Quitting

Being a quitter is easy for some things...for others it is down right torture!

Quit:

The cigarettes that are ruining your lungs
The food that has total control over you and your waistline
The friend that you cannot let rule your life anymore
The Internet sites that suck all of your day away
The job that keeps you away from your family too much
I could go on and on.....and for all of us it is different things or multiple things

Whatever the bad habit happens to be, it is hard to change habits.

I am faced with just such a challenge these days and it is a 26 year smoking habit.  I don't know how to be an adult without being a smoker.  I don't know how to go to social functions without being a smoker.  Oh boy!  this is going to be a huge switch.  What's the difference from all of the other times I have tried to quit smoking, you ask?  Well this time I told my 4 1/2 yo who has already been asking me to stop.  I have basically all but announced it on a social media site to all of my "friends".  I am having a severe asthma issue on the (semi) heels of pneumonia.  Yeah, it's time.  I can't keep coming up with excuses and I have to push forward.  Not that those excuses aren't coming up in my head regularly.  They are. I have my 25 year class reunion coming up, I may have to buy a pack that night.  It's only one night, then I can put them away. Uggh....see there are always these thoughts.  EVERY time I have tried to quit.    I thought about going to the store last night.  I thought about it again today.  I was just thinking about it a few minutes ago.  The key right now is to stay busy any way I can, and I have a HUGE list of things I have always wanted to do but "never got around to it".  On of them is to keep up with my blog and learn how to make it a cool place to hang out.  I don't seem to get around to doing that........

Challenges and Joys

• Keeping a 10 month old safe but yet not confined.
• Putting food on the table that the 4 yo will not only try but actually eat.
• Keeping TV time to a minimum even though it is quiet time for me. ;-)
• Challenging the children to learn new things on a regular basis while still making it fun.
• Being honest with all dealings with people, without necessarily sharing every thought in my head.
• Putting yourself out there to try new things on a regular basis.
• Patience in many many many things that I would rather NOT be patient about.
• Being at peace with "where" I am at the moment.
• Holding my tongue when I have something I feel needs to be said, though it probably only feels that way to me.

• Watching the baby do something for the first time.  
• The joy in your child's face when they reconnect with you after a day away.
• Knowing that you made a difference in someone's life today.
• Connecting with loved ones, especially ones that you haven't talked to recently!
• Having a productive conversation with someone whom you have a strong difference of opinion.
• Healthy children
• Wonderful friends
• Stepping up to a challenge and succeeding!