February Challenge

Although I didn’t post a photo everyday in January, it felt good to get back at daily blogging. It was hard to keep up but even if I just shared  a quote or a quick story, I felt accomplished.

I don’t know if I will keep up with February, but I will try. I printed out the challenge for the month. Maybe it will give me inspiration on those days I don’t know what to write about. Today’s word was fork. I had nothing for that one! No picture of a fork in the road, no picture of my dinner creation -although it was pretty tasty…butternut squash ravioli sautéed with kale and mushrooms…yum….maybe a recipe blog….in my free time.

 

 

 

 

Resolutions

I am at that time in December where I start contemplating my New Year’s Resolution. Back on this day in 2012, I decided that my resolution was to write every single day on this kindness blog and I did it. I actually kept it going for two years. Much longer than I had expected to.

As I do every year at this time, I have been thinking about what my resolutions for this year will be. A few choices I have thought about:

• Lose a few pounds
• Continue to get to CKO (my latest gym obsession) at least 3 times a week
• Daily Random Acts of Kindness
• A photo a day
• Write everyday again (I really fell off the wagon with this one this past year)

The last few months have brought major changes in our family’s life. DJ is now in the middle of his sophomore year in college and loving it. He’s become so grown up and independent. I am so proud of the man he is becoming. Drew started high school, made the varsity football team, (all 93 pounds of him) and although isn’t loving the academic rigor of school, is starting to find his place there.

Dave has found a steady job that he enjoys. He has found a reason to get up and out every day. He had become quite depressed, rarely leaving our home and it was putting quite a strain on all of us. He is motivated and inspired. He has lost nearly 30 pounds, is getting up and out of the house each day, found a support group and with his transformation we have a happier home. We are all grateful for this.

As for me, I am half-way through my masters program for Restorative Practices.  RP  has “the potential to positively influence human behavior and strengthen civil society around the world.” I am learning so much and enjoying it immensely, but it is a lot of work, hence one of the reasons my blogging slowed down so much last year.

So now onto my resolutions. Every year I vow to lose a few pounds and I do. I just gain them back, lose them again and gain them back. It is always those same five pounds.

I’ve always loved kickboxing and thanks to a trial membership to CKO this summer, I have found a place where I can give an hour a day a few times a week and feel good about my body. I have developed more stamina and strength than I ever thought possible. I currently go at least three times a week so while this isn’t a new resolution, it is one that I just want to continue. If you live locally and want to try out a class with me, let me know. I’d love to show you why I like it so much and get you addicted too!

Daily Acts of Kindness aren’t hard. I try to do this all of the time. I would love to push it towards a “Pay it Forward” program and make it bigger and more widespread – but that is something I need to spend more time thinking about…it is always great when I have time off from teaching, I come up with brilliant plans and then once reality strikes and I am back to work, I run out of time to implement them!

As for a photo a day, I have pinned a bunch of “photo a day” ideas on Pinterest. I use my Canon for my photo shoots and when I want to get really great photos, but I use my phone as well. I don’t need to post them all on Facebook, (I am on there too much already) but maybe the photo a day will help me find a way to write everyday again. I can share the photos here – sometimes with a story and sometimes without – it wouldn’t necessarily be a Kindness Blog, but it would get me back on track.

It has been a rough 2016 for many – the loss of loved ones and celebrities who were icons of our childhood. We went through a tumultuous and bitter election and while my candidate of choice was not elected, he is still my president and while our opinions differ greatly, I will be respectful towards him. Despite this, I cannot condone hatred from others and seeing so much come from this election has been devastating to me. Living in my sheltered bubble here in Maplewood, New Jersey, I had no idea there was still so much prejudice, racism and bigotry found in this country. This is something I wish to see change in 2017. If there was a way to tie this into my resolutions, I would – I just wish I knew how.

We have no idea what the future will bring, but I wish peace, love and a safe 2017 for all of us.

 

 

 

 

As We End 2015…

I feel like I blinked and missed 2015! It went by so fast.

