1000 Books Before Kindergarden Initiative

I recently came across the 1000 Books Before Kindergarden challenge and decided to take it up for both my daughters. I'm excited to start this challenge and hope all of you with little ones take it too - To me, it's a way to motivate me to read to my daughter everyday.

I've started a separate page for this challenge and will keep track of the books there.

Daily Routine

A few weeks ago, I bought the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle and as part of the bundle, the getting started section contained the 4 Simple Steps to Stress-Free Homemaking mini-course as an introduction to the bundle. This course is 

There are 4 short videos each of which talks about how to solve common problems in homemaking and how  to integrate those solutions into your daily routine. I came up with a simple daily routine to start implementing these steps. 

The 4 steps are fairly simple but really important:

1. Fold and put away one load of laundry before starting another
2. Start dishwasher in the night and unload dishwasher first thing in the morning so you can start loading dishes throughout the day
3. Once a week, have a meeting with yourself. Check on what are plans for week and see how many meals need to be made. Decide on what those meals are going to be and make a grocery list.
4. Nighttime routine:
• 5 mins to do quick cleanup
• 5 mins to check calendar for next day
• 5 mins to prepare for next day - clothes, lunch, anything that needs to go out the door

With these steps in mind and with some other ideas, I've planned my daily routine:

Morning

1. Wake up and shower
2. Make up your bed
3. Unload dishwasher
4. Write down To-Do list (5-7) for day
5. Pack lunch for AGirl and me
6. Switch laundry from washer to dryer

Evening

1. Load the dishwasher and start it. Wash any vessels remaining by hand.
2. Fold and put away the load of laundry you washed and dried in the morning.
3. 5 minute cleanup of kitchen, dining room table and family room
4. 2 minute preview - look at calendar for next day
5. 5 minute Prep - clothes, lunch for next day, what needs to be taken out the door
6. Put AGirl to sleep
7. Take 5-15 minutes to do something you love.
8. Put a load of laundry for next day with timer set for morning 4 AM

Once a week, write down meal plan for AGirl for the next one week.

I'm not working on the meal planning for the my husband and me yet but I'm going to start with meal planning for my daughter.

I will give an update on how this routine works in a few days.

Mini-Goal + Challenge: Walk 10000 steps everyday

I did the 30-Day Walking Challenge recently and did not do so well at it. I had 2 issues with it - it asked me to walk 10k steps over my regular day-to-day steps and also, I fell sick quite a bit.

My goal to lose 16 pounds by the end of the year is also not going too well considering it's almost 6 months out and I've ended up putting on weight.

I thought perhaps both of these were a little too ambitious for me at this point and I should probably start off with mini-goals to get started on the right path.

Mini-Goal & Challenge: Walk 10,000 steps everyday including day-to-day steps

May 11: Day 1: 10450 steps
May 12: Day 2: 8515 steps
May 13: Day 3: 8982 steps
May 14: Day 4: 6411 steps
May 15: Day 5: 10010 steps
May 16: Day 6: 5795 steps
May 17: Day 7: 8727 steps
May 18: Day 8: 11379 steps
May 19: Day 9: 10882 steps
May 20: Day 10: 10663 steps
May 21: Day 11: 8269 steps
May 22: Day 12: 10289 steps
May 23: Day 13: 9510 steps
May 24: Day 14: 14538 steps
May 25: Day 15: 4228 steps (didn't wear the tracker for most of the day - this was just the extra walk steps)
May 26: Day 16: 10432 steps
May 27: Day 17:  5484 steps (not well)
May 28: Day 18:  5566 steps (not well)
May 29: Day 19:  7521 steps (stayed at home all day & didn't wear tracker part of the day)
May 30: Day 20:  7155 steps (didn't wear tracker part of the day)
May 31: Day 21:  22,149 steps (Disney World Trip Day 1)
June 1: Day 22: 13147 steps (Disney World Trip Day 2)
June 2: Day 23: 18802 steps (Disney World Trip Day 3)
June 3: Day 24: 18960 steps (Disney World Trip Day 4)
June 4: Day 25: 11218 steps
June 5: Day 26: 10329 steps
June 6: Day 27: 6752 steps (Saturday, at home - did gardening work)
June 7: Day 28: 3863 steps (Didn't wear tracker most of the day)
June 8: Day 29: 6445 steps
June 9: Day 30: 10,201 steps

I'm done with this challenge and it's been a good one for me. I hit more than 10k steps 15 days out of the 30 - which was not bad but not great. But I'm glad I did it as it made me more conscious of how many steps I was walking and how active I was.

