NST Muddy March Marathon

mothernerd

Hugs Fmess. I have been trying to do a bathing smilie but it won't let me.

It's nearly the end of the month and we're mostly struggling a bit. I hope the wellbeing has helped a bit (done partly in recognition that some of us are struggling). March has been very kind weatherwise but here are still lots of bugs around.

I tend to retreat into my shell when I am not feeling great, so I understand when others do so. It helps me recharge/ recover quicker and I don't like 'inflicting' myself on others when I am like that. We will just keep plodding/ treading water. We have all got through another month, hopefully have made some progress with our goals and we can all look forward to April.

I would like turtles to give a brief report on their month over the next few days and if you made a mistake, just make a note of it and learn from it, don't beat yourself up.

bizzie

I think the marathon terminology is "hitting the wall" which I certainly felt mid month having picked up a horrid little virus that meant I could do very little for a week and am only slowly getting back to normal now.
Positive is that I have already achieved my target of 15NSDs and am well under budget for groceries having shopped the cupboards/freezer for the past fortnight. :j
It has been great reading everyone's updates on this thread and venturing off to read some diaries - thank you to you all for providing ideas and inspiration to complete the course.

SpekySquarehead

Morning all,

I've returned from my trip to Aviemore with a proud 4 NSD's. Managed only due to the fact we all brought lots of home baking and food. We had a lovely time.

Back to work now. Need to get my shopping in for the remainder of this week though, so today will be a spend day.

mothernerd

Day TwentyNine
Use It or Lose It
I am not expecting you to do anything today, this is just food for thought.
Family and Friends.

Oh, that's a weird one. The point of the aforementioned book (Life changing Magic of Not Giving a F***) is that there are people and things we should care about - children, elderly/ sick relatives, local/ national/ international issues; and it is often drowned out by trivia - 'celebrities', people we once knew posting about their 'wonderful' lives (and what they had for breakfast) on social media and bosses who still think women are there to make the tea.

Since we are all time poor, we need to sort out what is important to us and then what we can do and if we are using our time wisely. If your children are small you may spend a lot of time attending to their needs but remember to make memories as well as meals. What support do other relatives need, where do you fit in (and take care not to exhaust your own reserves of time and energy).

Friends change as we get older - when 5yos fall out they think it is the end of their world. As we get older we find many friends fall by the wayside, our lives diverge, people move, we change jobs. However some 'friendships' persist even if they are damaging. Toxic friends and relationships should be purged - someone who takes you for granted or only calls when they need help, is no friend (if helping costs you little or nothing in money or time, you are free to do so).

Issues - what can you do? Nothing most people say - but they will spend an hour on pointless grumbling / blaming (usually the wrong people). If there is nothing that can be done, don't waste time fretting (lying awake worrying) or grumbling - forget it, put it aside. Concentrate on what you can do.

Throughout this challenge I have suggested various small actions you can do - using local services such as libraries and parks. Join in with local consultations. If you had time you could volunteer - anything from EE's actions with the allotments and now her local park (think globally, act locally) to one offs like litter-picking or the RSPB annual survey of garden birds. Taking action makes you feel in control and it's healthier and more fun than moaning.

Every time you demand better service from your utility companies by complaining, bargaining for a better deal or voting with your feet you are helping make things better. Rejecting supermarket hype and buying what you need and not an overpriced product in a nice box is taking action - I noticed a new thread the other day about reducing choices (OP's family were using multiple cereals/ flavours of jam/ shampoos etc - advice from OS'ers was to lock away all 'spares' and only have one out). However the point about the extra time taken to trawl through all the options provided by the SM (many of which are the same thing with different colours/ scents added) was valid - I know when I have been ill, even though armed with a list, the SM sometimes seems vast and overwhelming - especially when looking for something infrequently purchased and wondering which category they would put it in (marmite? - with drinks, home baking/ ingredients, near the stock cubes - wandering unfamiliar aisles with increasing bewilderment).

