Smart Habit Saturday

So far I've been doing pretty well on all my new habits. I was worried when I started SMART Habit Saturday that some would drop off as I picked up new ones, but I've not been doing too bad. I think it's the whole accountablity factor and the fact that I know there are others out there striving to reach their goals right along with me. If you're not familiar with SMART Habit Saturday, visit The Lazy Organizer's blog to find out more.

Here's a recap of what I've been up to so far:

• Change sheets every Sunday
• Eat breakfast everyday
• Take some me time (you'll have to read about my latest find!)
• Replace not-so-healthy foods with healthier varieties
• Moisturize everyday

This week I'm adding:

• Take my vitamins EVERYDAY!

Check in with me next week to see how it's going. What new SMART Habits can you come up with to be a better you?

Moisturize, Don't Agonize!

For awhile now, my catch phrase has been "Organize, Don't Agonize!". I think I'm officially (or not) changing it to "Moisturize, Don't Agonize!" It's going to be my new SMART Habit Saturday mantra. I'm tired of the scaly, flaky legs and with winter coming, it's bound to be worse. Plus I just saw a 70 year old woman on Oprah who didn't look a day over 40 and her secret she said, was moisturizing! So, my habit is to start using lotion everyday...of course I already missed this morning. But tomorrow...promise! So, maybe by the time I'm her age I'll look 50ish. I'm 34 now, so I have some time to work with, but I'm not expecting miracles here!

So, what new habit can you start picking up this week? See what others are tackling over at The Lazy Organizer's blog with Lara Gallagher.

SMART Habit Saturday Recap

This week for SMART Habit Saturday I've decided to just recap what I've been working on, re-center, re-focus and re-group. Here's what I've been working on so far:

• Changing sheets every Sunday This one is easy for me...I love those clean sheets!


• Eating breakfast everyday I've done very well with this on the weekdays, weekends are hit and miss


• Taking time for me I've not done this at all, except for the day I got out without the kids to get groceries (for the record...I don't think this counts!)


• Developing healthier eating habits I could do better. I have substituted wheat for white bread and cut back on the sugar, but I could still do better in other areas.

So, this week, I'm going to continue with the SMART Habits I've been working on and add a new one next week. If you want to find out more about SHS and The Lazy Organizer, visit Lara's blog.

Healthier Eating Habits

So far, I've been doing amazingly well on my new habits. This one will put me to the test. I've really been trying to eat more healthy. Tonight I didn't do so good. Ever have one of those movie-night dinners where you plop down for a family movie and eat snacky food for dinner? Pizza Rolls, mini quesadillas, cheese sticks...mmm! It only happens about once or twice a month (more often in the winter) so all's forgiven.

But, my new habit this week is to make better food choices by replacing not so good foods with better ones. Like wheat bread for our usual white, yogurt instead of a cookie, fruit added to my cereal instead of the ususal heaping spoonful of sugar. You get the idea.

I think I'm hoping the small changes will fake out my body and not be such a shock to my system. Maybe by the time this habit sinks in I'll have forgotten what junk food tastes like and I won't miss it so much!

Have you been over to The Lazy Organizer's blog to find out more about SMART Habit Saturday? SMART Habits are all about Saving, Money, Associations, Resources and Time. Check it out to find out more!

Good for the Soul Time

Smart Habit Saturday

(to join in on SHS, visit The Lazy Organizer)

I realized today that I'm really missing some "me" time, that little bit of time I used to tell my husband was "good for the soul" time just for me. One of the things I really miss is getting a manicure. It's been months, I tell ya! I'm not "high maintenance" or a real "girly-girl", not that there's anything wrong with that, but I did enjoy the occasional hand massage/manacure.

I'm fortunate enough to have fairly nice, natural nails. Mainly because I hate doing dishes. If they won't fit in the dishwasher, I ask bribe my oldest into doing them...or hide them in the oven. So, I enjoy keeping my nails painted most of the time, which I could do at home. But the best part is the relaxation I get from having them done at a salon. It makes me feel like queen for a day (or at least an hour). A good hand/forearm massage will leave you feeling almost as good as having a full back rub...almost.

Plus, it was a place I wouldn't dare take the kids; the older one because she'd beg me to get her's done and the younger one because I'd be fishing her out of the foot tubs. So it was alone time by a default. I did try to take my husband once when we were going out for the evening, but he poked so much fun at the bad voice-overs they had on the foreign movie they were playing that I told him I would never take him with me again. He was crushed.

So, I think my habit for this week will be to re-introduce an old one. I'll become a re-habitual offender! While getting my nails done may not be a weekly habit, I'm sure I can find something else to do for an hour or so on the off weeks.

The Breakfast of Champions

For someone who enjoys food and has a hard time picking a favorite, I sure do skip breakfast...alot. I'm horrible about getting out the door without something to eat. Sure, I'll have a mid-morning snack sometimes, but somehow I think I'm missing out on something by not having breakfast. I tell my kids how important it is. Why don't I listen to my own advice, not to mention my growling stomach?


So...how to break this awful habit? Here's some "food for thought": Piggy back with an already existing (maybe not so good for you but fun) habit!


Okay, I admit it. I'm an internet junky. I almost never miss my early morning ritual of checking my emails and catching up on my horoscope, a favorite blog or tidbits of actual news. If I had a laptop and wireless, I'd be in trouble. My husband often wonders how it is that I can stay up til the wee hours surfing, but nod off at the exact instant we sit down to watch a movie. Maybe if you'd let me control the remote once in awhile like I control the mouse, I'd have something to occupy me!

So anyway, I figure, why not eat a bowl of cereal while I'm busy getting my net fix? I'm on day five of my new habit and so far, so good. I was actually looking forward to my bowl of cereal instead of just my emails. I may have to adjust my wake up time a little though. It seems that surfing takes longer when you're eating. Maybe because I haven't mastered eating with my left hand so I can control the mouse with my right, but I'm working on it!



Join in on SMART Habit Saturday with Lara Gallagher

Clean Sheet Sunday

Oh I love a Sunday night, such a beautiful sight. I love to feel clean sheets on my bed, smell the fabric softener as it...OK breaking into a bad version of "I Love a Rainy Night" may be taking it a bit too far. But I do love "clean sheet Sunday"! It's amazing how well I sleep when the sheets have just been changed.

Recently, I've tried to develop the habit of changing the sheets on our bed every Sunday and so far I've been pretty successful at keeping this up. You know the Febreze commercials where the lady sprays the carpet and comes back in the room to find all of the toys doing a face plant on the floor so they can smell the carpet? That's me on "clean sheet Sunday". (I know my husband laughs at me for all of the "little things" in life that I find amusing.) I'm practically glued to the bed as I drift off to the scent of fresh linens.

Now, I recall an Oprah episode on dust mites and how one lady had not changed her sheets for years. Years, people! I'm not sure how many, but it was alot! Oprah went on to say "I change my sheets everyday". Now, although I can't picture Oprah changing her own sheets (I have a sneaking suspicion she has some help with that)...but I'm amazed to say the least--everyday?! Now, that's something to aspire to!

Hon, you've got the kids, I'm turning in early tonight! I'll soon be off to peaceful sleep, that is until the dog and the 4 year old decide to hone in on my "clean sheet Sunday" and nuzzle their way into our bed! Anyway, you should give "clean sheet Sunday" a try tonight! (Cover Stealer and Tail-Wagger optional.)

Christine, The Organizing Muse

Want to join in on SMART Habit Saturday? Visit my web friend Lara's site, The Lazy Organizer.