My Happiness Project~~Part 5

Hello and happy (very late) February! I have missed my blog...time seems to be just flying by.

I wanted to at least write a quick update on my happiness project (in hopes of blogging more regularly soon). January's happiness goals were so successful. I kept to my diet rules almost perfectly and I genuinely got in the habit of working out 6 days a week. How did I do it? Accountability and determination. John and I pushed one anther hard and I knew if my overall health, energy, and mood were going to change, I had to be serious about the health resolutions I was making. I also have kept myself sane with one cheat meal per week. This means that for one meal (or usually more like one entire evening), I can eat whatever I want. My taste has changed and I am not cravin sugar as much as I used to! I know God's hand is in this process because I could not have made these changes with my own will-power. So with January behind me, I've decided that better health does add to my overall happiness and the no white flour, no white sugar diet continues. I am also carrying the work out plan on with me, though I am aiming for just 4-6 days a week now. I've also added meatless Mondays (which I might even turn into Vegan Mondays) to help with overall fat/cholesterol consumption...because if you know me, you know I LOVE my dairy.

So my February happiness theme is "The Rx for Rx" (visualize 'prescription' Rx and psychology abbrev. Rx for relationships...way less conffusing when hand written). So basically, I'm focusing on relationships. And since it's love month, what better time? My three resolutions were to:

LOVE others.
Make Valenine's day count for the women around me.
Keep up with long distance phone calls, etc.

Resolution #2 was a success if I may say so. I began the first annual "dress like a Valenine week" among my circle of friends (where we basically wore a lot of pink for a week), made homemade Valentines, and had a girly movie night at my place on the 14th...because after all, it's for the ladies.

Being loving and keeping up with far away friends have not been on the forefront of my mind, I am sorry to admit. But I do still have one week of February to rev up my love-o-meter.

I'm praising God today for my happiness project, for time to document it (albeit inconsistently), and for friendship. More next time!

Enferma

Sick days are sour-sweet. While they mean a much-needed day off, they also mean:

-No pay (so goes the life of an hourly employee).

-Feeling gross.

As someone who, for much of my life, got an average of one cold per month during cold and flu season, it shouldn't shock me when I come down with the sniffles. But for a whole year, when I stated taking mega-effective immunity supplements, I didn't get sick at all...

Until this fall. The thing is: when babies are sick, their caretakers automatically fall ill. Every time one of my babies comes down with something, I convince myself that I will not catch it, but every time, my prediction fails. Infants and toddlers have no control over the direction of their snot, breathing, or overall germ bubble.

Today I happen to be sick, but this time I did not catch it from a child. Which presents a second problem: how to keep the kids immune. Just as they have no control over what they spread, they also have no control over what they catch. I am just praying that this illness ends with me and we can all move into late winter cold-free.

...I am also saying prayers of thanks for a boyfriend who will bring me the "cute tissues", as requested.

My Happiness Project Part IV

Happy New Year (one week ago)! I am pumped for this fresh start and have been living vibrantly so far.

An update on last month's happiness goals. "Home is where the (sane) heart is" didn't go as planned, but I can honestly say that I am currently sitting in a clean living room. December was so crazy. Practically speaking, I did make my bed about 20% of the time (as opposed to 5% of the time), basically stayed on top of laundry, and kept things decluttered enough to actually enjoy my Christmas decorations. The result: I am not a super clean, perfectly-in-place-all-the-time kind of girl.

I am, however, a get-things-perfect-every-so-often kind of girl. For most of my life, I have consistently done a "clean sweep" at least once a month. It happens when I'm on the brink of a meltdown usually. Cleaner areas truly do help me to think and feel more clearly. I've resolved to not let things get out of control [by the way, I've been told that I have high standards, so if you're picturing a total hazard zone, you're getting the wrong image]. I've also accepted the fact that I'm not a bed maker. I'll make my bed once a week though when I do my cleaning. And since I live alone, this not big deal. The next time I have a roommate/co-dweller, maybe I'll just buy a squishy comforter that I can throw over the disheveled sheets. So: December, over. The cleaning challenge...revised and at-peace.

Onward and upward! I was able to meet all of my 2012 goals by the end of 2012 (which puts a CHECK on November's happiness theme), except for consistent healthy eating and exercise. January is the month for this! In realizing that I have never committed to an overall health plan hard core, I've decided that for at least the month of January, I will work out 6 days a week and give up all white flour and white sugar. At the end of the month, I'll see what's working and what's not with the hope of continuing on in health forever. This goal would not be progressing as smoothly as it is were it not for my boyfriend. He's agreed to do this crazy plan with me. He is the self-proclaimed (and very tough/talented) exercise coach and I am the self-proclaimed nutritionist. Together, we've stuck out the first week without any major glitches.

