Vegmom Moments

12 Days of Changes - Day 12 The End!

While the 12 Days of Changes have reached their 12th day, I don't consider this the end.  I have learned so much about myself the past couple weeks.  When you take time to look at what you don't like, it provides the opportunity to change.  When you take the opportunity to look at what you do like, it provides the opportunity to do more of it.

Several things I chose to change for a day, will become long term objectives.  Some may fall off, but what I learned most of all is that every day is a new beginning.  And if I didn't like something the day before, it is up to me to change it.  

Recap of the last 11 days:

1. No Coffee For A Day - This one only lasted a DAY (but hey I met the challenge right?)
2. Fire Safety - This one is ongoing.  I still need to find a place to put second fire extinguisher & think more about document storage
3. Exercise -  This is still a struggle because of less day light.   But that day of getting out made me want to do more.  So tomorrow I'll be going for another run.  And hopefully several days a week going forward.
4. Crafting - Challenging myself to easy crafting, was so much fun, that I made a few more cards.  Including a Birthday Card for Hubby.  I hope this trend continues.
5. Being responsible for my own Moods - This one is really great.  Day 5 Helped me to rethink who makes me happy.  The fact is - Its Me!!  I can make myself happy or make myself gloomy.  The moods of others should not affect my own.  Period!!  And I have since found that to be useful the past couple of days.
6. Being Conscious of my words -  Woah!  This one is hard.  I'm not talking about being mean with my words or anything, just watching what I say and remembering that silence can be better sometimes. (yes really really really hard for me)  <no comment mother>
7. Not arguing with the child - This one came in quite handy today actually.  Having that reminder by doing this challenge was a great help.   Amazing how often they try to push your buttons.  Even the best of children.
8. Reusable Bags - My plan was to immediately put the bags in the car.  But I went to sleep instead.  I MUST do this before heading to the store tomorrow. (update, I remembered them before heading to the store)
9. Sleep a full 8 hrs. - This is the only one from that challenge that did NOT happen.  Not sure who (canine or human) but someone had me up at 5am.  Always another day to try though, I won't give up trying for this one.
10. Trying new Raw Foods Again - This is one of my favorite things to do.  While there is not a 100% raw food diet in my near future, I do LOVE trying new raw foods.  The more I try, the more I can incorporate, the better I feel and the easier eating this way becomes.  A work in progress, for certain.  I tried 3 new things this week... OH MY YUM!
11. Coupons - I have to stop getting mad at myself for forgetting the coupons and just start taking them.  Goodness!  It paid off this week, and I hope to remember each week from now on.

NOW for #12 The Grand Finale -------  This one is a Doozy and goes closely with #5...  I can't believe I'm actually typing it.. but here it goes:

Thinking of the Positive in every situation, even when people are being negative around me.  Tonight, I almost caught myself engaging in a conversation with someone that was being negative toward me.  

Something in that moment struck me loud and clear.  "Be positive even when they are not"

I quickly ended my portion of the conversation, went on with my chores after a long days work, then broke out in song!

My song went like this, as I was doing laundry, making dinner and cleaning up the kitchen:

(yes, I made this song up, I know you can't tell by looking at it) hahaha!

"Think-ing of the pos-i-tive, Think-ing of the pos-i-tive - I have Dishes to clean - food to cook, laundry to wash and a happy outlook.  Mouths to feed, safe and sound, no one can say anything to get me Down"

Then I would dance around with my Thinking of the Positive chorus!  It was a site I tell you!

Mr. Negative Pants, gave me the rolled eyes look and said "What are you doing?"  As I shimmied across the kitchen singing my song, exercising and cleaning.... I looked right back at him to answer his question with this:

"I'm Thinking of the Positive of course"  And continued with my song.

He shook his head and went down stairs.  Guess he just couldn't join me!  And you know what?  That is OK!

I'm realizing more and more, that I have to make my own happy.  If people want to join me, all the better.  If not, I can't let them get me down.  By Golly By Gosh, I have too much to be happy about!

Now Join me.... 

Thinking of the Positive, Thinking of the Positive......

*Smile*  

Do you let other people get you down?

 

 

12 Days of Changes - Day 10

Sorry for skipping a day.. I actually have photos and everything for this one but don't feel like posting them, so it will have to wait. I woke up this morning feeling the sniffles.. and as you know, this just won't do!!!

