I'm going to piggy-back off of yesterday's homework.

Fall is always a time for changes - school starts again and the weather starts to change (although we haven't seen that yet in Nashville). For me, I've always looked forward to the fall as a new beginning (almost as much as the New Year).

How do you handle changes you know are coming? Do you work out a plan or just fly by the seat of your pants?

Is there a particular change going on right now in your life (eating, excericing, life, family, work)? If so, how are you handling it?

Extra Credit - Formulate a quick plan for a change going on in your life.

Mel

I hate changes to my routine or schedule. It takes me quite a while to get used to each new semester with school.

I knew switching schools was going to be scary, thankfully I seem to have landed some very understanding teachers. I've handled the change to juggling two different schools quite well, and I have done so without flipping out.

I am a planner/problem solver by nature, so I had a plan in place. It's always easier to readjust the plan than to create a new one behind the 8 ball. (Having already been through one calc class this summer, I knew what I was in for.) Some new things(a new office to study in thus saving a LOT of money spent studying at Starbucks), and some old standbys (ie food in the freezer, etc.).

Right now I'm just trying to figure out how to get out of this rut of nothing sounding good anymore. I've enchilada-ed, chili, chickened, sandwiched, saladed, etc. myself out.

Thankfully Flylady has kept me going. It's her I can do anything for 15 min. that has kept me moving and fed, as well as an acceptable looking level of almost company ready.

If I know changes are coming, I plan. I'd make Martha Stewart proud.

If I don't know, though, I get out of sorts. I cry, I pout, I am generally irritable (big changes, I mean, not like having to take a new route to work).

I'm planning right now. I've submitted a request to the company to approve payment for the Master's program I want to do. I've lined up one recommendation, and ordered a GRE study guide.

There's a thing at work right now that I'm dealing with, involving being passed over for promotion last year and a mid-year raise. Right now, I'm working on a timeline of events that have led up to it and preparing for my next evaluation in December. It's something I'm EXTREMELY frustrated with, to the extent that I'm keeping my eye open for a new job...because of one manager's behavior. But I'm not PLANNING on a new job just yet--I'd really like to beat the system here and succeed, whether he wants me to or not.

When it's a quick turnaround thing, I still plan. I outline what needs to be done and decide what order to do it in. Otherwise, I end up spending a long time on the parts I like best and rushing to finish the rest. Prioritizing doesn't come easy to me, but it really helps in the long run.

I made three resolutions at the start of the school year:

More reading, less TV.
We're doing pretty well with this. One of my friends moved recently and realized that she had three complete sets of the Chronicles of Narnia -- so she gave me one for DS. We've started the first book, and DS is really enjoying it. I also realized how important this has become when, this morning, DS spilled a little of his breakfast on his PJs, and said "You better get some of those Mr. Oxiclean Wipes so it doesn't stain." My six-year-old is quoting commercials about cleaning products!

Healthy lunches and snacks.
So far, so good. We've been making weekly trips to the farmers' market to make sure we have plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, since those are always good in lunches.

More family activity.
Doing well, but definitely room for improvement. Something to work on this weekend.

Being in Tahoe, I was aware that Fall is coming... and in Tahoe... I think Fall is Oct 15 - Nov 15 and then winter starts and winter lasts until mid April or May.

I was also acutely aware that ski season is starting really soon!!!! (I hope! One year we were able to start skiing Veteran’s Day weekend.) Not to mention that season passes are on sale this month… wooo hoooo!!! I’m a happy girl!

My goal for Sept is to go to the Y 10 times. I’ve read several places now that muscles REALLY support ligaments and bones… and I’ve gone 2 ski season’s now with no injuries… and really want to keep up my strength and lower body work.

But I have to plan… I don’t just spontaneously find myself at the gym…

How do you handle changes you know are coming? Do you work out a plan or just fly by the seat of your pants?

If I know they are coming, I plan. I am a planner, too. If they come as surprises, I deal with them as they come depending on the importance of them. I prioritize the things that have to be done in my life, and then go from there.


Is there a particular change going on right now in your life (eating, excericing, life, family, work)? If so, how are you handling it?

My family is in flux, we are changing over from having kids at home to having kids at home, sometimes. We have one who is in college here in town, and one who is on his own in another city. So we are learning how to cook for 2 again, and how to shop for two. We are trying to be more brave about those things that we are eating, and getting some new activities going.
We were a real kid centered family, so this is a big change for us, not having to plan around kids.

Extra Credit - Formulate a quick plan for a change going on in your life

I plan meals more carefully, using left overs and two for one meals a lot. I now am using coupons more for foods that we may not have ever tried at home...it's very interesting having the time to do these things.

I'm a planner. I don't do well flying by the seat of my pants - just stresses me out to much.
I can some times over plan though with plans A, B and C and I end up worrying about things that never happen. I'm trying to work on that though.

Right now the big changes for me are getting back into my full work schedule. Summer is always slow for me as lots of my clients are moms and take summers off (or cut way back). Now that school is back in session, everyone is back and I'm trying to balance work, family and me time.

I have a plan though and so far so good. There are only two days/month where I feel over scheduled and Wednesday afternoons will be tough because of back to back activities for dd and my band rehearsals and little time for dinner but hunger isn't a crisis and it's only 1 - 2 times/week. That feels manageable to me.

I too love fall!

We have some changes here, nothing huge at this point but I will definitely need to make a new plan. DD starts dance classes again next week so we then have to change our dinner time. She also started high school this year so there is a lot more homework and I anticipate more activities in her life too. My b/f started school last night, will be going 2 nights a week-not such a big change for me but definitely for him so he is trying to work out his schedule with work/school which indirectly affects me. I am hoping to take a dance class-I am thinking about belly-dancing(LOL-this should be interesting), and possibly starting classes at a local(or not so local) college winter term. That will mean big changes. No real plan in place right now. I do fly by the seat of my pants for a while and things often times seem to fall into place after a while.

Jill

Ok, now my answer. I have to admit, this homework was somewhat selfish, as I really need to work on a change in my life!

I have had a lot of changes this year - we moved, DH changed careers and I changed jobs. Hopefully, soon we'll sell our house and I'll be changing where I'm living.

How do you handle changes you know are coming? Do you work out a plan or just fly by the seat of your pants?
Normally, I THINK I'm going to work out a plan, but I put it off for so long, that I end up flying by the seat of my pants.

Is there a particular change going on right now in your life (eating, excericing, life, family, work)? If so, how are you handling it?
Why, yes! This change actually caught me off guard. I knew it was coming, but I didn't think I would be stressing it so much. This year, DH has become a police officer. He has been in training since Nov. 1st. He has been riding with training officers in the field since March. Well, today he starts off on his own for the first time. Of course, that is freaking me out a bit, but I know he loves it and will be an excellent officer. I also know some of the people he will be working with and I know they will be looking out for him. The change that I'm really stressing though, is his schedule. Since March, his schedule has changed once a month. This has been tough on us, but each month we said - well, it's only for a month and we adapted. Now that he is going out on his own, we know what his schedule will be until at least February. Well, I thought this would be a good thing, but I'm actaully scared! For the past month he worked 9-5 M-F and it was awesome, since his schedule matched mine. Now, our schedules will be very different. He'll be working evenings with two week days off. Over the past month, he's been a great help in getting my exercise routine down, but also a bad influence for eating (we get lazy and eat out a lot). SO...my concern is, can I keep up my new exercise routine without him? Also, will I be able to change my eating habits? Can I get him to clean up his eating habits when we will be apart for almost every meal?

Extra Credit Plan: Still working on it.....

Mel