2022 BE List

 2022 BE List

52 Week On The Move Hike Challenge (Oola Family, Oola Friends, Oola Fitness, Oola Fun)

BE Healthier- Eat Right and Move More (Oola Fitness, Oola Fun, Oola Family)

BE Creative- Draw & Paint Dot Mandala Mediation, make earings (Oola Fun, Oola Faith)

ArtsyBE.com- create income, sell something on etsy, teach a class (Oola Field, Oola Finance)

21 Week On The Move Kayak Challenge (Oola Fitness, Oola Fun, Oola Family, Oola Friends)

Woodstock-Hike Overlook Mountain (Oola Fun, Oola Fitness, Oola Family, Oola Friends)

Van Camping-Build out bed, Van Camp 4 times (Oola Fun, Oola Family)

Our Home- Finish Painting Moulding in hallway and stairway, Hang up pictures, Paint Our Bedroom, New bedding & Window coverings, Paint Amy's room, Paint Bathroom, New storm doors front and back, Paint front porch & ceiling, Paint garage, Paint Kitchen, cabinets and floor, New living room furniture, Driveway (Oola Family, Oola Fitness)

(F's of Oola Review, Live a life balanced in 7 key areas:Faith, Family, Friends, Fun, Fitnes, Field, Finance)

They give me Courage, Confidence and Character to try new things

5/15/18 

These girls challenge me every day to be a better version of me. In January I told my older daughter she inspired me to stop being afraid and to stop standing on the sidelines watching. Shortly after that I started my transformation and Oola journey. These girls not just my daughters but all of them are helping me to face my fears. Within one week I have tried a high ropes course and rode a horse. All because of them showing me their courage and confidence to try new things.  I am grateful, thankful and blessed to be a Mom and Girl Scout Leader.  

Update on Me and a Change of Plans

Update on Me and a Change of Plans

So, last February I started on a new life journey to find and live my Oola Life.  This isn't something that just happens after you read the 1st book, "Oola, Find Balance in an Unbalanced World" or after you read the 2nd book, "Oola for Women: Find Balance in an Unbalanced World- How to the 7 Key Areas of Life."    Life is an ever changing journey and adventure.  Living your Oola Life isn't always going to be easy, there will be many obstacles to overcome along the way.  Just like the saying goes, "don't put all your eggs in one basket,"  don't just focus on one area of your life.  You need balance in all 7 areas: faith, fitness, family, friends, fun, finance and field, in order to truly find Oola.

In early October I met the Oola Guys, Dr. Dave & Dr. Troy, (Click here to find out what Oola is) at a Young Living Rally, in Rochester, NY. (Click here to find out what Young Living is)
 My husband and I went away for the weekend with out the kids.  It was a much needed get away, just the two of us, and definitely not long enough.  Before we went to the Rally we walked along Lake Ontario.  Even though it was windy and a little over cast, when we got out of the car the skies cleared and it was beautiful.

When I met them I was totally freaking out with nerves and excitement.  Just thinking about it brings me back.  They are 2 awesome guys.  I got hugs, they signed my books and I got my picture with them.  I also gave them 100 dreams that I had collected for "The Heather Project."  You can see by my red face how nervous I was to meet them (Dr. Dave is holding the dream stickers in his hand in the picture below.)

