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Following Ali’s lead

October 2, 2012

Following Ali’s lead

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Last week, my "office buddy" Ali Edwards (our cubicle wall just happens to be roughly 1,836 miles wide), did one of her awesome, "Around Here" posts, encouraging her readers to do the same. I adore the concept, especially in terms of helping anyone to get some concrete life detail down on paperβ€”or on web. I thought I'd have a go. 

Savoring the onset of the cooler Fall weather. There is nothing I love more that a change of seasons ushering in the need to snuggle beneath my down comforter. After a summer with heat from Hades, it's a welcome change for sure.

Cooking food in cast iron pots. With the cooler weather comes pots of soup and chili. Chili is most definitely a staple, especially when I'm focused on eating healthy, protein-laden meals.

Working on multiple online class projects, trying to design, concept and create stuff that people will actually find useful. It's always a crap shoot as to whether or not I will succeed. 

Encouraging Cole in his new middle school life. So far, he has jumped in with enthusiasm and is adjusting to the much more demanding pace. The hours of homework last week were a bit of a shock to his system, but he's a smart kid and is rising to the task.

Planning to get back on board with better eating. My diet took a major turn for the worse over the summer, and I know I can figure this thing out eventually. I'm taking a look at cutting out wheat and sugar for a spell to see what unfolds. Will I feel as good as people say I will? Hard to say.

Listening to the new Mumford & Sons album. Loving it. They do what they do very, very well.

Reading Brene Brown's newest book, Daring Greatly.

Marveling at how hard my daughter works in school, and how much she loves every aspect of her school life. I was never a passionate student. I did it all kicking and screaming. She welcomes every challenge. I'm so proud of her.

Using my FitBit again, in an effort to inspire more movement. Even sitting at my desk all day, if I hit 10,000 steps, it tells me I'm doing something better for my body.

Trying to be whole-hearted in all of my efforts. Always trying.

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Can you share one -ing thing from your life in the comments today? I'd love to read them.

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Comments

  1. Deb A says

    October 2, 2012 at 6:21 am

    Loving the school holidays. The break from routine makes for a calmer household as we cease the stress and rush to get to school/work on time. Five days and it’s back to the craziness until mid December!

    Reply
  2. Joana says

    October 2, 2012 at 6:42 am

    Munching on an apple while reading your blog.
    Trying to get some evaluations finished for my class.
    Thinking ahead to my classes later and what I will be doing with my students.
    Struggling to type while holding abovementioned apple.

    This is my right now…

    Reply
  3. Kendra B says

    October 2, 2012 at 6:45 am

    Trying to stay positive.

    Reply
  4. Peggy says

    October 2, 2012 at 6:46 am

    I’m working on getting 8 hours of sleep each night – going to be by 10, 10:30 latest. I was tired of being tired every single morning. It feels much better!

    Reply
  5. Heather Ferguson says

    October 2, 2012 at 7:12 am

    Preparing for a week-long staycation by myself in my craft room in 2 weeks. I’m taking a week off work, sending the kids to school, hubby to work, and doing my thing for 8 hours each day. As I realize how close it is, I’m prioritizing what I want to accomplish that week. On the list: starting my first quilt, sewing the 2 Christmas garlands that have been cut forever (literally a year) but not assembled yet, making a dress for my daughter’s doll, reading, exercising, and watching TV.

    Reply
  6. Annette says

    October 2, 2012 at 7:35 am

    Procrastinating by reading blogs instead of working on a project that is due today:)

    Reply
  7. Jewel says

    October 2, 2012 at 7:45 am

    Embracing my new life living as an expat in Asia. It took me a while to welcome this experience but am starting to really enjoy it and am finding many opportunites to meet interesting women from around the world.

    Reply
  8. Kimberly says

    October 2, 2012 at 7:53 am

    Make my bed everyday (try at least). Ride my bike for a minimum of 20 minutes. There are no gears. It is a Beach Bike. So, it can get my heart racing and I listen to my music as I pedal. Most importantly, drinking a minimum of 64 ounces of water. Weigh once a week. TUESDAY is my day.

