January 31st: Month Review

So, how did I do this month with my various goals? Not too bad! Overall I am very pleased :)


To Review, these were the Goals for 2013 that I set up for myself:

Everyday I would:

-Blog
-Move
-Meditate
-Make a good food choice
-Stop hitting snooze and train myself to wake up without an alarm clock
-Do something every day that will bring me toward my ultimate career goals


Everything did not go perfectly well every day, but I did make a concerted effort at everything, here's how it shook down in January 2013:

-Blogging: Blogging with no specific theme or subject in mind is hard. I've done plenty of challenges before that were a month or a few months long where you blog every day around a certain topic or theme or whatever, and those have been much easier because you have a starting point for your content. Blogging every day about whatever comes into your head is a challenge, not because I don't enjoy blogging, because I do, but because sometimes nothing really happened on a certain day that is what I would consider blog material, etc. But, between this blog and my food blog, I still managed to post 24 out of 31 days, and I'm extremely proud of that, and I definitely enjoyed it :) So, I am going to continue this goal, because blogging is a skill I want to improve upon and strengthen, but I'm altering the goal slightly by saying that I'm going to aim for at least one food blog post per week, and I'll be blogging here as frequently as possible, but I'm not going to chain myself to every day, it's probably gonna be more like a few times per week, which is a good baseline to aim for, I think :)

-Move: The biggest change I've made in this area is stretching more. I take regular stretch breaks at my day job and will often do some stretches if I have a few minutes to myself. In terms of cardio, it's up and down, some days are more active than others, but I'm making an effort and that's all that matters. As soon as my current show closes I'm going to make time for a Yoga Class :)

-Meditate: I don't always do this at the same time every day, but I've been taking a few minutes every to just breathe and be present. It's been wonderful.

-Make a good food choice: Mike and I now have a juicer, and I've been incorporating fresh fruit and veggie juice pretty much every day. I've lost about 2lbs, so, not much, but it's a start.

-Stop hitting Snooze/Wean myself off of my Alarm Clock: This has been, by far, the hardest thing to work on, which boggles my mind, because I honestly thought it would be the easiest. My body is pretty abused in this area. I tried going cold turkey with no alarm clock, no good. I would wake up at my normal time and then promptly go back to sleep, apparently I'm that sleep-starved. After two weeks of going into work about two hours later than I normally do (and, therefore, getting out two hours later, which I hate),  I nixed that. I normally use the alarm clock on my cell phone, which charges on the night stand next to me, I tried just telling myself that I wasn't allowed to hit snooze anymore, and that didn't work either because the alarm on my cell phone will just hit snooze itself if you don't do it. Then I remembered that the clock radio in our room also has an alarm clock, but it's an older model, so if you don't hit snooze the alarm will just keep going off ad infinitum until you turn it off. And, bonus, it's out of arm's reach, so I have to get out of bed to turn it off. I've been using the clock radio alarm since Monday and only hit snooze once, so I'm moving in a good direction, anyway. I have 11 more months to kick the alarm clock habit, but for the time being, I'm concentrating on the *No More Hitting Snooze* portion of this goal.

-Daily Step Towards Career Goals: Learned some new audition material, went to an audition and got cast (and it's a paid gig! Yay!) and sent out a TON of e-mails to local colleges about possible Theatre Education Certification. Unfortunately, around here, it's mostly English Certification, which isn't exactly what I want. All the Theatre Ed/MFA schools are a little farther away, but, I'm still working on it and I'm very optimisitc.

Did you set any 2013 Goals? How are they going?

