Search the Community

Well, I'm late, but at least I'm here? Mixed bag of news - we found out why I've been so sick! My Crohn's disease, which normally only forms blockages, decided to form the tiniest little fistula this time (think like a little tube coming out of my intestines in a place where there should not be any tubes) that was too small to be seen on the imaging we'd done, but was plenty big enough to allow all kinds of gut bacteria and related bugs to escape and take up residence in my abdominal wall, festering into a whole series of infections and eventually a large abscess. Back at the start of March, when I was having daily unexplained fevers that got frighteningly high (all the way up to 104.3 at one point), they found the abscess - which at that point had grown to be about the size of a baseball - but the draining procedure failed and they tried hard to throw strong antibiotics at it for the few bacteria they had been able to identify in hopes of pushing off more drastic measures. Unfortunately, that failed as well, and on March 22nd I was readmitted for surgery. They cut out several inches of diseased colon on either side of the fistula and cleared out the abscess as best as they could, taking a bunch of cultures along the way that helped us identify a few more bacteria and a yeast that were missed in the original drainage attempt. Post-surgery complications, including more fevers (which turned out to be mostly drug fever, a reaction to one of the antibiotics they had me on, though I still get a low fever every couple of days for unknown reasons, most likely related to the fact I haven't finished my antibiotics or antifungal meds yet so there's probably some hold-out bacteria/yeast trying to fight back) and a bit of internal bleeding where they had to sew my colon back together had me in the hospital until April 7th when normally I would have been discharged around March 28th. But now I'm back home and on the road to recovery! There are still challenges ahead but I should be on the downhill part of all of this basically as soon as May hits - so, right as this challenge ends. That should get me past all the doctor follow-ups and hopefully on new meds to stop this from happening again, past my thesis due date (April 29th), past a lot of work nonsense with EOC exams and contract signings, etc. etc. It might be a tough month, especially since I'm starting it behind - I didn't exactly do a whole lot of work while I was in the hospital - but I'm optimistic! A few more weeks of nose to the grindstone and I'll finally be at the point I've spent the last several years working towards. I can do this, even if it sucks sometimes!! Quest One: Movement I'm actually current banned from "working out on purpose", as the surgeon put it, but mobility is medicine and sitting on my butt all day long isn't good for me either. I've lowered my step goal on my watch to 1,000 steps a day just as a way to make sure I'm not spending too much time on the couch/in bed, which I think should be a pretty reasonable goal for just like minimal taking care of myself and my house type movement. This might change as I try it out - I just came up with that last night, so haven't actually figured out if it's a good goal or not - but it's 4:45 and I'm currently at 606 steps despite not doing a heck of a lot and taking a nap earlier, so it might be a good number. Quest Two: Nutrition This is very arguably the single most important quest of this challenge for me. Not only did I lose more weight in the hospital - came home at 125, which is only 7 pounds away from medically underweight, and I can see many of my bones including almost all my ribs - but almost all my doctors have various nutritional recommendations for me to help me heal and regain my strength. I feel like I've been eating a lot, but my husband says I eat less than I think I do, so I'm not only going to record everything I eat on a daily basis so I can make sure it's enough, but also to make sure I can reach the goals my doctors have set for me. Most of these are fairly vague - like, no one has given me exact calorie counts or grams of macros to hit or anything like that - but hopefully having a food dairy will help us quantify some of those things more specifically if needed. Goals for my daily entries: 1) at least 64 ounces of water or other fluids a day (I can count juice and milk towards this, according to the doc) 2) "substantially increase" my protein intake - I'm shooting for at least one source of protein in at least 2 meals a day, preferably more, plus I'm also routinely adding high protein supplements - in my case, Boost (but maybe not quite daily, because they're expensive) 3) start off low-fiber because it's easier on the intestines, but can slowly increase this over the course of the month if my guts respond well 4) make sure I eat at least 3 meals a day or the vague equivalent because it's often easier on my guts to eat multiple small plates rather than a big meal - I'm not tracking calories but I want to be able to say, "yeah, that's a good amount of food for an adult woman to eat in one day" Quest Three: School I mostly mean grad school here, but also the school I work at. I need to finish my thesis and create my final portfolio presentation for my defense. For work I need to do my daily lesson plans of course, catch up on my grading, sign my contract for next year, and ideally start one my curriculum re-organization but let's be honest, that's probably not going to happen in April. Overall large goals: 1) thesis section 7 (2 halves) 2) thesis lit review 3) reflection essay for portfolio 4) website and handout for portfolio 5) I think I might have to do a video or something as well? 6) catch up on class discussions 7) catch up on grading (currently only graded through February 21st in Spanish 2 and February 15th in Spanish 3) 8 ) ideally get a buffer going for lesson plans (currently don't even know what we're doing on Monday) Quest Four: Hobbies But all work and no play makes KCAleece a grumpy, bitchy lady. To help keep my sanity, I want to make sure I'm making at least a minimal amount of time for myself. While I was in the hospital, I desperately was dreaming about getting back to quilting, so I want to get some time to work on my kid's quilt. I also enjoy watching certain YouTube channels (is that really a hobby? Questionable) and I want to keep up with my manicures. Also I have really been missing cooking and baking. So my goal is that I can say I did 2 hobby things every week - for example if I did a manicure and baked cookies, or watched a YouTube video and also worked on my son's quilt. It won't be a daily thing, but I'd like to think I can fit in 2 things every week to feel like I'm still getting "me time" (which I often don't feel like I am). A few specific goals I'd like to hit with this: 1) my son's quilt is done through row 11, so I'd like to finish at least row 12 2) I always make lemon crinkle cookies for May Day, so I want to do that at the end of the challenge 3) I'm still working through my untried nail polishes and want to use at least 2 of them this challenge (manicure or pedicure is fine)

