December 2020 W.I.S.H. - Finding Delight

[MickeyMom76]

Good morning, and Happy Self-Care Sunday! -
What gift (material or otherwise) are you giving yourself this year?

This is a GREAT question and really has me thinking. At first I thought I would give myself a week off from my workouts. But I don’t want to take exercising away. But maybe just mix it up a little, like taking walks, bike ride (if it’s nice enough), mix up the workouts instead of following one particular program, etc.
Then I thought of an even better gift! Taking an actual break from work! I tend to be one who will continue to work over the holidays to try to get ahead. But I am already ahead enough that I shouldn’t need to work over the holidays. So I will really focus on the family time and put the laptop away!

 

[Summer2018]

A Christmas on my terms...one with boundaries in order to preserve my mental health and the well-being of my immediate family & magicalmoments created by shared traditions in my home.

 

[Oneanne]

My new phone was my main gift to myself. Other than that, putting the lights and tree up early were a self gift, as well as bringing out my red bedroom decor back in October.

 

[Summer2018]

Two days of baking and decorating. These go to my nephew and his family, my closest and favorite relatives. We will miss going on the Port Jefferson Ferry to spend Christmas with them...the big hugs that fill my heart with so much love...the prime rib prepared by my nephew, the professional Chef...putting together toys and playing with my great niece and nephew...honestly I could just cry, but I know that we have many Christmases in our future to be together.

 

[sjrec]

A quiet, low key holiday-and that’s ok. Cut back on gift giving-sent my niece a Christmas cactus and sent gifts only to the little ones in the family. Fewer gifts for my daughter and her husband (they gave us a short list!) but as usual, looking forward to my grandson opening his-we got him a new bike and a couple smaller things. Hard to top his gift from his parents-a basset hound puppy!

 

[sjrec]

Being adorable is exhausting!

 

[glss1/2fll]

I ordered the Mitford Series for myself. Can't wait until they arrive so I can read them all (again as I've read them many times!). I've always borrowed them from the library, so this will be a treat! And considering that I never do anything for myself, a huge step for me!

Today I made mini eggnog bread loaves from all recipes. They are soooo goooodddd!!! Holy cow. I added the optional spices and used real alcohol, not extract. I made them as give away loaves, but sampled one. As DH says, "They are just a little too good; I'm glad we're giving them away so they're not in the house!"

 

[sjrec]

I ordered the Mitford Series for myself. Can't wait until they arrive so I can read them all (again as I've read them many times!). I've always borrowed them from the library, so this will be a treat! And considering that I never do anything for myself, a huge step for me!

Today I made mini eggnog bread loaves from all recipes. They are soooo goooodddd!!! Holy cow. I added the optional spices and used real alcohol, not extract. I made them as give away loaves, but sampled one. As DH says, "They are just a little too good; I'm glad we're giving them away so they're not in the house!"

I enjoyed those books as well! I think the last one in the series was my favorite. One of my friends made the marmalade cake for a get together-it was fabulous!
Can I ask how much rum you substituted for the extract? I hate buying something that only gets used for one recipe.

 

[MickeyMom76]

It’s the mid-point of the month. Think back to the goals you set for the month. How are you doing? What’s motivating you to keep going this week?

 

[MickeyMom76]

Think back to the goals you set for the month. How are you doing? What’s motivating you to keep going this week?

My goal is to focus on my eating. I would say I have been doing pretty well with that for 6/7 days of the week. Sunday is usually my bad day. I stay strong on Saturday because I see the progress I made during the week, but then Sunday comes and I just can't resist the baked goods my daughter keeps making. So I am motivated to try to maintain the tiny amount of weight loss I have so far this month by continuing to pack healthy lunches and snacks while I'm at school and have dinners planned (already done for the week!). I even pre-made chili for the forecasted snowstorm on Wednesday

 

[piglet1979]

For Saturday. This song from the Grinch that Stole Christmas gets me every time I hear it. I also rally like the song from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra that uses the wedding march music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwKcjAHIdJQ

For Sunday, I am not sure. I did buy myself a new rolling pin that has guilds on the end so you get the thickness that you want, gel food dyes, half cylinder molds, and stacking cooling racks. I love baking.

For today. I have been doing really good with getting my 60 minutes in each day. I have missed a day or two but I have for the most part been getting them done. I have not been getting 10,000 steps a day though.

Friday I did my 5K. It was so nice outside. I did take off about 5 minutes from my last time. I signed up for my January 5K this weekend as well. Though I am really going to have to work to get a good time. I am slower on the treadmill and with what our temps usually are in January and February I am going to assume that those two months will be on the treadmill.

I did a bunch of baking with my kids this weekend. We made kolache's, drop lemon ginger cookies, peanut butter cookies with the peanut butter cup in them, ginger snap cookies, snickerdoodles, sugar cookie cut outs, chocolate chip cookies, and peppermint meringue cookies. I did really good on not eating the dough as well. That was a big feat. I love cookie dough. We are not keeping all of them. I put containers together to give to my family. Even with that we still have a lot of cookies. DH and the kids we eat most of them. I am not a but cookie eater so I will most likely only eat a few.

DS is failing 2 classes this quarter. I am so frustrated with him. It is all on him as he is not doing his homework. He has emailed his one teacher about turning in work and I have as well or if there is anything he can do to pull up his grade. It has been almost a week and he has not replied to either one of us. The other class that he is failing is also a teacher that doesn't respond. DS emailed him last quarter for help and he never responded so I ma not expected for a response in this class as well. I am ready for Christmas break and to have 2 weeks off from having to deal with homework.

