Category: Inspirations/Goals

One of my projects during this time has been to create a board game. My inspiration was the game of Monopoly. My family loves this game and we took to playing it several weekends in a row. I decided it would be fun to create a travel boardgame similar to Monopoly. 

I started with pencil and paper and drew an outline of a boardgame on it. I used the paper then to brainstorm and came up with all kinds of ideas.  At first it was going to be Hotels around the world and then I changed it to Countries, Cities, and Continents in the world. Every continent is represented in some form or another. It is very much a traveling real estate game. The game changed over several weeks as I continued to brainstorm. 

At first my teenage son, Samuel thought it was so silly of me. When the package arrived from Amazon though he got very excited and started seeing the vision I had. He helped me create cards for the game too and helped with the stickers. I was overjoyed when he started getting excited with me.   

I bought a large blank game board that folds into a small rectangle for storage. It came with its own box for nice keeping when we are not playing. I purchase some blank poker size game cards, some calligraphy pens, stickers, and pawns. Instead of writing on all of the cards, I got some labels so I could use the computer to make nice labels for the backs of the cards.

The board is definitely not symmetrical. I think I started out that way and then decided my idea of a perfect looking board was going out the window. This made it even more fun though. The stickers I bought were so much fun. Travel stickers from around the world. I went through them and started laying them on the board first where I wanted my countries to go.  Then I drew my lines with a sharpie to indicate spaces. I created a whole new set of properties in the middle of the board game. One of the spaces is an Island retreat space and if you land on it, you go to the middle of the board. The Airport is the space that gives you money when you pass through it. The travel card spaces allow you to draw a card. I spent hours researching facts about countries, cities, cultures, and anything else I could find.

Another fun idea that came out of this was using poker chips instead of money. It was a tiny bit more expensive, however the primary reason is we live in a very windy area. We have a river literally a few stone throw away and this gives us a very cool breeze in the summer. It’s built in air conditioning so I do not complain. I like to sit outside though with my family to play board games in the summer. The poker chips will not blow away in the wind. We also decided to use the poker chips for our shares.

The first time we played we did have a few bumps and so I went back and fixed a few property items and created a new space on the board game. My family really liked it though and we learned a lot. We have facts about cultural dances, foods, and customs. We have silly cards about the most haunted places in the World and little facts that most people don’t know. For example, the least populated place in the World, but it is also a research area. I even have a space on the board game to buy the North Pole and the Moon!

This project really brought me a lot of joy. I had not used all of my creative skills in a long time and that was so fun. Picking out the stickers to match our cards like India, Africa, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, New York and so many other places. We put the travel stickers on the board to indicate spaces and then put matching stickers on the property cards.  I did find out the calligraphy pens do not work on the type of game board we purchased. The permanent sharpies did work though and this is what I used to label the board and draw the outline.  We use two dice to roll for play and then I added some spaces to roll a single dice to land on extra spaces.

Really you could create any type of game. The board and cards were inexpensive. You could use anything around the house too like paints, stickers, rocks, or other board game pieces you no longer use. Paper money can be made without purchasing by drawing on paper and cutting them out.

It’s a great stress reliever, you learn something new, and if you have a family they can get involved too. One extra benefit I got from the three weeks I worked on this was reduced stress which in turn helped me not focus on my food intake. I’ve maintained my 95-pound loss although the last few weeks I had been thinking about food more and more. This project really took my mind off of it. I hope you will share your ideas with me too.

Next time I am writing a piece on motivation and inspiration. One of my support groups has a member who made herself a story board/motivation board. I am totally loving this idea and want to share it with you.

Until next time, wishing you all the best,

Mandy

Hello everyone. First, I would like to say I intended to write much more than I have over the last several months. I started out strong and then fizzled out a bit. I have not lost my passion for my journey or for inspiring others. I was struggling a bit with everything going on around me and staying busy with work during this pandemic. I am back now and hoping to have some new and refreshing articles with ideas to share.

