MezzotheLefty

And.... The challenge is over 🤦‍♀️ It's been a good month overall, just hectic and it continues to be. Bard is out of town for a while so just me and the kids. I didn't do a good job with flossing or journaling (largely hit and miss so partial credit) BUT I have a new 5k PR!!! I ran my 5k on Saturday and I shaved 2:25 off my PR! My new time is 32:20. 😁 AND this PR has an asterisk because I didn't wear my normal running shoes so it could have been faster. (I packed them but Sweet Pea unpacked one of them and I didn't notice sooooo I had to borrow sneakers there were a size too big). I hope to catch up with everyones threads over the next couple days and maybe gear up for a very lowkey challenge.

So I just looked it up and water picks are actually affordable. Somehow I was under the impression that they cost hundreds of dollars ( were they expensive in the 90s 00s?) There's one in my cart now. 😁 Saturday morning cartoons are a thing here too! Go for it! ☺️ This is an excellent point. Physical activity is great distraction from TV and fun too!! We're having a better time now that it's warmer outside! Both my kids love going outside so the winter is rough for them...

I am! Lol love the gif 🤣 I feel like I blinked and a month went by... Thanks for checking in. ❤️ Thank you so much for sharing your experience! I think you are right; he's trying to make sense of the pattern and needs more input. I'm gonna look making a little wall calendar for him!

following along, late as always. I really appreciate your willingness to share and facilitate the discussion around hypertension. I'm seeing the doctor this week and expect to have a similar conversation as my blood pressure measurements at home are consistently high. I'll be following along for piggy back advice and cheering for you to find a positive solution without falling into the old traps. ❤️ PS I love the reframing of salt as poison! Also, your advice and expertise on hair and skincare/ products over on Harriet's thread are so helpful and clearly written and I am very appreciative of those as well. 😊

Just Recently finished Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane on audio book. It wasn't as scary as Coraline (its a really high bar, that graphic novel gave adult me nightmares) and I really enjoyed it! Next up, The Eye of the World from the Wheel of Time series. I have 14 days to listen to 30 hours...

Winter is hard. We're finally all healthy again and settled back into our 'normal' so I'm back for another challenge. 1. Workout/Runs (race day March 19) 5-6 workouts/runs per week. Workouts and runs are going great. Bard is having a great time programming my workout and I greatly enjoy not having to figure out what to do. The trick is he has to write it down for me on our workout whiteboard. If he tells me what to do, I get combative in a "don't tell me what to do" way... I'm sure that's probably something I should discuss with my therapist. I've been increasing milage weekly. Last week I ran 15 miles! Bard has me doing heart rate training so a lot of those miles are very slow to keep me in Zones 2 and 3. But in my recent interval run, I was doing half mile stretches at 9:30-ish pace, so that seems like progress. I have a 5K on March 19. So I'll do 15 miles this week and next week and then Bard says I'll decrease mileage so my legs will be fresh. The goal is to beat my PR (34:45) and the big goal is to run it in less than 30 minutes. I may not make it this time, but I'm going to get close. 2. Smile Protocol I mentioned last challenge that I got braces. 😕 "It will be worth it" is the mantra. In the meantime, I need to up my oral hygiene routine. Here's the goal: Brush after all meals (when possible) Even days: Floss top teeth in the evening Odd days: Floss bottom teeth in the evening (bottom teeth are more crowded, they get the extra days per year) Use Rx toothpaste on Sundays, as prescribed Flossing is a pain without braces and with braces its even more important. But I don't have a habit for it (yet!) so this is my compromise. Hopefully it'll stick? and eventually I'll floss everything everyday? That's possible, right? 🙃 3. Bullet Journal!!! Tracking habits and life in general in my paper brain is so helpful. So why don't I do it?!? I need to figure out how to make this habit stick. Because right now its: journal for an hour one day and don't touch it for a couple days, 20 minutes of 'catch up' documenting, 10 minutes a couple days in a row... you get the idea. That's enough for now. Parenting question: Our no TV days were a mix bag. We watched less TV but now Pumpkin's first question of the day is whether its a TV day or not. 🤦‍♀️ He's throwing huge tantrums about TV when its time to turn it off. Restricting TV made it even more important to him.... NF parents: How do you handle screens and TV with your kids? I think there's a balance to be struck here, but I'm really close to just no TV period for a while. 😬

Heeeeeey! Following along (here and on Insta, loving the pole/handstand videos!) Yes. This. the clutter is so out of control here and it's getting in the way of a LOT of habits I'd ideally like to get down....

Following (a week late but 🤷‍♀️) Oh KBGirl! *hugs* It's okay to not be okay. You're powering through hard mode right now and that is draining. I really hope that you get much needed rest and recovery time. ❤️ And that Jaap feels better soon too! PS. I am loving all of your videos. They are so inspiring. I feel like I'm learning a lot about kettlebells.

