{lack of} Preparation

Preparation is key to being successful in many aspects of life, right? 

• being prepared for an exam
• being prepared for giving a presentation at work
• being prepared for guests coming over to your house
• being prepared for when you pass with life insurance and wills, etc (woah, that one is serious...)
• being prepared for being parents....

Being prepared is typically the "smarter" way to do things and there are endless examples of preparedness.

 

Sometimes I'm great at being prepared.  Staying up late to prepare food for a holiday meal or a family gathering or staying up late to make sure every single last thing is packed before a trip are both things I do regularly. Or maybe once in a while having a term paper ready BEFORE its due date! In more serious aspects we are prepared with life insurance and we started our early years of marriage prepared for our future by investing for retirement and buying home instead of spending money in other ways (that could have been more fun, maybe...) However, typically I like to fly by the seat of my pants.  I've determined that this is because I have some issues with self discipline.  Instead of taking the time to prepare for things I spend it doing other mindless (but sometimes more fun) activities.  I've come to realize that some of my biggest dreams are not coming true or will not come true without the discipline that I need to enforce. 

 

It's my biggest struggle in life, I think.  Don't ask me about the container of jumbo cookies that I bought at Safeway yesterday... 7 out of 10 of those cookies now reside in our county's dump because it was garbage day today! HOORAY!

 

So, I think this will be common theme in some of my posts this year.  With school being done, I have no more excuses.  Sure, we are busy. EVERYONE is busy. Or, should I say... we all are as busy as we allow ourselves to be, so quit whining! HA! But I will be trying to implement more discipline into several areas of my life this year.  Because life isn't about excuses!

 

Can I just say that one area that Brandon and I both have improved on in the past two weeks is less TV?! Is it a small victory? Yes! But it is a victory!!! The cheerleader in me wants to say "give me a V!" :o)  I have even read six chapters in Firefly Lane (Kristen Hannah) already this year. I mean, that's huge for me! I think it has helped that I downloaded this book for my MIL on her nook that we got her for Christmas so we're supposed to be reading it together. Um, I'm not sure she's started yet. HA!  

 

Last night I also took steps in keeping myself prepared for this weekend's lunches.  I cooked up a huge batch of an extra healthy stir fry full of veggies and short on salt! :)  Well, short-er on salt than I usually would have made it... !

 

        Ingredients:

• Red peppers
• Yellow peppers
• Onion
• Mushrooms
• Broccoli
• Brown rice
• Teriyaki sauce

In attempt to be healthier, I sauteed the onions with Pam and then added water to let them cook and not burn. HA! I burn everything... Then, I cooked brown rice and added half of the teriyaki sauce I would have normally. Then, I set containers out, measured the rice and filled them up with the veggie mixture!!! Oh what, I PREPARED something for lunch/dinner at work??? WOW! That's so AWESOME! I'm proud. :o)  This just means that I will not have an excuse to indulge in my FIL's homemade clam chowder that is on special at the Family Biz tonight, right? Because I will be prepared with my healthy stir fry!

 

Do you want to see it!? You do? Sweet! 

The two smaller ones are lunches/dinners for me and the larger ones are Brandon's.

 

 

 

 

The bottom container with the pinkish lid is full of "ants on a log".  Definitely a healthier alternative to clam chowder and tater tot snacks at 10pm when I'm hungry at work tonight!!! ;o)

That's all for today friends, I'm off to read a few more chapters before I have to shower and leave for work! Enjoy your weekend!