Tag Archives: Mickey Mouse

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Just Worn Out

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Day 175 in my crawl toward meeting up with Mickey

Today’s plan was to take care of business.  I am a bit fried and very mentally exhausted after having been at the church for the last eleven days in a row.  I worked last Monday through Friday, sang at a funeral on Saturday, attended worship and the annual financial meeting on Sunday, then worked Monday through Thursday, and went back Thursday night for a rehearsal.  I needed a day away, and I got it today.  Now don’t get me wrong; I love my job and am very grateful for it.  But I find that I do need one day a week to not be there.

So today I was at home most of the day taking care of personal business.  Much needed!  I will do more of the same tomorrow.  I find my motivation to stay on course flagging, and I really believe that it is because I am genuinely worn out.  So I will rest up and rejuvenate one more day, then I will get back to it.

Don’t give up on me, dear readers.  I haven’t.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Be Still

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Day 174 in my healthier lifestyle as I wend my way toward meeting up with Mickey  (8 months and 14 days to go!)

Today’s plan was to take the Mayo Clinic Health Assessment online.  Done!  It’s part of my health insurance plan.  Each year I can earn $150 in Wellness Dollars by taking the assessment.  The money is loaded onto a dedicated credit card and can be used to pay for any medical expenses.  Mike is also on my plan so he can do the same.  That’s $300 in out of pocket health costs paid just by taking the Mayo Clinic Health Assessment.

Once I have completed the assessment, I can begin to qualify for another $350 (and so can Mike) by doing some activities and recording the results online.  This is what put me on the sugar-free road last year.  And it actually got Mike to eat a healthy breakfast for six weeks in a row.  So all totaled we can earn $1000 toward those out of pocket health costs.  We’d be crazy to NOT do this, right?

It’s a bit tougher this year.  Our choices are:

  1. Be Still: Tend to my emotional well-being through daily prayer practice for 6+ weeks
  2. Keep a Fitness Journal: Tend to my physical well-being by tracking physical activity for 10+ weeks
  3. Keep a Food Journal: Tend to my physical well-being by tracking all food and drinks for 10+ weeks.

The Fitness Journal seems like a no-brainer, since I am already trying to increase my activity level, but honestly, I think I need the Be Still path.  I believe that my emotional well-being had a lot to do with the weight I’ve put on in my life.  I think some more concentrated God-time can only benefit me.  So that’s the plan.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: I think Mike will choose the Fitness Journal, since he’s swimming four to five mornings a week.  🙂

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Like a Bull in a China Shop

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Day 173 in my  vigorous forward motion until I meet up with Mickey in Lake Buena Vista  (8 months and 15 days to go!)

Today’s plan is to choose the grunt work, the heavy lifting, the physical stuff at work.  I will seek out and complete some more physically active types of jobs.  Not a very fancy plan for today, but it will keep me moving more.

Have you ever watched Mythbusters?  It’s a show on The Discovery Channel.  Adam and Jamie attempt to prove/disprove common sayings like, “She’s like a bull in a china shop.”  They did test that saying, and it was hilarious.  They set up row upon row of glass shelves with sets of china on all the shelves.  Then they turned a bull loose into this maze of glass.  Results?  Not one piece of china was knocked down or broken.  I would never have believed it, if I hadn’t seen it.  So I guess “She’s like a bull in a china shop” means she’s graceful and careful.   🙂

Well, I’m off to get vigorously energetic.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

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MagicBand Mischief

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Day 172 in my ruminations on all things Disney as I wait to meet Mickey at the Magic Kingdom.  (8 months and 16 days to go!)

I’m so excited to get home today.  When I ordered MagicBands for everyone for Christmas, I was careful to order a different color for each of us.  When I attempted to register our MagicBands on My Disney Experience, the green band would not register.  I called the powers-that-be to find out what to do.  They had me call the Disney Store people to straighten it out.  I was instructed to throw away the unregistered band, as they would send me a new one.  Now, it has arrived.  So today when I get home I will register this last band.  That’s my plan for today.

I do realize that this whole thing has been an exercise in futility, as Old Key West will ship us bands with our names in them, and they are the ones we will use on the trip.  [I found that out when I called Disney.  🙂 ]  However, it can’t hurt to each have a back-up band, right?  And besides its been fun to do a little research on My Disney Experience.

So glad this trip is actually scheduled now and coming up this year!  Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: I have lost the half pound that I had gained back, and a bit more.  My body has definitely slowed down, and I contribute it to January!  Oh, well,  I will keep on going just the same.

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Pease Porridge Hot

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Day 171 in my eating my way to a healthier me for meeting Mickey at Walt Disney World (8 months and 17 days to go!)

Holy wah!  Can you believe it?  I’ve been on this journey for 171 days.  I know it’s been over 5 months, but 171 days.  Who’d a thunk it?  🙂

Today’s plan is to travel home after work on this gray, snowy, January Monday and make a delicious pot of pea soup for dinner.  We’ll have it with plenty of fresh veggies, and some crusty bread.

I remember when my mom would make a big pot of pea soup, and just about every time I’d say. “Eeeww, pea soup?  Can’t we have something good instead?”  Then I would sit down to a first and second helping.  🙂  What’s not to like?  Peas, carrots, onions, a bit of ham and seasoning.  Sounds pretty darn good to me today, I’ll tell you what.

Bring it on.  And Mom, thanks for the recipe.  (Miss you.)

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Sunday Fun-day Again

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Day 170 in my quest to reach Mickey at the Magic Kingdom.