Well last year I was really working on balancing my life.  I was loving exercising for the first time ever in my life. I loved it so much so that when I was working on fitness, I was also working on friends, family and fun.  I tried kickboxing last year and loved it, I still do.  This has now become an obstacle I need to overcome.  In late October I began having bad pain behind my knee, and calf.  I was back and forth to the doctors, with an ultrasound, an x-ray, MRI and getting physical therapy.  First they checked to see if I had blood clot, NOPE.  Then I was diagnosis with a Baker's Cyst behind my knee.  Well the pain and swelling got worse and I went back to the doctor.  This time they said that they cyst probably ruptured and that was causing the pain and the swelling.  I was told to rest, ice, use compression and elevate.  Because of the pain my blood pressure was elevated over all of these appointments and they told me I needed to go on medication for high blood pressure.  Needless to say I can't do kickboxing anymore.  I felt awful and was depressed, which turned me back to bad habits of not healthy snacks.  Eventually when my leg started feeling better I tried a few times going back to kickboxing with alternative exercises, only to be in pain the next few days.  One step forward, two steps back.  I gained more than half of what I lost back.  But thru it all there is one thing I haven't gone back to and that is coffee.  So the weight I lost from giving up coffee and switching to tea with nothing in it, has stayed off.
About a month ago I tried kickboxing again and ended up at urgent care the next day, in excruciating pain and not able to put weight on my leg.  The doctor went over my last MRI with me but this time he told me something that the doctor in November never mentioned.  In addition to a minor meniscus tear and arthritis, I have NO CARTILAGE left in my knee.  He said the only thing he could offer me was a cortisone shot, so I took it.   I am feeling better than I was but I still have days of pain and stiffness and probably always will.  I don't know what the future holds for my knee exactly but I will not let it take over, I will overcome.  Today is the first day to turn things around, the winds of change have blown into my life, my adventure is just going to make a slight turn and adjustment.  I will keep working on getting my Oola Life, because I am worth it.  As the Oola Guys say, "I am designed by God for greatness and a purpose."

So my wheel is off balance right now, and I have to slow down a little but it will not stop me.  I will keep trying new things to find balance in my life.  I will continue watching the Oola Guys videos.  I signed up to be part of the focus group to review their next book coming out in July, "Oola for Christians."  And even though the doctor said I can't do kickboxing any more, I'm not giving up on me.  I did it before I can do it again.  I will loose weight and get feeling better.  #oolalife #liveoola

Still Chugging Along, My Oola Life Journey Update

It has been 201 days since I started my Oola Life Journey.  It's not always easy to stay on track with eating healthy.  Right now I've been cheating A LOT.  I need to get back on track with my eating.  I have been craving things that aren't good for me and giving in.  So yesterday when I went grocery shopping I got more fruits and veggies.  I am still going to kickboxing twice a week and I still really like it.  But I've been so tired and not much energy.  In a week the kids go back to school and I'm hoping to start training during the day and get over this hump.  I have been stuck at a weight loss of 20 pounds.  By this point I should have lost much more but I have horrible will power and keep giving in to my cravings.  I have however successfully stayed off of coffee and am still drinking tea.  I accidentally had a sip of iced coffee because Dunkin Donuts gave me an iced coffee instead of iced tea.  It was so disgusting I had to spit it out.

This summer has been an OOLA summer.  I've been doing things and making things happen to live my best life.  One of my dreams was to own my own kayak.  That dream came true for my birthday, we have two.  Because you can't go kayaking alone.  Another dream was to go away with my husband Ken, and we did.  Even though it was just for one night it was wonderful.  We stayed in Speculator and took the kayaks with us.  We kayaked on the Kunjamuk Creek.  It was so peaceful.  Just us, the water, the mountains and the ducks.

I have also gotten away from doing my index cards for the week and I need start doing them again as the kids return to school.  I need to stay on top of my goals.  I am ready to get back on top of them.  No dream is too small.  As the Oola Guys say, "Dream Big and Drink Tea."
 #oolalife #liveoola

I won't give up, I won't give in

I won't give up, I won't give in, even though I'm really struggling these last 2 weeks with my Oola life journey.  I have been very tired and not eating as good as I was.  I was doing so good and hit 20lbs. In the last 2 weeks I gained 6lbs back.  I'm so disappointed in myself.  I need a boost.  So starting Tuesday after the holiday weekend I am going to do the Lean and Burn program with Oola Teas, https://www.oolatea.com/180 .  I have been on this journey for 104 days.  I haven't gone back to coffee although I have been craving it all week.  I want to cave in but I haven't.  Looking for suggestions on motivation.