I'll get down from the soapbox now.

Day TwentyNine Wellbeing
Sit down with a cup of something.

Inspiration
Fall in love with taking care of yourself
Mind Body Spirit

abundant1972

Morning all... oh - afternoon even!

Today/Yesterday I am grateful for:

• Time spent with a friend
• A well stocked fridge/freezer/cupboards
• Feeling more with it

Today = NSD number 17

Had a lovely day yesterday, and am relaxing today. The weather turned yesterday here - and now it's chucking it down. Never feel quite so charged and motivated when the sun isn't shining... I'm going to make a hot coffee, and read a book quietly and bathe in my S.A.D lamp haha!!!

Going to write a few cards and maybe a letter, and will journal some more - including today's wellbeing exercise.

See you all tomorrow

Calling14

Well done Speky on hols with 4 SFD's. I can't manage that at home.

Today will be no doubt a spendy day - night out with DD - my mothers day treat seeing The Full Monty so no doubt I will buy a drink. Driving so won't be a big spend.

Feeling bushed today, got a whole day off tomorrow, usually off Thurs afternoon however friends birthday so now going out for lunch with her and I really wanted some time for me so a whole morning off will be great. Maybe a lie in ;-)

Back Friday with hopefully a SFD to round off the month?

greent

Currently sat here nursing a hot cup of tea - that's my wellbeing ticked off Not long back from work - was asked yesterday afternoon if I'd work this morning - was an easy yes. However, between 8 and 9pm my throat began to feel like I'd eaten razor blades - dosing up on paracetamol and ibuprofen just before work with a bottle of water and lots of strepsils got me through the morning - although it was an easy morning - I was invigilating one person for a non external test, so I was allowed to read , so borrowed a book from the school library

NSD yesterday and today. Was at home with poorly DS3 yesterday. Posted some parcels today, but all postage covered by the purchasers.

School run in a mo - just time to finish my tea and check out the new thread and think of April's budgets

Hugs to anyone needing them. Well done speky on the NSD run

crazy_cat_lady

Sorry, my March has been atrocious time wise and I've been playing catch up most of the month. I'm always reading though, even if I don't get round to posting. I find your posts really inspiring mothernerd (and thanks for the out with the flowers - I actually have some in the house at the moment as it's my birthday soon and they were a gift )
I'm sitting here with a cuppa, a long list of things to do and planning to be in bed by 8. Load of washing, dishes, tomorrows lunches and the big April online shop to finalise.
I'm fine mentally speaking, just physically drained and totally skint this month. Ah well.

f0xh0les

NSD #11 today. Finally managed to get on the not-spending-wagon now the finish line is in sight

Had a lovely mug of hot chocolate as my treat. It was properly lovely. Should do that more often.

It is all manic down at the F0xh0le, after school clubs and birthday parties and all that jazz meant I did not get home until 8.30 last night. No time to spend money.

Stupid hayfever is making me feel so tired. Well, that and the singing drunk at 11pm wending his weary way home, and the big yellow truck that was doing something with hydraulic stilts and the drains in the road at 12.30am (anti-social) and then DS3 was not properly awake at 3am when he needed the bathroom, well he got there, but was too asleep to bother with the facilities. So cleaned him up and then was washing the floor. Then the birds started tweeting about an hour later. So tired when everything gangs up on you. I can function on 4 or 5 hours sleep easily, but not when it is being woken up every hour.

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for getting some tasks finished, for a good walk, for aldee having decent priced veg and fruit, for dh helping me out, for dd enjoying her school Easter fair, for actually making a £10 profit at said fair (they charge £20 per table and I really don't enjoy them, so am ditching them from now on - too toxic to bother with!), for a useful chat with big sis, for plans starting to form for our next visit to mum's, for this month's challenge (thank you mothernerd :T It has been a good'un), for next month's challenge giving me yet another fresh start and a chance to refocus.