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August Alignment Finale

Posted in Positive Living, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 31, 2025| Leave a Comment »

It is the last day of August, dear reader! Where did this month go? All I know is it went by too quickly, and I think getting COVID contributes to me feeling that way. The universe definitely threw me a curveball, but I am recovering. Not as quickly as I want, but it does not seem like the universe cares what I want these days. HA! Please do not smite me universe! I promise I will not dwell or hold a grudge. Instead, I will wrap up my August challenge and let you know how I did August 25th-31st. This past week was more about getting back on track.

No book reviews on Goodreads. I am disappointed that I did not write one book review this entire month. I guess my heart was not into it. Therefore, I am taking my friend Liz’s advice, and I will be clearing the decks.

As for building on my habits I started in July, I met my water goal 4/7 times with an average of 60.0 ounces of water consumed over the course of the 7 days. My water consumption dropped on Monday with 56 ounces, picked back up to 64 ounces for the next 4 days, dropped again on Saturday with 48 ounces, but back up today with 60 ounces. For the month, I drank an average of 61 ounces of water.

Out of the 7 days, I consumed NO added sugar except 1/2 tsp of sugar in my morning coffee, 1 tbsp of honey in my afternoon tea, and 8 ounces of Sprite that I drank with my pizza on Wednesday. That left me with 6 days of no added sugar (the sugar in my coffee and honey in my tea is negligible). Much better than last week. For the month, I consumed added sugar on 12 of the 31 days.

My walking streak started again on Sunday, August 24th. My walking has been at a moderate pace while recovering from Covid. I am still dealing with a cough and sinus congestion. Thankfully, the stiffness in my knees has gone away. For the month, I walked 26 days of the 31 days.

Now, for my new habits, I caught up with my JOY List! As for grounding, I did none last week. For the month, I have 31 entries in my JOY journal. I participated in grounding 2 days of the 31 days.

While weight loss was not a part of this challenge, I weighed myself on August 1st (160.5 pounds) and again this morning (158 pounds) for informational purposes.

ATOMIC HABITS by James Clear

I read Chapter 15 of Atomic Habits this afternoon. One of the takeaways that resonated with me has to do with the cost of your habits on your overall well-being. James Clear states, “The costs of your good habits are in the present. The costs of your bad habits are in the future.” Basically, when you make a plan to improve your life (get healthy; meet a personal goal; start a business), you are making plans for your future self. In order to stay the course with the habits to achieve whatever it is you are striving towards, the habit needs to be satisfying. I still need to read Chapters 16 and 17, but those two chapters will have to wait until tomorrow.

Overall, I am pleased with my progress last week as well as my accomplishments this month. August’s challenge was about pushing myself a little bit more. I will continue walking daily, striving to reach my water goal each day, keeping track of my daily sugar, dairy, and gluten consumption, and recording in my JOY journal. I have decided I will not be grounding which I do not think is my thing, at least not right now. Since September 1st falls on a Monday, I have decided that I am going to time track the first week and go from there. I am using this first week to also clear the decks of my Goodreads account. My readalong of Atomic Habits will be completed in September as well. Autumn is just around the corner, and I am looking forward to preparing for a new season. Dear reader, what did you accomplish in August? Happiness!

“To get a habit to stick you need to feel immediately successful – even if it’s in a small way.” ~ James Clear, Atomic Habits

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Monday Moment: August Alignment Update #3

Posted in Positive Living, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 25, 2025| 1 Comment »

Today is the last Monday in August, dear reader! And, I have a bunch I want to accomplish before closing out this month for good because last week I hit a HUGE stumbling block. Remember last week when I mentioned that I was struggling with hayfever and dealing with an itchy throat and hoarseness, which I thought was odd, since I had been on Claritin for almost a month. Well, it was not hayfever but the dreaded coronvirus instead. UGH! The dreadful beast finally got me after all these years. I started feeling worse Monday evening (ran fever; slept poorly; miserable night). On Tuesday, I slept all day (extremely tired; ran a low-grade fever early afternoon; felt miserable). I started to worry that perhaps I had run myself down and was developing a sinus infection, so I drug myself out of bed and drove myself to urgent care where I received the sad and shocking news that I had Covid. Admittedly, I was also quite annoyed because it messed up the remainder of my week. So, let me update you on how I did last week (August 18th-24th) with my August challenge despite the setback.

No book reviews on Goodreads. Who knows if I would have written any reviews even without being sick? My track record says NO.

As for building on my habits I started in July, I met or surpassed my water goal 5/7 times with an average of 65.7 ounces of water consumed over the course of the 7 days. My water consumption dropped on Saturday with 60 ounces and even lower on Sunday with 52 ounces. Hydration is super important during an illness. While I am feeling much better, I must continue striving for 64 ounces of water daily.

Out of the 7 days, I consumed NO added sugar except 1/2 tsp of sugar in my morning coffee, 1 tbsp of honey in my afternoon tea, and 1 small bag of Buc-ees Beaver Nuggets with milk chocolate (spread out over three days). That left me with 4 days of no added sugar (the sugar in my coffee and honey in my tea is negligible). Not perfect but better than the previous week.

My walking streak ended on Tuesday, August 19th when I could not go for my morning walk. Yeah, I am bummed because I was doing so well with my walking up to that point. No need to dwell on it. I started walking again yesterday morning with a moderate walk (30:10). My legs felt stiff, especially around my knees. Once warmed up, they felt better. It was also awesome to stretch after my walk.

Now, for my new habits, I need to catch up on my JOY List! I am sure it is no surprise that I did NO grounding last week.

