Losing steam already?

Before I get started on today, I will fill you in on what I accomplished.  So after I cleared off the desk and got all the unnecessary stuff out of the way, I moved into the sewing table.  This is how it turned out.

I cannot believe I was able to move into such a small space.  I do have to come up with something for the inbox/outbox situation, because it is necessary.  Until then this will work.  

It's been a rough start to my morning emotionally.  The day is super foggy, and cold.  I feel overwhelmed with clutter and am quickly losing excitement now that I am experiencing what it really takes to make it happen.

Having all this clutter makes me realize how lazy I am.  As I group items together and put items in the "go to another room" basket, I am reminded of why it is in the wrong room at all.  Why is it so difficult to go put stuff away!!!  I have become so lazy, and that is why my house is in the shape it is again.

I told Kurt last night.  "This is like when I first lost the weight then gained most of it back.  Then lost it again.  This time I am not going to gain my weight back, I have kept it off for a year and a half.  This time I am not going to get cluttered again!!!!"

I believe that I have strategies in place in my mind that I can implement to prevent a backslide.  I will make it a habit just like I did with exercise.  I am in training right now.

So, I sent a video to Monica of my house.  There is no way in the world that I am going to share that video here.  Here is the email she sent me, and here are my replies.  Does anyone reading this feel this way?  Am I making too many excuses?

I have a headache…

Hello Monica,

I am going to continue de-cluttering and setting aside favorite items that I wish to place around the house.  For now I will put answers down to your questions.  I know you are asking them so I will think about them, but I will send you my responses, and that way they show you where my head is at, and they give me something to look at and think about.  I hope your work days are going well, and that your clients are cooperating.

Thank you for the video. A few questions for you to think about and discuss with your family.

Let's start ant the entry:

Is the entry functional for you and your family?  Unfortunately the entry has always been a frustration.  At one time it was an incredible eye sore, but now it is at least under somewhat of control.  It looks much better in the summer when there are no coats or backpacks.  Instead of making a closet under the stairs, the people who built the house chose a bathroom for that space.

Does it represent you and your style when guests appear? I would love to have it be more welcoming _I have some decorative ideas rolling in my head that I may implement once the mess is gone.

Are your guests able to set down any personal items when they arrive? Nope

Moving into the family room:

I love your sectional couch with a nice size coffee table. Great pieces!  Thank you

Is there storage under the coffee table? Yes, this is where I try to convince the family to keep the remote controls

Is there space behind the center of the couch for lighting? Yes, there is actually an attractive floor lamp there.

Is there a console table you could match up to the coffee table under the TV? This one is a great idea!  I am officially on the lookout.

 Bleh!!!  

Going upstairs:

Is that your time out chair at the top of the landing?  lol LOL, I wish it were MY time out chair!  No.  In fact I should have pointed out more of that area to you so you could help me make it more useful.  There are some curious spaces at the landing.

What is your laundry system? Are the girls accountable the there portion?  My laundry system is: girls bring it down, they help me sort it.  I wash and dry it, and they help fold it.  Laundry is a 5 step process, and I have fallen off the wagon on step 5.

Master Bedroom:

Try moving your bench to the wall by the mirror then flank the bench with the hall tree.  Which side of the  bench should I put that "hall tree", that is if my husband lets me move it.  Which side of the mirror should I put the bench on?

Is the shelf in the closet blocking any light?  The shelf in the closet is blocking the window.  

When was the last time you did a Big purge of clothes and shoes? I have purged clothes and shoes more times than I care to remember.  It seems as though I keep getting rid of stuff, and still cannot manage what I am left with.  Maybe I should just make the official move to the guest bedroom.  Seriously, my bedroom is NOT set up for a husband and wife to share a closet.  What bedroom ever is????

It's time to simplify and figure out your true inventory for 2014. This goes for everyone in the house.  My kids have done it, but if it's REALLY going to happen, I need to be over the shoulder.  Haley just did one during Christmas break and I helped her.  Kurt definitely needs to, but I cannot push him on that yet.  I know he wants too though.  

Master Bath:

Lets take a closer look in your linen closet and focus on grouping items together. This will allow you to know what containers to purchase to house them in.  Okay, will do.

