Books, Blogs, and other stuff I read, Minimalist Projects, My House, My Workouts

2015 Projects

8 Comments

Happy New Year! I am eager to share my first projects of 2015!

In my continued quest to get rid of stuff around the house, I found Peter Walsh‘s project 31Days2GetOrganized. I know I didn’t finish 30DaysofThanks. But these are 10-minute exercises that seem doable. Day 2 required removing items that don’t belong in the Master Bedroom. I dragged out a box of books, magazines from my side table, and a large bin of summer clothes. The exercise took less than half an hour.

I am also working on missions from the FlyLady. This week we are in the kitchen. Today’s mission was to throw out any plastic containers that were stained, broken, or didn’t have a match. I find it easier to do one simple task rather than to tackle a whole room at once.

On the fitness front, I’ve decided to cancel my gym membership and start a realistic workout plan at home. I am committing to 30 minutes a day on the treadmill.

To motivate myself, I am researching these two races:

The Color Run – 5K on May 23rd in Queens. A race where people splash you with color? I am going to see if I can put together a team to run with me. No pressure, just lots of fun. Right up my alley.

Diva Race – 5K on October 4 in Eisenhower Park. This race requires some running, but with a feather boa! How fun is that? Plus it’s later in the year and I’ll be really fit by then!

I am thinking of signing up for a photography class at the local community college. I’ve been taking some photos for the church website and I want to see how I can improve the pictures or better work my camera.

Here are some writers who help me stay motivated:

* My sister recommended Mastin Kipp and his posts about love and loving yourself. I follow him on Twitter and it’s like a daily dose of love and positivity.

* I’ve been a fan of Rachel Anne Ridge’s “Home Sanctuary” for a while. Her last post talked about 2015 being the “year to stop being afraid.” I always back off when I think that something bad might happen. As a result, there’s no progress. I want this to change in 2015.

* I’ve mentioned Courtney Carver before in my Project 333 post.  She inspires, encourages, and motivates me with her posts on minimalism.

Last year, I sadly said goodbye to an uncle, two good neighbors, and some really kind people in my church. On a happier note, I was able to attend a fabulous wedding and reunite with old friends, celebrate my 20th anniversary, and share special occasions with my family and friends.

Life is so precious. This will be the year I stand up to my fears. But instead of planning, and worrying, I will just start by starting.

I am looking forward to sharing my projects and hearing from you in 2015.

Let’s have a healthy, happy new year!

8 thoughts on “2015 Projects”

  1. Dear Maria,
    Maybe you can help me with my New Years Resolution. I’m trying to work on being more forgiving. Do you have any tips on how to do that? Or maybe some exercises that I can do to help?

    Reply

    1. Hi Elena (my daughter),

      Thank you for reading and commenting on this post. You must’ve heard me say that I love reading this section.

      Your question is a super tough one – “Forgiveness,” depending on the situation, can be really difficult. If you’re faithful, you can believe that God is the ultimate judge and will take care of it.

      But on an every day basis, maybe it would help to put yourself in that person’s shoes (is something else going on that has nothing to do with you? is the person going through something? or what’s making them behave that way? — is it easier to cut them some slack or just avoid them for a while? Or nah…maybe the person is just jerky. In other words, I don’t really know the answer…wait…are we talking about Jackson…or me???

      Maybe we should Ask Amy from Newsday…or the rest of the Cozintransit audience?

      Anyway, that’s a great New Year’s Resolution because it that doesn’t require giving up sweets.

      Thanks for being so supportive!

      XXOO,
      Mommy

      Reply

  2. Dear Maria and Elena – You guys are too hilarious!

    Dear Maria – It seems like you are all set for changes for the new year.
    I like how you plan to take baby steps with organizing your place. I think this will help you not get overwhelmed or bored or emotional with cleaning all the time.

    Excellent, you have a game plan and goals for the rest of the year for your exercise regime. I’m usually very diligent with exercising but I usually falter during the holiday season. Every year it seems like I have to figure out how to lose the holiday pounds! There must be a better way !!!

    Stay focus on your projects and I’m sure you’ll find a way to finish all of them!

    Sylvanna

    Reply

    1. Dearest Sylvanna,

      Thank you for your encouragement and insight. I am feeling really good about the progress I have made this last week.

      Yesterday, I registered for the Color Run 5K (in Queens on 5/23) and for the Diva Run 5K (in Long Island on 10/4). These races will motivate me to train. I wish you lived closer so you could run these with me.

      Happy New Year!

      XXOO

      Reply

      1. Wonderful! You must have been first runner to sign up for those events!! Have you started hitting the treadmill already? Just picture me and the Black Eyed Peas (just replace Fergie with Josh D.) running beside you!

        Reply

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