NST August 2022: Lights, Camera, Action!

greent

abouttime_2 said:

I do like Greent's plans, aims and goals. i might steal this idea if i may

Feel free 😀 

abouttime_2

Greatful for 
My lovely home, which belongs to me and hubby.
My body, which allows me to move
The sunshine, the feeling on my skin is amazing. I'd love a move abroad(in my wildest dreams)
Its very hard to choose just three. but that will do.
I love reading everyones thoughts and musings.

abbi_aurelia

Lights!

-get yourself outside as much as possible this month

Am back at work, but trying to make sure I do at least one nursery run by walking and a walk on lunch if possible

-light up other peoples’ lives – be kind, be complimentary, be generous.

I will do my best

-light up your own life too – be kind, be complimentary and be generous to yourself. Do more of what makes you happy. Enjoy life. Nourish your soul.

Definitely something to work on, I am very self critical

-reduce your possessions: we usually have far too much stuff that clutters up our physical surrounding and our mental state. Look at this objectively: if you do not love the item and find joy in it, then let it go!

Have some things listed on V!nted, every time youngest outgrows something I am putting it up for sale/giving it away/putting in a ragging bag to get vouchers at H+M

Camera!

-how much time do you spend looking at a screen? Aim to reduce this.

Can't reduce this at work, as my whole job is on screens and the internet. Need to stop scrolling social media as much though

-look ahead at where you want to be and set some goals, or look back at ones from earlier this year. It is now 5 months to the end of the year, so have a look at your goals and take some baby steps towards achieving them. Make each day count towards the goals that are important to you. Do something every day that takes you one step closer to one of them.

Want to try and keep use of savings to a minimum. Trying to charge phone at work, fill water bottle on my way out and take fruit home for the next day

-start thinking about that day in December – can you cut back the spending and focus on a simpler day/period?

Difficult time of year, over 6 weeks we have birthdays for my niece, nephew, 2 kids and my parents, plus Christmas, although I suppose it gets a lot of it out the way in one go

Action!

-get moving! Be it yoga, belly down burpees (my fave as you get a chance for a little rest at the bottom!), walking, stretching, gardening, snorkelling, roller skating, belly dancing…

-be proactive about your health.

Have budgeted for a teeth cleaning under sedation, things got out of hand by me being unable to do them for over a decade and I tried without drugs and it didn't work. Should reset teeth back to 0 and avoid any issues that not cleaning would cause them and the higher expense to fix

-take action on your debts/savings. Check over your financial plan – does it need any tweaking? Can you bump it up a gear? Prices are rising – make sure you know where your money is now going.

Not possible, but trying to keep spending down

-inaction is also a goal – take time to simply sit and be. Use all your senses.

Been trying to have family days out which include walks in nature, although this does involve packing a mountain of snacks for the eldest

-eat well to fuel the body you want. Can you batch cook? Can you cook once and eat twice just by cooking a little extra? Keep hydrated. Replace a less healthy food with a healthier one.

Already cook dinner for two nights in a row, need to find some healthier lunch options

 

Yesterday - direct debits all came out yesterday, dropped off a V!nted parcel, so another thing out the house. Took advantage of being at work as much as possible. Grateful for not having to do the nursery rush in the morning, youngest coming to visit me at work and smiling at everyone, and most customers being understanding that a strike is not my fault

BadBookkeeper

Evening turtles, heres my update for today:
- No time outside but sat in the conservatory to have a cuppa.  I’m so tired today I nearly fell asleep in there!

- Sent a thoughtful message to a friend to try to help them deal with a difficult situation.  I also emptied the dishwasher for my DS as he was going to be late for his lift to a football day.

- To be kind to myself I’ve just changed from my too tight jeans into some comfy tracky bottoms!!

- Pushed back on an work query as felt colleague was trying to get me to resolve something on their behalf but instead suggested how they should proceed. 

