4 Uses for a Free Box Printable from Planner Fun

Becky at Planner Fun teams up with Giftie Etcetera every month to offer a free printable, with a ton of new ways to use it.

This week, we are using her cool page full of boxes. So versatile. So simple. So useful.

Make sure to visit Becky's blog (link at the end of this post)! She's awesome and most of her printables are free.

Closing Time - When to Stop Working the Planner at the End of the Day

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I use my planner all day long.

6 Ways to Use a Free Planner Printable - 12 Month Tracker

When I team up with Becky at Planner Fun to offer free printables and new ways to use them, I am rarely stumped.

Usually, my problem is limiting myself to 6 ways to use the printable.

Free Planner Printable - Graph and Lined Paper

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Once again, I'm teaming up with Becky at Planner Fun to share many ways to use her free printables in a planner.

Keep reading to find out how to get a free printable!

The Secret to Housekeeping Without Effort

I once read one of those "get skinny without effort" articles that claimed that fidgeting helps you lose weight.

Liars!

Improving Your Life By Tweaking Your Planner

If you haven't read about how I set up my goals in January, you might want a quick review.

Using Old-Fashioned Paper Tracking in a Planner to Lose Weight

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Every year, I write about losing weight. Every year, I fail.

Setting Goals With a Planner

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Unlike the New Year's Day resolutioners, I am constantly trying to lose weight (hello, roller coaster), budget responsibly, and exercise regularly. 

For me, the resolution doesn't happen once a year on January 1st.

All year long, I am alone at the gym, working toward that goal.

The Many Ways to Use a Planner to Battle Anxiety and Depression

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Confession time...I'm currently wearing brown nail polish. Honestly, it's more a dark bronze than an actual brown, but no matter.

What matters is the reason why I'm wearing such a dark, difficult-to-ignore nail polish.

How to Create Better Habits

I'm posting a New Year's Day post in November.

My Loyal Readers know that I rely heavily on my calendar, so I feel like I need to explain why Habit Happen When You Least Expect is my flashback post this week.

3 Common Reasons for Planner Fail (and How to Overcome Them)

Planner peace is so elusive.

People want a way to keep their lives in order and record their thoughts and to dos.

But time and time again, they fail.

Don't be one of those people! 

Achieving All Your Fitness Goals by Understanding What Motivates You

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Staying in shape this summer was super easy.

Crying in Public

On Tuesdays, I move from my blog niche (that's the fancy term for writing a blog about a particular subject) of organizing and order to an off topic post.

Usually, that post is about a topic that I feel strongly about, like kids with exceptionalities, and I speak from my heart. But I distance it from myself a bit. I don't get too personal.

Today, I'm getting personal.

Lately, I've been crying in public.

I'm not saying that my eyes water and I choke back tears. No, that would be fine.

I mean wailing, sobbing, uncontrollable crying, complete with confessions of whatever happens to bother me at the moment.

And right now, there is a lot bothering me.

My youngest kid is struggling. He is getting in trouble at school, dealing with seizures, and finding coping with life difficult.

I've had some health scares. I'm fine, but I have to work out regularly and eat better. Those tasks take commitment, time, and planning. It's exhausting sometimes.

I'm not sleeping well or eating well.

So when the school calls about yet another behavior incident, I burst into sobs. 

When I go to Mass, I weep in the pews. 

If anything the least bit emotional happens, I lose myself to the tears.

It needed to change.

I'm not one to sit back and just let it happen, so I am facing the problem head on. 

Here's how I am dealing with crying in public, in case it helps someone else.

Seek Treatment

I called and made an appointment with a mental health specialist. I am now in therapy and getting meds to help me cope.

Make Peace

There are a couple of people who I cannot avoid and must interact with, but they have hurt my feelings lately, so I find myself crying during or after any interactions with them. 

I made appointments with the people. At the very least, I can at least say that my feelings were hurt and I'd like to find a way to move forward. If I am really lucky, I'll repair the relationships.

But if I try and fail, at least I won't feel guilty when I cry over their actions.

Move More

I'm working out at least two out of every three days. That creates a boost in mood.

Do Pleasant Things

I enjoy walks outdoors, reading novels, and chatting with friends. I'm scheduling more of that and less of things that I hate doing.

Accept Sympathy

I'm a smart lady. I realize that none of this is the answer to my problem. I'll still lose control and cry in public sometimes. But I'll let my friends listen and comfort me.

I am determined to get over the embarrassment of this new, overwhelming symptom and live my life, instead of hiding! I am a strong woman and refuse to let depression keep me locked inside my house.

