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Day 90!!!

Day 90 - Three whole months!

That is something to shout about! :)

I am still tired and achy. But I had a good day nonetheless.  I walked briskly to breakfast with my mother.  Then I had a full day of teaching.  And a very pleasant rehearsal with my chamber group.

Last night I sent out an email to my piano students about scheduling piano lessons for fall term. And I was inundated this morning with requests!

So many, in fact, that I can't find space for them all. Well, if I get the church job, that is.  The church job would entail a week night choir practice and several hours every Sunday. Every time I think about it, my stomach hurts. I had a very slow summer, work wise. I thought a church musician job would be just the ticket for a little financial stability. But now that the busy fall is just around the corner, I am worried. I still have so much work to do on myself - my health and discipline. Do I really want to go back to frantic racing about like a headless chicken?  "No!" said my stomach, tightening in pain.

So, I listened to my gut! I emailed the people at the church. I thanked them for their time, but realized that now that with kids knocking down my door for piano lessons, I had better focus on teaching! And perhaps I will do better planning ahead for my down time between terms next time around!

I feel much better now. Nothing worse than an overbooked schedule. I have grown accustomed to a lot of space. Time to think. Time to plan. Time to breathe. Time to pray. Time to be!

Not anxious rushing. I think I am getting too old for that.  I think multi-tasking is greatly overrated!

I had a nice break between lessons today.  Some students were gone on vacation. Time to ponder.  And I was able to pick up Wi-fi for once! So off to Pinterest I went!  I was needing some inspiration about my eating.  And I found it! Preparation is the key! They are speaking my language!   The idea is to make up little lunch packets for every day of the week. In advance. Sunday is a good day for that.  I like this. I do best when I stick to a plan. I found a whole gaggle of sites with cool pictures. I liked this one in particular: http://prayersandapples.com/healthy-meal-prep-ideas/

I'm quite excited about this actually!  Tomorrow I am going to stock up on all my favorite healthy foods and pack 6 lunches for each work day (I work Monday through Saturday). No excuses for stopping at a convenient store or the dreaded fast food!  Maybe I can get a handle on this soreness.

Pretty sure it is excess sodium and perhaps a gluten sensitivity.  We shall use this week as an experiment.

I'm going to keep it simple. Good, whole food.  I'm going to poach a wallop of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, boil about a half dozen eggs, cut up some celery, carrots and cheese and cheese. I think grapes will be good for fruit because they don't go bad too quickly.  Granny Smith apples with cheese would be a nice snack.  Peanut butter and celery.  Hummus and rice crackers.  And I will pack small containers of Greek yogurt. The probiotics in yogurt should be the ticket for settling my tummy. I have all my little tupperware containers ready for tomorrow.  I think I'll pack my protein in the small one, and put veggies, fruits, cheeses and crackers in separate little baggies. I have little tiny containers for yogurt and hummus.  I have a little reusable lunch bag and some ice blocks to keep everything cold.  The problem I've had in the past with packing my lunch is that it is messy or unappealing.  I'm going to pack up such cute little lunches that I will not be able to resist!

Here's my sample plan:

Monday:  Slices of chicken, hummus, rice crackers, grapes and yogurt.
Tuesday: Hard boiled eggs, pickles, olives, yogurt, granola and raisins.
Wednesday:  Slices of chicken, peanut butter and celery, grapes and cheese.
Thursday: Hard boiled eggs, turkey pepperoni, orange slices and cheese.
Friday: Slices of chicken, pickles, olives, yogurt, granola and walnuts
Saturday: Turkey pepperoni, hard boiled eggs,  pickles, olives, carrots, hummus, rice crackers, apples and cheese. Note: Saturday is a long day!

I can also through in little squeeze packets of applesauce. And I will pack bottles of water.I love it when I have a plan that seems reasonable. And that I am excited about. Yay! Happy dance! :)

Tomorrow I have the whole day off. I am going to go on a long prayer walk.  Then hit the grocery store for my lunch prep food. Then I shall practice the piano and clean. I may even go get a foot massage!

Taking it to the next level, I am!


Happy Saturday! :)

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