Connect the Dots Ginger | Becky Allen: downtime
Showing posts with label downtime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label downtime. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Success in 2016: Plan Your Day

Hello New Year, in just a few days! Are you making your new year resolution list yet? I am still working on mine. But here is one that is on my list. To plan out my day and make sure that I have balance between my family, work, and everyday life stuff. Sadly when you say yes to one thing, you have to say no to something else. Like, if I say yes to working out, then I am saying no to sleeping in. Get it? 
Pick one day a week that you sit down and plan out your schedule, every hour of every day of the week. I am serious! 

1) Family always comes first so start with that. Schedule in any doctor appoints, kid drop offs and pickups, or any other family appointments that you have for the week, oh yeah and church activities.

2) Schedule in your workout just like a doctor appointment. It really is that important for me that I schedule it in secondary in my life. 
3) Next I schedule in my work time. Teaching and coaching. My goal in 2016 is to stick to my schedule. Do what I have to do in the time allotted. I have been crossing over way too much and that is not ok for me and my family. I will no longer sacrifice my family time. I have to become more efficient in my actual work time! 

4) Lastly I schedule my me time. I personally need some alone time for me to just unwind from my activities. I can usually get 30-45 minutes of this a day. I use this for reading or just turning off my brain. 

Here is how to stick with your schedule: 

Turn the sound off on my phone
Set alarms or timers for how long to do something
Close my laptop and put it away
Mute the notifications on Facebook
Only open the window you need to work in right now
Keep yourself focused on the goal in mind
Work from a to do list

Starting today you can plan to make 2016 more successful with these tips! Be sure to follow me on FACEBOOK and PINTEREST for more daily motivation and support!

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

November Book Club


First Wednesday of the month is BOOK CLUB book announcement day! And it is November, the thankfulness month. With Thanksgiving at the end of the month it just makes sense to make this month the most happy and sharing of our thanks. This month I wanted to focus on working the good inside of us but also to see what makes us happy! Hence book #2 The happiness project! How excited are you for these books this month? Have you been keeping up with the books? 

Goal is to read at least 10 minutes of day. You can read both books this month or just one. You choose and have fun! Comment below with which one you decide.

Check out our books this month! 

Book 1: 
Rebecca Rosen- Awaken The Spirit Within: 10 Steps to Ignite Your Life and Fulfill Your Divine Purpose

We all want to be happy and fulfilled. We want to understand the very point of our lives—why we’re here and what we’re meant to do. Yet, when we think about how to get from here to there and answer life’s “Big” questions, so many of us don't know where to begin. The advice from so many different people and sources can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. In Awaken the Spirit Within, acclaimed author and spiritual medium Rebecca Rosen offers us an inspired and invigorating prescriptive program to give our lives clarity and deeper meaning. With Rebecca’s down-to-earth and conversational style, this book will help you learn how to: 
   • Create more peace and fulfillment in your personal relationships 
   • Gain confidence in your natural talents and abilities 
   • Succeed in greater degrees at your job 
   • Develop financial abundance and prosperity 
   • Conquer addictions and negative thinking 
   • Find freedom from weight struggles and poor body image 
   • Gain the clarity to make the “right” choices and decisions for your life
Bold claims? Yes. But when it comes to Rebecca Rosen, you’ll understand just after a few pages, why Time.com has told its readers to “Take her advice seriously.”


Book 2: 

Gretchen Rubin - The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun


In this lively and compelling account—now updated with new material by the author—Rubin chronicles her adventures during the twelve months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier. Among other things, she found that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that money can help buy happiness, when spent wisely; that outer order contributes to inner calm; and that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference.

Monday, October 12, 2015

10 Perfectly Spooktacular No Carve Pumpkins

Time to start decorating the house with autumnal inspired foliage and gourds! I hate carving pumpkins because it is slimy, messy and the smell! Can't stand the smell! So I thought I might try something different this year and still decorate the pumpkins but without carving. Here are some great ideas I found!

