Tag: holiday planning

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From Cookie Cravings to Homemade Treats: A Lesson in Grocery Planning

Written December 22, 2024

Hello Dear Readers,

I decided to bake a batch of cookies. I usually get a box of cookies from the grocery store, which contains about 10 cookies. For some reason, I forgot to get some cookies yesterday. I was distracted with the ingredients for the dessert I wanted to make for the family Christmas party. 

My wife is not fond of forgetting to purchase anything or wasting food due to purchasing too much. So, my wife creates a grocery list for the menu for the following weeks. I am good at not getting extra items just because I saw them. I have a simple list I always want to get, nothing more.

This week was a bit unusual. I had to pick up extra items for the Christmas party, and I really should have taken a page from my wife’s book and made a proper shopping list. To make things trickier, one of the items I usually buy was relocated to a different section of the store. While searching for it, I got sidetracked and wandered past the cookie display—tempting, to say the least!

I felt a bit disappointed, but then I remembered we still had a bag of chocolate chips and some walnuts left over from other projects. That got me thinking about baking chocolate chip cookies this week. Since I already need to bake for Christmas, I’ll find a way to fit them in. It’ll just take an hour of dedicated time to whip up a batch.

I did learn something valuable, though. Whenever I need to pick up more than the usual items, I should make a shopping list. Even with just a few extra things, there’s always a chance I might forget something for one reason or another.

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How I Balance My Fitness Goals in a Busy Season

Written December 8, 2024

Hello Dear Readers,

Since I started running 10k more frequently than ever, I have been experiencing body exhaustion. This morning, I woke up pretty sleepy and succumbed to tiredness by sleeping an extra half-hour. Luckily, there were no time-sensitive demands on me this morning, so my lateness has no lasting consequences. The volatile weather made my work harder.

Undoubtedly, the more frequent 10K runs have impacted my energy level. I did a few 10k runs last week. I have chronic kidney disease, so I cannot eat even an average man’s protein amount. The food restriction impacts me when it comes to exercising. My body doesn’t seem to recover as fast as I would wish. The sudden change in exercise goals affects me more than I would like. Too much exercise can lead to muscle loss since I cannot eat enough protein. So, I must be extremely mindful of how much I work out.

I just have to sleep more than expected on days like today. I take this as a signal from my body that I need to rest more than usual. The year is about to end anyway, so I will only work on adjusting my goals now. I am nearly hitting the target, and I know it is doable. I still take a rest day on Sunday. I canceled everything that was occurring during the Christmas holiday.

We started to plan what we would eat for this Holiday. My family in Tennessee decided to spend Christmas Holidays at my sister’s house in Virginia. My wife can only take a few days off since she is the sole accountant at her company. There is so much year-end prep work she has to do. She has been automating so many tasks that she runs the finance department alone. Her company is still publicly traded, and the office where she works has nearly $50 million in sales. She says they are hoping to get one more accountant, which will ease her workload in the future. I support my wife however I can, so I will stay in Tennessee to spend our holidays together. 

Hopefully, the extra half hour will be enough to rejuvenate me, and I’ll be able to resume my desired schedule.