I will continue to follow this and try to hit 10k steps everyday and make it part of my weekly update.

30-Day Walking Challenge!

I came across the 30-day walking challenge by Leslie Sansone here. With spring almost there, I decided to take this challenge up. The goal is to start with 2000 steps and work your way up to 10,000 steps a day over 30 days by adding around 500 extra steps a day

I started on April 6th with a 30 minute walk around my office. The weather was great and it was a wonderful walk. Yesterday, I wasn't able to walk outside but I went for a a couple of walks totaling 14 mins which gave me an extra 1000 steps but I didn't meet my goal.

This 10000 steps a day is outside of my regular daily activities - so it's going to be hard to hit but I'm going to try to do it anyway.

(April 6th) Day 1: Goal: 2000 steps Actual: 3299 steps
Day 2: Goal: 2500 steps Actual: 1008 steps
Day 3: Goal: 3000 steps Actual: 0 steps (had a bad cough)
Day 4: Goal: 3500 steps Actual: 0 steps (had a bad cough)
Day 5: Goal: 4000 steps Actual: 2500 steps
Day 6: Goal: 4500 steps Actual: 0 steps (had guests - spent a lot of time on my feet cleaning the house)
Day 7: Goal: Rest Actual: 2000 steps (went shopping)
Day 8: Goal: 4500 steps Actual: 2200 steps
Day 9: Goal: 4500 steps Actual: None (had errands & dentist appt)
Day 10: Goal: 5000 steps Actual: 2500 steps (hit 9000 steps over entire day)
Day 11: Goal: 5000 steps Actual: 3000 steps (Almost 10k steps over entire day)
Day 12: Goal: 5000 steps Actual: 0 steps (developed a fever and stayed home & rested)
Day 13: Goal: 5500 steps Actual: 1000 steps (still sick but played with my daughter outside for 15 mins)

Day 14: Goal: Rest steps Actual: 1500 steps (still sick but played with my daughter outside for 30 mins)

Day 15: Goal: 5500 steps Actual: 0 steps (Getting better)
Day 16: Goal: 6000 steps Actual: 0 steps
Day 17: Goal: 6000 steps Actual: 0 steps
Day 18: Goal: 6500 steps Actual: 2700 steps
Day 19: Goal: 6500 steps Actual: 2000 steps
Day 20: Goal: 7000 steps Acutal: 0 steps
Day 21: Goal: Rest Actual: 0
Day 22: Goal: 7000 steps Actual: 2000 steps
Day 23: Goal: 7500 steps Actual: 3000 steps
Day 24: Goal: 8000 steps Actual: 0 steps
Day 25: Goal: 8500 steps Actual: 2000 steps
Day 26: Goal: 9000 steps Actual: 5600 steps
Day 27: Goal: 9500 steps Actual: 2000 steps
Day 28: Goal: Rest steps Actual: 2000 steps
Day 29: Goal: 10000 steps Actual: 0 steps
Day 30: Goal: 10000 steps Actual: 7000 steps

What I've learnt over the past few days is that life gets in the way of getting a workout or even a walk. I've been sick on and off for the last month. Clearly, you can see this is a challenge for me. However, I'm determined to see how far I can get.

At the end of this challenge, I've realized that maybe this was too big of a goal for me. 10000 steps outside of my regular everyday stuff is perhaps too much for me with regard to a time commitment for this season in my life. But it's made me exercise some and has give me some ideas on other challenges I could do.

Rise & Shine Challenge Day 7

I completely missed Day 4, 5 & 6 because of various issues. Still, I'm not going to be hard on myself and just catchup.