ATOMIC HABITS by James Clear

I read Chapter 13 of Atomic Habits last night and Chapter 14 this morning. One of the takeaways in Chapter 13 that resonated with me was the Two-Minute Rule. I was familiar with Clear’s story about Twyla Tharp because I read her book, The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It For Life back in 2022. “Habits are like the entrance ramp to the highway…Habits are the entry point, not the end point. They are the cab, not the gym.” (pages 160, 162) James Clear claims, “You’ll find that nearly any habit can be scaled down into a two-minute version.” (page162) This rule just might get me to finally incorporate strength-training into my week. And, it might also help me with grounding.

In Chapter 14, the focus is on a Commitment Device, automating good habits, and making bad habits difficult. Basically, “A commitment device is a choice you make in the present that controls your actions in the future.” (page 170) Reading How to Break Up With Your Phone by Catherine Price and participating in her challenge back in August of 2020 made it more difficult to get sucked into the social media vortex. That book/challenge was my commitment device. Perhaps, it is time for a reread. I found myself this past week spending too much time scrolling through social media. Being sick last week was not a good enough excuse. I could have read more or watched a tv show/movie I have been wanting to watch.

Last week was a massive disappointment for me only because I had high expectations for the last two weeks of this challenge. Even though my walking streak ended, I started a new one. Even though, I did not write any book reviews, I probably would not have anyway. Even though, no grounding took place, I am willing to give it another shot this week. I was still successful in other areas of my August challenge and have one more week to finish strong. Dear reader, how do you handle a stumbling block that knocks you off track? Happiness!

“The more you ritualize the beginning of a process, the more likely it becomes that you can slip into the state of deep focus that is required to do great things.” James Clear, Atomic Habits

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Monday Moment: August Alignment Update #2

Posted in Positive Living, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 18, 2025| 3 Comments »

It is Monday, dear reader! I hope your week has gotten off to a terrific start. August needs to slow down. Granted, I was a busy bee last week with volunteering Tuesday-Thursday at the Scholastic Book Fair at Holy Ghost Catholic School and Friday at the Friends of the Library store in Covington. A week among books was pure JOY. My weekend was also delightfully busy. My Dad came to spend the weekend with us, and I attended a virtual 24-Hour Reading Retreat. Now, I am struggling with hayfever and dealing with an itchy throat and hoarseness, which is odd, since I

have been on Claritin for almost a month. Thankfully, I do not feel badly, and it has not affected my goals for this month which I hope and pray stays that way. So, let me update you on how I did last week (August 11th-17th) with my August challenge.

No surprise to me (or you) that I have written zero book reviews on Goodreads. I need to let it go and clear the decks; however, I gave myself until the end of August, so I will proceed with my plan.

As for building on my habits I started in July, I met my water goal 6/7 times with an average of 63.7 ounces of water consumed over the course of the 7 days. I was so close on Thursday with 62 ounces. I am really making an effort with my water intake. Go me!

Out of the 7 days, I consumed NO added sugar except 1/2 tsp of sugar in my morning coffee, 1 tbsp of honey in my afternoon tea, 1 Airhead, and sweet treats (miniture Reese’s peanut butter cups) at celebratory occasions (attended Reading Retreat on Friday/Saturday). That left me with 3 days of no added sugar (minus 1/2 tsp in morning coffee; 1 tbsp of honey in afternoon tea). As I mentioned in my previous post, the sugar in my coffee and honey in my tea is negligible. I did not do great, especially with eating the Airhead on Thursday and eating more peanut butter cups yesterday. I cannot keep sweet treats in my house. No willpower!

I am STILL going strong with my walking and have either increased my distance (3 days) or integrated speed intervals (4 days) on my daily walk. Since I volunteered 4 days and had to be at HGCS and the FOTL store early, I had to wake up earlier to get my walk in before heading out to volunteer each of those days. I jogged those intervals on Thursday and Friday which felt amazing. Thankfully, my lower back is back to normal. I have been paying more attention to how much I am sitting, getting up more often, and moving in between tasks. I hardly sat while volunteering which was great.

Now, for my new habits, I am still doing GREAT with my Joy List! As for incorporating grounding (practice of connecting one’s body to the Earth’s surface) into my daily routine, I only did it twice (Tuesday & Thursday) out of the 7 days. Better than the first 10 days of August, but not great. Grounding might not be my jam. We shall see how this week goes.

ATOMIC HABITS by James Clear

I read Chapters 11 and 12 of Atomic Habits last night. One of the takeaways in Chapter 11 that resonated with me is comparing motion (planning, strategizing, learning) to action (delivering an outcome). This comparison struck a chord with me because in some areas of my life, I am in motion while in other areas, I am taking action. Motion makes you feel like you’re getting things done; when in fact, it could be delaying failure. Interesting! On page 143, James Clear states that in order “to master a habit, you need to get your reps in because repetition NOT perfection is the key.” I find this nugget of information important when building a new habit. We develop habits at different rates because it depends on the amount of reps we are doing to build those habits. I should not be comparing myself to anyone else while building my habits because it could hurt my progress if I do not feel I am measuring up to someone else building that same habit. One last note (page 144), active practice is action and passive learning is motion. I must pay attention to whether or not I am in motion or taking action.

In Chapter 12, the focus is on Environment Design. Basically, removing points of friction in your environment can be beneficial when building new habits. Habits are easy when there is a reduction in friction. Personally, I saw this benefit when I broke up with my phone for a month. Whereas, adding friction can help break a bad habit. If a bad habit needs to be broken, increase the friction connected with it to make the habit difficult. Also, “resetting the room” is a good strategy for preparing for the next action. (page 156) It is a great way to prime your environment and make it easier to stick to your habits.

Despite not writing my book reviews on Goodreads, eating too much added sugar, and grounding only twice, I feel successful and love the progress I am making with my walking, water consumption, and daily joyspotting. I have two more weeks left in this month to make more strides in all areas of this challenge. Dear reader, what did your week look like last week? Happiness!