A week late, but I'm following I don't play video games often, but this is me. (It's also the reason I never actually beat video games... but the journey is the best part, right?) I have 4 stars and haven't made it to the second area yet. I love everything about this game. I love character customization, the open(-ish) world and the way different wild pokemon do their thing. It's such a fun ride. Definitely the most excited I've been about a Pokemon game since X and Y. Maybe even gold and silver.

Hi Elastigirl. Following along. What a lovely vacation! Thank you for sharing your photos. Disneyworld? How fun! We're going in May. I'm a little concerned about how everything will go with the neverending, everchanging pandemic /associated rules, but overall I'm looking forward to it. I'm encouraged to hear such a positive review. PS How awesome that they make GF eating easy.

Your intro is lovely. I very much enjoyed it. 😊 You're running volume is mind-boggling! That soooo many miles!! Amazing! I'm so excited to keep following your half marathon journey. Did you make a decision about your vacation/break? All options sound fabulous and I hope it's a restful and rejuvenating time for you. Bard has caught me 3 times passed out with my daughter after our bedtime routine, so I 100% get that early bedtime exhaustion. It really is hard to know if the exhaustion is parenting-related (potty training and TV tantrums are rough right now) running-related (I did 15 miles total last week) or health-related. I'm finally seeing a doctor on Friday for the first time since I had Sweet Pea (16 months). I'm a little nervous (new town means new doctor) but it needs to be done. It sounds like you may have found the issue already, but a check up is never a bad thing! Following along friend.

We've had company all weekend so we haven't watched Vox Machina yet... but I'm pumped for it XD. Are you playing Arceus too?? I picked Rowlet. Still in the Obsidian Fields (between kids and company not much gaming time) but I'm enjoying the game SOOO MUCH!

Well guys, I ghosted the forum for 2 weeks. Life is crazy. I hope I'll have some time this week to visit y'all's threads and catch up. 😊 Week 3: Sweet Pea home part of the week with ear infection. COVID negative 3 workouts, 3 runs completed No TV Tuesday and Friday Planning meeting on Sunday Week 4: Pumpkin home part of the week with ear infection. COVID negative 3 workouts, 2 runs completed No TV Tuesday. Friday we did watch some and I played my new game Pokemon Legends Arceus. Planning meeting on Sunday Now we are Week 5. Pumpkin's daycare is shut down due to COVID. 😕 He's fine, wasn't exposed since he was home last week. But I can't wait to have a 'normal' week! I haven't been to therapy in 2 months and had to cancel and reschedule all kinds of appointments, not to mention fit in dr visits and try to get my work done... Bard has been amazing about helping me get all my workouts in, despite the obstacles. I'm tired and sore all the time but I sleep really well and I think I'm getting faster! We have the next 5K race scheduled for March 19. Little anxiety thing: I'm getting braces today. 😕 I've been planning this for a couple years now but COVID and pregnancy prevented me from doing it in 2020. I'm not excited. I'm actually feeling really insecure about it. But 35 year old Mezzo will be happy that I did it. Again Bard is being amazing about encouraging me. He knows how much I dislike my smile right now. It's gonna be worth it.

Once again I ask, are you me?! Same thing happening here: sick kids (ear infections, COVID negative) and daycare closures. You are rocking this challenge in the face of LOTS of impediments! That water goal is especially great foundation for everything else. I'm still cheering for you, even if I'm also a ghost for a bit.

Awww thank you! I love the gif, even though I relate more to the exhausted pikachu than bouncing jigglypuff. 💤 Challenge stuff is going great! Week 1: 3 workouts, 3 runs - 6 miles for the week No TV Tuesday and Friday successful Planning meeting on Saturday instead of Sunday Week 2: 3 workouts, 3 runs - 8.25 miles for the week No TV Tuesday successful, watched TV Friday (see below) Planning meeting on Saturday instead of sunday Sweet Pea is sick. For almost a week now. We went into a mini lockdown while we waited for her COVID test to come back (negative thankfully) and I had to work so Sweet Pea and Pumpkin got to watch TV on Friday while I was in meetings. TMI mom stuff in spoiler

I did it! 😁 NF workout plus a core set (crunches, Russian twists and leg raises). I expect to be sore tomorrow. Sweet Pea kept laying on me during pushups and planks which was super cute but not helpful 😂 Tomorrow is the 3 mile easy run. It's supposed to rain all day so... Really looking forward to that. 😑

Please do! I'm not close to the 50 verse limit (that's a pretty impressive feat!!!) but I appreciate the app and would consider the upgrade.

Happy Friday everyone! I'm going to work out today. It's cold and I dont want to. But I had to do errands during lunch, so I have to do it after I get the kids. If I type it here, I have to do it, right? Also: Look at my Christmas present!! Some of you may remember me fangirling about Evelyn from the Mummy and how this Funko Pop was tempting me (even though Pops are a potential collecting rabbit hole...) Bard got her for me! I will soon rearrange my nerd shelf to make room for her! 😁

LOL I can relate to that! I'm mean, there IRL people are following my GoodReads... so sometimes I sensor what I log there too. Less so now than 3 years ago though. Reading is highly personal!