I've been showering extra today for skin re-hydration, steam and eucalyptus oil.. I've been drinking lots of water, taking Garlic, rubbing garlic on my sinuses, swigging the ACV and spritzing my face with cold aloe juice.. ah feels so good!

I've been downing extra green goodness, some Echinacea/Goldenseal, and a couple drops of Oregano Oil under the tongue.  I'm not sure if any of that really works, but it sure does make me feel better fast!

But that is not what my change for today is about!  

My Change for today, is to start my "Raw Food Tries of The week" again!  I miss doing that, and trying one new raw recipe a week always gets me motivated to do more.  It also expands my collection of delicious and nutritious foods that my belly can tolerate.

Today's raw try was NOT the delicious food variety.. no no no, it was a healing one to kick these sniffles before they turn in to anything else.  

This Nature's Penicillin post caught my eye a few days ago and I saved it just in case.  Today was the day I gave it a try, and WOW!!!!

The post says to use a TBS through out the day until you have reached a CUP, that is like 15 TBS.   And NO!  Not happening... I was lucky to suck down a single TBS but did force myself to do a couple more.  My head is totally clear now and sniffles are gone!  

But people and vampires will likely not want to come near me for several days.  Just Sayin!

Take that little Sniffles Bug... I'm not having any of that nonsense!!!  

Soon however, I will share, the new tasty Goodies I've tried this week.  Including some Raw Sweet Potato Soup from the Everyday Happy Herbivore, a Raw Persimmon inspired by a Tweet I saw last week and raw baklava from a recipe app that was sooo good!

Sorry for the absolutely long and boring posts lately, but it has been fun to get my thoughts out in preperation for the new year and all the possibilities.

2012, here I come!  *smile*

 

 

12 Days of Changes - Recap & Day 9

This 12 Days of changes has been quite fun.  Forcing me each day to think of one thing I would do different from the day before.  I'm planning that 2012 will be the year for taking control of my own happiness.  I can't change people, I can only change myself.  

Ending 2011 with figuring out how I do that has been an enjoyable challenge.  12 Days of finding my best me.  I know it sounds corny, but If I can't change from something I learned the day before, then I didn't learn anything at all!

I hear the saying all the time that people aren't perfect.   And while that is super true, I feel that we each have it in us to do better.  And if we don't at least try, then saying we aren't perfect becomes an excuse instead of a motivator.  

I'll choose the Motivator!   So here is where I stand with the last 8 days of this challenge:

Recap of the last 8 days:

1. No Coffee For A Day - This one only lasted a DAY (but hey I met the challenge right?)
2. Fire Safety - This one is ongoing.  I still need to find a place to put second fire extinguisher & think more about document storage
3. Exercise -  This is still a struggle because of less day light.   But that day of getting out made me want to do more.  So tomorrow I'll be going for another run.  And hopefully several days a week going forward.
4. Crafting - Challenging myself to easy crafting, was so much fun, that I made a few more cards.  Including a Birthday Card for Hubby.  I hope this trend continues.
5. Being responsible for my own Moods - This one is really great.  Day 5 Helped me to rethink who makes me happy.  The fact is - Its Me!!  I can make myself happy or make myself gloomy.  The moods of others should not affect my own.  Period!!  And I have since found that to be useful the past couple of days.
6. Being Conscious of my words -  Woah!  This one is hard.  I'm not talking about being mean with my words or anything, just watching what I say and remembering that silence can be better sometimes. (yes really really really hard for me)  <no comment mother>
7. Not arguing with the child - This one came in quite handy today actually.  Having that reminder by doing this challenge was a great help.   Amazing how often they try to push your buttons.  Even the best of children.
8. Reusable Bags - My plan was to immediately put the bags in the car.  But I went to sleep instead.  I MUST do this before heading to the store tomorrow.

 

And now for #9:

SLEEP.... my Change for today, will be trying for a full 8hrs of sleep!   CAN SHE DO IT???

12 Days of Changes - Day 8

This one will be quick...

I forgot to put my reusable bags back in the car and had to use Paper at the store...  so my mission to improve today was to put all my bags BACK in the car!!   I have a TON of bags.  I get them from festivals, and when I travel I pick up new ones at each new health store that I try.  So my stash has grown.