Warriors' Barracks: Run 2 5Ks before challenge is over Exercise 4x a week Monks' Temple: Professor Grant Horner's Bible reading lists: Monday - Thursday Memory verses every day Athenaeum: NASM course - take test on Module 3 & start Module 4 Piano - 175 hours per week or 35 minutes 5 x a week

I fell off the wagon in the middle of last challenge. Honestly I'm not sure I was on the wagon to begin with, but I digress. TENTATIVE WEEKLY SCHEDULE: Monday - work 8h Tuesday - classes maybe, evening church group Wednesday - work 8h split Thursday - moar classes maybe, evening church group Friday - work 4h, maybe class Saturday - ???, church in evening (online ofc) Sunday - ??? probably housecleaning tbh TO-DO: Cooking Lunch duty M Dinner duty TWRF probably (dinner by 5 or 5:30 because that's when Mom gets off) Weekends are always up in the air Regain my gainzzz 100 Knee Pushups Challenge Split lunges and goblet squats (10 lb unless I can come up with something heavier. No, my cat doesn't count.) I guess inverted rows? 5-minute ab workout (crunches 1 min, plank 1 min, side plank 1 min/side, some kind of boat pose 1 min) Walk/bike with Mom when schedule allows (it mostly doesn't). Schooling Send in those forms so I can sign up for the stupid classes on May 7 Read Dune. Finish before Mom finishes Anne of Green Gables Pick up the alto clarinet at least 1x/wk for 40+ minutes (assembly and maintenance times not included) Bonus points for breathing exercises Bonus points for playing anything in boat pose. Don't waste all my free time on Animal Crossing. (Wild World - don't ask for my friend code.) 1 hour of gameplay per day, max. Spend some time outside in the sun! If I think of anything else I'll add it. Have a spreadsheet.

Last challenge was accomplished though my tracking and reporting was lacking. Because of that I'm going to include "getting you that TPS report" in my goals this time around. I don't get back from our trip to Colombia until the 11th, and then I dive right into rehearsals for Pippin, directing the one-act showcase for the local theatre (that's easy, just three rehearsals and one performance), and work hitting the busiest time of year (start of the semester). I'm focused on getting pre-PA classes taken care of so I'll be taking one class (though that could be counseling instead), and I'm going to try and fit some kind of workouts (cardio, strength, and flexibility) in even if it's just PT for my rotator cuff. I blamed it on skiing at the doc's office but I wonder how much trapeze did too... Anyway specifics are forthcoming but in a general sense: 1. Hike, bike, or run, three times per week. 2. PT four days per week, bonus points for an actual lifting session that includes the PT exercises 3. One stretching session per week. 4. Sign up for either Human Anatomy, Chemistry 1 w/lab, or an appropriate upper-level biology class and do all the assignments, or sign up for one COUN class at the Denver campus and do all THOSE assignments. 5. Report into NF at least weekly. Oh, and I'll make time to go see that movie I earned last challenge with Mrs. MG.... not sure when or how, but it will happen. Hopefully before the in-laws leave so we don't have to find a sitter too!!!