“Habits are easier to build when they fit into the flow of your life.” ~ James Clear, Atomic Habits

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Monday Moment: August Alignment Update #1

Posted in Positive Living, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 11, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Happy Monday, dear reader. I want to take a moment to update you on how I am doing with my August challenge. I bought myself three notebooks from Target, and I am using the red one for monitoring my goals, habits, and routines. Throughout the month of August, I have been building on three of the habits I started in July while also establishing (or not) two new habits related to self-care. In addition, I set a lofty goal of “clearing the decks” on my Goodreads account because I am SUPER behind on writing book reviews.

So, let me address Goodreads first. I have written zero book reviews. Shocking, right?! I have also added more books to my “currently reading” shelf because I am always reading. At the rate I am going, I feel strongly no book reviews will be written by the end of this month.

As for building on my habits I started in July, I am drinking a glass of water before eating lunch. My thinking was this extra glass of water would help me get across the “64 ounces of water finish line” each day. That was not the case for the first 10 days of August. I met my water goal twice with an average of 56.8 ounces of water consumed over the course of the 10 days. Not terrible!

Out of the first 10 days of this month, I consumed NO added sugar except 1/2 tsp of sugar in my morning coffee, 1 tbsp of honey in my afternoon tea, 1/2 a rice krispie treat from Buc-ee’s, and sweet treats at celebratory occasions (attended three occasions). That left me with with 6 days of no added sugar (minus 1/2 tsp in morning coffee; 1 tbsp of honey in afternoon tea). The sugar in my coffee and honey in my tea is negligible.

I am STILL on a walking streak and have either increased my distance (6 days) or integrated speed intervals (4 days) on my daily walk. My schedule for the day determines if I have time for a longer walk or not. On the days I have somewhere to be, I walk my route and periodically pick up my speed for about 30 seconds. I might do this about 6 times during that walk. I would LOVE to eventually jog those intervals. With that being said, I did have an issue with my lower back Saturday morning after my shower (might be sciatica); however, walking actually makes my back feel better, so thankfully, it has not interfered with my daily walking habit. If anything, the back pain is a warning that I have been sitting too much this summer.

Now, for my new habits, I am doing GREAT with my Joy List! However, I am doing TERRIBLE with incorporating grounding (practice of connecting one’s body to the Earth’s surface) into my daily routine. No grounding so far this month. UGH! Morning is probably the best time for grounding, but I do not want to add another habit to my morning routine. At some point in the afternoon or evening (starting with 5 minutes), I will have to pair grounding with either music or meditation (temptation bundling).

I also want to mention that I am still reading Atomic Habits with my friends on Discord. We have completed Chapters 8-10 since my last update. One of the big takeaways in Chapter 8 is Temptation Bundling which “works by linking an action you want to do with an action you need to do.” (page 109) Temptation bundling along with habit stacking seems to work for me. In Chapter 9, one of the takeaways that has been effective for me is finding a group that I have something in common with who will help me with accountability. Saturday Morning Momentum was created out of my desire to be a part of a community interested in reaching personal development goals. I love my Saturday Morning Momentum group! And, in Chapter 10, I like the idea of reframing one’s mindset, especially when dealing with a difficult task or implementing a new habit. “You don’t ‘have’ to. You ‘get’ to.” (page 131) That mindset shift is powerful, and it reminds me to have a gratitude attitude.

Except for failing at grounding and not writing my book reviews on Goodreads, I feel successful with maintaining the habits I built in July and the strides I have made in this August challenge thus far. The month is not over yet. I remain optimistic. Dear reader, what have you been up to the last 10 days of August? Happiness!

“Nothing sustains motivation better than belonging to the tribe. It transforms a personal quest into a shared one…This is why remaining part of a group after achieving a goal is crucial to maintaining your habits. It’s friendship and community that embed a new identity and help behaviors last over the long run.” ~ James Clear, Atomic Habits

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August Alignment: Positioning to the Next Level

Posted in Positive Living, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 1, 2025| 4 Comments »

Jumpstart July was such a success for me that I decided to challenge myself again in August. Therefore, throughout the entire month of August, I will be giving myself a personal alignment to enhance my overall well-being. I want to build on current habits, add in a couple of new habits, and clear the decks in my reading life.

Build On Current Habits

As I strive to meet my daily water goal of 64 ounces, avoid the culprits causing my inflammation (dairy, gluten, sugar), and walk each morning for at least 30 minutes, I want to challenge myself to…

  • drink a glass of water before eating lunch
  • consume NO added sugar except 1/2 tsp of sugar in morning coffee, 1 tbsp of honey in afternoon tea, and sweet treats at celebratory occasions throughout the month (English Tea Room, Andrew’s birthday, Addison’s birthday (great-niece), wedding anniversary)
  • increase distance on some of the days I walk, and integrate speed intervals on the other days I walk (dependent on the day’s schedule)

Add New Habits

  • incorporate grounding (practice of connecting one’s body to the Earth’s surface) into my daily routine
  • keep a JOY List inside of a One-Sentence Journal created by Gretchen Rubin (in lieu of a traditional journal)

I have to thank my friend and accountability partner Liz for the Joy List idea. I bought this journal a couple of years ago, so I am thrilled to finally have a use for it. So, today I wrote two sentences because August 1st is Andrew’s birthday, and I spotted two cute armadillos on my morning walk. Talk about a joyspotting moment, watching those armadillos waddling from one yard to the next and heading to the wooded area behind the house on that property (probably off to bed after a wild night of foraging for insects).

Clear the Decks

Help! I am behind on my book reviews on Goodreads, and I cannot get caught up. I have NO idea why I am compelled to write lengthy book reviews on Goodreads for every book I read; however, I feel compelled, and I REALLY need to remedy this situation. I want to transfer all of the books that I have read and are hanging out on my “currently reading” shelf to my “read” shelf. At this moment, I have 40 book reviews to write. Liz told me during our 25 for 2025 meeting in June to just transfer the books and start fresh. It is not like I am taking a break from reading any time soon. And, it is not like I have always written reviews for every book I have read since I joined Goodreads in 2012.

