Harder Than I Thought

I am learning so much about this plant-based lifestyle and my own ability to resist temptation (it’s not easy but I am doing it).  The most important lesson that I have learned is that I need a new method or grocery store because I thought this new eating style would be cheaper and it hasn’t been.  I spent $240 on groceries and it will only last me and the kids for two weeks.  There has to be a better way and when I find it, I will share.  Another hurdle is trying to recreate recipes that I have found on Pinterest.  So far, I have made Garlic, Mushroom, Bok Choy Soup, Jamaican Corn Soup, Mango Avocado Salsa, Peanut Butter/Banana/Honey roll-ups, smoothies, and tostones.  The soups were super involved and required a boat-load of ingredients and time.  So, I have come up with some fairly simple recipes using the same ingredients that I have already purchased.

The positives are that the soups lasted me multiple days and the Jamaican Corn Soup was the best.  My favorite soup by far is lentil and I cannot wait to make that sometime this week.  The kids liked everything except the soups so I had to make alternate meals (more work).

Now for some transparency.  In my effort to eliminate meat, I have binged on junk food (candy) quite a few times.  So, my new goal besides eating plant-based is to cut the junk food.  I’ll let you know how that goes.  Please send positive energy and/or prayers my way.  This is super hard and a two-fold goal (plant-based eating and discipline).

Advertisement

My Ideal Day

The 25 Questions are courtesy of mistysansom.com

So, I have started a new ‘Personal Growth’ 25 question exercise.  As I journey through a question a day, I will share some of my findings (not all) and let you know if I feel that I have grown as a person, mother, friend, teacher, etc.  I usually just pin these things and never review but, I feel that 2017 is getting stagnant and something needs to be done.  There is some action required on my part.

The first question was “What does your ideal day look like?”  Of course, the answer started off with waking up refreshed and energized.  As a person who is always tired and always busy, I have been focusing more on how to save my energy and live a more minimalistic lifestyle.  From the waking up part, most of my day consisted of just doing things on my “own time”.  There were some things that I am required to do as a responsible parent but for the most part, my day was made up of writing, creating, meditating, reading, and smoothies (and of course a coffee).  There was very little to no house cleaning, although I do want a very clean house but in my ideal world my kids are at school most of the day, I am working from the nearest coffeehouse, and on the weekends we are out exploring the world–so no messy house.

What did I realize?  I realized that I do not appreciate outside restraints on my time. I am a creative and only want to do things that fuel that energy and allow me to release it. I also realized that most of my ‘ideal’ tasks were solitary and that makes me very happy and the only time that I did not want to spend solitary time was when I was with my kids.  I guess this makes me an introvert in a way.

The cruel reality is that my daily life looks nothing like this which is why I may be so tired, stressed, and irritable.  This can sometimes seep into my interactions with my children for which I am not proud.  I am only human but, the wisdom that has come from this exercise, is that taking care of self and living your most authentic life is good for everyone involved.

Day one of the (25) Question A Day Personal Growth Challenge done!!

The Binder

Hey!  This is the first real week of the new year and I am overly excited about my journey this year to publishing my first children’s book and creating the life that I deserve.  I have listened in on a lot of motivational conference calls and come across free goal strategy sessions and resources.  There is a wealth of information out there and all of it is accessible and most of it is affordable.  Of course, my idea of affordable at this moment is free.

Anyway, the best idea I came across obviously came from trolling Pinterest.  If you have been following me you already know how much I love Pinterest.  A couple of weeks back I found a lot of free templates for creating personal mission statements, budgeting and getting your finances together, goal setting sheets, health and spirituality templates.  Then the mother of all ideas of which I had never thought about before was creating a “Vision Binder” or “Life Binder”.  I even created one for my friend.

I am all about living purposefully and achieving my dreams so I want to be intentional in my strategy and how I use my time each day to work towards my goals and vision for my life.  What I learned is that when you right it down and constantly come back and review and make it a priority in your day, you will most likely achieve your goals.  I have this poster in my classroom that reads “A goal without a plan is just a wish”.  That quote is accurate.  How many times have we made goals or resolutions and never stuck to them because we did not create a detailed plan and constantly go back and review it throughout the year?

Check out my Pinterest board Boss Behavior and download some of the free templates, read some of the articles, and comment on whether or not it was helpful.  I would love to hear from you.  Also, I created a vision board for 2016 and I posted above my new desk in my room (I had my teenage daughter create one also and this is a great bonding activity.  Have them present their vision board and explain).

I am so proud of this board because I have a gut feeling that 2016 is going to be My Year! Let’s make it the best year so far together!

Happy New Year!

 

Goal Setting with Purpose

Photo Courtesy of entertainmentcareerstrategy.com

 

I am really excited about this new season in my life and I am trying to prepare for it purposefully.  So many times I have said all of these things that I would do and make a plan that I may or may not have followed through on.  The problem is that I did not set up an environment to succeed.  So, the first thing that I am encouraging all to do is purposefully plan out an environment in which you will succeed.

For me, my home has to be clean, orderly, and as free from as many distractions as possible (not including the children).  As a single parent this can be hard but I finally saved enough money to employ some extra help, as in a maid service and carpet cleaner (use Groupon).  I figure that I may be able to afford this once per season if I budget appropriately.  I also bought another desk that I do not have to share with my teenage daughter and four-year-old son.  This is my personal workspace free from clutter and distractions.

The next thing I did was consult the pros (Pinterest, Instagram, the self-help section at Barnes and Noble).  I hope you know that I was smiling when I typed the last sentence but, it’s true for me.  I follow some amazing people on social media who are starting from scratch or who have started from scratch and are doing very well.  They offer inspiration and advice which is why I created the board “Boss Behavior” on Pinterest.