Treat yourselves to new towels you deserve it!  Maybe

Keep delegating out tasks. We are not meant to do this alone. You are amazing and keep living " one day at a time".   I understand that we are not supposed to do this alone, but I need to get it to a state of well being alone, so I can think and not get confused over delegating and being worried about what they are doing.  Once it is done and cleared, then I will begin to dole out responsibilities. 

Hugs from California,

Monica (your personal organizer)

Thanks for reading.  Back to de-cluttering I go…it is all going to be worth it, you'll see. 

Now that I've decided to get rid of that desk, I want it GONE

Crafty was my middle name in the early part of the century.  If it was popular I was doing it, if it was a lost art, I was doing it!  You can imagine my excitement when my husband and I found an incredible deal on a large desk with room to house many of my craft digs and surface space enough to spread out projects.

Monica called me last night and we talked about the computer/piano/sun room.  This room is without a doubt my favorite room in the house.  It has several windows and lets a gracious amount of light in during the day.  There are a few problems with it at the moment.  The first problem is the lighting for the evening.  There is no center light in the ceiling, which has led to the need of a lot of floor lamps. The couch sits against the windows so there is no way to sit on it and look out at the beautiful land we live on.  This would be the only room one could really do that in.  Monica spoke out loud about the room and what it had to offer, tossing around ideas in her head.  One of the ideas had to do with a possibility of the couch floating.  I have had this same idea in the past, but with the size of the desk awkwardly taking up half the room, it was never possible.  I said "I could get rid of the desk."  She said "If you want to, that would certainly work." I think she was more excited about the prospect than she let on.

That was all I needed.  I cleared off the desk with intentions of following Monica's instructions to divide up the papers into sections of what they are to me, such as, Need to be reviewed, filed, mailed, etc.  That way if I have piles that have a name to them, then I will have an idea of what things migrate to my desk, and will better understand how to manage them.  She spoke briefly about having three stackable boxes for floating papers.  I was on cloud nine.  Things were really moving forward in a direction that put me in line for smooth household conditions.  No more dreaming of getting to the things I want to do as I am cleaning up my mess and everyone else's.  No more getting an hour or two to myself then feeling guilty because I am using it for something other than cleaning.  Nope, my plan is to declutter, repurpose, organize, and create a cleaning schedule so that my home will be maintained on a daily basis by only needing 1 hour a day to keep it that way.  1 hour!!!  Do you understand?  NO MORE BEING OVERWHELMED!!

When the kids got home Haley was the first to notice the cleared off desk.  She was yelling to Emily that she had to come in here and look at this!  She was ecstatic.  Until she realized I was getting rid of the desk.  Her claim to be upset was that there were memories tied to that desk.  I basically told her it was my desk, and it was going.  When I asked her to change the location of where she normally puts her back pack, I thought the world was going to end.  Ugh why do kids have to be such creatures of habit?

Not long after, my husband came home.  I was chattering on about the desk and giving it to my sister and possibly trading it for her old one, but that it might be too small, etc.  He said nothing.  Then about 10 minutes later I asked him if he thought I could start taking the desk apart without him.  He stopped what he was doing and looked at me with a most seriously stressed face.  "Why do you need to get rid of the desk? Is it so you can go buy one?"  I said "I don't need to spend a lot of money, we can just get one at the thrift store, I know I can find something good there."  "Oh, like the chair you found there?", he said pointing to a chair he has detested every since I brought it home from the Salvation Army.  I will admit the chair is rather homely.  It is time to get rid of that chair too.  But before he said any of this, he said "That desk has a lot of memories."  Seriously, he said that.

Said chair, that is assisting me in organizing by holding recycle

Just like that, the wind was knocked out of my sails.  Not because my husband knocked it out, but because I was feeling guilty for not consulting him about it.  I try to make those kinds of mistakes once because they make me feel so crappy.  I apologized to him and told him I honestly did not think it was that big of a deal.  He told me it really was not, but he just wants to make sure we don't get some piece of junk to replace it.

Update:  Professional organizer lady who was supposed to come on Monday needed to reschedule.  This, for me, was a blessing.  I am taking that time to get the clutter out so when she does come, it will not be mess she sees, but rather a way to repurpose.  I am secretly hoping Monica and I will have it done before then.

Today: Tuesday.  No clients so I am able to de-clutter carte blanche!  (Forget the dishes!!)  I put all the stuff from my mega desk onto the dining room table (forget dinner!) and began to arrange my piles.  Here is what I came up with.