So, I have decided that I am using August to catch up on those book reviews. If I do not finish the book reviews by August 31st, I will assign the remaining books that have been read a star rating and transfer them to the “read” shelf. That way the decks will be cleared by the first of September, and my Goodreads data will be up-to-date.

This is my August Alignment Challenge in a nutshell, dear reader. I plan to update you periodically throughout the month since I will be monitoring everything I want to accomplish in August as well as continuing my readalong of Atomic Habits by James Clear. I am excited to see where I will be at the end of this month. Dear reader, what are your plans for August? Happiness!

“I think in life, if you continue to challenge yourself, you can pride yourself in what you continuously accomplish.” ~ J.R. Martinez

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Thursday Thoughts: Jumpstart July Finale

Posted in Positive Living, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 31, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Today is the last day of July (unbelievable) and the final day of my Jumpstart July Challenge. What a terrific month for me! July was not about perfection or breaking personal bests. It was about resetting and moving toward a better version of myself. It was about rising out of the ashes of excuses like a PHOENIX and making myself a priority. I feel good. No, I feel better than good. I feel amazing, accomplished, and appreciative. A huge shout out to my Saturday Morning Momentum team, who helped me with accountability,

and to you, dear reader, for taking the time to read about my July adventures.

HABITS

Wake up at 5:00 AM. Except for Wednesday morning, Bailey woke me up at 5:35 am on Friday, 5:30 am on Saturday, 5:35 am on Sunday, 5:17 am on Monday, 5:41 am on Tuesday (she originally woke me up at 4:17 am; I let her out to potty; sent her back to bed), and 5:23 am today. On Wednesday, I woke up at 5:24 am and got to wake Bailey up for a change. HA!

Walk at least 30 minutes daily, preferably outside. My walking streak continues and is my biggest accomplishment this month. My walks this week began between 6:05 am and 6:30 am. I continue to NOT bring my phone with me on my outside walks, but used it on Friday and Saturday while walking on the treadmill (due to rain). I have decided to make walking on the treadmill more bearable, I must listen to music. I have made a note to create a playlist or playlists specifically for walking on the treadmill.

On Sunday morning, I did encounter a dog about 10 minutes into my walk that made me slightly nervous. He was not aggressive per se, but was initially invading my personal space and would not stop following me. He was a decent size (looked like a pit bull/mastiff mix). It is not unusual for dogs to be out and about in my neighborhood, but I did not recognize this guy. Minutes after making my turn to head back home, I saw another walker heading my way, so I mentioned the dog to him. Thankfully, the dog stopped following me, and I have not seen him since Sunday morning.

Here are my times for each walk. No more issues with that uncomfortable feeling under my right kneecap. I continued doing 8-10 squats before putting on my running shoes as well as 6-8 step ups onto my porch before setting off on my walk.

  • 07/25 (30:55) – treadmill
  • 07/26 (30:03) – treadmill
  • 07/27 (32:22)
  • 07/28 (33:22)
  • 07/29 (33:00)
  • 07/30 (33:30)
  • 07/31 (33:46)

Drink more water. I continued tracking my water consumption. Not counting today, I averaged drinking 52 ounces of water, increasing my water intake by 5.1 ounces. Not bad, but still striving for 64 ounces daily.

Mindful eating. I have avoided dairy (4/7 days), gluten (3/7 days), and added sugar (5/7 days). On Monday, I met with Hailey at SPA 728 for my next detox protocol. On my weekly Wednesday Target trip, I did NOT buy Doritos, Cheez-its, or candy.

Keep a JOY journal. NADA!

Write a daily to-do list. I continued with writing a daily to-do list.

Track book spending. I continued with recording my book spending. I bought NO books since my last update. My year-to-date spending for 2025 remains $626.44.

Declutter/Chores (schedule). I completed chores throughout the last 7 days and decluttered a couple of hours in my scrapbook room on Friday, 07/25 and an hour on Tuesday, 07/29. I continued with keeping track of which days work best for certain chores. I like a week-to-week schedule to accommodate appointments and activities.

Creative Time/Aims (schedule). I wrote this blog post (10/25) which counts toward my 25 posts I want to write in 2025; however, still NO schedule for scrapbooking or completing my aims for this year (although a couple of aims will be completed in August).

Monitor progress (habits/routines). I monitored the progress on all of my habits (with the exception of the JOY journal). I also weighed myself today (161 pounds) for informational purposes. Monitoring helps with accountability.

Over the past 7 days and with the exception of the JOY journal, I have continued to make progress with my habits, and they seem to be sticking. Initially, I considered Bailey waking me up each morning as a stumbling block (mainly when she woke me up before 5:00 am); however, I have come to realize, she is holding me accountable in her own way, and I am appreciative. She has also helped me with forming a better morning and evening routine.

In addition to my detox protocol, I have been putting a scoop of Pure Collagen Plus (All In Nutritionals) in my morning coffee. I picked it up at SPA 728 on June 16th but cannot remember when I started using it (did not write it down). Maybe, before July 1st. I did remember to write down when I started adding Gold: Apple Cider Vinegar + Turmeric (Bravenly) to my breakfast smoothie (July 14th). This day is also when I dropped my reflux meds from 40mg to 20mg (#4 on my 25 for 2025 list).

ROUTINES

My morning, weekly, and evening routines are still in development! I am actively following routines, but have not written anything down on paper, yet.

ATOMIC HABITS by James Clear

I finished Chapters 6 and 7, and both chapters hit home for me because I struggle with my home environment, and I can do better in the self-control department. Chapter 6 is all about designing an environment for success, and Chapter 7 is about the secret to self-control.

