It's That Time...

Man alive, I'm not a resolution kind-of girl. As I said in my last post, I try not to make "resolutions" each year, mainly because I tend to fail. I'm awesome at the outset and then, about three weeks in, blah. Yet still, I try. My one little word helps. And #nerdlution helps.

#nerdlution was a hashtag a bunch of friends came up with last year on Twitter. A set amount of time along with some set goals. Check in as you could on Twitter using the hashtag. (You can read more about it in Franki Sibberson's blog post HERE.) Similar to Linda Urban's #WriteDaily30, which I just finished, I found #nerdlution to be moderately successful. I didn't meet my goals every single day, but it helped me to refocus. For a recent example - I wrote 27 out of 30 days in #WriteDaily30. So while my one little word, grace, will be with me for the year, I'm hoping #nerdlution15 (this year's hashtag) can help me kick off the year with some good habits.

My #nerdlutions

Soda vs. Water
I have got to get this one under control. I love soda. LOVE. I could drink it all day, but I don't. I know how bad it is for me. I don't think it is realistic, however, for me to cut it out completely right now. So my goal is one soda a day and at least 64 ounces of water. That would be huge. 

Move
I have not been exercising of late, and my grouchy mood can attest to that. I don't care what type of exercise it is, but I want to add moving back into my life, four times a week for thirty minutes each time. My guess is that walking will be the main form, which is fine with me.

Food
I need to add back some more fruits and vegetables into our diet. With both of my boys in travel basketball, I feel like our eating habits have turned to whatever is the quickest. So nothing drastic, because I know that isn't attainable for me, but a concerted effort to add what fuels us back in.

Reflection 
Grace is my one little word for 2015. Someone yesterday asked what grace means to me. I do think of God's grace when I think of that word. I selected it because my interpretation is that it isn't something we need to ask for, but it is the love and mercy that he gives us. I'm picking it as a reminder to be kind to myself this year and making it a #nerdlution to reflect as often as I can on whether I am, indeed, remembering grace. 

And there you have it, my four #nerdlutions for the first 58 days of 2015. Franki is going for 50 days, but I’m doing 58 as that takes me to the day of my 41^st birthday. I can’t think of a better present for myself than that. Want to join in? Use the hashtag #nerdlution15 and we will see you there.  

#Nerdlution Round Two

Tomorrow begins a second round of #nerdlution. My first round was a bit of a bust, or so I thought. As I blogged about it HERE, I planned on walking each day and writing each day. Specifically, I wanted to write towards creating a book. And, I failed – or did I? It’s true, I don’t have a book or anything resembling the outline for a book even, but I wrote daily. Sometimes blogs, sometimes in my journal, sometimes a new document on the computer and no idea what would become of it, but I wrote.

I also worked towards getting the idea for a book. So many of us talk about writing one – I know because you wonderful people email me and tell me you are just as stuck as I am. That helps tremendously because I know I’m not alone. I love writing, but this is uncharted territory for me. What do I know enough about to fill an entire book? I’m still not sure. There is a nugget of an idea there and I’m searching for it. Until I find it, I will write.

I did walk, but not daily. Last night when I was reading tweets from Colby and Franki I thought about my failure at #nerdlution. Then I realized, I probably walk five nights out of seven now, and that’s progress. Before #nerdlution I was walking maybe one out of seven.

So what did I discover from those first fifty days? Something I think I’ve known. I need to be kinder to myself. I need balance. (Hello my one little word.) Trying to do something every day was not working for me, but goals are good so I’m jumping back in.

Here’s my #nerdlution for round two:

Basically, I want to continue to focus on my OLW – Balance. That’s is a daily reflection for me. Did I try and balance my life that day? If not, there is tomorrow.

I want to write four articles for Choice Literacy because I haven’t written any lately.

I’d like to read forty books – four of which need to be professional books. I picked forty because I’ll be turning forty during this round. I’m not at all sad about that, I think forty will be fun!

And I want to continue to write, and write, and write. My hope is that writing as much as possible of these next fifty days will help me discover my voice and what it is that I want to say.

So there you have it, my #nerdlution for round two. How about you? Are you working on anything? Please join us if you’d like. If you tweet, just make sure you add the hashtag into your tweets. 

You Say You Want A #nerdlution...

Every time I see #nerdlution in a tweet my brain automatically starts singing,

You say you want a #nerdlution,

Well, you know.

We all want to change the world.

I love this little movement that has turned into something bigger than a few friends making goals.

I love that there are so many positive folks on Twitter.

I love that I’m friends with so many of them.

I feel like we, as a group, can change the world. Look at the positive energy this hashtag has created? I was a bit of a grouch tonight. Judging by the attitude my sons both have, I think it might be something in the air. Getting out of that mood was easy – I simply read the #nerdlution tweets. Happiness and positive energy abounds. I highly recommend it when you need to turn your mood around.

We’ve also begun a #nerdlution in my classroom. My students know my goals and are welcome to ask me how I’m doing any day. They have created their own as well and have check-off charts in their writing notebook to keep track of their success? Their goals? Awesome:

Check over my homework at night.

Eat healthier.

50 crunches a day and not as much candy.

Run two times around the neighborhood each day.

Run and be healthier.

Run each day.

Write a page in my notebook a day.

Read and write more daily.

Read an hour a day.

Write and exercise more.

Read 20 minutes, run 30 minutes, drink water, eat an apple a day.

Convince my parents to buy me a horse.

Less TV and fighting with my brother.

Work on organizing my writing.

5 layups and a run daily.

Give something to others daily.

Less candy, TV every other day, no “sassing” back.

Love these kids. Today we reflected on the goals three days in. I reminded them this is no pressure – reassess your goals, change if needed. The main goal we have as a class is to come out at the end of the 50 days feeling good about what we accomplished.

Some kids are very earnest about what they are undertaking. Some, I am assuming, I will be reminding them along the way of what we’re doing. Either way, I’m glad to go on this journey with them.

Have you joined the #nerdlution yet? If you want more info, see these posts:

FRANKI’S

CHRIS’S

COLBY’S

MINE

#Nerdlution

Last night my Twitter notifications were going crazy. I had stumbled into a conversation with Franki Sibberson and Colby Sharp about Colby’s resolve to write daily. When Franki mentioned she needed to begin running again, I said I’d join her – but I would be walking. More friends joined in and we ended up with a hashtag - #nerdlution.

#nerdlution is what you make of it. We’re setting goals for the next fifty days – Monday the 2^nd through January 20^th. My goal is to find time to write and walk each day. I have a dream of writing a book, but can’t see my way into it yet. Ideas swirl in my mind, but nothing is taking hold. I am hoping if I can commit to writing each day towards a book, something will pour fourth. Walking is just a habit I need to return to.

I love the idea of joining with Twitter friends in this challenge. Colby is writing daily. Franki is writing with Bill daily and running as well. Chris is working on push-ups. More and more friends joined in as we talked. How about you? Is there a goal you want to put forth? Join us for the next fifty days. Tweet your progress daily using the hashtag #nerdlution. Hope to see you there.