Today’s plan kind of came together on the fly.

  1. First, I would go to church this morning to worship the Lord of lord and the King of kings.  While there I was sent a message loud and clear,  “I love you.  I’m with you.  Relax and don’t be so hard on yourself.  Enjoy this journey.”  I physically felt myself exhale, and the stress release was evident.  It was a blessed morning.
  2. Next, choose wisely at breakfast.  I had a ranchero omelette with lots of veggies and only a little cheese.  I ate half and will finish it for tomorrow’s breakfast.
  3. Third, shop for ingredients for the week, so I can come home from work every night and put healthy meals together quickly.
  4. Eat a treat of a dinner without racking up too many calories.  We had a piece of baguette with sauteed vegetables, olives and a bit of brie cheese, bunged under the grill.  (translation: put under the broiler)  It was scrumptious, indulgent and thoroughly satisfying.

So quite a day.  Now I can kick back and watch Downton Abbey. Meet you at the Kingdom!

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A Date with a Mermaid

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Day 168 in my quest to meet up with Mickey

Today my plan is to spend some quality time with The Little Mermaid.  This is my chosen Disney movie for the week.  It has been an extremely stressful week, so I am taking a little down time when I get home from work today and kicking back with one of my favorite Disney films.  The seaweed is always greener in somebody else’s lake…

Nothing too major today.  But I will stay sugar-free and will prepare a warm, healthy meal for us tonight.  I think maybe Surprise Package Casserole.  I hope you get to chill after work today, too.  TGIF!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Life Gets in the Way

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Day 167 in my planning to be healthier when I meet Mickey at the Magic Kingdom (8 months and 21 days to go)

Confession time: I have not been very active lately.  I have been sitting through most of my day at work; then I have been going home and sitting to watch TV.  I blame it on the January blahs.  The skies have been gray for days, the weather cold and damp, and worst of all Christmas is over.  I know.  I can just hear you saying, “Get over it!”  Believe me, I’ve said it to myself over and over again.

Now here’s the conundrum: if I was exercising, I would feel better about all if this (exercise is an instant mood exhancer) AND I would be using the best tool possible to fight the stress at work.  Doh!  Can you say, “sabotage?’

My plan for the day was to be more active.  Every hour I wanted to get up and move around for five minutes, just to keep the blood pumping.  And if any opportunities came up to pitch in and get physical to help anyone out, I wanted to be on board.

I did OK with getting up and moving for a bit every hour.  But there came a huge opportunity to help out three people who were setting up the Fellowship Hall at church for a funeral luncheon on Saturday.  I wanted to be there.  I wanted to grab that job and run with it.  However, my plate was very full at work today.  I had to:

  1. finish and run Sunday’s bulletins and announcements, and then stuff the announcements into the bulletins
  2. finish and print 250 funeral bulletins
  3. finish and print the February newsletter, stuff the newsletter with two inserts, fold the newsletters and seal them with tape
  4. label the newsletter and prepare for mailing.

So today, life got in the way of my plan.  I’ve heard it said, “God laughs when we make plans.”  I think he may have had a chuckle today at my expense.  As tough as that is to take, I kind of like the idea of making God smile.  🙂

Meet you at the Kingdom!

 

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It’s a Matter of Portions

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Day 166 in my run toward meeting my favorite mouse, Mickey (8 months and 22 days to go!)

Today’s plan is to be more aware of portion control.  Too much of a good thing…well, is not such a good thing.  🙂  I think my portions have been inching up again.  So today I am going to pay particular attention to the portion sizes in all my meals and snacks.

My mom was an English war bride from WWII.  Her sister Phyllis visited us often and was a delight to spend time with.  Every time she was in the U.S., she would mention the massive portion sizes.  “No wonder everyone is so full blown here.  You people eat too much.”  I love her!  And she is basically right.  According to FRAC (Food Research and Action Center) 68.5% of American adults are overweight or obese.  34.9% of American adults are obese.  Something is just not right here, folks.  Between portions sizes and caloric make up of the foods we eat and lack of physical exercise , many of us have the balance wrong.

So today I will think on these things and determine to become more aware of them everyday in my life.  No one is going to do this for me.  I have to take control on my body.  I have to move it through space.  I have to feed it the right fuel in the right amount.  I know, I know, it sounds like me…me…me.  But really I need to love myself enough to stay on this.  I need to love myself, so that I can love others in the same manner, a healthier manner.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Craving

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Day 165 in my journey to meet Mickey

Today I am craving sugar something fierce!  I want sweets in the worst way: cake pops from Starbucks or Dunkin’s doughnuts or  even a tasty cupcake from Walgreen’s.  I want sugar!

So…my plan for today is to just say, “NO!”  I won’t give in to sugar.  Not today.  I can fight it for today.  I am hoping against all hope that this craving passes soon.

I am a bit down today.  Having just lost a treasured friend, and having to prepare her funeral bulletin in my role as church secretary, has me a bit blue.  Even the weather is gray and unforgiving today.  My usual M.O. is to eat my feelings away.  It’s what made me the big girl that I am today.  If I eat enough sugar, then I just don’t care about things enough to hurt.

This is a new way of life.  This experiencing and walking through my feelings without medicating (in my case with sugar) is still very new to me.  But I know it is a healthier way to live.  I want this way of life.  I want to quit avoiding, and learn to face life as it comes.  It’s tough, but I really believe it is doable with the help of God.

Peace to you all, dear readers.  Meet you at the Kingdom!