4.10.2011

Sunday Bum-Day

sunday!
After reading the New York Times article about founder and chief executive of Teach For America, Wendy Kopp, and her Sunday routine I wanted to take an opportunity to reflect on my Sunday routines, as it in no way reflects Wendy's. At first I felt a little guilty "I should be getting up at 6am and drinking black coffee and getting straight to work and...." Then after a moment of panic I took a deep breath and realized, I'm not Wendy I'm Brittany (Happy Brittany) and although my routine may not be anything like this powerful woman's it still doesn't make it any less significant.

Sundays are a huge part of my success throughout the week. The kind of week I will have is already determined by Sunday evening.

don't wake me I plan on sleeping in
On Sunday's I try my hardest not to set an alarm clock. Que magnifique! Most Sundays I have to, but I sure do take advantage of the Sundays that I don't.

let's eat!
I nearly jump out of bed for two things: On the weekdays to shut of my roaring iPad alarm clock, which alarm's range from "COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO" to "2012"... but as I said... I try not to set this on the weekend. The second reason I jump out of bed is for breakfast. Oh my gosh I love breakfast. I dream about breakfast. How can Wendy Kopp not eat breakfast? I couldn't function without it. My go-to-meal these days are protein packed oatmeal pancakes (I got the recipe from the wonderful Miss Vermont USA 2011) & now I'm going to share it with you:
oatmeal pancakes
oatmeal
egg whites
hemp protein
ground cinnamon (optional)
ground ginger (optional)
mushed up banana (optional)
vanilla extract (optional)

I don't measure anything out; I just mix the ingredients and let it sit overnight so the oatmeal absorbs the moisture. I make a big batch to last me all week. Sometimes I add a little almond or rice milk the next day to thin out the batter.

Pour it on the skillet & make it just like you would any regular pancake! Add dark chocolate chips, raisins or top with banana, Nutella, or organic maple syrup (this is how my roommate prefers it). Yummy & full of goodness for your body.

splash!
Sunday, I dub thee "Sans Make-Up Day!" now go on and glorify your radiant skin! I love a whole day sans make-up. I wake up, wash my face, spritz on some delicious toner, slather on a light moisturizer, and wont touch my face again until I wash it before bed. I love make-up, but I also love having a naked face. Plus, my skin loves it too.

creativity bug
Without even planning it my Sundays always include some sort of activity involving the allowance of my creative mind. I'll paint just to paint, doodle, create a document, blog, or make hand-made thank you cards. I design things, create vision boards, and stick monogram stickers or jewels all over something I own. I didn't even realize that this was a Sunday ritual of mine until I took this opportunity to reflect on my Sunday habits. Are you aware of your Sunday habits & rituals? Hmmm.... might wanna take a finer look?

motivation?
I love lighting candles. I guess during the week I never have time to do this because I rarely find myself doing it on a weekday. I own some of the most heavenly scented candles on Earth. For some reason lighting candles around the apartment helps me be more productive with my housework. When it's time to settle down and work on lesson plans, Miss USA stuff, journal reflections, or blogging, candles provide sweet comfort and help soothe my mind.

love clean sheets
Which leads me to my next ritual... Housework, a Sunday MUST. I simply love the feeling of a clean home. It makes my week so much better and I function at a much more productive rate.

fresh
Sundays are when I stock my apartment with fresh fruits and vegetables and plan out my meals for the rest of the week. I also blend my smoothies and then store them in the freezer. During the week I can just grab one and take it off to work with me (by lunch time it's perfectly thawed out!). This makes my week so much easier.

sublime
Ah, Sunday exercise. The one day a week where I usually get to go a little bit longer than usual. Today I had a banana/peanut butter/spinach protein smoothie before my workout and I seriously felt like Popeye the Sailor Man. No joke. It could have just been in my head but whatever it was I liked it! Even my fabulous personal trainer had to increase all of my weights [!!!]. I love pushing a little bit harder and running a little bit longer thanks to having a little bit more time.