- No possessions reduced today, just don’t know where to start!  Will need more enthusiasm to tackle DS room!  Maybe tomorrow!

- I’ve been on my phone a lot today, it’s about to run out of battery but I will not recharge it until I go to bed so when it’s gone, it’s gone for today.

- Been ok healthy wise although had a small bag of crisps swiftly followed by another.  Whoops. No alcohol today so that’s 2/31.  Used leftover chicken & had chicken fried rice for tea tonight, really enjoyed it.

- I’m thinking of asking my boss to increase my hours by 5 per week so just 1 extra hour a day. This would help financially and with workload.  My time is my asset and work seem to have a lot of it for free at the moment.  Although I feel like it will all go to the gas/electric company 😠.

- Spent money today on a birthday card & photo printing.  Both slightly over budget by a few pence but both spends recorded.  I’ve won £25 on premium bonds so that’s been reinvested.  One thing I want to do when debt free is a monthly standing order to buy more premium bonds.

Not an NSD today so still 1/15.

Grateful for easy, quick, tasty meal.  DS friends Dad ferrying him to footy and back. Having nothing I have to do tonight as I’m shattered. 

greent

August 2nd

Dropped a bag of batteries for recycling and a small donation to foodbank. 3 more items have gone in CS bag. Dinner for most of us is a combination of leftovers and YS items from freezer

Thankful for a nap, DD having a good chat after work, calling on the boys to help with dinner as I feel absolutely rubbish (DH is away overnight)  Rather peeved that a 2nd trip to pharmacy did not result in my prescription being ready - in fact pharmacy said it was not on the tracking system. Phoned GPs  (when they were back open) and they hadn't issued it at all- despite saying yesterday morning they would. Meant another delay before a GP could confirm it and issue it 🙄- will go to pharmacy tomorrow now for it - they are due to shut soon and I feel too rubbish to drive there. Worst bit was I didn't even get an apology 😒- they have also refused to prescribe this before, saying I can get it OTC from pharmacy - oncology team do not want OTC drugs in the main - if it is a side effect I get a prescription - they were unhappy with GP. I could get it from oncology - but that's more than an hour's round trip and approx 35+ miles - not ideal!

Generally, though, I don't moan about the fab NHS

DrCarrie

Boy oh boy what a day. My work laptop has broken and I was working on my phone all day. Really horrid. 

My big  expenses this month are 
- Brighton Pride this weekend ...erm. 
- Haircut 
- Out for dinner with a friend

Gratitudes 
- Lovely walk around Belgravia 
- Quick call with my daughter 
- seeing a new client...in the clinic room, not Zoom 

ldee2111

Staying on NSD 1

Up at 6am, emptied the dishwasher, and hung up bedding from the washing machine (bedding went into the machine at 2am this morning after DS had a wee accident). Thankfully not a regular occurrence. 

Worked in the office today. Nice to chat to a couple of colleagues but I’m over the sleep, eat, commute, repeat routine, the getting home too tired to give DS my attention routine, the I don’t want want to cook routine, and so on…

At lunchtime I returned items I recently bought in sales. Unfortunately most didn’t fit/suit me. On the upside, keeping only two jumpers meant I spent less than I thought I would. I also did a top-up shop - just a few fresh ingredients for this week’s dinners. While out at lunchtime I passed a couple of backpackers - big backpacks, baggy trousers, and looking a little lost. It made me feel so nostalgic. It’s my birthday this month, and on my birthday exactly a decade ago I was in a hostel in Russia with OH starting a year-long round-the-world trip. I’ve always had the travel bug and although I doubt I’ll ever again be lugging around a 70L backpack and slumming it in cheap hostels for a year, I’ll hopefully be having adventures somewhere. Hence my reason for wanting rid of this mortgage! But not at the expense of enjoying life in the now. 

Grateful today for Mum looking after DS, for a bit of nostalgia, and for the tasty rhubarb crumble I ate (OH’s Mum gave us a load of homemade crumbles at the weekend). 