1) Environment – This is what I am working on NOW with my scrapbook room and my office.

“A stable environment where everything has a place and a purpose is an environment where habits can easily form.” (page 90)

Ultimately, I want every space in my house organized, so my life flows more efficiently. Decluttering has to also be a part of this habit.

2) Self-Control – Invisibility is the key. It’s easier to not eat the junk food if it is not in the house. Hence, the reason I did not bring Doritos, Cheez-its, or candy into my house after visiting Target on Wednesday.

“One of the most practical ways to eliminate a bad habit is to reduce exposure to the cue that causes it.” (page 95)

One thing that helps me is to buy a single serving of a treat at a higher cost. Enjoy it! However, I will not buy it often because it costs more. For example: I bought a Strawberry Fruit Bar from the Ice Cream Truck on Sunday. It was my “favorite summertime activity” for E.D.’s Summer Spooks Reading Event. It cost $3 plus I tipped the sweet lady driving the truck a dollar. I could have bought a whole box of fruit bars for $4, but I know I would eat more than one over time, and I am supposed to be avoiding sugar. It was good, and it served its purpose.

Dear reader, that is a wrap on my Jumpstart July Challenge. It has been nice to have a month to reset and to focus on building good habits and cultivating routines. I will continue reading Atomic Habits with my friends. I am considering an August Challenge for myself, but I have not had a moment to think about it intentionally. I realize tomorrow is August 1st; however, I am in the process of wrapping up some July reading, and I registered for an event this evening at the Baton Rouge Library called Horror in Nature: Appreciating Louisiana’s Wildlife through a Different Lens. Maybe, tomorrow. Dear reader, what did you accomplish in July? Happiness!

“Small changes in context can lead to large changes in behavior over time.” ~ James Clear, Atomic Habits

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Thursday Thoughts: Jumpstart July Update #3

Posted in Positive Living, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 24, 2025| Leave a Comment »

It is the 24th of July and time for the third update for my Jumpstart July Challenge. Since my last update, I have made some progress that has me excited for the rest of this month and the remainder of the year.

HABITS

Wake up at 5:00 AM. Because of a new evening routine with Bailey and my oldest son not waking up before 5:00 am, Bailey is doing better with when she wakes me up in the morning. Thanks to Bailey, I woke up at 4:50 am on Friday, 5:45 am on Saturday (my hubby got up with her), 5:24 am on Sunday, 5:30 am on Monday, 5:25 am on Tuesday, 5:15 am on Wednesday, and 5:09 am today. I realize that I am NOT waking up at 5:00 am, but that is fine because it makes more sense for me, under my current circumstances, to wake up closer to 5:30 am. I will share more about this in a future post.

Walk at least 30 minutes daily, preferably outside. I am still on a walking streak. My walks this week began between 6:05 am and 6:15 am with the exception of Friday. Since I walked on the treadmill on Friday, I started my walk at 6:45 am. I knew I would not be on that treadmill longer than 30 minutes. I continue to NOT bring my phone with me on my outside walks. Not bringing my phone has been a game changer, especially since it helps me pay more attention to my body (especially my right knee). I got wild on Monday, and reversed my route. HA!

Here are my times for each walk. If you read my last update, on Wednesday (July 16th), my right knee was feeling weird; not painful but a slight twinge under my kneecap, so I cut back on distance and walked on the treadmill (Thursday and Friday). Since Friday, I have incorporated 8-10 squats each morning before putting on my running shoes as well as 6-8 step ups onto my porch before setting off on my walk. My knee still felt a little wonky on Sunday and Monday after walking, so I took Ibuprofen (400 mg) and the twinge went away throughout the day. Tuesday – today, knee is feeling better and no Ibuprofen after my walks.

  • 07/18 (30:45) – treadmill
  • 07/19 (43:58) – added a little distance; walked slower
  • 07/20 (35:52)
  • 07/21 (33:52)
  • 07/22 (35:33)
  • 07/23 (40:45) – added a little distance
  • 07/24 (33:38) – felt like I could run today

Drink more water. I tracked my water consumption! I’m averaging 46.9 ounces of water. I want to be more mindful of this habit because I do not think this is enough water consumption for me.

Mindful eating. I have avoided dairy (4/7 days), gluten (3/7 days), and added sugar (6/7 days). I am doing well with veggie consumption and drank my protein shake with turmeric for breakfast (Saturday; Monday – today). If I do not drink a protein shake, I mix the turmeric in my coffee; however, I prefer it in a shake.

Keep a JOY journal. I made NO attempt with this habit. AGAIN! I did NOT even think about it.

Write a daily to-do list. I continue to write a daily to-do list. Except for this morning, I wrote the list after my walk, shower, and breakfast which is my preferable time. Since I was up earlier this morning, I decided to knock it out before getting Tooty and Luna up. I am getting better at completing EVERY task on my list, and designating times to complete those tasks have helped with completion.

Track book spending. I continue recording my book spending. On Friday, 07/18 I ordered Lunch in Paris: A Love Story by Elizabeth Bard from Amazon. This memoir was written prior to Picnic in Provence which I am reading for the Cozy Cottage Book Club this month. It cost me 59 cents (what was owed after credit card points). I also volunteered at the Friends of the Library store on Friday, and I purchased 8 books for $4.00. My year-to-date spending for 2025 is now $626.44.

Declutter/Chores (schedule). I completed chores throughout the last 7 days and decluttered a couple of hours in my scrapbook room on Tuesday, 07/21. I have set aside Friday to work some more in my scrapbook room. AND, I have been in touch with my friend Liz for accountability. I have NOT created a concrete weekly schedule where I do certain chores or declutter on certain days of the week (and follow that schedule every week); however, I did schedule which days to complete chores and which days I wanted to work in my scrapbook room. I am keeping track of which days seem to work best for certain chores. Maybe, a week-by-week schedule is more my speed?