Hi there. It's been a weird couple months. The concussion symptoms are still with me, but the physical whiplash symptoms are abating. The headaches are less frequent. I can do a little screen time each day. It's time for me to return to the Light, even if it has to be slowly. Emerging back into my life is strange and new -- so much about me has changed since the autumnal equinox. I'm looking forward to having you along for the journey. Thank you for walking this piece with me as I watch for the Way to open.

Long before I settled on Wing Chun as my style of choice, I visited many schools and took free trial lessons. Sometimes they would even let you have a couple free classes. During those times, I got to know the other students. When I joined Wing Chun, I realized something about the majority of my classmates: we were all geeks in our own way. Specifically, there were a lot of people who were either engineers or going to college for physics. This was something I had NOT noticed about the students from the other schools. I have often wondered what it is about Wing Chun that draws this kind of mentality. Maybe I will never know, but it did inspire me to pose the question in the subject line of this topic.

Since getting my Master's last August, I have found a solid routine. I lift weights three days a week, do cardio/PT three days a week, and do 10 minutes of Kenpo Karate practice in the morning. My food intake is reasonably consistent and balanced, and I can see slow but steady changes in my body. Naturally, I'm going to throw a wrench in all that. Setup: I've stayed in touch with my school, and one of the electives I wanted to take is being offered this summer, so I enrolled in it, just for funsies. While it's not quite as serious, being not for a degree, the final grade will still be on my transcript, so I can't just blow it off. Keeping in mind that one graduate class is considered equivalent to part-time work, my free time (and possibly energy) will be heavily affected. Problem: I have a tendency to get caught up in "what will be" and "what I want to be" and forget to pay attention to "what is," inevitably resulting in feelings of disappointment that reality doesn't match my dreams. Worse, it usually takes a while of growing, vague frustration before I recognize what's happening and work to fix it. That time has decreased lately, but the last one still took me 2-3 weeks to realize and correct. Since I've chosen to burden myself with another class (which I'll be paying for myself, so don't want to arbitrarily drop it), I expect my opportunities to reflect on my internal state will be limited; on the other hand, I don't want to spend 10 weeks being grumpy and growly at those around me for reasons that are entirely my fault. Challenge: Pay attention. To right now. To my mental state. To my expectations. To reality. To my reactions to reality. Stressful doesn't have to mean stressed out. I've got this, and I can do it, calmly.

1) 3 workouts a week - 1 must be a session of yoga because stress relief. 2) Study allllll the time. 3) Cook at least 3 meals a week. (Thanks HelloFresh!) 4) (OH BTW HIIIIII Guys. I haven't died yet.)

Damn. 2018 is almost here. I just survived a third Amazon.com holiday peak season at the warehouse. I am not doing another. I plan to be out by June at the latest. To do this, I'm going back to school. With my class schedule, I can kick back to 30 hours of work, and I get an extra day "off." I have classes Mon and Tuesday morning, and Thursday afternoon, and Sunday off with the full days of ten hours of work. THIS MEANS I CAN RUN AN ACTUAL 4 DAY POWERLIFTING PROGRAM AGAIN!!! Goal 1, POWERLIFTING: I had an idea for another overly elaborate and thought out POWERLIFTING program a couple of months ago. I'm gonna do that. I'll explain later. It's very taoist. Goal 2, CARDIO: What? Don't we hates that? Yes we does. But we musts. Yeah. Fuck cardio. But I really do believe that if you can't run, 5k... slowly is fine, you're not in great shape. I'm going to include some HIIT on workout days. Then try for at least one long endurance run each week with the goal of making it to 5k with no breaks. Goal 3, ABZ! Abz every workout. Nuff said. Goal 4, STOP FUCKING SNACKING Granted I recently set a new 4 year weight PR recently, but I'd have done it in September had it not been for the Twix bar I typically have on my second break at work, or the other stupid food choices I make frequently. LUYL_1: LEARN FUCKING SPANISH ALREADY Gonna get a Spanish language course and practice it. Seriously, I'm an American. Why don't I know Spanish yet? LUYL_2: COMPLETE THE FUCKING TFA APPLICATION If I'm a couple months into my machine tool program and not loving it to fucking death, I'm joining up with Teach for America, and I'm gonna teach science in the ghetto or the sticks somewhere.

