A Change for the Better Day 7

So, my sister and I have this bet going. She says, for every day I don’t do Yoga I owe her 25 Cents. That might not sound like a lot, but it adds up.

Example:

1 day missed – 25 cents

4 days missed – 1.00 dollar

10 days missed – 2.50

20 days missed! – 5.00

100 days missed is 25.00 Dollars!

By a year, 365 days, I will have lost 91.25!

Yep, gotta love Family support. Now I do get exempt days. Like if I am medically unfit, or something crazy has happened like a family emergency or holidays even, depending what I am doing. My sister isn’t that cold and heartless, she’d let me have a couple of days. . . Though I should probably double check and make sure in our verbal agreement I am correct about that.

Note to Self, find out fine print.

Again, gotta love family. Best kind of love and support you can have.

But thankfully I am kicking butt and doing great. I haven’t fallen over and I am starting to feel more flexible. Not saying I can lock my ankles behind my head but my calves and legs feel as though there isn’t as much tension as there used to be or that I am able to move my body into positions with more ease. My breathing is still pretty bad, but I must remind myself this isn’t going to happen overnight.

I have already fallen prey to laziness slept past when I was supposed to get my yoga done. So the first thing I wanted to do was promise to put it off to the next day. Go my husband for pushing me to get it done anyway. I just moved my time back for everything. Little bit of coffee and a little cereal and then Yoga. Yeah, it was close to eleven, but at least I got it done.

You can do this! I picture Chibis in the background cheering me on. It’s fun imagery.

Okay, it’s onto the next day! See you soon.

-Brenda Franklin

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A Change for the better--Day Three

 Ah! I skipped one! Where’s day two?

Well, don’t worry, you didn’t skip one. I just didn’t write one. J I figured you don’t need to know what I do every day. Changes should be spaced, not a new one every day. Soon I will run out of things to talk about. Then what? I will start to ramble on about nonsensical things like whether its human nature for a guy not to throw his clothes on the floor when he is feet away from the hamper or whether if I leave my hair frizzy as I go into town how many horrified looks I will get. . . yeah. You see my point?

Anyway, day three!

I have been using Element, YOGA for Beginners. I recommend this DVD for anyone that is just getting started. I looked up some of the advance poses and trust me, she's being kind and keeping it relaxing compared to some poses out there. Though I haven't experienced all of her works I do know this is easy enough for me to do.

Even though it’s an hour long it doesn’t feel like it. Time doesn’t just fly by, it’s kind of irrelevant as you are focusing on your breathing, while trying not to stare at the TV to figure out what you are doing. Yeah, anyone who has done Yoga knows exactly what I mean. She had me turn to face away and I was trying to look over my shoulder to figure out what I was doing. . . . Maybe that is why I lose my balance a bit? But that’s neither here nor there.

She helps you focus on your breathing and trying to relax. So when you do this go into a quiet room and have some you time or bring a buddy. I do this in my bedroom and lock the door so as to tell people. “YOU SHALL NOT PASS!” I might actually make a sign to clue in my husband, but he is starting to understand that nine is my time and my time alone. I know, it’s only been three days. I still very happy with myself.

Continue following my posts to read up on the different poses and the language behind Yoga. Find out what are my favorite and least favorite poses.

-Brenda Franklin

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A Change For The Better--Day 1

Day one:

This may be called day one but it really is day two going back to talk about my day one. That makes sense, right? J Well, you know what I mean.

So far it’s easy going. I don’t want to go too fast or hard, not that I am lazy, but I need to move slow to adjust to a new routine. Let’s not just up and change your life overnight. No. That ain’t happening. I still want to text my friends and family, call people, play games, be on social medias, read, WRITE, and manage the home. . . Okay, most of these things probably could be managed a bit better and shortened time wise and honestly, by the sounds of my life, it does feel like I could use more movement. So this is what I decided. YOGA!

No, laughing. I’m serious. Yoga.  I know some people might say start with adjusting your diet but I can’t do it. I don’t even eat like a regular person so managing my meals is too daunting of a task. I don’t feel in control of it. So I figure the easiest thing I can do is add an hour of Yoga into my mourning routine.

The great thing about Yoga, that I have heard and read, is that it helps to reduce stress, helps with sleep, regulates breathing, helps you to become healthier, and I also read it was good for your sex life. No joke. So if you’re in a slump sexually and are overall stressed, this should do the trick. Wink. Wink.

So now my schedule looks like this: wake up before eight, have coffee and a small snack and then by nine I am ready to do yoga. Granted, I look kind of funny doing yoga and trying not to fall over, but oddly enough it is soothingly and kind of energizing.

I will let you know more about how I am doing in Yoga next time.

-Brenda Franklin

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A Change for the better

A Change for the better, I think I will turn that into a Hashtag. That's the new thing now, right? Everything's a Hashtag. #ACFTB . . . I don't know how I feel about that... I"ll come up with somethings. Maybe I need to change the title. What do y'all think?

Anyway, I have gone years with back pain. And I don't mean I pulled a muscle or it’s a little uncomfortable pain now and again. What I mean is that there is constant tension on my lower Lumbar support which makes certain tasks, such as bending, turning, sometimes even walking, difficult. Not just difficult, downright painful.

My doctor gave me an anti-inflammatory med to assist me in functioning, but it isn't a cure. I also take pain killers when it's flared to the point of pinching a nerve causing a whole new set of issues, the worst being a restraint on my breathing. It's scary!

