{via blue.sky photography}

Remember, when I told you in March that I had started the Fierce Love Course? Well, I kind of got stuck in week 2 and I’ve been trying to jump back on the bandwagon ever since. I don’t have any other pressing goals lined up for June right now, so I thought it would be a good idea to try and re-do (and finish) this course in June!

I mean, I know it’s good stuff. I know, it’ll benefit me. I know, I need this.

Why is it so freaking hard to make time for oneself? Why does it feel like a lot of the time I am only half-aware of all the good things that are happening?

I know what you’re going to say… I make plenty of time for myself, like going to brunches with some lovely ladies (and guys!) this weekend, making trips to Ikea and going to the gym. I go shopping for my niece and nephew (which is so much fun!), I read and spend quality time with J. Those are all good things, great things even, but fierce love is about focusing on myself,  and consciously and purposefully doing things that fill my tank, which also includes saying ‘no’. Sometimes deciding to not do something means doing something for yourself.

I want to me more conscious about the things I do for me, and only for me. I want to be fully aware and feel and enjoy every second of it. I wanna listen to the voice deep down inside of me. I want to consciously and intentionally do and I want to listen to my heart about what makes me happy.

Hopefully, by the end of this month, I will have a better grip on what it means to practice fierce love.

What is your goal for the month of June?

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Come join us over at 12 changes in 2012

As you might recall, for May, I decided to spend some time on decluttering my home. I have to admit, May was a little busy – especially the weekends – and therefore I didn’t get quite as much done as I was hoping for. Nevertheless, I made some progress.

Look at the difference I made on this table! I filed a whole bunch of bills, receipts, statements and other paperwork that you need to keep organized and also cleared up almost half of the table top. There is still some work to do (I am thinking I have to come up with some sort of organizational system, some extra boxes, shelves or something), but there is actually some space on the table that I can use for something else than just piling stuff.
I really want to turn this into my crafting table, where I can just sit – do stuff – walk away – come back – keep working. I wish I had a spare room for that (because obviously it’s not a very organized sight when your crafting table is in the dining room, but oh well, you gotta work with the space that you have).

I haven’t really gotten around to cleaning out my dresser/closet, so I guess that this will be a goal for another month (not June).

How did May go for you? Did you achieve your goal?

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Come join us over at 12 changes in 2012

Another month, another goal (and I am again a little late with my update). For May, I decided that I am going to dedicate some extra time to decluttering my home. I know this is a pretty vague, almost non-measurable goal that doesn’t ask for altering my every day, but it’s something that needs to get done and if I don’t dedicate some time to it, I don’t see that happen in the near future.
As I am still trying to maintain the changes from the last four months, I have plenty of daily/weekly routine stuff to keep up with, so the decluttering seems just like a really good idea for the next few weeks. Besides, right about now I have tons of papers to file and I desperately need to go through and organize my closet/dresser. When freshly laundered clothes end up on top of the dresser instead of in the dresser, you know there is a problem.

Also, this table up there in the picture? The table that looks like some sort of filing piling system (ha, get it?)? It sits in plain sight in our dining room and besides the fact that it’s not really pretty to look at, this was supposed to be my crafting table at one point, but as you can see, there really is no space to do anything at all on this table. It ended up collecting all our bills, letters, magazines and other odds and ends for which I desperately need to find some sort of organizational system, so I can actually make use of that table.

I am not really sure what else I am expecting by the end of the month other than a cleaned out closet and a crafting table that I can actually use for crafting, but that sounds like a good-enough goal for me.

What goal have you set for yourself in May?

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Come join us over at 12 changes in 2012

Remember, for April I decided to work on my evening/bed time routine as I felt I wasn’t getting enough sleep during the week and was often tired in the mornings.

My alarm goes off at 5:45 a.m. and I was hardly making it to bed by 11 p.m. the first couple of months of the year. So, in order to get a decent amount of sleep, I reset my preferred time for “lights out” to 10:30 p.m. for April. I also tried to implement a few “rules” in order to help me get to bed at that very reasonable time. Here’s how it went:

1.Turn of the computer by 9 p.m. This hasn’t been too big of an issue for me. The computer has been off way before 9 p.m. lately (unless maybe once or twice when I tried to finish a blog post). I can’t say the same for my iPhone though. I really check it right until I go to bed (and set my alarm). Oh well. Baby steps.

2. Get ready for bed when I turn of the computer or at 9 p.m. This has been an on and off success during the last four weeks. Some nights, I was in my PJ’s right on time, sometimes I wasn’t. Meh.

3. Be in bed by 9:45 p.m. I haven’t been consistent enough with this. I have had way too many excuses why I had to ‘finish the TV show’, ‘do one more thing’, or ‘organize my purse’, and such. I am really good at finding excuses if I don’t want to go to bed. Also, knowing that I wouldn’t turn of the lights until 10:30 p.m. anyway, felt like I had a buffer that I could exploit. Defeats the purpose. I know.