 

[Oneanne]

How is it mid-December already? I guess time just flies by when you are sitting on the couch. I can't say I've been on track with my intentions for the month, but I think my body is now telling me I don't have a choice. The covid test came back negative - thank goodness for that. I was in a pretty emotional state, thinking about what I may have done wrong and who I may have passed it to.

But now I need to figure out what is causing the headache, which I still have. My doctor is in Puerto Rico but I've been communicating with her via email... my blood pressure is higher than it has been in the past, but is still within the high side of normal: my blood sugar is higher than it usually has been this morning, so my focus is on getting sugar and carb consumption down. Overall I did start to feel better yesterday afternoon, my mood lifted (depression is always part of illness for me) and I had energy to do some decorating, finally stringing my dried oranges and cutting lunch bag stars, and wrapping gifts. I slept well last night, better than the past few nights.

So intention for this week, figure this thing out and get to feeling better.

 

[sjrec]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwKcjAHIdJQ

For Sunday, I am not sure. I did buy DS is failing 2 classes this quarter. I am so frustrated with him. It is all on him as he is not doing his homework. He has emailed his one teacher about turning in work and I have as well or if there is anything he can do to pull up his grade. It has been almost a week and he has not replied to either one of us. The other class that he is failing is also a teacher that doesn't respond. DS emailed him last quarter for help and he never responded so I ma not expected for a response in this class as well. I am ready for Christmas break and to have 2 weeks off from having to deal with homework.

In these unusual times, I would be very surprised if your son was not able to submit work after deadlines-but how frustrating that you aren’t getting a response to your emails.

 

[sjrec]

How is it mid-December already? I guess time just flies by when you are sitting on the couch. I can't say I've been on track with my intentions for the month, but I think my body is now telling me I don't have a choice. The covid test came back negative - thank goodness for that. I was in a pretty emotional state, thinking about what I may have done wrong and who I may have passed it to.

But now I need to figure out what is causing the headache, which I still have. My doctor is in Puerto Rico but I've been communicating with her via email... my blood pressure is higher than it has been in the past, but is still within the high side of normal: my blood sugar is higher than it usually has been this morning, so my focus is on getting sugar and carb consumption down. Overall I did start to feel better yesterday afternoon, my mood lifted (depression is always part of illness for me) and I had energy to do some decorating, finally stringing my dried oranges and cutting lunch bag stars, and wrapping gifts. I slept well last night, better than the past few nights.

So intention for this week, figure this thing out and get to feeling better.

So glad your test came back negative-but a positive test wouldn’t have meant you did something wrong! There’s no way to be 100% safe, we just do the very best we can.
Hope you are feeling better today.

 

[piglet1979]

In these unusual times, I would be very surprised if your son was not able to submit work after deadlines-but how frustrating that you aren’t getting a response to your emails.

Unfortunately he does have 2 teachers that will not take late work. Well the one will take if up to 5 days late but the kids will lose 10% each day it is late. The one that have not gotten back to me yet and the last email was last Thursday morning I am going to email again this afternoon and copy the principle on it as well. I hate doing this and really don't want to be that parent but would really like a response.

 

[sjrec]

Well, I manage to make us healthy meals, but I have more snack foods in the house than usual, so I am snacking more than usual. This week I will try planning a snack at 3:00 and will not pick at things before that.
We’re getting wet snow today but our big snow is coming Wednesday. Getting out for a walk before I get snowed in!

 

[piglet1979]

The covid test came back negative

I am so glad your test was negative. Could your headaches be from some type of food you are eating? I get headaches from aspartame so I need to avoid gum and any diet drinks. I found this out after tracking what I was eating each day and when I would get the headaches.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Think back to the goals you set for the month. How are you doing? What’s motivating you to keep going this week?

Weight is going OK. It's been a stressful week (house stuff) but I'm the opposite of a stress eater, so I haven't been putting on pounds. Exercise is another matter. I'm a little behind goal - still squeezing in some physical activity, but also missing my regular routine (walking on the treadmill - which serves as quiet, predictable time, as well as exercise.)

 

[Summer2018]

How is it mid-December already? I guess time just flies by when you are sitting on the couch. I can't say I've been on track with my intentions for the month, but I think my body is now telling me I don't have a choice. The covid test came back negative - thank goodness for that. I was in a pretty emotional state, thinking about what I may have done wrong and who I may have passed it to.

But now I need to figure out what is causing the headache, which I still have. My doctor is in Puerto Rico but I've been communicating with her via email... my blood pressure is higher than it has been in the past, but is still within the high side of normal: my blood sugar is higher than it usually has been this morning, so my focus is on getting sugar and carb consumption down. Overall I did start to feel better yesterday afternoon, my mood lifted (depression is always part of illness for me) and I had energy to do some decorating, finally stringing my dried oranges and cutting lunch bag stars, and wrapping gifts. I slept well last night, better than the past few nights.

So intention for this week, figure this thing out and get to feeling better.

I'm so happy that you tested negative. What a relief. I hope that you get answers and feel better.

 

[Summer2018]

We are getting the snow on Wednesday as well. Our superintendent has decided to close school on both Thursday and Friday...not sure why Friday too. So I will be teaching from home. Then he offered us the choice of teaching from home next week as well! So I have only two days left until I can work from home and then be on vacation. 18 days away from school. Wow!

I was sad for about two seconds because our administrators arranged lots of socially distant activities for the next week and a half, but I know in the long run, I will be much happier at home.