Tag: Small Success

Small Success: Fitness Streak

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Thursdays at CatholicMom.com begin with a look at the past week’s Small Successes!

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If you’ve hung around this blog long enough, you’ll remember that I spent several weeks in a boot last winter, trying to heal from tendinitis in my foot. Actually, I have it in both feet, but one was worse than the other.

I got out of the boot in January and was cleared to just do neighborhood walking soon afterward.

And, to be honest, I was afraid. I walked around the corner to the strip mall once or twice, but wouldn’t go farther than that, because I didn’t want to be too far from home if my foot began to hurt. I didn’t want to damage it even more–I’d been told by the doctor that foot surgery would be in my future at that point.

A few weeks ago I worked up the guts to walk around my block (0.9 miles)–and wound up with shin splints for my trouble. It’s enough of a slope, I guess, for that to be a factor, though nothing compared to the hills in the area where I grew up, which I used to walk around on all the time.

When it comes to exercise, I’m basically lazy. I don’t want to do it and will find easy excuses not to. The combination of laziness and fear was paralyzing.

And as spring came around, so many of my friends began sharing photos of their runs. I rejoiced with them at their progress–with more than a twinge of jealousy. No, I don’t run–and I never will again. I’m not allowed to run. I’m also not allowed on a treadmill, which is the one thing I enjoyed doing at the gym.

This week, though, I made myself get out there. I’ve done some exercise each morning for the past 7 days. 5 of those days were neighborhood walks, after I cleared it with my back-door neighbor that I could cut through her backyard to get to a flatter area for a walk. Twice, I went to the gym and rode the bike, which is the exercise my doctor recommended for me, but which I hate.

pickup notes

Today, I brought my Kindle to the gym and propped it up on the little shelf where the display screen is, and changed the font to a larger size. Instead of watching how many miles I’d pedaled, I read a novel. 25 minutes on the bike sped by. I’ll do that again. Anything to get guilt-free reading time! I can stomach the bike when there’s a good story to keep me distracted.

A few highlights from my week in fitness.
A few highlights from my week in fitness.

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Small Success: Savoring the Morning

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Thursdays at CatholicMom.com begin with a look at the past week’s Small Successes!

This weekend we had a party for TheKid, who graduated 8th grade earlier this month. I cooked for 50 guests: sausage and peppers, homemade meatballs and sauce, penne alla vodka, baked beans, salad, vegetable tray and macaroni salad. Thanks to four spreadsheets, years of experience cooking for family parties and a marathon of “Good Bones” on HGTV on demand, all the food was done ahead of time and I was able to relax and enjoy our guests.

Early Sunday morning, I relaxed on the back porch with a cup of coffee and a novel I didn’t have to review.

The table on the porch was still piled high with (clean) serving bowls and utensils waiting to be put away. The cooler was still full of soda, juice boxes and ice. A box of potato chips sat on a nearby chair.

The morning was sunny, breezy and cool. The coffee was hot and the novel compelling. My Small Success was taking the time to savor it all.

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Small Success: Double Time

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Thursdays at CatholicMom.com begin with a look at the past week’s Small Successes!

Yesterday I was messaging with a coworker on Slack, and I said this:

Yeah, I have an article to write, deadline ASAP, so I’m cleaning the freezer…

That’s pretty much how things are going around here.

My freezer is very clean after yesterday’s defrosting binge. And I don’t have to buy any more meat for the next 2 months, except for what I’ll need for TheKid’s graduation party next Saturday.

(I’m cooking! Want to come over and help us eat all the food?)

That defrosting binge was definitely stress organizing. I’m doubling up on work this month; in addition to my regular job at CatholicMom.com, I’m doing editorial support for Today’s Catholic Teacher during the month of June.

THAT was a total fluke. I answered a call for articles on Twitter and wound up building a spreadsheet of articles, authors and word counts. I’m writing an article too, but there’s not really a learning curve as far as that goes.

So as I juggle my regular part-time job and learn a new (temporary) one, I found something I could totally control–my freezer. It’s full, but it’s organized and I have a LIST of what’s in it.

As for the rest of it, I’ll muddle through. I’m learning a lot, and working with some amazing (and patient) people. Once I finally find my groove, though, the job will end. That’s the nature of temp work. I should be used to it, after all the substitute-teaching I’ve done.