4. Turn off the light by 10:30 p.m. I am happy to say that more often than not, I did turn of the lights by 10:30 p.m. There were a few nights where I didn’t quite make it, but I am trying to not beat myself up about it.

When it comes down to it, I did good overall. Most nights, lights were turned off at 10:30 p.m. (with a few exceptions). That was really the main goal and I accomplished that.
However, I didn’t really take my evening routine serious enough when it comes to  preparing for a restful 7.5 hour-sleep. I still had mornings where I felt overwhelmingly tired. I also had mornings where I felt good and energetic. So, what do I do? Can I improve this or is this just a fact of life (because every day the amount of stress is different)? I don’t know, because it seems to go between the need for a lot of sleep and very little sleep and everything in between. It’s hard to figure out.

One thing my evening routine hasn’t changed though is that I still slept a lot on the weekends. I mean, easily 10-hours-a-lot.  Maybe, after all, it’s normal to sleep more on the weekends? Come on, tell me that it is! We sleep more because we can! Well, at least I can (for the most part). I know that you guys with (little) kids probably curse me for that right now. I am sorry. Just a little.

What was your goal for April? Were you successful in achieving that goal?

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Come join us over at 12 changes in 2012

Hey changers, are you still going strong on your monthly resolutions? Surprisingly, this whole “tackle one resolution a month”-thing is really working out well for me.
My March goal for 12 changes in 2012 project was to get back into a workout routine.

I am happy to report that my strategy of making it to the gym three times a week has been working (for the most part) with astoundingly few internal mental battles. I was expecting far more debating with my inner weaker self about why I really need to go to the gym even though I am tired and would much rather sit on the couch and eat ice-cream every night.

I set my workout schedule to Tuesdays or Wednesdays (after work), Fridays and Sundays and did manage to work out three times every week with the exception of my birthday weekend where I was out of town and one week where I didn’t make it to the gym in the evening after work due to – if you want me to be honest – laziness. (I know! Go ahead and judge me!)

I can’t tell you though how much better I feel, now that I have a regular workout schedule again. First of all, I don’t feel so guilty all the time (I know, it’s self-induced guilt, but it’s definitely a motivator, too) and there is definitely an increased level of energy associated with working out. Duh. As if I didn’t know that all along, but you know how the mind works:

just because you know something is good for you
doesn’t mean it’s always easy to implement.

The thing is this: I actually like working out. My problem is rather “making time and getting myself to the gym” than “doing the actual workout”. Once I am physically at the gym, everything is fine.
I also always tend to forget how good I feel after a workout. There really is some truth about workouts and endorphins and all this science talk, you know. As with so many other things, it all comes down to time management and setting priorities for me.

I think I will be on the “3x a week” schedule for a while. I really can’t see myself making it a daily thing (at least not right now), because there are so many other things I want to fit into my busy schedule, but I think 3x a week is a good start and who knows, maybe my body will soon start to crave the physical activity more and more. I’ll make appropriate changes as I see fit.

How did March go for you?
Did you achieve your goal or did you have trouble with following through?

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Come join us over at 12 changes in 2012

Change of plans, peeps.

If you may recall, I had put reading a chapter every day as my March goal for 12 changes in 2012, but since I had been talking about the need to exchange some “want” goals with some “should” goals, I decided to set my priorities straight and make my goal for March to get back into a workout routine.

I am really embarrassed to admit that I had no regular workout routine since last summer. Things got busy around here, I fell of the workout bandwagon and have watched it go by (without making an attempt to jump back on) ever since. I do know that I feel better and have more energy when I work out and despite knowing better, I’ve jumped on every possible excuse when it came to the why I couldn’t go to the gym this day or for a walk in the park that day.

My gym was completely remodeled a few months ago and is much bigger with new machines and a new class schedule. I checked it out a couple of days ago and decided “This is it! This needs to take precedence and become my March goal” .

So, back to the gym it is.

My biggest hurdle is that I work 10-hour days, I am gone from 6:45 a.m. til after 6 p.m. and I am just beat when I get home. There is no way I can fit in a workout before work, because even though I’d dare to easily consider myself a morning person, my alarm clock goes off early enough as it is, but I am hoping that I’ll be able to go at least once after work during the week (Mon-Thurs) and then twice on the weekends (Fri – Sun). Once that becomes a habit,  I can then go from there.

What’s your workout routine? When do you work out? Do you have a regular workout schedule or just do it whenever you can fit it in?

Also, if you’re participating in the 12 changes in 2012 project, what is your goal that you hope to accomplish this month?

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Come join us over at 12 changes in 2012.

So, if you recall, my goal for February was meal planning.