snack attack
I have quite an addiction to snacking. I love fresh raspberries so much. How marvelous is it that they are one of the power foods in The Abs Diet (my bible for the past year!)? I also love junk food but the less of it I eat, the less I desire. I love to eat little snacks all day long and I try my hardest to make sure they are healthy and fresh. Some of my favorites are:

fresh raspberries or blueberries
sliced cucumbers with fresh lemon juice and sea salt
almonds & raisins
low fat Greek yogurt
string cheese
mini Babybel cheese
gala apples and almond butter
jalapeno hummus with broccoli & carrots
chocolate milk

Miss USA, June 19th. Who's rooting for New Mexico?
 Of course all of these activities and tasks are part of my preparations for Miss USA (JUNE 19th, EEK!!!!). How you ask? Well, in order to be as productive as I can all-week-long all of these elements must be in place & ready for the busy week ahead. It's a lot of work preparing for Miss USA and teaching two classes full of rowdy 4-year-olds. The more organized and prepared I am with my home & personal life the more successful & driven I can be for the remainder of the week. Sundays are also prime time for me to connect with the people who are helping me prepare for Miss USA. I use this time to strengthen my visualization abilities, reflect on my purpose, read motivational texts & educate myself on current events. It's all part of the plan you see.

So Wendy, while you have set up a Sunday that is perfectly supportive of your unique lifestyle, I too have crafted the perfect Sunday agenda for me. It's fabulous that we can read and enjoy the lives of others, but even more fabulous when we are able to see that our lives as individuals can be different & unique & still perfect (in the "non-perfect" way of course).

happy sunday

Here's to the joy of Sundays and the life you've chosen to lead... cheers!

13 comments:

  1. My Sundays have always been more of a relax and recovery day for the week to come. I always take a break until usually after dinner to clean, watch a movie, maybe read a book before I get back to the daily grind again. Cute post.

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  2. Love it Alyssa! Yes, Sundays are well deserved days to relax and enjoy simple pleasures! Thanks for sharing!

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  3. Love this! I really need to work on getting my schoolwork done before Sunday so I can have a relaxing day. It's 10pm sunday night and I'm still working on a paper! No fun!

    I also love the idea of freezing smoothies. We cook/store our meals for the week, but I never thought of doing that with smoothies! I'll have to try it out. Thanks for the tip! :)

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  4. Love this! Can I ask you a couple of questions?

    First, the pancake batter keeps for a whole week? Do the raw eggs not make it go bad?

    And second, how do you store smoothies in the freezer? What kind of container do you use?

    I am soooo bad at breakfast, like coffee and a slice of toast is the most I usually manage and I really want to do better because really, it is the most important meal of the day!

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  5. Than you guys for stopping by and enjoying my post!

    Ameya- It's so hard to be productive earlier in the weekend, I know that feeling all too well. Sundays can be a happy balance of productivity and projects you enjoy (movies, painting, hikes, ect...) Sometimes I like to pretend that Saturdays are Sundays to increase my sense of urgency when completing tasks. I've found that to help a lot. I also draw out action plans that identify every half hour of my weekend, I'll post it on my blog this week so you can see if it may help you! Keep rockin' girl!!! Oh, and great idea preparing food and storing it for the week!

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  6. Thanks! &I'd love to see your action plan!

    I love planning things out and making lists, but I have some health issues which randomly zap me of all my energy... not to mention my 1 1/2 year old! Mama has a paper due tomorrow and daddy is working doubles? Sounds like a great day to cut 3 molars!! Which is also why we cook for the week all at once. ;)

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  7. I absolutely love your blogs!! I competed for Miss VA USA last year and placed in the top 5, so I'm hoping to come back this year with a bang :) Thank you for posting these! I love hearing of ways that you physically prepare, but most importantly how you mentally prepare. You are pretty much my new inspiration!! haha

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  8. Ooooh my goodness thank you!Feel free to shoot me an email anytime if you have questions or want any more inspiration! Thank you for the sweet comments! You're gonna rock it next year!! Uh huh!

    my email is: brittanytoll@live.com :)) use it. abuse it.

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  9. I love no makeup Sundays! My favorite day of the week :)

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  10. I love your blog! I just tried the cucumbers with lemon juice and salt...yum!
    And you looked gorgeous at the Miss USA pageant! I voted for you! :)

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