aimless

I wish I was completely brilliant as its creator, but I canNOT take the credit!! I unashamedly stole the Rainbow Spreadsheet of Happiness from another NF-er who stole it from someone else and they from someone before that... I love it cause it's easy to alter to fit whatever challenge you may be in! Wish I could thank the REAL creator, but perhaps it had some magical beginnings... However it started, it's getting around!

Thanks, Shukar! Since you're a Disney fan, it makes me think of the Mulan song "Let's get down to business..."

I have 3 of my own (sophomore, 6th grader, 5th grader) and a 4-year-old foster daughter who has been with us since she was 14 months old. Maybe set a goal for a "date" with each of them over the period of the challenge, 2 dates with hubby, 2-3 family activities all together and some "me" time? That's at least something I can track. I just don't want to turn it into something added into our already crazy/chaotic lives... I want it to carry over the theme of SIMPLIFYING to the family time as a whole... ya know? Sheesh. I may just be overthinking this altogether.

Thanks, Shortstuff! Trying to simplify... I get excited and want to add more and more.... Glad to share it! I unashamedly stole the rainbow spreadsheet of happiness myself and altered it to fit my needs... Hmm... need to get a new one going for this upcoming challenge... It's something I feel like I constantly struggle with. Making this into a S.M.A.R.T. goal is going to be challenging in and of itself... Not sure whether to count so many instances of intention per week (one-on-one time with a child being really present in the moment, quiet time or devo time myself, etc etc) or maybe make it a decrease-the-distractions kind of goal (electronics off by a certain time each night, so many family sit down dinners each week, so many date nights with hubby....) Hmmm. Still pondering. Suggestions welcomed!

I LOVE your advance-food prep!!! Planning for ways to make it easier to make the choices you want to make is the sure-fire way to do it!! Great job!!

Planning on my first ever organized run on April 28th. 5 miles. Benefit for a 12-year old neighbor and patient of mine (I'm a pediatric dialysis/infusion/pheresis nurse). Excited about it!

Following You're gonna rock it!

I saw a pic of chain mail made out of the tops of soda cans woven together! Too bad I gave up soda... I'd send them to you! I'm going to be jealous of your juggling! It's something I've always wished I knew how to do! I've found I like yoga a lot more than I expected to as well! Great goals!

Okay. Third challenge. Last one I made too complicated. Still achieved some great things, but didn't knock it out of the park like i wanted to. It's time to prioritize, and keep it simple. 1) Run, Amy, RUN! Keep rocking the 10K trainer app. Goal 3x per week or 18 total. Going to allow 3 non-program following "easy" runs if I just can't find the time for the scheduled run that day. (It was a lot easier finding 30 minutes in my day than 1 hour+!!!) +3STA, +2DEX Complete first organized run. Scheduled for April 28th- 5 mile benefit run for a 12-year-old kid up the street who has also recently been my pheresis patient. +2CHA 2) Strength training For real this time. Twice a week. Either on run days, or on non-run days. Bodyweight workouts, circuit training with my husband, or yoga/group classes all count. +3STR +1CON 3) Be intentional Not sure how this is going to look in a measurable achievable goal... will edit this post later when I figure it out. It's just that lately, life has gotten way out of control. Kids have baseball starting up, track, school functions, etc etc etc. I have a job, a house to run, time commitments to singing on our church's Praise Team, nutritional talks, poster presentations coming up at medical conventions (2 in the next month) and so on and so on. I find that the busier I get, the more my focus gets fractionated, and the less effective I am at ALL of it. I want to be a patient pediatric nurse, a fulfilled and happy wife and a relaxed, healthy example for my kids. More on a plan for this later. **Edit: Okay... I've added a row for this to my Accountability Spreadsheet to track things I can do in pursuit of this goal. I've added a legend for things like date with hubby, date with kid, me time, journaling, family meals, quiet time/devos... etc. I want a minimum of 5 of these per week. I'm hoping that just by tracking these, it will increase my awareness of them. That alone should add focus to my life! +3WIS +1CHA Will edit later with points and a more concrete plan. For now that's the gist of it! ***Edited 4/21 to assign attribute points, and to make the title not match Kiwi's

Roses are red Violets are blue Nice goals, Quentin ...but I don't really haiku

Following along for the ride for my fellow-Midwesterner!

YAY!!!! Welcome! Your goals look fabulous! I'm a spreadsheet kinda girl myself! There's just something so satisfying about rows of tallies all in their places! Looks like you have great goals and a killer plan to boot! Can't wait to hear updates!!!

I don't know why, but I get so excited and encouraged reading other people's goals! You're gonna rock it!

Great-looking goals! If you haven't yet, check out the c25k app... I used it at the suggestion of several others here when starting out, (after being skeptical at first) and LOVED it. It took the stress off of how hard I should push myself, let me listen to my own music, and the voice would just tell me when to walk and when to jog. The intervals and the math to progress was all done for me! ...and the magical people who built it knew how to push me as far as I could go, but not OVER the edge! FABULOUS! Ok... that's my plug! Good luck with your goals!