 These piles are divided up as follows: 

To be filed, Blank paper for use, Used on one side scrap, check carbons can't get rid of, check register

 The right corner is office supplies

Baskets are: Middle is stuff that needs to be relocated

Right side is stuff that can be sold or given away

When Monica lived near me and we were working face to face, she would take my stuff for me so that I would not be tempted to pull it out of the trash.  That was such a huge blessing!  Speaking of blessing, she prays for me, much like I do for my clients.  Okay, I am going to post for now, and work on something else until I receive instruction…Oh, did I mention how great Monica is with communication?  I should really take a lesson from her. (Oh wait, I am!) :)

Building operation De-clutter

Whew!  Well, today began with an email to Monica telling her I was getting a consult with a personal organizer and asking her what to look for in her services. Monica called me right away and suggested that I grab a clip board and take it into every space with me all day long.   The things to write were all about what I needed and wanted for that particular space.  She also said something about dividing a paper up into quadrants…after the thought of math entered my mind, she kind of lost me for a minute.  I will have to ask her again about that.

As I did this, a lot of things rolled through my mind.  The thing that spoke the loudest was, "you don't need help de-cluttering, just repurposing.  You should call her and tell her not to come for another few weeks."  Then I thought about the fact that just the mere thought of this woman coming to help me had lit a fire under my bum, and I had done more today than in the past two months.  So I am hanging in there.

One thing about Monica that I cherished about her skill was her ability to take things that I already own, and put them where they will serve me better.  She calls this repurpose, and shopping from within.  The way she explained it was that I buy the things I like, but do not have a purpose for it. What she had done was simply shopped from what I already had, and found a more suitable purpose for it.  She said that is completely normal.  I explained that I am aware I like to do that, and have had to really back off from it.

When I spoke to the personal organizer over the phone she asked me which spaces I would need help with.  I thought to myself "All of them, of course!", but really thought about it from a financial perspective and came up with the kitchen, master bathroom, and master bedroom.  Now that I have had time to evaluate my home with a critical eye, I have settled on the master bathroom, master closet, computer desk, and kitchen.

The deal I wish to work with her is that I will do my best to get rid of the clutter, then she can move in and help me put things in places that make more sense.

My plan
1. Clear clutter
2. Organize what's left
3. Make a cleaning schedule.  I used to go by the fly lady's plan, and I loved it!  I haven't followed in years :(
4. Finally have a clear mind so I can focus on the People I love, and the things I enjoy…like personal training!  I already focus on that, but cannot imagine the possibilities of this mind once the weight of my house hold responsibilities are manageable.  I may even discover that I like cooking!

Thank you for reading, and stay tuned!

It's Been One Year

Last year at this time our little family was making some changes.  I was anticipating my first time ever of going to college, and my girls were making a big change with a new school.  I remember it was so hot the first week or two of school.

This year it will be a rainy first day start.  This will be their second year and I will be finishing up in November.  I do not know why I am so nervous for them.  I honestly wish I could stay and hold their hands through the first day, just till the butterflies go away.  If I could split myself in two, and the school would allow me to hover, I would.

Instead, I will do the right thing, the only thing that will ensure them the strength they need to succeed in this life.  I will pray without ceasing.  Sometimes in life I face emotional challenges that bring me closer to God.  I never thought this would be one of them.

How to gain weight...an article that may help find a strategy to lose weight.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/underweight/AN00597

This is an article about how to gain weight.  Eating to purposely gain weight peeked my interest when I was reading about it in my Nutrition text book.  The idea behind it is to gain weight the healthy way.  The same with this article and what I found in the nutrition book are my thoughts.  This is a great way for people who are eating healthy, yet gaining weight, to see where the pitfalls may be.  The things they recommend eating are good, however these are the things that a person trying to lose weight should eat sparingly.

What do you think about this as a tool for weight loss?

My thoughts on Paleo Diet

Paleo Diet Pros and Cons

First let me begin by saying there is no single diet on earth that can be tailored to fit every individual. Second, the five ways to recognize a nutritious diet according to Chapter One of Nutrition Concepts and Controversies are; “Adequacy, Balance, calorie control, moderation, and variety”. I did not know much about it before taking a solid look into the Paleo Diet. I have wanted to look into it for some time as I have had my doubts about it. My doubts stemmed from hearing that it omits dairy. Well upon my research, according to the web site www.robbwolf.com/what-is-the-paleo-diet, the creator of the diet, Robb Wolf, states that the foods to avoid are “ dairy, grains, processed food, sugars, legumes, starches, and alcohol.”