But in the back of my head, I’ve got one more list: things I can spend an hour organizing when I need to clear my head and take complete control of something.

I hope nothing happened on Twitter yesterday. There was no time to tweet (and that’s not simply a leisure activity for me. It’s networking.) I was doing work for 2 jobs, outlining an article, making a batch of cold-brew coffee, washing 5 loads of laundry, defrosting and organizing the freezer, making chicken stock and then dinner, attending folk group practice that ran late, then freezing 21 cups of chicken stock and doing all the dinner dishes that the people who ate dinner late left for me. (We’re going to have to have a talk about THAT.)

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Small Success: Mom’s New Office

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Thursdays at CatholicMom.com begin with a look at the past week’s Small Successes!

I’ve been working a little bit at a time to clear out TheKid’s old bedroom. He vacated it when he took over his big brother’s room almost two years ago, and it’s just been sitting there collecting junk ever since.

Sure, it’s small (10×12 or even smaller) but it will work just fine for me to use as an office, and it will do for a guest room in a pinch as well.

I’ve gotten the office part under control, at least. There’s still a bunch of stuff on the bed that I need to clear away, plus the ironing board, but I’m at the point where I can bring my laptop into that room and work. I’ve been working there all week!

Office in progress

That’ll be great this summer when the Street Urchins are hanging around, playing Super Smash Brothers only a few feet from the living room.

Someday I’ll paint it, but right now it’s just nice to have a quiet place to work.

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Small Success: Dormitory Tetris

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Thursdays at CatholicMom.com begin with a look at the past week’s Small Successes!

On Friday, I folded down the seats in “Maxine,” my station wagon, and headed over to collect my daughter’s stuff from her college dorm room, using all my Tetris skills to cram a refrigerator, hand truck, foot locker, 3 drawer units, 2 Rubbermaid bins, the Keurig she adopted after I got an Aeropress for Christmas, and assorted smaller items into the car. The doors all closed and I could see out all the windows.

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There was a desperate-looking mom parked next to me on move-out day. She had loaded all the soft, squishy-looking (but bulky) things into her small SUV first. Large, structured items littered the sidewalk around her car. I very nearly offered to help her unload the whole thing and start over, but you never know how those suggestions would be taken, so I just made a joke about playing Tetris and got into the car to wait for my daughter. (I’m still wondering if I should have made that offer to help reload her car. Packing is my superpower.)

For the record, “Maxine” was a wise purchase. My old minivan had more cubic feet of space, but it was nowhere near this accessible and usable. The van was nowhere near this stylish or comfortable either. I don’t miss too much about that van.

In my slow-but-steady pursuit of Inbox Zero (AKA the Impossible Dream) I have reduced my inbox to about 1500–less than half of what it was when I started working on it.

This week I’ve made a batch of cookies and a batch of meatballs and sauce and now I’m waiting for a loaf of sourdough bread to rise.

Other than that, it’s been same old, same old, and that’s OK.

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Small Success: Reach for It

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Thursdays at CatholicMom.com begin with a look at the past week’s Small Successes!

I feel like I’m really reaching to find successes today. Yesterday kicked my butt for reasons I won’t go into here. I’m trying to reboot, a little, today.

It’s been a good week at work…I learned a couple of new things, (mostly) stuck with the workflow plan I designed for myself a couple of weeks ago, and saw a brainstorm come to fruition. It’s really cool to offer an idea and then be allowed to run with the ball.

Next week Hubs and I will be going to a long-term service awards dinner his company is hosting. That meant (eeek!) I have to dress up. My work-at-home/occasional-substitute-teacher/church-on-Sunday wardrobe isn’t going to cut it. I asked one of my folk-group friends for fashion advice because she always is beautifully dressed and looks so put together. She works part-time and offered to go shopping with me one afternoon. We had a fun time; I got a flowy sweater to go over my little black dress, a pencil skirt and blouse (which I’d never have chosen if I was shopping on my own) for TheKid’s graduation, and a pair of foot-friendly shoes–HALF PRICE. They’re too casual for the business dinner, but I can wear them just about everywhere else.

These go with just about everything!
These go with just about everything!

Speaking of graduation, yesterday I got a notice from the school asking for a photo for the “Guess the Graduate” bulletin board–always a fun feature! I dipped into the digital archives and found this gem. TheKid is more than OK with using this one.

summer 2004
This is probably my most favorite photo of TheKid.

