Doing the Hard Thing: Getting Organized this Fall with Kids

Our family, Fall of 2012

Doing the Hard Thing: Getting Organized this Fall with Kids

I love the Fall. I love a new rhythm of life and the possibility to serve my family well. Getting organized is more than aesthetics. It is about pressing on to be who God called us to be this season.

These are a few of the areas that can/could use organization.

Wardrobe • Kids grow so fast. Autumn is a great time to go through closets and see what still fits. The kids have always been my priority. This year, I took 15 minutes to go through my wardrobe and say goodbye to pieces that needed to be donated. It was a great use of my time and resources.

Finances • The kids are actively working on learning how to manage money. This Fall, we continue the conversation and the actions that will help them be great managers of the resources God gave them. As parents, we are determined not to shy away from being good stewards of the resources God has given us. I want to plan and prepare for the holiday season and all our current responsibilities.

Schedule • We revisited our Fall schedule before the summer break was over. It was because of that exercise that we cut back on some activities. We continue to monitor our schedule as a way to be good stewards of the time and energy God has given us. We can't do everything. What we can do, we will do it to the best of our ability.

Friends • You probably have seen a meme of two about how adults are too busy to keep up with friends. They are funny because they are true. The Fall is a great season to rekindle friendships. There is no need to burden one's schedule. All it takes is to simply tell a friend: "I am thinking about you. I appreciate our friendship. Have a great day!" Use your preferred method of communication and hit send. I have the habit or writing letters to my friends. I plan on sending some happy mail out before the end of the year. I am really good about honoring my kids' friendships and encouraging them to find and maintain good friends. Depending on our kids social calendars, there is little time for our own. I believe we can find a happy balance by keeping simple. Just tell a friend you are still available to be a friend.

Faith • A lot of Bible studies start Fall studies this time of year. This is a great opportunity to grow and mature in our faith. The Fall is a great time to catch up on late Bible reading. If for some reason you stopped going to church, go back this Fall. God's house is open and ready to receive you. Be sure it is a Bible-believing church.

Goals • My husband found our 2015 goals the other day. Reading them brought great memories of our lives back then. We wanted to see something new and we planned on doing just that through our goals. I do not want to forget the goals I set in January. The Fall is the time to revisit them and find the perfect strategy to finish the year strong. No matter how big the goal, we can accomplish a lot of we decide to execute the strategy we choose.

 

Food • The Listenbee Family kitchen takes on a different note during the Fall. We wait until it gets cooler to cook denser foods. My husband has a delicious pumpkin cake he only prepares during the Fall. We share pumpkin-flavored treats with our neighbors. My challenge is to use seasonal vegetables weekly. I believe eating seasonally can bring a lot of joy to our palate.

Travel • We travel to see family during the holiday season. We decided to plan and prepare ahead of time. You can't plan early for any trip or travel especially when the entire family is involved.

How about you? What are the areas of your life that can use organization this Fall?

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Marathon training: from friendliness to deep friendships

Marathon training season starts in a few weeks. This will be officially the first season I won't train with my old running group. 

Although I moved after last year's training season started, I went back for a few key runs. I also became a virtual head coach instead of an in-person coach. I guess I was ahead of my time, considering all of this COVID-19 stuff.

I finished what I started (thank God) and marathon number 6 was a wrap.

I decided to sign up for another marathon this Winter because I thought it would be a good goal to pursue. Before the official training starts, I am working on eliminating extra body weight.

I have run enough to know that the extra weight only impedes my progress. I don't want to be on weight loss mode all my life. I want to reach my goal and proceed to maintenance. I have a great chance to reach my weight loss goal and I will reach it before the end of the year.

Back to running. I'm glad I learned a lot about myself these past 6 marathons. I know how to run with a group and I know how to run alone. 

Both skills are very important. My thing is, I don't want to be stuck. I need to be able to adapt to my surroundings so I can reach my running goals. 

One time, the weather was awful and I ran 17 miles on a treadmill. I don't recommend it but that experience taught me to press on and accomplish my goal.

