(Not So) Extreme Makeover: Me Edition -- Week 5

I hope y'all are making great progress on your goals! Can't wait to hear the updates, please leave a comment so we can come check out what you're working on.
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Here are my updates on the 3 items I've been working on:
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1. Drink more water. Still not drinking more water than before.... Still not giving up yet...
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2. Grump less. I actually think I'm doing better on this one. This is bigger than "not grumping at my kids," though. This is a total and complete mindshift about what's important and what's worth getting upset over (or not). I'm proud of myself in this area, but still have work to do.

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3. Find and read a book to better myself. My wonderful friend Brenda is sending me a book she read for book club, she said it's a "makes you think" kind of book. I'm excited to see what it's about and start reading!
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Still going strong with:
Better skin care

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. What are you working on this week? Be sure to check out the lists from:
Julie (The Surrendered Scribe)

(Not So) Extreme Makeover: Me Edition -- Week 4

Not much forward progress this week, unfortunately, but on the bright side, there were no steps backwards!

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Here are my updates on the 3 items I've been working on:

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1. Drink more water. Well, I'm still not drinking more water than before. I think I'm just drinking less soda. I just can't figure out how to get my headset to reach the ladies room, which is about 2 miles from my desk. Not giving up yet...

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2. Grump less. I have been working every night and every weekend for about 2 1/2 weeks now. (Don't worry, Mom... it's "normal" for the stage of the project I'm in at work.... will be better next week.) Anyway, I've been too busy and too tired to grump too much this week. Hoping that when things slow down, I can keep the grump to a minimum.

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3. Find and read a book to better myself. No progress in this area, though I'm working on deciding what kind of book I want to find and read. Hoping to have at least that much accomplished before next week's update.

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Still going strong with:

Better skin care

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What are you working on this week?

Be sure to check out the lists from:

Julie (The Surrendered Scribe)

(Not So) Extreme Makeover: Me Edition -- Week 3

They say it takes 3 weeks to make something a habit... I think I've finally turned one of my original 3 items into a habit now, WOO HOO!!

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I hope you'll join me in my quest to make myself a better person by taking baby steps in the right direction, tackling small challenges, one day at a time, that can result in BIG changes in the long run! It's easy to participate... simply leave a comment here to let me know what you're working on (so we can encourage each other) or if you have your own blog or website, post your update there and leave a link in the comments section of this post. I'll post updates here every Wednesday, hoping to see you back here each week to share your progress or just follow mine. Either way, the more, the merrier! (You can read more about the reason I'm doing this here).

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Here are my updates on the 3 items I've been working on:

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1. Better skin care. I am happy to say that I've been doing very well with this. I've been following my "new routine" every morning and every night and my face is thanking me for it! I think I've got this one pretty much under my belt now, so this week I'm going to take on a new challenge to take it's place. (I'll keep this up in the background, of course!)

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2. Drink more water. So I've found plenty of ways around the "water is yucky" thing. Just can't find ways around the "bladder is small" thing. I've been doing great about not having 2 non-water drinks in a row without at least 1 bottle of water in between. However, I think I'm probably just drinking less overall, which is counter-productive, really. Weekends are usually my worst days, though, I typically guzzle 3 or 4 cans of Pepsi a day (in addition to 2 cups of morning coffee). This past Saturday, though, I didn't have ANY soda and on Sunday, only 1 can. An improvement for sure, but still not meeting the goal. I'll keep working on it...

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3. Grump less. Last week I said I wouldn't use the word "impossible." This week, I will. Impossible!! OK, so not really impossible... just very frustrating! I am now able to see a grump coming far enough in advance to determine if it's warranted or not. I don't think my kids would say I'm not grumpy anymore... but then again, I have a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old. You know any kids that age who think their parents aren't "too mean and cranky?" I have a long way to go...

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4. Find and read a book to better myself. Finding and reading a book doesn't seem to be a lofty goal, especially for someone who LOVES to read. Problem is, for my life I can't remember the last time I read a book "just because" that didn't start with Hi, my name is Dora or Once upon a time in a far away land. My friend Brenda is in a book club and gosh, how I wish...

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Anyway, I want to find a book (and actually read it!). Not sure what I'm looking for yet... something that will make me a better me. I even have a gift card to Barnes & Noble from my birthday last year that I could put towards this. Hhhmmm.... maybe an afternoon tucked away in the corner of Starbucks at my B&N (drinking water, of course) might help with item #3 on my list....

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What are you working on this week?

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Be sure to check out the lists from:
Julie (The Surrendered Scribe)

Ruth (Getting Real)

(Not So) Extreme Makeover: Me Edition -- Week 2

Week 2, here I come!! I hope you'll join me in my quest to make myself a better person by taking baby steps in the right direction, tackling small challenges, one day at a time, that can result in BIG changes in the long run! It's easy to participate... simply leave a comment here to let me know what you're working on (so we can encourage each other) or if you have your own blog or website, post your update there and leave a link in the comments section of this post. I'll post updates here every Wednesday, hoping to see you back here each week to share your progress or just follow mine. Either way, the more, the merrier! (You can read more about the reason I'm doing this here.)
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Here are my updates on the 3 items I've been working on.

1. Better skin care. I am so proud that I've been keeping up with this one! I've been following my new "skin care routine" every morning and every night. Morning has always been easy enough, it's the night routine I was bad about.... 'cause I'm just so stinkin' tired! I decided to start washing my face and using all the new lotions and creams after dinner, rather than waiting for bedtime and that makes a big difference. I still have my grump lines but I'm confident that over time, my skin will begin to look healthier and more "age appropriate." I think in one more week this will be enough of a routine for me that I can call it a habit and add something new into the list.

2. Drink more water. This one is hard. I'm getting better about not liking water. If only I could expand my bladder. I drive 60 miles each way to work (at least an hour in the car) and I'm on conference calls at least 4 or 5 hours a day (sometimes more). This makes for quite a challenge when your bladder is the size of a pea and you're trying to drink more water. What I can say is that I'm not having 2 caffeinated beverages in a row anymore, I'm alternating caffeine and water. I suppose that's a start but I still have a long way to go.

3. Grump less. I won't use the word "impossible" but I think when you have a full-time job outside the home, a ridiculously long commute and two small children, it's really, really challenging not to be grumpy sometimes. However, I'm trying hard to remember the world won't end if the to-do list remains long and my overall outlook on things is changing. Progress... but I'll keep working on it.

What are you working on this week?