* * * February challenge * * *

~reneew · Post by **~reneew** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 6:17 pm

Yep, I'm back!!! I gained my usual 'too much' over the holidays, and I'm back for a fresh start! I haven't issued a challenge since September! So, here goes....

This February I challenge you to "successful" green (and yellow) habitcal days until the end of the month. That's only 25 days left! You can do it. Put your all into it!!!!

This is for anybody who needs encouragement and daily accountability. We will all keep tabs on eachother. Think of this as your own little cheering section.

- State your plan if you want at the top of your post and then update us as to how you're doing. It's O.K. to not post daily, but try to keep us updated.
- *Remember* to only post once at the top and edit that first post all month. It's easier to skim-read and find eachother.
- Please re-read that last one, some people don't get it.
- after February 4th we will continue posting at the bottom for encouragement and fun.
- This team is meant for all of us to give support, so let's try hard to do that.
- good luck and have fun with it!

~reneew · Post by **~reneew** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 6:17 pm

I'm in!

For February, I'm mainly going to concentrate on just plain DOING IT!

Feb:
3-

successful and I didn't even take an S day for our anniversary!
4-

It will be a success because tomorrow is an S! (in other words, hang on you can do it!)
5-

S day fairly good
6-

S day pitiful. superbowl snacks snacks snacks
7-

Yea, yea, yea!
8-

success again, and it was very good!
9-

I'm on a roll. Only 13 N days left for the month!! Wow!
10-

not quite
11-

bad binge
12-

S day
13-

S day I had the most green that I've had in a long time, so not giving up. It's hard to remember when I thought all green was getting boring! HA!!! Wish I was there now.
14-

Valentines day. I think I ate my share of candy this weekend. Ug. I'm going to shoot for a normal green and steady this week. No great losses, just sanity.
15-

16-

17-

I can be so weak! Then when I "fail" the flood gates open! Ug!
18-

19-

S day
20-

S day and I took full advantage of it.
21-

I am getting a grip today. I see a red trend here... better lock the kitchen come Thursdays!
22-

23-

I feel sane again following this. Why do I ever lag on it?
24-

yea! I did a green Thursday!!! I really succeeded because I saw my track record. There is no special thing going on on Thursdays.

25-

nope, just had to snitch (a lot) making supper. And then clean up after was another meal in itself.
26-

S day
27-

S day
28-

gettheweightoff · Post by **gettheweightoff** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 6:29 pm

I'm definitely IN.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 6:34 pm

~reneew!! Welcome back!

I'm in.

My February "area of focus" (in addition to basic No-S) is to practice yoga at least 3x/week, and exercise at least 5 days of 7.

UPDATE 2/23
Doing fine so far. Details on personal thread. I do count 15 minutes as the minimum, but try for more.

Post by **reinhard** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 3:34 pm

Welcome back!

I'll join you with a focus on weekend luddite (been having too much red there recently).

Reinhard

mrsj · Post by **mrsj** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 6:34 pm

I'm in! I'm so glad the challenges are back! Keep 'em coming!

01 Feb: Green
02 Feb: Yellow
03 Feb: Green
04 Feb: Green
05 Feb:

RED!!! Succombed to pastry with afternoon tea.
06 Feb: Green
07 Feb: Yellow
08 Feb: Green
09 Feb: S Day!!! No way can I fail!
10 Feb: Green
11 Feb: Green
12 Feb: Green
13 Feb: S Day: I enjoyed EVERY SINGLE BITE of goodies! No Guilt!Not a single worry if my S Day went wild. It was heaven!
14Feb: Green. Valentine's Day isn't a big thing here in Denmark.
15 Feb: Green
16 Feb: S Day!
17 Feb: Green
18 Feb: Green
19 Feb: Green
20 Feb: S Day!
21 Feb: Green.
22 Feb: Green
23 Feb: S Day!
24 Feb: Geen
25 Feb: Green
26 Feb: Green
27 Feb: S Day! Yay!
28 Feb: GREEN! It was hard, but I wanted to go out of the month in a blaze of glory!

Nichole · Post by **Nichole** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 7:26 pm

ME!

I'm breastfeeding my baby, so I eat snacks, but I need to control my sweets. Some days I'm so hungry and I reach for my delicious cookies. I love to bake; that's a baaaad hobby.

Yesterday: RED! THREE ..okay, FOUR, cookies! Exercise: 30 minutes on bike + sit ups + push ups

Friday, 2/4: No exercise

... One cookie, so today was Orange (not a total fail)

Saturday, 2/5: No exercise, minimal dessert

Exercise: Just crunches/push ups
Sunday, 2/6: Super Bowl - no hold's barred! Froze a delicious homemade cupcake for me to eat on Saturday morning. Exercise: Just crunches/push ups

Monday, 2/7: GREEN! Exercised for 30 minutes.

