t go away either (as much as we might wish some days). It’s important for our family to see that we value ourselves and they need to learn to value our time away, too. How will they learn, if we don’t teach them? They are not mind readers and if we are going to send them a message – make it a good one.


So now . . . who gets to decide whether you are ‘WORTH IT’ (other than l’Oreal, that is)? Join me this week in finding a little time just for ourselves . . . as in Trooper’s song lyrics … “We’re here for a good time … not a long time …”

 Food for Thought:

    

                                                             vs

"One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes…and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.”

                                                        Eleanor Roosevelt


See you next week for my Learn One New Thing Challenge!



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