Following along... sounds like a great set of goals! Welcome!

Love your goals! I use my timer all the time... I've decided I can do ANYTHING for 15 minutes, (even the jobs I hate the most) as long as I know that when the timer goes off, I can stop without feeling guilty about not doing more! You've GOT this!

All in All… I think I got really excited about this challenge and made it way too complicated. I need to dumb it down, prioritize my goals, and then focus my energies on the main ones. (I mean... TEN?? Plus bonuses on top of that? Seriously? What was I thinking??) Then for those, I need to work my Plan A, but I also need Plans B, C, D, E, F and G for when Plan A isn’t going to happen. I need to set myself up for success better, instead of expecting LIFE to fall into line, and then feeling like a failure when it doesn’t! Goals: 1.) RUNNING... 18 runs (3/wk) a.) Grade: B b.) Details: Did 15 runs total. There are lots of reasons excuses that you don’t want to hear, but it all boils down to the fact that I let life get in the way. Something is ALWAYS going to come up… into the usual chaos, add 3 kids, a foster kid, a job, injuries, illness, weather, etc etc etc... It’s a fact, and I need to plan for it better. I need to find a way to build in more backup plans, and backup to the backup plans. 2.) Continue c25k program to completion. a.) Grade: A b.) Details: Completed c25k. 3.) Be able to run 5K without stopping by the end of this challenge. a.) Grade: A b.) Details: Ran 5K on 4/1/13 4.)Transition to c210K program. a.) Grade: B b.) Details: Started c210K program, yes, but not as far along as I should be because of missed runs… hence the docked grade. 5.) Find and sign up for my first organized run. a.) Grade: A b.) Details: Signed up for my first run… 5 miles… it will be April 28th! Hopefully the first of many! J 6.) Expand strength training… Do an average 2 workouts per week (12 total) a.) Grade: C b.) Details: Only did 8 strength training workouts, and some of them were pretty pathetic… probably shouldn’t even count. Hurt my finger to the point that I couldn’t grip for weights, but although I intended to mix it up and sub in some squats and lunges and stuff that didn’t require my hands, I just didn’t. L Boo. 7.) Drink more water- track it, and goal is >1 liter per day (+1CON) a.) Grade: A b.) Details: Daily found it easy to drink 1L, and usually went almost double that, just by listening to thirst. 8.) Continue gluten-free, refined sugar-free, corn-free, soy-free nutritional plan. (No points, cause it's a cheat-goal... I already do this) a.) Done 9.) Meal-planning a.) Grade:F b.) Details: This did NOT go so great. The 2 weeks I managed to do it, I LOVED it. I was prepared, there was no stress at dinnertime, I started things the night before… This is something I NEED to figure out how to do consistently. The 2 weeks I did do this, I also found it easier to find the time for my workouts, because I wasn’t stressing over last-minute meal-prep. 10.) WAR on the paper clutter tornado! a.) Grade: A b.) Details: I’m proud of this one! I did it! Went through EVERY stinkin’ piece of paper in this whole house, set up a filing system- 2 drawers. I know where everything is. Also set up a system for dealing with new papers… bills / mail / school papers / etc. Bonus items: √ Do a 3-minute plank – Did 4/7 √ Do 20 push-ups without stopping – Did 3/25 - Go 1 week without coffee – Nope... made it 5 days… then was done √ Go 1 week without alcohol – 3/2 – 3/9 √ Find and get to a yoga class – 3/5 √ Make and deliver a meal to a family who may need it – 3/5 - Do a recumbent bike workout – Nope Starting Stats: STR 5 . DEX 3.8 . STA 6.2 . CON 4 . WIS 6.8 . CHA 3 Ending Stats: STR 6 . DEX 3.8 . STA 9.8 . CON 5 . WIS 9.8 . CHA 4 Wt: 123# Neck: 12.75" R bicep: 10" Chest: 36.25" Waist: 32" Hips: 36" R thigh: 20.75" R calf: 12.5" Wt: 123# Neck: 12.75" R bicep: 9.8" Chest: 36.75" Waist: 31.5" Hips: 36" R thigh: 19.25" R calf: 13.25"

