I've decided to take extra special care of MYSELF...anyone want to join me??

[purpleduck]

Ok, life is a bit crap in lots of ways at the moment - so I have decided that I have to take better care of myself. I have neglected myself for far too long, and I would like to remedy this. I eat too much crap, I watch too much tv, and I MN too much !! I seem to be living a bit of a non life.

SO, I am going to learn new things - maybe pick a subject a month.

I am going to be more organised - I put things off all the time, and it just niggles at me all the time- I always feel so deficient when I have forgotten something or whatever.

I am going to excercise more. Not be a fanatic, just look after my health.

I am also going to spend more quality time with my kids. They are growing so fast and soon they won't want me. I have gone back to work recently, and I have realised that I am not spending enough fun time with them, and I feel terrible. Its like low level guilt that eats away at me

I am going to put more time aside for friends.

So those are some of my things. This will probably change!

Anyone want to join me...spend some time looking after YOURSELF - in whatever way is needed?

[drlove8]

can i join in?
i defo need to excersise more , and mabey give myself a pedicure now and then.... oh and ive got shocking ginger roots that need dyeing.

[drlove8]

time away from the kids would be nice too

[MitchyInge]

Ok, I'm in!

I can only really tackle three things at a time although a lot of what you say strikes a chord with me.

1. Going to reinstate my Weds night thing with youngest daughter (one night where we watch a film together and she chooses what to have for supper etc)

1. Eat a proper meal each day, I think of myself as having fairly healthy diet but in reality have been held together by black coffee, Red Bull, Lucky Strikes and ready meals. Then I've been wondering why I'm so tired all the time

1. Make my kitchen look pretty - the whole house should really be towed away by environmental health and then blown up in a controlled explosion but you have to start somewhere, right?

[NorkilyChallenged]

I'd love to do this but wouldn't even know where to start and how...

Will have a think and am marking my place on this thread to return to later.

[CharCharGabor]

That's a great idea, and I'm in! I'm pregnant and have a toddler so I forget to look after myself. I'd like to:

-go for a walk each day
-eat more healthily
-drink more water
-get my hair cut and maintain it
-spend more time playing with DD

[drlove8]

mitchy - making you kitchen look pretty is for everyone , not just for you ....tut tut .
but will let you away with it because i laugh every time i see you name!

[MitchyInge]

where are you going to start purpleduck, with the organisation thing?

I've just brought my whiteboard back to life, it's got the days of the week and about eight segments per day so I can see at a glance where I have to be and when and, joyously, some empty segments - woohoo! I can recommend it heartily. Don't know why I stopped using it, got complacent probably?

[MitchyInge]

I suppose it is for everyone in a way, but it feels like a present to myself somehow. I'm hoping once I get into the swing of it to branch out into other areas of the house - you'd have to see the squalor to believe it

[purpleduck]

For me its just that I KNOW I am not doing my best -

[drlove8]

well then mitchy ... will you pencil in a treat to yourself on that lovely revived whiteboard?

[MitchyInge]

ooh that's a good idea dr! (where has purpleduck gone? it's like someone dragged her offstage mid-sentence!)

it's all colour coded so work is in blue, college is in green - fun and treats should be red I suppose (as that is the only other colour I have)

what shall I put though? 'sit outside chain-smoking and staring into space for half an hour'?

[cheekysealion]

I need this

I would like to eat more healthy which in turn will help me lose weight which in turn will make me feel so much better about myself which in turn will hopefully give me the confidence to do a dance class i have allways dreamt about...

I need to spend more time playing with dd2.. dd1 has just started secondary school and it has made me realise how quickly they grow up

I hate playing board games but i played one last night with dd2 and actually quite enjoyed it..

also want to start making more soup instead of buying covent garden ones all the time..

[mosschops30]

I have done this recently since finishing early for maternity leave after having loads of sick time and just generally feeling crap.
Its amazing the difference it can make, have been off for 4 weeks now and have:

had a spa treatment
started swimming once/twice a week
started pilates once a week
started ante natal yoga
walked for at least 20 minutes every day
eaten better
booked a whole spa day just for me (yay bring on tuesday)
made an effort to smile more, to chat to people, say good morning to strangers and be nice about people more often instead of making bitchy comments about everything and everyone

Its amazing what a bit of self love can do for you physically and mentally and everyone should be forced to do it. Its not til you stop that realise working yourself into the ground and eating shite and doing no exercise = very unhappy mosschops

[miamla]

can i join in too please

i'm going to reinstate the kitchen timer when i'm on MN (an hour a day)

tidy and clean a least one area a week. starting with the pantry (glorified big cupboard in kitchen!).

and my treat for sticking to the above is to have an hour of sewing/crafting a day

great idea purpleduck

[purpleduck]

Sorry Mitchy - my dd actually DID drag me off mid sentence

Mosschops, thats exactly it. My life has gone down a very negative/unfulfilling path, and I need to make more of an effort to make me happy. If I died tomorrow, I would have a whole lotta regrets.

[purpleduck]

Thanks Miamla

Sealion (or do you prefer cheeky? ) What kind of dancing would you like to do?

[CybilLiberty]

purple that's a LOT of changes!

My BIG THING is eating less. I have just done major wardrobe sort out and try on and LOADS I am too fat for. So upping the exercise and using smaller plates!

[purpleduck]

Sorry Mitchy =- missed your post about the whiteboard.

I AM going to do that. I think I am not good at having lots of different areas to run atm. I put thing on the back burner, and then it just stays there...taunting me

Now, I am off to tidy the garden - the little dog is getting lost out there. All i see is a fluffy tail...



BTW, I would really love this thread to be about support. I don't know about you guys, but I have enough guilt/ recrimination/ etc in rl

[MitchyInge]

it feels nice and supportive so far!

I have not done anything on my list for today, it's been so nice just mooching about on MN and the computer generally

have fun in the garden, perfect weather for it here - I'm going to load the dishwasher, put some laundry on, walk the dog and buy some groceries

[Horton]

This is a brilliant idea.

I would like to

• play more with DD
• eat more fruit and veg
• do something about the state of my hair and actually try and keep it looking nice.

Anyone want to suggest a low-maintenance hairstyle for someone who definitely needs a fringe, has straightish/wavyish/nothingy hair that is rather prone to frizz and who can't be arsed with blow-frying?

[Horton]

Ahem, blow-drying. Not frying.

[cheekysealion]

I answer to most things?!!?

I am not sure what dancing i would like to do something quite funky not slow as would like to use it for fitness as well

This is unlikely to happen though as a single parent i cant go out in the evening which is a shame but maybe i should be more positive and think I can and will do this and try to find a solution... maybe a dance class i can take my children with me and we all dance!!

Had a lovely afternoon, went to my lovely brothers for dinner then out for a nice walk afterwards

[miamla]

def agree with support and not being made to feel guilty! how about we all leave our judgey pants at the door?

ooh, i need to do a wardrobe/drawer sort out too. perhaps i'll do that before the pantry because my unorganised clothes are a daily reminder for me.. yup, changing my plan! by this time next week i will have organised clothes

[jellyjelly]

I might agree witht he clothes one. I have got a unit from ikea that i hope will help me and an extra shelf.

I will try to make bread from scratch too.

[purpleduck]

I did loads today, but mostly I decided that I am going to have positive thoughts. So, instead of taking the bait and having an arguement, I just tried to let stuff wash over me- (Not in a doormat kinda way of course ) I am choosing to have more peace in my life.

And at the moment I am choosing toffe ice cream mmmmmmmm