Please go check it out.  This board is all about the third step of creating a binder for 2016.  I have this poster in my classroom that says “A Goal without a Plan is just a Wish”.  The binder will hold the plan and the process.  I found templates for mission statement sheets, goal setting forms, budgeting and bill paying, spiritual health, physical health, and more.  I bought dividers and created sections to chart my growth.

The main goal is to become a published author by the end of 2016.  My other goals, I have one for each section of the binder: are to lose weight, create a solid nutrition regimen, be more productive at work, pay of at least two bills on my credit report, and build a stronger foundation spiritually.

Lastly, I will take the next seven days to create an action plan with steps to achieve each goal and just start.  My hope is that by sharing my journey with you, you will also be inspired and we will all live a life that is purposeful.  As single parents it may be harder to carve out time so I will continue to share how I find ways through my posts in the new year.

I would also like to add that I am reading a book called the “The 5 AM Miracle: Dominate Your Day Before Breakfast” by Jeff Sanders and it is truly inspirational.  I just want to be able to implement; I will share more as I continue to read.

Well, now it’s time to go get planning!

Life in Perspective (Part of a Series)

I have been “snowed-in” for the past few days and have completed a lot of homework for my new graduate degree that I’m working on.  I have also pinned a lot on Pinterest.  In keeping this post short, I was able to sit down with my daughter and go through these pictures and ask her thoughts on what she saw.  This was a very enlightening moment as she realized that the world was actually as big as she was being told.  Kids are so visual and no matter how many reports they have to write on globalization and multiculturalism, it always hits home when they get to “see” it.  The best is when they can experience.  I wanted to share with you what I shared with her from a site called distractify.com.

Information and link courtesy of distractify.com

Classic Teen Reads

I love Pinterest and anyone that has read my blog and visited my page https://www.pinterest.com/cleckleymedia/ knows this.  This is where I get inspired and I am able to create an online scrapbook.  Well, much to my daughter’s chagrin, I came across a list of high school must-reads to revisit.  Of course, as I was combing through the list, I became giddy with joy at the thought of reading these books again with my daughter; we would have our own mommy/daughter book club.  I am sure that she will not read them all during her four years in high school (she is currently in 8th grade).  So, why not get a head start on them now together.  When I shared the “good news” she sighed.  The truth is that she always huffs and puffs at my suggestion for reading material but, then she becomes enthralled and starts to ask me questions.  I never let her abandon a book unless I can tell that it is completely over her head.  Right now she is wrapping up “Of Mice and Men”.  Then we can start on the list!  Yippee!

I Love Juicing & Smoothies

On this journey towards better health and implementing a healthier lifestyle change, I have come across a wealth of information, great recipes, and inspiration.  Mostly, I am able to find the answers to my questions through simple Google searches but more often than not I have found the gamut of my recipes and inspiration from two phenomenal sources: Pinterest and heyfranhey.com, the latter being a tumbler account which has now become an addiction for me.  Every morning and every night (and most times throughout the day), I visit these sites in hopes to recharge my strength and revive my passion in the direction of a healthier and freer lifestyle.  Please visit my board; live longer be stronger to see my pins of great smoothie recipes, food recipes, exercises, and inspiration.  Below, I have listed a few smoothie recipes that you may like.

Smoothie #1:

Pineapple

Mango

Kale

Banana

 

Smoothie #2:

Blueberries

Pineapple

Banana

Spinach

 

Smoothie #3:

Carrots

Naval oranges

Green apple

I also like carrots and mango juiced.  Notice I did not put amounts next to the fruits because everyone likes their smoothies a different way.  I love more green vegetables than fruit.

It is important as a parent and especially a single parent (being that your child only has one parent o depend on) to keep you healthy.  We need to be around for our children and in the best health possible. In addition to juicing and making smoothies, I have purchased Groupons for kickboxing and yoga.  I will update you on my experience for each.  Until next time be happy and healthy.

My 1st Twitter Chat

OMG! I am so ecstatic about the new community of writers that I have joined.  I have been looking for a group of professionals who share the same goals as mine and that is to publish their work and receive feedback on current projects.  I am new to Twitter this year and it was one of the best decision that I made as far as social media is concerned (not including Pinterest).  Tonight I just wrapped up my first twitter chat with #TeachersWrite.  It was the first time that I have ever been involved with something like this and in the same year as my attendance at NVWP.

I believe that it is important to share your dreams, goals, and fears with others that can support you and provide the feedback that you need to excel.  For the past couple of years I have been complaining that in addition to my constant procrastination and overwhelming supply of ideas and concepts that never reach fruition, I do not have a community of like-minded individuals.  This could be the difference between being unpublished and published for me!

So, what’s the deal with #teacherswrite? It is a summer PD that allows teachers, librarians, and anyone to come together and go through the writing process just as their students would.  There are daily prompts and opportunities for feedback on your personal projects.  Currently, I am in the process of completing my poetry book and having a difficult time securing a stable photographer.  I am also working on a YA novel along with the curriculum for my middle school creative writing summer program (to launch in 2014).  Wow!  That’s a lot and of course I am in graduate classes online and teach an online course.  Let’s not forget my two kiddo’s. Whew!

This is why I tend to procrastinate on the writing (especially the novel) because time slips away from me.  So every now and then throughout the course of the summer, I may post some of my responses to the writing prompts here on my blog.  Here’s to a wonderful, productive, and creative summer.