Tales of an Ambitious Slacker: Sunday Summary: Inspired

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.

Live the life you have imagined.
Henry David Thoreau

Tonia's post over at Racing with Babes HERE and Amanda from Running Hood HERE have me completely inspired. One talks about owning who you are while the other encourages you to be more of who you are. There are other things I have swirling around my head and I think they are the things that are swirling around all those bloggers I follow. Common interests. I want to be as fit as Tonia and as balanced at Amanda. There is a little something about each blogger that I follow that I want to make part of my life. Like Tonia's post says, there is someone out there that wants to be little like me too. I usually shrug off the compliments I get about running or how fit someone thinks I am.

I have loved the last three days of my life. I spent alone time with my hubby in a fancy hotel and the next day sat on the kitchen floor drunk with my cousins reminiscing about high school and celebrating another addition to the 30's club. I learned a lesson Saturday and that is that grown up hangovers totally suck and the "bounce back" I had in my 20's did not follow me into my 30's. I spent time with friends at a nice adult evening out last night and spent one on one time with my little girl today grocery shopping and going to farmers market. I love that I can squeeze in a little of everything now and then, but I also envy those that have great routines and schedules.

I struggle with routine and find myself wanting other people's routines so much that I momentarily forget how good I have it. I have an ultra-amazing-super-duper husband, a gorgeous and brilliant son and a confident and joyful daughter. I love my job, I am good at it. I love my home, it suits our family even though I catch myself wanting more space. What is wonderful is that the "things" I do want and feel like I don't have, I am in complete control over having them. One thing that worked well for me at the beginning of the year was to have my goals written down. So I am not sure how I will achieve the following, but I want to lay a few things out there that I want:

My Own Space. I want a space that is mine, a creativity fort if you will (thanks Amanda). Right now my only guess at how that will work for me is if I use our sitting room. I love the couches there so when I need quiet time to read it is the perfect space. I need to get some drapes for two windows and I think if I go out and purchase them, it will feel like a step towards making it mine. I may start blogging in there too as it lends itself to more uninterrupted time.

My Dream Schedule. I know I can't do this because I have a full time job, but maybe if I take a day off every now and then or do this on a weekend with some variation, I might get my fix of what I wish most days could be like.

8:00 breakfast-steel cut oats, fresh fruit or smoothie with toast with peanut butter
8:45 drop kids off at school
9:30 gym workout or outdoor workout
12:00 lunch with the hubby-sushi, or cheese plate assortment with fresh fruits
1:30 nap for about an hour
2:30 read, write, blog while drinking iced tea or hot chocolate if it is winter
5:00 dinner-I love rich meals, pot roast, stews, heavy pastas, bread, roasted vegetables etc
7:00 kid bath time, playing, reading etc
8:30 kid bed time
9:00 30 minutes of yoga or stretching to relax and hang out time with the hubby
11:00 bed time

So that I don't leave this out there as an I wish, here is what a "with work" daily schedule could look like if I focus myself and had discipline with my sleep schedule.

6:00 run
7:00 shower, get ready, family breakfast-usually eggs, toast etc. (hubby is all over this job!)
8:15 take kids to school
8:45-5:15 work (I almost always have lunch with my hubby-only 30 minutes=mostly fast food)
6:00 dinner-varies, but usually not a heavy meal
7:15 bath time, play, reading
8:30 bed time
8:30 yoga stretch
9:00 hang out with hubby
10PM-6AM=8 hours of sleep

This plan works. I have done it successfully. It takes lots of planning. You have to stick to the sleep schedule, I think that is the hardest part for me. Stay up late one night and it is tough to get up and run. Miss a morning run and there is little or no room to do it later in the day. Definitely have to plan the menu for both breakfast and dinner or you lose time staring in the cabinets. I wish I was one of those people who could live off of 5-6 hours of sleep, but as I age (I am only 32) and my fibromyalgia flares ups more and more, I really do need the 8 hours of recovery. Other alternatives include letting the hubby drop off kids and go to work 7-3:30 and hit the gym or road after work. I also miss breakfast with this schedule, but get more quality family time at night that way. I keep coming back to the idea taking some vacation time with my lunch every now and then for a mid afternoon work out, but haven't tried it yet. I am excited to figure this out and I think writing it out has already helped.

Do you thrive on routine?

The Big Picture: I have a pretty clear picture of how I want things in my life and usually I get it. This fact alone makes me an incredibly fortunate person. If I want more, I just have to make it a priority and go after it.
Why I Kick A$$: I thought I had let this feature go, but Amanda made mention of it and I realized I already miss it. So reason's I completely and totally Kick A$$ today? Oh let's just say it is because I am the girl who has everything.

Thankful Three