Oh Crap! – Musings of an Unperfect Mommy

A Day Lived Well

October 28, 2022

So, I thought today that everything was going to heck in a handbasket, but it turns out it wasn’t a total loss. Here’s the rundown:
1. Take daughter to work
2. Grab a Starbucks
3. Gas in the car
4. Hit the grocery store for a few things we need
5. Back home and rest on the couch
6. Actually eat something for lunch thanks to daughter #2
7. Pay bills
8. Vacuum downstairs
9. Take son to work
10. Check out holiday sets at Ulta – upon which I see message from son saying he forgot his wallet so…
11. Back home to get wallet and run it to him at work
12. Back home and rest on the couch – decide to pick up dinner
13. Oooh – “Inside Daisy Clover” is on! Watch that after dinner instead of brooding.
14. Feeling empowered now so I unload and reload dishwasher while listening to Diana Krall.
15. Play some Animal Crossing and chat with daughter #1 when she gets home.
16. Get ready for bed, lay out clothes for tomorrow, and decide that today was actually good.
17. Eat a snack and then I’ll be watching an episode of “Upstairs Downstairs” before bed.
Yeah – that’s not a bad day’s work. What I did here was focus on what got done instead of what didn’t and that made a huge difference! If you only focus on the negatives, then it almost cancels out the positives. So, next time you think you didn’t get a lot done – list what you did do (even if it’s only two things) and pat yourself on the back. You’re doing fine.

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I Can Do That

October 5, 2022

In an effort to regain my health, I looked up clean eating and how to start. I’ll say right off the bat – I’m not into fad diets or diets at all – however, I know that eating healthier starts with making better choices. In other words, I will not be giving up bread, just buying bread that has fewer ingredients and is whole grain (i.e. less processed). I found this article and you know what? This I can do! They’re all foundational principals for healthier eating so this is where I’m starting. If you want the Cliff Notes version – here it is.
1. Pick Whole Foods
2. Eat More Whole Grains
3. Load Up on Fruits and Vegetables
4. Watch Out For Added Salt and Added Sugar
5. Skip Artificial Ingredients
6. Sip Plenty of Water
7. Rethink Alcohol and Caffeine
8. Decide If You’ll Go Organic
9. Be Smart About Meat And Dairy
Those are all really easy to do and a great starting point for a healthier diet (diet here meaning the foods you eat on a regular basis). Even the notes are nice and conservative – nothing crazy. They don’t say you HAVE to eat organic or eat ONLY fresh foods either. You get to choose and that’s good because not everyone can afford to eat organic. I will say fresh foods in season are always cheaper but frozen is a good second best. If all you can afford right now is canned fruits and veg – that is better than eating none at all. Do what you can and as things improve you can step it up at that time.

So, it’s time to start over and begin again. UGH. I feel like I’ve said that 1,000 times but I’ve got to start where I can and make the habits stick. I also need to realize it’s going to take time and to give myself grace. As one of my readers reminded me, His mercies are new every morning – every day is a fresh start. No matter how we did the previous day, we can start anew TODAY and do the best we can.

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September 2022

October 3, 2022

It’s that time again peeps – a roundup of the month that was. And since I made some bold plans we’ll see how that held up. :D

Overall getting back to basics was a win. I really stayed off social media and tv – well, except for all the memorials and funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. That was important to me. She was an amazing woman and leader and we would all do well to take a page or two out of her book. May she rest in peace with her husband Prince Phillip.

So, like I said, I’ve mostly stayed off social media, internet, and tv with a few days here and there of too much scrolling or watching. Even time on my phone was down 58% last week – wow. And I hardly have any apps on there! Has it helped to limit social media? Most definitely. Listening to my voice and God’s and limiting everyone else’s helped me figure some things out. The quiet of not having the tv on and reading a book or dozing on the couch instead has been much needed in my life. Definitely helping with the stress, but also turning my brain back on to the important things I need to focus on. On the flip side of that – intentional screens – I watched Metropolis a couple of nights ago on TCM. I’ve been wanting to watch that for a long time and decided to make it a date. It’s a post for another day, but that movie rocks for a silent movie from 1927! It was filmed in 1926 and is supposed to be set in 2026. Crazy.

I decided last week to drink a smidge of coffee on the daily and by Saturday I knew I shouldn’t have. Too much coffee affects my moods and I had a blow up which didn’t need to happen. This was the third time this month I’ve gone off the rails on something with someone and so it’s not all coffee’s fault. I do have some problems that need to be resolved and not getting resolution is frustrating. On the other hand, I need to find a release valve for that tension. So I need to work on that, while limiting my coffee intake.

Did I go silent last month? No. Have I been more intentional on that? A little. I’ve been talking with and listening more to my kids and that has been a plus. I’ve been trying to ask open ended questions and have been getting more responses too. My youngest daughter even cuddled on the couch with me a couple of times (she’s 18) and that was the best ever. It won’t happen much anymore so I savored that time.

As far as keeping the focus on my house things worked well. Is my house in perfect condition? No, and it never will be. Is it basically clean? Yes and that’s all it needs to be right now. I’ve been so busy that mostly just getting the basics done each day is what I’ve been doing and catching up when I can. However, I have added another new habit in – putting the clean dishes from the dish drainer away in the morning while I’m waiting for the kettle to heat, toast to pop up, or whatever. That’s one less thing I have to do down the road and a good use of wait time. Go me.

In conclusion (otherwise this post will be really long), September went well and I’m keeping the focus-on those things that are really important and knowing when to drop what’s not. This month I’m adding in tracking my spending, beefing up the pantry for the holidays and winter months, getting my wardrobe together (I actually do need things), and clothes for my two youngest. Those are things that are important and still sticks to the basic focus of me, my family, and my home.

So, let’s raise a cup of (insert favorite fall drink) and toast to a new month and the beauty of living life well.

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» 2022 » October » Oh Crap! – Musings of an Unperfect Mommy

A Day Lived Well

October 28, 2022

I Can Do That

October 5, 2022

September 2022

October 3, 2022

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