Corn Husk Covered Pumpkins - By Midwest Living

Glitter Pumpkin Topiary - By A Diamond In The Stuff


The Tangled Web Pumpkin - By Buzzfeed

The Glitter Pumpkin- By the SITS Girls

The Lacey Pumpkin- By Better homes and Garden

The Painted Pumpkin - By Lil' Luna

The Plaid Pumpkin: By Real Simple

The Mumkin - By Circa Dee

The Patterned Pumpkin - By Country Living

The Pumpkin Family - By blue i style


And, of course, be sure to like our 
FACEBOOK page and follow us on PINTEREST for motivation, clean eating tips, and healthy lifestyle resources.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

You Are Not Weak For Crying


Yesterday was a really powerful day for me. It started as any normal day. Getting up and getting Mason ready for preschool and breakfast made. I needed onions for my breakfast and started cutting into a nice huge onion. And then that familiar burning and stinging and crying happened from the onion. I finished chopping, washed my hands and just felt empty and hallow. And the tears kept coming and coming. I just felt drained. On the way home from dropping Mason off at school again I felt empty and hallow. I was grieving knowing that my due date was any day and it wasn't going to happen.

I knew this day was going to happen. At some point. I didn't know when or how or anything but I knew I would have a breakdown day. The tears kept coming and coming. Those hot and heavy tears full of sorrow and pain. I called Matt and told him I was having a bad day and I couldn't stop crying. 20 minutes later he walked in the door with a flower, strawberries and of course chocolate! (I have done pretty good though not eating the chocolate!)

He held me as I continued to cry. Normally when I am in pain or sad or crying I push everyone away. But not today. I let him hold me. Counseling has helped. I am letting people in! The tears didn't stop. I just kept crying. Anytime I thought I would be done I wasn't.

Matt picked Mason up from lunch and we had lunch. Kids went down for a nap and Matt sent me up for one too! Thankfully it was a Wednesday and I had my weekly counseling session. I didn't get ready. I didn't change clothes. I just went puffy swollen face and all. Talked through it. And felt lighter and so much better. I finally stopped crying uncontrollably after my session. Matt and I talked about my session and we just grieved together yesterday.

So thankful to my husband for just dropping what he was doing to take care of me. His work is so important but he still took care of me. I also realized that yesterday that I hadn't let all my feelings out. That I was still bottling them in and they just exploded yesterday. and it is okay!

Crying is not a sign of weakness. And for years I always thought it had. For me it just meant that I was holding too many things in at once and something had to give!

Monday, September 21, 2015

Hope

This past Saturday I finished my fourth piano solo composition. Bet you didn't know that I have actually dabbled in writing music? I am not a mastermind at music composition but I just write what comes to me and take it from there. Sometimes I hear a melody and I can get swept up in it and write a decent amount of music in a day, or sitting and that is really what happened with this one. It has been on my mind almost every day since I started it. I started writing again, a brand new song, on the 30th of August. And now less than 30 days I have completed it.

I have titled it Hope, or A Mother's Hope (still deciding). It really is about my roller coaster of a ride with having babies. All the struggles and joys I have experienced.

I was inspired to finish it when my sister in law had her baby. A red headed little girl. Which is what I always imagined my baby girl would be. I am not going to lie. I am jealous, I am sad. My due date was actually this coming Saturday on the 26th. My sis-in-law and I were both expecting at the same time. And it is hard knowing that she has her little girl and I don't... yet. I know this might seem petty, and I am not writing this to get pity or make my sister in law feel upset for having her baby, or anyone else for that matter. I am saying this because it is normal and natural to experiences these feelings of jealousy, anger, frustration, and sadness. It is ok to feel these things. And don't let anyone tell you different! It is also about how we express those feelings. Being angry at our family or anyone because they have something you don't is not the best right. The feelings need to be talked about, expressed and released. I needed to get those feelings out and I did it through my music. I was bawling my eyes out when my music took a turn I wasn't expecting. Mimicking the sadness and grief I felt when I lost her. But the end is so hopeful. I know that someday when the time is right she will join our family. This is not in my control. I am on God's timeline and at this point, I am hopeful that someday she will be with us. When that will be? I have no idea but I have hope that she will be here when it is her right time.

I am thankful that I have the talent to be able to play my feelings out. Holding them in is the last thing I want to do. I have to let them out. In any way I can. Music, art, dancing anything creative that you can do to help you express those feelings so that you can feel free, lifted and just at peace with what is being thrown your way. Trust in yourself and in God that you can get through this and you will. I am so happy for my sister in law and her family for her little girl making it safely here. Babies are a miracle no matter what! It is hard work making a baby!

