Happiness Challenge #1 - Increase Energy

So my January happiness challenge has been to increase my energy. According to the book ("The Happiness Project") it appears I should be focusing on getting more sleep, eating better and working out more. Hmmm. Okay, I can pretty much handle the working out, after all I usually get in about 3-4 hours a week between zumba and running, but getting more sleep? Okay, this one's not so easy for me. It's not for lack of trying trust me but unless I can convince my employers to start the work day around 10 this one is always going to be a challenge.

I know that 6 hours a night on average isn't enough sleep but I'm gonna have to make some sacrifices to get more. Sacrifices like my favorite tv show on dvr, LONG soaks in the tub, current computer addictions like Farmville and Facebook...do you see the problem here? I know I can get creative with my time and maybe squeeze out another 1/2 hour but it's gonna be HARD to get to 7 during the week. Now there's a thought...can I make it up on the weekend?? I'll sacrifice some housework and even laundry if needed. I like that idea much better!

When I looked back at last week (which I fondly refer to as "hell week" due to it's ultra busy nature) here's what I found:

Monday - got up around 6:30am, managed to get kid #1 dropped off at high school mere minutes before the tardy bell rang (that's kinda normal for us), dropped off kid #2 with time to spare (thankfully the middle school still starts at a respectable time of 8:20am), got to work at my usual time of 8:07 and so the day began...(I won't bore ya with the details of the day but trust me when I say it was a tad busy). Finally 5:00 arrives and I headed home (okay so it was really 5:15 but who's counting); changed clothes and headed to zumba class taught by my wonderful, best friend Kim (who's dance moves make most of us look like total amateurs) where I burned at least a thousand calories (okay probably a little less than that); headed home to do some laundry and my evening routine (so far that's all the Fly Lady has been successful at getting me to do), ate a salad, LONG soak in the tub and bed sometime around 11ish.

Tuesday -  alarm went off at 5:15 (what the heck????) and I sprung out of bed (ha!) took a quick shower, threw my clothes on (thank God for that evening routine which included "lay out clothes for tomorrow") and headed off to work in the pitch black; first company-wide update at 6:30 am, 2nd update at 8:00, checked in on my trainers, reviewed budget stuff for a lunch meeting, 3rd update at 2:30 pm, checked in on trainers again, did a few more "tasks" and headed out around 5:15 so I could stop at Walmart and grab Dance Central for family night; kid #1 got the game all set up while kid #2 promptly kicked both our butts in dance battles (I did manage to beat kid #1 because he got cocky and thought he could beat me at Brick House on "expert"...HA, he did not know who he was challenging on that one!); made the requested spaghetti dinner and cleaned up the kitchen; completed most of the evening routine (sorry Fly Lady); spent some time on Facebook (okay probably too much...) and headed off to bed around 11ish.

Wednesday - repeat of Monday morning (see above) including the busy day at work. Probably should have tried a little harder to get more sleep since I really had some focus issues, thankfully no life or death decisions had to be made. Repeat of the evening zumba class followed by quick dinner and vegging on the couch (aka playing on Farmville...) LONG soak in the tub (hmmm, starting to see a pattern here). Still went to bed around 11ish (which means sleep around 12ish generally).

Thursday - alarm went off at 6am so I could be at company update #4 by 7:15. Thankfully mother nature dropped a few inches of snow creating a snow day for the kids (translation: they get to sleep in and play all day while I get to go to work!) and a less hectic morning of school drop offs for me; pace was a little slower at work (well after the last update of the day at 2:30) but at this point my brain was so frazzled with all that has been happening this week along with the early mornings and late nights I was really glad to just sit for a few minutes (maybe I was asleep with my eyes open...). Finished up the day with kid #2's dance class at 7:30 where only 1 other student showed up (heck the roads were pretty clear by this time!). Finally home around 9pm just in time for Private Practice!

Friday - I'd like to say this day was a piece of cake but no can do. Busy doesn't quite describe it. Hit the ground running and didn't stop until 4pm when I raced out for a hair appointment. There was the additional wrinkle of it being my friend Ann's last day (she's starting her dream job as a professor at a local college!) and that was a bit emotional.  At least the visit to the hair salon was less on the busy and more on the pampering! Completed the day with the usual Friday night dinner and drinks at the local Mexican place. TGIF anyone??

Saturday - decided I needed a mental heath day so I stayed in my pj's and did as little as possible all day long! Great for catching up on the rest but not so great on the household responsibilities (sorry again Fly Lady!) Did manage to get some brain functions back though and fix a computer issue I was having with itunes!Yeah me!

Sunday - caught up on the housework I dodged on Saturday (well sorta); decided I needed a better plan for next week! 


So, what did I learn this week? Well I have been following this same pattern for quite a while but writing it down pointed out a couple of things to me. First, I need to shoot for more balance in the energy level instead of totally draining the tank and then trying to refill it in one shot (or weekend). I already know I need to eat better and get more sleep so this week I vow to work on my energy balance. Goal #1 - get at least 7 hours of sleep every night. Goal #2 - eat more balanced meals. Okay, that one might be a bit of a challenge but I'll give it a shot!

What will you do this week to get more energy?? Have a great week!

Out with the Old, In with the New!

Well 2010, I can't say that I'm gonna be sorry to see you go. You've been full of ups and downs, mostly downs. Kind of a roller coaster ride at warp speed. So, goodbye and good riddance 2010!

But before I can kick off the new year there is a few regret I want to put to rest so I can move on. I regret that I didn't push harder for Terry to take better care of himself. I guess I went with the notion that he was an adult and  should know better than he apparently did. Adults make mistakes too and sometimes make some bad choices so never let something go unsaid that you may wish you had said later.

So, 2011... what will you bring? I am looking forward to a year filled with opportunity for learning new things, discovering the beauty in everyday experiences, being a better parent, friend, sister, daughter. I plan to listen more and be present in the moment, enjoy life and all it has to offer. I plan to restart my happiness project and  enjoy the experience with a great friend. I plan to spend more time being me. I will keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep working to find the balance that will help me be as stress-free as possible.

I plan to spend each day remembering my resolution for the year...be fearless.

What do you plan to do this year?