Why am I doing this? Well besides the fact that it is my January happiness goal, I am really doing it for the emotional and mental benefits of good health. I'm not committing to this health plan for weight loss, but rather for more energy, less mood swings, and a better ability to do the things my life demands (like lifting babies all day without throwing out my back). This project is bathed in prayer as I find myself daily asking God, "Please, let this work!" I hit a rough patch yesterday as I struggled to walk because of sore muscles and insanely craved carby-sugary dessert...but his mercies are new every morning and (as I've repeated to myself many times already) I CAN DO ANYTHING FOR A MONTH!

Eyes, Ears, Mouth, and Nose~~December

I've been into a lot of fun things this month, namely Christmassey things. December has been so busy and I must admit that though the post-Christmas blues are no joke (meaning I will really miss Christmas), I am glad to be moving into a new year. January always feels so clean, doesn't it?

The main accomplishment I must report is this: my book is finished (for now)! I wrapped up the editing process on Christmas Eve and ordered the first print copy. I'll be passing it around to a select few who will serve as my actual editors before making a sale-ready copy. Hopefully this project will be completely completed in the next couple of months.

Besides writing, I've been really into Christmas movies. They began feeling like a waste of time, so I resolved to only watching a Christmas movie if I was working on a Christmas project (i.e. crafting or wrapping). And Christmas projects I did achieve. I made headbands out of decorative rope this year.

In the kitchen, I was into treats of course. Mom, sis, and I made our traditional platters of decorated sugar cookies, rolo cookies, and chocolate dipped pretzels. As far as non-dessert items go, I made a good deal of meatloaf this month. Bacon was also a common ingredient in pasta and breakfast dishes.

On the music front, the She & Him Christmas station on Pandora was my favorite for the yuletide season. I got the new Mumford and Sons and Lumineers albums for Christmas too, which were both nice surprises. Other media intake included The Hobit (I started reading it and listened to it on tape but oddly enough have not yet seen the movie) and The Guilt Trip. That movie was hilarious. I also read a couple American Girls Christmas books...I have a thing for children's literature and bought all the Christmas books in the series as a gift to myself last year.

So that's what I was into this December. Onward and upward, I say. 2013 shall be great!

My Happiness Project Part III...plus more!

With the holiday season comes a crazy schedule...and although I'm no longer in school, dealing with finals and end-of-the-semester chaos, my December is still packed! Coming up on Christine's plate are: the boyfriend's graduation/birthday extravaganza weekend, an out of town wedding, and Christmas cookie night with Mama and Sis, just to mention a few.

With that said, I'm combining my Happiness Project update with Eyes, Ears, Mouth, and Nose (two days late) this month.

So, in November I was really into:

Soft scarves and fine jewelry.

Big pots of soup.

Darling magazine and writing up Christmas lists.

My happiness project.

Which brings me to the update! In November, my happiness project goal was to finish what I started. I wanted to be intentional about meeting my 2012 New Year's Resolutions before the end of 2012. Here's where I'm at:

Be a prayerful woman.
Keep my areas and my home cleaner.
Exercise 3-4 times a week and eat right.
Publish a book.
Be there for Laura and Gracelynn.
Get plugged into a community after graduation.
Have a 3rd annual Sleighbell Sisters' Soiree.
Travel (near or far).

The third annual Sleighbell Soiree happened last night and was quite the bash! Check. Fortunately for me, I've made December and January's happiness goals centered around two of my remaining resolutions. December's happiness theme is "Home is where the (sane) heart is". I plan to come up with a more regular cleaning routine and to get rid of the piles of stuff that tend to accumulate around my cottage through the months (there may or may not be a stack of textbooks inside the shower I don't use). I also want to generally get better at making my bed, putting my clothes away, and the like...because although it is not my natural bent to be a super organized homemaker, I do feel so much more at peace internally when my home is neat. January's happiness theme of health will take care of resolution #3 (though I am certainly putting effort into eating and physical movement). And the book is coming along! As far at the finishing-what-I-started goes, I mainly focused on writing and praying in November. In fact, this post is going to end soon so I can get on with editing pieces for the book.

What better time to focus on the home than Christmastide? I must say I am enjoying the feeling of having a clean and decorated home...currently I'm not even in it, but I know it's waiting for me when I get there tonight. That just feels right.

Jesus, be the Center

I regret that I haven't kept up with blogging recently, but my reason is good. All of my writing time has been spent trying to stay on top of my book "launch" deadline! I can't call it an official book launch because it will not be available to the public until further editing is done, but the first copy will be published by December 25th!