My 7F Oola Day

Yesterday I watched Dr. Troy's Facebook Live post, "What's a 7F Day?"
If you don't know about the 7F's check out the Oola website. Oola started with a book called, "Oola- Find Balance in an Unbalanced World."  You can order the book directly from them or from Amazon.  Since I purchased the book 10 months ago I am feeling like a new person.  I'm not a reader, but I really enjoyed reading the book.  I will be honest with you it took me longer than it should have to finish the book.  In reading the book, I grew to love the idea behind Oola and I love the addition of their life experiences.

In case you don't know what they are, here are the 7F's that Oola is based on:

• Fitness
• Finance
• Family
• Field (Career)
• Faith
• Friends
• Fun

Starting in September when the kids went back to school, I didn't.  I retired from being a substitute teacher and decided to focus on me and my family.  The 2 F's I decided to concentrate on were Fitness and Finance.  In addition to reading the book I follow the Oola Guys on Facebook.  I consciously take time on to watch Dr. Troy's, Money Monday's on Facebook Live.  The fitness part didn't start as easy.  It started and stopped.  That was until my husband ordered the Oola Teas for me.  And then I started and finished the Oola Tea Detox.  He also got the affirmation bands for me.  The universe is starting to balance out for me.  I like exercising, I am eating right, counting my dollars and cents, calories, and blessings every day.  So yesterday after I watched Dr. Troy's Facebook Live video I decided to do the challenge.  Here it is...

My Oola 7F Challenge #oolafinance watched Money Monday, pay bills, diffuse finance oil. Never thought I’d be saying this #oolafitness,#oolafriends,#oolafun Kickboxing. #oolafield I’m a stay at home mom today I did laundry and dishes. #oolafaith Bible journaling Proverbs 19:21. #oolafamily snuggle with Amy. Living Oola every day! #oolalife  NIV Journal the Word BIBLE

Punching Out the Fat & Willpower

For the first time in my life I am loving exercise and have willpower.  The 6 weeks of my Girl Fight Fit class has come to an end.  However due to 2 snow cancellations they have agreed to add another week onto my session. I completed the 14 day Oola Tea Detox. I chose to continue drinking the Detox Tea every morning a 1/2 hour before I eat breakfast and Energy Tea in the afternoon.  I haven't had a cup of coffee since Feb 11th.  I am down 11 lbs. and am feeling so much better.  I don't drink a gallon of water a day anymore.  I needed to stop spending the whole day in the bathroom. I am drinking around 3/4 of a gallon.

I love the idea of punching away the fat.  All of my anger and anxiety has been linked to my weight, my whole life. So while I'm doing my kickboxing classes I imagine that I'm punching the fat away.  I have never liked exercise.  I get anxiety going to the gym and exercising in front of people feeling like they are watching and judging me.  I hate the treadmill, both walking and running. The first day I went to Girl Fight Fit my heart was racing.  But punching and kicking a bag, and doing the circuit of floor exercises, I LOVE.   The first night was really hard, so were the 2nd and 3rd.  After that my anxiety was gone. Looking around the room I saw women of all ages and sizes. I new I was not alone and my anxiety went down every day a little bit the first few times until it was gone.  Last week the instructor complimented, saying that my form has improved and that I'm doing so good, she sees the improvement.  That made me feel great.

I add either a drop of Slique Essence or Grapefruit Vitality essential oil both from Young Living to my water.  It's quite yummy, which helps when you are drinking a lot of water.

I am still eating doing the 80/20 plan.  I eat healthy, counting calories with the my fitness pal app 6 out of 7 days and then I cheat one day a week.  I really haven't kept myself from my cravings, I just examine the choices, serving size and calories before I eat something.

I continue wearing my fitness affirmation bracelet to remind me that "I AM FIT, healthy, disciplined and strong." Loving my pink boxing gloves.