If you are struggling with depression or some other form of mental illness, seek help.

Crying in public, for me, was the breaking point that pushed me to seek help. I hope you don't get there.

I truly wish that, instead, reading this will be your catalyst to get mental health treatment if you need it. 

If you know a friend who needs to hear this, please share this link with them on social media. You might just save her life!

Etcetera.

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Partied at: Amaze Me Monday, What Are You Doing, Dream Create Inspire, Wednesday Showcase, Link It To Me, Creative Muster, Wow Us Wednesdays, Whimsy Wednesday, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, A Little R and R, Coffee and Conversation, Wise Woman Linkup, Worthwhile Wednesdays, Waiting on Wednesday, Way Back Wednesday, Happy Home Life, Healthy Living, Thoughtful Thursday, Think and Make Thursdays, This Is How I Roll, No Rules Weekend, Get Your Shine On, Momma Told Me, Beautifully Creative Inspired, Funtastic Friday, Pretty Pintastic, Good Morning Mondays, Monday Musing

How to Log Exercise in a Planner

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On the way home from the gym tonight, I happened to notice that my exercise log currently shows the old (and still useful) way that I logged my workouts and my new method of logging workouts.

I figured I would show you both, so that you can enjoy the comparison and borrow the style that works best for you!

How One Simple List Can Reduce Food Waste

I've found a simple solution (in my planner, of course) to prevent food waste, save time, and help me stay on the weight loss track.

One simple list can make sure that leftovers don't get thrown away!

I jot a list on a post-it of any leftovers that are on the leftover shelf in fridge.

TIP: Create a designated shelf for foods that are leftover or must be used quickly.

I just move the list from week-to-week in my planner and use it to meal plan each night.

TIP: Note the number of servings left and the number of calories, and you are all set for weight loss.

If you enjoyed this simple tip, please share in your social media circles!

Etcetera.

Partied at: This Is How We Roll, Thoughtful Thursday, Pintastic Pinteresting, Home Matters, Share the Wealth

Planning to Break the Fashion Rules

My heart pounds. I click on the light switch, staring into the claustrophobic space. Sweat pools under my arms. My breath hitches.

I have to find something to wear.

Why a 30-Minute Workout Takes an Hour

People say you can get fit in just 30 minutes a day. I exercise for stroke prevention, weight loss, and my sanity. So, to be fair, a lot of days I plan to exercise for 45 minutes to an hour. But I strive for a minimum of 30 minutes per day.

(I don't like exercise. But if I skip my workout, I cry. I guess I need to call that an addiction?)

I've been really watching the time to make sure that I never miss the 30 minutes. Know what I noticed?

A 30 minute workout takes way more than 30 minutes!

No fair!

Working Out at Home for Stay-at-Home Moms and Dads

I don't always work out at home.

Even though I am a work-at-home mom, I drag my kids to the YMCA once or twice a week to do yoga, barre blend, or Pilates classes. During the school year, I also do a couple of days on the step machines there. I'm a very social person, so it's not uncommon to set aside a couple of days per month to walk with friends in the park.

As much as possible, when I work out at home, I simply go for a walk or jog outside. But it's the hot Louisiana summer right now, and either it's burning up hot and humid or there is a thunderstorm.

So I have a trick for working out at home - inside the air conditioned house.

Yes, my favorite trick is a simple aerobic step.

It's easy to store (slides behind the couch), easy to set up, and leaves me right in front of the tv the whole time I work out.

The internet is full of ideas for step workouts, so I grab moves from there. But, really, as long as I am moving, I just pop in my favorite episode on Netflix, step up and down, and keep moving my legs and arms until the episode ends.

For bonus points, I make my kids leave the room "because Mommy needs room to work out." And then I watch Orange is the New Black in blissful peace.

Etcetera.

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Thank You, Skinny Ladies

I am always nervous when I work out at my local gym.

I feel stupid asking for class schedules or where the water fountains are located. I fumble with the locks on the lockers. I can never seem to set my bag down anywhere but on a puddle of water.

I can only seem to make myself go every week or so, and I frequent three different locations depending on my schedule, so I get turned around in each separate location.

But it's something else that makes me feel so awkward.

I am ALWAYS the fattest person in the room.

I am not always the fattest person in my real life. Many of my friends are about my size. Some are smaller; some are larger.

In fact, I wear a size 18, only slightly above the average size in America. And, frankly, right at the average size in the Deep South.

But at the gym, especially the yoga and Pilates classes that I favor, I am still waiting for the day when someone bigger than me walks in the door.

It hasn't happened in the year that I've been a member of the Y. I have always been the fattest person in the room.