*emerges from the murky depths* oh wow hey look it's been...nope not even contemplating how long it's been since i've been on here. one goal: check in and reflect. one sentence. also! for those who're wondering: i'm back at school! i'm about two weeks away from finishing my first semester and i'll (FINALLY) graduate in the spring. HURRAH! more details to come? maybe? also if anyone is on discord lmk because that is my primary mode of communication these days

Hi so I'm not sure if this is right place to post this but I couldn't think of anywhere else it would be appropriate. I don't have any kids of my own but I do have quite the busy schedule and who knows best on how to juggle multiple activities? Parents! I'm going to be a freshman in college, going to start working full time in August but will hopefully be able to pull back on the hours once school starts at the end of September. I'll be taking 3 classes, each 5 credits so that's a full work load that in itself and my workouts are only about 45-1 hour long and Sundays are my planning/meal prep days. I'll be living at home with my parents so rent free but I do pay for my phone plan and gas for when I get my license and car. So my question is, how do I juggle all of this with keeping stress low and my grades still okay and still work? Thanks!

So yeah, being an adult is bullshit. I guess I'm either stressing myself out too much or not enough. My HRV is constant most days, then a huge drop on one accompanied by skin inflammation. Might just be adjusting to the move. Haven't lifted, but I've been walking a lot more, apparently. Anyway, I'm looking to focus on the micro level and just getting a little bit done each day, because time management is murdering all my progress. I will be continuing my previous challenge, focusing on knocking out 2 modules a week. PERKS: My time management is garbage. I signed up for Mind Tools and have a 12-unit Time Management Learning Plan. 1. Managing Interruptions 2. Activity Logs 3. To-Do-Lists 4. Prioritization 5. The Action Priority Matrix 6. Eisenhower's Urgent/Important Principle 7. The Pickle Jar Theory 8. Effective Scheduling 9. Personal Goal Setting 10. Golden Rules of Goal Setting 11. Treasure Mapping 12. Overcoming Procrastination I should be on the last half of the last semester before graduating. I barely made it through the first half, and I'd like to cruise during this half. Focusing on a little every day instead of my usual cramming, I will allot 2.5 hours a week for coursework outside of school. ATTRIBUTE: I got a bit carried away with the GymnasticBodies and tried to really plow through the skills. I'm already on Foundation 3 for lower body, and really moving along for Manna, Side Lever, and Rope Climb, to the detriment of my other skills. The priority is to at least hit one GB skill and one kettlebell skill per day. No rush. Enjoy the grind. I shall be utilizing a similar accountability spreadsheet as I use with the people I'm coaching.

