End of January Gratitude

I am just getting used to the year twenty twenty and then it is the end, of the month that is. January is over. By this day, Americans should have received their W2s from the (snail) mail if they did not opt-in for a digital copy online. Also by this day, I should have restarted budgeting with my laptop. I have a few hours left. Between budgeting and doing school work, I chose neither one.

So here I am, writing my gratitude list. This is more fun. Perhaps after being inspired by my list, I will gain enough energy to eat the frogs.

What am I thankful for this week. Let me list ten!

1. Little Josiah tops the list. My 10-month old favorite grandson (I only have one) learned to use my exercise band. I didn't realize he was watching.
2. He is my number one fan, well, he is the only one who likes my winter sweater. He is so easy to entertain.
3. He just makes me smile whatever he does. He had his arms up with a book in one hand. I thought he would throw it away. 
4. And then, he calmed down and start "reading" the book. I think he likes that baby version of The Secret Garden.
5. A baby shower cake a coworker baked for our boss. It was delicious.
6. A baby shower gift-card-bouquet arranged by a co-worker on light duty. She did it with one good arm. 
7. The coworkers who all contributed. My boss will have her own bundle of joy. Her and her husband's first!
8. The flight of choice that the nurse convention group booked for me. All paid.
9. The hotel of choice booked for the convention with a kitchenette and a free hot breakfast daily. I am set for the May nursing convention.
10. A smooth week in the house. No drama. 

That should be all for now. Till next time.

Oh What a Beautiful Morning, Oh What a Beautiful Week

Hello. It is a busy happy week. I have many things to be thankful for. Here are some:

• Free audiobook to listen to from Denver Public Library. This week I have The Grateful Life on my virtual shelf, accessible anywhere with my phone.
• A smile from seeing a book for kids, however odd. It is a book about butts. Speaking of butts, I fixed baby Josiah's constipation. He was screaming in pain as he could not pass the darn, you know? His mom was crying too as she handed him to me. My daughter (auntie), said, "Thank goodness, he has a nurse grandma!" 
• The after picture of Josiah, already smiling after "the incident."
• Baby prune juice and food to prevent future constipation.
• Church service online for the times I do not go. Today I virtually attended Alamo Church Community Church service in Texas.
• Date night with Paul trying a different restaurant. I had shrimp tacos with Baja sauce. Yum.
• This is a big one. I won a scholarship to a big nursing convention in Indiana. This is for the largest nurse specialty group I am proud to belong to, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

• A walk in the park. It is 52 degrees. Warm enough.
• Laptops to get school and work done. Is it a blessing (or not) that we can take "the work" home? This week it is a blessing.
• Window stick ons for easy, clutter-free Valentine's month decorating. We needed to replace the Christmas decor and our windows were looking bare without replacements.
• I smiled when I saw some beers in the store named after me! Sour peach beer, anyone?

Strength

It is cool outside but sunny. It's pretty much the same all week--nice enough to go out but too cold to spend a long time outdoors.

I met up with a friend for a quick lunch at the mall. We walked around and looked at home stuff. She bought a block of knives for her new apartment with her husband. I did like a lot of stuff but decided not to buy any. It took a lot of will-power but I succeeded to control myself. I mean, I do not really need a set of cutting board with pictures of animals (cow, chicken, pig) telling me what kinds of cut each portion is, nor I do need a special cutter for loose leaf salads, a small, red, heart-shaped dutch oven, a Monday through Sunday printed mugs, etc. I mean, maybe I should not use a Monday mug if it is Saturday but early pre-coffee morning is not a time I can make intelligent decisions. They were all so cute though.

My friend did recommend an Asian grocery store close to her area. She is not Asian but I am. How could I not have gone to this store before she did? :) Anyway, I went and got a case of persimmon, so sweet that I do not crave other sweets for dessert after. I have one fruit for almost every meal.

This week was worse when it comes to family problems. But it is nice to get out. And focusing on gratitude really makes me feel better. So, here is my gratitude list.

• A new Asian store, H-mart, to get frozen seafood and produce like the persimmon above.
• A book I heard from Reese's book club. When I was feeling sad one morning, this book made me laugh. Some parts are funny.
• The chapel at work I can easily visit for short prayers for my family and to calm my anxiety.
• A visit with my therapist who gives me coping tools tailored for me.
• New wellness app from my work where we earn points for tracking healthy activities.

• Spending time with my obedient grandson. He is 9 months. I stopped him from going to the bathroom. He listened(but came back to me unhappy). You mean I could not play with the toilet grandma?
• Having a cute grandson. I can write this same line every day. :)
• My son, his dad, finishing a required class required after his ticket.

That is all for now. Like little Josiah, who gets stronger each day and learning to stand up, I, too CAN DO (with) HIM giving me power.

I pray for strength and resiliency.

Have a good weekend.

Productivity Tips from the Master (Yet Successful) Procrastinator

I may be a procrastinator but I did accomplish a lot. This is my bragging moment. So please let me.

This week, I went over my tools for sanity and productivity. So I decided to write my gratitude on the productivity and lifestyle apps I used to get by last year and this year, 2020. How about some productivity tips from your very own master of procrastination who accomplished a lot from my goals list last year? Here I go.

• I am grateful (again) about my phone camera that is very accessible to take quick pictures. Snapping shots of happy moments are so much fun. I don't always have time to write, but a few seconds of taking pictures, I have time for.