Tuesday, 2/8: "Chuck" night at in-laws, no exercise, trying to make it GREEN. I had one cookie, not counting it as a failure though! GREEN.

Weds., 2/9: Rachel is 5 months old! Did pretty well today 40 MINUTES on the bike AND free weights! Horray! Super Green!

Thurs, 2/10: Weight: 124.6, yeah! Tonight is homemade fries and turkey burger night, my fav. Cut the potato in the morning and it soaks all day to release the starch. Did 30 minutes on the bike. Had one cookie, but otherwise a great day.

Friday, 2/11: FIL's bday. Will have a sliver of cake. No exercise (no time, they're coming over for dinner.) >>Ended up having an entire piece of cake and some candy! Lots of candy actually

Saturday, 2/12: Was very "naughty" today. Had a cupcake and a piece of ice cream cake. Went out to dinner for the 1st time in a long time and I find I no longer enjoy it that much. The waiting and everything.. pfft. 10 mins exercise, plus push ups and sit ups.
Sunday, 2/13: Only 1 piece of ice cream pie. 20 minutes on the bike. Also, had the proper portion of chicken - half a breast - at dinner.

Monday, 2/14: GREEN. Exercised 30 minutes. Homemade mac and cheese with steamed veggies for dinner.

Tuesday, 2/15: EPIC FAIL. Husband didn't do anything at all for me for Valentine's day, not even a card. On top of that, I was awake at 3 am for the 2nd day in a row. So I went to a mom and pop donut place for coffee and a bagel; felt bad I didn't mean the $5 minimum for debit card, so ended up with coffee, chocolate donut AND a blueberry muffin. Ate it all.

Never going there again.

Exercised 25 minutes, push ups and sit ups too.

Weds, 2/16: GREEEEEEEEEEEEN. The weather was beautiful, so went on a 50 minute walk with Rachel. She was in her carrier. It was great!

Oops,fell behind.

Saturday and Sunday were pretty good. I didn't 'go overboard at a party

2/21 : Okay. Had some sweets b/c I was hanging out with mom and sister.

2/22: Good.

2/23: Goal: Exercise! Making a new recipe tonight: Shrimp with roasted tomatoes and linguini. Goal for exercise met, plus crunches. Dinner was good. GREEN.

Whidbey Woman · Post by **Whidbey Woman** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 5:12 am

I'm in, too! Four days down, 28 to go!

~reneew · Post by **~reneew** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 1:44 pm

Yea, lets go everyone! I'm excited.
We will DO IT !

~hf · Post by **~hf** » Tue Feb 08, 2011 2:08 am

I'm in starting tomorrow, today was red

Feb 7 fail, I'll start the challenge tomorrow!!

tobiasmom · Post by **tobiasmom** » Tue Feb 08, 2011 1:57 pm

I'm in!!

Feb. 7: GREEN!!!
Feb. 8:
Feb. 9:
Feb. 10:
Feb. 11:
Feb. 12:
Feb. 13:
Feb. 14:
Feb. 15:
Feb. 16:
Feb. 17:
Feb. 18:
Feb. 19:
Feb. 20:
Feb. 21:
Feb. 22:
Feb. 23:
Feb. 24:
Feb. 25:
Feb. 26:
Feb. 27:
Feb. 28:

~reneew · Post by **~reneew** » Tue Feb 08, 2011 4:29 pm

Only 15 N days left in the month! Wow, you can do that!!!

Kevin · Post by **Kevin** » Tue Feb 08, 2011 5:14 pm

I'm in, but I'm only posting results in my thread, because who needs to hear from me more than once.

http://www.everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=7138

Nicest of the Damned · Post by **Nicest of the Damned** » Tue Feb 08, 2011 5:45 pm

I'm in! All green and yellow so far this month. My days start at dinnertime the previous day (I'm Jewish, and I'd rather have my S dinner on Friday night than Sunday night, so Shabbat dinner can be an S meal).

Feb 8: Success!
Feb 9: Success!
Feb 10: Success!
Feb 11: Success!
Feb 12: S day
Feb 13: S day
Feb 14: Success!
Feb 15: S day
Feb 16: Success!
Feb 17: Success!
Feb 18: Success!
Feb 19: S day
Feb 20: S day
Feb 21: Success!
Feb 22: Success!
Feb 23: Success!
Feb 24: Success!
Feb 25: Success!
Feb 26: S day
Feb 27: S day
Feb 28: Success!

~reneew · Post by **~reneew** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 1:00 pm

how are we all doing???

Nichole · Post by **Nichole** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 7:00 pm

Not terrible. Haven't had 3 or 4 cookies in a row (mini binge) since the 1st or whenever that was. Trying to nip that in the bud BEFORE it turns into a terrible habit.

