For once, I'm not thinking about food. I'm just thinking about sleep. It's been a very long week.
I simply cannot keep up the current pace I've set for myself. I find I'm missing things, and those things are important to me. I know there isn't time for everything, but I thought I had gotten better at managing and prioritizing. Even with my fancy time/task management system, even with my best effort, I just cannot continue on this way. The hard part is knowing what to get rid of and how best to move it on from my life.
On a more specific thought: last month I received a new light therapy device. My youngest child smashed the (very expensive) bulb on the one I used before and I was very excited about the new one. Light therapy devices have changed a lot since I bought mine awhile back. My new device is a blue light spectrum box, small, easily used/understood, not painfully bright. The downside is that I can't use it the same way as the old box, and that's becoming problematic. I either need to go back to the old device (or something like it) or make proper use of the new one a huge priority. Just to clarify, I don't have seasonal affective disorder (SAD) but I do find myself very susceptible to the shortened/darkened days of winter. Plus, the therapy box helps me stay on schedule for sleep. Anyone else using a light box? Any comments?
Moving on.
When I walked into the kitchen this morning, I found a bowl full of milk on the counter. Ari had fixed some cereal for breakfast and added way too much milk, then left it (instead of drinking it). We don't buy sugar-laden cereals or even allow the kids to have them, but several of the cereals the kids enjoy aren't in my calorie count. Ari's cereal was one of these. I have to admit, I added my bland old cornflakes to her sweetened milk. Within my 200 calories? Probably not. But I'm counting it anyway because before the bowl was empty I was full - and I stopped eating and threw the rest out!
That bears repeating: I stopped eating breakfast before the bowl was empty, because I was full.
Success pretty much ends there, I think. Oh, except I didn't eat any chips with lunch. And my "freedom snack" was just a glass of unsweetened iced tea. So I guess there's more good stuff. I did overeat at dinner and at a snack this afternoon.
Must sleep now. And drink more iced tea. Very thirsty.
I wonder if there are any tasks you could ask Marc to take on? I know he is very busy, but you are as well and perhaps it would be a good compromise. The money you save your family and quality of education you provide your children is certainly worth perhaps a trade of some chore. :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on breakfast and stopping when you were full!! That's a huge step and I'm very proud of you. I wouldn't count the sweetened milk either. It seems like maybe it was more liek a gift anyway. One can't let good milk go to waste when there is a big storm brewin'!
As for the light box, I do not use one, but would possibly consider buying yours off of you and then you could buy a replacement that works better for you.
You're doing really well, but that's probably hard to see from your side of things. You're right in the middle of it all. But from out here, you're doing great!
I appreciate the encouragament. I've begun isolating myself (again) and it's good to know that people are tracking this thing.
ReplyDeleteI'll email you about the light therapy. I think you might benefit from the box I have more than I do.