Thursday "Where's the motivation?"

[Twins' Mom]

Motivation seems to be missing lately for several of us. Funny how it works, tho; yesterday with limited time at home in the morning, I really hit it and got things done. This morning, at the thought of heading to work, I'm totally unmotivated. Need to stop by drugstore at nine a.m. when they open tho, I got home way too late yesterday for drugstore.

Where's the motivation?

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

I'm late to breakfast this morning because I was playing 'dress up' and trying on all my formal clothes for the cruise. I've lost a bit of weight since my last cruises, so that added three more things to my list of possibilities. I've decided on four really formal outfits to take and will start work on 'informal' later today (which really means semi-formal, the third dress category is casual, which means church clothes.) I need to go over the cruise documents to figure out how many formal nights we'll have but given I'm on the ship for 29 days, it will probably be 8 nights. Obviously, I'll have to repeat and/or dine in the smaller restaurant on the extra formal nights or in the cabin.

I had a long chat with dd last night. I won't be a grandmother in August so now I can volunteer to do something at the national church meeting being held here in my city because I know I won't be in Vancouver.

Dh and I chatted online this morning while I was on the treadmill. So I'm late starting all the way around. I'm s2s but the bed isn't made and my room is a mess.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Just submitted the annual report to the printers. It might be ready today, definitely tomorrow (the cut off is $75 or less is ready in 6 hours and our report cost $77.)

OK, now to spend 45 minutes tidying my bedroom and looking at outfits.

[OKay]

Good Morning!

Whre is the motivation??? It's over here!! I've got plenty of motivation OVER HERE!! Setting out buckets of extra motivation for all to grab and share with others.........

I woke up feeling better and got a good start on cards before anyone else was up. If I decided how I felt by the symptoms of my voice and cough, I would be feeling horrible. It seems my voice hasn't recovered yet and is still on the hoarse side. My cough is still croupy sounding. THANKFULLY I am feeling better than I sound!!

DBro called this morning and talked almost an hour. He is making a major decision and needed someone to listen to him talk through it. I mostly just encouraged him to keep-on-keeping-on with the things that matter.

[Harriet]

Hi, SuzLew! No, don't lose us! We enjoy it when you come back and chat.

Thanks, bittersweet - I told her what you said!

Hmmm... ... Elizabeth I was interested to see several villagers suggest spur-of-the-moment one-person evening meals to you. Another go-to decision when I'm pressed for time is probably the "Amy's" line of healthy ones in either frozen boxes or canned soups. Several of "her" Indian frozen meals are downright satisfying. "She" also makes excellent canned soups, different from the expected.

helia, I wasn't aware you sometimes take the bus - how very urbane and renaissance-woman of you! Glad you did call ds yesterday, though - don't like the idea of you trying to walk too far in unfamiliar territory when no one knows exactly where you are. Dd13 is having algebra final? So that is over for the year for her? Dd here is having her change in half-year courses, so will not get physical education any more this year. Unfortunately, even with extra requests, she did not get her choices. She is at least happy to have friends she seldom sees in these classes. She'll be using "edmodo" for the first time - a middle school equivalent of "blackboard" or other online communication programs between instructor/students. They are very strict, though - no "text talk" and no back-and-forth communication between students.

Great job getting more clothing back into your wardrobe, Kathryn.

Motivation - right now I am getting my motivation from little successes. That's what often works for me - getting a "toe-hold" in success and then buoying myself by believing if I can do it once I can keep it up! My New Year's goal-ing/recordkeeping is what I'm trying to build on now. Yesterday was the bedroom day Weekly for me and continued to be office Focus, so ordinary-sounding successes there (vacuuming without running into clutter, finding missing things) make me believe I can move on to more success today. In November and December, along with buddies in H and F, I lost a little weight, so having the record-keeping on that for proof makes me believe I can lose a little more in January and February.

OKay, how is your family feeling today - Oh, now I see you are better! I heard something interesting about adding in carbs to a diet so will post in H and F.

[Emptynester]

What a difference a day makes!!! Woke without a headache this morning!!!