Noticing Changes

So, I'm starting week 3 of my transformation.  I have been going to Girl Fight Fitness 2 nights a week.  I have been having my Oola Detox Tea every morning, drinking a gallon of water a day and having an Oola Energy Tea in the afternoon.  I am half way thru my Detox.  I am feeling so much better.  I have less swelling in my ankles.  My hands aren't going tingly as they were before, and I feel less bloated.  I have lost 7 1/2 lbs.  The worst thing about this is that I go to the bathroom all the time.  But I'm ok with that if I'm flushing out all the bad stuff.  I'm thinking of ordering more Oola Detox and Energy Tea and continuing on longer.  I'm so afraid that if I stop and go back to coffee I will gain the weight right back.  I don't want that, I want it to keep coming off.  Today's affirmation from Oola, "I AM mentally ready for physical change."  That's so true.  I am ready.

Making Changes

I'm not sure what it was that finally clicked.  But I have made some long over due changes in my life.  I need to focus on Fitness. That includes, exercise and eating right.

So for fitness, I joined a gym.  It's not the traditional type of gym.  It's called Girl Fight Fitness and it's a kickboxing gym for women.  With the help of a good friend who agreed to join with me I have gone to 3 classes, tonight will be my 4th.  For the first time ever I like exercising.   I am not a small woman.  And I have faced my biggest number and am making a change.  It is very hard for me to say the number but I have said it to 3 people, so I can move forward.  I HATE THE NUMBER.  I have decided that I am going to "punch" the fat out at kickboxing.  I'm not going to lie it's not easy.  But it's not walking on a treadmill, which I totally hate.  Some of the floor exercises are very hard for me and I have to made adjustments.  PUSH-UPS UGH, my arms shake and my knees hurt, but I'm doing them.  At home I have been using an exercise stability ball instead of doing some of the things on the floor, hoping to work up to or down to the floor.  But it's killing my knees.  

Last night I got the ultimate motivation from someone at Girl Fight.  I don't even know her name.  But after we were done she came over to me and told me I was doing awesome and not to give up.  She said she knows how hard it is but to keep doing it. Then she told me that 4 years ago she was 217 pounds heavier.  I hugged her and told her she rocked. It was very emotional for me and I had tears in my eyes.  

For eating right, I'm doing a combination of things. First I stopped eating after 9pm.  That was really hard.  Having oh so good but bad snacks while watching TV is very hard to quit.  I started using the my fitness pal app on my phone, logging everything I eat.  I'm doing an 80/20 plan that gives me a 20% cheat.  That boils down to 4 meals or 1 day of cheating per week.  And this week I added doing a coffee detox with Oola Tea.  Cutting out coffee for 14 days and switching to tea, and drinking a gallon of water every day.  OMG it's a lot of water.  Talk about trips to the bathroom, it seems like right after I go I have to go again.  But it's all good.  I have not had any headaches which I was nervous about getting.  But I have been biting my nails bad, I don't know why.  To help with the cravings I have been putting a drop of grapefruit essential oil by Young Living in my water.  It smells good and tastes good.  Today my new oil came it's called Slique Essence.  It's a blend of Citrus and herbs to help support digestion and weight management.  I'm hoping that it helps with cravings.  You taste the citrus but you smell the mint.  

I'm hoping that I haven't bitten off more than I can chew by trying too many things at once.  We shall see how it goes.

Time for Change - Time for Me

"Taking care of yourself is not selfish, it's selfless.  A better you is more capable to serve others." Live Oola

This is something that is very hard to me to do.  I take care of everyone and everything else before I take care of me.  It's time for a change.  It's time for me.  Sometimes it takes things going on in other peoples lives to put things into perspective for your own life.  That is happening right now.  Someone I know has just been diagnosed with cancer.  If something like that happened to me have I done all that I was supposed to do with my life...Have I lived my purpose?