The focus of my article today is celebrating the small victories. I’m sure many of you have known people in your personal lives impacted by the pandemic and other world events. Taking the time to focus on the things that are going well and celebrating gratitude will help us stay positive. I do know we must take time to reflect on world events and everything going on because it is a serious time in history. My article is not meant to take away from that seriousness, only to focus on the positive things or ways we can give back. I am writing today about my small victories.

Over the last few months I have been watching my garden grow. We picked beans from it already and spinach. My tomato plant has completely taken over the garden and is almost ready for harvesting. I used spinach from the garden this last week to make a potato and egg pancake and I used it in Lasagna. It turns out I found I’m the only one in my house that likes spinach. It has been so tasty though. I checked my cucumbers this morning and they are getting nice and big. For my first garden, I am very happy.

I had my follow up with my surgeon as I passed my one year surgiversary! I have maintained a weight loss of about 95 pounds total since March. No weight loss for me the last several months although I am thrilled to be maintaining. The one area I could use some improvement in is getting more exercise. Swimming was my main exercise because of my Charcot foot and I’ve had to stop because the pools are closed. My foot doctor though did say my foot is quite stable and cleared me to be on it a bit more. I’m still finding most of my steps get used at work and that’s okay too. The main victory from my surgery was my diabetes is under control and I feel strong and healthy.

Another small victory is my nightly small walk with Penny, my five pound Yorkie. She counts on and gets so excited when I say “walk”. As soon as we leave the patio door, she turns around and bites the leash to show her excitement. Walking her is a chore in itself because small dogs of her breed want to be in control and she decides the path we take. I usually put in my ear buds, listen to my book on tape or my music. I focus on taking deep breaths, listening and feeling the wind, and this helps me center and calm my thoughts and emotions. This has been a big plus in helping her sleep better which also helps me sleep better.

I had the idea to create a world travel game about three weeks ago and I finished it last weekend. It is very similar to other real estate games, but with our own twist. I will write more about it in my next article because I think it deserves more than a paragraph. It was a fun project that took our minds off of a lot and really helped us learn about other cultures and countries.

Over the last week we have been out as a family going to the Zoo and a small amusement park near us. We followed all of the guidelines like reserving tickets ahead of time, wearing masks, hand washing, social distancing, etc. It was nice though to be outdoors and get some exercise while enjoying everything. A black bear at the Zoo really made me laugh. He was picking up lettuce with his paw and throwing it in a box and then he swiped it up out of the box and threw it back on the ground. It was a cool morning so all of the animals were quite playful.

We have been fortunate to keep both of us working during this time so we’ve put aside the money we saved from not going anywhere and plan to have a vacation next summer. This small victory has given us something to hope for. I will say many of my co-workers and others I know have been doing lots of camping and hiking. This might be a great way to re-center, have some fun and relax, while getting some physical activity. My family tries hard to focus on world events when we need to put thought and energy into it and then also finding a space to stop focusing on it when we need to as well. We still have our struggles too although we find trying to stay positive and focus on gratitude has helped.

We live in a farming community and it’s harvest time so enjoying sitting out on my porch or looking at the fields on my small walks is such a blessing. This weekend I’m going to pull out my old cookbook to see if I can find some interesting recipes for harvest time. I know for sure I’m looking forward to apple crisp made with pink apples from my apple tree. I’m super lucky because my neighbor makes us apple pies when we give her apples. She will be the first one getting them this year!

It’s been hard not to see my family very often. When I do see them we sit outside and social distance. I’m beginning to dislike that word, but so far it has kept us safe. When I do get to see them I am grateful and we spend time just catching up. My family does live close so this is also a fortunate thing. Some of my co-workers though have told me they are using Zoom or similar apps to connect. One co-worker told me about a board game she and her family played on a Zoom call. That is very creative and what a way to make use of our technology.

At work, once a year we have a food drive and this is a great way to give back. We’ve also been donating money to a children’s network to feed children. I’ve read so many inspiring articles about people helping each other during this time.

Lastly, another small victory has been working remote one to two days a week. I am still needed at work because I’m a nurse manager, however working remote a few days a week has been really nice. I save money on gas, it saves the environment, traffic is better, and on those days I make a nice dinner in between meetings. It also helps me be connected to Sam, my fourteen year old son during the day. He still plays video games most of the day, but at least I can say hello. He and I carve out time each evening to watch one or two episodes of a show we pick out together. On weekends, we try and watch a family movie too.

I hope you will consider sharing some small victories in your life. Take care and wishing you all the best.

Mandy

Beach Closed – I was looking for pictures to share in my blog post today from my Southern California Vacation. I came across this photo from Universal Studios which is from the Jaws Movie set. I’ve heard some of the beaches have closed access to promote social distancing. This unprecedented time is very serious and I have shared with you I’m a registered nurse so I understand. At the same time I am trying to remain calm and keep things lighthearted.

My article today is about taking this time to stop, reflect, and try something new. One of my staff members shared a reflection asking us to take time to think about our World right now and consider this a chance to heal even amidst the circumstances. While we shelter in place, finding ways to stay positive, fresh, and creative can be overwhelming.

The climate is a stressful one right now, so today I thought we could focus on some ideas that will keep us fresh and look forward to a time when we can get out and about again. Here are some ideas you can consider for yourself or your family.

• Plan a future vacation -some family members are out of work so this is a financially stressful time, planning a future vacation as a family though may brighten the day. Consider web searching destinations, planning what you will take and how you will save up
• Try a new craft – I’ve been working on my cross stitch/needle point. It is not new for me but does help me relax and seeing it come together brings me a smile
• Jigsaw puzzle – I bought us a 2000 piece puzzle of a Thomas Kinkade painting
• Lego’s – I challenged my son to building something new out of his hundreds of Lego pieces (And yes they are all over the floor and thank God our dog does not eat them)
• Using virtual tours online – Art museums around the world offer virtual tours
• Use this time to educate our children – I remember stories during war time my grandma shared with me and that has shaped my view of this time in our world, today we talked about how businesses must stay creative in the face of change and find new ways to practice
• Try staying engaged in club activities using social media platforms
• Make a video of your own DYI project and post on social media
• Try family paint night – order some painting supplies and try your own family paint night
• Print new recipes and try something new – consider teaching your kids to cook a gourmet meal
• Family games – we have been playing Boggle, Scategories, and Trivia to keep our minds fresh, this morning’s Trivia was Marvel Trivia which I lost at big time
• Take a walk – use social distancing while getting out of the house and when I’ve worked remote, I put in my headphones and walked during the conference call
• Plant a garden or start planting seeds – I am not a green thumb and have not had much look at growing food, but now is a good time to learn
• Set limits on screen time if possible – this is a hard one and my teenage son loves his screen time, but we are trying to limit it somewhat and play games and exercise to stay healthy and keep our minds active
• Challenge yourself or your kids to read a new book
• Finish a project – I saw a funny joke on Facebook about how we put off our projects or do not have the time to finish them, maybe now is a good time:)
• Write a story or as a family have one member start a story, write a few paragraphs and then pass off to the next family member until everyone has had a turn, read the completed project together
• Volunteer to pick up groceries for your elderly neighbors or check in on them using social distancing
• Set up a makeshift camping site in your living room (lawn chairs, lantern, sleeping bags) and make S’mores or other fun camp food, tell stories by lantern light

I would love to hear your ideas for being creative during this time. For those who are directly impacted by the COVID 19 virus, my thoughts will be with you. Every day I practice staying compassionate and seeing this around me renews my faith in being human.

The Beach will not stay closed forever! Stay safe and healthy.

Mandy

As I went through my week, I decided to write about setting priorites in times of stress and change. A few things this week came to mind when thinking about priorities. One is during the end of last week, I got on my scale and was up 1/4 pound. I found myself feeling stressed about something I normally would not be upset over. I’ve also had a few people over the last week tell me how afraid they are of putting on weight during this stressful time.