I'm currently a student and I travel between my parents' home and my boyfriend's home multiple times per week. Their eating-habits aren't exactly bad, but they're not that great either. At my bf's it's usually me who cooks. I'm also reliant on homemade lunch because we don't have a cafeteria or restaurant near the school and even the supermarket is ridiculously small for the number of people frequenting it. We're lucky we have one microwave for a student-body of probably more than 500. Problem #1: Breakfast It takes me a long time to get going in the mornings, so I don't have time to prepare anything fancy for breakfast. I used to eat cereals or muesli with milk or sometimes yoghurt, but that didn't feel too satisfying and it also gets quite expensive. If I only eat toast with jam or honey I'll be hungry again soon. I currently habe oats with nuts, raisins and yoghurt for breakfast, but I keep forgetting to buy more yoghurt, so now I'm looking for alternatives. I don't really eat eggs or bacon or anything savoury/salty for breakfast except maybe for weekends, and I'm running out of ideas... Problem #2: I'm a sucker for sweets and desserts. I love chocolate and cookies and cakes. I love to bake. But I have no idea how to get a good balance. I'm usually not eating as much as I used to, but I miss baking cakes. But I also hate feeling somewhat guilty for eating biscuits or chocolate to try and get me through a stressful day. Is there such a thing as healthy alternatives that won't recquire lots of fancy ingredients I'd have to get for lots of money at a specialised store? Because I still feel like my soul would appreciate these sweet moments in life. Problem #3: I'm a sucker for comfort-food. If I don't manage to prepare lunch or grab some leftovers I usually just quickly cook some noodles and throw some store-bought sauces or pestos and parmesan in. If I do manage to cook or have some leftovers, it's not unlikely for it to be something that may not be so very ideal as my go-to-recipes when faced with the question of what to cook. Jambalays probably isn't so bad, but Lasagna and Mac'n Cheese and pasta-bakes all have noodles in them again, which is usually recommended to stay away from in this forum as far as I've seen. I know that meal-prep is important, but I'm having trouble making it a habit because I feel like I have a rather limited repertoire of go-to-dishes while wanting more diversity, and also I keep forgetting about it and only remember that I should have cooked when I'm already supposed to be in bed because otherwise I won't get enough sleep and be completely useless the next day... Sorry for the long post, but I didn't want to spam the forum with multiple ones ^^" Any kind of help would be really appreciated

After three months of freedom, classes resume this week. The syllabus for the thesis "class" specifically states to allot more time and effort to this class than anticipated. Consequentially, I am making a challenge, but also very prepared to change it, as needed. I recently found out I have a torn supraspinatus (rotator cuff) muscle. While there is no pain, I am doing PT to strengthen other muscles around it, and have to put handstands and pull-ups on hold for a while. Rather than whinge about losing out on muscle building, I'm going to shift focus slightly to the flexibility side of the pike-to-handstand goal, and focus on good form in all of my exercises. Goals: Flexibility: Work through 30 days to splits (link). Strength: Restructure workouts to focus on form and stability; keep at it. Cardio: If the treadmill works out, shift from walking to running. Parkour: Once a week; keep at it. Diet: Stay within macros and calories; keep at it. Languages: At least once a week per language (reduction); keep at it. Thesis: Don't screw this up. Attitude: Don't get wound up; keep at it. That seems like a lot on paper, but most of it is maintenance of what I do anyway. The thesis and attitude take priority, but I should be able to keep it all going, at least at a reduced rate. If things change drastically, then I'll just be more...

I am an official graduate of HANE! Woohoo!

After a bit of a hiatus, the Slayer is back! I'm a little frustrated because I'd made some great progress, and then I started law school and fell back on some old unhealthy habits I thought I'd slain along the way... Unfortunately, the undead don't like staying dead, so here we are again. The story goes that I've been staying up way too late, buying way too much food from vending machines between classes, and generally neglecting keeping myself grounded. I've been getting moving a lot because I've been dancing a couple of times a week, but I'd like to be working on getting stronger so, you know, I can actually get better at the dancing. And slaying. The goals: 1. Eat four home-cooked meals a week. I usually get lunches on campus (mostly for free), but for four meals a week, lunch or dinner, I need to eat meals I've cooked at home. Baby steps. I'm not counting breakfast. BONUS: avoid paying for unhealthy food. 2. Strength train once a week. I'm already doing yoga once a week, so this'll bring me up to 2. I'm tempted to say twice a week, but I think starting smaller is probably better right now. 3. Go to bed before midnight every night that I'm home that early. Because this 2AM business is a little much. 4. Meditate for 10 minutes every day, ideally in the morning. Slayer needs some mental quiet. Those are the goals! I'm starting tomorrow since I didn't hop on here until tonight. I'll let you all know how it goes.

As you all have become aware, there's a chance I can be attending school in the Masters of Science: Orthotics and Prosthetics program at a VERY prestigious (and expensive) university! So as a (religious) man who believes that things happen for a reason, and with my application not guaranteed, I have 2 roads before me: Get Accepted into the program, Then I will be attending school full-time, work part time, and exercise sometime, and this challenge will be me trying to balance School, work, NF, and personal health Don't get accepted into the program, Then I'll be resuming my last challenge (as it got interrupted by this momentous opportunity) after the 23rd of Sept, (the application deadline), and on the first week of Nov, I'll be going to Charlotte, NC for Machine Tech training. In either case, I have 5 days to finish the application (which consists of 5 essay prompts) and get everything in before the deadline. Which means I'll be MIA until then. So the question will be... In or Out ?