All I ever wanted to be was a wife and mother, being an art teacher was my back up plan.  So for 19 years I have focused on my children.  They are needing me less and less now that they are 19, 16 and almost 12.  Knowing that and knowing that I want to be there for their children someday and to travel the country with Ken when they are all out of the house, I need to focus on me now and get in shape.  "To be in  your children's memories tomorrow, you need to be in their lives today." Live Oola

I know that what has held me back is being so busy doing things for everyone else that I don't have time for me, and then at the end of the day I'm so tired that I don't want to do anything.  But most of all it's fear.  Fear of being judged by others and fear of failing. About 5 years ago I was exercising with a personal trainer.  I don't like exercising in front of other people, or in front of mirrors.  I feel like I am being judged and I HATE going on the treadmill.  But when I was working out with the personal trainer I felt comfortable.  Until one day he forgot and scheduled an open circuit at my time slot.  That day I had my first anxiety attack.  It was awful.  My heart felt like it was beating out of my chest, I was sweating, crying and couldn't catch my breath.  The way I felt in that moment stopped me from exercising, until now.  For the past year I have been wanting to try something new, a kickboxing class for women, but fear and financial reasons stopped me from joining.  Well last week I did it.  I went to my first class.  OMG it was hard.  It wasn't a kickboxing class, it was a kettle bell class.  I am so grateful to my good friend for coming with me and being my security blanket.  I am looking forward to going trying kickboxing.  I have now gone to 3 classes and have exercised at home twice. 

The other thing that has given me the motivation I need is Oola.  I have been reading "Oola: Find Balance in an Unbalanced World," and following OolaLife on Facebook.  Watching their Facebook live's and getting motivation and direction.  I love the quotes they post on FB and on Pinterest.  Year after year things stay the same and I have become content with that, that's not good.  There is one thing that kept changing and that's a number.  I don't want to say the number out loud or even type it because I don't like it.  But I have come to a point that I have to change it.  I don't want to be afraid any more.  I don't want to stand on the sidelines watching, I want to participate.  This change is not going to be easy, no thing worth it is.  I am finally ready to start.

"Don't fear failure. Fear being in the exact same place next year as you are today." Live Oola

"Stop being afraid of what could go wrong, and start being excited about what could go right." Live Oola

In Search of Words of Wisdom

I have all of the books that inspire me with words of wisdom on the counter in the kayos. 

#1 The Bible

#2 My Journal

Oola Find Balance In An Unbalanced World

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Program Guide

Searching for advice 

Searching for answers

Searching

Reading 

Taking Notes

and Searching More

Disappointment, Setback, Comeback and Change

Early this week my son said, "I know you are disappointed in me. I'm the disappointment child." I told him then that it was not true.  I said no, "I'm the disappointment child. I believe that you can do great things."

Disappointed, I'm NOT disappointed in you.  I'm disappointed in the choices that we ALL continue to make.  It's like we're stuck in the same day, the same week, the same month and the same year.  And we keep making the same mistakes over and over again, never learning from them and never making REAL change.  Why is it that some people have motivation, discipline and drive and can succeed at whatever they try? Why is it that some people continue to fail while others succeed?  I really wish I new the answer.  How do we get out of the rut we are stuck in?  What are we afraid of?  I wrote before about how when we were younger we were ready for adventures and we tried new things.  We picked up and moved where there were better opportunities.  There are things that I love and things that I don't about the position we are in right now.  It takes a lot to confront your demons.  Everyone has them.  Mine are self worth, food and laziness.  That was very hard to say.  I might seem to have it all together but I don't.  I struggle everyday.  I constantly feel that I am being judged by others.  I want to loose weight and get healthy but I never do.  I start out strong and then get lazy and give up.  When the going gets tough, I give up.  I really want to make change but I guess I don't know how to successfully do it, since I haven't been successful at it yet.  I've been reading all of the inspriational quotes on the Oola Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/OolaLife/ . I decided to type them into a document, print it and hang it up around the house as a reminder.  Hopefully this will work.
They say, believe that there is a comeback for every setback and a new beginning for every ending.  I'm looking for that comeback and new beginning. I will keep the faith and have hope that God will help me to make change.