Since my book is on the topic of spiritual formation, my mind has been entertained by the spiritual journey God has taken me on in the past few years. As I began reading the gospel of John last week, I was hit afresh by the necessity of placing Jesus in the very center of my life. It's unfortunate that I often forget some of life's most essential truths until I'm hit with turmoil or strife. I came across some old, familiar anxieties a few weeks ago and simply could not rest. I was not sleeping well and found myself thinking in worrisome circles.

Then I remembered how I used to begin every morning. For a season in high school, I would wake up, roll out of bed and onto my knees, quite literally. I would turn my hands away from me and simply whisper, "I surrender this day to you". It was possibly the most important moment of my day. I don't remember an intentional end to this habit...I probably stopped doing it when I moved to college (I had a lofted bed, which would have made the rolling out a bit complicated). When I remembered my old ritual the other day, however, I wondered why I ever stopped.

So with these memories of sweet and sleepy mornings playing through my head, I sat on my bed and made that same motion. That hands-turned-away-this-is-not-in-my-control motion and said, "Jesus, I surrender". Surrender is not a one time decision. A fulfilling life really is lived in a constant motion of chosen surrender and that choice is something I should probably reinstate as a daily habit for myself. I don't know how I forget that if Jesus is the center and my life is all about bringing honor to the Father through him, everything will really really be ok...but I do. It's akin to forgetting that if I stop breathing, I'll die!

Well, anxiety and fear, you can take a hike. I making this familiar choice once again.

My Happiness Project~~Part II. November is the new January!

The Happiness Project has begun! Yesterday was the first official day of my year-long resolutions project. I'm aiming at an attitude of learning...learning about what happiness, joy, contentment, and gratitude are and how I can tap into these things on a more daily basis. Of course, I believe that such emotions (or experiences) can only come when I'm living in the reality of Christ's salvation over my life. The writer of The Happiness Project is not a believer, so her project looked much different than will mine. If you're curious about how this began, read here.

So this is how it works: each month, I will be focusing on a new theme or area of life. With each topic will come a number of tangible resolutions I plan to begin. The resolutions will, ideally, carry on through the rest of the year. But I plan on failing here and there, finding certain resolutions that just don't work for my life (let me get it out now that I don't think I'll ever really be a consistent bed-maker). My goal, you may ask? Well, I wouldn't necessarily say my goal is to be a happier person, though I would love for that to come about. For now, my goal is just to meet goals that have been a long time in the works and to develop a handful of new lifestyle habits, which I pray will foster more joy in my life. I actually considered changing the title to "My Joy Project", but it didn't sound as catchy to me.

Here's the game plan:

November-"Finish What I Started"
-Complete 2012 New Year's Resolutions:
Be a prayerful woman.
Keep my areas and my home cleaner.
Exercise 3-4 times a week and eat right.
Publish a book.
Be there for Laura and Gracelynn.
Get plugged into a community after graduation.
Have a 3rd annual Sleighbell Sisters' Soiree.
Travel (near or far).


December-"Home is Where the (Sane) Heart is"
-Break my habit of clutter.
-Have more consistent cleaning routines.

January-"The Healthiest Me"
-Make a plan of attack for physical health.
-Be stringent about diet and exercise.

February-"The Rx for Relationships"
-Make Valentine's Day count for the girls around me.
-LOVE people.
-Keep up with long-distance friends more consistently.

March-"Career Path"
-Take a step toward my career...go to a conference, apply to a school, meet with a dean, etc.

April-"Get Serious About Hobbies"
-Find crafting mentor.
-Learn to read a crochet pattern.
-Figure out sewing.
-Work on publishing a cookbook?

May-"22, Flirty, and Thriving"
-Build and work on my confidence.
-Go to a trend show.

June-"No Pain, No Fun"
-Get serious about alleviating chronic pains.
-See all those pesky specialists (i.e. the dermatologist).

July-"Every Spiritual Blessing"
-Maximize spiritual gifts.
-Learn 1-2 new worship songs on guitar/piano per week.
-Write more encouraging notes.

August-"Work Hard, Play Hard"
-Focus on attitude at work.
-Maximize variety.
-Put effort into being better prepared each day.

September-"Back to Learning"
-Read at least 3 new, interesting books in full.
-Visit museums.
-Do an in-depth study of an unfamiliar book of the Bible.

October-"A Joyful (and Grateful) Heart is Good Medicine"
-Keep a public, daily gratitude journal.
-Review the past 12 months and decide which resolutions to keep, reinstate, throw out, revise, etc.

Wow! I know that was a lot, so if you're still with me, hopefully that means you're interested. I would appreciate all the encouragement I can get because this project is a little obscure and a lot ambitious. But I am hopeful! I'll write an update on November's resolutions soon.