Now, some people have asked me “Have you thought about surgery?”

Yes I have thought about it, but no I won't do it. I don't think I am at a point where surgery is my only option. I think I am still capable of changing my life, but not entirely on my own. It will take struggles, time, and yes, pain pills on occasion, but I think I can do it. I don't want to risk my future with an unnecessary surgery or owe lots of money to the hospital for the next several years.

I need to change my life. And I don't mean I am gonna move across the world, become a priestess, become a vegetarian tonight!, or decide that rituals are the way to go. If that's your path, cool. But I plan to take it a bit slower and change my day to day routines.

I can manage not only my health, my money, and my time, but my LIFE for the better. Each Week I will post about my struggles, my failures, my successes, and my overall day to day happenings about how I am trying to change my life while giving suggestions I have discovered along the way. I am not a professional, so I can’t promise that what I do will work for you, nor, do I promise I will be doing this a year from now, but maybe with this blog, and the support from you and my family, it will push me into continuing this. Everyone needs a cheering squad.

So here we go. A brand knew start to a brand new way of life. :) I can do this!

-Brenda Franklin

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Rebirth of an old Blog

I have not used this blog in a long time. And when I mean long time I mean the last post I did was back in October 2012! WOW!

But it’s time for a rebirth. Yes, you heard me. IT’S ALIVE!

I am going to take my old blog and start it back up. This time with much more gusto. I like that word, gusto. Makes me wanna smile with sass. Am I the only one? Well, regardless, I am back with a new found passion that will knock your socks off! Unless you aren’t wearing socks then I advise you to get socks so they can be knocked off. Everyone needs the experience once in their life. I will wait.

Do you have socks?

BAM! Socks are knocked off! Heck yeah!!

:) As I was saying, My Rambles Blog is back up and running with new content posted daily and much to come. There has been a lot of changes in my life and plenty of things that I have seen I can’t wait to share. Some of which might be censored. I didn’t say this would be a kid friendly Blog, did I? Well, for the most part it will be safe, if at any point I think something is said within my Blog that isn’t appropriate I will have a warning at the very top. No worries.

But for the most part this will be family friendly. Mostly.

See you on the next post.

-Brenda Franklin

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Halloween Spirit

The month of October has finally come and I have already begun to get into the Halloween spirit! My husband and I carved our first pumpkin together. I’m shocked we haven’t done this sooner. Amazingly enough we still have all of our fingers and toes. The first aid kit wasn't needed though I did have it standing by. You can never be too careful I say.

After carving a pumpkin--and yes it is so simple looking, but it's my first--I decided that the inside of a pumpkin is gross and that I can’t believe I will still eat pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread. And to all those that have never had pumpkin bread you have no idea what you are missing! I demand that you go out right this instant to buy it, bake, and eat it. Whenever we get some made I’ll take a picture and write more on it.

Now Halloween isn't the only thing to prepare for there is Thanksgiving the month after and so you don’t have to spend too much money you could always get items that are fall festive or do what I do. Keep the Halloween things out as long as you can before they get booted to the side by Christmas, but having a house of fall things can even stay up till Christmas depending on what it is, your home, and the people in it. Just shop smart.

But in the end the important thing is to have fun!

Brenda Franklin

Puzzle Addict

I’m a Puzzle Addict!

My sweet husband Shawn heads off to work between three and five in the morning depending on the what day of the week it is. I have been waking up a lot with him and staying up. i don't know what it is about the early morning hours that get the blood pumping but it feels great...most of the time.

If I’m not writing, catching up with friends, sorting through the endless amount of picture files I have on the computer, or working on organizing the house you can find me leaned over a thousand piece puzzle until my eyes pop.

My mother and I enjoy killing time working on puzzles and my little brother finds it amusing to give us seven days to complete it. Mind you we can do them a lot faster than seven days, but if I’m feeling bored it’s the perfect thing to do. Pour me a cup of tea and I’m set.

We try to work on colorful puzzles (like the one to my left which is the latest one at 1500 pieces). I myself really love sea life. It's not the easiest to work on because of the blend of blues and blacks, but I love it.

We work on any number of sizes from the simple 100 piece to the 1000 piece ones and recently we completed a 1500 piece one. I want to go bigger but that will have to wait. Mom has six knew puzzles awaiting our attention and I can't wait to start them.

What is it about puzzles I love?

The thing about a puzzle--or at least how I go in about it--is once you connect the first two pieces you're hooked. I have to finish it. I need to get to the end I tell myself and next thing I know I'm walking pass it to do something when I start to see the puzzle come together on the table. I know what the picture looks like, but I want to form it. I want to finish the whole thing then and there! I can't help but love that feeling you get after putting in the next piece. And then the next one. And so on! It's exhilarating.

Though, there are some puzzles like the one to my left here where the colors blend so well that at one point we sat in utter terror and frustration wanting nothing more but to tear what little we had done to pieces and hide the box. But we slowly pushed on for countless hours and many nights trying to find every piece. It’s worth it. Once you get it together. That last piece goes into place there is a rush of joy and accomplishment that burst within my chest. Something which had been slowly building the entire time we have been working on it and finally it came be released. It is this feeling that makes me consider starting another puzzle. The need of satisfaction and knowing that we had triumphed and all are hard work was a success.

And thus I am a Puzzle Addict and I will be such for many years. I don't see myself stopping anytime soon.

B. Franklin

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