For the last five years, my kids have been bringing lunch to school every day. My kids are picky with what they eat so our lunch was the exact same thing every day:
- A danimal yogurt
- A cheese stick (mozzarella for N and cheddar for D)
- a few ritz or graham crackers
- Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich on white bread for D and just a jelly one for N
- a banana for N and an apple for D
I know that doesn’t sound super-terrible but now that i’ve been reading up on food, here’s how I am breaking this down:
- danimals has no actual yogurt in it, mostly chemicals
- cheese stick is ok
- ritz or graham crackers have no nutritional value and likely make my kids hungrier
- PB&J – white bread I use has pretty much no nutritional value and a lot of scary stuff in it, both the PB and J is similar with tons of added sugar.
- fruit is ok 🙂
They used to eat oatmeal (packaged) for breakfast and sandwiches and fruit for dinner.
Sooooo… as part of the work I started last summer, I’ve been working with my kids to eat better and more variety of foods. When the school year started we did a big makeover and bought some salad containers and my kids began eating salads. After reading Michael Pollan’s book last week, I decided that wasn’t enough and did an overhaul of all of their lunches. They still need a bit of work but I think we’re in a much better place. Here’s what they have now:
- for main lunch:
- spinach salad + shredded carrots
- corn for N and goat cheese for D
- strawberries+raspberries+black berries – i buy these at the farmer’s market weekly
- organic turkey deli meat – likely not good enough but not sure what else i can do at the moment
- jelly sandwich on Dave’s Killer Bread – 21 Grains Thin Sliced
- for snacks:
- grapes
- cheese stick
- an egg and peanuts for N
- raisins for D (his school is nut free)
We’ve also changed up dinner to be broccoli, fruit, chicken, and then they can have their favorite dessert. Breakfast is yogurt and bananas and granola for N.
This is not perfect in any way. Here are some issues I see with it:
- it lacks variety. I have signed up for CSA and I will slowly introduce different things.
- it’s high on fruits. this is not ideal but i’ve replaced all simple carbs with fruits. i think it’s ok for now. slowly we can increase the veggie to fruit ratio.
- the deli meat is not ideal, i’d rather they have chicken or fish or some other protein (we already have a lot of dairy so i’d rather not add that.) they are still a bit too prickly with meat/fish so i am taking my time on that.
- i’d like to find at least one more snack for David
- i’m not fond of the jelly. it has a ton of added sugar, i’d like to find an alternative that’s healthier even if it’s still jelly.
These are the core things I’d like to work on at the moment. If we can increase the veggie variety to 5-6 instead of just spinach, carrots and broccoli (and corn for N), I’d be happier. I’d like to add zucchini, squash, green beans to the list at a minimum. I’d also like to do better on protein. Just those two would already make me happier.
Considering the fact that I don’t cook at all, I think this isn’t terrible. For every meal now, my kids are eating some fruit and they have dairy at breakfast and lunch and veggies at lunch and dinner. A marked improvement from last year.
Stories from 2017 is a year-long project for 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.
You can read about the start of this project here.
Quick Sketches is a Monthly Project for February 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.
Weekly Intention: So as you read this, I am in Sydney. I am scheduled to fly Saturday and I won’t arrive until Monday Sydney time. I have 26 colleagues coming from Seattle and we some 40+ meetings during the four business days I am there. I have A LOT of work and A LOT of details to sort out. I have 3 socials. I can’t even imagine how I will get through all of this and get anything else done. But I will. My intention this week is to take the time to connect with as many people as possible. To move as much forward as possible both tasks-wise and connection-wise. This is why I chose to go during David’s birthday so I’d like to make sure I make the very best of it.
This month’s intention is: Shine from the Outside In: It might seem counter-intuitive but sometimes it helps to start with the outside. Take care of your body, your skin, your teeth. Dress in a way that makes you feel good. Show up and look the part. It will be summer in Sydney so I will be packing mindfully tomorrow.
Ways to Shine this week:
- One: Bold: Connecting with so many people will take major boldness.
- Two: Open: I will be going out to dinners and small and big meetings. I will be open to receive and to give.
- Three: Heal/Nourish: I’ll continue to journal and do my 7minutes even in sydney. it’s going to happen.
I am looking forward to: the flight. the connections. making the most of the week.
This week’s challenges: well jetlag. a crazy busy week. being away from david on his birthday. two super long flights.
Top Goals:
- Work: connect, connect, connect. finish the feedback preso and update projects.
- Personal: journaling. exercise.
- Family: love love love them as much as i can from a distance this week.
I will focus on my core desires (bold, mindful, nourish, love) by: focusing all of them on work this week. taking care of me but being 100% present at work.
This week, I will say yes to: connecting with everyone. trying to get deeper.