Running with a group is an acquired skill. The running community is generally friendly. The problem some people run into is turning that friendliness into deep friendships. Some runners remain acquaintances after decades of running together. Others develop deep friendships that last a lifetime. 

I don't think there is a secret to developing deep friendships with people. It all depends on the individual and where they are in life. I will write more about this in a later post. 

As a newcomer to a group, you will notice small groups in existence. Most groups are friendly and they do not mind you running with them. Some groups say they are friendly but they are really closed groups running in public. 

It doesn't take long for me to figure out these dynamics. I often ask myself, "should I try to belong to this group who clearly does not want me to be part of them or do I find another way?" 

That's when my skill of running solo or with a group comes in handy. I've had to do both and I'm okay with both. What I try not to do is to be hurt because a group or a person does not want me to run with them. 

Running doesn't discriminate but runners sometimes do. Reaching my running goals while cultivating a forgiving heart is better than getting frustrated with trying to belong to a closed running group.

I've learned to pray about everything, running included. My prayer is that God will lead me to the right people and vice-versa. When I focus on the vice-versa part of the equation, I feel better.

For example, I noticed a lot of people around me were trying to belong to the running community. I thought about my experiences as a runner and as a minority runner. I decided to be a safe space, an encouraging force to anyone who will receive me. I decided to act on this belief.

I verbalize the following: "I am glad you are here. You belong. You don't have to jump any hoops or do anything special to be part of us. You belong just as you are and we want you to feel you are part of us.  Here is my number if you ever need it."

This statement makes my heart's intentions crystal clear. I also find that instead of waiting for someone to do this for me, I can freely offer it to others.

Focusing on the positive is the best way to live and run.

This training season will be different. I dearly miss the familiarity of my old running group. Still, I will learn more about myself. I will bring all that I am to my upcoming training season.

Most runners I met in the past are great people. I met a lot of welcoming, genuine people. My share of bad experiences does not represent the overwhelming good I receive from the running community.

I am thankful for what was. I look forward to what will be. I am committed to being a force for God's goodness in my local running community. I want to be welcoming, encouraging and I want to see my friends reach their running goals.

Here's to a brand new long-distance running season. My heart is free, my whole being is ready to accomplish another marathon. 

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My Morning Routine

I love mornings.
They represent new beginnings.
As a teenager, I would wake up and think, "I have a new chance to succeed." My habits made those chances worth pursuing.
As a wife and mother, I am productive in the morning.
I accomplish a lot in the early hours. My morning routine is not about a list of things I do but specific habits that lead to success.

Instead of thinking of routine as a series of robotic activities, I think of the habits that propel me towards a happier day. Here they are:

Habit 1 • Phone Downtime. The digital age has given us quite a bit of control of our uncontrolled urge to check our phones all the time. A great solution to this problem is to utilize the "downtime" setting of my iPhone. This setting locks almost all my Apps from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. The only things not clocked are my Bible App and my camera. The act of not checking my phone when I wake up helps me to be more purposeful, peaceful and productive.

Habit 2 • Rest. The fuel to the best morning routines is resting well the night A good morning requires a restful night. Rest is the most underutilized productivity tool. After a night of rest, I feel refreshed and ready to be productive.

Habit 3 • Prepare. It's been said that "by failing to prepare you are preparing to fail." I prepare everything I need the night before. I set aside my running clothes, shoes and I make sure the coffee maker is ready to go. I also pack any lunches the kids need the night before. Preparation makes my morning routine easier. I can simply sit with my Bible and coffee knowing that everything I need to do later is already ready to go.

Habit 4 • Focus. Distraction is the chief thief of productivity. I've had days when I wake up early and I waste precious minutes by browsing the internet mindlessly. Focusing on my actual routine is very important. When I wake up, I get dressed, I wash my face, brush my teeth and I get the coffee maker started. I get on my knees and pray for a while. Then I read my Bible. After that, it's time to go for a run. I only have a set amount of time to do all of that, so focusing on starting and finishing each activity on time is very important. Decide what you want to do and focus on each activity.