I thought that this was going to be really tough for me, because alas, I am not a meal planner and I was saying how like to eat what I feel like eating when I feel like eating it

Well, screw that. Meal planning was actually a lot of fun. And one rationale really hit me and I posted it on our community blog earlier this month,

“There is a fundamental difference between things you “should” be changing and things you “want” to change.”

Clearly, my first goal in January – to make drinking more water part of my routine – was a should and my results were mediocre, at best. Meal planning is actually something I wanted to try and I can confirm  how much more effort and energy I put into the achievement of this goal. I’d even go there and say my Feburary goal was a full success!

J and I sat down every Saturday morning to plan the meals for the following week. (Saturday mornings, because we usually do most of our weekly shopping on Saturdays.) It worked out pretty well and we mostly stuck to our plans. Sometimes we moved the dishes around during the week (which I think is fine, because it doesn’t change anything about the grocery list) depending on what we felt like eating or what J was able to prepare without my help, ha!

One thing I found to be helpful in more than one way was the fact that we tried to plan for 1-2 meals that we could easily whip up from our pantry staples or dismiss for that matter. Once or twice we had so many leftovers that we decided to skip the planned meal and eat up what we had. Other times, we weren’t really hungry and had sandwiches instead.
Putting a little flexibility into your meal plan without the risk of ending up wasting food seems to be a good idea when meal planning.

In regards to the questions that I had asked if a) we wasted less food, and if b) we saw a change in my monthly grocery bill, I can say that a) we didn’t waste any more or less food than before and b) we spent about $50 less this month, although I am not sure that this was because of our meal planning. Our grocery bill fluctuates a bit each month.

Which leads me to one more question (or two): How much do you guys spend on groceries per month and how often do you eat out?

I posted this question on Twitter yesterday and was shocked to hear how much – or better, how LITTLE – other people seem to spend on groceries. I know we live in California and everything is a tad more expensive here, but come on. Tell me your secrets, people.
WHAT do you eat? WHERE do you buy?
I think it isn’t possible to live on $200 worth of groceries (for two) a month, or is it?
How do you do it? Do you eat ramen every other night?
I admit, I don’t really budget budget my grocery shopping, but I also don’t think that we buy outrageous amounts of expensive, unnecessary foods.

Mmh, maybe budgeting should be one of my future monthly goals this year. I’d like to add though that I hardly ever eat out for lunch (only when we do a group lunch maybe once a month) and that we only eat out for dinner once a week (if that). That should count for something.

Some of our meals this month:

Salad • pasta-veggie-casserole • flank steak with baby potatoes and wax been salad
chicken burritos • burgers • Jägerschnitzel with oven fries and cucumber salad
tomato salad • potato-veggie-casserole • tomato-cheese-sandwich

How did this month go for you?
Did you succeed or have a hard time with the goals you set for yourself?

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Come join us over at 12 changes in 2012.

I’ve never been much of a meal planner. To be quite honest, deciding what I will eat a few days down the line, seemed pretty much impossible so far.  I eat with gusto and therefore I like to eat what I feel like eating when I feel like eating it. I guess,  I am not very “disciplined” when it comes to eating (and luckily I never had to be). I think I do make smart choices for the most part, but I have never thought much of planning in advance what I eat. See also: I am lazy.

So, you might think that this can either mean one of two things:

a) I have to go to the store every day to pick up stuff I need for cooking dinner, or

b) I eat out a lot.

This is both not true. I even like to go so far as to say that I know my pantry/fridge staples very well and I hardly ever have to stop at the store to get something out of the ordinary. Admittedly, it also means I cook a lot of the same food items over and over (but come on, who doesn’t? We all have our fixed number of go-to meals, ain’t I right?) and I occasionally have to throw stuff out that went bad.

The good thing is: I usually can make a meal out of any random number of ingredients. I don’t necessarily go by a complete recipe list when I cook.

(Sidenote: J and I had a roommate once and we had decided on taking turns with grocery shopping and cooking. Let’s just say that I volunteered my shopping and cooking services rather quickly, when I realized our roommate would shop for every single ingredient of a recipe, even if he would only use it once, and spend insane amounts of $$ on groceries when it was his turn to shop. That didn’t fly with me for very long.)

While I am conscious of general food prices and sales, I hardly ever plan my meals around it or even stick to a shopping list. If I see something at the store that I want, I buy it (not all the time, but often).

All this to say, my goal for February is to try my hand at meal planning.. And with that, I mean the whole shebang: looking through the store ads on the weekend for specials/sales, plan our meals for the week accordingly and then write a shopping list and stick to it. Maybe even try more new recipes for a change.
What I really want to see is if a) we waste less food (although we don’t waste much as it is right now) and b) do I see a change in my monthly grocery bill?
I also look forward to challenging myself to be more open to eat what is on the plan for a given day instead of always giving in to my random cravings.

I got myself a pretty notebook and I’ll be documenting our meal planning in there for the next four weeks. This will be interesting. Wish me luck.