March, the Month in Review

Hello, Gentle Readers!

I remember years ago when I first started doing my televised reading program for the El Paso ISD, Ashton, the TV studio director, was appalled that I didn’t keep a calendar or agenda.  I remedied that with a quick trip to Wal-Mart to get a small planner to carry in my purse.  And Ashton was right…as the TV show took off, and I began taping more episodes, my life became crazier.

Not that it wasn’t crazy before, believe me!

But now, it seemed, I needed to keep track of the craziness, day by day.

Doing “Come Read With Me” for ten years was a wonderful experience.  I will share more about that in a future blog post.  But I just want to thank Ashton Graham for helping me get organized waaaay back then.  I am still using all of her great tips.

Today, I am looking forward to what I have on my agenda so far for April while taking a look back at all that I did in March.

Here’s a part of my continuing progress for the Rediscover Me 28 Day Lifetime Challenge.  You can read about the goals I am working toward realizing in an earlier post here.

• Under Self-care/Appearance Goals: Exercise 3-4 times a week, 30-45 minutes AND Healthy Living/Wellness Goals:  Swim 3X a month for 45 minutes
  

I swam a mile several times this month, walked three miles+ up and down McKelligon Canyon at least once a week, went to the gym several times a week, also did my Fitness Blender workouts a couple of times.

• Under Quality of Life Goals:  Participate in life more and Internet less, finish art projects, scrapbook, cross stitch, work on my mosaic:

PC and I competed participated in my first ever 5K!  Universal Vascular’s Tutus for Kidneys Inaugural 5K-RunWalk.  In 2013, I was diagnosed with Stage II Chronic Kidney Disease so thought it fitting that I participate in this race.  Plus, I wanted a reason to wear a tutu.

My sister Valerie came to visit during spring break.  She is an elementary school librarian in the Tomball (Houston area) ISD.  I so enjoyed her visit.

Valerie always makes me laugh.

And she is my hero.

Valerie and her husband Roby lost their three-year-old son Andrew to Wilm’s Tumor in 2001.  She devotes much of her limited, free-time to cancer fundraising and awareness.  She always participates in the Relay for Life with Roby and their son, Trey.  You can read more about Relay (and maybe make a small donation in the name of someone YOU know who has battled cancer) here.

• Under Self-Care/Appearance goals:  Get a mani/pedi once a month:

And I am going for my monthly massage today at Massage Envy.

• Under Personal Growth/Relationship Goals:  Skype with my granddaughter Cady for bedtime stories:

 I loved reading The Gingerbread Cowboy with Valerie or as Cady says Mimi Val.  Our audience of one was so attentive, she even helped us tell the story by looking at the illustrations and making predictions based on her prior knowledge (librarian-teacher talk) of the classic version of this folktale.  You can find my Folktales lesson and Gingerbread Man compare-contrast worksheet from my librarian days here.

I tell you, isn’t technology amazing?  I remember when I was a little girl, I used to watch The Jetsons cartoon.  They would talk to far-away (as in living on other planets) family and friends on this crazy, magical screen…just like Skype!

I never dreamed I would live to do that in my lifetime.  Why I could be Jane Jetson!

• Also under Personal Growth/Relationships Goals:  Volunteer:

Val and I also volunteered for a few hours at the Holocaust Museum.  And then had lunch at The Mustard Seed Cafe, where I have been doing a little volunteer work.

Here’s proof that we are life-time members of the clean your plate club.

Even ate the beet and kale crisps.

And they were so good!

• Progress on one last important Personal Growth/Relationships Goal:  Making PC my priority and putting our relationship first:

To show my support (love) for PC and in recognition of his love of baseball, I have gone to every one of his 50 and Over Baseball League baseball games this season.  Of course, I went to just about every game last season, too, before I ever made my Rediscover Me Challenge Goals.  I am just a good wife that way.  And I love to watch Paul play.

(Go Cougars!)

In the picture to the right, he hit a single.  He is being congratulated by his teammates in the picture on the right for his second home run of the season (his first was nothing short of a grand slam).  One of the players always brings PayDay candy bars for the team and ‘cheerleaders’.  Lately he has been setting the wives’ candy under the dugout fence and tells us that “he has loaded the vending machine”.

As far as progress toward my other goals goes, I am continuing to do well.

Quality of Life Goals: Reading a book a month, daily devotional, writing daily (need to improve here), saving a little money, and participating in life more.  YUP

Self-Care/Appearance Goals:  Exercise 3-4X a week/45 minutes a time, get mani/pedi, get massage/facial, drink water, take vitamins, whiten my teeth, soak in a detox bath. OH, YEAH

Healthy Living/Wellness Goals:  Swim 3X a month, floss teeth, lift weights, track Weight Watcher’s points (which I have changed to eat well, work toward a more toned body). UH HUH

Personal Growth/Relationship Goals:  Put my relationship with PC first, listen to Bren and Lauren, Skype with Cady, say NO!, improve romance, volunteer.  SI SEÑOR

Whew, just getting this finished in the nick of time as April will be arriving in less than three hours.

See you next month, hee, hee, hee!

Hugs and kisses,