Love,
Lynn

January 26th: 10 Hippie Things

Not that this should come as a shock to any of you, but I'm something of a hippie weirdo, and I say this with pride :) This isn't a contest and I'm not about to get on a soapbox or anything, but I do try to reduce the scary chemicals in my life. Since I missed yesterday's List Post and I wanted to make sure I got a post in today, here's a quick list of some of the changes that I have made to reduce the chemicals in my life:

- I wash my face with honey in the morning (no, it's not sticky, it works like a charm and it is dirt cheap)

- I remove makeup/nightime cleanse with almond oil (if I'm out of that, I've also used olive oil or avocado oil, if you're not familiar with the Oil Cleansing Method, google it, there's tons of info about it and my skin loves it)

-I use white vinegar as a fabric softener ( It does not make your clothes smell like vinegar, works great is another dirt cheap switch)

-I use baking soda as an exfoliant (again, works great, no scary chemicals, dirt cheap)

-I drink ginger tea instead of taking Tums or similar antacids (I have acid reflux and I am on perscription level medicine for it that keeps it pretty well controlled, but for minor bouts ginger tea has been great)

- I use hydrogen peroxide instead of mouthwash (yes, this is safe and yes it is a common use for hydogen peroxide, the instructions are right on the bottle. I do alternate with a regular flouride rinse, though).

- I clean my kitchen counters with either white vinegar or hydrogen peroxide or a mix of vinegar and baking soda (again, works like a charm, dirt cheap)

- I use natural deodorant (I don't sweat very heavily, so if you're prone to sweating, the natural deodorants might not be enough for you, but I've been using the Crystal line of natural deodorants for years and they work great for me)

-I take bee pollen as a nutrition supplement (I do take vitmins too, but bee pollen is great stuff)

-I drink shots of apple cider vinegar (for a zillion reasons, everything from digestive health to anti-inflammatory)

Ta :)
Lynniebee

January 24th: What To Do With A Pear?

So Mikey and I bought a bag of pears on a whim when we began our juicing adventure, and we've found that pears aren't our favorite for juicing purposes. So, now I need ideas of how to use up said pears (besides just eating them plain). Any and all pear recipes would be much appreciated :) Thank you!

Lynniebee :)

January 23rd: Resurrecting the Food Blog

Many of you have probably experienced my blogging alter-ego, The Kitchen is My Canvas. My beloved food blog that, sadly, has been dark for, like, 8 months now, not because I've lost interest it by any means, but because posting to my food blog is much more time and labor intensive. Posting a quick blog here is much easier than planning a recipe, carving out the time to cook and photograph it, write up a recipe post, upload the photos, etc. Not that I don't enjoy doing these things,  because I definitely do, but they're bigger bites out of my day. If I were to pick my food blog back up, I wouldn't be posting to it every day like I'm trying to do here. Is there any interest in me resurrecting this blog? If so, would you be so kind as to give your input on the following questions?

What sorts of content would you like to see more of? Less of?

How can I streamline the site and make it more user-friendly?

How can I organize the site more efficiently?

Would you like to see videos as well as photographs?

What are your thoughts on a less-frequent posting schedule? (Like, 1-3 times/week instead of almost every day)

Let me know your thoughts, I would really appreciate any advice you have!

Grazie :)
Lynniebee

January 22nd: Stephen King

My husband met Stephen King today :)


YUP ;)

AWESOME!!!!!

Lynnie :)

January 21st: Drive-By Haiku Monday

Sorry folks, this one's gonna be REALLY quick, but I have to write something as part of my goal, so here's my Monday Haiku:


Evening Hot Cocoa
Nice Hot Shower, Book and Bed
I love Cozy Nights :)


See you tomorrow!
Lynniebee

January 18th: List Friday: Cool Things I've Done Part 1

Hey Ho,

One of my affirmations for 2013 was to be aware and appreciative of my strengths, talents and spiritual gifts. In an effort to hold true to that, here's a partial list of Cool Things I have accomplished in my first 30 years of life. I was aiming for 10 or more, but I ran of blogging time and had to stop at 6 Things for now, I'll save the rest for future posts :)

6 Cool Things I Have Done That I Am Insanely Proud Of

- Climbed the Bell Tower of the Duomo in Florence Italy: For those unfamiliar, the Duomo is the common name for the Cathedral of  Santa Maria del Fiore (St. Mary of the Flowers), and is the main Cathedral in Florence. I was lucky enough to visit Italy twice when I was a teenager, once when I was 11 and again when I was 16. When I was 16, my brother Dan and I climbed all the way to the top of the Bell Tower of the Duomo, which is 414 steps and something like 277 feet tall. Was it Mount Everest? No, but it sure as heck was not easy. Very steep, very narrow. But the sense of accomplishment and the view from the top were TOTALLY worth it :)

