Simply Sober October

[Stargazerlily]

Good morning to everyone on this first day of October...

Drinking my first cup of coffee, looking forward to this day. It is such a blessing to wake up feeling healthy and whole, I want it to be this way forever and will work towards appreciating and valuing being AF.

Sunday was a warm, sunny fall day, filled with long walks, bike riding and being with family and neighbors. Back to work today, but not till later.

To all, have a great day and let's make this October meaningful and AF. :h

[Tipplerette]

Simply Sober October

Morning, Stargazerlily, can I join up this month. Day 5 for me and feeling a little slow this morning. I know it takes a while before the body knows you`ve smartened up but maybe I should be taking supps. Any suggestions.

[dill]

Simply Sober October

Good morning Star and Tip and all to come,
Star, thanks for starting us off!
Tip, we would love to have you join us. As for suggestions, I say be very aware of taking little breaks throughout the day to be alone with your thoughts, re-center yourself and renew your focus. I find that I need to do that, especially on hectic days. Sometimes I find that time by going out to my car to get something....whether I need the thing or not! It's about getting a momentary contact with Nature and the peace it can bring.

Have a sweet AF Monday.

[Lavande]

Simply Sober October

Good morning Simply Sober Ones!

Thanks for strating us up star

Hello & welcome Tip!
Great on your 5 days AF, keep them going with a good strong plan. Dill's suggestion of recentering yourself frequently really helps in the beginning

Dill, Monday mornings are a lot less painful without the monkeys on our backs, huh?

Wishing everyone a terrific AF Monday!
Lav

[Chillgirl]

Simply Sober October

Good day to you all and a very happy Sober October

Love the name Dill especially with our "simply" hallmark.

Star - Thanks for starting us off, you sound in a serene place today, hold on to that autumn glow

Tip - Lovely to have you on board! For me the best way of feeling on top is through good wholesome food, when I feel a little off its usually because I've eaten some proceeded food.

Lav - How did we put up with these damn monkeys for so long?! I just cant fathom it at times.

I've had a roaring start to the month, I went out in the cold at the weekend and looked the harvest moon in the eye, we have no street lights in the village and its wonderful to see the starry skies. I woke up today feeling energizes and invincible, I wish I could bottle it! Anyway, after a rainy dog walk & a trip to the gym, I've made dinner for tonight, spring cleaned the kitchen and reset the fire. This afternoon I will fine tune my CV (Rusty my work resume) as there are a couple of jobs in the local town which would be suitable.

We had Mr S's 12 year old son all weekend till I dropped him at school this morning. Its not easy on all counts, Im not used to kids and also have to tread carefully with my oppinions on what he should be doing (which is a hard one for me! :H) He is pretty overweight, eats a poor diet and takes no exercise which will give you an idea of how hard I have to bite my tongue. Im slowly making healthy suggestions but feel its not having any impact.

Then there is my relationship with Mr S. It turns out he has several financial issues going on and seems to have poor money management. One thing I learned from losing everything I had was that I never want to be in debt. I would rather do without and I live frugally within my budget each month, so I find this quite infuriating. However I adore him and really want to help him put it into some kind of order. These are my woes for today but they cant touch my happy mood.

Wishing you all the most wonderful Simply Sober October :l

[Lavande]

Simply Sober October

Chill, I know you already saw this on FB but I just wanted to share with the others.......
This is what I saw first thing this morning, on a windowsill in my garage



I can't even begin to describe what they smell like. My daughter thinks they smell like 'electrified cheeze whiz' :H :H

Chill, 12 year old boys are still fixable!
They naturally follow suit when they see someone doing something they enjoy, having fun, etc.
Maybe you can get him interested in hiking, biking, cooking, etc
Mr S's financial woes are His problems.......don't take them on as your own.
I have really been watching my own tendency to jump into other people's crap, offer help, eat sin, etc. I am not allowing myself to do that anymore, it's not good for my soul

Well, I made dinner last night & have plenty leftover for a few meals - love this dish!!!!
Chili Mac | recipe from FatFree Vegan Kitchen

[nurdl]

Simply Sober October

Happy October Sober to all. It's a crazy running around day for me iappreciate the thought to recenter even if it's just a few minutes in the parking lot. Your positive posts keep my on the path. Thank you all. Have a great day.
~nurdl~

[dill]

Simply Sober October

Hello nurdl,:welcome: Glad to have you join us. I work in preschool classrooms and getting a moment of peace really makes a difference. It's amazing how the tension/stress can build internally over the day, even when you basically enjoy what you do (as I do). There's always activity and noise and tiny emergencies of one kind or another. It really makes a difference for me if I take that minute or two.

[Lavande]

Simply Sober October

Good morning October friends!

Awaiting the arrival of two very busy little boys ~ going to be one of those long, long days :H

Wishing everyone a terrific AF Tuesday!
Lav

[Stargazerlily]

Simply Sober October

Good morning to all...

Welcome Tip and Nurdl, this AF journey is ongoing, with lots of changes and lots to learn, a lifetime of good living, really. The rewards just become larger over time. Life continues to happen, but this time around, challenges can be managed, clearheaded and making good choices.

Chill, Lav gave good advise with 12 year olds...don't be direct, be sneaky, sliding in fun things to do and asking for help with meals, etc. Believe me, if that child is overweight, he is putting up with teasing and low self esteem. Good luck on your job seach, what types of work are you looking for?

Lav, those stink bugs are yucky!! One entered my house this weekend, and the smell was horrendous. Have fun with the grandkids.