    Reply
  9. JoAnn says

    October 2, 2012 at 8:09 am

    Plan-ing to adjust my school day schedule to better fit in all learning for my students

    Reply
  10. JoAnn says

    October 2, 2012 at 8:09 am

    oh and “plan-ing” was an effort to meeting your “-ing” request, not a misspelling by the teacher πŸ™‚

    Reply
  11. LauraP says

    October 2, 2012 at 8:32 am

    Making time for running again. Back about 8 years ago I ran a half marathon and then really quit running regularly. Now, I’ve challenged myself to run one 5K each month for the next 12 months. The first one is the Color Me Rad run in Madison on 10/13. Wish me luck!

    Reply
  12. Jenny says

    October 2, 2012 at 9:00 am

    My 6th grade son just left on a school field trip for 2 days over night. I’m really excited for him, but it’s a little nerve wracking to not be with him.

    Reply
  13. Melanie L. says

    October 2, 2012 at 9:07 am

    Loving that my daughter loved her first time swimming at a new swim club last night. Enjoying my son’s company when I was baking yesterday. Loving your blog as always, Cathy. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  14. Sharon F CA says

    October 2, 2012 at 9:14 am

    Moving. I am taking the Becky Higgins challenge in honor of her brother – 43 miles in the month of October. Yesterday i walked briskly and ran for 10% of that time. I actually liked the running part. Also wearing my fit bit. It reminds me to move more.

    Reply
  15. Carolyn says

    October 2, 2012 at 9:21 am

    Twenty one months from today I will be retiring from my job of 38 years. Today at the office we had talk of transitioning someone new into my position.

    Reply
  16. Vicki says

    October 2, 2012 at 9:26 am

    I am embracing…trying to embrace life, all of it. Trying to remember things happen for a reason. Embracing what I have and what I want to give in return. Embracing a very head strong little girl, embracing that she has her own ideas and trying to go with them as much as possible. Embracing the idea of letting go of control…an ongoing process for many of us πŸ˜‰ I am embracing it all…
    You are insperational! Love the blog, love your classes and embracing the new me througout the last few months of Move More, Eat Well. Kind regards and thanks for all you do!

    Reply
  17. Donna says

    October 2, 2012 at 9:49 am

    Secretly eating cucumbers and broccoli while drinking my diet coke in McDonald’s. In April I gave up the sugar and wheat (but not the diet coke). I am down 40 pounds but more importantly I no longer have the hunger, cravings and blood sugar swings that ran my life in the past.

    Reply
  18. Cheri says

    October 2, 2012 at 9:53 am

    FEELING like crap. I’ve got a monster head cold/sinus infection that is really bringing me down.
    TRYING to rise above it and still have a good week!

    Reply
  19. Jen Knepper says

    October 2, 2012 at 10:07 am

    Cathy,
    My trainer had me cut carbs out unless right after a workout and cut back on fruit (high sugar content) to a couple of times a week. The fruit was harder than the carbs. But the results are SO worth it!!

    Reply
  20. Raven says

    October 2, 2012 at 10:19 am

    Forgiving, I’m really working on forgiving the people who have hurt me emotionally. It’s harder than it seems, but so worth the effort.

    Reply
  21. Kim says

    October 2, 2012 at 10:21 am

    I cut out wheat 3 weeks ago and feel amazing. I am really really struggling with the sugar, but started that yesterday. One month…I am focusing one day at a time. I can’t wait to hear about your journey with this if you decide to cut them out.

    Reply
  22. Suzie Perrie says

    October 2, 2012 at 10:26 am

    Discovering that cutting out all grains is NOT good for me. I never felt worse in my life. Headaches, dizzy spells, acne all over when I never have had a problem with it even as a teen, whacked out hormones, bitch from hell, and completely miserable. If it works for you that is awesome and do what makes you feel good and happy. Just didn’t work for me.

    Reply
  23. Melanie says

    October 2, 2012 at 10:47 am

    SERVE’ing with my son at school (yes, I spelled it wrong, their program is called SERVE). This morning I helped the elementary students eagerly pack nearly 300 hygeine packs for Detroit’s homeless.

    The kids were excited to do the work and it was exciting to see how much we accomplished in just a couple of hours.

    Reply
  24. bdaiss says

    October 2, 2012 at 10:57 am

    Scheming. Hosting three birthday parties, a Halloween party, and celebrating our 10 year anniversary all in a 3 week span. Catching up on project life. Catching up on quilting. Getting my running schedule back on track. What to feed my family. How to fit more hours in the day. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  25. Jacenda G. says

    October 2, 2012 at 11:43 am

    Cherishing the moments with my children. As we snuggled before bed last night, I felt so lucky to have 2 boys who still like to hug their momma! I know these times will be few and far between soon, so I tried really hard to etch that moment into my brain and heart last night!

