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Let's try this again... After a couple lackluster challenges, I'm setting the bar lower. 2 goals this challenge. 1. Bullet journal daily. It's really good for me. I have a bad habit of letting stress tell me I don't have time to sit and dump my thoughts in the journal. This is a lie. If bullet journal is a priority it will happen. So I'm making it a priority. 2. Keep running 3x a week. I'm slowly building my endurance back up. My 3 circuits of 2 min walk, 8 min run are almost easy now, so it's time to up the difficulty. Runs have been real mental health medicine this month. I have struggled with work stress and I am forced to admit that I can't keep Sweet Pea (7months) at home and work full time anymore. So I need to get her enrolled in daycare. It's going to break my heart to do it (I was a mess when Pumpkin started) but I think she'll enjoy it. She loves playing with other kids. And it will be good for me too. I can focus on work, finish in less hours, and spend more undistracted time with both my kiddos. Can you tell I'm trying to convince myself? My anxiety is being really unreasonable about this... 😢 That the challenge. Bonus goal is helping Bard set up our garage home gym. I'm excited for it but my function is mostly putting the breaks on his enthusiasm with my dumb logistics. 😂

Little RP in the spoiler. Physical Goals: Run 3x a week The long term goal is a 30 minute 5k. For this challenge: keep doing my walk/run plan, increasing the run time. I'll be starting this challenge with 3 minutes walk, 7 minutes run (jog really) 3 times for a total of 30 minutes of moving time. When that is going well, I'll start decreasing walk time! Core work 3x a week After Pumpkin was born, I did a core reset before jumping back into 'real' workouts. Pregnancy can cause separation of the abdominal muscles (diastasis recti) and exercises like crunches and planks can actually make it worse! So I'm doing it again. This is the prologue to the prequel of another major goal: Pull Ups Padme Naberrie Glow Up: Pedicure Plus I'm ramping up the running. Running (and winter in general) is hard on my feet and summer aka sandal weather is just around the corner. But Padme would never have cracked heels or yellow toenails so neither will I! The goal is to show my feet some TLC: foot soaks, moisturizer, massage (reflexology maybe?) and maybe even some nail polish. I have cute white sandals I want to wear this summer! (Also my feet are my roots, right? That's a yoga/tai chi concept, being rooted means having your feet firmly planted on the ground) Roots: Literal roots I want to plan a garden. I'm no where near ready to plant one and realistically I don't have time. It's too late in the spring and I have a baby in my arms most hours of the day. But I can buy some succulents. I can grow some herbs. I can get some potted tomato plants. So I will. And I'll get Pumpkin involved. Toddlers love watering plants, right? (Please don't drown my plants, Pumpkin...) Figurative roots I've talked about this before. Life changed a lot recently and my anxiety is heightened and being in a new place doesn't help. But this is our home, and will be for some time. So my challenge is to put down some roots here. Get to know the neighbors. Go to local events like the farmer's market. Try new (local!) restaurants and find a church group. Connect with people. I actually got a head start today! I used my 20 seconds of courage to text a neighbor, then met with a her for a chat and a walk around the block. It was a little awkward... but that's just me in most social situations. I think that's enough for one challenge.

Second attempt to Theme It Up Good, now presenting, :3 Just look at their little faces, my children, my loves, my collection of cinnamon rolls and angry kittens and- *AHEM* sorry. So sorry. Anyway. So here's what happened in the last Challenge: Things went pretty well as far as doing what I set out to do, keeping up with tasks and whatnot, but then hit a giant roadblock in the form of a close relative's death and the resulting emotional turmoil. The household has not been the same at all. Final half of last Challenge was spent focusing less on the tasks and more on keeping afloat during difficult times. Now, we're in the rebuilding stage. My goals for this Challenge are much the same as they always are, but with a few other things thrown in. Anyway, ~ The Set Up ~ ________________ For this Challenge I'll be drawing inspiration from one of my favorite stories, "The Three Musketeers". The book(s) are actually my favorite version, but the BBC's adaptation is an incredibly close second. It has almost all my favorite things; intense brotherhood, antics, snark, humor, fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles...uh....<.< The four beautiful heroes each have their own unique plot arcs and development over the course of the series while also dealing with the main plot of each episode and the main plot of the series itself. They also have some very specific traits, some of which follow them through every version of their story, some of which are particular to this one. In the Title's spirit, I've selected three traits from each of them to base my Challenge on, plus a mini-quest. These traits are, Athos: (The Leader with a troubled soul. Also looks exactly like Grumpy Cat in the BBC version) Stamina- Athos is not one to quit. Each day, walking/running or Plank Challenges will award me a point here. Intelligence- As a gentleman, Athos is highly educated, That, and his sass-game is always on point. Here, I'll receive points for studying my French and Spanish, and also Mathematics on Khan Academy Serenity- Yes, Athos is known as something of a tortured soul and does occasionally deal with it by drinking himself into a stupor, but for the most part he stays cool and collected under pressure and is the first one to pass on the advice, "head over heart". For this one, I'll be keeping a journal. Last Challenge, issues of anxiety, among other things, came up and so attempts will be made to investigate via journaling. Aramis: (The Monk with a taste for adrenaline and romance, ninety percent of season two is his fault) Agility- In almost all his fight scenes, the man is duel-wielding. Which is awesome. He's also fond of jumping out windows, but that's beside the point. In attempt to level up my own Agility, I'll be working on yoga, with one point per session. Friendliness: Aramis is always ready with a kind word and often finds his advice to "not get involved" difficult to follow. I'll be working on my own people-skills and attitude throughout the Challenge. Faith: For all his wandering ways, Aramis is devout in his faith. Bible Reading and Prayer are the goals. Porthos: (The Warrior with a heart of gold and ambition to match, he's highly skilled in combat using forks, chairs, and sometimes headgear) Strength: Porthos' main recurring trait! He is physically the strongest of the group. I'll be working out to gain some strength for a point! Resourcefulness: Armed with only a three-pronged fork, he successfully dueled a man. He's also great at good-cop-bad-cop. For my feat of resourcefulness, however, I'll be aiming for four bottles of water a day and also making an effort where food is concerned. Joy: Honestly, though, Porthos has the best smile. I'll be focusing on positivity. D'Artagnan: (The Puppy- I mean...uh...The Ace of the Group. Full of potential and raw nerve. He is also a cinnamon roll.) Speed: On the one hand, d'Artagnan is known for recklessness, impatience, passion-without-pause, but on the other, he's also a quick and eager learner and polishes well. My feat of speed, ironically, will be to slow down and do my own polishing in the form of stretching and developing flexibility. Perseverance: For d'Artagnan, it's rarely a question of 'if' but rather 'when'. He rarely doubts whether something will happen that he's striving for, just keeps on fighting for it until it does. Likewise, I'll be plowing ahead in my writing. Courage: Another d'Artagnan signature. I'll be trying for a tiny adventure or a brave deed each day. Points will be awarded for each successful completion, and there will be a mini-quest each week worth two points per successful completion. The rest of Zero-Week, however, will be spent in Captain-Treville mode, setting everything up.