Amber - Extending the foundation time

I didn't do well enough last week so we are going to go for a third week.  However I'm adding a couple little goals and tweaking my evening routine.  

1.  To the routine I'm setting two alarms.  The first will be a warning alarm to give me a chance to wrap up whatever I'm doing.  The second will be right at 9:30 and I have to immediately turn off all electronics.  

2.  I've noticed a slow of productivity due to the amount of time I've spent on my phone and most of that is when I'm in my room.   Also if my phone is in the room when I go to sleep and when I wake then I get to sleep later and it distracts me during my morning routine.  So I'm banning my phone from my room.  I've tried this before and I sleep better and spend less time on it so I'm doing that again.

3.  I've gained a lot of weight over the last year and it's definitely affected me.  I have less energy, I've had more foot pain, I've had to replace my wardrobe, and I've generally not felt well.  Now my shoes are starting to feel tight.  This is the last straw and I really need to do something about it.  Now I don't want to do very much right now because I'm still getting my sleep fixed.  For this week I've weighed myself and I'll do that every week but the only other thing I'm going to do is to not eat after 6 pm.  That will also help me sleep at night.

Starting Weight: 175.8

Monday:

• Alma 23 speaks of the success of Ammon and his brothers as they taught the gospel.  They were instrumental in converting whole cities of Lamanites but only a single Amalekite was converted.  Anywhere there were Amalekites or Amulonites they had little success.  The Lamanites were hardened by their wicked neighbors.  What in my own life do I tolerate or allow because it seems like no big deal or that it won't really affect me?  For me that is often media.  I watch that movie because I really want to see it but it does teach a couple things that are obviously contrary to the gospel.  Or I'll watch some fun youtube videos because I love the youtuber but they swear here and there.  Pretty soon it gets in your head and you start to accept it.  If it weren't for the gospel I wouldn't know what to believe.  This is a major reason why I read the scriptures every day.  They remind me of the truth and keep me in line with God and what I knew before this life.
• I woke at 7:15 which is fine because I'm still sick.  However I feel like I'm on the mend again.  If I can keep myself away from the ice cream today and take all of my medicine then I think I'll do really well by tomorrow.
• All I accomplished today was to finish two of my almost finished pockets.  This means I have 4 pairs of pants to wear so yay for having clothes again.
• The phone stayed out of my room except for one second while it was in my hand and another in my pocket.  I was working while watching youtube and totally forgot it was in my hand.  Both times I immediately left.  I have to be serious about this in order for it to work.  Besides I do really well when I draw hard lines.
• I didn't eat anything after 6 so success.
• The alarms worked amazingly well tonight.  I got off of the electronics in time and I actually did part of my routine!  I did underestimate how long it would take me so I was in bed at 10:15 but I felt really good at the end.

Tuesday:

• Verses 11-16 of Alma 24 are very powerful.  This is where the king of the Lamanites speaks to his people about overcoming their sins and burying their weapons.  If you read those verses and insert yourself and your own sins in there then it makes it very personal.  Also I liked verse 27. About a thousand had been slain without resisting when the Lamanites felt so bad for killing their brethren that they stopped.  Over a thousand threw down their weapons and were converted.  This verse says "thus we see that the Lord worketh in many ways to the salvation of his people".  It puts death and conversion in a proper persepective.
• I got up late today.  I did set me alarm because I felt almost better last night.  However when I woke at 6 I could tell I needed more sleep so I turned it off and rolled over.  So still no morning routine but I felt so good from the extra sleep that I'm expecting I can get back into the routine tomorrow.
• The phone was in several times but all by accident and they immediately left.
• Again no food after 6, I even resisted cheese curds and mom's homemade lemon scones.
• Mom and Dad came today, I blame them for my 11 pm bedtime.  I was too energized and was visiting so no evening routine.