    Reply
  26. Stacie K says

    October 2, 2012 at 11:59 am

    Have a book for you if you are considering cutting out wheat and sugar: “It Starts with Food” by Melissa and Dallas Hartwig. It’s the most basic, common-sense approach to food I have read (and I have read every “diet” book known to man). It outlines an elimination diet so you can see how sugar and wheat and dairy affect you personally. Unfortunately I found out none of them make me feel very good but I guess that’s good to know! πŸ˜‰

    Reply
  27. Mandy says

    October 2, 2012 at 12:01 pm

    Constantly adjusting to parenting 4 teenagers. With 1 at University, 2 at College and 1 in his last year of school it can be intense. I am always adjusting in some way with/to someone. Surprised that it can be as challenging as when we had 4 under (age) 5. Life right now is all about adjusting.

    Reply
  28. Tirzah Shirley says

    October 2, 2012 at 12:06 pm

    Putting up a few Halloween decorations, making white chicken chili in the crockpot or dinner, and 45 minutes on the elliptical…oh, and loving having the doors and windows open bringing in the fall weather.

    Reply
  29. Jana says

    October 2, 2012 at 12:07 pm

    Dancing & jogging – while reading your blog!

    Reply
  30. Amy says

    October 2, 2012 at 2:01 pm

    I joined Ali last week for that prompt too. (You can check out my whole post on my blog.)

    I actually have been thinking about you lately, Cathy. I just started running in the past few months and started having major back pain. I’ve had to sit out the past two weeks trying heal up and will be going for physical therapy. It’s been a frustrating experience, given the fact that exercise is supposed to be GOOD for me, darn it! But I am wondering if perhaps it will turn out for the better because now I’m more determined and hopefully will finally make exercise into a lifestyle instead of a passing fad!

    Reply
  31. cathy says

    October 2, 2012 at 2:46 pm

    I have it! Thats what got me thinking about cutting some things out! : )

    Reply
  32. Jackie says

    October 2, 2012 at 3:44 pm

    replacing stress and guilt with joy and peace. (one breath at a time)

    Reply
  33. Chris-Ellyn says

    October 2, 2012 at 3:52 pm

    Breathing. About to freak out about the multiple personal and professional projects I have to leave in limbo due to a week-long road trip. Breath in. Breathe out. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  34. Jocelyn Thompson says

    October 2, 2012 at 3:58 pm

    Getting excited about my upcoming trip to Savannah, Ga! I am going to visit my son! It has been too long and I can’t wait to wrap my arms around him! πŸ™‚

    Reply
  35. Britiney @ Consider the Lilies says

    October 2, 2012 at 4:11 pm

    Jumping – back in. I started MMEW with PBC in January and petered out sometime in the spring. Not even sure when. I saw something you posted last week about trying the Paleo Diet (which I did a year ago) and it was the push I needed to get back on that horse. I want to get back into the MMEW classroom and, although I’ve been working at moving more, my eating has been poopy. I’m going to get back in the pool and start back with tracking my foods and basically start back at square one in trying to make a difference in how I feel about my body and my health. Thanks, as always, for the inspiration.

    Reply
  36. dawn says

    October 2, 2012 at 6:31 pm

    Hi Cathy, I LOOOOVE that you did this too, great list!!

    Taking as much pictures of fall around the house and town is what’s keeping me happy and busy this week.

    Hope you do this again!!!

    Reply
  37. kerri says

    October 2, 2012 at 6:55 pm

    Preparing my food for tomorrow. After a 2 week stint of no workouts and eating junk (McDonald’s Monopoly game gets me every year) I said enough and am tryin the two week clean eating plan from Clean Eating Magazine. I started on Sunday and there is a lot of prep for the next day each day but what do you know eating all whole unprocessed foods for three days had given me tons of energy! You can do it Cathy!

    Reply
  38. Kiera says

    October 2, 2012 at 8:14 pm

    Remembering why I got married in the first place. 12th anniversary is next week and it’s so much work to just be people together, not just parents/referees.

    Reply
  39. amanda says

    October 2, 2012 at 8:32 pm

    Graduating from nursing school in December. Keeping my eye on the prize. Still recovering from ACL/miniscus surgery, but I did attempt a jog on Monday. Can’t ruin the new ligament I just got so I am taking it very, very slow. Kinda depressing. Moving forward. Just continuing to self propel.

