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Monday, July 9, 2012

Scenes from my weekend - Cousins, Heat and Water






Oh my gosh this weekend was HOT! Was it hot where you are too? With my sister and niece visiting, there was no lounging around in an air conditioned house watching Wimbledon. There were three children to entertain (and to wear out by the end of the day) which meant lots of time at the playground and splashing in the sprinklers. It was fun to have the kids together. I grew up with my cousins. We saw each other practically every weekend. Now, it's fun to watch my sons' relationships with their cousins develop and evolve as they get older. 



Monday morning also means that it's time for The Weekly Chase. Last week, I set 4 goals to focus on:

1. Swim 1-2 times. Done! I swam 2 times last week and had good swims, the kind where it felt effortless in the water. Each swim was about 2500 yards and 40-45 minutes. I really love being in the water and find that swimming is one of the rare times that I manage to quiet my mind and slow things down.

2. Go to bed before midnight. Still working on this one but this is better than normal! I managed to get to bed before midnight 4 of 7 days last week. Two of those late nights were due to work. I really do need to work on this because I know that everyone is happier when I get more sleep :-)

3. Cook a real dinner at least 2 nights this week. Does it count if my husband cooked dinner?? This was a total fail. Honestly, I don't know what we (my husband and I) eat for dinner. The kids are fed three square meals every day. Why is it so hard to feed the parents?

4. Do physical therapy exercises every day + plank. Better than last week. I managed to remember to do my PT exercises 5 out of 7 days. Again, the two days that I missed were due to work. But, I have a renewed commitment to physical therapy. I decided to switch physical therapists this week and am so glad that I did. More on that later. I also did my plant-a-day thanks to Ilene's plank challenge.

For this week, I've decided to focus on 1 goal. I find that it can be hard to focus on more than 2 goals during the span of a week. I'm a perfectionist at heart and I don't want to do a half-hearted job. Plus, I don't know if I'm giving myself enough time to achieve my goals. Changing habits takes time. It can often take more than a week to recognize patterns behavior and then consciously make decisions to change that behavior. 

My goal for the week is to get more SLEEP. That's where everything starts, right? When you are well-rested, you are able to make better decisions about work, food, exercise, etc. Plus, I'm a much nicer, more patient and well-behaved person when I have gotten adequate sleep. I've been sacrificing my sleep for too long now and it's wearing on me. I'm tired!!

Help me - What are some of your tips for getting a good night's sleep? How can I make myself go to bed earlier? P.S. How was your weekend?



Labels: , ,

posted by Christine @ 12:00 AM   26 Comments

26 Comments:

At July 9, 2012 at 1:22 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I live in South Florida and it is beyond hot! Don't forget our humidity! I wish I could give you advice on getting to bed earlier, but I am not much help as I work nights. I like how you have created goals on your blog. It must be nice to look back and retrospect on how you met your goals.

 
At July 9, 2012 at 7:17 AM , Blogger Sorta Southern Single Mom said...

We hit the pool/beach every day last week, so with the temperatures tipping into the 100's this weekend, we, too, stayed the heck inside!

Tips for a good sleep... establish some sort of a routine...turn the computer/tv off by a certain time... try sipping herbal/decaf tea before bed to wind down... read a little...a magazine instead of a book so you don't get sucked in! Good luck!

 
At July 9, 2012 at 8:21 AM , Anonymous Miz said...

Ahhhh sleep. I've never been a great sleeper but cooool and dark helps here:-)

 
At July 9, 2012 at 9:21 AM , Anonymous Laura @ Mommy run fast said...

I've been wanting to get to bed earlier too... it's tough! I tend to get a second wind in the evening and don't feel tired. But sometimes it helps if I go to bed early with a book and read for a bit. It's motivation to get me into bed but then I get sleepy pretty quickly. :)

 
At July 9, 2012 at 9:52 AM , Anonymous Meredith @ DareYouTo said...

SO smart to focus on sleep above all else. You're right that it all comes down to how rested and prepared our bodies and minds are. I like to get in bed and read for a while before dozing off. It gets my head out of my own life, day, tomorrow, and instead lose myself in a book, and when my eyes start dropping, I just set it aside and fall asleep. (Doesn't always work out so perfectly, and sometimes the book is TOO good haha, but you get the idea.)

Definitely work on shutting down electronics before even getting ready for bed - makes a huge difference!

 
At July 9, 2012 at 10:59 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I like how we are both on board for streamlining our goals. Part of the irony of the Weekly Chase, is that all of us are such highly motivated people to begin with! Perhaps we should all take a break from chasing and meet for a a martini somewhere :)

Sleep - I have not tips on staying asleep, since my kids wake me up several time a night - but if you ever have trouble falling asleep, try to focus on your breath. Sorry, it's the yoga teacher in me rearing its head!

 
At July 9, 2012 at 11:10 AM , Blogger Mindy Bobe said...

Great job on the goals last week! I like the way you are focusing on just one this week. That's why I've only committed to two goals each week. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to achieve more than that. As far as sleep goes...I usually don't have a problem with that...I love to sleep lol! But I find that sometimes getting into bed and reading a book will help me relax and get sleepy. Good luck!