• I am grateful for my grandson, who makes me smile. I “put him to sleep” in my arms. But as soon as I put him to bed, he quickly removed the blanket, got up, and laughed at me. The little stinker! What can I say? Babies can be so much fun, especially that I can just borrow occasionally and not take full responsibility.

• The $10 reward I got from Dick’s store. I was debating about Yeti and Hydro Flask. I picked Yeti on sale and dishwasher safe. Since I got it, I feel motivated to drink more for some reason. A hydrated body is an energized body ready to conquer routine-boring-work.
• I track my steps through Fitbit and earn points with it to Dick’s store. $10 is not enough for the Yeti bottle, but I still had to pay less because of it. The reward alone motivates me to move my feet and get going.

• I began to track my activities (steps, weight-checks, tracking food, reading mindfulness, productivity, stress relievers) that I already earned $150 so far. I can potentially earn around $800 this year. I thank my employer for sponsoring this. Hey, a less-stressed employee is a productive employee. This year we are using the Virgin Pulse app. So far, so good. Hey, who does not want to get rewarded for doing healthy activities?
• I thank my gym, Planet Fitness. It is affordable and my black card membership includes the use of massage machines. Love them.

• Some of the motivation apps I used right on my phone.

• HabitBull paid subscription to track my routines, Achievement where I also earn money to Paypal for tracking healthy activities, the Calm app from work, 1-year premium subscription I use for meditation. 
• Swarm is where I check in to healthy places and earn points that link to Achievement. 
• Donate is where I donate pictures for $1, each applicable to organizations of my choice. Save the Children is my favorite cause. I donate some digital images and Johnson & Johnson match each for a dollar. Giving is good for my soul. It makes me feel good. 
• The Insight Timer is another meditation app I use. I vary my meditation apps to eliminate boredom. 
• The Lotus Yoga app is one of the paid apps I purchase on Yoga. I like the clear videos that go with it. Oh, yeah, we know that yoga is good for stretching and physical and emotional stress.

• I used Google calendar and Dream Book Planner to log my daily reasons to be thankful and to plan my days so I get to concentrate on the most important tasks.
• And last but not the least, I thank this blog and the Ttot team for a chance to share my gratitude for the week. Both systems inspire me!

What are my accomplishments in 2019?  Here are some:

1. I purposely lost weight thru careful food choices and tracking my steps. I succeeded.
2. I made time for a Hawaii vacation without other families except for Paul. We had such a great time with no drama. The beaches are the best I have seen in my life.
3. I passed Statistics with a B. For a subject that is super hard for me; I say I had an excellent grade.
4. I earned my Cardiac Surgery Certification for work. I am the only one in my unit to have the CSC title.
5. I took and passed five advanced nursing courses while working full-time.
6. I earned excellent reviews at work and got a raise.
7. I bumped up the monthly retirement contribution that I was dreaming about for many years. I finally did it to my goal.
8. I got to do a weekend visit in Oregon and Washington while doing schoolwork with my Laptop in between.
9. I got to visit friends and family over the summer and had time to bond in California.
10. I got to visit Omaha, Nebraska exactly a year ago and got to eat in excellent restaurants.
11. I got to visit Florida for a nursing convention combined with pleasure visiting Coco beach.
12. I earned my bachelor's degree in nursing. (I had an associate for a while). This is my 3rd degree.
I had a good 2019 — productive and exciting many times. Life was good.

There is always room for improvement. Among other things, this year, 2020, I plan to make punctuality a habit and do more self-care to build up my resiliency. I also plan to read at least 30 books this year. This does not include the nursing books I need to read for Masters. Have you viewed my sidebar and footer?

2020 Begins with Gratitude

What am I thankful for, this beginning of 2020?

• The little people around me. Look at my grandson about to throw his Happy New Year headband. I only have a second to snap this picture.

• Talk Therapy

The last couple of weeks of 2019 was rough. I scheduled to talk to the therapist and it is finally here. Have you ever want to just spill your guts out but do not want to affect your loved ones in the process? The therapist has the perfect ears for that.

• Podcasts

I have my favorites and here are some by Suze Orman, Dave Ramsey, Dr. Michael Greger, and more. I shared this with a friend today who has some money issues. I especially recommend Dave Ramsey. Sometimes  Many times I need some scolding so I listen to his podcasts a lot.

• My Phone Camera

It is really handy to take pictures of my grandson. Look at him eat as he sat on the used high chair I bought for cheap at Facebook Marketplace, and as they play with the used toys I bought or got for free from the same platform. The Marketplace is my new Craigslist with the convenient ways to pay and people you can preview. One of the sellers, I learned, I have common friends with.

• Noise-Cancelling Headphones

I listened and watch some coaching exercises with the Aaptiv app without disturbing other gym-goers.

• Veggie-loaded Eggs Benedict

It is so good, I did not miss the meat at all. I was so upset a few days ago, I went out by myself for breakfast on a fave breakfast place. OK, it is at Rupert's! This restaurant did not disappoint.

(I want to blame the snow and the slippery road, and not the young driver who insisted on driving thru it without practicing in the snow with an experienced driver first. I mean two accidents in 45 days [however injury-free] is JUST TOO MUCH).

That is my ten (bolded) gratitude kinda-list. What are you thankful for? Anything similar to mine?