Please know that these suggestions might not work for you. I also need to tell you that I'm very much a work in progress. Every now and then I need to recalibrate and do these very things anew.

Other tips:

• Keep your phone out of reach. Put it in a room adjacent to yours. You will sleep better, and if you need to hear the alarm, you'll get up to turn it off. I always remind myself that I am not an E.R. doctor on call. I can live without my phone if need be. Remember, technology is a great servant but a terrible master.

• Plan for Downtime - When my phone is about to shut down, it gives me a 5-minute warning. It is a mental reminder that I need to go to bed. My phone is not part of my bedtime routine, so I need a plan for my own downtime. Will I read a book? Will I join my husband and watch a show? Will I prep for the next morning? Planning ahead is a great way to succeed.

I would love to hear about some ways you keep your morning routine popping.

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2017 Goal Setting: learning from 2016

The new year is almost here! It's important to write down your goals. It can be simple, it just needs to be done. As I rethink 2016, I have found an efficient way to reach my 2017 goals. It starts with reassessing. Have you reassessed your life in 2016? What worked? What have you learned? Here's what worked for me this year:

• Writing down my goals - I'm amazed that the simple fact that I wrote my goals increased the possibility of achieving those goals. This year I had 5 categories: Fitness, Family, Faith, Business and Other. The "other" goals were reached so easily. One of my my goals is to travel during the summer with my family. Another one was to run a race in California. I'm encouraged to keep writing down all my goals. 

• Looking beyond goals - A tired person is less likely to reach any goals. It's important to make some major adjustments beyond goals. I took a serious look at my time management and decided not to volunteer myself to death. I decided instead to practice "focused volunteering" which means, I looked at my time limit and my talents and then I made a decision about my volunteering opportunities. I also took a serious look on my joy meter because "no joy, no strength." I cut down on some activities that were just not bringing a return that added to my joy and well-being. Looking beyond goals can really help us reach them. 

• Be flexible - I have never experienced this but now that I am looking at some of my fitness goals, I see that I was being too strict with them. I didn't consider the detours that come to all people who set goals in life. I decided that I need to be flexible and I may need to adjust my goals while never giving up on excellence. 

Now that I have all of this in mind, I adjusted my 2017 the following way:

• I'm focusing on my strengths instead of trying to set goals for every weakness I have. I don't know why I never thought about that! In distance running, one needs to have a "running base" in order to wisely proceed with marathon training. The base is built over time and once you have a strong base, you may steadily put on more miles till you reach your peak. The you cut down for a few weeks then you run a marathon. I'm applying the same principle to goal setting. I built a base in 2016. Instead of going out too fast too soon, I'll build from that base and then keep going on towards my goals. 

• I will also write down "other" goals while being totally open to the awesomeness God may bring into my life. I'm thinking I enjoy living a "steady plotting" kind of life. The ordinary, every day activities are the ones that lead us to great achievements. Back to the marathon example, everyone loves marathon day, especially the atmosphere at the finish line. I wish those same people could see us on mile 7 then mile 23. Every mile tells a different story and we celebrate the culmination of months, MONTHS of training at the finish line. It took small steps. Some of us started with a couch to 5K training plan but we started somewhere. The key thing is to be open to the goodness that God always has in mind for us. 

I want to encourage you to take the time to write down your goals for 2017 before the end of 2016. I want to tell you that 2016 was not a waste. You lived and you learned. Let your 2017 goals reflect those lessons. Build on your base and keep moving towards greatness my friend. 

