Organization

 I'm seriously trying to get my life fully on track for 2021.  I feel like I came a long way in 2020, despite all the things that were going on in the world.  I'm back to a more normal shift (although, it's not entirely NORMAL) and I just need to adjust my cleaning and planning schedule a smidge to be able to keep up.  

I still love Flylady.net and Pinterest.  I pull a lot of organizational ideas from Pinterest on the regular.  I'm just going to throw my ideas out here on the blog...if you have ideas or a site, please share in the comments as I'm always looking to tweak and change things so that I can make my life simpler and keep my house running smoothly and being tidy.  

Here's the plan, and I'm not going to do ALL of them myself sometimes it'll be the kids that do it:

Everyday chores--

Make the bed (this is a habit I used to do, everyday, but I've really gotten out of it!)

Sweep

Make sure the sink is empty before I go to bed

Counters are cleared

Laundry (Monday-sheets, Tuesday-towels, Saturday-work clothes, Sunday-other)

Clean off coffee table (this is hot spot in my home, everything just seems to congregate there)

Weekly--

Toilets

Clean shower 

Dust 

Vacuum (this is done a few times a week actually because we have a cat,) 

Mop floors 

Clean out fridge 

Clean out the burners on the stove

Monthly--

Scrub backsplash and hood

Vacuum baseboards

Clean window sills

Clean the garbage cans

I also have some bigger projects I'm working through.  My closet has become a pit...and I'm working on it with the Flylady method of 15 minutes at a time because it's so bad it feels overwhelming.  I'm also working on some decor projects since I've lived in this house for 4 years now and I've really not made it feel like home. I painted a tray for the coffee table yesterday, and I'm making a sign for above my bed, and lastly I'm converting the crib that Three and Four slept in as babies to a bench for the entryway.  I'm planning to make this house feel like I want my forever house to feel.  

Skinny Housewife: 21 Day Challenge

 I need a kick start to get back on the workout train.  I need quick workouts.  Less than 30 minutes, because I will also need to shower and get myself together before work.  I have a bunch of HITT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout options saved over on Pinterest, because I bore pretty easily.  I also have a couple other fitness trainers that I follow that I love.  

Blogilates on IG, Blogilates.com, and I just realized (because of this challenge) that she has an app!  Today was the start of a 21 day challenge that she's doing.  The app, and the challenge are free.  There is a printable free calendar available too.  It's 21 minutes, for 21 days.  It takes 21 days to ingrain a habit, so I'm hoping this is the kick start I need.  If you decide to do this challenge, please leave me a comment so I can check in with you!

After this 21 day kickoff, I will probably do one of the older Bikini Body Mommy challenges available on YouTube.  I've done them before, but haven't done one in years!  The workouts are short and simple, but HARD and effective.  These usually run 90 days.

The center I teach at was closed because of COVID for most of the year.  I did get 2 months where I was allowed to teach one class a week, outside and socially distanced.  Due to my new promotion though, teaching again when the center reopens doesn't work with my schedule.  I have requested to do a once a month dance party for them because I LOVE teaching and dancing and the center I work for and my students.  Hopefully, that will come to fruition when the world finds it's new normal.  That has gotten me out of the habit of working out, because with that job I HAD to work out.  Either I was teaching, or practicing or learning something new, or creating new choreography so there was always moving.  

On the two days a week I'm off, I plan to do more intense stuff--I'd like to get back to running which I had to give up because I battled Plantar Fascilitis for a BIG chunk of the year.  And I'd like to dance along with my four favorite dance fitness instructors on YouTube.  Those people are:  Dance Fitness with Jessica, Club Fitz, Bernadette Barber, and Turn Up With Tanci  

Intermittent Fasting: Still at it

 I posted a blog back at the end of April, about giving IF a try.  I was unable to work out like I used to because of the pandemic canceling all my classes, and the gym being closed.  I also read a lot about how it just overall made people feel better and increased healthy sleep patterns.  Those benefits were things I definitely needed when I was on third shift, but now that I am back out of the land of the zombies I have found that I'm still reaping those benefits.  There are a ton of other health benefits to IF, and I would encourage you to do your own research as I don't feel like any one plan is right for everyone.  I will say that I have lost probably a couple pounds, but I've definitely lost inches around my waist which is the area I most wanted to shrink if I could choose.  