As I look back and reflect, I realized that the last two years, writing my end of the year blog was easy to do since I wrote everyday. I could remember everything because I wrote so often. It was like a journal

This year, I feel like I have gaps since I stopped writing.  So, I tried to come up with a list of my highlights from 2015 and here they are, in no particular order…

• DJ off to college – more than 4 hours away – and loving it and doing so well. I am so proud of him!
• ME – starting grad school – it will take awhile but when I am done I will have a MS in Restorative Practices which I find fascinating!
• Starting the winter of 2015 with A LOT of snow, and ending the winter of 2015 with the warmest December on record!
• Finding myself working with two independent sales companies, Chloe and Isabel jewelry and Jamberry nails.
• My dad in and out of the hospital and rehabilitation centers (fortunately doing much better now.)
• My grandmother turning 100 years old and celebrating with family from all over the country.
• Lots of time spent with our extended family, which is always time well spent 🙂

High points and low points throughout the year, but that is what makes life interesting I guess!

I am looking forward to an eventful 2106 and I wish everyone a healthy, prosperous and happy year filled with love and compassion.

Skipping the Diet

For Christmas, my dad gave me a Fitbit. I am hoping that it, along with some healthier eating choices, will help me create a healthier life style. I am not overweight. I don’t even need to lose more than five pounds but I am hoping that the new year helps motivate me to make some changes. I don’t like diets. I love food too much. I need to learn to eat in moderation and to choose healthier options.

If you know me well, you know that I am quick to jump on a new idea or project. I thought, “Wow! I can turn this into a new blog! A staying healthy blog.”  I have a name for it too! “Skipping the Diet.”  I even began writing it and getting the website ready – but after a few days, (no surprise there…) not being an expert made me feel limited to what I would post. I shared a couple of recipes, an inspirational video – but I can share that stuff on Facebook if I wanted to. So….I think I will just add it to this blog and try to get myself writing again. Maybe it won’t all be about “Kindness” but more inspirational.  I never know where it will take me – usually I just write.

For nearly 2 1/2 years, I wrote daily on this blog. It had been my New Year’s resolution in 2013 and I stuck with it for much longer than I had imagined I could. I began slacking during the summer – maybe it was because I started grad school, my schedule was a lot busier – but it sort of fell to the wayside. I was hoping that by committing myself to a new blog with a new idea, I would inspire myself to write again nearly every day, but more importantly, hold myself accountable and be able to stick to this healthier way of eating.

There is too much “unhealthy food/health issues” in our family. My father and older brother both had major hear surgeries after heart attacks and my mother, who died from complications from COPD, also had several heart attacks. I need to be around for a long time for my two sons and my husband. I want to set a good example for them.  Maybe something is working because my 14 year old went out and bought himself a Fitbit with the Best Buy gift cards he got for Christmas.

This doesn’t mean I won’t eat treats and favorite splurges~ I LOVE food too much for that. I am hoping that I will eat less of them and not as often. I won’t deny myself of my favorite foods. I think that is why so many diets fail.  You will NEVER see me posting selfies of my body on this site. No “before and after” shots of me! I have a hard enough time with self-image and hopefully it will inspire others to make some changes as well.

I’d love to hear from others and find out how they are making healthy lifestyle changes. We can share recipes, tips and advice. I am looking forward to hearing from others and seeing the changes we make -no matter how big or small they are.

128,999

This is one of those weeks that began at 7am yesterday, and goes until late Friday evening.  Meetings every afternoon or evening this week, parent-teacher conferences for three days beginning tomorrow, Drew’s school play which is Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  THEN, life might settle down for our family.

Today’s photo prompt is JUMP.   I worked until 5pm have been finishing up report card narratives for an hour and have to leave here to go to a meeting at Drew’s school in a few minutes.  The last two nights I have even eaten dinner at the computer.  There is no time for “real photos” as I am jumping from one thing to another.

So now, as I try to squeeze in my blog before it gets too late, I happened to notice that my blog stats are about to make a big jump today!  As of now, I am at 128,999 hits.  Who would have ever expected my little blog- which is really about “nothing and everything” is still going strong.