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Potty Training Tips For Preschool

Well the day is here! Mason has started school! And HE LOVES IT! Everyday since the first day of school he has come running up to me thanking me for taking him to preschool and that he loves me so much! It just melts my heart!

Yesterday he did have a little trouble getting his jean shorts pulled up after the potty. They had just had play time at the playground and he was all hot and sweaty, but just in case, I ran out and got him some elastic waist band shorts to make it easier on him and the teachers.

So one of the rules at this preschool is that he has to be completely and totally potty trained to attend. That is he do it all on his own. EVERYTHING! We worked all summer for this. Mason knew to go to pre school he had to be able to do it all. And when he finally did start using the potty full time after he did he would ask, "Can I go to preschool now!" and here we are. AT PRESCHOOL!

Here is what we did to help potty train Mason over the summer.

We have been trying since 2.5 years to potty train him. Started with just letting him walk naked and tell us if he needs to go potty. Didn't work. I set a timer to go off every 20 minutes to sit on the potty. That didn't work. We gave up a few times. Then tried again. Gave up and tried again. Fast forward to February when I told him he had to go on the potty. He still didn't want to. By May he was wearing underwear (or naked) and would go pee on the potty. But when he had a diaper on for mommy quiet time or night he would go poo! He was holding his poop for the diaper!

The end of June I had enough of that and just let the chips fall where they were. I told him "NO MORE DIAPERS!" And I hid his diapers. I told him that he is in underwear all the time and that we couldn't buy more diapers. He would respond. "The super market has more diapers!" Smarty pants!!! Finally just a few weeks before his 4th birthday he couldn't hold his poop any more and I saw it in his eyes. (cause they about bugged out of his face! He had to go poo!) He ran into the potty and went poop on the potty for the very first time! He then knew he was ready to go to preschool! We have been in underwear 24X7 since the beginning of July! And we are saving money not having to buy him diapers anymore! YEA!

So...
1. Bribing didn't work.
2. Sticker charts didn't work.
3. Songs didn't work.
4. Happy dances didn't work.
5. Apps didn't work.
6. Reading didn't work.

Telling him (fibbing) we had no more diapers and just not putting him in them any more worked! Mental note has been made for child #2, but Collin is not as strong willed as Mason is! (speaking of child #2 I keep asking for my phone so I can get a picture for this post off of it and he keeps fake handing it to me and runs away! LITTLE STINKER! Oh yeah, I just totally made him cry!)

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

September's Book Club


Every month now, I try to pick out a new book every month that I need to read and that I want to read to help me continue to learn to love my life, gain more self confidence and to just better my self. These books are often called "self help." But they are so much more than that to me. I call them my personal development to help me develop myself to be better. And since I started reading these kinds of books in May, the way I see my life and the lives of those around me have totally changed.

So what's on my reading list for this month? Book #1


52 Ways To Live A Kick Ass Life: BS-Free Wisdom to Ignite Your Inner Badass and Live the Life You Deserve  By Andrea Owen. I love her podcasts and she really is about giving it to you straight and making you really think about how to look at life. I am so excited. Oh and it is for FREE on Kindle Unlimited! Yeah Baby!

Book #2 for when I finish 52 Ways:



BrenÉ Brown: Rising Strong: If you are brave enough, often you will fail. This is a book about what it takes to get back up.  This is a book that was recommended by Andrea Owen on one of her podcasts and when she talked about it and reading the brief little summary it is something that I totally need right now and can't wait to start reading! 

Friday, June 5, 2015

Motivation? Where Did It Go???


Motivation is the number one thing that can stop you cold in your tracks to something new you are trying to do. Whether it is looking for a new job, exercise or just finding a new pair of pants. If you have a hole in the crotch of your pants you are going to be pretty darn motivated to buy a new pair of pants but if you are in comfy in yoga pants and they can pass as all day wear, you are not going to be getting a new pair of pants for awhile! Right?!?

Well we all have those days where you just don't want to do it. Exercise I am talking about. I have days where I don't want to do it. And it is totally normal and it happens. But, if you want to make your goals and achieve great things. You gotta do it.

Here is my tip if you are just tired and can't find that motivation. Just do 10 minutes. Start doing 10 minutes (I aim for 15 min that way I know I am at least doing half my workout!) Most of the time you will feel fine and be able to finish it but if you aren't, then stop. Your body might need to rest and that is ok. Don't push beyond what your body wants to do. It can just make you feel worse!