Dill, recentering sounds like a great idea. I will try and do that today.

Off to the dentist today, then I am thinking of taking a week off. I am burnt out. Feeling in a rut, as I mentioned a while ago. I think I just need time away from work. So, when do you know if you need a vacation?

Everyone, have a great day.

[Tipplerette]

Simply Sober October

Thanks for the kinds welcome.

I have never heard of stink bugs and hope I never run into them. We have a hearty skunk living under our porch at the lake house and we co-exist quite nicely as the smell is only strong when we first arrive, then we seem to be desensitized to it. Wait until the dogs arrive this weekend with my kids for THanksgiving... little Pepi Le Peu is in trouble then.

I believe that one of the reasons I feel strong right now is that I HAVE the time to read motivational literature and be by myself. Our family construction business is quiet because of the recession so I have ample time alone. I don't worry about the money loss. We will survive.

Youngsters can be trying but since mine have all grown up I look back with melancholy at those precious years and am glad for the time I put into parenting. I was a go to the park, the beach, the library sorta Mama back then. Glad my drinking started after the youngest was in her teens (coincidence - I think not). The grandchildren have started to arrive now but the little two year old who is a waif of a thing is fed almost all preservative laden, pre-packaged garbage. All i do is cut apples and strawberries for her when she visits. That's really all I CAN do.

This is shaping up to be the best birthday ever. I was born in '56 and am turning 56 and have stopped the drinking and started the LIVING.

Cheers

[Chillgirl]

Simply Sober October

Good Morning Sober Ones

Tipple - when is your Birthday? I love number stuff and dates and decided last year I wanted to get married 12.12.12. However it's getting a bit close so I will have to think of something else special to do on that date :H

Lav - we don't get anything like stinkbugs over here so I have no idea what they can possibly smell like but they sound awful! I will try to find something this 12 year old is interested in, so far it's playing computer games and eating junk and I'm demented! Difficult when his Mum obviously let's him do this all the time. Aggghh!

Star - On the same subject you are spot on! I'm sure he has very low self esteem and is always looking for a sick note then it's fitness class at school. Our relationship is still a bit strained and I need to gain his confidence before getting any more involved. I guess I also need to decide just how much to get involved, it's really not my business but I find it difficult to stand back.

Re your vacation, if you have the time off due to you and it feels right just do it! But plan in some nice 'you' stuff rather than let the week drift by with chores and everyday life. Even if it's just scheduling in some extra exercise, a yoga class, massage or getting round to reading that book you've been meaning to get to. That way it will feel like a worthwhile break instead of wasting the precious time you have off.

More job applications for me get to today, it will be nice when they start converting into interviews and I can build my confidence up again. At the moment I'm applying for a variety of office based jobs in the local town which is 15 minutes drive away.

[Lavande]

Simply Sober October

Good morning everyone!

Judging by the standing water around here it must have rained buckets last night. I didn't hear a thing because I was in a MiMom coma after my 12 hr day watching the grandsons :H
This is what sobriety means to me - being able to enjoy a rip roaring busy day with the kids & sleep soundly afterwards. Now why the hell would I ever want to drink again?

Tip, the stink bugs were introduced here from Asia back in 1998 & no one can figure out what to do about them. They are here for the fruit & veg crops but don't feed on people, thank goodness :H
When my grandkids are here I feed them everything I eat & it usually is something they don't eat at home!

Chill, one thing that really helped my son thru that awkward dorky boy period of life was Boy Scouts! Their philosophy promotes physical fitness, personal growth, healthy living, etc. He loved camping!! No electronics in a tent in the woods

Star, take your week off! Enjoy & recharge yourself

Greetings to everyone today & wishes for a wonderful AF Hump day!
Lav

[Tipplerette]

Simply Sober October

October 8th, 1956 is my birthday, Chillgirl. It might sound morbid but I planned my wedding this year to land on March 21st, the 25th anniversary of losing my full term baby girl. My reason was that I wanted to make a sad memory into a happy memory and as it's become much easier to remember that dark time, I thought the date was a good one.

Those awkward days are not easy to go through or to watch a child go through. All we can be is there for them.

[dill]

Simply Sober October

Chill, I wish you very good luck on your job search. I'm sure it is trying, but you will find something. I know you live in a rural setting. How far is it for you to drive to the nearest town? We live one mile (1.6km) out of a very small town. Finding work here would be quite difficult. The next nearest town is 7 miles (11km) away and it too is a small town.

Tip, you sound very similar to me in regards to when the drinking became a problem. I did just fine when the kids were young. It wasn't until the youngest was in high school that it began to escalate. (no surprise, lol) I'm glad I was present for my children. It would be such a shame to lose that precious short time with them to alcohol.

Lav, I know just what you mean about that deep sound sleep. After a day of Nanna duty I get to bed early and sleep like a rock! I am home today because I have reduced my work days for this school year. I picked up my granddaughter this morning and have been busy ever since. I think, no, I KNOW it is much harder and more tiring keeping up with her than it is to spend a day at my work!:H

Star, do you have time off coming? I thought you took a week this past summer for that retreat you went to. I have the kind of job that has built in breaks, working in a school. I usually do OK until May and then I strongly feel the need for summer break. The work load is heaviest in my job in spring and I am so grateful on that last day of school!

The little one is napping which is why I have time to post. But nap time is short so I better get off the computer and get some things done before she's up and at it again!

Have a great af hump day everyone.