    Reply
  40. Crystal says

    October 2, 2012 at 9:13 pm

    Savouring the time I spent with our daughter and 3 grandchildren at the swimming pool this evening. Totally last minute for me but so much fun together!

    Reply
  41. jacquie says

    October 2, 2012 at 9:30 pm

    Holding back my negative emotions to my SUV breaking down today…like bigtime breakdown. But looking forward to visiting my daughter in Dallas next week.

    Reply
  42. nancyK says

    October 2, 2012 at 10:45 pm

    Supplement-ing with Vitamin D.
    As much as I also adore this time of year, I often find myself raging in an unhappy way against the dying of the light.

    Reply
  43. BURG MOBILE says

    October 3, 2012 at 1:49 am

    I cut out whole grain 3 several weeks ago and experience awesome. I am really really experiencing the glucose, but began that last night. One 30 days. I am concentrating one day at the same time. I can’t delay to listen to about your trip with this if you choose to cut them out.

    Reply
  44. J3SS1C4 says

    October 3, 2012 at 8:35 am

    I joined in on this challenge a few days back as well. I love these posts! You mention cutting out sugar and wheat, and I just want to say, I’ve been doing it the last few weeks, and I’ve felt amazing for it! On a side note, I have also cut way back on dairy, too. I’ve thought for awhile my body has felt sluggish and not too happy with me, so I decided why not try? The first few days, I had horrible sugar headaches, as I had a big sugar day the day before stopping, but my regular headaches have gone, my skin is clearing, and I’ve continued losing weight, even though I can’t head to the gym until my foot heals. All up, I’d say it’s been great!

    Reply
  45. Andrea Mette says

    October 3, 2012 at 12:32 pm

    Love the look of this kit! Thanks for the chance to win one πŸ™‚

    Reply
  46. Marilyn Nimmo says

    October 3, 2012 at 5:11 pm

    LOVE Ali Edwards and looking forward to doing the December Daily.

    Reply
  47. Laura says

    October 3, 2012 at 6:43 pm

    This is the first I have heard of December Daily kits. Would LOVE to win one to try it and join in on the fun! Thanks!

    Reply
  48. Debbie B says

    October 3, 2012 at 7:49 pm

    I have been happily helping my sister who had surgery recently. It has really made a great change in my life. I get to see her son and grandson (my nephew and great-nephew) every morning before school. Love it. Such a blessing.

    Reply
  49. Karen Freeman says

    October 3, 2012 at 11:30 pm

    Relishing in the last couple of weeks before my baby boys turn five and start school, and our journey together at home ends, but a new one begins, albeit a little lonely for Mum.

    Reply
  50. Ryan Ann says

    October 4, 2012 at 4:58 am

    Having fun πŸ™‚ two fall parties in the next two weeks πŸ™‚

    Reply
  51. Ellie Gifford says

    October 6, 2012 at 8:47 am

    Can I recommend cutting out one for two weeks, and then the other? I’d start with sugar, and then add on wheat…it is an easier transition that way, and will allow you to really experience which affects you more – losing sugar, or losing gluten. Much love and luck. xo.

    Reply
  52. Rozanne says

    October 6, 2012 at 5:06 pm

    Moving. I’m moving even though every part of me hurts from rheumatoid arthritis. Moving in hope of feeling better.

    Reply
  53. Dalon says

    October 6, 2012 at 10:33 pm

    LOVING my amazing and crazy life with boys and school and sports … despite the fact that I’m also AVOIDING the self care I so desperately need πŸ˜‰

    Reply
  54. cathy says

    October 7, 2012 at 12:16 pm

    Yes~ You can recommend that! Which is kind of what Im shooting for!

    Reply
  55. Karen says

    October 9, 2012 at 2:17 pm

    Listening to the new Mumford & Sons album too. Had been looking forward to it for months. Absolutely fantastic and a change from my usual all Ray LaMontatagne all the time (Love!)
    Planning on taking your Two Views class to make an album with my 10-year-old daughter. Looking forward to it very much, maybe it will help me figure how it is possible that she is 10 years old already and so much her own person.

    Reply
  56. cathy says

    October 9, 2012 at 4:12 pm

    Karen, so glad youre taking it and making one with your daughter! : ) I am loving the album Aidan and I made.

    Reply

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