Challenge 2 Wrap-Up time! All in All… I think I got really excited about this challenge and made it way too complicated. I need to dumb it down, prioritize my goals, and then focus my energies on the main ones. (I mean... TEN?? Plus bonuses on top of that? Seriously? What was I thinking??) Then for those, I need to work my Plan A, but I also need Plans B, C, D, E, F and G for when Plan A isn’t going to happen. I need to set myself up for success better, instead of expecting LIFE to fall into line, and then feeling like a failure when it doesn’t! Goals: 1.) RUNNING... 18 runs (3/wk) a.) Grade: B b.) Details: Did 15 runs total. There are lots of reasons excuses that you don’t want to hear, but it all boils down to the fact that I let life get in the way. Something is ALWAYS going to come up… into the usual chaos, add 3 kids, a foster kid, a job, injuries, illness, weather, etc etc etc... It’s a fact, and I need to plan for it better. I need to find a way to build in more backup plans, and backup to the backup plans. c.) +0.8STA 2.) Continue c25k program to completion. a.) Grade: A b.) Details: Completed c25k. c.) +1STA 3.) Be able to run 5K without stopping by the end of this challenge. a.) Grade: A b.) Details: Ran 5K on 4/1/13. c.) +1STA 4.)Transition to c210K program. a.) Grade: B b.) Details: Started c210K program, yes, but not as far along as I should be because of missed runs… hence the docked grade. c.) +0.8STA 5.) Find and sign up for my first organized run. (+1CHA) a.) Grade: A b.) Details: Signed up for my first run… 5 miles… it will be April 28th! Hopefully the first of many! J c.) +1CHA 6.) Expand strength training… Do an average 2 workouts per week (12 total) (+2STR) a.) Grade: C b.) Details: Only did 8 strength training workouts, and some of them were pretty pathetic… probably shouldn’t even count. Hurt my finger to the point that I couldn’t grip for weights, but although I intended to mix it up and sub in some squats and lunges and stuff that didn’t require my hands, I just didn’t. L Boo. c.) +1STR 7.) Drink more water- track it, and goal is >1 liter per day (+1CON) a.) Grade: A b.) Details: Daily found it easy to drink 1L, and usually went almost double that, just by listening to thirst. c.) +1CON 8.) Continue gluten-free, refined sugar-free, corn-free, soy-free nutritional plan. (No points, cause it's a cheat-goal... I already do this) a.) Done 9.) Meal-planning a.) Grade:F b.) Details: This did NOT go so great. The 2 weeks I managed to do it, I LOVED it. I was prepared, there was no stress at dinnertime, I started things the night before… This is something I NEED to figure out how to do consistently. The 2 weeks I did do this, I also found it easier to find the time for my workouts, because I wasn’t stressing over last-minute meal-prep. c.) No points 10.) WAR on the paper clutter tornado! a.) Grade: A b.) Details: I’m proud of this one! I did it! Went through EVERY stinkin’ piece of paper in this whole house, set up a filing system- 2 drawers. I know where everything is. Also set up a system for dealing with new papers… bills / mail / school papers / etc. c.) +3WIS Bonus items: √ Do a 3-minute plank – Did 4/7 √ Do 20 push-ups without stopping – Did 3/25 - Go 1 week without coffee – Nope... made it 5 days… then was done √ Go 1 week without alcohol – 3/2 – 3/9 √ Find and get to a yoga class – 3/5 √ Make and deliver a meal to a family who may need it – 3/5 - Do a recumbent bike workout – Nope Starting Stats: STR 5 . DEX 3.8 . STA 6.2 . CON 4 . WIS 6.8 . CHA 3 Ending Stats: STR 6 . DEX 3.8 . STA 9.8 . CON 5 . WIS 9.8 . CHA 4 Wt: 123# Neck: 12.75" R bicep: 10" Chest: 36.25" Waist: 32" Hips: 36" R thigh: 20.75" R calf: 12.5" Wt: 123# Neck: 12.75" R bicep: 9.8" Chest: 36.75" Waist: 31.5" Hips: 36" R thigh: 19.25" R calf: 13.25"

HA! It wasn't TOO too bad, but I only made it 5 days of my attempted 7... I had a headache the first day, but the rest were fine... I was just grumpy, and felt like something was missing. It's not like I was CRAVING it and pining after it all day long... but I missed the taste, and it's my one little treat to myself... it felt like a pointless exercise after about 3 days of it. I knew I wasn't giving it up for good... and I already restrict my diet SO much* that taking away my morning coffee taste seemed a little pointless. I kept hoping I'd do something funny in some sort of half-awak stupor to post for everyone to get a giggle out of... but really it was just me dragging in the morning, and starting the day off grumpy. It seemed like a LOT of deprivation for really no benefit... All in all I wasn't too pleased with this challenge in general... I feel like I lost my-oumph halfway through and never really found it again... trying to pull my wrap-up together today. More on that then! Stay tuned! *No grains, gluten, potatoes, sugar, rice, oats, soy, chemical additives, etc etc etc...

Have been stalking a little more than actually chiming in here... but can't wait to read your wrap-up!

Ugh... first day without coffee today... I'm NOT a fan. Probably shouldn't have started it when I had to be up at 5 am, singing at church from 7-noon, and family stuff all afternoon/evening. Tea's just not cutting it. ...We'll see if this makes it a whole week or not...

Holy crimoley... that's a LOT of miles!!! I'm TOTALLY in awe!!!

LOL.... remodeling as cross-training! I love it!

Hey there! Stumbled upon your thread, and don't want to impose, but wanted to tell you great job with your goals! Not sure what you're going through, but sounds like you're being open and honest in trying to evaluate where you are yourself and in your life. Sometimes being brave enough to truly see ourselves and not the idea of who we wish we were, or how we wish our relationship was... it takes guts to be that vulnerable. Kudos to you for working through it.

Hahahaha! Thanks! He is pretty biased, but I wouldn't have it any other way! Seriously though... thanks for helping me stay motivated!