Day 4's assignment was to have a nightly checklist or to-do list which will help your mornings go better. Day 5's assignment is to plan to use the time you awake before everybody wakes up to recharge and feel great. Day 6's assignment is to write down what you need to do for ourselves to feel more joy each day.

Today's assignment is to ask what you need today, this week and this weekend. And then set your intentions for them carefully.

Day 4:
A couple of things helps my morning go better - knowing what's for lunch for me and my daughter the next day. I go through what's in the pantry and fridge and write down what's for lunch the next day. Also, writing down what's on my to-do list for the next day helps. If there's any prep work needed, I try to get the prep work done for the next morning.

Day 5:
The time I wake up before everybody else goes mostly in getting ready, drinking my milk and relaxing for a few mins and in preparing lunch. The few mins of relaxing I get - whether it's in browsing or just checking email or just sitting is great. And that's what I love about the mornings.

Day 6:
I'm finding it very hard to write down what I need to do for myself to feel more joy - I'm going to have to take some time to do it separately.

Day 7:
What I need today is have a calm day with my daughter who's down with a cough. I need to be patient and loving. What I need this week is to take some initiative with a new project I want to do - so I need lots of energy and motivation and keep the rest of my world as peaceful as it can be. For the weekend, we need to have some fun as a family and spend time together.

Rise & Shine Challenge Day 3

Today's Day 3 of the Rise & Shine Challenge.

Today's challenge is to focus on the nightly bedtime rituals and actually do it. So this is my plan for tonight's bedtime routine for me.

Get cooking and cleaning done before 8. Put my daughter to sleep with her bedtime routine. Then work on 1-2 To-Do items. Then read for a little bit. Then go to sleep by 9:30.

Today's Morning Report:

1. Went to sleep at 8:45. Alarm went off at 5:22. Snoozed and woke up at 5:25. 
2. Got up, Took long relaxing shower and got ready
3. Had a glass of milk and relaxed for 5 mins. 
4. Started lunch preparations
5. Wrote To-Do list for me today
6. Prepared lunch for me and for my daughter to take to daycare
7. Woke up my daughter and got her ready

Rise & Shone Challenge Day 2

Today's Day 2 of the Rise & Shine Challenge.

Today's challenge is:

Today, your challenge is to focus on your nightly bedtime rituals as a family. What nightly ritual can you do before going to sleep to really foster an earlier -- and more sleepy -- bedtime?

To go to bed early, I think eating dinner early and loading up the dishwasher early would help me go to sleep early. My daughter's bedtime routine is well established and she goes to bed around 8-8:15. Generally, I eat dinner, load dishwasher and spend some time relaxing before going to bed but this pushes my bedtime to 11 sometimes. If I can get dinner and dish washing done earlier, then I can do some light housework, spend some time reading or spending time with my husband and go to sleep by 9-9:30.  This would give me a good 8 hours of sleep.

Today's Morning Report:

1. Went to sleep at 10:15. Alarm went off at 5:00. Snoozed and woke up at 5:15. 
2. Got up - did not exercise (not feeling well)
3. Took shower and got ready
4. Had a glass of milk and relaxed for 5 mins. 
5. Wrote To-Do list for me today
6. Prepared lunch for me and for my daughter to take to daycare
7. Woke up my daughter and got her ready

Rise & Shine Challenge Day 1

I decided to blog about my taking part in the Rise & Shine Challenge. The Challenge starts August 18th. 

For your first challenge this week take some time to dream a little and consider the following ...
What you want your ideal mornings to feel like? 
How do you want them to flow? 
What sounds do you want to hear?

I would like my ideal morning to be calm and purposeful. I would like to get up at 5 am, exercise, shower and get ready. Unload the dishwasher and get breakfast and lunch ready for me and my daughter. I like the sound of quiet in the morning apart from music when I'm exercising.

Today Morning Report:

1. Alarm went off at 5:00. Snoozed and woke up at 5:15. 
2. Got up, got ready to exercise but didn't end up exercising.
3. Took shower and got ready
4. Had a glass of milk and relaxed for 5 mins.
5. Prepared lunch for me and for my daughter to take to daycare
6. Woke up my daughter and got her ready