Hello my long lost pals!

It’s been awhile and I’m sure you’ve guessed what’s been going on with me based on the header.  Yup, I’ve been in a big, ol’ stinky, don’t feel like it, shrugged shoulders, funky-town, rut.  And it’s been no great helper to the blog.  Or my self-confidence.  Or my self identity.  Or that long list of projects.  Sigh.

After a few weeks of feeling “off,” I came to the conclusion that I needed to step away from the extra stuff.  Just take the pressure off, you know?  I still did a few things here and there, but I gave myself the option to binge watch The Good Wife, if I wanted to.  Freeing myself, allowed me to face my rut head-on.  Why wasn’t I feeling like myself?  And how the heck was I going to get out of this rut?!  You guys, I need out of this apathy STAT.

What’s a to-do lister like me supposed to do?  Ha!  I decided to come up with a list.  DUH.  Kind of like a 12 step program, for lame-o’s, to get my Stella groove back.  And then I thought (lightbulb!), wouldn’t it be even better if say, a few friends joined me along the way?!  Like YOU, hint, hint, wink, wink.

Anyway, after lots of day dreaming and commercial munching, here’s the list I came up with –

1.  Retail Therapy.  Of course this is on my list.  It’s easy and damn it, staring at something new and pretty will make my eyes happy.  This will for sure start me in the right direction.
2. Watch something FUNNY.  Watch something SAD.  Movies heal, y’all.  We can all agree to this one, right?

   

3. Give myself a guaranteed win.  Will it feel cheap?  Maybe.  But hey, I deserve something on my to-do list that is easy, awesome and guaranteed not to suck.
4. Get my body moving.  I’m thinking rock climbing, yoga-ing, cross training.  Shit ANYTHING at this point.  I’m sure that getting the blood flowing will certainly help my endorphin level, or whatever it’s called.  Those may be a stretch, but I KNOW I can at least do a video a few times a week.
5. Give my kids a win they never saw coming.  Omg, how awesome is it when you surprise someone with something they were not expecting at all??  It’s kinda amazing.  I need to do something that will up my Mom cred, even if it’s a short lived high.
6. Enjoy some time with my man.  It’s sad to admit, but we rarely spend time with just the two of us.  But we should… not just because I still like him after all these years, but also because I remember my other self… that (kinda) sexy, funny, daring girl, who’s still in there but doesn’t come out to play as much.  It’s fun to be her every once in awhile.
7. Tell my mom I don’t feel good.  Mom’s (or BFF’s) are the best at pumping you back up.  After a lunch with my mom, my head will be so big it’ll barely fit in the house.

   

8. Look your best, feel your best.  This one is really hard for me, but honestly it’s a difference of about 3 minutes in the morning.  Do I wear a little blush or go without?  Care about my shoes or wear what’s comfortable?  I’m really, really going to push for those extra 3 minutes so I can strut just a wee bit.  Or fake it… that’s also an option!
9. Do something challenging.  What this will be, I’m really not sure.  But I think it’s a good thing.

   

10. And lastly, when I start to feel down on myself, give myself a pat on the back.  (That’s a lot of myself’s!)  I DO work hard.  I AM a great mom.  My ideas ARE flipping cool.  Sometimes we are so hard on ourselves.  Why?  I was yammering on with a girlfriend of mine about some dumb room mom crap, totally caught up when I realized that ROOM MOM CRAP IS BORING.  I apologized for bringing up the most boring sage ever told, and my friend said (you won’t believe this), “Jessica, you couldn’t be boring if you tried.”  Friends, it made me cry.  That’s how eff’d up I’ve been.  So, yeah I need to cut me a bit o’ slack.

So, that’s kind of what I’m thinking.  ALL super fun things.  ALL really great things for my mind, body and spirit.  I don’t need shit right now.  I need HAPPY.  I need smiles, and hugs, and kuddos.

Wanna do the list with me??  I say we start NOW.