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2014 Goals Update 1

Dreams with deadlines are goals. I have learned that it is wise to revisit goals often to be sure I am moving forward. I almost forgot I already set goals for this year, so here's my update: 

2014 Goals Update:
 1 • Rebuild my running base in order to be always ready to run a half marathon - thanks to my running group I have been able to reach this goal. Except for the Green 6.2 we run between 8-11 miles for our long runs. I’ve gotten out there once and ran 13 just for the fun of it but that happened once.
 2 • Sign up for at least one marathon this year - I am registered for the Chicago Marathon. My goal is to finish strong and PR. I will rest for a bit then jump right into training for the Houston Marathon. These next 2 months are going to be the only ‘off’ time I have before these 2 marathons.
 3 • Arrive at a normal BMI - I’m not there yet but I am so close. I’m not giving up.
 4 • Break my PR for both a Half Marathon and a Marathon - I am training for this. I never ran a half marathon (I know!) so the plan is to beat my split from the Houston Marathon.
 5 • Inspire and motivate people who want to run - I hope I am helping you by sharing my journey with practical things that have helped me.

I can't sit back and wait until the last minute to do the hard work for Chicago, so I found myself more goals for the next 8 weeks:
1 • Arrive at a normal BMI - I am so ready to be done with this. Being leaner takes weight and pressure off my joints and helps me to get the PR I want in Chicago. It's not for vanity, it's for health and speed reasons. I'm also excited to have more energy to keep up with the kids.
 2 • Complete 24 cross training (core and strength) training days - This would put my cross training at 3 times a week. I am thinking about taking one cross cardio day away and adding core and upper body in its place. I better make this decision quick cause this party starts this week!
 3 • Hydrate daily - It's getting hotter and my miles are not gonna diminish. I need to be strict with my H2O consumption. I do okay but I'm not doing as well as I need.
4 • Run an average of 9:30 mile on tempo runs - this means I need to include tempo runs in my schedule. The only 'tempo' I have is the time I start and finish my runs. I'm close to having a 9:30 average but I'm not quite there yet. It'd be awesome to start the season with this as a solid number.
5 • Practice Visualization - I believe in visualization and I practice it but I haven't made the point to do it often. I'd say I visualize myself finishing the Chicago marathon at least once a week but I want to get serious about it before the season starts. I need to pick my mantra back up and add some visualization just to be sure that when the going gets tough my mind is way tougher.

I know that I'll be running Chicago before I know it. It's important to set goals and get in the habit of training smart. Planning is an important stage to achieving success and I am expecting God to continue to bless me on my way to one more finish line. 

I am counting on your prayers!

QUESTION: Did you set fitness goals for 2014? How often do you revisit them?

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5 foods that helped me lose 44 Pounds

I didn't have a personal trainer nor did I follow a diet. Thank God I was still able to lose  44 pounds the old fashion way. Today I wanted to tell you about 5 foods from the traditional food groups that I eat on a regular basis. Food was part of a winning combination of education, mind renewal, behavior modification,  stress management and flexibility which resulted in weight loss. Here's my list:

Real Food rocks!

5 • Banana - I buy a lot of bananas for our family. I like the way they taste and they are my go to food before my runs. It turns out they are also packed with B6 and vitamin C. Read about other benefits of Bananas here.
4 • Cabbage - I got in the habit of buying them because they are really cheap and they make a great basis for my vegetable soup. I started doing this 2 years ago and it just works for me. Most of the soup is cabbage and the rest is either mixed veggies, beans or whatever else we have. Cabbage has a lot of vitamin K and vitamin C. You can read about other cabbage benefits here.
3 • Black Beans - a Brazilian staple, these Beans have a winning protein/fiber ratio. We eat Black Beans most days at our house, I only stay away from it when I'm expecting. I guess my stomach couldn't take it for some reason. I add it to soups, we eat it with rice and we occasionally make Black Bean burgers my husband loves. Read about the benefits of Black Beans here.
2 • Almond Milk - I was very sensitive to dairy during my pregnancy so Almond Milk was my main source of dairy. I use it as coffee creamer because is super low in calories. I also drink dark chocolate almond milk as a recovery drink after running. Here are other benefits of Almonds here
1 • Oatmeal - I didn't grow up eating oatmeal but I acquired this great habit almost 7 years ago. The kids and I love it for breakfast and honestly for snacks too. It' is super filling if you don't want to be hungry in the morning. I almost never use instant oatmeal because I don't like the taste of it or the amount of sugar. I cook it fresh and we enjoy it most days of the week. Learn about the benefits of oats here.