Creative Time/Aims (schedule). I wrote this blog post (9/25) which counts toward my 25 posts I want to write in 2025; however, still NO schedule for scrapbooking or completing my aims for this year. I really cannot schedule any scrapbooking time until I get my scrapbook room in order. HOWEVER, I did volunteer for the first time at the Friends of the Library store on Friday, 7/18 and then again today (#20 on my 25 for 2025 list). In addition, I created a schedule to read The Gunslinger by Stephen King with my friend Alex, starting on August 1st. This novel is the first in The Dark Tower series which is a series I want to start reading this year (#15 on my 25 for 2025 list). I also worked an hour this week organizing my home library (#10 on my 25 for 2025 list). I mailed 2 books to my friend Lee, 3 books to my friend Stormi, and donated 10 books to the FOTL store.

Monitor progress (habits/routines). For the first time this month, I can say that I am monitoring the progress on all of my habits (with the exception of the JOY journal). Although slowly, my routines are coming together. I am experimenting with what works for me in my current season of life.

These past 7 days, I have seen more progress. I am making strides with the majority of my habits. Of course, there is always room for more growth. By the next and final update for this challenge, I want to (1) maintain waking up no later than 5:30 am 2) maintain my walking streak (3) drink at least 64 ounces of water daily (4) try harder with avoiding dairy, gluten, and added sugar (5) consider creating a junk journal centered around JOY (6) continue my daily to-do list with designating times to complete tasks (7) avoid buying books for myself for the remainder of July (8/9) instead of creating schedules for decluttering/chores and creative time/aims, schedule them into my upcoming week (10) continue monitoring habits.

ROUTINES

My morning, weekly, and evening routines are in development! I will share more about this in a future post.

ATOMIC HABITS by James Clear

I finished Chapter 5. I think this is my FAVORITE chapter thus far because it is really what I am trying to accomplish. I want to create sustainable habits within a routine. Here are the ideas in this chapter that resonated with me, and I feel could be a game changer for me.

1) Implementation Intention – a plan you make beforehand about when and where to act [how you intend to implement a particular habit] (page 72) I feel like that is exactly what we are doing for Saturday Morning Momentum. We state our intentions beforehand, then figure out how we are going to follow through with them. I did this with my walking habit. “I will walk daily at 6:00 AM in my neighborhood.” My contingency plan is the treadmill. The habit is walking daily in the morning.

2) Habit Stacking – a special form of implementation intention. (page 74) I love the formula because this is going to help me create my routines! “After (current habit), I will (new habit).” I want to make these my non-negotiables. And, specificity is key. I’m excited!

Wow, what a difference the last 7 days have made for me! I remain hopeful that I can finish my July challenge strong with habits and routines in place. I am also entertaining the idea of creating an August challenge for myself. Why not? Dear reader, what do you hope to accomplish by the end of July? Happiness!

“Give your habits a time and a space to live in the world.” ~ James Clear

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Thursday Thoughts: Jumpstart July Update #2

Posted in Positive Living, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 17, 2025| 3 Comments »

It is the 17th of July and time for another update for my Jumpstart July Challenge.

HABITS

Wake up at 5:00 AM. I wish I could tell you I wrote down the time I woke up each morning since my last update, but I only remembered to write down Monday – today. Thanks to Bailey, I woke up at 4:40 am on Monday, 5:09 am on Tuesday, 4:50 am on Wednesday, and 5:06 today. The roughest mornings to get up were Wednesday (Tooty had tummy trouble all night, so every 1 1/2 – 2 hours, I was bringing him outside to potty) and today (Bailey was frightened by thunder and lightning, so at 11:15 last night, I had to give her 1/2 a sedative tablet and sit up with her until it kicked in). However, as tired as I was, I refused to miss my morning walks.

Walk at least 30 minutes daily, preferably outside. I am still on a walking streak. My walk begins between 5:40 am and 6:15 am with 6:00 am being the sweet spot. No phone on these daily walks, except today (walked on treadmill). The last couple of days I have not seen any bunnies on my walking route, but I have heard roosters crowing. Saturday evening was the only evening I put my workout clothes on my bathroom counter. I need to write a note to remind myself.

Here are my times for each walk. On Monday, I increased my time by about 6 minutes because I added more road to cover on my walk. However, I was lost in thought and missed my turn on Tuesday, so I went to the entrance of my subdivision to make up some minutes. Oh, well. Yesterday, my right knee was feeling weird; not painful but a slight twinge under my kneecap; therefore, I went back to the route and time I walked from the end of last week. This morning I walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes and decreased my speed. The feeling was still there but not as sharp as yesterday. I guess too fast, too far, too soon.

  • 07/11 (43:43)
  • 07/12 (43:20)
  • 07/13 (45:52)
  • 07/14 (53:53)
  • 07/15 (50:30)
  • 07/16 (45:54)
  • 07/17 (30:01) – treadmill

Drink more water. I have NOT been consistent with my water intake. And, I have NOT tracked my water consumption.

Mindful eating. I have avoided dairy, gluten, and added sugar 4 of the 7 days. I did up my veggie consumption and drank my protein shake with tumeric for breakfast (Monday-today).

Keep a JOY journal. I made NO attempt with this habit. AGAIN!

Write a daily to-do list. I continue to write a to-do list daily; however, for the past 7 days, I have written it after my walk, shower, and breakfast. I think I prefer this time. Yesterday, for the first time this month, I completed EVERY task on my list. However, I did not designate times to complete the tasks which I think would help with my daily routine.

