march money challenge

This month I find myself facing a financial challenge.

I've been keeping our monthly margin at the razor's edge of the emergency cushion, after accounting for regular expenses and saving, because of paying down that pesky and pestilent mortgage!
(OK, deep calming breath).

In January I set aside a nice chunk of change for my final term of nursing school tuition, and it's been patiently waiting for its turn to transfer as I've been feverishly scouring academic databases and writing papers and performance improvement projects. But due to some additional final-term fees, and one additional credit hour, I'm  $500 short of the total (due the first week of April).

So here's my March money challenge:
Cut spending this month enough to make up the $500 difference!
....and still have something left to contribute to the mortgage principal in April (even if just a few dollars).

I'll let you know how it goes.

Anyone else up for a March money challenge? What'll it be?

go around gently

Sometimes the procrastination issue gets the best of me.
I have been thinking about it a lot, and how to wiggle around it.
Facing it head-on feels like throwing myself at a giant boulder, trying to shoulder it out of the way.
Something is blocking my path, and the reasons for it are complex. Brute force is ineffective and just leaves me feeling bruised.

When this happens, I am blocking my own path. I am both the blocker and the blocked.
It's better if I can just get myself out of the way. To continue with this image, I have to find a nice little forest trail that gently wanders its way around the big boulder, so that I don't really notice I'm past it until I look backwards in surprise and relief.

That's what I'm working on now. Breaking down the tasks that are triggering my aversion into tiny, little, chunks. Then finding small rewards for after each step, that make me feel good and feel good about myself. A small walk. A chapter of a novel. A home skin treatment. A few minutes to write something here.

It also helps to reset patterns by working in a different spot. I moved from being entrenched on the living room couch (though Mowsie Cat kept me company) to the quiet Attic Addition, which reminds me of a Swedish cabin with its clean, bright emptiness.

What are your tricks for overcoming procrastination? Or is it an issue you struggle with?

our lady

Our Lady of the....

missing toilet paper???!

Set up in my meditation space to "scare the something out of me".

(the downstairs bathroom was bare of its usual stock)

Teenagers! You've got to love them. What am I going to do with these practical jokers?

On another note...I started back to school (on-line) yesterday. Please chant with me: B-S-N! B-S-N!
Only five and a half more months to go. Although blogging here is one of my favorite recreations, I need to put myself on a blogging schedule so that I limit my procrastinating diversions. Therefore, I will try to stick to twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays. If you see me here at other times, feel free to send me either encouraging or scolding emails regarding getting back to work.

holding down the fort

I have been on my own with my boys for a few days a Minou is off in the wilds, somewhere near Seattle, hob-knobbing and cavorting with a bunch of eco-builders and designers.

He left us hidden chocolate. That man is so sweet.

As are my boys: I loved watching them be playful, gentle, and encouraging with a little one we know. P'tit Minou Un used his Big Boy influence to encourage Finishing Dinner, while P'tit Minou Deux spent time building Mr. Potato Head and roughhousing on the floor despite being tired. I am so, so proud of them, watching the young men they have become.

Anyway, we are holding down the fort. We bought massive amounts of groceries (two teen boys in the home), we bought chicken feed, we bought cat food and dog food. Our entire household will be well fed (me perhaps a little too much so: see hidden chocolate above, plus some amazing chocolates sent by a dear friend in a surprise package). I'm also hearing a buying theme here. Let's hope (for Minou's sake) that we don't buy a house too.

We're going to an open house today, just to look.
P'tit Minou Un reminded me that this was how our big brown dog Sawyer joined the family--a weekend that Minou was out of town, and the guilty parties went to the Humane Society just to look. Ahem.

In other news, I have discovered some affordable non-code (oops) tiny spiral staircase options that could solve our attic loft access problem. And I have a big week coming up at work, with two events I am excited about. Sometimes I don't recognize outright that I am feeling a little nervous about something--until the behaviors I am employing to cope with the feeling undercurrent trigger me to notice.

Such as: why am I eating too much chocolate? Why am I spending so much time on real-estate websites and driving around town to look at houses, when we are planning to fix up our little urban farmette homestead and make it work for us? And why can't I be motivated to scrub and clean, and go on long-distance runs, instead of these other behaviors?