The new aspect of adding the photo prompts has been motivating.  Some of the photographers are incredibly talented in the shared photo group I am in. For me, the photo prompts have been more of an inspiration to write than to work on my photography, but perhaps when time allows, I can work more on that.  For today though – a very amateur photo taken with my iphone just to capture the number before it jumps.

Yearly Wrap Up

Two years.  730 posts. Over 118,000 views. As I looked back on my second year of blogging, I went through it month by month and realized just how uneventful and mundane a lot of it really was.  Yet, people are still reading it.  More than once I thought of stopping.  Next year should be a more interesting one.  DJ will be going to college – a totally new adventure!  There should be a lot more to write about.

2013 was a difficult year for us with all of the heartbreak and loss in our family.  2014 was less eventful.  A good thing! This blog has allowed me the opportunity to look back though.  It reminds me of all of those little things that make up our lives.

So….my 2014 year in review…

I think what I wrote most often about this year was SNOW!  There was so much of it.  One of the snowiest winters on record.  I lost count of how many times I wrote about snow in January and February! We went over our allotted snow days for school and even had to give back days during Spring Break.  It will be nice to get a break from all of that snow this winter!  One or two snow days are perfect!

I was so proud of our school community after another successful Food Drive and Pajama Drive and it has only made me want to do more!

We quietly “celebrated” and remembered mom and Francine on their one year anniversaries.  I have heard that the first year without our loved ones is the most difficult.  All of the “firsts” go by without them.  It does seem to be getting easier though.

We got to go away in April! Something we hadn’t done in a long time.  Hilton Head was the perfect Spring Break getaway for us!

For Mother’s Day, in memory of my mom, I got a tattoo of a duck on my wrist.  A way to remember her every time I see it!

DJ got his drivers license – and I have to admit, it has made life easier in some respects!!  We spent a lot of time together exploring colleges!

The toughest part of 2014 was the amount of time my dad spent in the hospital.  Too many days to recap here, but May 21st began his ordeal.  After a diagnosis of a Urinary tract infection that led to sepsis, he wound up being in the hospital and then a rehab center for over four weeks.  Then, a relapse and back in the hospital for about a week in September.  Fortunately, other than his bad knees, he is doing much better.

This summer, I was able to meet up with the woman who inspired me to become a teacher.  Miss Lampros, my 4th grade teacher.

We also had a lot to celebrate this year. I was fortunate to attend two weddings this year, Both of them are coworkers of mine. Stefanie’s in March and Jonathan‘s in August.  My grandmother turned 99 in September and we celebrated all summer with visits from our cousins from Nevada.

Our year was filled with sports.  Soccer, baseball, football, hockey, mudruns….games we played, games we watched….our lives wouldn’t be complete without sports!

Overall, it was a good year. Recapping it on the last day of a year is good for me.  A way to reflect on the past.

Next year, I will try to keep it on writing.  I have thought about different directions to take the blog.  A fun photo challenge has inspired me and I am working on a way to incorporate it into the blog. A lot happens in 365 days so only time will tell!

100,000

Two days ago I hit a milestone. My blog has reached 100,000 views.  Does that mean that everyone who has happened upon A Project for Kindness all have read it?  Probably not.  Perhaps it was just stumbled upon in a Google search, looked at and passed on by, but perhaps it did inspire some people to read it and follow it.  I have nearly 200 followers, (most who I don’t know personally).  Followers??  Considering blogging is not my full time job, I was surprised at this.  I know that “real bloggers” who do this as a career have thousands of followers but 200 makes me happy.  Whether or not they read each blog that I write or not, it is pretty uplifting to know that people want to hear what I have to say – even on those days I feel like there is nothing to write about.

Perhaps it is because my blog shows just how imperfect my life is.  I never write about how perfect things are because they are far from it!  My blog has given me the opportunity to share things that I might not talk about otherwise.  Self image,  struggling financially with Dave out of work, academic issues with my children, death of loved ones…the list could go on and on.  Maybe that’s what it is – the normalcy of my life.  No sugar coating, not writing about how wonderful, “practically perfect in every way” my life is…because it is not.