Track book spending. I continue recording my book spending. I was not supposed to purchase any books for myself since my last update. On July 13th, I used my free book credit ($5.00) from Thrift Books (before it expired) to buy a used book, Bloodsucking Friends, by Christopher Moore. It cost me 21 cents (for the tax; shipping paid by credit card points), and my year-to-date spending for 2025 is now $621.85.

Declutter/Chores (schedule). I completed chores and did NO decluttering; and, I did NOT create a schedule.

Creative Time/Aims (schedule). I wrote this blog post (8/25) which counts toward my 25 posts I want to write in 2025; however, still NO schedule for scrapbooking or completing my aims for this year. HOWEVER, I did visit the Hammond Farmers & Artisans Market on Saturday morning (2/5 times; #23 on my 25 for 2025 list), and I scheduled a reservation yesterday for my hubby and me to visit the English Tea Room in Covington on August 2nd (#22 on my 25 for 2025 list).

Monitor progress (habits/routines). Out of all my habits and routines I am working on this month, I consistently monitor my daily walks.

Not really sure how to rate the past 7 days. I continue to makes strides with a couple of habits but flounder or have nothing to show with other habits. Maybe I am tackling too many habits at one time? By the next update, I want to (1) do better about monitoring the time I wake up each morning 2) walk a day or two on the treadmill at a slower pace to see if this helps with my right knee issue (3) do better with increasing and keeping track of my water intake (4) stop eating by 6:00 PM (5) start my JOY journal (6) continue my daily to-do list with designating times to complete tasks (7) limit the number of books to buy at the Friends of the Library (FOTL) store this weekend (8/9) start creating schedules for decluttering/chores and creative time/aims (10) continue monitoring habits.

ROUTINES

My morning, weekly, and evening routines have still not been established. Maybe instead of establishing all three routines at once, I focus on my morning routine? I already have some semblance of how I want my mornings to flow and there is a framework of a morning routine, so I feel like it will not take much effort to solidify it.

ATOMIC HABITS by James Clear

Our group, who is reading Atomic Habits, completed Chapter 4 on Sunday, 13 July.

Here are some takeaways from Atomic Habits that resonated with me from that chapter that focused on the Habits Scorecard.

1 – There are no good habits or bad habits. There are only effective habits. That is, effective at solving problems. (page 65)

2 – The first step to changing bad habits is to be on the lookout for them…Hearing your bad habits spoken aloud makes the consequences seem more real. (page 66)

3 – The process of behavior change always starts with awareness. (page 66) I love that “a habit” could be considered good for one person, but bad for another. It might be effective for both people, but the outcomes will be what is negative or positive.

I actually use the Point-and-Calling strategy when I check to make sure the doors in my house are locked before leaving to go somewhere. Then, I do it again to make sure my garage door has gone down after pulling out the garage while still in my driveway.

As I wrap up this post, I am suffering with hayfever and feeling like I need a nap. I feel like a zombie. I am trying not to be too hard on myself for not accomplishing everything I wanted to accomplish with this challenge since my last update. I must remind myself that I have responsibilities for more than just myself. Since my last update, Andrew and I took care of the title transfer, so he now owns my mother-in-law’s vehicle. We also had a fantastic day hanging out afterwards. I also filled out paperwork and got fingerprinted, so I can volunteer at my friend Kathryn’s two book fairs this year at Holy Ghost School. I am keeping up with chores around the house, taking care of my dogs, walking and reading daily, as well as live streaming twice a week on my Youtube channel. Also, I am spending quality time with my husband whenever possible which I think is important. Spending time with my family and friends is time well-spent.  Dear reader, what have you been up to the last 7 days of July? Happiness!

“One of our greatest challenges in changing habits is maintaining awareness of what we are actually doing.” ~ James Clear, Atomic Habits

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Thursday Thoughts: Jumpstart July Update #1

Posted in Positive Living, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 10, 2025| 4 Comments »

It is the 10th of July and time for an update on my challenge for this month. I chose 10 habits I want to build and 3 routines I want to cultivate in my life along with diving into Atomic Habits by James Clear for the second time.

HABITS

Wake up at 5:00 AM. Since the first of the month, I have been getting up between 4:30 AM and 5:30 AM. I have not had to set my alarm clock because my dog Bailey wakes me up, and it is generally before 5:00 AM.

Walk at least 30 minutes daily, preferably outside. I am on a streak with my walking. I have walked every day up to this point, and each walk has been outside in my neighborhood. I am also leaving my phone at home which allows me to gain some clarity with my thoughts and feelings while enjoying the natural world. I love seeing the squirrels chase each other and listening to the birds sing their songs. Yesterday, I spotted a brown and white bunny hopping under a bush. Today, I saw three bunnies (one in my front yard).

Here are my times for each walk. As you can see on Monday, my time increased by 10 minutes because I added more road to cover on my walk.

  • 07/01 (35:12)
  • 07/02 (33:49)
  • 07/03 (34:25)
  • 07/04 (35:26)
  • 07/05 (34:18)
  • 07/06 (32:54)
  • 07/07 (42:44)
  • 07/08 (43:47)
  • 07/09 (44:00)
  • 07/10 (43:48)

Drink more water. I have increased my water intake by 2 cups as a result of walking daily.

Mindful eating. I have avoided dairy, gluten, and added sugar 7 of the 10 days.

Keep a JOY journal. I made no attempt with this habit.

Write a daily to-do list. Writing my to-do list is the first task I do after letting Bailey out to potty and taking my reflux meds.

Track book spending. I record my spending when I work on my financial tasks for the week (usually Sunday morning). On July 1st, I bought Picnic in Provence: A Memoir with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard from Amazon to read this month for the Cozy Cottage Book Club. It cost $21.03, and my year-to-date spending for 2025 is $621.64.

Declutter/Chores (schedule). I completed chores and did minimal decluttering; however, I have not created a schedule, yet.