I am going to approach my disdain for this diet with a food by food basis. Cutting out any staple food in general is not a good idea. First food I will address is dairy. Dairy has been under attack when it comes to fad diets every since I can remember. Milk is known to contain calcium. The author of Nutrition Concepts and Controversies states, “A diet lacking calcium causes poor bone development during the growing years and increases a person's susceptibility to disabling bone loss in adult life” (Concepts and Controversies). Milk and milk products also contain; protein, riboflavin, vitamin B12, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

Next I will tackle legumes. Legumes are high in iron and contain essential vitamins and minerals (Concepts and Controversies). “Most foods that are rich in iron are poor in calcium” (Concepts and Controversies).

Grains are a very important food, they contain folate, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, iron, magnesium, selenium, and fiber. The body needs Forty-odd nutrients to function at it's best. Many of these nutrients are found in the foods the Paleo Diet suggests we cut out.

Believe it or not starches do have their place in the human diet. The USDA recommends 4 cups per week on a 1,600 calorie diet (Concepts and Controversies) “Even an ordinary baked potato contains hundreds of different compounds” (Concepts and Controversies) proving that they should be included into our diet.

I will approach my approval of the diet with a food by food basis as well. The Paleo diet is not all bad, in fact the foods they are pushing us to add more of are excellent foods, the best of the best. Fruits and vegetables rate very high in my diet. I concentrate on adding more each week as to meet my recommended nutrient intake. On top of being loaded with essential vitamins, fruits and vegetables contain something called phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are extremely beneficial to our bodies and are something that can only be obtained through fruits and vegetables, or in other words, cannot be made into a vitamin. Doctor Haas states in her book, “Phytonutrients outnumber traditional nutrients by about 10,000 to 1. All of the wonderful qualities that we associate with good food-the way it looks, smells, and tastes-are the result of a food's phytonutrients” (Staying Healthy with Nutrition). The next food Wolf, founder of the Paleo Diet, tells us is “okay to eat” is lean meat. Lean meat contains protein, niacin, thiamin, vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc (Concepts and Controversies). Nuts and seeds are also on his okay to eat list. Nuts and seeds including; flaxseeds, sesame seeds, and almonds along with healthy oils. Olive oil, contributes to vitamin E, and essential fatty acids (Concepts and Controversies). Lastly I would like to talk about the health benefits of certain seafoods. Salmon and other types of fish are known to contain high levels of omega 3, and omega 6 essential fatty acids. In fact the USDA recommends eating seafood two times a week (Concepts and Controversies). One more thing I agree with Wolf about is omitting processed food and refined sugars, along with alcohol. There are no health benefits to either. I will however provide one caution of omitting processed food and refined sugars all in one. It can cause a serious binge session if the individual who proceeds with the Paleo Diet chooses only to stay on the diet until the weight is lost. This is why everything nutrition should be handled in moderation and with a lifestyle change in mind, and this is also why I do not agree with cutting out dairy, legumes, whole grains, and even starches. The way I see it, the broader my choices of food, the better opportunities I have to make good choices.

Citations

Sizer, , and Whitney. Nutrition Concepts and Controversies. 12th ed. Belmont: Wadsworth, Cengate Learning, 2012. N. pag. Print.

Haas, MD, Elson M., and Buck Levin PhD, RD. Staying Healthy with Nutrition. 21st centuryst ed. New York: Ten Speed Press, 2006. N. pag. Print.

Wolf, Robb. "The Paleo Diet Works!." http://robbwolf.com/what-is-the-paleo-diet/. Media Temple, 2013. google.com. Web. 8 May 2013.

Career is getting started!

Things are really starting to happen!  I have been enjoying my fitness screening class in that I have been having interaction with clients.  I have done fitness testing, fat analysis, and movement screenings!  This is all the first steps to personal training.  Next week will mark my 6th month of the program!  Only 8 more months to go.  I just finished up my paper that defines my code of ethics.  This got me to thinking.  Having ethics is one thing, but defining them and writing them down really helps bring to light the way I want my behavior to be.

