A New Week, A New Chance

Many of us (including me) did not meet our goals last week. Even more haven't checked in with us to report yet. I hope you stop in and share your successes and trip-ups with the rest of our group.

As much as I enjoyed last week, with the never-ending food, guests, and games to be played, I am ready to get back into the swing of things this week. I am ready to not look at pie again for at least a few days:), to exercise more, and to read my scriptures EVERY SINGLE DAY. With that being said, that will require me breaking the bad habit that I got into this last week of sleeping until 7:30 each morning. Yikes! Here's hoping that I can do it. Kimball and I have a math date at 6:15 am tomorrow on the living room couch. If I blow that off, the whole day will go downhill.

What are your goals for this week? Are they different from the general goals that you've set? Have you decided to increase them or ease them up a little so that they fit your life better? Fill us in!

Participant Updates

I'd like to welcome Erin, aka Prudy, to our Healthy Habits challenge and remind you that if you know someone who wants to join us it's not too late. I love seeing everyone's various goals and am so glad that I decided to leave the goal setting part up to each of you, rather than trying to pick a goal for all of us to achieve.

If you get a chance, stop by Rebecca's blog for an update on why she's been in the hospital. We love you, Rebecca, and hope you are back at full speed soon. And remember that the sidebar pictures link to blogs. A few of them are private, but most are not, so you can get to know the other participants better.

I've noticed that some of our participants very rarely(or never) check in. Are you there? You don't need to report daily if that is overkill for you, but let us know how you are doing. Since there aren't any real penalties here except for not achieving your goals, the sense of accountability to the group and to the goal in your sidebar is critical to your success! Okay, enough nagging. Get out there and reach your goals, girls!

A Week of Weekends

For some people this may be a week with a long weekend. For me and many other moms out there, this entire week is like a weekend. I have family here from out of town, the kids and I are taking the week off of school, and we'll be doing things like playing with cousins, baking pies, playing board games, etc. It will be great except for the fact that my healthy habits really fall apart when there is extra fun to be had. Somehow my scripture study and exercise get crammed out all the time. I need to commit to get up early this week even if I don't have to teach Kimball math at 6:00 AM so that I can get in those two very important things before I become the mommy at 7:00ish.

How will you keep up your habits this week? Are you adjusting your goals, or sticking to them like glue? Fill us in on your plan.

Days 5-7 The Weekend

We are now entering the weekend. I'll admit that my weekend starts earlier than most because my husband closes his office on Fridays. Sometimes he still sees patients, participates in Chamber of Commerce activities, or markets himself, but lots of times he's around. It's also not a routine school day for us. Jared usually teaches "Science Friday" and then we try to get done anything that I had planned for the week that hasn't happened yet. (Today we are making "silver" Persian plates and etching them with toothpicks, for instance. I wish we could visit Christine in Istanbul for a little field trip.) The point is that my Fridays and Saturdays are not very routine. And that makes it harder for me to stick to my goals and habits.

Does anyone else struggle with their habits on the weekends? Any thoughts on how we can get through this? I mean, since the weekend comes up every seven days, it would be handy if we figured out how to be masters over it, rather than letting the lack-of-routine days ruin our healthy selves week after week. Fill me in on strategies that you use. And let us know how the week is going for you if you haven't been updating us daily.

Day 4--Thursday

As most of us struggle with temperance (and it's companion, patience,) I decided to study the topic a bit on GospeLink.com. I loved these words on developing temperance in our lives:

Christ's life was one of inner discipline. He said, "strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." ( Matt. 7:14) A loose, meandering life, that drifts along with easy social habits of intemperance is no way to an abundant life-it leads to ruin. "Â…Wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat." ( Matt. 7:13)

Self-discipline is the price of character, and it is the price of nearly everything worthwhile — our democracy, a lovely home, vocational success, worthwhile friends, and devotion to the Church.

Christ would therefore say something like this to us: "If you are going to enter the gate that leadeth unto life, you can't follow every vagrant impulse. You will have to organize your values and then you will have to discipline yourself."

--Obert C. Tanner, from Christ's Ideals for Living

So just remember that the work required in achieving our goals is worth it.

Day 3-- Wednesday

Quote for the day:

We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons. --Jim Rone

Let's pay the price to be more self-disciplined. It feels so much better than the alternative!

Be sure that you subscribe to the posts with comments so that you can see when anyone in our group reports in. That will allow us to support each other better.

Day 2- Tuesday

"Early to bed, early to rise

Makes a man healthy, weathy and wise"

--old proverb

Your goal may not be to get to bed early, but I know that early to bed and early to rise makes me much more likely to achieve my goals. If I'm up too late, I'm much more likely to sleep in, rather than starting the day off with scripture study, or to take a nap instead of a walk mid-day. So although I don't mention bedtime in my official goals for this challenge, it will be a supporting goal for me to be in bed before 10pm on weeknights.

Be sure to leave a comment, reporting on how your day went. You can go to yesterday's post to leave an update on Monday.

Day One--Monday

Rather than have you all wait each day until I have time to post my results, I am going to set up daily posts and schedule them ahead. Then, each day, come to this blog and leave a comment to share how your goals went that day. Take the time to read each other's comments so that we can offer support to each other. Be sure to subscribe or "follow" this blog in the sidebar so that you get all the updates. (By the way, if you don't like the picture I used of you, feel free to send me another one. My email is sleepymumATgmailDOTcom.)

I will get everyone up in the sidebar as soon as possible. If you left a comment here, I know you are in. I'll be using people's profile pictures if they have one and linking to your blog (although if it's private, that doesn't matter much.) If you wish to be more anonymous than that, let me know, but I think it is fun for the participants to get to know each other a little.

Good luck, everyone! I am looking forward to this accountability. Apparently, I need it.

Now leave a comment and tell us how you did on the first day of our challenge: Monday, November 17th.