Hello November!

The second to last chapter of most books I read really get exciting. The plot twist, or the climax of the story tend to happen at this point. I want this month to be my plot twist month after a year of struggling. No, wait. I'm going to MAKE this my plot twist month. The chapter that the entire book has lead up to and we see if everything goes good, or turns bad. Yup.... that's going to be my November. Plus, since I don't read bad news books, I have no idea how to even go about an unhappy ending, so my only option is an exciting, uplifting Chapter 11!!!

With that said the past week has been a struggle. I started a new med that added to my already annoying nausea issues. It's slowly starting to improve over the past couple of days, so I have hope that I'm adjusting and things my body will start responding well. We will see... Constant morning sickness without the pregnancy that at least results in a cute little bundle of joy, and the END of the morning sickness, is far less than fun.

I have to say that this particular Chapter 11 will not disappoint. We have lots of fun and family time planned this month. This will create some extra challenges, but the challenges will be so worth it! Plus, I'm working toward a January trip goal, so there is no time for excuses. I have 71 days to get my butt in gear and make some progress.

With that said, I decided to make some attainable November goals. Here's what I came up with:

The first one is a typical goal that goes with this month, but one I haven't done in a few years. I will make a goal of focusing on one thing that I am thankful for each day this month. Yesterday, since it was November 1st, my Thankfulness Day 1 was my oldest daughter, Emmy Lou. She is my sweet big girl who makes my heart so happy with who she is becoming and that even though she's headed toward her teen years at break neck speed, she is still one of my best friends and we have so much fun together! I actually wrote a bit more in my Instagram post @the_mama_blog if you want to check it out. Tonight I'll post Thankfulness Day 2, my Abbycakes!

The second goal for November is mindful eating. For those who aren't familiar with this topic, mindful eating is being aware of when, what, how much you're eating. Easy ways to practice mindful eating are to:

• Eat when it's meal time, don't multitask. Those who multitask are proven to eat more in one sitting because their brains aren't focused on eating and aren't getting the right signals about being full, or they are eating poor options without thinking about it. 
• Eat meals with others, or at scheduled times. We're really good about this for dinner, but I'm awful when I'm at work. Understanding your body's cues to eat and not eating based on emotions. 
• Consider your food, make choices based on what your body needs.
• Listen to your body and stop when you're full. I've gotten much better about this over the past few years, but I still have my moments!

Really, mindful eating isn't anything new for me. It's just something I need to return to. I've fallen back on old habits, especially when not feeling well, and they aren't helping at all! We've also had a few days of slipping back into the carb addition, especially with Halloween, but we're all ready to be back on track!

My third goal is to try something new this month. I don't know exactly what that something new is, but I will be on the lookout for it!

Finally, my fourth goal is, of course, exercise. I struggled with this again this month. Finding time, energy and motivation, especially when you feel crummy, is hard. In my head I know that working out and finding my groove will help how I ultimately feel, but it's the getting started that's hard. I am also finding that even though I enjoy the BeachBody workouts, I really miss working out with other people. The Hubby and I both actually agreed that we need to go back to karate in January because we miss it. Until then, though... I need to find something that excites me a bit more to help drive that motivation.

So there you have it! I know I've been really hit and miss this past year. In all honesty, that's my reality. It's a constant struggle and sometimes my brain and willpower manage to come out on top for longer periods of time. Other times, well... other times I want to drown myself in McD's french fries and spend days on the couch watching Netflix. It's about balance, right? I am still in search of that balance. Lord knows it will come and go often!