My original fasting went like this: 

Dinner around 2pm.

Bed around 4pm. This is the time when my eating window closed for the day.

Wake around 9pm.

Work til 8am.  I would end my eating window between 6 and 8.  Giving me a 14-16 hour fasting time.  When I told people that they usually would gasp and say "I could never" but I promise you, yes you could.  My body adjusted very quickly, and as long as I made sure to eat enough during my window, and drinking enough water I didn't find it very difficult.  

When I switched back to day shift, I had a hard time adjusting my windows and put it on hold for about a month.  But, I really started to feel YUCKY.  Exhausted allllll the time, no matter how much I slept, or how well I slept.  I realized my body didn't like this state of being, and I needed to figure out how to work my window around my current schedule.

Now, my eating window opens between 11-1, just depends on the day and how busy I am with work.  My goal is always 11, because that gives me a 14 hr fast, but sometimes I get pushed later because I'm just busy at 11 and don't get the chance to eat until closer to 1.  My eating window closes at 9pm.  There are health benefits to longer fasts, but for me personally, 14-16 hours is enough.  I've done a couple 18-hour fasts, just because of not being able to eat when I wanted but that's as long as I've gone.  I didn't feel awful, to be clear, it's just not for me. 

Since returning to the IF lifestyle, I've noticed a significant boost in my energy levels again.  I'm drinking enough water again.  Drinking water is a habit I struggle with, but I'm not sure why exactly.  I don't mind water, but unless I'm in a fast, it's not going to be my drink of choice.  So not only was I giving myself too much sugar, and too much caffeine and calories, I was depriving myself of hydtration.  Because I'm not that bright sometimes.  This is probably the number one benefit of IF for me personally, I'll drink plenty of water and I'm SURE this is part of the higher energy levels.  Hydration and exhaustion go hand in hand and are often an overlooked correlation.  IF gives me the discipline to drink all the water.  You do what works.  

Life Update

 The last life update was back in February, when I pulled Three from school and had moved to 3rd shift.  Then the pandemic hit, and Four was also home from school permanently.  I never slept.  I was one of those people who just couldn't sleep during the day.  I tried, but my body's natural rhythm just never changed and my body was always on some "It's daytime...be awake" while my brain was on some "No, we have to be up when it's night, shut up and sleep NOW."  It was an everyday battle, and truthfully I never got more than a nap unless it was my night off.  So I was sleeping 2-3 nights a week and napping the other 4-5 days.  Good times I tell ya.  

School has been going beautifully for Three though, so that was a silver lining.  He began eating again, and has not really gained a lot of weight (he was severely under weight and the pediatrician was concerned about impending puberty) but he has shot up in height!  Both of his grandfathers were tall and lean, so I'm much less concerned about his growth.  He's taller than me currently, and his 14th birthday is in less than 2 weeks.  

School has not been going as beautifully for Four.  He's totally virtual as his health is always a problem due to a compromised immune system and severe asthma.  The virtual model just doesn't work well for him.  He does it everyday but he's bored out of his mind and his grades aren't great.  He's depressed, from not seeing people and there is no real end in sight.  

I got a second promotion at work (so 2020 wasn't so bad for me.)  This brought me back to a day shift!  I'm so excited, and I love my job.  I enjoyed my job before, don't get me wrong, I just couldn't take being on overnights any longer.  I'm looking for one more job change (still within the company I currently work for) in 2022. Just working my way around.  

Two just turned 21 last week, and that just feels INSANE to me.  She's currently working full time as well, and her brothers are having a difficult time adjusting to her not being home.  It's so sweet for me to watch though, as one of my MAIN parenting goals was strong connection between my kids despite the age gap.  Them all being sad about the lack of time together, while it stinks, it does prove that I was successful.  All four of them still really love being together.  Here's a photo approved by everyone for social media of all of us together the day after our Thanksgiving (which wasn't on Thursday this year lol) when we put up the Christmas Tree.  We assembled a gingerbread village, and listened to Christmas music and made my mama heart so happy.