It's ok to have a bad day. But the trick is to NEVER GIVE UP! Don't just stop because you had one bad day. Do a little and you might get your groove back. Or do a little in the morning and by later in the day you will feel better and can finish it up. Listen to your body. IT knows what you need and don't need! And by the next day you should feel just fine to get back into it. Just don't make everyday a rest day!

~3 days left until I find out exactly how many inches and weight I have lost! Be sure to check back on Monday!~

Friday, May 22, 2015

Friday's Five May Collection

I haven't done one of these in awhile! Here are my 5 things I am totally loving these days:

1. 21 Day Fix. Seriously loving this because I can modify the workout to work for me. If I need to be a wimp then I can wimp out. But if I wanna push it then I can totally push it for as long as I can, and then wimp out and go down to a lighter weight. But honestly I am getting stronger. I was convinced that Collin had lost weight because he just wasn't feeling as heavy to me. Well the little chunk is now over 20 lbs and low and behold I was just getting stronger. Go figure! Ready to get your hands on 21 Day Fix Finally? ORDER HERE for the workout combined with Shakeology! BEST DEAL THOUGH is to get the Beachbody on Demand Annual All Access Challenge Pack where you get access to every workout program ever created for 1 year, 1st month supply of Shakeology and the entire Nutrition Fix Program (those fun little containers to help you eat right!)

2. Pandora: Love turning on my pandora station and just listening to it. Sometimes during the day I will turn on the kids songs for the kids and watch Collin "dance" to it. But he loves music. Mason just tells me to turn it down. There always has to be a critic.

3. Pinterest: I am loving snooping and pinning on Pinterest lately. I have been looking for clean eating recipes, or different workouts, and lots and lots of motivational quotes to help get me through the day.


4. You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero: (sorry mom didn't mean to swear but that is the name of the book). Seriously this book has hit point on point in what I need to be hearing right now. No more wallowing in my sadness. Time to get out there and make something of myself. Help others. And just enjoy life for the roller coaster ride that it is. There are lots and lots of ups and downs and corkscrews in our life and we just need to know how to ride them. Cower in fear or with hands up! Which would you prefer?

5. Lost: I have started to re-watch Lost again. I am use this as my decompression for when I am having a bad day, because my dad is NEVER as bad as theirs gets to I have something to be thankful for.

Short and sweet. What are you loving these days? Comment below! I wanna hear from you!

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Happy 1st Birthday Collin Baby!

Here we are. 1 year old. My baby is 1 year old. So scary how fast this year has gone and how blessed we have been with this amazing year. Collin was our surprise baby. The one where I decided that it didn't matter if I sat on my butt or kept running. I had no control over if I miscarried or not. (I had 2 previous miscarriages just before him, and he stuck!) I still worried that what I was doing would make me miscarry but I put my faith in the Lord that if he was meant to be with our family he would be with our family. AND HE IS!

Collin is THE most laid back baby ever. He doesn't really fuss, doesn't really cry, doesn't really get mad. If he gets hurt he stops crying very quickly thanks to his 2 fingers that calm him down, and mommy of course. He is just a super observant baby and loves to watch his big brother do anything.

Collin loves to follow brother around too. Wherever brother goes, Collin is sure to follow because he doesn't want to miss out on any cool things. Or if dad is home Collin is always hanging out with daddy. Such a daddy's boy.

He is our little runt of the litter. He is still in 9 month old sized clothing. He is a little short but he will hit a growth spurt and get taller. He is also the healthiest eater in the house. His favorite meal of the day is breakfast that he inhales, actually he inhales everything he eats, all 2 cups worth of it! HE IS A BIG EATER. But check out what he loves for breakfast everyday: 1-2 eggs soft over easy cooked, 1 banana mashed, 2 teaspoons flaxseed, 1/4-1/2 cup oatmeal all mixed together. He loves it and is so sad when it is all gone. Healthy eater! He has his yearly check up on Wednesday so I will post his stats after to show he is growing and how much!

Here is a photo purge of some of the pictures I took at his Birthday Party this past Saturday!
~I made the comic book cover banner and we will be hanging it in the boy's room!~









 ~Sugar Coma~


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