Creative Time/Aims (schedule). I wrote this blog post which counts toward my 25 posts I want to write in 2025; however, I have not created a schedule, yet, to incorporate scrapbooking time or to complete my remaining aims on my list.

Monitor progress (habits/routines). I am currently monitoring my daily walks and water intake. I also weighed myself on July 1st (162.5 pounds) for informational purposes. I started writing down when I woke up each morning, but only documented the first 2 days and forgot about keeping track in my notebook. I did jot down a few notes regarding my morning routine.

Despite not being perfect and not hitting all my goals for July in the first 10 days, I am proud of my progress. Honestly, I am in no rush, so I do not mind the slow progression towards building sustainable habits. By the next update, I want to (1) monitor the time I wake up each morning 2) put my workout clothes on my bathroom counter the night before, start my walk at 6:00 AM, and add more time to my walk (3) increase my water intake (4) eat more veggies and drink my protein shake with tumeric for breakfast (5) start my JOY journal (6) continue my daily to-do list with designating times to complete tasks (7) NO book buying for myself by next update (8/9) start creating schedules for decluttering/chores and creative time/aims (10) continue monitoring habits.

ROUTINES

My morning, weekly, and evening routines have not been established, yet. I have been focusing more on my habits than my routines up to this point. As I mentioned, I am keeping notes about my morning routine. My one stumbling block with my morning routine is my cell phone. It is also my house phone, so I do like to check it first thing in the morning in the event I have received any calls or texts from my dad, sister, or friends (especially my friends who live alone). I need to put it away after that morning check, so I am not tempted to start scrolling. If I want to scroll, I need to schedule it.

ATOMIC HABITS by James Clear

I have created a schedule for reading and discussing Atomic Habits. A group of us start a new chapter or chapters every Monday. Dear reader, if you want to join us, you are welcome to read along with us or read at your own pace and jump into the discussion on my Discord whenever you want to share your thoughts. We completed Chapters 1-3 on Sunday, 06 July.

Here are some takeaways from Atomic Habits that resonated with me from the first three chapters.

  1. Create Systems since systems are the processes that lead to achieving goals.
  1. Identity-Based Habits are habits that become part of our identity.

“Who do we wish to become?” a) Decide the type of person you want to be. b) Prove it to yourself with small wins.

  1. The Habit Loop consists of cue (notice the reward), craving (want the reward), response (obtain the reward), reward (gold star). Of course, the gold star is for good habits.

I love the examples on pages 52-53 that illustrate the habit loop. I can relate to the stumbling block example. Social media has a way of sucking me into the Twilight Zone when I am overwhelmed or hit a stumbling block, so I try hard to avoid it when I am feeling that way. Not always successful. I’m excited to dive into the Four Laws of Behavior Change.

I am pleased with the results of the first 10 days of my challenge, especially since I am changing my mindset on how I spend my time. Planning my time each week has allowed me to accomplish essential tasks while also fitting in some fun. I am currently participating in the Summerween Readathon, so I am setting aside more time to read for that event. I also spent time on Monday getting paperwork together and researching information for the title transfer of my mother-in-law’s vehicle to my son Andrew. That took up a whole afternoon. I have also been a social butterfly this week meeting up with friends and spending time with my hubby and my father. I am in a good place right now, and I am excited about taking the next steps for this challenge. Dear reader, what have you been up to in the first 10 days of July? Happiness!

“The most effective way to change your habits is to focus not on what you want to achieve, but on who you wish to become.” ~ James Clear, Atomic Habits

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Jumpstart July: A Reset to Get Back on Track

Posted in Positive Living, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 1, 2025| 11 Comments »

Happy July 1st, dear reader! Today, I am jumpstarting July to shake my life up a bit (in a good way). My life was derailed two years ago due to one personal crisis after another. Unfortunately, I let a few things fall by the wayside, but I am ready and excited to get my life back on track. This month, I want to focus on building good habits and cultivating realistic routines, so I can accomplish the aims on my 25 for 2025 List and restart my hobbies (other than reading) by the end of this year.

I have been wanting to reread Atomic Habits by James Clear, so when my friend Lee mentioned on a recent episode of Saturday Morning Momentum that she was reading it and having a hard time getting into it, I asked her if she wanted me to buddy read it with her, and she said YES. Therefore, I started with the introduction today. We will be reading and discussing it on my Discord if anyone is interested in joining us for the next couple of months.

I have created two lists, one for the habits I want to build and the other for the routines I want to cultivate in July. Some of my habits will be incorporated into my daily routines. I will play around with my routines this month since I want them to be realistic and manageable.

HABITS

  • Wake up at 5:00 AM
  • Walk at least 30 minutes daily, preferably outside
  • Drink more water
  • Mindful eating
  • Keep a JOY journal
  • Write a daily to-do list
  • Track book spending
  • Declutter/Chores (schedule)
  • Creative Time/Aims (schedule)
  • Monitor progress (habits/routines)

ROUTINES

  • Morning Routine
  • Weekly Routine
  • Evening Routine

In addition to rereading Atomic Habits, I plan on referring to ideas and strategies suggested in the following books which I would highly recommend to readers who want to work on habits, routines, decluttering, organizing, or making time for creative pursuits and projects.

  • The 5AM Club by Robin Sharma
  • Tranquility by Tuesday by Laura Vanderkam
  • Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin
  • Outer Order, Inner Calm by Gretchen Rubin

Now that I am putting my July plans out into the world, dear reader, I hope you will help me stay accountable. I plan to update you periodically throughout the month. My friend Kathryn Huggett, who is a health coach, created two accountability trackers for her team that I am using to keep track of my daily walks and water intake. I am using a regular notebook to monitor everything else I will be doing. I am excited to see what I will accomplish this month. Happiness!

“Your jumpstart moment is critical. Start simple but simply start.” ~ Bronkar Lee

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