Whatever it is, I am grateful.  When I started, it was my hope to just inspire kindness.  I hope it has done that but actually for me, it has turned into something more.  Almost like a diary.  Why do people care about my life and what I am doing on a daily basis?  I will never know but if it inspires even one person a day – then it is fulfilling its purpose.

So thank you to all of you who read it, share it and who are inspired by it.  It is what makes me want to keep writing.

OH!  And Happy Birthday Dad!  Hope you get your wish and get to come home today.  We will celebrate with you whether you are home or still in the hospital…and maybe, just maybe, the Giants will pull of a win for you today!!

Begin

Once in awhile I participate in Five Minute Friday.  The idea is to write for five minutes flat with one word as an inspiration and to share the blog with others in a blog share.  Today’s prompt is BEGIN.  Appropriate for the first day of a new month.  I find myself turning to Five Minute Fridays on days where I need to find inspiration to write.  I often come to days like today where I feel uninspired and not sure of what to write about.  I write a lot about life and it seems rather ordinary so on those days where nothing exciting or interesting has happened, beginning that new blog for the day, is a struggle.  When I began this blog 19 months ago, with the intention to write everyday for one year, I never could have known where or how it would have turned out.  Today, I have just under 92,000 views.

For some bloggers who are able to reach huge audiences and have advertisers and many followers, this might not seem like much, but for me – when I began with the intention of just spreading kindness and perhaps inspiring others – it is something I could never have imagined.  I didn’t even know if I’d be able to maintain writing for the entire year but I am so glad I did and I am glad that I was encouraged to keep writing.

Kindness of Others

After yesterday’s blog about my broken lanyard, I realized how incredibly kind people really are.  We hear so many negative stories on the news and in the media, that sometimes we forget about all of the good things.  I had so many people respond to my blog and offer help to fix the chain. I was so touched.  It made me so happy to be a part of this community.  Actually, I have noticed that quite often, after many of the blogs I have written, friends, family and even strangers comment.  There are so many days that I wonder why people are interested in reading my blog.  I don’t always have a lot to say…or at least a lot of interesting things, but there are people reading it!  That makes me happy and it inspires me to keep on writing.  I appreciate all of you are who read and are interested in what I have to say.

Thanks for following 🙂

 

Blogging

I realized tonight that I am pretty much a baby when it comes to the blogosphere, considering that today I read on Hello Giggles that blogging has been around for 20 years! The author of the blog, Grace Cox, put something into words that I am thinking everyday when I sit down to write my own,

The idea of blogging is so weird and amazing.  That you can be a published writer on a platform that is accessible to millions of people is mind-boggling if you stop and think about it. 

When I began writing, it was to promote something I am so passionate about  – KINDNESS!  I thought that I’d be sharing stories about kindness that I read about or witnessed in person.  I wrote everyday, just as I had said I would. The amount of views the blog got varied, but it was never very many.  Mostly friends and family when I shared it on Facebook.  Then, two months into my “project” my mom died and it all changed.  Hundreds of people were reading it during the one month period of when she died and when Francine died.  I began to realize, that my blog was taking on a life of its own, taking me on an adventure where I was learning on the way.  I started to realize that although I was still spreading kindness in my blog, when I got personal and let my emotions come out, more people were interested in what I had to write. It has become my personal diary in some ways.

Growing up, I tried keeping diaries but never kept up with them. I was envious of my friends who wrote faithfully in them everyday.  Now, I have become one of those people – but my entries aren’t private.  I am writing it and putting it out there for anyone to see.  That is why some of the things I write have been so hard to actually submit!  My blog has made me a stronger, bolder person.  It has allowed me to express myself in ways that I doubt I’d ever speak about otherwise.  It is still giving me the opportunity to spread kindness, the original intent, but it has opened up my world.  Although my blog is still pretty small in the scheme of things, I have “followers” and people respond to what I have to say.  I am meeting other bloggers and despite living in this enormous world, blogging actually makes it seem a little smaller.