Play Time is Over. It's time to stop screwing around and start acting like an adult on a consistent basis, and kicking ass like I've done before, and I know I'm capable of doing again. Since January of this year I've been... inconsistent at best. I could make a few excuses(psychological recovery from a breakup, work being super busy, overtraining myself into a bit of Achilles tendinitis), but ultimately that's pretty irrelevant to this topic/challenge. The point is, the stuff that sidetracked me in the first half of this year is for all practical purposes behind me, so I need to stop making excuses and start kicking ass again. That's not to say that I've been awful, but I've been performing at a level below what I'm capable of - I've made little/no progress on my thesis, my performance at work has been... good be most people's standards, but below what I know I can do, I've regressed on my running(the tendinitis is a legitimate excuse in this case, but I'm over it now), and my nutrition has been off, such that I'm probably about 8-10 lbs above where I want to be in terms of racing weight - I'm training for a half marathon in October, and each pound is worth a couple seconds per mile, or nearly a half minute in the final time. At any rate, the goals for this challenge are all about discipline. I know what I need to do, I just need to do it, and not come up with ways of sidetracking myself. On the bright side, I just got back from a vacation in Colorado, so I'm mentally recharged and ready to attack this. So, the goals: 1. Track nutrition and control calories: This means tracking calories in, activity, and weight on a daily basis, starting tomorrow morning. The goal here is to drop 1-2 pounds per week; this means somewhere around 2300ish calories per day(I burn 3000 or so depending on activity level; this may increase as I ramp training for my half marathon). I may need to pause my weight loss/refeed after this challenge since I'm still relatively lean and I don't have a ton to lose, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Goal is to drop 4-5 lbs this challenge, and to be accountable by tracking intake and activity on a daily basis. This also means posting here on a daily basis to log and keep myself accountable. 1b. Alcohol only on weekends, or special occasions(e.g. we're having a going away party for one of my coworkers this week) 2. Respect my bedtime. This means no later than 10-10:30 on weeknights, or 9:30-10 if I'm going to try hitting the gym the next morning. The goal is a minimum of 7 hours of sleep every night, preferably closer to 8. Again, posting for accountability. 3. Work on the damn thesis. If there's one thing I've sucked at over the past few months, it's this. The simple rule is this: Minimum of 1 hour of work on the thesis (or PE Exam preparation, if I decide to do that again) in the evening prior to doing computer games or other nonproductive activity, goal of 2 hours per day minimum on weeks, and 10 hours total per week. Again, posting for accountability. 4. Do the training. This means ~3x/week lifting, ~4x/week running. May modify as time goes by, but my general M.O. is not to schedule off days, but to let them sort of happen organically if something comes up(i.e. having to stay late at work, social events, etc.). This also means I may end up training more in the morning when I know I have conflicts. Once again, posting for accountability. 5. Get my "What I want my life to look like, and how I'm going to achieve that" list/objectives in writing. I think I know the answers to this for the most part, but I really need to make it concrete to remind myself what I'm working on, and to begin setting my sights on what I want to do past my thesis. 6. Keep my house clean. The whole "act like an adult" thing, you know. This means at least one "check" per week, with basic vacuuming/mopping/dusting/kitchen cleaning should there be a need.

Brutal Bears Finds Balance Introduction Boss: Kuvira Health: (50/50) Brutal Bears the Lava Bender: Possible Attacks:

Those that know me know a bit about this...for those who may be new (or forgetful like me) a brief recap My wife was 'downsized' out of a job (after 20 years) about 6 weeks ago, we are currently fixing up our house to rent out, searching for an RV (trailer) to live in, and are going to be relocating to Florida probably sometime mid-July (the 15th is the goal date to move, we have to be out of the house by the last week of June!) The move is dependent on me finishing up my course I'm working on (for Dietary Management, because I work in a hospital and have to work in this type of facility to complete it)...also have my oldest son getting married next weekend, things are very crazy for me at work with departmental cuts being made left and right and every expense being examined under a microscope and questioned, and me trying to save my staff members from being cut My challenges while all this has been going on have been very basic, this one will probably be even more so...this place keeps me sane and accountable and I need that right now (not that I claim to be sane) Every day get some type of movement, walking, yoga, housework...this should not be difficult to do right now! Every day work on homework, no NF or anything else till this is done! Participate in the new minis, I'm super excited to see how this is going to go The real challenge this time is trying to remember and do everything I need to (lists are my friends!) and not get overwhelmed by all of it...take one thing at a time and work through it, most importantly do not be afraid to ask for help!! She is out of town the majority of time now (driving charter buses) so it's falling on me to get it done My current state of mind!

