Archive by Author | janice

Time management or life management?

“Just Enough Hours “. . . . . what does that mean? What was I thinking?

JEH-005 I moved over to this blog coming off of a LONG period, maybe a lifetime, of thinking I could do it all. No, scratch that. I didn’t really think (as in believe) I could do it all, I just DID a lot.

Because I ‘had’ to. And no, I don’t really qualify the ‘had’. I really sort of did have to. No, scratch that. I didn’t have to.

Where, let’s start again – Yes, there were a lot of things I needed to do. (HAD to do) (as a single mom, an employee, etc)

But there were a lot of things I was choosing to do.

In any event, I would hear people say ‘there aren’t enough hours in the day’ and I was guilty of saying that too, but then I got to thinking about how much I already do, and what if there were MORE than 24 hours in a day….can you imagine? Could I imagine? NO! I’d be dead from all the ‘doing’.

so I came to believe that really we have JUST enough hours in each day. God set the light and dark for just the right amount of time. 🙂

How we choose to spend that time is up to us.

More recently I got to thinking about how people used to ask all the time – how do you do it all? Or they would say “wow, I don’t know how you do it all”. And either way it was phrased, I’d honestly try to tell them that I really wasn’t do it all WELL . Yes, I was doing a lot of things, had a lot of irons in the fire — but so much of it was only getting a tiny bit of me. And I finally hit a breaking point. Not really in terms of stress or anxiety or like I had a nervous break down. I just sort of started to think about my time and again thought about the ‘just enough hours’ and this time from the standpoint of – there are JUST so many hours in the day — a finite number – how am I spending them?

And it’s not just about time management. It’s larger than that. It’s about life management.

How am I valuing my time but more than that how am I valuing my life and the people in it. . . . .

I came across this quote a while back (erroneously attributed to Meryl Streep) and although I don’t agree with every word and I realize that it’s not a blanket to cover every situation (for instance, I do believe in loving others even if they don’t love me and I am big on smiling at EVERY one….) but overall, this struck a chord in me.

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So WOW, that’s a mouthful.  And while I do many of these things I am much more conscious these days of what I ‘bring in’ in addition to what I’m putting out.

I had been struggling for a couple of years with leaving some things behind. Letting go of things and people who I had chosen to make a part of my life that really weren’t aligning with my core values or what I wanted to surround myself with.  And because of that dichotomy, it wasn’t healthy for me. The truth is, I should have let go a lot sooner. It would have been easier, more seamless, less painful. . . . . .

It has become less about managing time, using the hours and more about aligning it all with my values – who I am and what’s truly important to me.

Life is short and unpredictable and tomorrow is not guaranteed to anyone.

Not only are there ‘just enough hours’ in a day but there are only so many hours in a life.

Is how you are choosing to use your hours in alignment with what you think and believe and what from life?  Time management is really life management. Shouldn’t it all align?

Share your thoughts below!

My love of horses – she’s home!

It’s been a whirlwind of events – since I got it in my head to get back into horses, something I had been contemplating on and off for, well, since I got OUT of the horse world. LOL 10346541_1465121190466105_474775961245762729_n (1)

 

I was bitten by the horse bug early on, like a lot of girls. I started hanging out at a local riding stable when I was pre-teen I guess. (and oddly enough have come full circle with my mare landing with that same stable! though in a different location). I took some lessons, did some trail riding, and generally became one of a group of barn rats that helped out around the place for free just to be near the horses. I eventually got my own horse(s) by way of my aunt and enjoyed riding up into my early 20s. During that time I also began working on the racetrack and traveled up and down the east coast working on various tracks Michigan to FL. Eventually I landed back in MD and went into the health care field as my FT job. Became a single parent and that’s when the horse thing fell apart. My responsibilities changed drastically and with that I had to let my horses go.

Now here we are some ____ odd years later. 🙂  And I made the decision, if not now – when? Probably if not now, never. NOW is the time. I’m not getting any younger or more in shape…so now is the time. What really sealed the deal for me was paying off my car. Sure it would be nice to put that 497.00 a month into the bank.  But half of it could go to board and horse stuff. . . . . . so that is what I did.

Once I made up my mind it all happened rather quickly. With the help of an old friend I found Casey in late May. Atomic Caesium became part of our family on May 26th. 🙂  Her barn name is Casey. 🙂 Although Sam has never been around horses, he has taken a liking to her. He has a lot to learn but so far, so good.

We left her down on my friends farm for a month, thinking we could ride together over the summer, but it quickly became clear that  Casey was VERY green, despite her age, and would need a lot of work to get her where she needs to be just to be a safe mount.  Traveling once a week to see her wasn’t going to get me there so we made the decision to bring her home early.

 

 

 

20150607_142948 She is now within 10 minutes of my house and once I finish outfitting her tack, we’ll be diving in with a daily program of training.

Right now we’re working on ground manners – she’s rather pushy and not in tune to where her person is. We’ll be under saddle by the weekend for short training sessions. 🙂

Hopefully all will go well and I’ll remain in the saddle, getting tossed off at this point in my life would not be nice. I don’t’ think I bounce like I used to.