Which makes it very silly when I don't have one with me.

Paper, Plastic, No Thank You!!

My favorite bags lately are the Reusable Chico Bags.   They are easy to store, hold a lot, durable, washable, and when I don't want them for groceries any more, they make great camping/swimming/shoe/travel/dirty clothes bags for the kiddo.

But These Organic Cotton Bags look really cool too...  I may have to try them when a re-stock is necessary.  

Which won't be for a VERY long time, as long as I remember to USE what I have that is!

12 Days of Changes - Day 7

Yesterday I mentioned trying to do better at being conscious of what I say before I say it.  And today I did a lot better at that.  

So my Change for Day 7 is to take that one step further.  I plan NOT to argue with my 8 Yr Old.  

You see, he can be the sweetest, kindest most intense little person I have EVER met.  And yet he can be equally as stubborn and challenging and argumentative.   (not sure WHERE he gets that from)

Yes Mom, I know.. Paybacks!!!

But what I have learned lately by reading about parenting smarty pants kids and  watching he and his father argue until they don't even remember what they are arguing about, is that I don't need to engage in that behavior.

WHY in the world would I argue with an 8 Year Old?  Hellloooo!   While I DO listen to the child, allow his opinions to be heard and his choices to be his own.  I will not engage in an argument with him.

At least for this Day 7 Challenge... I'll keep you posted!  *wink*

PS, if you want to track the 12 Days of changes, you can find the last 6 days here!

 

12 Days of Changes - Day 6

Looking back at yesterday, the only thing I could find that I wanted to improve upon today was trying to be more conscious of my words.

Yesterday I had the ol' insert foot in mouth syndrome, and looking back I could have done better with my words.  So today, I was more conscious of what I said and when.

Problem was, I still inserted foot.   I was just more conscious of it!  haha..  So tomorrow, I'll really really really try harder!

Ok so regarding the whole foot in mouth phrase?   Why not elbow or knee camp.  Where did the foot come from?

 

12 Days of Changes - Day 5

Yesterday I let the moods of others bother mine, and today I decided my change for day 5 would be to control my own moods.

If Others want to go visit Crabby Land, that doesn't mean I have to.  

Today I stayed right here in my happy place!  Thank You Very much!  

I'm really liking this series.  *smile*

12 Days of Changes - Day 4

I used to enjoy crafting.  It was my outlet, my peace among chaos, my joy among loneliness and a time to reflect.  By working on a Scrapbook Page, I was reliving the events of those pictures.

But not just scrapbooks, looking back I did a WHOLE lot of crafting.  From Cross Stitch to painting to Silly stuff with my kiddo but at some point, lugging everything out became a chore.

I don't know when it happened really.   But one day.. It had to be just one, because I don't remember multiple days.. but one day, I just stopped.  

Until my Change for Today....  I realized that I don't have to sit for 6hrs through the night when everyone is sleeping just to work on crafts.  Or that I have to to do everything from scratch or make things complicated.  I realized it doesn't have to be a chore.  I could make crafting fun again.

Then I made a stop in to Hobby Lobby for a couple of supplies... WOAH!!  Big Mistake.. I didn't even know where to begin.  I saw sooooo much stuff.  But I kept my purchasing simple.  Things that would make my crafting life easier.

Like THIS 12x12 Calendar Kit for a certain someone that gets a calendar each year.

It has all the colors I love, themes I could relate too, and absolutely EVERYTHING you could possibly need to complete the calendar all in one handy package.  (except family pictures of course)

So my Change for Day 4 is to do something Crafty.    No more wishing I did, but actually DOING it!

As for the other Changes...so far:

Day 1 = Avoid coffee for a day (done)

Day 2 = Check house for Fire Safety (done)

Day 3 = Exercise (done)

This is kind of fun.. I should make this longer than 12 days.  Heck, it could be 365 days.   Who doesn't find one thing each day they want to do different or more of.  That is what Growth is all about, right?

It all comes down to this...

If you don't do something about it, then you got nothing to complain about!  (or so that is what I tell myself when i'm complaining)

 **Update**  I made some cards.. lots of cards.. crafting bug is back!!

Aren't these guys cute:

 

12 Days of Changes - Day 3

Today's Change will be More Exercise:

I haven't been able to do as much as I would like so why not do more today??

Especially with those awesome Shoes shown above!