Oh well. Related to news, I also have several academic deadlines coming up. I had promised myself that this would be the year of No Procrastination--I am tired of the disruption this bad habit can create, as I work feverishly last minute to gallop in and deliver the goods in time for a deadline. As interesting as my online coursework is, I am really, really ready to no longer be a student. So many years of this. And here I am, procrastinating again. It's challenging, with this tendency, to study online, since there are so many built-in distractions--such as blogging and real-estate websites!

Therefore, I'm going to take a little blogging break. I'll plan to check in and post weekly on the weekends as a self-reward for getting my coursework done. I'll fill you in with my decluttering progress, which is proceeding at a slow and steady pace. Thanks to a suggestion from a reader (thanks Sue!) I have been sticking with a set amount of time per day--15 or 20 minutes. When that is done, that's progress.

Have a lovely week...please leave me anote and let me know what you're up to!

TGFT

When I was a child, one of my mom's favorite expressions was "TGIF"--Thank God It's Friday.
She was a teacher.
She worked full-time, was a single parent, did continuing education to be a better teacher and for individual growth, and corrected papers after she made dinner and washed the dishes (I know, I should have helped).

Today, after attending two open house parent nights last week, I want to say TGFT--Thank God For Teachers!

I don't know what the public education system is like in your neck of the woods, but I was truly shocked by what I learned there. First, some background. My boys attend what are widely considered the best middle and high school in our school district. The younger one is in a French immersion program and the older in a French Immersion International Baccalaureate program. How wonderful is that?!

It's very wonderful. And so are their dedicated and committed teachers, who arrive at 7:30 a.m. and don't get home until dinnertime. To correct papaers and plan lessons later, I am sure.

But listen to this. There are thirty-five student (!!) between the ages of 11 and 13 in my son's middle-school algebra class. High school biology can no longer do labs with the entire class (there are 42 in there), so they must alternate days, with half the class working independently in the hall during lab days. Middle school full-time teachers have 8 class sections of 25-35 students. And here is the real shocker--the brand-new to the district, not full-time, middle-school band and orchestra teacher has SEVENTY-TWO STUDENTS in her 6th grade band class. Now there is a truly scary thought. Seventy-two 11 year olds new to their band instruments, all at the same time.

Also, the custodians no longer have time to sweep the classrooms, we were informed.

How long is that wonderful new young band teacher going to stay fresh and committed? This is crazy!

Due to class overcrowding, scheduling snafus are infinately harder to fix. My younger son, who has played the violin since the age of 7, was mistakenly placed in 8th grade Band (with kids who have played their instruments for at least 2 years) instead of 8th grade Orchestra. If he switches back to orchestra, he will be giving up his science class--for the year. Also, there are no available electives for him to take during the band slot--so he could be a "teacher's assistant" during that period. That's it. He was also mistakenly placed in a French cooking class that he has already taken.

I just don't understand. Public education is an investment in youth, in our community, in our society. How can things get to this point? And why would anyone choose to become a teacher, with the ever-increasing class sizes, budget cuts, and stresses?

Thank God For Teachers!!

motivation

I'm thinking about this lately for myself and the p'tit minous.

One of them is extremely self-motivated (I won't reveal which is which) and, I would say, has a high level of belief in his self-efficacy. He can plan his time, stick to a challenging job, and get things done. He is also skilled at motivating others, and has been since at least age 3, though to his chagrin in our stubborn family this can sometimes create resistance.

The other is in no hurry to assume the mantle of responsibility. We have almost daily arguments about his ability to accomplish tasks. He can argue passionately for what feels like hours, elaborating on all the many reasons that he can't do whatever the issue at hand is. Needless to say, as his mama, this is extremely frustrating.

It got me to thinking about my own levels of motivation and self-efficacy. I recently took an interesting online personality assessment as part of a nursing education class, and I discovered that while I have high levels of achievement orientation (no surprise there), my levels of self-efficacy and self-discipline were only average.