This week, I will say no to: judgement. rushing. there’s a lot going on but i will not rush through it.
I am worried that: david will be sad. i will not be able to make the connections i hope to make. i will not be effective. the trip will not have been worth it. i will be sick. i will not take care of my self. i will not journal or exercise. (and of course that something terrible will happen.)
This week, I want to remember: that I am good at my job. i don’t need anything to work out in Sydney. I just need to be me and things can only get better. I can do this.
As February approached I was even less motivated than January. I had no ideas. I got more and more panicky. But then I just gave up. I decided to do whatever easy thing I could. So I ended up with these quick little sketches. No rhyme or reason but still. I won’t end up with 20 but even 10 is better than zero. Several of these are inspired by Danielle Donaldson.
Quick Sketches is a Monthly Project for February 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.
Three ways I shone this week:
- One: I spent a wonderful 1-1 day with my son to pre-celebrate his special day.
- Two: Got a lot of work done.
- Three: I emailed all the friends I mentioned. I am getting there.
I celebrate: a wonderful day with my son.
I am grateful for: being able to drive on the freeway. I’ve come a long way.
I nourished myself by: exercising. resting. eating fresh, journaling.
Reflecting on my worries: I worried about getting things done. I’ve had to work hard, but I got a lot done and I still have time at the airport tomorrow to do more. I’ve been eating and exercising okay. Not 100% but ok. Sydney comes tomorrow but I have faith all will be ok.
I let go of: stressing all day friday, i was just present.
Core Desire Check-in (bold, mindful, nourish, love):
- I’m still continuing to try to be bold at work. I am reaching out to friends personally. I am taking action.
- I’m mindful of what we are all eating. How we’re spending out time. How much I’ve been working lately.
- I am still nourishing myself. I consistently prioritize the healthy and whole.
- I love my life and i am so grateful for every piece of it.
What made me laugh this week: david and i watched MIB. that made me laugh. nathaniel also made me laugh.
What I tolerated this week: a lot of work. driving in the dark and rain.
My mood this week was: busy and a bit stressed. but not terrible. also a bit sick 🙁
I forgive myself for: getting as much done as i could, but not all. being gone for David’s birthday. Doing the best I can.
What I love right now: the rich texture of my life. journaling. taking more photos. getting to go to Sydney.
Here’s to a wonderful week six!
     I started my week with Shrill because pretty much every end of the year book list had it. I kept resisting it for some reason but then finally broke down and put it on my hold list at the library. I am so glad I did. It was absolutely fantastic. It made me sad, it made me angry, it made me think. it made me cheer. it was really good. I highly recommend it.
I then read In Defense of Food because I saw it come up in the library’s list and I’ve been trying to educate myself about food. While I can’t get behind Gary Taubes’ recommendations because it’s just not possible for me to sustain eating like that, I really liked Pollan’s book. I like the idea of eating as fresh food as possible. I like shopping at our farmer’s market and decided to do it more. I don’t mind paying more for better food. My thought is that if it’s better, we will likely eat less of it to feel full and we will get much better nutrition. I’ve also signed up for a CSA again and I am buying my eggs and fruits and veggies as fresh as I can. I had a long talk with the kids, too, and we will move to eating bread (sandwich) only for lunch and we will experiment with buying better bread until we can learn to make our own. (I just bought a breadmaker to see if we can give it a try.) I am also looking into solutions around moving away from the ritz and graham crackers my kids eat for snack. We are considering extra fruit and nuts. One step closer to eating healthier. I love the idea of eating food where we can pronounce all the ingredient’s names and food that has no more than 5 ingredients total. This will be an iterative process of course and I am sure we will make mistakes along the way. Let’s see how far we can get.
I then read Chasing Secrets because it’s the book we’re reading for our Lit Club so I needed to read it first. It takes place in the 1900s in San Francisco. It’s about the plague outbreak. It was a book I would have never chosen to read on my own, but I really enjoyed it quite a bit.
I then decided to tackle The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck because it also kept coming up as a recommendation. I knew nothing about the author and nothing about much of the premise. I decided I’d give it a shot and see if I liked it. I will say that even though I curse and colorful language doesn’t often bother me, I wasn’t a fan of some of the comments the author made. I didn’t care for all of his verbiage but I did like the book. I liked the idea of picking the things you value and choosing to care about those. And not care about the other things. You can’t care about all. You have to choose and I know this and it was a good reminder to keep it at the forefront of my mind.
And finally, I started reading A Gathering of Shadows because it was about to expire in my library so I was able to get about two thirds of the way there so I am going to have to finish it in a creative way. The third book is coming out in two months and I am looking forward to it.
A middle grade, one young adult, three nonfiction this week. Not terrible, though I miss reading literary fiction, too. Will have to grab some of those next week.
