Challenge 11... things I didn't do...

My whole day was dedicated to not getting anything done. I achieved new heights in non productivity, and to be honest, I really have no idea how it happened.

First, I didn't get the kitchen cup cabinet cleaned out. Then I didn't get the laundry folded, nor did I get the house straightened up. I didn't get checks to the bank; I didn't get my Fitbit charged; and I didn't get to swim my laps.

I also didn't get the book read that I have to read before 9:30 a.m. Thursday morning.

I did get wet when a random rainstorm meandered over the pool. I did get shooed off the pool deck four different times in a 90-minute span as random thunder crackled every single time Zack, Jimmy, or I stepped into the pool. (I felt a little like Helen Hunt today. Only instead of being chased by a vengeful tornado, we were chased by random thunder.)

I did get the all-important Form F scanned and emailed to our insurance agency at the beach, after spending the better part of the morning making phone calls and learning more than I ever wanted to know about an NC-admitted insurance underwriter versus Lloyds of London. I also learned about different types of flood insurance and how tsunami and building collapse could actually make us need a flood policy, even though our condo is four stories up.

But my to-do list for this Monday? Shot to blue blazes.

Challenge 10... pantry cleaning...

Cleaning out the cabinets and pantry.

When he saw the fully decluttered and cleaned pantry, Zack announced that we have NO FOOD in the house. All I did was throw out the expired food. That should tell you it's been a long time since I've cleaned out the pantry. I thought I cleaned out the pantry about a year ago, but surely I wouldn't have left cans in there that expired in 2012 2010 2007. Surely.

In the cabinets above the toaster oven, I found a stash of Chick-fil-a sauce and ketchup that would amaze the Hoarders team. The sauce, ketchup, extra plastic ware, and the wooden clementine crate they were sitting in all landed in one of the four extra large trash bags we tossed.

The sad part is that I cleaned out only one small pantry and only three cabinets' worth of food storage. I still have the other half of food cabinets to go. Then cups. Then plates and bowls. Then storage containers. Then cooking/baking equipment. Then serving pieces. Then candles. (WHO ON EARTH HAS AN ENTIRE CABINET FOR CANDLES?!) Then vases and sundry glass containers for decorative purposes. It's going to be a long haul.

Clutter gives me the illusion of having plenty, but in all honesty, it's largely junk. I'm looking forward to getting rid of the unnecessary stuff in our house over the course of summer break. Just 30 minutes to an hour a day... that's all.

Onward and upward to the spice cabinet... and Kitchen Declutter Phase 1 is complete.

It's not easy living such a glamorous life.

Challenge 9... fitbit lit...

I can barely contain the joy in my heart! Woo Hoo!  Look at me all Fitbit lit! That, folks, means that I walked my 10,000 steps today.

*happy dance*
*200 more steps*

But for real, you need to get one of these things.  I hate tracking anything.  Tracking is THE worst. That's one of the reasons the program I've used to realign lifestyle with health goals works for me. All I have to do is remember to eat every three hours. Can do.

Of course, the major lifestyle shift works better if I can also drink at least 64 ounces of water each day, be at least moderately active for 30 minutes, take as many steps as possible (10,000 being the goal), and sleep AT LEAST 6-7 hours a night (that's a big one for my old habit of sleeping 4-5 hours a night).  But all that means tracking so. many. numbers.

And then --- laaahhhhhh!!! --- Fitbit!

 It does ALL THAT, plus calories in and calories out. Glory. I LOVE THIS THING!!!

I was just looking at the activity graph and saw a spike between 5:30 and 5:45. What was I doing? I thought. I was walking around the neighborhood. For only 15 minutes? Yep. Driven home by thunder. I finished the time (and a little extra) on the elliptical tonight.

Much to my surprise, I've drank over 100 ounces today. Whoa.

I am so excited about my little tech toy! In the past two days I've found myself getting up and moving because I knew just sitting and surfing would show on the graph. Perfect.

You can order them from fitbit.com. Mine is the Fitbit Flex.

Seriously... you need one of these things. Make it happen.

Challenge 8... hello, fitbit...

My precious. My birthday present. (Why yes, we have read The Hobbit twice in the past calendar year.) 

Hopefully it won't make me evil. And hopefully it will make a little more of me disappear. 

