It Was A Feel Good Birthday

So a few months ago I turned 42 and I thought it would be great to do 42 random acts of kindness: an idea I stole from someone on Pinterest. I planned a few acts in case things didn't present themselves. Here are some of the things we did:

1. We gave a gift card to the person at Starbucks and asked them to pay for everyone's drinks. (they sang "Happy Birthday" to me!!

2. We saw a homeless person and gave him some money. 

3. We taped some gift cards to books at Barnes and Noble with a note. They sang Happy Birthday to me too!!

4. We bought balloons and took them to the children's floor at Greenview Hospital. 

5. While we were there we left a copy of To Kill A Mockingbird in the waiting room with a note telling people to pass it on.

6. We put notes on cars with lollipops telling people to have a nice day. 

7. We baked cookies and gave them to the local fire department. (I'm pretty sure they were a little frightened to eat them.  I'm not known for my cooking skills)

8. We gave some cookies and a thank you note to our mail lady.

9. We bought flowers and took them to a nursing home. 

10. We spent time talking to each person that we gave flowers to. They seemed so happy to have someone to listen to them. 

11. We taped quarters to a vending machine (and the stalked them in the parking lot to see if how long it would take people to use them!)

12. We donated items to Goodwill (then had to go back and dig one special item out of a bin that apparently was more important to someone than we had initially thought.)

13. We gathered up shopping carts in a parking lot. 

14. We gave a Kroger gift card to someone.

15. We handed out more "have a nice day cards" or if you are Hannah your note said "Stranger Hell"

16. We put some coins in a playground for children to find (we are really hoping a small child did not find them and choke on them!) 

17. We handed out lollipops. 

18. We saw a man holding an advertising sign and we took him a hot chocolate. 

19. We put some more notes on cars. 

20. We bought someone's lunch at Panera. 

21. Donated to the Ronald McDonald House.

22. Donated a gift card to a person in the Toys R Us parking lot. 

23-39 Handed out lollipops to strangers. 

40. Wrote a note to our sweet neighbor 

41. Let people in front of us while driving. 

42. Held the door for people when we entered buildings. It was so super fun!! I hope to do this every year!

The Food Diaries

I had a horrible sweet tooth, I had a taste for anything fried, I ate late at night.  I comforted myself with food when I was stressed.  When I worked closing shifts I had a ritual of going through the Taco Bell drive thru for a treat- because I earned it, you know?  Sometimes I went to Sonic for breakfast and lunch (and a happy hour Route 44 Sweet Tea.)

Then I started paying attention to what a friend (and co-worker) was eating.  She started bringing giant amounts of food with her in plastic containers.  She seemed to be eating all the time- crunchy, colorful, fresh food.  She was no longer getting snacks from the cafe.  I watched as she graciously turned down food that others offered her (cupcakes in the breakroom, etc.)  And she was getting smaller and bouncier and happier.
So I copied her.  I asked her lots and lots of questions.  I watched recommended films (Forks Over Knives, Food Inc, etc) I read recommended books (The China Study, Live to Eat, etc) and I started bringing giant amounts of food with me.  I realized that a lot of it was planning.  I had to plan for different scenarios and not be caught off guard and panic and eat a fried Snickers bar.  I started writing everything down because I found that I did a lot of stress and mindless eating.

Even though I was writing every morsel down, I was still eating the wrong things.  I was packing my lunch every day but it was full of processed everything: granola bars, lunch meat, small amounts of chips, and a treat of some sort.  Yes, it was under my allotted calories, but it was still junk.  So, I started eating clean.  If I couldn't pronounce something in the ingredient list, I didn't get it or eat it.  I cut out meat.  I starting eating massive amounts of fruit.  And again, I planned.  
So now I spend a portion of every week slicing and dicing my fruits and vegetables.  Each night I pack my lunch- more than I can ever eat so that I won't get desperate and hungry and wind up eating a cheesecake.  I stopped counting every calorie because if I eat what I bring there is never a problem. And I am getting smaller and bouncier and happier.

It's challenging at times.  I have teenagers in the house and they require some junk food, but luckily my husband eats the same as I.  Don't get me wrong, I could still go for a fried Snickers bar, but I don't have that crazy CRAVING for junk that I used to have.  You know those people who talk about how fruit is so sweet that it seems like a treat?  I am those people now.

A Day in the Life

It was a hard day.  Not many of my normal days start with "Run a 5K."  This was a "To Do" list from a few Saturdays ago, so I can now say that we made it, but while we were in the middle of it I wasn't sure it was possible.  Friday and Sunday looked very similar to Saturday.  I kept updating these notes and sending them to Paul as tasks would drop off or be added. I am very cognizant of the fact that in a year I will have a teenage driver in the house,  in two years I will have two.  I'm sure I will wish for these days to return.  But maybe not this particular day.  It was hard.

On second thought, maybe I wouldn't mind replaying this day.  It was filled (FILLED) with activity and togetherness, music, dance, and friends.  SO, not a bad day after all.

Balance

Balance has always been difficult for me- impossible actually. I suppose I have always been like this, although I don't remember my younger self much. I do remember a childhood filled with notebooks, charts, folders and special pens.

Another obsession: Girl Scout badges. I was going to have ALL the badges on my vest. ALL OF THEM. One of my regrets in life is that I've lost my vest filled with hard earned badges.

I become obsessed with completing whatever project I have volunteered for, or whatever project looked like a new business venture, or whatever just looked like fun. Then I move quickly to uninterested. Most of my crafting hobbies fall into this category. I find something that looks interesting, like crocheting an afghan, I do the research (and research and research), then get the supplies, then go to work. I expect an afghan to materialize within a few minutes and when it doesn't I get discouraged. If anyone is interested in several half completed craft projects, I'm your girl.

Some of my past obsessions:

Terrariums

Beaded Crafts

Handmade Paper

Baking

Granny Squares

Dieting

Decoupage

Guitar Playing

Little House on the Prairie and all things Laura Ingalls Wilder

Blogging

Some future obsessions that I'm pondering:

The PTO

Crocheting

Party Planning

Blogging

You might notice that exercise isn't on either list. Although in the past it could have easily appeared on the past obsession list (several times,) I have decided that this will be the main focus of balance for me. It's super hard for me to continue working as hard as I am when I'm not losing massive amounts of weight immediately. Every single day I have to remind myself that fitness is a way of life, not a hobby. That it is something I do just like brushing my teeth. So, this is my new motto, this is the picture on my phone, this what I recite to myself every damn day: