In the beginning

This is the beginning of my blog.  I hope that it will be a series of at least 12 thirty-day challenges.  My first challenge is to do three things: eat a salad every day, hula hoop every day and declutter my house every day.  I will skip these activities on Sunday because that is a day reserved for family and worship. 

     It is kind of scary to open a blog and put my goals out into the world in such a public way.  I am hopeful that this will inspire others to take steps towards their goals and keep me on track to achieving mine.  I am hopeful for a positive outcome, but at the very least if I make this public I will show up and do the work that I have set out to do.  I am responsible for the actions that I take, even though I cannot control the outcome. 

     For myself, I dream of having my blood sugar under control.  This involves making good choices in how I eat and taking proper medication.  I hope that having a salad daily will move me in the right direction.  I have looked online for creative salads and I am willing to eat just a basic salad to make this goal happen.  There are many interesting salads from something with taco meat and cheese to others with only vegetables and interesting dressings.  I hope to try many during this month.  I think I will even try my hand at making some homemade dressings.  If I use someone else’s I will link to it on the blog so you can make your own yummy salad.  I am not currently a food photographer I will share some of my salads.  I will aim for one a day but, it could be only 3 a week.      

    I also dream of being in better shape, part of this dream is weight loss after all.  I made a hula hoop.  I will use it every day for the next 30 days.  I hope to improve my skill, but, if I do not at least I will get the exercise of bending over and picking up the hoop off the floor. 

    

     My third goal is to declutter my house.  My house currently feels overrun with things that we no longer need or use.  There is stuff here that belongs to people who no longer live here.  These grown children don’t want the stuff, so I am no longer under obligation to keep it.  There is also stuff here that we just don’t use anymore for any number of reasons.  It is time for the things in my house to be used or loved.  So here I go, starting from the master bath all the way to be kid’s bedrooms on the other end of the house my goal for the next 30 days is to eliminate the stuff we don’t need and to organize the rest.  This project might take more than the 30 days, I just want some progress. 

     For those who have found their way here and don’t know me personally I will introduce myself.  I am a 50-something year old married woman.  I have six children and only one is a girl.  I also have three grandchildren.  I am diabetic and would like to get under better blood sugar control through weight loss.  I have been married for more than 30 years and feel very blessed to have my husband’s support on this adventure.  (Thanks for helping me get the right connectors for the hoops, sweetheart! You are awesome.) 

     The first step after the decision to change is always the hardest.  There is so much unknown.  I am scared that this will not work and that I will just be spinning my wheels in the mud.  Even if this does not work, I will have the adventure of trying and that my friends is all that I can hope for. 

     All the included pictures are me with my hand made hula hoop on day 1.