I’m hoping for a better day today. And I won’t say no to a Memorare for a special intention, if you’re prayerfully-inclined. (Thanks!)

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Small Success: Fleeting Seasons

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I looked out the front window Tuesday morning and saw the lilacs beginning to bloom. I’ll enjoy their sight and scent, for about a week. And then they’ll be gone.

It’s important to appreciate the fleeting things while you have them. So I opened the window and savored the lilacs, and got work done while I listened to a mockingbird’s serenade.

File Apr 19, 7 46 48 AMLilac season lasts about as long as Tech Week at the high school (10 days or so). It’s Tech Week right now, and I’m volunteering at the Tech Week Dinners, bringing chicken tacos or salad and croutons, pouring drinks, wiping tables, and marveling at the great kids who participate in the musical. People who think all high-school kids are self-centered need to show up at a Tech Week Dinner. They will see students carrying plates and drinks for someone who has full hands or an arm in a sling. They’ll see students making sure to tell the Dinner Moms that their friend has a track meet and will be arriving late for dinner, and asking if we’d save a plate or two. They’ll watch a student walk through the line with the shyest girl of all and invite her to sit at a table full of friends. They’ll hear students thanking us for the dinner from the second they walk into the cafeteria, as they pass through the line, after they say grace before the meal and again before they head to their 4-hour rehearsal.

leaning tower of beveragesI’ve gotten through the two Tech Week Dinners so far without any panic attacks, so that’s definitely an improvement over previous years. And it’s been nice; I remember quite a few people who ask about my Big Kids and wonder if I missed being the one who organized two weeks of food for 100 people. (No, I don’t miss running it, but I have missed being there.)

This week I also made a small tweak in my work “schedule” (such as it is; I don’t have an assigned schedule. As long as each article at CatholicMom.com is posted at its scheduled time, no one cares what time I work or in what order I do things.) Reworking a few things in my workflow has allowed me to be more efficient, which is a good thing! Yesterday I had to pick up some medical supplies for TheKid yesterday and bundled in a trip (first ever!) to Trader Joe’s where I did not buy everything in sight, so I guess that can count as a success.

Giant sugar cookies with sprinkles (8)cT

And my giant sugar cookies with sprinkles were a huge hit at the school bake sale. I sent in 2 dozen and TheKid reported that only one cookie was left after first lunch.

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Thursdays at CatholicMom.com begin with a look at the past week’s Small Successes! Share your Small Successes at CatholicMom.com by joining the linkup in the bottom of today’s post. No blog? List yours in the comments box!

Small Success: What Schedule?

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Thursdays at CatholicMom.com begin with a look at the past week’s Small Successes!

This has been one of those weeks when I’m just glad I have a job with a flexible schedule and a husband who doesn’t get too upset when the dust accumulates to the point where you can write your name in it. It’s been one unplanned thing after another.

MONDAY during the day I had to run over to the school and deal with an insulin-pump infusion set gone bad. I spent an hour on the phone when the supplier of insulin-pump equipment called to tell me that effective last week, the infusion sets TheKid uses have been discontinued. That’s probably for the best, as they haven’t worked out super well for him (as evidenced by that earlier run to school), but it caused a scramble. I emailed the diabetes educators at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (where he goes for treatment and classes) for guidance.

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He’s tried 2 out of these 3 and neither one works for him.

TUESDAY I had the whole day ahead of me so I worked like crazy and got a lot done, and it’s a good thing I did, because CHOP offered to squeeze us in on WEDNESDAY for a consultation about new infusion sets.

WEDNESDAY I did the grocery shopping and some laundry and put fresh sheets on my bed, then picked TheKid up at school to head to the NJ branch of CHOP (not his favorite location due to lack of a Food Court, but beggars can’t be choosers when it comes to last-minute appointments). He tried on a new set, likes it so far, and we were on our way.

While we were out and in the area (40 minutes from home) I returned two defective backpacks to the LL Bean store. I’d already replaced my daughter’s, and TheKid was using his backpack, broken zipper and all. He emptied it out in the car on the way to the store. I’m glad I got those packs at LL Bean, because they were super about taking the return of one pack that had a hole in it after 3 weeks and one with a bad zipper (both packs were new this fall). TheKid walked out of there with a replacement pack and I got a refund on the other one.

