IT'S TIME TO GIT!

The idea of a GIT Challenge is to play catch up with whatever we need to get done. Just leave a comment saying you'll play along, minimize this post so you can easily come back to it throughout the day, stop what you are doing (meaning get off the computer and stop procrastinating!), take an hour right now to catch up on things you need to do and work as fast as you can!

Come back every hour or two and leave a comment with your progress. Check out what other participants have accomplished - all in the comment section, no blog hopping necessary. After updating, get back to work for another hour or so until you're done for the day. We always accomplish so much during these challenges!

Jump in anytime, there's no special time to start or finish. It's fun working together - join us!

More about → IT'S TIME TO GIT!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Hello TMS'ers, and Welcome to a Whirlwind Wednesday. Our family is flying to the Sunshine State this week for a vacation, and also to see our son perform with his Show Choir. Thank goodness for lists, and more lists, as I count down the time to prepare for our trip.

I took this week off from work, in order to get ready for our trip, yes, it's been that crazybusy.

Among the items on my "to do list" that I've completed are-

- Pay the bills

- Finish taxes

- Laundry, lots of laundry

- Stock up on petfood

- Pick up maps and guidebook about our vacation destination from Auto club

- Meet with petsitters about care of our furbabies and plants

- Print out boarding passes and theme park tickets

I still need to finish packing, charge and download diversions for various electronic devices, and make sure the boys have packed appropriately.

I also have to change purses, cancel the newspaper, and tidy up the house before we leave.

Did I forget anything?? ;oD

Please share your travel secrets, whether you venture cross country or county! Thank you so much, Martha

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Motivation Monday - Motivational Moment

Wishing you a Motivated Monday and a wonderful week!

More about → Motivation Monday - Motivational Moment

R & R for Sunday, March 25th, 2012

R and R Tip # 94:  Relax, Remove and Simplify

Life is a risky enterprise. Sometimes we fly high, enjoying great success. But then suddenly we fall into deep disappointments and the haunting reality of failure, leaving our hearts wondering if there is anything worth looking forward to.

Instead of making everything so difficult, why don’t we decide to simplify our lives and enjoy the rest and satisfaction that comes through simplicity.  Somehow life gets so complicated it eventually drains us of our energy and produces frustration and fatigue.

The answer for the problem of multiplicity is a return to simplicity.

The resurgence of an old idea, living a simpler life,  isn't surprising at a time when many people feel overwhelmed by their busy, complicated lives.  It's not just your home that can get cluttered. Your life and even your mind can also become overcrowded with too much junk.

A simpler daily lifestyle is usually one that is pretty low in stress after all, but still plenty abundant in happiness!

Who doesn’t like to imagine sitting on a beach with nothing to do but watch the waves roll in. But unless you are really planning to move to an island on the next flight out, that is not going to help you much today. 

Leaning to appreciate more and accumulate less is one way to free yourself from clutter both mentally and physically.  Life is a journey not a destination so we need to live it like one.  Scaling back is the key to a to a better life and fuller lives.

Sundays are like a BEACH day for me.  I'll be relaxing and simply enjoying this day of rest and relaxation.

Love, Live, Laugh and Be Happy!

ma

More about → R & R for Sunday, March 25th, 2012

IT'S TIME TO GIT!

The idea of a GIT Challenge is to play catch up with whatever we need to get done. Just leave a comment saying you'll play along, minimize this post so you can easily come back to it throughout the day, stop what you are doing (meaning get off the computer and stop procrastinating!), take an hour right now to catch up on things you need to do and work as fast as you can!

Come back every hour or two and leave a comment with your progress. Check out what other participants have accomplished - all in the comment section, no blog hopping necessary. After updating, get back to work for another hour or so until you're done for the day. We always accomplish so much during these challenges!

Jump in anytime, there's no special time to start or finish. It's fun working together - join us!

More about → IT'S TIME TO GIT!

Teen Birthday Party- Before & After Preparation Photos

We celebrated our oldest son's 17th birthday this past weekend. (Gee, that went fast.)

The birthday boy requested a "Rainbow Cake" which I've never made before.
Basically, you make a batch of white cake batter-



Then, divide the batter into six bowls, and use food coloring to create vivid purple, blue, red, yellow, orange, and green batter.


Next, layer the colored batter in pan. I used the red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple color configuration for the rainbow. Here is the colorful mixture, all layered and ready for baking.


Bake as directed, and frost with either whipped cream or buttercream frosting.

I had to take this photo quickly, the cake went fast!

We had 60+ guests invited to the party, and rain was in the forecast, so we rented a tent for the backyard.
It's a big job to put up the tent, Charley wants to socialize.


The tent and boxing bounce house all set up and ready for action, my son and his friend get ready to Party!

More about → Teen Birthday Party- Before & After Preparation Photos

Motivation Monday - Health and Fitness Recap

Here at Motivation Monday I've been doing a series on Health and fitness for the last 6 weeks. I've presented challenges,tools, articles, assignments and invited all of you to participate along with me. Here's a little recap of the past 6 weeks along with the links for each post if you are just joining us...

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Health and Fitness - Time to focus on health and fitness! I presented a list of 10 things we could do in order to prepare ourselves both mentally and physically to start taking better care of ourselves. I called the first 3 weeks our pre-training time.

 

Health and Fitness Challenge - I repeated the 10 things list complete with my answers. I had started daily walks and healthier eating and challenged you to do the same.

 

Final Pre-Training Week - I suggested we start using helpful tracking tools - My Fitness Pal to track food and exercise to get an idea of our average nutrition intake and calories burned during exercise. I also suggested wearing a pedometer to see what our steps are like on average, prior to making any changes or setting new goals.

 

Making Fitness Fun - Just fun little things we can all do to add little bits of fitness to our day.

 

Muscle - Building muscle is so important! I dedicated my fitness focus to building muscle at this point, and I challenged you to grab some weights and learn how to use them too. 

 

Transformation - I read the book Transformation, joined the website and the 12 week spring challenge. I also began the Transformation 5/25 workout plan.

 

I started out slowly but stuck with my goals each week. I'm getting stronger each day, my endurance is building, I've lost 10 pounds, 2 inches from my waist, and my body-fat levels are down a full 5%. 

How are you coming along on your own health and fitness goals?

The hows and whys don't really matter. When it comes down to the bottom line it's pretty simple - either we do it or we don't. 

Wishing you a Motivated Monday!

More about → Motivation Monday - Health and Fitness Recap