Books I Read this Week 2017 is a year-long project for 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.
Ok so this week has been a bit “worse” than the other weeks in that I’ve not been blindly and wholly adhering to the letter of the law I’ve created for myself. But I think I’m actually moving closer to the lifelong strategy I want to have here and I think this is the better direction. I just want to make sure I don’t lose my way along the way.
Mind:
- I read: I’ve read a range of books this week. Other than that, I’ve been reading a lot on Facebook, mostly political content and I am not 100% its’ good for my soul. I don’t believe in putting my head in a hole but I also think a lot of this might just be bad for my soul. So I need to find some balance.
- I learned: Hmm not a lot of learning this week. It’s been a short week and I’ve been working or with my kiddos.
- I watched: Thank’s to swissmiss, again, here’s a lovely video about making a difference and here’s food for thought (not a video). I’m still thinking about it. And here’s Dr. Burns’ TEDx talk.
Body:
- Exercise: I did the 7-minute exercise some of the days this week. But then I didn’t while I was skiing. I did ski, though, so that helped.
- Food: No lattes, well actually i ordered one, took a sip and threw it out. I had two bagels this week when I was on the road and had little other choice and one small pancake and i’ve had some chocolate. those are the processed items i ate. The rest of the time I stuck to whole and fresh. I’ve also just signed our family up for CSA delivery starting when I’m back from Sydney and had a long talk with the kids about eating healthier. I have some ideas around eating very fresh and healthy at home and not worrying about when we eat out at the moment. We eat out at most 1-3 times a week. It’s not ideal but we eat at home 18-20 times a week so I’d rather focus on those meals first.
- Skin: moisturized every day when i came out of the shower.
- Floss: flossed every night when I was home.
- And More: didn’t use the flouride-rich toothpaste this week, back on the wagon starting tonight.
Soul:
- I rested: I slept 7-8 hours each night except Friday because we were in a hotel and Jake was really sick.
- I connected: Not much connecting with friends this week though a small vacation with my family counts, too.
- I journaled: I journaled for a few days but I’ve found this awesome journaling practice idea thanks to positively present and I will give it a shot this week to see what impact it has.
- I made art: I made a little more art. Not fully there but slowly slowly getting there.
Here’s to getting better one day at a time.
Nourish Me Week 2017 is a year-long project for 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.
I learned how to ski when I was 3 years old. I was never super-good at it and still am not. But I am comfortable skiing. I don’t overthink it, I don’t worry about it constantly like I do with most other things and it’s one of the few sports I know how to do. Even though it’s expensive, hard-work, and mostly a PITA, I want to make sure my kids get enough exposure to skiing at a young age that they can choose whether they want to continue or not. In the last few years, the snow here has been pretty bad so we haven’t been able to ski much. But this year the snow is wonderful. So this past weekend, when David’s school was closed for conferences, we decided to get in the car and drive to Reno so we could go skiing at Diamond Peak. It’s a smallish resort and if you’re a serious skier you’d probably not like it.
But for us, it’s just fine. The kids took day-long classes both days and Jake and I skied together. Even though both of the kids didn’t really want to go to school on the second day, they each made a lot of progress and have gotten closer to being better skiers. I usually tire by the second day and don’t feel like going the whole day, but I was ok this time an skied pretty much two full days. (Though we did take long lunches.)
All in all, it was a great two days where we each made some lovely progress. We also got to exercise all day, get some wonderful fresh air and sunshine and spend a lot of family time together. All in all, a lovely two days. Here’s to more skiing in 2017!
Stories from 2017 is a year-long project for 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.
And here we go. One month down. Here are all the Loving Hearts from January 2017.
Here’s to some lovely art in February.
Loving Hearts is a Monthly Project for January 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.
Weekly Intention: I’d say this is a crazy week but I’m learning that there is no such thing. Every week is different and unusual in its own way. So there’s no such thing as a crazy week. Every day is full, sweet and I am grateful to have it. So anyhow, this week, I get to go to David’s school three times. I get to spend Monday and Friday with David. I get to have two client calls. A trip to work and a trip to the hairdresser. A ton of work, of course. And, on Saturday, if all goes well, I am flying to Sydney once again for work. But everything is for a good cause. All of these are because my life is full and layered and rich and I am so grateful. My intention this week is to pay attention to this rich and layered life I have. To notice and appreciate and live the moments. All the moment. School, life, work, family, alone time, friends, all of it. I want to pay attention. I want to be here, now, with all of the moments. Not wishing I were somewhere else, not worrying, stressing, hoping for something else. Being here, now. I also want to pay a bit of extra attention to my boys since I will be gone next week.