She has buddied up with a mare in the new barn and hopefully won’t be too sour when I bring her out for work. Time will tell . . .

Onward and upward in this new adventure!

Update to delete your Tsu account

After signing up and posting on the tsu platform for a short time, I quickly abandoned it as I just didn’t have time for more social media. In fact, I actually have pretty much abandoned FB as well. Time will tell about that.

Anyway, I keep getting questions about deleting a Tsu account. Can it be done? Can you really delete your Tsu account? And if so, HOW does one delete their Tsu account?

Well, they have made it easier. From their “terms” page:

User Account Termination or Modification

We reserve the right to terminate the Service or your access to the Service, or close your account, for any reason or no reason, without notice, at any time, and without liability to you. You can close your account at any time for any or no reason by logging into tsu.co, clicking here and completing the form to request that your account be deleted. We reserve the right to permanently erase your account from our systems immediately or at any time after we receive the request or to preserve a record of the account for some time for legitimate business purposes and as required by law. In some cases, the deletion process may take some time. Account deletion may not ensure complete or comprehensive removal of the content or information you posted on the Service. For example, it will not necessarily remove content or information that has been stored, shared or re-posted by a third party. We reserve the right to retain information where required or permitted by law to do so. When your account is closed or deleted, all licenses and other rights granted to you in these Terms of Use will immediately cease.

At any time, regardless of whether your account is being closed, we reserve the right to retire your username/shortcode or assign it to a new user, in each case at any time and without prior notice to you. We may choose to exercise this right if your use of a particular username or shortcode is unlawful or violative of a third party’s trademark, or in other situations where we believe it would be appropriate to do so. You do not have any property interest in or right to use any specific username or shortcode.

I’m not crazy about the term ‘soft delete’ which is what the link takes you to – your account – soft delete. You will find a page that asks you to enter your password. After that, well, I’m not sure. I didn’t delete yet.

If I do, I will update here. 🙂

Previous posts about Tsu:

Can you delete your tsu.co account?

What is Tsu.co?

Art Journal? Do you?

 

Well, now I do!   🙂

Art Journaling - Beginner

I have just purchased my first art journal !

Somehow I’ve picked up the bug of Art Journaling. I ran across a video of someone creating a ‘mixed media’ journal page or piece of artwork about a year ago. It really piqued my interest and I was amazed by her talent. And she made it look soooooooooo easy! And it wasn’t mixed media like I thought of it – it was different than what I thought of – and I like it (a lot!)

However, I didn’t pursue it at that time, in fact, I forgot all about it.

More recently though I bumped into some other videos and blogs about ‘art journaling’ – mixed media – and again – so intrigued!

So what exactly is goes in an Art Journal?

Well, it seems it can be many different things. It can be a journal of artwork – a premade empty book that one fills. Or it can be a binding of pages that you make. It can be an actual ‘journal’ of sorts meaning you fill it with art that follows what is going on in your life, events, feelings, etc. You can write in it. Or not. Or it can just be randon artwork.

Art Journaling, Mixed Media

Mixed media can range from paint and markers to markers and crayons and paint to paper, glue, paint, fabric…..you can draw, paint, stamp, glue, cut, spray, drip, etc etc. I think what I am learning is that there are no rules.

That can be altogether freeing and terrifying!  (blank page phobia meet too many options freakout)

the only real ‘rules’ that I am trying to understand aren’t really rules – it’s more like properties. What mixes with what, what can you layer without smearing/sealing, what turns to mud while others don’t mix, what can act as a resist, etc . And then, how to use all of that, not to avoid necessarily, but also to create…to blend or fade or resist completely.

I’ve only competed a couple of pages and they weren’t themed going in, they just kind of evolved. And I’m OBVIOUSLY still learning, but I’m pretty happy with the outcome so far.  My plan is to begin doing some pages based on quotes and maybe also start a book that incorporates actual journaling ala Aaron at ImperfectImpulses.

Art Journaling Mixed Media paint gellatos marker

 

Each of these ‘layouts’ is two pages but I ran the work sort of across the page and in the photo you can hardly tell that it’s two pages. 🙂

The book itself is fairly small – maybe 5×7 when closed.  . . . ?  I’ll show the outside in a later post.

So tell me – are you into art journaling? Mixed media artwork?  Let me know, I’d love to see what you’re doing!

Mid life crisis?

Tick-tock, tick-tock….

It sounds cliche – but it is so true – life goes by SO fast.  Even when we think it’s dragging on — maybe because we’re waiting on something or we’re enveloped in some monotony or tedious task……..eventually we get to those points where we look back and go “holy cow, five years in the blink on an eye!”.

I have that recurring feeling lately as I realize we’ve been in our ‘new’ house for four years now. FOUR years.

Huh? Really?

And ummmm, HOW? How is it the time has gone SO fast?????

Do you ever have these little questions pop up — like:

It’s Monday again already ?

Laundry needs done? Didn’t I just do that?

High school classes? Seems like I just sent him off to elementary school – Where did the time go?

How did she (or he) (or they) get so big?

How did I get to be “xyz” years old? (48 this summer)

Do you ever think back to the ideas you had when you were 5, or 10, or 16 or 20?