Poor DH had a bad night of reflux because of eating cheese dip too late in the evening. He slept in the chair most of the night.

We (I) are determined to get something done here today. To that end I am S2BF and have cleaned off my end table this morning. Next up is the kitchen and then, after it warms up a bit, I'm going to kill some cacti or work on the dresser for the bed room. I bought some dust masks at Q so I won't have to breathe the varnish dust as I sand.

Looks like Suzylew and I might meet up IRL as she visits some family in the Phoenix area and stops by my house for the night on her travels. Sometime in Feb.

[bittersweet]

I think I used up all my motivation writing and delivering my first speech at Toastmasters last night. That was the first of 10 speeches towards my Competent Communicator level.

Thank goodness it's my late day today - I didn't crawl out of bed until 8am! Dchiweenie has been out, critters fed, and upstairs litter boxes are clean. I think I'll set out an extra one today, since I brought home three more 10-week old kittens yesterday. These ones are perfectly friendly, but were born and raised in a vet clinic, so have had no exposure to other people, animals, and a home environment. The older six will be off to the pet store on Sunday to be put up for adoption. Next week, there are two more coming from the vet clinic (one had to have hernia surgery, and the other is her sibling keeping her company). That lot should be gone by early to mid-March, and then I'm going to do my best to take a short break from fostering before kitten season begins in earnest!

I have about an hour before I have to leave for work, so I'd better get a few more things done around here.

- downstairs litter boxes
- put away clean dishes
- put away clean laundry
- toss out flyers and other assorted paper recycling
- put/throw away 10 things from computer desk

[Nancy]

Hoping today is the last day the we have to "baby sit" the freezer as it is thawing to empty the pan we have water running in to. We turned it back on last night to prevent any water running on the floor. It's not so bad h. was in the man cave down stairs and we would both end up doing toth checks.

We've had rain in the night but looks like it's stopped for now. Sun is out now. Yesterday dad said she did not want to go home she wanted to keep walking. Rain washed away all the chalk art. Yesterday it was nice and got up to like 53* here yea for spring like temps!

I think things a slowly returning to normal around here after my cold. I've got 4 cookies in the oven will not over eat that way LOL! They are actually more test cookies as I had to fix the dough yesterday after forgetting one thing.

I don't know about mojo I'm on auto pilot! Having a routine helps I don't have to think about it!

[Elizabeth]

Good morning everyone! Yesterday, the pet sitter came and it seems she will work out. I emptied and filled the dishwasher, brought in the trash, and had peanut butter crackers for dinner. There was no check in the mail yet. I tried sewing a foot for Bug-A-Boo, but the design did not work. I have a new design in mind. Today at payroll I need to do some backups but cannot unlock the drive to do it. I did finish the software verification document. I need to backup a database too, but that can be done to CD. I went to bed at 830, but ended up crying over the situation with DD instead of sleeping and am still tired. I have her on Saturday, but we always end up angry and I don't know how to change things. Tuesdays usually go well because it is shorter. I don't know what we will do on this Saturday. Last Saturday we watched a movie at the theatre and several videos, I don't want to repeat that.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

I'm pleased to say I can fit into my travel skirt and safari blazer. My safari shirt always fit. So I'm ready for Africa!!!!

I have far too many clothes in the "take" pile but at least I have a good start and am now loading my outfit calculator so I can figure out what to remove from the pile. One thing about traveling below the equator when it is winter here - I'm so excited to see my summer clothes I want to bring them all! A bad thing about traveling on a ship is that the same people see you every day for the whole month so it isn't as if no-one will notice you wearing the same 4 outfits.

This cruise includes our 100th day aboard this cruise line, so we get free laundry service for the whole cruise. That is making a slight difference in what I'm taking - I'm probably only taking one pair of pants and shorts and I've chosen light coloured ones because I know they can be laundered and it won't take time away from my trip. I'll still launder my own delicate travel clothes because I don't trust my wool t-shirts to the ship's laundry, but in general I'll have a lot less to launder this trip and can take a few less things because I can send clothes out every couple of days.

I spent more time than I intended but the bed is made now and my room is back in order. Now it is time for lunch.