Over the next few weeks, I hope to increase my blog posts and find ways to offer support to my readers. I am going to focus on how to try and stay positive during this time and take care of ourselves without adding any additional stress. Please know that although I’m staying positive, in no way am I minimizing the real stress and fear faced by many. I am a registered nurse in an ambulatory type clinic and so I understand the seriousness. I have my own fears and doubts too. I want to create some support during this time for those that might need it the most.

I have reached my 90 pound weight loss mark. I saw this a little over a week ago. I posted a picture in my collage at the top of the article. My weight loss app compares weight loss to amounts of food and animals. I have lost the weight of 18 Chihuahuas. While I am happy with my weight loss and feeling good about my positive health changes, I am finding myself more stressed than usual. I made a personal decision to weigh less often right now and simply focus on my key nutrients and staying active. My priority has changed a bit these last few weeks and I decided stressing over weight is not at the top of the list. While I do not want to put on weight, 1/4 of a pound is minor in the grand scheme of events.

My personal priority during this time is to stay healthy and well. I am still reporting to work most days to support my health care team. I work remote one to two days per week. During this time I am putting a lot of energy into being a mom. I have a 13 year old son. I posted a picture above in my collage of him and I playing a game outside the other night. As schools are closed now, I am working during the day and playing teacher at night. I know many of you are doing the same. On a side note, hats off to our teachers. They do not get nearly enough credit for what they do. His teachers are e-mailing and sending well wishes along with ideas to stay active and creative during this time. I’ve also been moved by the many resources made available to all of us through internet providers and such. I received a note from audible that all children 0-18 can access books on audible for free over the next few months. Here is the link to the free audio books: https://stories.audible.com/start-listen

Many people are working from home right now too and this can cause stress in and of itself. Some people find solace in spending time alone at home or prefer not socializing as much. Others though are feeling overwhelmed and isolated not being able to go to work and socialize. I told my niece last week that as much as I love Netflix, you can only watch so much TV. As I am typing this my husband is watching a news channel and they are interviewing someone right now from Netflix asking how they will keep shows coming our way during shelter in place and social distancing/isolation.

So, over the next few weeks I will try and bring ideas your way for staying positive, staying creative, finding some inner peace, and staying healthy. I posted a link to a WW (Weight Watchers) article on tips for healthy snacking while you work from home. That is on my Facebook page if you want to check it out. I have spoken to some of the people who have shared their fears of gaining weight while they go through this, to try intuitive eating. Instead of stressing about every bite or morsel, try giving your body what it needs and wants, putting aside the need to diet.

One thing I’ve noticed already is even with me continuing to work, I’m finding myself needing to stay busy, and I’m cleaning my house like mad. We also had some nice weather this last few days and I’ve been playing outside with my son. We played frisbee golf the other night and it was really fun. We even tossed the football a bit. My little Yorkie is loving it too and I’ve been walking her more. Staying busy gets me active and keeps my mind fresh.

I hope you will get a chance to check out the audio books, get some time to get some activity outside with your pets or children, and simply focus on staying well. I am sending good thoughts to all of you and will write again soon.

Mandy

Along the journey it is so important to celebrate the non scale victories (NSV’s). I am also a big fan of celebrating some of those victories with non food rewards. I signed up for bariatric weight loss surgery so I could lose weight to be healthier. Weight loss though is only one measurement of success. It’s easy to get caught up in a number. My focus today is to celebrate the NSV’s so that you stay focused in that celebratory state. I hope that makes sense. It’s easy to start being negative when trying to get healthier and hard on ourselves. When we are feeling down, it’s important to be able to celebrate other successes.

Some of my NSV’s are more energy to do the things I want. I still have Charcot foot and may not be able to be as active as I used to be. That said, I have lots of energy to go swimming, spend time with my son, and overall find myself in a more joyous and happy state. I am off many of my medications which I absolutely love. My blood pressure and overall health has improved significantly. I have less chronic pain than I did before in my joints. My peripheral neuropathy will never go away, however my pain has improved. I sleep better at night and feel rested most mornings when I wake up.