Last September we had a family event which produced a family photo of Jimmy and his brother, plus the wives and all the cousins. The photo op just so happened to come on the heels of a physical in which my doctor concluded with, "Get thee to a nutritionist and a gym if thou wishest to live long in the land the Lord hath given thee and enjoy the fruits of thine family for generations to come." Between  medical exhortation and photographic evidence, I decided denial isn't a happy place and sent up an SOS to my old health coach. 

Nine months later, I am eight pounds from the weight I'd like to be and sitting nicely in the middle of a lifestyle revolution that includes less junk, more movement, more rest, and an all-around more purposeful and distinctly more healthy approach to life. And it feels awesome. 

For the first time ever that I've tackled weight loss (and ohmyword have I done this many times), my main goal is to be healthy, not just to lose weight. It's a package deal. I do have a goal number in mind because after 20 years, I think I should probably take off the rest of the baby weight I gained through three pregnancies-- hence the weight more pounds is like to lose. But the number isn't the driving force; the lifestyle is.

At this point, eating is under control and I've cultivated some good habits there, but I'm sporadic at best with movement and facing a summer that could go either way -- sedentary or active. 

So for my birthday, I asked Jimmy to get me a FitBit. I'm thrilled for the definitive tracking I'll get. I'm sure I think I move more than I actually do, so I'm using this took to spur me on to movement and good habits. It even tracks sleep and water--- those are my two weakest areas of compliance with great health habits. 

So yay for birthdays! And supportive hubbies. And zillionth chances. And grace. And even yay for technology. 

Challenge 7... neighbors...

There are neighbors and then there are neighbors.

Most of the people who live near you are neighbors. (OK, this is the South, so if you're anywhere else this might not be your experience, but this is how it is where I live, so, yeah.) Neighbors will smile and wave when your pass them. They'll pick up your mail when you're out of town. They'll walk across the way and bring you mis-delivered mail/packages. They'll do all the traditional neighborly stuff.


Neighbors, on the other hand, knock on your front door, holding two glasses of fresh-brewed tea and say, "You got time to sit on the porch and visit?"

Neighbors take your almost-but-not-quite potty-trained 2.9-year-old into their house for less than a minute, and when he emerges with a ziploc bag of fun-sized gummy Lifesavers packs and tells you, "I get one when I go pee pee in the potty and a whole pack when I poop in the potty," he hands you the bag and is fully potty trained forever and ever. (I STILL to this day to not know how she did that. She's the potty-training whisperer.)

Neighbors put signs in various places all over your house, counting down the last week before your 40th birthday. And the on your actual birthday, neighbors flock your yard with flamingos while you're out to dinner with your family.

And ten years later, neighbors come to your oldest son's graduation party and secretly hand off to your daughter a birthday sign and bag of 50 art foam candles with specific instructions for placement two days later.

Neighbors bring joy. Or in this case, neighbors are Joy. 

My friend Joy inspires me. Leprechauns work mischief around her house on St. Patrick's Day. Her kids' tooth fairies dipped their wings in a glass of water next to her kids' pillows, leaving behind their own special glittery color. I'm blessed to know her. She takes time to do the little things that make the world a little more magical.

We moved from the house next door to Joy over six years ago, and Joy has never stopped being our neighbor. For that I am overwhelmingly grateful. This world could use a lot more Joy.

Challenge 6... to do...

The To-Do list for the week. I'm starting the To-Do list on Tuesday because Sunday we recovered from graduation festivities and Monday I was busy turning 50.  That brings us to today.

1. Call about insurance on the condo. Goodness, I wish it were more glamorous, but that's it. We need new insurance on our condo. Our little renter is in there, and the insurance we currently have runs out at the end of this month. Because we first got insurance in 2005 we couldn't find an NC-underwritten company that would carry insurance on NC coastal properties, but I think maybe we can get it through the same company that carries our homeowners, auto, and umbrella policies.

2. Call the painters. I have finally found a color I want to pain the kitchen/family room area. Woot. On Saturday, hours before we were hosting several dozen guests (mostly football players) for a graduation party, I was shopping at Target and found a couple of lovely stools and a metal serving tray. They're an off-white/antique white color. As I've stared at them over the past two days, I see that the color coordinates perfectly with the furniture and rugs and cabinets and countertops. I've been waiting five years to find a color I like; this is it. So, callin' the painters...

