Hollaback Girl

In a continuation of yesterday's post...there's a little more to what I do than how I simplified it. I find great comfort in my little routines-I have always been a creature of habit. I get up around the same time every day. I like to wash up, come into the kitchen and boot up the computer. I get my coffee and do my yoga daily dozen while the computer turns on. I write while I flip through the channels-CNN, Fox News, BBC News & ESPN (getting the whole picture). Then I lace up my sneakers, grab my ipod and go hit the treadmill. I read either Rachel Ray, Martha Stewart or Rolling Stone (they fit on the treadmill perfectly) and listen to one of my workout imixes. I would like to add back into the mix, the bowflex and pilates but I am not quite there yet.
I have a life coach (its a great program from work)and we talk monthly on the phone. One of the things that has come out of the life coaching experience is to envision my life how I truly want it, and then there is a framework for it to happen. Believe me, it works. For example, I envisioned keeping my house clean and committed that to paper (exactly what I was going to do) and in doing so, I made it real.
Back to the routines...I like my habits, especially in the morning. During the whole workout thing, I am also doing laundry (load set up before bed in the dryer, another load washing)Its pretty cool for me because I get to read, move and listen to good music all at the same time. Usually by the time I'm done working out the laundry is ready to swap out. I feed Buddy our cat and empty her litterbox, bring the laundry & stuff upstairs and its time to hit the shower.
There's a few beauty things that I've been doing that help keep the good genes I've got great. I floss several times a day. I also use neti treatments twice a day. I swear since I've been doing those I don't need allergy medicine anymore. I use a coffee grounds scrub a few times a week which helps keep my skin looking good (and keeps it smooth all year long-since I've been doing this I don't have itchy dry winter skin). I also shave my legs everyday which keeps it from being a huge chore. We switched to a 2 in 1 shampoo & conditioner so I comb it through my hair and it lets it condition a little more. A few times a week I rinse my hair with vinegar before I shampoo and it gets rid of all the styling product build up)I also have used an oatmeal facial scrub in the past (which I need to start using again) which makes my face look pretty darn good. I am very lucky because at almost 40 my skin still looks 10 years younger (good genes and I am not a sun worshipper). I wipe down the shower and use my lemon juice spray (works better than tilex, is cheaper and all natural)to keep the shower fresh & clean. At this point, its usually around 6:30ish. I wipe down the counters and swish the toilet, moisturize and use witch hazel on my face (cheaper than toner and works better) then moisturize the heck out of my face. I do the styling product thing-depending on how I am wearing my hair that day depends on what I use. Let's just say I haven't forgotten my Jersey girl roots.
I am working on getting better at doing my makeup in the morning. A lot of times I am very lazy and don't do it but it does make me feel pretty. I like that and its important to me too. I am big on wearing makeup that looks like I'm not really wearing makeup. By this time, I am ready to get the little man up and going. I bring him his chocolate milk and breakfast (either cereal or toast cut out with cookie cutters) and wake him up. Most mornings he's asks me to be his personal snooze button. I empty the dishwasher and go back in and wake him up again. Then I go back and swifter the floors and then wake him up again. I feather dust the house and then its basically time to drag the little man out of bed to get the day going. Its up to the little man to get dressed (my rule is if you don't get dressed you go to school in your jammies) Some mornings go smoother than others & we're still working on waking up and not being cranky.
I get dressed and try to get some breakfast in me(lately its been cereal with a banana and some toast and a vegetarian sausage patty) before we leave the house. I tidy up the kitchen and make sure the beds are made. I try to prep something for dinner too, but that doesn't always happen and it falls on the big man to cook.
It sets the groundwork for a good day and I like knowing that I've done something to keep up with the house.
Evenings are a different story. I am still trying to work out something that doesn't involve me collapsing on the couch and "resting" all night. Its like there is a tired vibe in my house at night and its hard to get motivated to do anything. What I would like to do is take 15 minutes every night and clean a section (family room, kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms) of the house. I don't do that though. Somehow my butt finds its way to the couch and firmly plants itself there. I also want to try to fit in more exercise, but that's not happening either. I also would love to get back to doing a worksheet and a project with the little man on the nights he doesn't have homework. That doesn't happen either anymore just due to being tired and cranky. By the time the little man is due to go to bed, I am usually so exhausted that I short change him on that stuff that matters to him. He likes his bedtime snack and a story. He gets the snack and occassionally the story, but nothing consistent. Its like I become zombified when I walk in the door in the evening. I don't even walk the puppy dog anymore. Its pretty sad.
What I would like to see happen in the evenings is I come home from work, do some yoga stretches, change and use my back and neck massagers to get rid of the tension. Now that I will be human, have the little man start on the project of the day while I am getting dinner ready. (and we have a schedule too: meatless Mondays, chicken Tuesdays, soup & sandwiches on Wednesdays, leftovers or breakfast for dinner on Thursdays, in Lent no meat on Fridays-the rest of the year its International night, and Saturdays make a take out treat at home (pizza, burgers what ever) Sunday is Sunday dinner. We have well balanced meals with lots of veggies,salad, a bread and a starch with dessert too-even if its fruit) After walking the puppy dog around the block as a family-or at least a duo, while I am cleaning up the kitchen (wiping down counters, doing dishes and swiftering) the little man does his homework. I set up the coffee maker and pack lunches. I get things ready for breakfast the next day. I tidy up the kitchen. We then spend 15 minutes doing the room blessing of the day to keep the house up. We work together-someone polishes furniture, someone washes windows, someone sweeps. Then we get to do a family activity (play a game, watch a special show together, read a story, have a devotional night) before its either bath time or chill out time. If I'm watching TV, during the commercials I take time to move (even if its getting up and dancing) to get some extra energy and steps in for the day. I make sure our clothes our laid out for the next day, that backpacks are packed (and mommy's totebag is ready to go with her book and scrapbooking project of the day to do at lunch time). We can slowly morph into bedtime, where the little man and I can have a relaxing time and not have the battles we sometimes have. I will have time (and most importantly the energy) to have story time with my little guy. This way he goes to bed happy. After he goes to bed I have a chance to either work on my PTO or church stuff and then I can unwind by doing a craft project (like crocheting blankets for the Ronald McDonald house or crocheting for my family) or doing needlework or reading. This way I can drift off to sleep (after I make sure I put my night cream on! good genes only go so far) and not be stressed out.
I know that I can put this plan into place, because I've done bits and pieces of it-just nothing consisitently.
I know my little guy thrives off consistency too. He likes knowing what's going on and even likes to do lists (even if they are verbal). He doesn't like suprises either (except if they are gifts, then we're ok with that). I think that we can be in a happy place all around-especially mommy because if mommy is happy everyone else is happy.
Time to get motivated and get the day on. Time to make dreams a reality.