Vitamin Regimen

When reading The End of Mental Illness, I decided I needed to start a regular vitamin regimen. Each time I read about a symptom that seemed like something I could be dealing with, I added another supplement. I am now taking a multivitamin, magnesium, ginkgo biloba, fish oil, and iron. For the most part, I have taken these supplements for four or five months.

I don't know if it is making a difference because this book was the start of my self-help journey. The thing is that I don't really care if it is the changes I'm making with each book, the supplements, my greater concentration on spiritual matters, or everything combined. I have been feeling better, and I can't afford to send myself and my child to therapy. I am going to keep doing what I've been doing as long as I continue healing and progressing mentally and spiritually. 

Homecoming 2024

Noel's boyfriend is still in high school which means she gets to do some high school things she missed out on the year she was home schooled. This week, she joined him for several homecoming activities such as the peach fuzz game, bonfire, and the dance. 

She has been wanting to have someone really back her to homecoming instead of just the assumption she would go for a long time. She told her boyfriend this, and he delivered! 

She once again made her dress. This time, she got a bit of extra material to make him a matching tie, too. She did such a great job! I am in awe at her talent!

21 Already!

 

My precious Sean turned 21 today! It seems like just yesterday he was climbing on my lap with "blankie" and "arrr" (his security blankets) and a sippy cup. He still love to give me hugs even though he can't climb on my lap anymore. I can't wait to see what the future hold for this boy. I love him more than words can describe. 

Current Trackers

I currently have 3 things I'm tracking in a bullet journal. I'm sure more will come eventually, but I feel this is a good way to get back into it without getting too overwhelmed. Why am I getting back into it? I want to. It's fun. It's a good creative outlet. I missed it. 

First, I am doing a 30 day walking challenge. When I started, my sister was going to do it with me, but between her job and family life, she wasn't able to fit it in. I totally understand. Small children take a lot of time and energy. She has been a supporter for me doing it, however. I am happy to say that even though I am doing this challenge solo, I am doing it constantly and only have 5 days left. I have learned from this one that my highlighter doesn't work well with the markers. I probably won't use it for this kind of thing again. 

Next, I have a tracker for paying off my credit cards. My goal is to pay an extra $20 each time I get paid on top of the monthly payment I'm already making. Will this completely pay them off? Probably not, but it will make a significant dent. Once my heater is paid off, I should be able to allocate more towards my goal to pay them off each month and more than one hexagon can be colored in each time. 

Finally, I have my Miracle Morning tracker. This is one that I made this morning because I filled the last one I made. It will last 35 day. Then, I can make another one. Maybe, I will look for new stickers for the next one. I love the stickers I have, but it is always fun to get new designs for stuff like this. 

I know I will be adding more as time goes on. A page dedicated to Christmas presents for my family will definitely be happening again. The time I did that was my most organized and least stressful Christmas. I will also be making something for my 5k training leading up to the ColderBolder, but that would most likely be displayed on the other blog is I choose to share it. 

Soap Day!

 

I made soap today! I love the process of making things, and soap is definitely one of my favorites. I started making soap for when I had an Etsy shop thinking that people would love to buy handknit washcloths and handmade soaps. I was wrong. My sister was the only one that bought them. After closing my shop, Chad and I decided to use the soap as hand soap in our bathroom. I loved it and have made it a lot since then. 

I use a recipe from The Spruce Crafts that I love. It is easy to follow and comes out good each time. I have made it with peppermint, tea tree (my favorite for soap), and cinnamon (crossing my fingers it works). I prefer making it in molds rather than a block that I have to cut because molds are fun and pretty and don't have to be cut. I have bugs, flowers, and dog prints. I don't think I will ever make a block as long as I can keep buying chocolate molds. 

Scripture Bag

I have been studying in my scriptures a lot lately. I read in the morning as part of my Miracle Morning, and I listen/watch a scripture study podcast on YouTube called Don't Miss This later in the day. As I have dove deeper into them, I have accumulated some colored pencils and a pen to mark important passages and note insights as I go. The problem was that they kept falling out the flap that snaps down, and I didn't have another way to keep them with the scriptures. 

One day I came up with a solution; I would put everything in a scripture bag. I looked online several places for the perfect bag. I found several that would work but none that I loved or could see myself carrying around. (I am one of those weirdos that likes to bring and use paper scriptures instead of using the app on my phone.) After looking for a few days, I decided I would make one. 

The idea I came up with was to use the left-over yarn from a sweater I made earlier this year to make a modified version of a bag form the same pattern book. The original pattern was a bag that lied flat, but I wanted it to fit around the book, so I made sides for it. Also, the original pattern was twice as tall as I needed it, so I just made it shorter. Finally, I wanted the handles to be shorter because I wasn't looking to have one that went over my shoulder, so I made them shorter. Other than that, I basically used the pattern as written. 

Within two weeks of starting it, I had a bag for my scriptures that I love. It is big enough for the book, gum, and my colored pencils and pen. It was harder than I thought it would be, but it was totally worth it!

Miracle Morning Update

I have been doing the Miracle Morning for about 3 months now, and I can feel the difference in my day-to-day life. I have become more active, calm, and organized. I feel like since I am accomplishing 6 goals first thing in the morning, I am motivated to do more with my day. 

In my day planner (I still use an old school paper planner), I have many daily goals outside of my Miracle Morning routine. I have a cleaning goal (dishes plus one other task), an exercise goal (for now it is a walking challenge I'm doing with my sister), a goal to get rid of at least one thing, and anything else that needs to be done that day. I get the sense of accomplishment that I have been missing for about four and a half months, and I love it. I feel like nothing can stop me from becoming the person I need to become. It is amazing how small tasks can lead to bigger things. 

Just Not Good

 

I went into this book kind of excited and ready to learn. A lot of people seemed to like it, and the title is just fun. The problem is that it is just not a good book. 

My issues with the book started in the first section. She talks about frequency and source energy as if the reader is already familiar with these terms. I was not. I learned more about it as I read the book, but I was lost at the start. Then, she acknowledged that she had been an atheist who found God but would refer to Him in more ambiguous way throughout the book. That rubs me wrong. I understand trying to make the material universal, but this crossed a line in my opinion. 

As I moved into the remaining sections of the book, it got better, and I was starting to enjoy it a bit. I even underlined parts that felt significant (I do this in a lot of books). The problem: each chapter has a list of things to do. That can be a bit overwhelming. I can't make that many changes in how I operate my day to day all at once. Also, there was little to no flow from chapter to chapter. She explained why this was so in one of the chapters saying that she sat down with note cards and wrote down chapter headings/ideas then tackled the one by one in random order. I kind of felt done with the book at that point but wanted to push through because I paid money for this book and didn't want to feel like it was a waste. 

I had to stop reading it the chapter about money (the longest chapter). She give no practical advise. She basically just tells people to stop believing money is evil and they deserve to have enough to live and help others. Not bad I guess if that is your problem. It's not mine. I just need to create better habits around money. I can't go out and buy a fancy car because I believe I am worth it and hope to make enough for the payments. I also can't quit my job to chase a dream. These are totally irresponsible behaviors! Why would a self-help book recommend them? 

What did I get out of the book? Believe in yourself. Take a leap of faith from time to time. Don't be afraid of everything. If I have positive energy, I am more likely to receive positive energy. The thing is, I can/have learned those lessons from multiple sources. 

Overall, I did not like this book. It can be confusing and overwhelming. If you want to learn and develop yourself, you can get the little that can be learned from this book just about anywhere else.