I am thankful that God is such genius and created fresh food. I am aware that it is a lot of work to cook fresh food but oh the benefits! I feel better overall when I enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables. This past year I also enjoyed cakes, pies, sweet tea, chips, etc but on a very limited basis. Our family eats pizza once a week for dinner and I was still able to lose the weight. My point is to find the best quality foods for my body allowing myself the occasional treat.

I hope you enjoyed my list! What are some of the foods that helps your health journey?

Video Series:
• My Weight Loss in 60 Seconds (Complete Video Archives)

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The 1-2-3 Guide to Hiring Moving Companies

This week we moved to Houston, Texas and we learned a lot about hiring moving companies. Our first thought was to search for the online but we got overloaded with the results. Here are 3 helpful guidelines as you beging this process:

1. Don't Provide your real Phone Number Online. Internet based companies will immediately storm your phone and e-mail aggressively the minute you give them this info. I was fortunate to give them my Google Voice number instead and ignored their calls for a while. Whey they didn't cease to call, I answered the phone and asked them to please take my number out of their directory. As a general rule, beware of providing any personal information online.

2. Search for Local Moving Companies. It is essential to see someone face to face if you are going to trust your possessions to their care. Even if you decided on a different company, take advantage of the years of experience these professions freely share as they give you a free estimate. 

3. Ask for What you Need. Paint the picture, share your vision as far as how you want things to happen. The way different bidders go about fulfilling your needs may be a big decision point for you. 

If you are moving soon, I pray that you have a dream experience with a moving company. These 3 guidelines will help you start your process successfully til you get to your new home.

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Time Management for the New Mom

I highly enjoyed managing my time from high school til I launched into the professional world. When I became a mom, time management became a whole different challenge. We haven't covered this topic in my mom & baby group yet but I decided to do my own research online. Here are advices I found: 

* Aim to accomplish one item in your list a day. Here is the whole article

It seems to me that when you have a newborn and you are learning as you go, this is very realistic. Having one thing accomplished instead of zero made me feel great this week!

*Have a plan, get organized, ask for help more

This one was my favorite of the two articles. We do keep a notebook and a pen in each room of the house. We also keep a notebook for the baby where we write feeding times as well as pee and poo (the doctor always asks about that and unless this sleep deprived mom writes it down my memory won't make me justice). Ideas as well as needs come in and out of our minds so unless we write it down we run the risk of remembering too late. Thank God we've been pretty organized as far as baby supplies go. I went the extra step to pack a diaper bag for the car, one for me to take out and one for church. The nursery is pretty organized as far as the needs of a newborn and we'll incorporate things such as toys as the baby grows.

We've been getting a lot of help and I want to help others in my situation as well when the occasion arises. It's amazing to see how God has blessed us with generous friends.

My time management plan needs to include exercising and food logging besides the mundane tough important tasks of life such as laundry and cleaning. Because God blessed us with someone to come and clean for us for a month, I've been tackling organization projects as I can while I don't have to take over the whole cleaning myself. I still believe I'll have a housekeeper one day. 

This whole organization thing reminds me of what's important: making sure my husband and son are well. Other things in life can't take the place of the most important relationships I have in life. We manage our time well so that relationships will continue to be the priority.

Does anyone out there have any time management tips they care to share? Have a great week everyone!

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Better Health = Organization

Just because I’m pregnant, it doesn’t mean that weight management went out of the window. I still need to be as organized as I can. I heard that you do all you can to eat balanced meals and when the baby comes along you wonder if you have time to eat. Let’s see what my experience will be.