Late as always, but hi!! 👋 Decluttering is so hard but very worth it. Good luck house hunting! We were lucky with our house... It was delisted for renovations and made a deal before seller re-listed it. Real estate has only gotten crazier in the last year. What are your dream house features?

Honestly it's probably the only way I'd feel okay with spending that amount of money on myself. I have a lot of issues around money. 😅 Kith and Kin (the Critical Role book) is at the top of my list. I got it for Christmas! I'm definitely more a Mighty Nein person but I loved Vax and Vex so I'm really looking forward to that one. I want to read some of the Star Wars High Republic books that came out last year. I LOVE Star Wars but sometimes I get a little tired of the Skywalkers and company. I'm intrigued by a Star Wars that is far removed from them! I have a biography/memoir written by Bruce Lee's daughter (Be Water, My Friend) that I've been itching to read... I listened to Madeline Miller's Circe over holiday break and it was AMAZING. So I have all her other books wait-listed at the library. I'll snap them up when I get the chance... An IRL friend has been raving about the Wheel of Time series so the first one is also wait listed at the library. I saw season 1 on Prime so now I can read it. (High Fantasy TM is the one genre I have trouble reading. BUT if I get a taste for it in outside media, I can dive into the books. Example: I could not navigate GOT books. Too many weird names and unclear relationships. BUT after I saw the show and had a basis to work from, I read the first 3 pretty quickly. I think its a processing thing... I can 'read' the fantasy words unless I've heard them before. I would have had the same problem with Dune, but I got the audiobook instead so it wasn't as much an issue.) Oh and a huge stack of comics from the last 6 months.... 🙃 Yes I'm here! See above. Thats the plan! We're not there yet... I'm working on sourcing some pots and stuff for a container garden on our patio this spring. The goal is herbs and berry plants and probably some tomatoes. We have some yard work to do (cutting back trees, figuring out where the sprinkler lines are, composting/enriching the soil) before I can put down some garden beds. It's a process. I think once I have a better plan as to what the money it for, it will be super motivating. It's intended (at least partially) to be for new clothes that actually fit and match my "style" (whatever that is) because most of my stuff is either pre babies or maternity wear. But I have such a hard time being excited to shop for clothes... I definitely WANT new clothes that look good on but the process of finding them is not exciting. LOL Sure! This week is just easing back into working out so it's not really part of a PLAN yet: 3 NF work outs 30 minute jog 2 mile interval run (.25 jog, .5 hard run, .25 job, .5 hard run, .5 jog) 3 mile EASY run

Happy New Year! I hope the new trackers are helpful. I'm a fan of journals and lists in general. Glad the fall wasn't too bad!! Chaos Walking has been on my radar for a while but I haven't gotten to it yet. May have to check it out.

Hey KBGirl! I'm late as always... Love the Bujo pics. ❤️ Fingers crossed the community garden works out! Gardens are such cool places! I understand the kid sleep thing. Sweet Pea got in the habit of sleeping with me while we visited my parents. She was anxious about the new location. Now she that we're home, I'm having a hard time convincing her that she can in fact sleep in her own bed again. 😅

Here it is! Better late than never!

It's 2022 and I'm ready to shake off the fog of holiday/family time and tackle new (and old) challenges! Intro in spoiler Our word for the year, as mentioned in a previous challenge, is Nourish. WM defines nourish as "to provide with the food or other substances necessary for growth, health, and good condition." So for the year, we are focusing on healthy habits for us and the kids including: cooking more and making healthier meals, gardening, keeping tidy etc. I know it's pretty vague. We are still hashing out exactly what that means for us in this year. But we have the start! For this challenge: 1. Sunday planning meeting. Bard and I meet Sunday during naptime or after kid bedtime to map out the week. Specifically, all the appointments and scheduling our workouts accordingly, complete with dry erase boards to put up in the kitchen and gym. Eventually this will also be the meal planning meeting. This funnels into goal 2... 2. 5-6 Workouts a week I've committed to a long-term workout schedule with Bard. I might write more about it later but I'm basically earning a shopping spree for my birthday in 7 months. I'm tracking all workouts and I get a certain amount of cash per month based on the completion percentage. Below 80% is $0. Payout is August 1st. Bard has been wanting to help me create a training plan for my running goal (30 min) 5k so I'm going to let him. 3. TV-free Tuesday and Friday (for the kids... and us!) Pumpkin is a little too attached to his shows and we get sucked in by the dumbest stuff after bedtime. So the TV is off all day on Tuesdays and Fridays. I'm hoping it will make us a little more selective when we do watch stuff. Like, we only watch stuff we're actually enjoying and not just ALL THE POP CULTURE because phantom internet peer pressure. And hopefully I will get more reading done too! My TBR pile is long neglected and large. There's other stuff but that's the challenge. By next challenge we'll have more concrete ideas on the rest.