Challenge: Blog a day for 7 days...Day 3

Monday, January 16, 2012

SNOW...SNOW...SNOW... It is a beautiful day in the pacific northwest and the view out my front window is simply picture postcard perfect. I am looking at gorgeous tall fir trees with their tips highlighted by white crystals and the fluffy little flakes keep falling out of the sky. There is something calming and comforting to me about sitting in my warm home and looking out upon my front yard all crisp and white. The weather man is predicting 4 - 10 more inches tonight and that makes me excited at the thought of building a snow man. I have been outside and caught some snowflakes on my tongue and it is cold outside but some how I am invigorated by this frozen stuff!!! We do not get a lot of snow here and when we do it seems to slow everything down and bring my family home to enjoy time together. I am thankful for a warm home and an exercise bike that doesn't require chains to keep me moving. Going to embrace this special time with my family...a winter vacation has decided to surround us and I will be making memories and enjoying soup and apple pie...I think playing and walking and snowman building in a winter wonderland will be burning some calories too...there must be spark exercise minutes and calories burned for that listed somewhere!!! Just saying....
I'M DOING SPARKTACULAR!!! Smiles Barb

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Challenge: Blog a day for 7 days...Day 2

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Day 2 of my blog challenge begins with back spasms...while no fun it is part of the body that I live in and my diagnosis of fibromyalgia. When I get up and find that this is the plan for the day I head to my patio and visit my hot tub. I have done this many times before but this morning I received a special gift during my time in the tub...Sitting in the tub while my back spasmed and hot steam surrounded me and heat worked it's wonders on my muscles I was surrounded by a winter wonderland. It had snowed over night and white icicles covered the back yard. As I sat quietly in the warmth snow flakes began to lightly fall all around me and comfortably under our patio cover I enjoyed the marvelous beauty! I realized at that moment that I was truly blessed and my view of the day which started with understandable frustration at pain "AGAIN" and found me definitely a bit irritable was changed. I began to thank my God for the beauty of this moment...the warmth of my hot tub, the beautiful snowflakes falling all around me, the provision of a comfortable home, the love of my dh and his support of me, and the truth that even in pain I have so much to be thankful for!!! The quote in yesterdays blog..."There's a crack in everything...that's how the light gets in." became even more real to me. One of my cracks is the pain of fibromyalgia...it leaves me often feeling broken...but today...this day... in this moment of snowflakes surrounding me while I sat in my hot tub in pain...the light came in and gave me a glimpse of something better...my life...my blessings....and that was very special. Smiles Barb

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Challenge: Blog a day for 7 days...Day 1

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Hi Sparkbuddies!
My challenge team assignment for this week is to blog once a day for 7 days. I have decided to share a special thought and/or something I have learned from life or sparkpeople each day! Hope you enjoy!
My quote for the day is:
"THERE'S A CRACK IN EVERYTHING- THAT'S HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN!"
Leonard Cohen
I love this quote and it reminds me that even though I may feel like I have some "cracks" that have come along the road of daily life they to have there purpose and can benefit me if I am open to allowing healing and light to do some work in my inner being.

What I learned from sparkpeople today and am applying to my life:
Keeping clothing in my closet that is either to small, like a skinny pair of jeans that I wore 10 years ago or to big just in case I gain weight again is harmful. Either I set myself up to feel like a failure when I don't fit in a preconceived size of clothing or I let myself feel like I have the option to gain weight again because there is always something to wear in my closet! I need to embrace the me that I am right now and feel good about her and let go of the me of the past, what she used to wear...the preconceived idea of me. I committed today to clean out my closet and donate what doesn't fit. I am working on voluntarily simplifying our lives and home and this commitment fits right in with my goals for 2012. Additionally.... I will put on a cute and comfy outfit that fits me just right and look at myself in the mirror and celebrate how 35 pounds less looks on me! I will remind myself that I am looking good!!!!
I will let some light in!!!!

Have a great Saturday sparkers...do something nice for you today!!!
Smiles Barb

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If you don't want your blogs posted to facebook...read this!

Friday, January 13, 2012

Friday, January 13, 2012
If you haven't noticed it yet, view one of your blog posts. There is a new Facebook 'Like' button option on your blog posts.

I think this was a bad move for Spark People. I know my blogs are public, but I want to keep separate Facebook and Spark People. If someone ' Facebook Likes' my blog post, I'm assuming my blog will go on that person's Facebook feed. I don't want any of my blog post links showing up on Facebook feeds.

TO TURN OFF FACEBOOK LIKE OPTION:

Sparkpeople has an option to turn this off. Go to your spark page and click on Edit you spark page and in the big white box on the top, toggle off "Show share bar on my blog posts"

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January is going tooooo quickly!!

Friday, January 13, 2012

Maybe it is only me but does it just seem like it was Christmas yesterday and now it is almost the middle of January!! I have spent the last 2 weeks being oh so busy...how about you?? I had a stomach flu bug yesterday and feel much better this morning and it has made me stop and look at this new year so far and evaluate where I have been and where I am going. I read a blog this morning that asked questions about where I think I will be 10 years from now and that got me thinking..
I set goals for myself for 2012 but life has taken over and seems to have it's own plans as usual and how do I feel about the beginning 2 weeks of this year...
I have...
Started simplifying and organizing my home...
Have exercised and tracked my food and done well with this.
I am sparking everyday and keeping my commitments to me, to my team mates and to my sparkbuddies!
I am accruing minutes for my virtual bike ride and will be heading to the middle of the U.S. in blog form soon.
I went on 2 hikes ...one with my dh and one with my dd and kept my commitment to get some outdoor exercise time.
Have kept my goal to read at least 2 blogs at sparkpeople each day to motivate myself and encourage my teammates too.
Have set aside daily time just for me to do something I enjoy and am enjoying and finding this time refreshing. I even fixed an outdoor table area and have spent sometime outside relaxing and reading a book...you might laugh to see me all bundled up in my down coat and wrapped in a warm fuzzy blanket but getting outside just makes me smile!!!
I just started a new bible study with a dear friend and we are studying the book of James...perseverance is going to do some good work in me!!!
I am organizing all of the stuff of our lives in notebooks and all of the to dos of our lives on calendars and so far keeping track of everything with less feelings of stress.
Though I have experienced a few days of leg pain after a uphill and downhill hike with my dh and a day of illness I have still stayed committed to my goals and accepted my need to take a few days off with grace before returning to my plan.

So all in all....even with the busy of life I think I am doing well and though I have a long list of things to do each day...I am breaking it all down in to seeable and doable chunks and keeping my commitment to a healthy lifestyle.

So I might not be so sure about where I will be in 10 years or even sure about what tomorrow holds but I am sure that I am committed to me and my spiritual, physical and emotional health for the long run and one day at a time I will keep being sparktacular...and that is what really matters to me!!!

Smiles and Hugs Barb

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