 
At July 9, 2012 at 12:08 PM , Anonymous Jess said...

I find it funny how many weekly chasers are including sleep on their goals list. I LOVE sleep. haha. I need to be in bed by 10 to get up at 5 or 5:20 depending on what I'm doing that morning. I have NO idea how anyone can get going that early without tons of sleep first!! You guys amaze me, ha!

 
At July 9, 2012 at 12:25 PM , Blogger E.C. Montero said...

I so wish I could get your "swim zen". I have no problem with running or biking, but have issues in the water. I wish you luck with your zzzz's.

 
At July 9, 2012 at 12:50 PM , Blogger The Preppy Girl in Pink said...

I love the pictures from your weekend. It was so darn hot! Thank goodness this cool front is rolling in. I'm not even sure what my body will do with a 20 degree drop in the temps. Will high 80s feel cold?! ;-)
As for the sleep issue, I am having the same one lately. I have got to get myself on some kind of schedule. I am no fun when I don't get enough sleep and apparently when it is really hot out either. ;-)

 
At July 9, 2012 at 1:22 PM , Anonymous Cat @ Breakfast to Bed said...

the pictures with all the cuties? I die.

 
At July 9, 2012 at 1:54 PM , Blogger Jolene said...

I was just going to say what Jess said - funny that getting more sleep is a trend! I NEED sleep or else I am a zombie. At least 7 hours! Good job on your goals and it WAS a hot weekend. Saturday especially!

 
At July 9, 2012 at 2:12 PM , Blogger Amanda said...

I really agree with the fact that everybody's happier when I get more sleep. :) That's an awesome goal and I think I might have to steal it for next week. I'm having a hard time getting on a good sleep schedule when I don't have class early. It's all wonky!

 
At July 9, 2012 at 2:28 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I honestly think you picked one of the harder things to focus on for a goal - but you can do it! Sleep can make a world of difference~

 
At July 9, 2012 at 2:49 PM , Blogger Colorado Gal said...

I HAVE to read at least one chapter every night before bed, otherwise I can't fall asleep. That's my trick!

 
At July 9, 2012 at 2:58 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I wish I could give you some tips... but my daughter and I have been staying up past midnight. I say, early to rise and early to bed. Just gonna have to learn to turn the time on your sleeping habits. ;-)

 
At July 9, 2012 at 3:08 PM , Blogger misszippy said...

I'm laughing at this post b/c let me tell you, staying up to midnight (and OMG, multiple times in one week!) is my idea of hell! I am such an old fart. I am falling asleep by 9 every night.

The pictures of the kids are great--it is so much fun when they can have time w/ cousins (ours are all out of state).

 
At July 9, 2012 at 4:12 PM , Anonymous Kierston said...

Great weekend over here! (It was hot but not uncomfortably so!)

Sleep, I like darkness :)

 
At July 9, 2012 at 6:44 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

i love that our sleep goals are so similar! i have a hard time getting to bed before 1130/12/1230...and then i totally pay for it in the morning! but there is just so much i want to do in my day that i can't help but stay up late :)

also -really liked your weekend photos!

 
At July 9, 2012 at 8:22 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

You post really great pictures! I love your goal this week. I love to sleep, like a lot! I think my husband wishes I didn't nap so much. Running makes me sleepy and I finally have kids at ages that it's ok for me to nap sometimes. They are busy or watching Disney , so I can finally nap. Tips to help you go to bed earlier: Turn off from the world (phones, TV, computer), DVR any of your late night shows and catch up with them on a weekend. I use to use Melatonin sublingually (once when I could not sleep).

 
At July 9, 2012 at 8:56 PM , Blogger Angela @ Happy Fit Mama said...

Love the second pic! Very cool!

When you find the answer to your sleep goal, let me know! My bedtime is getting later and later but my wake up time has stayed the same which means less sleep. Blah!

 
At July 9, 2012 at 11:03 PM , Anonymous Christy @momrunnerblog said...

Love the pics and the goals! I need to set a sleep goal as well! Seems like so many of us are in the same boat on that one! I've enjoyed reading over your blog tonight and look forward to visiting again soon!

 
At July 10, 2012 at 1:14 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Falling asleep is hard for me sometimes - and warm tea and reading helps!

 
At July 10, 2012 at 7:47 AM , Anonymous Melissa said...

Such gorgeous photos, Christine!!!

You'd be proud to know I got to bed at 11 last night...but then I woke up at 3:45 and have been up ever since. GAH! lol This defeats the whole purpose of going to bed early!

I have been doing a plank on the Swiss ball recently. I do the reverse crunches and then plank for as long as I can as soon as I move my feet back out. I love it. I'm feeling changes every day.

Great goals, momma. <3

 
At July 10, 2012 at 5:34 PM , Blogger Katy said...

The kids are so cute! I need to start swimming too... I told myself I was going to months ago but never take advantage of the pool in my apartment.

 
At July 10, 2012 at 9:46 PM , Blogger Blond Duck said...

I love swimming. We have a pool in our neighborhood and I swim after lunch every day. What are you doing PT for?

 

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