It's Friday!

WAT.

Combining my love of bulldogs with my love of skateboarding! Awesome!

So I am very nervous about the next couple of days. Last weekend, I slipped. He slipped. It was all a big mess of falling over and feeling like shit. My distractions for today include:

• Work out: 30min running, 10min body-weight exercises, stretch like crazy and take a bath after (1.5hrs)
• Do my nails: perfect for after the bath when my cuticles are all soft; yes, super girlie, but I love doing nails: if Duder didn't bite his all the time, he would have perfectly manicured nails and great nail-beds (2hrs)
• Make dinner: venison cutlets (the Polish kind, really tasty glorified meatballs), rice and something else that I dig out of the fridge (1hr-1.5hrs)
• Start on homework with Star Trek in the background (2hrs complete with distractions)

That will take me 7hrs. At which time I will drag Duder into bed and we will watch movies till we pass out. At no point will I (we) drink. At no point will I smoke. If I feel like I need to do either of these things, I will drop and do five push-ups. How you like them apples?

I found this today and was initially put off by the author calling habits "micro-addictions". But the "Unbeatable tips" are still pretty valid for destructive addictions. Maybe it's time to be aware that "micro-addictions" can easily become compulsions if we become too attached to them for whatever reason.

" The hardest part about changing habits is that they’re a pattern. We’re comfortable doing what we have always been doing. Even though we aren’t necessarily happy with what we’re doing, it’s more comfortable following the same pattern than breaking it. Much of this is because we get intimidated trying to make drastic changes. Overhauling your life will never be accomplished in a single day, so just take it easy. Take it one day, or hour, at a time if you need. Commit to changing your habit for just today. "

10 Unbeatable Tips for Overcoming Micro-Addictions - Zen Habits

Children and Stimulus Addiction is a good catalyst for getting my brain thinking, even if it isn't terribly unique. How could I have been better protected against addiction as a child? My mother neither drinks nor smokes, although my father did both to extreme excess (but he wasn't around). I was always shoved outside because mom didn't know what else to do with me. But I was the victim of bullying, thought I wasn't good enough because no one had time for me, and did everything I could for attention. What if you played the video games with your kids? Watched the same shows they did? Went out and played with them? Talked to their "friends" parents to communicate openly about problems? I hate finger pointing and I don't like to do it myself (most of the time) but I think that parents who complain that their children are addicted to "stimulus" need to have a look at themselves and the choices they have made for their kids. These are crazy formative times and they need all the help they can get. [end rant]

So here's to a good weekend. Sunshine, brisk winds, skateboards and bulldogs, shiny new nail polish and ground venison.

W.I.