3. Read. I'm on vacation-- I get to read.

a. Summer Reading. Zack had to choose between Voyage of the Dawn Treader and A Wrinkle in Time as his summer reading for seventh grade. He selected Voyage yesterday, and we started reading. Since it's C.S. Lewis, it's going to be a family affair. Nobody's going to Narnia without me--it's my happy place. However... after reading Chapter 1, I realize the boy hasn't seen or read Lion or Caspian.  Whoa, Nellie. How did this happen? He's read Percy Jackson, but not been to print Narnia. SMH. Child #3. Had to download them onto my Kindle. We'll be heading through the wardrobe later today. 

 b. Norma Reading. As a high school English teacher, I usually get to read two things: works I'm teaching and student writing. Sometimes, I read a title the kids are reading, especially if they sneak it into class and try to read is while we're supposed to be diagramming sentences or something equally as scintillating. {Must be good stuff to detract from sentence diagramming.} But on Sunday I started reading a book by Anne Graham Lotz, recommended to me by my sweet friend of many years. It is EXACTLY what I needed. I can see how the Lord has been preparing my heart for this book for a long time. If you get a chance and have ever had a moment's worth of conflict with anyone who is a believer, read it. It's titled Wounded by God's People. SPOILER ALERT: It's not them; it's you. 

4. Call and schedule checkups. For the one with Osgood-Schlatter's; for the one who needs retesting for tree nut and shellfish allergies; for the one who has to have a sports physical; for the one who has to have a college physical; for the one who has 50-year-old eyes and probably needs bifocals now. That should do it. Everything else has already been scheduled.

5. Load up on Vitamin D. There is something healing to my soul about being in the sunshine by the water. It doesn't even matter what water, just that it's water.

Five is enough for one day. Off to make this list happen...

Challenge 5... Norma 5-0...

Yep. The big 5-0. I turn 50 today. Yeah, I know. I don't look like I'm 50. I look more along the lines of 48 1/2. Thank you for the compliment. It's nothing, really. Good genes. My mom looks like she's in her 60's, but she's 80.

My plan is to declutter life periodically until I turn 51. Once I hit the big 5-1, I'm collecting butter tubs and pie pans and storing them in the attic, basement, garage, cabinets, etc. until I die when I am 100. By that time, my kids will be 70, 68, and 63, and they can declutter my butter tubs and pie pans. It'll be a fun, bonding experience, sorting through 50 years of containers that could potentially be "used for something someday." To make it a little interesting, I had a friend suggest that I put $20 bills in random butter tubs and tape $100 bills under a couple pie pans. Yeah, buddy. Sort through every. single. one.

Hahaha. Not really. Since I did my stint with FlyLady, I think I'd lose my mind if I didn't stay fairly well decluttered.

But, yeah. 50. I'm grateful. Fifty years has gone fast, and inside I'm pretty confident I'm still in my late 20's. I am blessed, and even though there have been some testy times, I must admit that my boundary lines have fallen in pleasant places and I am VERY grateful for that. The Lord didn't have to do that, but He did. Grace... not just in the blessings of my life, but in the redemption of my life... yes, most of all the redemption... wow... He just leaves me speechless.

So Happy Birthday to me. Thank you, Lord.

Happy graduation...

We interrupt these Challenge posts to bring you the graduation of second-born child, Zane. Time flies, y'all. I mean, time REALLY flies.

I am so proud of him. It's been a roller coaster ride, but wow, he has rallied. He stepped up to start (and then lead) a Cru High School small group, made all-conference in football, was selected (how none of us knows, since his phlegmatic temperament helps him keep a low profile in school) to deliver a keynote address at the Senior Assembly, finished with high honors and as an NC scholar (whatever that is).  I feel so very, very blessed.

Did I mention that time flies? All the time... for all the kids? Yeah, the baby girl is a young lady, a little over halfway through with college. The oldest male child, a high school graduate. The little dude... within striking distance of being taller than everyone except his dad.

We celebrated. Decor creds to Kelsey. I was running around town like a crazy woman, while she was at home making signs and arranging pics and generally transforming our home into a Zane shrine. LOL. She did great.

I loved hosting friends and family for good ol' NC barbecue, Gramma's cookies and pound cake, and s'mores made over the first fire of the 2014 summer season.

Yep, I feel blessed.

Challenge 4... david blaine and graduation...