Today I finally got a hold of the man at YMCA and he had some good news for me.  He said they already have an internship deal with the college, but he would ask the higher ups about letting me get on board.  He asked me to send him a resume and a cover letter explaining my desire to internship at the YMCA, and some other stuff that I would have to check my notes about.  I see this as an opportunity to get a jump start on not only my resume, but my career!  I know it will be a push doing that along with school and family, but I think it will make a great impact on my knowledge.  Blessings are being poured out as advantages!!!!  My mentor with the college said to send him a copy of my cover letter and resume and he will look it over as a trainer and give me advice.  WOOHOO!!  So maybe next week end I will have time to work on that.  Meanwhile, here is a copy of my code of ethics paper.  This paper is not about thinking I am such a great person with no issues in my life, because believe me I mess up all the time, it is just what I plan to maintain as a decent human being.

 "I believe that change is always possible. Being liked for whom I am is great, but only if that is the person who I want to be."

 Professional Code of Ethics and Personal Code of Ethics.

Professional Code of Ethics

I chose availability, compassion, communication, commitment, and straight-forwardness for my professional code of ethics. These values all help to enforce my ethics as a professional, and will propel my career as a personal trainer through reputation.

Availability to me means being available to my client. My clients will have questions, and it will be my job to be available to answer them. I expect my clients to do what I ask of them; therefore I want them to be knowledgeable about what is expected.

If a client is struggling with achieving their goal, whether the struggle be in nutrition, or maintaining a fitness regimen, I want to have compassion for them in their struggles. I want them to know that I understand what they are going through.

That being said I also promise to be straight-forward. When I see that a client is making excuses rather than giving it their all, I plan to let them know the areas they show weakness. I will be compassionately straight-forward. 

The commitment I will make to my profession will be diligent and organized. I will maintain an unmatched level of responsibility. I will be committed to detail within each session of personal training, not leaving out or skipping steps.

Having a professional code of ethics is important because it provides a template for which to be responsible. There are so many ethics and virtues that are important to being a personal trainer. I believe writing them down and making them my own, sets a standard for how I will run my business. It also gives my clientele something concrete to which they can hold me.

Personal Code of Ethics

I chose passion, integrity, honesty, loyalty, and fitness for my personal code of ethics. These values help me to be a well rounded trustworthy person. They give me credibility in life and help me to be the person I should be. It is important in life to set a value system by which to live. Without values, ethics, and morals, we are prone to do things that are unacceptable not just to society, but can also hurt personal relationships.

Integrity is so important to me it goes right along with trustworthiness. The word integrity means moral uprightness. It is the difference in cheating on my taxes when I know I will not be caught, and doing the right thing even though I may face a penalty.  Integrity to its core is unacceptable to society, but for me it shapes my life in a way that I can live with myself and face my Father in prayer every morning.

Honesty to me means not being a liar. When I am honest, then I am forthright and truthful. I do not believe in being honest to a fault, or in other words "telling it like it is" when I have not even been asked. I am speaking of the honesty that goes without scheming, cheating, and lying. 

Sixteen years ago I made a promise to be my husbands wife for the rest of my life. Along with that promise came the duty to be loyal. When my husband makes a decision that is inline with the word of God, I will be firm and constant in my support of his choice. Serving God is my most unwavering strength. I will be fervent in furthering His kingdom, showing loyalty to its depths.

Passion for me means doing things with maximal effort. When I chose to go to college in my latter part of life, I knew it needed to be done with passion. When I decided to start running, and ultimately decided to be a long distance runner, passion soon took over. I will do whatever it takes to succeed no matter how much it hurts me. That being said, I will not sacrifice my family's needs for my success.

Fitness is, at this point, a very significant value. It is a value that I must work very hard at maintaining.  I train with fervency and vigor.  I am committed to completing my training no matter what obstacles I face.  Being physically fit means pushing my limits, and by doing that, I gain respect for myself in my achievements.

Having a personal code of ethics is important because it brings value to the person I am and strive to be. I can be confident in my relationships with my husband, daughters, friends, and family. My ethics are very important to me. They shape the way I live and conduct my life.  I believe that change is always possible. Being liked for whom I am is great, but only if that is the person who I want to be.