How about you?

mrsj · Post by **mrsj** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 8:38 am

I think all of us are doing very well! We've had a few reds, but we're not giving up! That's life! Sometimes it just gets in the way. But, ALL of us have picked ourselves up and continued on.

Renew, I think you're doing really really good. You should give yourself a pat on the back.

~reneew · Post by **~reneew** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 4:07 pm

Happy Valentine's Day every one!

Nichole · Post by **Nichole** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 1:00 pm

I already failed pretty hard today b/c husband forgot to do ANYTHING for me for Valentine's Day. Feeling under-appreciated, I had a delicious chocolate donut and a muffin this morning. Sigh.

~reneew · Post by **~reneew** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 2:36 pm

Nichole ~ I got my usual... the plant I picked out at Walmart. Husbands can be so... so... uncreative? Is that the word. I'm trying to be nice here. My husband and I have been together since '84. I've learned that if I want anything, I basically have to tell him what I want and where to get it. For a couple big anniversaries, I left a jewelery add out on the counter and circled the one I liked. That even worked.

I like to try to show by example, then kill him with kindness thinking that maybe he'll feel guilty and learn for next time. Hmm... just know that you are loved.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 2:58 pm

Nichole wrote:I already failed pretty hard today b/c husband forgot to do ANYTHING for me for Valentine's Day. Feeling under-appreciated, I had a delicious chocolate donut and a muffin this morning. Sigh.

I really think Valentine's raises SUCH expectations that it's a hard holiday for most people! A former roomie described it as "the day designed to make single people feel lonely." And I've heard so many couples unhappy because their significant other didn't celebrate as they wanted...

I heard a quote years ago that helped me think about this (and similar situations) differently.

"Expectations are resentments under construction."

I think it's especially true of un-communicated expectations.

My husband is a great guy - affectionate, considerate, does a reasonable share of housework, an awesome dad. After almost 20 years, I still think marrying him was one of the smartest things I ever did. BUT... he's not really into obligatory holiday stuff like Valentine's, and actively resents "having" to do it. Early on, it was an issue - much like you describe. A few years into our marriage, we had a talk about it. He held that it wasn't fair for him to have to mind-read, but that he did love me. And he would do what I wanted if I told him... but he really didn't want to get into "competitive Valentine's." So, we agreed on "the basics." I DO want a card on the day. That's pretty much it. I don't care about flowers, because I get flowers whenever I want them (and it annoys me that the prices are jacked up for the holiday). Candy has been a minefield in the past, though it would be okay now that I can manage it better. Going out is usually more hassle than I want to deal with - crowded, etc.

Mostly, I wanted us to plan some quality time together on or around the day. He liked that a lot.

And he has come through beautifully on the card thing. Over the years, as he's seen how much they mean to me, they've become more and more carefully chosen, with LONG handwritten messages that are incredibly sweet. I'm not generally a collector of memorabilia, but I keep all of these.

So... Don't just feel bad. Talk to your husband in advance about what would make you feel appreciated. And ask him what will make HIM feel appreciated.

(Also, you might read one of the books on "5 Love Languages." I read the parenting version, but immediately saw its application to other relationships as well.)

Hope you don't mind my going off on this... but the whole "my Valentine's Day stank... " is such a common problem!

Nichole · Post by **Nichole** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 3:09 pm

He knew I had made him a little something on Shutterfly (a card) and while the true nature of giving doesn't expect anything in return, I kind of hoped that he cared enough to do SOMETHING. The card was so sweet and it said how much I appreciate all he's done since we've had the baby and how great it is that he never complains about all the extra work he has to do now that I am nursing a baby and falling asleep so early.

BUT we have Hallmark Card Studio on our computers and it takes TWO MINUTES off of his HOURS on the stinking computer playing dumb games to make me a card. I know because I printed off a couple for my sister and brother. He knows I love cards, he just didn't bother. We went out to dinner on Saturday night using GIFT CARDS from CHRISTMAS (how romantic), because we are poor. All I wanted was a card, that's all I wanted, and all I got was a "Happy V-D Day," a chuckle and a kiss.

I provide him and my daughter with meals every day, I lug back and forth my stupid Medela tote, etc., I just do so much for this family and I got nothing. It took him hours to finally email me a "thank you" for the card I made him!

I don't know; I just feel so pissed! We did talk about it last night and I had to TELL him that he still hadn't even said sorry.

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 3:29 pm

If you're talking about it, that's actually very good. (I never said the discussion with my hubby early in our marriage was EASY, lol!) Good for you for not just simmering.

And from everything I read here, you sound like a totally awesome mom to me. I still remember how hard bf'ing and working was...

Hang in there. (Here's where I need one of BA's cute heart-themed emoticons...)

Nicest of the Damned · Post by **Nicest of the Damned** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 5:24 pm

{{{{{HUGS}}}}} to anyone whose Valentine's Day didn't measure up to their hopes or expectations.