In talking to my network or support group some of their NSV’s are clothes fitting better, airplane seatbelts that fit better, feeling more comfortable attending an event with stadium seating, learning to dance, being able to feel more satisfied with a smaller meal, looking younger, and feeling healthier. Another woman wrote about how she travels for work and her NSV is about how proud she is that she books her hotel in a place with a gym, finds time to work out, and researches food choices ahead of time. She finds ways to stay focused even during busy times traveling.

Rewards can be a fun way to celebrate your successes. I often reward myself with non food things. One example was a new movie that came to Prime and a TV series that came to Netflix. I made a deal with myself that if I stuck with my protein intake for a week, I could reward myself with that movie or show. I’ve also done a full body massage as a reward and another time I celebrated by purchasing a new purse. They do not have to be expensive items and you can even make a list of free ideas. Consider trying something new like an adventure you’ve always wanted, or save up for a vacation you have longed to take, a new craft you’ve wanted to try. One time before my weight loss surgery I got my exercise in and stayed within my daily food goals and then each evening watched an episode of my favorite show. The show had 6 seasons and I’m not joking that it kept me on track for three months. I stuck with my deal to myself and only watched the show on nights when I achieved my non scale goal.

Consider trying to set a non scale victory goal in the next week. Make it realistic and measurable and tie it to a reward that is non food focused. Make a list of your NSV’s that you’ve already achieved and those you want to achieve.

Spend some time truly feeling grateful for these non scale victories and set your mind to a state of victory and positivity. I realize we are all going to have moments we feel down for various reasons. That said, I find when I’m focusing on how far I’ve come and thinking about all of the good things I’ve accomplished aside from the scale, it makes me happy. It helps me stay positive even when I’m struggling.

Most recently my weight stayed the same for several weeks in a row. I was getting frustrated and letting that number rule my attitude on some days. I found the days I focused on NSV’s I was more grateful and felt more positive overall. Once in a while I do allow myself to feel upset and let those emotions come out, but I try not to live in that state.

Wishing you all the best in your victories! Wishing you all great health and happiness. Please share your NSV’s with me here or on Facebook.

Mandy

The New Year is here and I believe with that comes new hope. It’s that time of year where people set goals or make resolutions. For me 2019 was a good year. I went through my weight loss surgery, lost 85 pounds, gained my health, and decreased my medications. I have a lot more energy than before and feel like I can devote more time to my job, my husband, my son, and myself.

I have given a lot of thought to my resolution for this year and goals. I would still like to lose a few more pounds and tone my stomach and my arms. I did have this magical dream that losing all of that weight would result in a better body. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy with my transformation, but did expect more toned muscle and skin. So, I’ve decided to work on some strength training this year to help with that.

In my personal life, I’m working on my finances as a continuation from last year. I got our retirement accounts in order last year and this year am going to focus on some investments. I’m going to start small. This last weekend I sat down with a yellow small legal pad and wrote out every pay day for the year with itemized bills and financial goals. It was a lot of work and I know things can change and maybe need to be re-arranged, but it made me feel good and was worth my time. It helped me to see that this year I can make a difference.

I also resolve to be less quick to anger and upset at home. At work, I’m very even mannered and calm. My staff comment on this all the time. I’m not a raving monster at home, but sometimes I am quick to overreact. I am working on ways to improve this and slow down my thoughts. I love spending time with my family and look forward to that in 2020 as well.

I read a great article on setting New Year’s Resolutions that stick. I’ve attached a link to the article from Harvard. One of the suggestions is sharing your goals with others. I hope you will feel comfortable leaving a comment here or on Facebook about your goals. I’m hoping this year to continue with my goal of becoming a support to those around me. Here is the link: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/seven-steps-for-making-your-new-years-resolutions-stick

Please also feel free to let me know what you want to hear more about or how I can support you. I continue with my belief that we need to love ourselves no matter what and I believe that you can be overweight and still live a healthy lifestyle. I was one of the people though that weight was impacting several health issues and some of my health issues were impacting my weight. Weight loss surgery was my answer and although it is a mixed bag, I do not regret the life it has given me back.

Best wishes and blessing to all of the readers who have joined me in my journey and on your own personal journey!

Mandy