Monthly Habits - May 2019 Edition
/April showers bring May flowers….and in Florida it just gets muggy.
This is another installment of my monthly habits. A list of my daily, weekly, monthly habits that keep me in check. I’m sharing 7 habits per month.
Use leftover veg water for plants: Have you ever seen how dark green and fabulous the leftover water is from steaming your veggies? I know we’re sad about all the nutrients it contains and how that didn’t make its way into our bodies. I have let it cool down and used it for my morning green smoothie. I also will use it to water my plants….letting it cool down again, of course. (NOTE: do not use pasta water. It contains starches, will make your plant soil gross and attract bugs. Yes, I know from experience. LOL!)
Freeze leftover fruit or citrus: I had a bunch of leftover cut citrus fruit from a party. We aren’t huge cocktail drinkers and I know the fruit would go to waste if left in the fridge. I decided to freeze it. Now I have flavorful “fruit cubes” to use in my water during the week. I also freeze any fruit pieces that might be overripe and not really suitable for eating out of hand. This month, I’m starting to experiment with using them in kombucha.
You don’t have to finish every book: I use to think I had to finish a book even if I didn’t like it. Not sure where the compulsion comes from. Maybe from all the reading assignments in school. It took me years to realize this was a complete waste of time. I am an adult. No one is forcing me to read a Nora Roberts book. If I don’t like it, I put it down and move on.
Get your greeting cards ready the month before: I know this sounds terribly anal. Buuuut, I am a serial card forgetter. The belated birthday cards I have sent are in the 100’s. I keep a stock of different cards on hand and on the 15th of the month, I prepare the cards I will need the for the next month. (ie..April 15th for the month of May). I address them, stamp them and I might even write a note if it’s someone I don’t talk to very often. I place a sticky note with the “Mail on” date and leave them in a pile on my desk. Then, I can drop them in the mailbox on my way out the door.
Podcasting for knowledge: It is not a secret. I am a podcasting fiend. I happen to host two of my own. (More Than a Mouthful, Eating Cake By the Ocean) But, even before I hosted, I was a chronic listener. One of my favorites is “Before Breakfast”. Laura offers little life tips, 5 days a week and does it in about 7 minutes. You can find 7 minutes somewhere in your day. I listen while washing my face and putting on my makeup. I save lengthier podcasts for when I’m running, driving to the office or just sitting with my coffee. I have learned so much about my favorite celebrities, gained valuable professional advice, acquired interesting facts about how stuff is made and laughed my ass off.
After dinner walk: This is a newly adopted habit. It’s been around for about 2 months. After we’ve walked dogs, made dinner and eaten dinner, we go for a walk. Just the two of us. No dogs. No phones. (phones are brought with, but not used) We’re finding this is wonderful for digestion and it gives us uninterrupted time to chat.
Brush your teeth after dinner to keep yourself from the evening snacks: There is something about brushing my teeth that tells my body “it’s time to stop eating”. Sometimes I get the munchies around 8 PM. I know it’s not hunger. But, my usual trick - drink lots of tea - doesn’t work in the evening hours. If I drink loads of tea, I’ll be up peeing every hour on the hour. Brushing my teeth gets the signal to my brain…”We’re done in the kitchen”
So there you have it. Seven habits to try in May. Email me at mandywanzzcake@gmail.com or comment below to let me know which habit you want to try or let me know what you tried and failed! Either way, you’re trying to make your life a little bit better.