I had all kinds of plans for what will get done TODAY, but then my daughter texted me rather late last night to ask if I’d go through the 2 suitcases and 2 Rubbermaid bins she’d brought home yesterday from college to see if she’d left her wallet in with her stuff. Answer: yes.

So this morning after rush hour I’ll be heading over there to drop off her forgotten wallet. And then I have Adoration, and then a council meeting for Secular Franciscans. I should get busy putting together the agenda, come to think of it.

In light of all this, I think a slow-cooker dinner is in order for tonight. (It looks like this, but without the potatoes. I’ll serve it over rice.)

adobo

After that, when I get a few minutes, I’m going to unsubscribe from all the time-management newsletters I get in my email. Those “experts” have nice ideas, but I’m convinced they don’t have children with medical issues that can change at the drop of a hat. My productivity is directly related to a lack of kid-related errands and phone calls.

And you know what? That’s OK. That’s the season of life I’m in. I’m glad that I’m free (enough) this morning to run that wallet to my daughter. I’m glad I can zip over to school to deal with an unanticipated pump-site change. Do I wish I didn’t have to do either of those things? In some ways. But my time management right now involves doing as much work as I can when I know I have time to do it, because I never know if that window of work time I’ve planned for later in the week is going to be open.

Image source Wawa Facebook page
Image source Wawa Facebook page

So today my Small Successes is brought to you by my slow cooker, the free cup of coffee from Wawa that’s going to help fuel my trip to Philly with a forgotten wallet, and Adoration.

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Small Success: Re-entry Week

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Thursdays at CatholicMom.com begin with a look at the past week’s Small Successes!

Last week I had the whole week off work, except for 2 or 3 quick tasks that were time-sensitive. It was a little weird at first. When you work from home, your job is always right there with you, so it took some effort to remind myself that everything that still had to be done was stuff that could wait until this week.

I read a couple of books just for fun. I didn’t get as much done on my own blogs as I wanted to, but that work’s not going anywhere.

I still have some of my Easter candy left; I did not gobble it all up on the first 3 days.

And this morning, with the Science Fair looming along with the needs for color-printing presentation materials, I fixed the color printer, which would only print in color but not in black even though the black ink cartridge was 80% full. Everything’s looking good now!

Last Thursday night we headed to Gettysburg where we toured the museum (meh) and the cyclorama (WAY cool) and hired a battlefield guide who drove us around in our own car for 3 hours and told the story of the battle, start to finish. I got some cool photos!

Gettysburg Tour April 2016 (15) Gettysburg Tour April 2016 (18) Gettysburg Tour April 2016 (25) Gettysburg Tour April 2016 (37) Gettysburg Tour April 2016 (57) Gettysburg Tour April 2016 (64)

Fences and skies of Gettysburg. All of these were shot in a 3-hour period on the same afternoon. Crazy weather! We got drenched in a rainstorm in the middle of it.

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#SmallSuccess: UNproductive

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Thursdays at CatholicMom.com begin with a look at the past week’s Small Successes!

I’m supposed to be taking the week off from work (and I’ve managed to do that, about 95% of the way). It feels weird. I think that’s partly because I work from home, so it’s really always there, on the same desk as my planner and notebook with my household stuff and personal projects. So walking away is tougher.show us your planner (3)One thing that made it a little easier to put my feet up this week is that asthma has been kicking my butt. I’m finally noticing that the cough is starting to let up. Yesterday I spent a couple of hours just sitting on the couch with a decaf and a novel that I didn’t have to read for work or a book review or anything. Just a novel, to read for fun. It’s not the world’s most fantastic novel by any means, but it’s not challenging to read and that’s what I needed.

I picked up TheKid’s summer wardrobe this week. He has plenty of T-shirts but none of his shorts or swim trunks fit him, so it was off to Target:

Shorts: any color as long as they're tan. He's more flexible when it comes to swimwear.
Shorts: any color as long as they’re tan. He’s more flexible when it comes to swimwear.

I also invented an appetizer. Noms.

asparagus tart (1) c

And while we’re talking food, this grilled Provolone and caramelized onion on rye with whole-grain mustard was amazing.

grilled provolone onion mustard rye

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