Are you where you thought you’d be?

That’s not even what I find myself wondering…what  I’m wondering lately is more like “what HAPPENED to the things I used to love?”  

I mean, I know what happened – life happened, I made choices, I had children, I poured my heart and soul into them (and still do and will and don’t even want that to change!) –  I did what I needed to do at times – for me, for my family. and I’m ok with that.

I wish I had done some things differently….that I hadn’t squandered so much of my youth…..I did some things great, some things not so great…I’ve made good choices and bad choices, and really really bad choices…..but I’m in a good place. I’m blessed and I’m thankful.

And I’m ready to revisit some of the things I’ve let go along the way. I’m ready to begin thinking and planning about the next set of choices, the next set of years that are going to go whizzing by……AND I’m SUPER excited!

I look at some of the choices I’ve made in the past year and I think – wow, this must be why people get accused of ‘mid life crisis’ — But nope, it’s not. It’s an awakening. It’s another chapter.  It’s a natural progression I think – especially when you’ve raised children. There is a lot of focus on them and then you get to this point where – ahhhh. look at that – a free afternoon….a free evening. I’m not an empty nester yet — but I’m starting to feel like there may be this really fun mix of empty nest/mid-life quasi-do-over/next chapter coming.

Tell me I’m not alone! Has anyone else gone through this? Or approaching this? Can anyone relate?  🙂

Oh and just so you know – I didn’t buy a sports car – I bought this instead
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This is “Atomic Caesium”  or Casey for short 🙂

She’s our newest addition and we are so incredibly excited to have her!

Horses are one of those things that I have loved all my life – having been blessed to own my own as a teenager into early adulthood and also to make a living with horses as a first career.

I’m so excited to revisit this and will share more as we go along!

4 Reasons why I meal prep

As you know, I’m a recent convert to meal prepping. This is a pretty loose term and people use it mean different things – so I thought I’d share some of my thoughts and experience (thus far) and what I mean when I say that I’m ‘meal prepping’.

I use the term meal prepping in a broad way – I am preparing and packaging lunches and breakfasts well in advance (about a weeks worth each Sunday) and I am also doing some dinner prep ahead of time (why not since I’ve got the kitchen ‘open’!). I’m not yet to the point of cooking in advance and freezing meals, but that may come!

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Spicy Chicken Strips, Sweet Potato, Pickled Broccoli Cauliflower

 

Why I meal prep:

1. Money savings! 

Cha-Ching!!  Who doesn’t want to save money!?  Meal prepping has definitely saved me money. I throw away FAR less food and I am buying a lot less food as I can see what a week’s worth ‘need’ actually is now. For instance, I used to buy apples and just put a bunch in a bag figuring it will surely last a week – and they did, but normally more than a week. I was actually overbuying.  I wasn’t wasting them, I found uses and I carried them over into the next week, but the bottom line is that I have found I don’t NEED that many. It’s that way with several things I buy. Prepping in advance REALLY allows me to see what I use and then I can plan for the following week. I am learning how much of what items to buy and THAT is cost effective!  I also have found that I’m not throwing away as much. Things that I may decide I don’t’ want to eat this or that day or things that get shoved to the back of the fridge. Now I eat what I pack and my fridge is much more organized.

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Stacked and Ready to go!

 

 

2. Time! (we have JUST enough hours!)

At first blush it may seem like an overwhelming and time consuming task. Making 5-6 lunches and 5-6 breakfasts all at once!?!!  WHAAAAAAT?!??!!!

But really, I’m cooking anyway on Sunday, this is like making one more meal (a big meal, yes, but just one more) and then dividing it up into containers. Really, it’s quite simple . That extra bit of time on Sunday saves me LOADS of time each morning trying to make something to take to work for Bfast and Lunch. And repeating it EVERY morning, instead of doing it once on Sunday. It’s one prep, one mess, one clean up rather than 5 or more.  With a little thought I can cook two or three different things in the oven at the same time. I can bake AND broil at the same time. REALLY. It is saving loads of time. 🙂

3. Peace of mind

Ahhhh, another lovely benefit. I am not worrying over what to make. I’m not thinking about what I have and how I am going to have to rush to throw it together. Trying to make something FAST so I won’t be hangry during the day.  In fact, I began by prepping bfasts and lunches a week in advance and then taking them each day, now I take the entire week’s worth in with me on Monday morning! I now have a calm morning and can jet out the door without even opening the fridge to grab what I’ve prepacked!

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Breakfast Jar Meal Prep in progress

 

 

4. Health Benefits

For me, prepping has made me more conscious about what I’m eating. And even more than that – how much I am eating. Portion control is a big benefit I hadn’t thought of and actually hadn’t started out thinking about. I had purchased containers that looked great – big enough, divided – a large side and a smaller side. And then the other day it hit me that the larger side was still quite large. So when I was at Target this past weekend I looked for various individual containers….in various sizes. Now I have a half cup size, a one cup size, and a larger size. I can mix and match and I know without measuring if I’m putting in a half cup of yogurt!

 

Those are some reasons why I meal prep – what about you?

Leave a comment below with your reasons or questions, comments, experiences of meal prepping!