 

12 Days of Changes - Day 2

This one is a little more serious!  And something I hope everyone will think about!!!

I had the opportunity to talk to someone today after they just lost their home, pets and vehicle in a fire.   The more I listened, the more I thought of our own situation and became a little freaked out.  His second floor began to cave in before the fire alarms went off upstairs.  And he didn't have a fire extinguisher to stop that initial spark.  They got out by jumping and because they were awake they knew what had to be done.  But had it happened an hour later while they were sleeping, the outcome would have been much different.

So I immediately started thinking:

• Do our Fire Extinguishers work?  Do we know where they are?  Do we still have any?   Are they placed Strategically?
• Could we get out of the house if we were in the room with no windows?
• If we are upstairs and sleeping, could we hear the fire alarms in the basement in time to get out before the floor caves in?
• Do we know whats in our wallets if we had to replace them?
• Does our safety box have everything it needs in it to be able to rebuild our lives and restore our identity?

To think that in a flash, you could have no Drivers License, Debit card, bank card, insurance cards, birth certificates, social security cards... No Identity at all.  Not to mention the loss of all personal belongings, pictures and a roof over your head.

So I panicked and decided my Change for the day will be to not Panic.  Find comfort that I have protected us the best I can and the rest is not up to me.  

Make sure we have a fire plan!

I forced Hubs to humor me, and we tested the garage fire alarms.  (they are place by vents so we will hear them upstairs)

We checked the Fire Extinguishers, and they are Good!  But discovered we had two, and they were both in the same cabinet... Not so Strategically placed.  One of them will be moved.

We have 2 Fire ladders that ARE strategically placed so we could get out of a second story window and hopefully not break any body parts.

Then the Husband gave me a lesson on the fire extinguishers from his Navy Fire Learning Days.  How to use them and which to use when.  They are different ya no!!   We talked about what to do if the curtains caught fire from a spark vs. the stove catching fire while cooking.  I think I understand.. just hope I never have to find out if I understood correctly!

Lastly, I've updated the documents for our safety box to make me feel a little better. 

I'm not sure you can ever be truly prepared or know how you would react in a situation where you look up to find flames all around.   And I'm sure if that ever happened to me, I would still panic.

But at least I know the fire alarms would wake me up, the ladders could help us down, and a fire extinguisher could put out something small before it got to that point.

What about you?  Do you have a fire plan, working alarms and extinguishers?  Do your kids know where to go and what to do if they had to escape?

-----NeeNee, I'm pointing my finger at you right now-----

That is my Day 2 Change... feel comfortable with the resources I have in the house for emergencies, and if I don't have the right ones, GET THEM!!!

Anyone need to join me for this one?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 Days of Changes - Day 1

I'm one of those people that think Guilt is a horrible emotion.  If you did something you didn't like, then change it.  Don't feel guilty about it.  Either own it and let it be OK, Learn from it and move on, or Do something about it!

My Mom's words have been in my head since I was a teen to help me gauge this guilt factor..

She'd say, "If you think you will feel guilty after doing something, then don't do it"  those words have been my moral compass ever since.

That's not to say I don't mess up, because Lord knows I do.  But if I don't learn from my mess ups, then shame on me!

Each day there are little things that I think I could do better!

So I thought it would be fun to document my not so good decisions and force myself to think about them, to make a change.  This new series of posts is called 12 Days of Changes.  

For the next 12 Days, I'm going to pick one thing from the day before that I want to change.

That's not to say that these changes will last forever, but if I change even ONE day, then I have learned something from the day before.   So I'm going to try it and see what I learn at the end of 12 days!

Today I had two frozen coffee drinks which is very rare for me.   My taste and tired buds were pounding at me and my car was near a Starbucks twice, so I did it!  

But then reality struck and I thought, I spent $8 on Coffee today when I have a Vitamix at home!  HELLO!!! I used Two Plastic Cups and Two plastic straws when I have GLASS at home!!!  Not to mention two doses of caffeine, sugar crash and caffeine jitters. 

Instead of getting mad at myself for a poor choice, I'm just going to change it!  

12 Days of Changes DAY 1

Tomorrow, my 1st day of Change will be NO COFFEE!

Sorry frozen goodness, but I must say good bye for now!

Question:  

If you were to make a change from today, what would it be?