I even invited my own hashtag. #StillTheFattest

So why do I go back, week after week?

I blame the skinny ladies.

I work out more than once a week (just not at the gym). When I work out alone, I tend to walk for 30 minutes or do yoga at home for 20 minutes.

But at the classes, I stay for the full 60 minutes. The social factor works for me. All the other people, regardless of their shape and size, push me to stay the whole time.

I might stop to use my inhaler (yes, during yoga, which indicates how much I struggle) or might assume corpse pose for a full three minutes right in the middle of the hip stretches. All of my ab work needs to be modified by the instructor. All of it. The next day, I am sore and stronger. Each time, it gets easier.

And the key reason I keep going? No matter what happens, I have never gotten one glance of judgment from the skinny ladies in the classes!

No one seems to notice my belly peeking out as my yoga pants roll awkwardly down to the danger zone. (Why do they do that?!?) No one glances up when I walked across the room to get yoga blocks because my arms are too short for virtually every Pilates pose that involves bending down and touching the ground. (There is one exception. The teachers notice, and have started to either walk over and adjust my pose along with a few others or to make an announcement about modifications to the whole class.) No one ever smirks or glares or makes me feel uncomfortable.

If anything, the skinny ladies are more self-conscious. They look more nervous than me, and size does not seem to change that.

I think that, in my mind, I imagine that others notice my size more than they do.

The reality is that anyone in the class who thinks about my size at all seems to take a "good for her for being here" attitude.

If you are scared to try Zumba or spinning or whatever your exercise class of choice happens to be, consider that most people are focused on themselves. Then, do the same thing. Focus on yourself.

Remind yourself that it is easier to step into a class with a perfect butt and toned biceps than it is to bring a flabby belly, puffy cheeks, and thick thighs. When you step into class anyway, you are the one working harder. You are the fighter. You are the strong one.

Thank you, skinny ladies. You made it okay for me to get healthier.

(Side Note: Yes, my gym bag is a bit unusual. I got it a couple of years ago at Target and it's really just a zip-up tote bag, but it's easy to launder, big enough, and zips up.)

Etcetera.

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Dream Create Inspire

The Trick to Losing Weight

Last weekend, I tried to put on my jeans.

Nope.

I could not button them up.

I know that I need to make weight loss a priority, but I keep having setbacks that make it seem impossible.

The setbacks are real.

I have a couple of medical conditions that, when they flare, make me retain water and make me a temporarily picky eater. They also chain me to the house and zap any energy that I have away. The good news is that, between flares, I am fine.

Well, mostly fine. I've been struggling with a couple of broken teeth. One required an extraction and a cap next to it. The other is a work in progress. For most people, it's an annoyance. But for me, my health issues flare up, so I've had a vicious infection and some other problems.

My husband is working long hours right now, so I am mostly single parenting right now. (So far, he has worked for 21 days straight, with 10 to 11 hour days.)

I have asthma and a bad hip, and when both act up - ouch.

I've gone to the gym some, but working out outdoors is virtually impossible since it has rained for WEEKS. (South Louisiana gets afternoon storms, but this has been constant and unusual.)

I run out of time and grab chicken tenders on the road. I get too hungry and get a candy bar when grocery shopping. I eat cookies because they are quick and convenient.

But the setbacks are no excuse.

There is a trick to losing weight and I should be ashamed of myself for not doing it:

MAKE A PLAN.

* Plan grocery shopping. 

Buy more of the good foods (for me, chicken breasts, sunflower seeds, fruits, and veggies) and less of the bad foods (cookies, empty calories). 

Eat first, before shopping, so you don't get hungry during the trip.

*Plan meals.

Write down dinner plans, keeping in mind the rhythm of the day.

On days when I substitute teach, I make something quick, like a salad or something from my freezer. On at-home days, I might make a stew or chicken with roasted veggies.

For breakfast and lunch, have routine items that are quick to make and easy to carry with you. I prefer a bowl of grits, an egg, or a fruit for breakfast. I usually plan leftovers for lunch, but when I don't have any, I make a salad.

*Plan to snack.

Snacks go on the daily prep list.

I've started bringing a water bottle and a fruit everywhere that I go. I also keep sunflower seeds in my car.

You will snack. Plan for it, and you won't pull through the drive-through.

*Plan exercise.

Write it down in your planner.

Make a date with a friend.

Attend a regular class.

Have a back-up plan for rainy, hot, and cold days.

For someone who plans so well, I've really been struggling with this. It's time to make a plan.

Etcetera.

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Ramblings of a Bad Domestic Goddess