I’ve learned you need to have goals, so here are mine:

Short term goals (for the next 4 weeks)

1. Work out 4 times a week;

2. Eat nutritious, balanced meals daily;

3. Combat stress.

Goals for the week

1. Work out 4 times a week (2 more times to go);

2. Lift weights 3 times a week (1 more to go);

3. Eat small dinner early in the evening;

4. Read a magazine and get a pedicure (I'm doing my own while my pregnant belly allows me LOL);

In order to eat nutritious meals all day, we need a few organization tips. These work for me but do a little research and see what works for you.

In order to eat a healthy breakfast daily: I make sure I have groceries. In the winter I love to eat oatmeal so I make 1 cup and the morning and the day after all I need to do is put my bowl in the microwave.

If I’m eating cereal, I put my bowl, spoon, banana and cereal box on the table so all I need to do is to grab the milk. None of these things work unless I wake up with enough time to eat breakfast.

Lunch/snacks: I try to save money and get great nutrition by bringing my lunch to work. Sometimes I pack leftovers from last night’s dinner, sometimes I fix a sandwich on my way to work. For snacks, pre-packed processed stuff might save time but a banana and an apple are packed naturally, full of energy and all you have to do is put it on your bag.

This week I’m into natural peanut butter with rice cakes. I just leave the whole thing at work so I’m okay for the week. If I make popcorn at home, I pack a cup or two and take it to work for another good snack.

Dinner: I ask my husband what he would like to eat and from there I build my grocery list/menu for the week. In case we don’t talk about what he would like, I just make a menu and we go from there. We try to cook the time consuming dishes on Sunday night and make the rest of the week easy for both of us who work all day and are not interested in waiting 2 hours for dinner or eating out. In my experience, the ‘simpler’ the dinner, the better for my health. For example: a ‘simple’ dinner for us would be: steamed broccolis, grilled chicken breast, blackeyed peas and brown rice. By simple I mean, no casserole (we eat them for Thanksgiving LOL), no 3 hours on the stove required.

Do you realize that being healthy takes effort on your part? But it’s so worthy it. Remember what may seem laborious now can become part of your lifestyle. It’s the beginning of a new year, make an investment in you!

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Menu

My menu (one day of last week) looked like this:

Breakfast

8 oz calcium fortified Orange Juice + 1 teaspoon of ground flax seed

1 cup of whole grain cereal (it has 1,000 mg of calcium in it)8 oz vanilla soy milk (same amount of calcium as the cow gives us)

Snack

1 mossarela string cheese + 1 small apple

Lunch

1 cup of rice with *tempeh (am I a vegetarian or what?), stifryed friend veggies and cheese

1 banana

2.6 mile walk (did it in 40 minutes)

Snack

1 mossarela string cheese + 1 small apple

Chamomile Tea with no sweetner

Dinner

1/2 cup of a different variation of the stirfryed we had for lunch

1 cup of turnip greens (love them!)

1 portion of cinnamon corn bread (this recepi comes from my American Mom. She said she made a mistake when she put cinnamon apple sauce on her corn bread instead of eggs or the regular one, but Zeke and I loved it! We also put soy milk on ours because that's all we buy now)

Tea

Water: 32 ounces plus an average of 4 cups of caffeine free tea.

* I bought the tempeh for the first time but Zeke cooked it. It has a different consistency than tofu. It looked like chicken after we cooked it. There are tons of recepies out there. It's a great meat substitute filled with soy protein. What I eat daily changes all the time. Sometimes we have pizza, sometimes lasagna (all vegetarian), sometimes I eat 2 small bagels for breakfast, sometimes oatmeal, sometimes smoothies. It depends on what I have a taste for. We also eat a lot of black beans and rice (Brazilian staple). I also make sure I drink all the water I need before going home from work. I hate being dehydrated so I drink it up.

Having a succeful day requires planning. I plan what I'm gonna eat for a week so I buy groceries based on a menu. I might change things around during the week but we usually stay pretty faithful.When we go out to eat, I plan on what I need for the rest of that day as well. Friday for example, I needed some vegetables so I planned on eating a huge salad.

Do you plan your meals? Could you use some help planning? Could you spice up your menu? We added vegetarian tacos to our menu last month and it was awesome. Have a great eating week!

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