David Blaine just swallowed a string and pulled it out of his stomach. From the skin on the outside. Creepiest thing I've seen all day, and I spent a good chunk of it cleaning my classroom, which was pretty scary.

It's late, and I really should go to sleep, but David Blaine's doing street magic in the South (Memphis, I think. I saw the gates of Graceland), and the people... are... priceless.  Goodness, I love a good southern accent. Even David Blaine is talking with a southern accent now.

We are heading to the Angus Barn on Friday after Zane's graduation. They have a magician there, who travels from table to table doing card tricks and making foam pieces multiply. He's wildly entertaining, although I'm sure some of the nonmagical folks might not appreciate their fairly pricy celebratory dinner being interrupted while he makes their money and rings disappear.

We're a pretty fun-loving family, though, so we're up for the throwback to the middle ages where traveling performers and court jesters entertained during the feasts. It makes waiting for the perfect meal seem like it doesn't take so long.

Graduation on the heels of a very busy week, followed by a lovely family dinner afterwards and then a lovely cookout with friends on Saturday. Should be a lovely weekend.

Challenge 3... the tweeters and college...

No one is ever going to pay you to tweet.

I believe those were my words as I was exhorting my child unto a degree in education.

That would have been about three or four months before she was named social media manager for her college newspaper for the 2014-2015 school year. A paying position. They're paying her to tweet.

And THEN she gets paid to write an article for a social media blog... on Twitter.  Evidently you can not only get paid to tweet, you can also get paid to write about tweeting. What do I know?

What DO I know? I know that I'm a proud momma and my role has shifted. Instead of dispensing edicts, I'm making suggestions. We've hit that point where I'm parenting a young adult. It's weird and wonderful and challenging.

Speaking of challenging, the answer is three. I can get three blog posts written in about an hour, while also watching Shark Tank and talking with the family.

Hey, that's the same number of licks it takes to get the the center of a Tootsie Roll Tootsie Pop.

Challenge 2... math and English and the fall of civilization...

Mathing. Whenever I grade papers, be it tests, quizzes, or essays, I always tell the students to math behind me. I can't add worth diddly squat, even with a calculator.

I make mistakes sometimes. Usually I say, "Merry Christmas. I'm not going to penalize you because I added wrong." Only yesterday, I couldn't say that.

The last class of the day I made a HUGE addition error. I had no idea how it happened. I had clearly written the correct amount and then I'd overwritten it with an incorrect amount. I added the first three elements of the rubric wrong when I was RECHECKING the grade, of all things.

I remember the essay distinctly. It lost points for being vague... not enough details. Great ideas; insufficient supports. I'd already squeezed as much as I could squeeze out of it.

So I regraded everything. And I checked all her other grades. I looked for every single point I could, and there weren't enough. She finished with a 92. She needed a 93 for exam exemption.

I felt like dirt. She went through the entire weekend thinking she was exam-exempt. She showed up on Monday, thinking it was a time to chill with friends. Nope. She had to review. She has to take the exam tomorrow.

I think we both kind of wish she hadn't double-check my math. Integrity is painful sometimes.

And sometimes teaching is hard.

Challenge Accepted...

Each quarter my Honors Creative Writing class has to write 20 blog posts of at least 200 words each. I just finished grading [all of] them [that were done]. Apparently procrastination is a running theme.

Probably 60 percent of the bloggers mentioned [incessantly] that they procrastinated and didn't do the blog posts until the last minute. At least two said they saved them all for the night before they were due. Bless their hearts.

So, I'm going to see what that's like. All the things I can grade are graded. I'm just sitting here, hitting refresh to see if anything fun is happening in the world. Surely, I can knock out a mere 20 blog posts before bedtime. Surely.

And already I see some benefit to this challenge. Blogger doesn't have word count, so you have to type everything into a Word document first. I never saw that coming. Everything I do is based on word count. Who DOESN'T keep track of word count? Blogger evidently.

In case you were wondering, that was 166 words.

And that explains why my students write about 3/4 of a post and then shift to another topic.

Squirrels. What's the deal with squirrels? (One time when I was probably six or seven years old, my next door neighbor tried to catch a squirrel by the tail. Pulled the poor squirrel's tail right off and wore it from the brim of his baseball cap, like some sort of crazed Davy Crockett.)

246 words.

Overachiever.