- Drove a Horse and Wagon: My maternal grandmother is half French-Candian, and we still have family living in Canada. When I was a kid we were there visiting some of them, and my grandmother's cousin took us for a ride in his horse and wagon. I sat in the Driver's Box with him, and about halfway through the ride, he asked me if I wanted to take the reins. I remember being really excited and really scared. He guided the reins over to me and hung on for a few minutes while I got a feel for it, and then he let go.  It was only for a few minutes, and I didn't have to do anything particularly difficult ( make the horses turn or go around something, etc), but I will never forget that feeling. Pretty much everyone has walked a dog, so they're familiar with the tug of something on the end of a leash, but I cannot tell you what it feel like when HORSES are on the other end. You really get a feel for the strength and power horses have, and yet there is a  sensitivity there too, I barely had to move the reins at all to get them to respond to what I wanted them to do. AMAZING. In this life, I don't have a ton of experience with horses, though I have always loved them. Every experience riding, driving, etc, sticks out crystal clear in my head, and riding is definitely something I'd like to get better at in the future :)

- Drove Back and Forth from Syracuse, NY to Hilton Head Island, S.C. 6 times, Alone, With No Map and No Cell Phone. One of my best friends from middle school moved down to South Carolina, and on one my visits to him I met a man who would become my late high school/early college boyfriend. Between visiting said boyfriend, his family, and my friends down south, I made this drive pretty frequently, and way back in the dark ages before everyone had a cell phone and a GPS, I made this trip without either. I didn't even have a map. All I had was Highway Route Numbers: 81, 77, 26, 95. I took Rt.81 down to Virgina where I picked up Rt. 77, took Rt. 77 into South Carolina where I took a quick jump onto Rt. 26, and then took Rt. 95 out to Hilton Head. I made this drive in one day. 15 and 1/2 hours. I don't say this to make myself sound like a foolhardy badass. I took regular breaks, drove carefully and was always very aware of my surroundings and my safety. However, these drives were incredibly affirming and healing for me. I was proving to myself that I could do things on my own, that I had the courage and the ability to go on solo adventures. I got to see parts of the country I never would have if I had flown. It's been years since I made this drive, and I could still do it in my sleep :) I'm aching for another road trip.

- Been Performing Shakespeare Since the Age of 12. The first summer that I lived in Liverpool, NY, the summer between 7th and 8th grade, I signed up for Royal Fairytale Theatre's Shakespeare in the Rough Program, led by my dear friend Mimi Foxmorton. The play that Summer was *As You Like It*, and I was cast as Rosalind. That show was the beginning of a lifelong love affair with Mr. Billy Shakes. I was his from the beginning. Today, I get paid to perform and teach Shakespeare :) This Dream actually came true and it makes me smile every day :)

-Won a Kennedy Center Award from the American College Theatre Festival for Stage Management. The Show was Blithe Spirit, a Comedy by Noel Coward :) Some of the finest Stage Management work I ever did :)

-Stopped Four Babies and One Adult from Choking: An 18-month old who was choking on a penny, an 11-month old who was choking on Cheerios, a 7-month old who was choking on a barrette, a 13-month old who was choking on a blueberry muffin, and a 20-something friend who was choking on a doughnut and scalding hot chocolate (they are all fine now, Thank Heavens). I credit all of these situations with Divine Providence, and two other things. One: having a Police Officer for a Father and a Nurse for a Mother, and learning early on that in an emergency, above all things, You. Do. Not. Panic. Second, when I was 11 years old, I took a Babysitting Certification Course co- taught by the Red Cross and a local hospital, where I learned the swide-finger swipe technique that I used on all the infants, and of course, basic CPR, the Heimlich Maneuver, etc. In my opinion, EVERYONE should take a class like this.

Sometimes I feel like I'm not good for much, really. But then I look back over stuff like this and I realize that I really am a strong, talented person with a love of adventure, life, new exepriences, etc. I like that :) And I like Me ;)

More to Come!
Happy Friday :)
Lynniebee