This month’s intention is: January is almost over so I’ll go with February’s intention: Shine from the Outside In: It might seem counter-intuitive but sometimes it helps to start with the outside. Take care of your body, your skin, your teeth. Dress in a way that makes you feel good. Show up and look the part. So I will spend some time this week thinking about what this means for me.
Ways to Shine this week:
- One: Bold: I don’t think I will have time this week but I would like to think about clothes this week. See what bold moves I can make there.
- Two: Open: I haven’t been that great at connecting with friends. I have two intentions this week. One is to email several friends to ask to join in on some of the work they do and two is to see if I can have lunch with at least one friend this week but being that I am going to Sydney, I would like to focus on my family this week.
- Three: Heal/Nourish: I’ve journaled a bit this week but not enough, I also dropped the traditional 7min exercise I was doing because of skiing, I’d like to get back on the wagon for both of those.
I am looking forward to: my flight to sydney. it’s long but also relaxing. also to david’s conference tomorrow. and to digging into some data I’ve been collecting at work.
This week’s challenges: a long friday this week and no weekend since i will be on the airplane. not ideal but still wonderful.
Top Goals:
- Work: second round of a routine i just started. a presentation i have to give. decoding all the data i’ve been collecting.
- Personal: a bit more art. some personal time. journaling.
- Family: do better with the food. spend time with my boys. celebrate david.
I will focus on my core desires (bold, mindful, nourish, love) by: slowing down this week. i want to spend time being a bit more mindful. can i do this?
This week, I will say yes to: a new structure for journaling. i don’t have any of my mornings at home this week so I will have to temporarily create a different structure for exercise and journaling.
This week, I will say no to: rushing, impatience, judgment (self and others.) fear.
I am worried that: I will not get enough done. i want to do two big projects at work before I am back from Sydney. I am not sure i can. I am worried that I will backslide on the eating and not exercise. I am worried about my trip to Sydney of course. I am worried it will not be enough or it will be too much. Or that the kids or Jake will not be ok. Or that it will not have been worth it. Some of these will take two weeks to find out. I am also worried I won’t get enough downtime.
This week, I want to remember: that life is passing me by as I try to figure out all these things. that while trying to improve is essential to my soul and who i am, it is also ok to rest and enjoy. i need to do both.
Three ways I shone this week:
- One: I took my family skiing. It was wonderful fun for all of us.
- Two: I supported Nathaniel on his Activity Day. I supported both my kids a lot this week.
- Three: I showed up at work, worked hard, and did my best.
I celebrate: two wonderful days of skiing. fresh air, exercise and family time.
I am grateful for: audiobooks and music. it’s what kept us all occupied and patient during the 10+ hours of driving this weekend.
I nourished myself by: exercising. resting. eating fresh.
Reflecting on my worries: I worried that i wouldn’t get enough art done. in the end, i have 11 pieces for February so far. That’s not perfect but it’s also not nothing. i haven’t started my big work project yet but i think it will be ok. Nathaniel’s activity day also went ok, I think. It’s hard to judge but he was happy and that’s all I care about at the moment. Skiing was tiring but not taxing. We came back Saturday night so I was able to rest for a week. I’ve been trying to be patient with my people. I feel better. Sad, scared but better. My soul is a bit lighter but still needs more work.
I let go of: being super strict with food this week. i did my best but not perfect.
Core Desire Check-in (bold, mindful, nourish, love):
- I’m still continuing to try to be bold at work. Personally, I have some plans for personal boldness, too.
- I’m mindful of some of the choices I was making. I am trying to make some plans for my family and for me. Still trying to find my way through some of what’s right for me, for us.
- I am still nourishing myself. Even when I eat some of the not-great stuff, I am trying to still eat the best of what I can.
- I love my family madly. I love the people out there fighting for what they believe in and I love the people who are trying to bring people together. I love people who are genuine and honest and doing their best everyday. That’s all I wish for all of us: compassion, kindness and love.
What made me laugh this week: maybe i should take this section off, i don’t ever seem to remember things that make me laugh.
What I tolerated this week: a lot of time in the car. to be fair, jake did all the driving, so i have no right to complain at all.
My mood this week was: busy but more peaceful. i worked hard, but then made time for my family.
I forgive myself for: being confused. not being perfect. struggling. having issues. being human.
What I love right now: fresh grown food. farmer’s market berries and eggs and tomatoes. so grateful.
Here’s to a wonderful week five!
You can read about the start of this project here.
It says: you have been assigned this mountain to show others it can be moved.
Loving Hearts is a Monthly Project for January 2017. You can read more about my projects for 2017 here.
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projects for twenty twenty-five
projects for twenty twenty-four
projects for twenty twenty-three
projects for twenty twenty-two
projects for twenty twenty-one
projects for twenty nineteen
projects for twenty eighteen
projects from twenty seventeen
monthly projects from previous years
some of my previous projects
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