Mine didn't, but it's nobody's fault. Nicest Husband came back from a conference in Berkeley Sunday night, and woke up feeling sick in the morning. They've been working him to death at his job the last month and a half, and this is the third or so time he's been sick since the first of the year. I really do think those things are connected.

No romantic dinner of boeuf bourgignonne for us, I'm afraid. I made chicken stock for him, instead.

DaveMc · Post by **DaveMc** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 7:39 pm

McWife and I have an approach that's romantic in its own way: we completely ignore Valentine's Day, *together*.

~reneew · Post by **~reneew** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 1:54 pm

reading all of this reminded me of how my parents "do" cards. For many many years my Mom gave my dad the same anniversary card. She noticed one year that he didn't really read it, so saved it for the next year to see if he'd notice. She gave it to him for maybe 25 years! Since we all told him once how pittiful that was, they now go to the card section at walmart... spend a little time looking at the cards and laughing... then "give" the one they choose to eachother... read... hug... and put the cards back. Ha! How romantic????? But they have a lot of fun together doing it and it's now what they do.

Nichole · Post by **Nichole** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 3:09 pm

~reneew wrote:reading all of this reminded me of how my parents "do" cards. For many many years my Mom gave my dad the same anniversary card. She noticed one year that he didn't really read it, so saved it for the next year to see if he'd notice. She gave it to him for maybe 25 years! Since we all told him once how pittiful that was, they now go to the card section at walmart... spend a little time looking at the cards and laughing... then "give" the one they choose to eachother... read... hug... and put the cards back. Ha! How romantic????? But they have a lot of fun together doing it and it's now what they do.

That's so awesome! And the first part is quite funny.

We've since made up, though we weren't really arguing about it. He said he had a lot on his mind. He actually saves all the cards from me, especially the hand painted ones, in a file. Wow.

A lot of temptation at work today. My friend made cupcakes last night and brought them in. I am resisting!

Nicest of the Damned · Post by **Nicest of the Damned** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 4:04 pm

I had a really rough day yesterday (I'd rather not talk about the details). I'm quite proud of myself for managing to stick to No S through it.

~reneew · Post by **~reneew** » Mon Feb 21, 2011 4:51 pm

Nicest of the Damned wrote:I had a really rough day yesterday (I'd rather not talk about the details). I'm quite proud of myself for managing to stick to No S through it.

good job!!! I am so weak.

Kathleen · Post by **Kathleen** » Mon Feb 21, 2011 5:38 pm

Nicole,
It's the male mind... completely clueless when it comes to the importance of showing appreciation. My husband once forgot my birthday. Now he's got a reminder in his cell phone. It's not a lack of appreciation or lack of care. It's more cluelessness. Maybe you can let him know how much it means to you. My husband now has an 11 year old "assistant" to make sure he does a good job with Valentine's Day. This year, he got a white rose to symbolize him, a red rose to symbolize me, and four little roses to symbolize our children. Our daughter also talked him into a little rose to go in a separate vase to symbolize -- you guessed it -- the dog.
Kathleen

P.S. You don't have many years before you, too, have an "assistant."

Nicest of the Damned · Post by **Nicest of the Damned** » Mon Feb 21, 2011 7:01 pm

Kathleen wrote:This year, he got a white rose to symbolize him, a red rose to symbolize me, and four little roses to symbolize our children. Our daughter also talked him into a little rose to go in a separate vase to symbolize -- you guessed it -- the dog.

Awwww!

~reneew · Post by **~reneew** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 3:32 pm

Some of us are doing great! Some of us may check in later??? Some of us (like me) are working on getting on track and are doing way better than before anyway.

Live and learn.

Should I do a March challenge?

mrsj · Post by **mrsj** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 7:27 pm

YES; YES ,YES!!!!

PLEEEEEEEEEEASE? Pretty Please? With something healthy on top?

~reneew · Post by **~reneew** » Fri Feb 25, 2011 2:52 pm

One last day of the week! You can do it!

NoSRocks · Post by **NoSRocks** » Fri Feb 25, 2011 3:21 pm

Sorry - I meant to post in here much sooner! Almost end of February and I've been vanilla No S pretty consistently throughout the month. Weight has been up and down - literally! Definitely in it for life, no matter how long it takes or what outcome will be. Count me in for March challenge too!!!

mrsj · Post by **mrsj** » Mon Feb 28, 2011 7:55 am

Hah! Today is the LAST DAY! Let's end this month in a blaze of GREEN GLORY!

Renew, I think you've had a really good month. Now you trot (yes, trot) on down to the store and get yourself a little something GREEN!

~reneew · Post by **~reneew** » Mon Feb 28, 2011 3:57 pm

I'm very impressed by some of you! Good job! On to March

Everyday Systems

* * * February challenge * * *

* * * February challenge * * *

February Challenge