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

Evening turtles

Hugs greent 
I sat outside with a cuppa tea this afternoon and went for a walk after work.  
I've been encouraging DD1 who has done something very anxiety inducing this evening .
I offered a load of magazines for free on Fb, someone asked for them but hasn't come back to me yet...
I have eaten healthily, resisted having a snack and had an apple instead !
Spent a small amount of money.

Gratitudes - being able to WfH, appreciation from work colleagues for my efforts in sorting out a few things, back pain easing a little

love Deni 

apple_muncher

Grandmanerd! Grandmanerd! Abbi mentioned the C word!!! Save the elves...!!! Save the elves!!!!!

grandmanerd

Yesterday was similar to Monday. Still weak and wobbly, stomach off, coughing and sneezing (sitting/ sleeping propped up so I don't start choking) - not covid, did a test. Was going to go to the corner shop but realised it was already time for my mindfulness session. Very hungry but struggling to think/ organise food so asked DS3 to include me in any takeaway orders. He said Beloved was putting an order in so I asked for a bacon barm (not diet friendly but just what I needed/ wanted) and went into the mindfulness therapy meeting.

Lots of homework but doing mix and match - picking the exercises that suit whatever we need that day (which is what I've been doing for the past couple of weeks - trying to catch up on exercises I haven't 'got' yet but finding the 'movement ' exercise good for my legs, short breathing exercise umpteen times a day etc).

Mum's lodger called whilst I was in my session but messaged to say he will call today (checked that it was okay with me). Tottered downstairs a couple of times but very little done - just lots of reading and resting. Carried on with my room. Sorted through my embroidery threads and my younger niece will be getting 3/4 of them and the small drawers they are in (each drawer is the size a sheet of A4 paper and is nearly 2" deep - can't remember how many skeins they hold but it's between 200 and 300 per drawer).

 What I have left fits in a biscuit tin - she will get what's left when I finally give up but I have enough to complete a project that's nearly done, tidy a couple of bits and see if I can work on a larger gauge fabric. She can have some of the fabric and a long piece of fine cotton material I've had for a while (I'm too clumsy to work on such thin fabric, I have a small piece I can use for doll clothes etc). 

I've sorted some photos of my mother and will write on the backs. There are some historic photos (my great-grandparents) but will leave them until I've sorted out the 2 family tree attempts (mum's dad's family and mum's mum's family) done by other members of the family and corrected the mistakes. Will also discuss with DS2 as he seems to be wildly sentimental (kept far too much of his dad's stuff and tried to get other people to take it too).

I will not leave my sons a muddle of stuff to sort through. The next part of my life will be lived with simplicity and only necessary possessions - mum held onto stuff long after she was able to use it (I'm talking 10, 20, 30 years). There are some heavy pieces of furniture that will go as soon as I can replace them (heavy wardrobes that I never wanted in the first place will be replaced by simple wooden framed rails).

My room is looking better (it may be that some stuff has fallen off the bed again and I just can't see it). I sorted through the remaining contents of two top drawers and most of my pills and medicinal items fit neatly in half a top drawer next to my bed (top of drawers is a lot clearer too). Took the summer bed cover (heavy white cotton) out of a drawer and more things to rubbish and recycling bins.

Feeling better today but still weak and wobbly so will continue to listen to my body and pace myself. Sun is out so could get the remaining washing out on the line to dry and set the WM and DW going (like it when the  machines do most of the work for me). Ex s-i-l has messaged me to say she's available for cleaning at the bungalow tomorrow and Friday so have agreed to that. Might ask her to take me to the SM and b'n'q (need post mix for here and could get some 'show plants' for mum's and more bedding if I need it.

Lots of things to bag up and get out of the house - tools I will need and the begonias I've grown on. Right going to have my shower now, then start the day gently with mindfulness (and ponder this challenge and get myself organised).