February Relationship Challenges - 2017

Challenges for February

Family Challenges: 

As a family, we are focusing on Relationships this month.  

We are going to go on a media diet - strongly limiting our use of social media, our intake of the vitriol being vomited out of Washington D.C. and focusing on supporting and strengthening our relationships and our community. Even though our girls spend very little time in front of any kind of screen, we are going to purposefully let them be bored instead of plugging them in.

We are going to make Valentines Day Cards. We are going to intentionally cultivate family time for fun. We are going to step outside the busyness and be together.

HandsomeJoe and I are going to go on one date per week this month (thank goodness for Grandparents) and continue our weekly check in meetings.

A lot of these will not become posts as we will be focusing on living well together.

We will be practicing self-care, reorienting ourselves, seeking balance, and looking for ways to love and care for each other better.

Personal Challenges:

I did marvelously last month re-dedicating myself to my personal food/eating rules (no dairy or sweets except on "cheat/feast days" and special occasions, etc.) and I'm excited to continue getting healthier this month.

I missed only one January day of practicing my french using the duolingo app. I'm having to re-learn some of what I'd picked up before and hopefully every time I go back, I make a little more of an imprint in my brain.

For my February Relationship Challenges I am committed to making eye contact and smiling at each of my girls at least once per day, and purposefully making each of them laugh at another time per day. Even though we know these little ones of ours are marvelous and we feel the full weight of our responsibility of raising them, it's still too easy to fall into negative patterns, feelings of being burdened, and negativity born out of poor mindsets and lack of personal care. But we need each other. Sometimes it's just simple little shifts that can change our mindset allowing us to make big changes in the lives of those around us.

February's Fitness Challenge: 

In January I challenged myself to work up to 50 kettlebell swings in a row. On the 11th, I was so bored that I knocked out 50 kettlebell swings with my 20lb kettlebell. 

Having completed the challenge in less than two weeks, I shifted my focus. After putting the girls to bed, before being "allowed" to leave their room, I started doing air squats. The first week I did 45 each night working my way up to 65 per night by the final days. I can tell that my back is noticeably stronger.

For February, I've decided to do 100s - originally from Pilates, they're a minute movement that you do 100 times in a row. I'm changing it up a bit. Inspired by January's air squats I'm challenging myself to do 100 of some exercise per night. Last night I did 100 tricep extensions just using my own bodyweight, the night before it was 100 butterfly lifts.

After doing such a difficult challenge last month, we are going to focus our energy outward, breath out slowly and breathe life back in.

How are you strengthening your relationships these days?

For our other monthly challenges click here.  

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