This morning I spilled all out on my son.  It was like I had this awakening.  I told him, he's ready, and we are ready, it's time for him to FLY.  Time for him to use those wings that we gave him and take the challenge to make change.  I believe in him.  Just like I believe in my girls.  I know they are capable of doing great things.  They just have to try.  I said that when my husband and I were younger we were ready for adventure and we moved and took opportunities that would make things better for our family.  Now it feels like we are a bit stuck and told him NOT to get stuck like us.  GO, spread your wings and FLY.  Don't wait to get your associates degree to transfer, apply now and go. You are ready for the challenge.

Keep Moving On

We need to stop dwelling on the past. We must move on.  You will never move forward if you keep looking in the past, you must focus on whats in ahead of you.  We've all made mistakes in the past in one way or another. In order for changes to happen, we need to move on.  Don't get stuck in the mud staring at your mistakes day after day.  Address the problem, set a goal and move on.  Set a date to check on your progress.  You shouldn't weigh yourself every day.  Everyone fluctuates daily.  You will only see the benefits of your actions after you have been doing your action steps for at least 3 months.  The Oola Guru talked about this in his Money Monday talk for finance but you can use that for any part of your life.

End of an Era, new beginnings

This is so true, although it is hard to do. Support your children, raise them up. Remember that dreams can change. Tell them they can accomplish anything if they put their minds to it. Elementary school is just the beginning. The last few weeks leading up the 5th grade moving up have been emotional for me. But as the day came and went it was a little easier. My youngest is moving up to middle school, as hard as it is to believe, it means new adventures and new friends for her. I will always cherish my years at McNulty, both as a student myself and a parent. I will miss my McNulty family and hope that our paths will continue to cross in the future. Its time to step down from the PTA that I have been on for 15 years and "retire" from subbing. It's time to pass the torch on to others.

Time to focus on taking care of myself, body, mind and spirit.

Awesome Oola Quotes 

Motivation and Creating a new Routine

It's Friday...my new motivation is that every day is "Day 1 of the rest of my life."  Everyday we have the opportunity to start over, BE better, DO better, BE more and DO more than the day before. Since my kids started back to school on Wednesday every day has been day 1.  Step by step I'm making changes and positive improvements to me.  Doing the daily things that need to be done plus some.  Today when I was washing dishes I think I had an ah-ha moment.  Kids always say, "why do I have to learn this...I"m never going to use it."  I've been subbing in elementary school for 10 years plus and have seen many different methods of teaching each one supposed to be better than the last.  What they all need to teach are reading, writing and arithmetic.  As I washed dishes, I was thinking about my last few days and the things I am doing to improve myself.  I have read, written and done math.  I also am going to P.E. & health, music, art and FACS (home ecconomics).  We need to feed our brain and our body.  For years I have been going through the motions and not even making the connection like I did today.  This may seem silly but now the next time one of my kids says "I'm never going to use this," I can prove them wrong.

• Being a stay at home Mom is like being in a middle school FACS class everyday:cooking, cleaning, laundry, balancing the checkbook.
• Reading: I have started to study the Bible on my own and reading a self-help book called "Oola, Find Balance in an Unbalanced World."
• Writing is this, restarting my blog.
• Math: balancing my checkbook and paying bills.
• Music: playing piano everyday and enjoying listening to music for motivation and inspiration.
• Art: being creative in some way every day, crocheting, painting, drawing or just coloring.
• PE & health: moving more, drinking lots of water, eating healthier, learning and using essential oils.  Every morning in the shower I am stretching. I do toe touches and reach up to the sky, wall push ups and toe lifts, shoulder circles and waist twists 10 of each.  I have been diffusing tangerine essential oil, aromatherapy had many health benefits.