Procrastination my old friend....(cue Simon and Garfunkle)...
I think that my awareness of this issue makes me lack some belief in my ability to accomplish all the things I want to accomplish. And I am ready to change this. I declare this year the year of Anti-Procrastination. Or maybe the Year of Planning is a better moniker.

Building habits, setting small measurable goals, and rewarding myself are the tools.
I hope to help the stuggling p'tit minou by, instead of lecturing, giving him an example of an imperfect adult working to change sa way of doing things that is no longer working.

Monday Update

Hello everyone! I'm still here.

A combination of working away at completing a big academic project (why, oh why do I still procrastinate..?) and feeling a little shy about having readers (besides my family) visiting my blog thanks to the Minimalist Mom shout-out have contributed to my silence this week.

But it's time to break that and step out.

Biking to work has been going pretty well. I believe in setting myself up for success ( a hard-learned lesson), so my stated goal is to bike at least twice a week--and doing more when possible. Last week, I biked on Monday, despite the rain. I'm set up with rain pants, rain jacket, and visor on my helmet--all I need are little windshield wipers for my glasses. And, seriously, budgeting a little more time. Because of poor visibility (frequent glasses-wiping stops) and longer braking distances, I go much more slowly in the rain. Friday, the rain had finally stopped, and I found myself really looking forward to cycling home through the beautiful wide green fields next to the river (my commute is glorious this time of year).

We finished the Business Commuter Challenge week at work, and I gave what I hope was an appropriate shout-out to the 12 courageous coworkers who participated. As a group, we prevented over 250 lbs of CO2 release into the atmosphere! Prizes and coupons were also distributed.

(Notice to self for next year: none of the people who I persuasively talked in to signing up actually participated--they were honest with me about their other priorities and schedule complications being a barrier).

For this week...

1) finish this project.
2) continue winnowing down my own possessions (wardrobe this week). Empty space is calling.
3) get the garden planted (Minou and I cleared out the beds yesterday).
4) Run. I dreamed about it last night. It's been two weeks. I miss it.

What are your plans and goals for the week?

simple sunday?

I think that I need to change the concept of simple sunday to

Please, share your ideas for simple living with ME! sunday.

Life is not feeling very simple these days.

Much as I would like it to not be there, there is a weight like a stone of stress on my shoulders.

I have an amazing family. Minou in my life. Two beautiful and brilliant boys.

A home. A garden. Wonderful friends. Work that I value and enjoy.

Even, these days, sunshine.

I'm not sure what the stress is from. It is heavy. Sometimes doing things feels like too much effort.

Much as I love to learn, I feel privileged to study, I am finding it hard to be a student.

Cry me a river. So many people would love to have the opportunity.

I know that I am fortunate. But I am also tired.

I have been a student practically since the day my boys were born.

Throughout their childhood, exams and papers have lurked heavily in the background.

Movies I didn't watch with them. Books I didn't read. Times I felt impatient instead of engaged.

I am still trodding onward. I recognize the value of my study. Almost done with the 4th degree.

But what about the value of those moments with my soon to be out of the house boys?

One of them already wants very little to do with me.  Makes me sad.

##\\??

Today is decidedly not simple Sunday. I have spent most of this beautiful sunny day glued to my desk (which is nicely set up however, thanks to the efforts of one of the p'tit minous--you know who you are), trying to figure out how to use Excel--functions and charts--which I should really already know in order to move on to the next stage of a project I am (supposed to be) working on.

Frustrated doesn't begin to describe what I'm feeling right now.

I have found some nice Excel chart tutorials online, which don't want to integrate with my computer's setup. None of the examples will download and open.

The how is interfering with the what. The situation makes me feel stupid, and I hate that.

I'm ditching the computer to go for a run.

Does anyone know what \N means?!

cutouts

I have my work cut out for me today....

And so does Minou....

And speaking of cutouts, I am appreciating these colorful Oaxacan decorations our front neighbors are flying

Despite the spring sunshine, it's a fuzzy bathrobe kind of morning

And a second cup of coffee kind of day.

Just look at this handsome, hard-working, grass-speckled man (no bathrobe for him):

What are you up to today? Do you have your work cut out for you this Saturday?