In school? Studying for an exam? Super-huge thing coming up that you need to prepare for? Need support? Someone to hold you accountable? Then this is for you Trying to be healthy (work out, eat right, get enough sleep) juggle schoolwork, and work/family/social stress is tough...we can't promise to help you pass advanced accounting, but at least you're among others that understand what you're going through, and maybe pick up a few tips along the way

Ivy is back!! Invigorate - Walking - Every day, outdoors if possible - Work in garden or something creative at least once a week Variety - Yoga - 2 days a week Yearning - Homework - Want to finish school so I can move on to better things...want to start this AFAA course that I signed up for last challenge two challenges ago and see where that leads Doing the Daily Dare PVP, hope to get bronze again, I tried for silver last time but too much of it was beyond my ability. So much happened last challenge...my wife lost her job, we're getting the house ready to rent out and going to get an RV Trailer to live in (can't wait!! I'm so excited!!) We do have a lot of work to do and a little time to do it, hopefully by the time I finish my course we will be ready to go back to Florida! We are tearing up the carpet, laying laminate flooring, finishing the kitchen, cleaning up the yard, getting the outside painted and some minor fixes, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something in here...as well as looking for a truck to finance for a reasonable amount (because her's is too small) and trailer to purchase within our budget... My oldest son is getting married in June - I make candles and am doing the centerpieces for them My nephew is graduating high school in June - Which means I have to deal with my family, Goddess give me patience because if I have strength I'll hurt someone We plan on being out and the house rented July 1st Not happy with weight loss right now, it seems no matter what I try nothing is happening...I don't 'cheat' or go over calories that much or that often, I stay in an activity range that should have me losing weight, but I'm not, doesn't seem to matter what I do one way or the other, I stay in the same 5 lb range....I'm wondering if it's the fact that I don't have a gall bladder, which is about the only thing I haven't looked at since my hormones are dealt with, sleep is as good as it's ever been, and it seems to be about the time that it was taken out was when I started having trouble, which was the same time I went Paleo. Going to try a couple of things this go around and see if it helps, Ox bile is one of those things, if anyone has any suggestions or has dealt with the same problem I'd love to hear if you found a solution!

In school? Studying for an exam? Super-huge thing coming up that you need to prepare for? Need support? Someone to hold you accountable? Then this is for you Trying to be healthy (work out, eat right, get enough sleep) juggle schoolwork, and work/family/social stress is tough...we can't promise to help you pass advanced accounting, but at least you're among others that understand what you're going through, and maybe pick up a few tips along the way

In school? Studying for an exam? Super-huge thing coming up that you need to prepare for? Need support? Someone to hold you accountable? Then this is for you Trying to be healthy (work out, eat right, get enough sleep) juggle schoolwork, and work/family/social stress is tough...we can't promise to help you pass advanced accounting, but at least you're among others that understand what you're going through, and maybe pick up a few tips along the way

Figured it's time to officially do my IVY challenge even though it's going to look extremely familiar to some of you Weddings...must be something in the air, my oldest boy is going to be getting married in June, this means more candles/centerpieces Invigorate - Walking - Every day, outdoors if possible - Work in garden or something creative at least once a week Variety - Yoga - 2 days a week - Zumba - create routine this challenge...not putting a number on this yet, just need to get started! Yearning - Homework - Want to finish school so I can move on to better things...also want to do this AFAA course that I signed up for last challenge and see where that leads Will be doing a 'diet bet' at work to lose about 6lbs this month as part of our wellness program Will be doing 3 5k's in the next 2 weeks...one is this Friday, one this Saturday, so not 'officially' part of the challenge....one next Saturday... Hopefully the return of zero week means I can keep up on here better!