A New Regime

A lot has gone on. I am going to try hard to avoid turning this post into a novel.

Hubby has been in shock at his photo. Yes, weight can be lost. A revelation to him.

Our middle child, 11 yrs old, has been dragging his ass more and more this year, getting lazy & procrastinating, especially with mundane chores & schoolwork.

Hubby and I had a talk about it, and it got into how part of it is because we've been laxed and procrastinating and getting lazy about stuff because we just have bad habits... sure, we're adults and eventually we do what we have to. But he's a kid and getting the wrong message, and getting worse habits. And we thought maybe we should try to get a little more regimented.

So somehow the conversation got steered to hubby's "inner child" who wants what he wants when he wants it, and how he's go along if he has to as usual, and even though he's thrilled with the results of the diet, he's only going to continue doing things because I'm "making" him.

And I said I was tired of being his scape goat and warden and that I didn't want him doing anything he isn't willing to do for himsef. And he said, "that's just it, I'm not willing to do for myself, because of that part of me that doesn't care about what's ahead and just wants instant gratification."

And I asked why isn't there any other part of him that wants to defeat that part of him. I made some speech about him spoiling and coddling his innner child so much and for so long that it's a complete tantrum-throwing kicking-and-screaming brat that has held him back from having more important, bigger and better things in his life all of his life. That any time he could have headed down the road to find the goose with the golden egg and real security, that child dragged him by the arm and laid in the street and demanded ice cream and cookies and cake and to play video games and go on rides and just lounge around and goof off, stopping him dead in his tracks. I asked him how he could even want to live with that side of himself without kicking it's ass?

Well... poof... another revelation. So we got to talking about Buddhist Monks living a regimented lifestyle, having the day planned out for them and following it, calmly and peacefully, living in the moment and being very aware of what they are doing as they are doing it in the moment.

And we decided that, since we are stuck this summer, him without a job, me working at home, no Disney tickets, no car, not a lot of money to go trapsing around town, with the worst of storm season and the Florida heat creeping upon us... we decided to try instilling a new reginme for the summer. A really strict regiment to try instill or recall, as the case may be, the benefits of being focused and productive, as an exercise in self-discipline.

I mean, our daily routines have just deteriorated... I work at home, sporadically, setting my own hours; the kids home-school and after many many years of a packed schedule of activities like co-op classes and karate and book clubs and park dates and church-- last year I cut them all for time off because our schedule was getting insane-- now it's going insane the other way. Without any scheduled activities it's like we're just moving through our day completely randomly, procrastination is on the rise and less and less is getting done. Since hubby has been home, it's been worse-- now there is no need to even worry about getting dinner on the table in time; we just eat "whenever." No more.

We are going to schedule our day: meals, prayers/devotionals, meditations, work (for him: study for his exam to get into plumbing school; for me: work; for kids: homeschooling), chores, exercise and leisure.

I have decided to GIVE UP COFFEE. This is a huge step for me but there are many reasons: 1) too much caffiene is no good for me and it has long been at the point I can't function without it. I don't want to be dependent upon a bean to function. 2) it shows I am serious and committed to these changes we are making; you can't start anew if you're holding on to old vices.

We're also incorporating GREEN SMOOTHIES into ou r daily routine to help us get more vitamins and nutrients. It can be a pain in the butt sometimes to ensure you are getting the right amount of veggies and fruits... while we will still eat veggies and fruits, a green smoothie will help us make sure we get down at least as much as the daily requirements are.

Now we are not crazy, and I am not naive... we don't plan to stick to this past the summer. It's most likely temporary, unless we end up loving it that much. More likely we will walk away with some lessons, maybe keep some parts and let the strictness go when we are done. This is, like I said, an exercise in self-discipline and we figure we are home and not doing anything so we might as well get drastic just to see what happens.

Here is our regiment for the Summer, btw:

6:45 Wake Up; shake off sleep

7:00 Meditation
7:15 Meal Prep - Walk Dog - Water Plants
7:45 Morning Devotional
7:50 Break Fast
8:15 Fast Clean Up kitchen / bedroom
8:30 Work
10:00 Exercise (walk, swim, dance, yoga, stretch, etc.)
10:45 Snack
11:00 Work
12:30 Meal Preparation - Clean up bathroom/living room
1:00 Lunch
1:45 Quick Clean up
2:00 Work
3:30 Snack
3:45 Daily Discussion Break
4:00 Chores
4:45 Meal Preparation - Finish chores/work
5:30 Evening Devotional
5:40 Dinner + Family TV
6:15 After Meal Clean-up - Walk Dog
6:45 Showers
7:15 Free Time
7:45 Snack
8:00 Quiet Time - (I Work more)
8:30 Kid’s Bed Time
10:30 Adult’s Bed Time

Crazy? Maybe. But I think it will give us something that we have been sorely lacking: discipline. And I think it will teach the kids (and maybe hubby and me as well) that when you plan well and focus on what you are doing you can be very productive and accomplish so much more.

Day 1 of this little experiement... let's see where it leads.