Let Me Explain These Life Changes Real Quick

So last week I told y'all about the 14-Day Get Yo' Shit Together Challenge I started and what my goals were, but I failed to mention some guidelines for said challenge in case others wanted to participate and change something in their life. Since I already wrote it out for myself and then again for Mari via BBM, here are the basics to getting started on a brand new, fabulous you:

1- Determine your problem/what keeps you from not being in order. For me it's instant gratification. I'd rather have fun now and work later, except I never end up working later and end up wayyy behind on stuff. It's a terrible habit that I am working on changing because it not only affects the way I keep house but also how I approach relationships (romantic and otherwise).

2- Figure out a good ATTAINABLE schedule for yourself. I'm only giving myself 3 chores or less a day, that way it's less daunting than, say, WASH ALL CLOTHES TODAY. Anyone that's ever seen the amount of laundry in my apartment knows what a task that would be, so instead I kept it simple- two loads a day for the entire two weeks. That's small and easy and doable.

3- Place your to do list where you are sure to not ignore it. I'm a visual person so I will have it sticky'd to my computer. Figure out a good place to post your own goals so you won't forget them.

4- Decide what's truly important right now. I kept putting things that could wait ahead of things that were more urgent. Like, I'd buy a new hairbrush instead of washing the old one out because mine was looking EH when really I should have put that money into the gas bill. And if you've ever shopped at Ricky's you know- you go in there for a hairbrush and you leave with about 20 other things you didn't need. Now there's no Christmas because I just had to have a button warning people that I was off my meds. Priorities; I'm trying to learn what that word really means.

5- Do not take on extra work if you get done early with the daily task. Relax with some ME time so you can rejuvenate for the next day's TO DO LIST. Trust me- some people will be all, "Why put off until tomorrow..." Do me a favor and smack that person in the face right now. You need rest. Don't deprive yourself of it like I've done my whole life. It's not fun, at all. What I wouldn't give to be able to relax for once in my life. I actually have to teach myself how to relax...ain't that some shit?

Those are the rules in a nutshell. If you think you need more guidance or one-on-one help, don't call me until after December 14th. My calender is fully booked until then.

*smooches...determined on becoming a better, cooler more rested me*
----------
...or die trying...

I May Regret This...

This week I'm doing something a bit crazy with Monday Musings. You ready for this? Tonight, if you tune in LIVE and call in with a question, about me or anything, I will answer it honestly in a segment I like to call "Ask Jaded..."



The lovely Smarty P. Jones will be wearing her journalist's cap as she plays interviewer to my interviewee. Did that make sense?

Basically- you email her at smarty@smartysworld.com OR call in during the Live broadcast and you can ask me anything about anything. That's right- anything about anything.

Just...don't make me crawl throw the phone to beat your ass, okay??

*smooches...excited and nervous at the same time*
----------
I'm curious to see what y'all want to know about me

The 14-Day Get Yo' Shit Together Challenge

December is creeping up on me fast, y'all, and although I don't really do resolutions per se, I’m on a quest to stay so busy that the bluesy-blues won’t have time to catch up to me. Plus I’m thinking this leg thing is probably kind of serious (and Mari totally yelled at me because my illnesses could be diabetes-related, which is rampant in our family and ultimately killed my grandmother), and I’m pretty sure I’m tired of being broke and in debt so I have to rectify these situations soon, too.

Because I’m a TO DO LIST type of person and need consequences to get things done, I figured this post could be my TO DO LIST and you all seeing it and yelling at me if I don’t complete it will be my consequence. And feel free to be as obnoxious as you want to be with it, too. I'll only ignore your bbms or call you a poopie-faced devil. Deal? Deal!

Beginning November 28th, I will embark on a 14-day mission to start getting myself back in order. By December 14th I will have:

>>a clean and organized apartment. It’s not that big. We don’t have a lot of stuff. There’s really no reason for the mess except laziness. I have sectioned off the tasks by area for each day of the challenge so that it’s not so overwhelming, and of course, I have the babies doing their share (seeing as 77% of the mess is theirs!).

>> a “clean” body OR a plan to get it that way. Yes, I will see a stanky-ass doctor, okay?! I will see about getting some of that free healthcare NYC offers and go to a mangy ol clinic and let them test me from here to eternity to see what is wrong with my leg. I will not give attitude, I will not fight and I will not storm out of any waiting rooms.

>> a plan to clean up my credit. There’s no way to fix the money mess I’m in during the 14-day challenge, but that is enough time to get my credit report, see what’s up and begin to repair the damage. This will [have to] include a plan to make more money and reduce spending, yet again, but whatever. Anything to stop whomever it is that keeps calling from that 877 number from showing up on my caller ID 10 times a day!

>> a writing schedule in place. One that I will stick to for the entire 14 days and continue afterward. All the great working writers I know of say the same thing: write every day as if it were your job. I mean, it kind of is my job but I've totally neglected some of my creative projects by letting LIFE get in my way. And that's no way to launch an empire!

>> a list of junior high schools to look into for N. Lawd JEEEZUSSSS this process is grinding my gears, but if it's the last thing I do I WILL narrow down her middle school choices to a short list of places that will a)provide her with the best preparation for high school and b) not be so far out of our way that the commute will unnerve me. Of all the tasks, this one might be the one to kill me.

I'm pretty sure I've written a post like this before, towards the end of the year, promising to do that, swearing I'm going to do this, but the difference this time around is that I'm desperately trying to avoid that bottom-of-the-barrel feeling I had just two summers ago when my depression got kinda serious (thanks A LOT, jury duty!!). Trust me- it's not where I want to be ever again!

What do I hope to get out of this? Well besides a spotless apartment and the ability to run, skip and jump in heels again, I want the peace of mind that I’m hoping will come when all of this is checked off my list. In turn, the bluesy-blues will have to take up residence with someone else and the commuters on the B41 bus will be safe from my wrath once again.

And isn’t that what we ALL want?

So, who wants to join in? What do you want to accomplish by December 6th?

*smooches...nervous about putting this out there*
----------
Lord help me if I don’t finish...I’ll be SO mad!

We Be Thankful, Yo!

Our biggest challenge wasn't me roasting a chicken even though I'm grossed out by the sight of a dead piece of poultry, or the clogged sink that decided to act brand new since last night, or the three field mice set loose in the living room when Mami tried to use the pool's wet-vac to fix the sink's clog.

It wasn't the apple pie that spilled over in the oven and filled the kitchen with smoke and set off the fire alarm, or our dinner guests who missed their bus and couldn't join us for dinner, or our other guests showing up an hour early when we were still cooking and looking a hot mess.

The biggest challenge of the night, hands down, was trying to fit all the leftovers in Mami's already crowded refrigerator.



But we're ever so thankful that too much food is our main concern tonight, and that each and every one of the aforementioned challenges were solved via family teamwork.







Here's hoping your holiday was just as fulfilling.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM
THE ACOSTA-PENZO-GARCIA-HICKS FAMILY!!!!!

*smooches...so stuffed I can barely see*
----------
I seriously wish you could have seen how we finally trapped these mice *SMH* We were a hot mess, but we got 'em!

And That's Why I Have No Faith...

Sign seen at someone's desk:

"Faith is not believing that God can, it's knowing that he will."

*smooches...giving this sign the thumbs down*
----------
also, I saw this in a government building...isn't that against the law or something? I'm gonna call the ACLU because I feel violated...