Wednesday:

• Short today, I'm distracted by the visitors/work we are doing today (carpet cleaning!).  I liked Alma 25:16, it says the law of Moses served to strengthen their faith in Christ.  It just made me wonder if I'm always focusing on Christ when I'm obeying or trying to obey the commandments.
• I got up a little late but I did my routine so yay!  I feel pretty good today. 
• The phone was in a few times but not as many as yesterday so I think I'm getting the hang of it.
• I had a strange eating schedule and when it came time to eat dinner I felt nauseous so I didn't eat.  Then later I was hungry though still nauseous.  Thus I ate a yogurt after 6 and my tummy was fine with it.  However I'm not really counting this because I did need to eat something.  Health comes first, goals second.
• The timers are working, I went to bed on time and got off of the electronics on time, I even stopped a sudoku right in the middle in order to get off of my phone.

Thursday:

• Alma 26 is an amazing chapter full of good things.  However I'm still feeling off so I passed most of them.  I did like v 21-22.  There it says the natural man doesn't know what God knows, only the penitent gets that knowledge. It then outlines how to do that.  These steps are things I need to work on everyday, I'm not great at any of them yet but when I have done them they make a huge difference in my day and if continued those days turn into weeks and I really feel on a spiritual high.  As soon as I become casual in them then I always struggle and am less happy.  Anyways on to the steps...
• repent
• exercise faith
• bring forth good works
• pray continually without ceasing
• I woke up feeling sick so I went right back to sleep, thus no routine.
• Ok I failed here the phone went to bed with me though it didn't start that way.  I went to bed right after I watched a murder mystery and I was a bit spooked so I got out of bed after lying there for a little bit and grabbed the phone.
• Success on the food, none after 6.
• I did get to bed on time but due to my phone and not being able to sleep I was awake until 11ish.

Friday:

• Today I liked Alma 23:7  It says that the people did not fight against God anymore.  To me that sounds like they were one with God.  That doesn't mean they never made a mistake again but once they learned the truth they kept focused on that, their desires were in line with what God wanted.  I am not always so good at that.  I often let my own desires win and I would like to have more faith.  God wants me to be happy and wants me to do things I like to do.  I need to trust him by putting his will first and then he will either make room for all those things that I want or show me better ones.  And not just better for me but he knows the things I will like best and he wants me to have those things too.
• I woke up on time and feeling great today.  Unfortunately no routine because my phone was right there to distract me.
• I wasn't with my room today as I went to Cameron and Kiley's for the 4th.
• I didn't get to dinner until after 6 so I wasn't able to make this one.
• I went to bed after 1.  The kids were up to almost 11 and then my bed wasn't available until around midnight and then I was talking to Kiley and her friend.

Saturday:

• I found something I liked in Alma 26:18-19.  Ammon is remarking on how they were sinners and deserved death but God was merciful.  It made me think of the particular sins I've committed and what sort of punishments I deserve because of them yet I am able to repent and thus become clean and receive blessings instead.
• Unfortunately I'm in a house full of children, Abby woke me at around 6 and I dozed until about 6:45 when Jayden came out then I was too awake to sleep.  Or really there was too much activity to sleep anymore, I'm sure I could have gone to sleep otherwise.
• Again no room for me today.
• Eating limits were not followed today, we were up late to watch fireworks and there was a feast laid out for the whole time.  I just ate whatever I wanted and when I wanted until I felt uncomfortable then I quit.
• I went to bed at midnight and thankfully I was able to because I was a zombie all day long, I felt completely incapable of doing anything even normal conversation.  I went with my parents and used their spare bed in the airbnb they stayed at.

Sunday:

• I liked the part in Alma 29 where Alma talks about how he shouldn't wish to be an angel and should be content with what the Lord has asked of him.  Verse 4 says that God allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable.  This made me think about how God has a plan for my life and things that he needs me to do.  Being grateful for those things and for all of the other things in my life is key to finding joy in my life.  He has the perfect plan tailor fit for me and all I have to do is trust him instead of any other way.
• Waking up was nice because I stayed in until 8.  A full 8 hours was excellent.  I feel like I'm alive again!  Wow I must be aging, I can't survive on so few hours I don't know what I'll do whenever I have kids!
• I got home today but completely ignored the no phone in room goal, I'm kind of on unpacking/recovery mode.
• I got home late and had been fasting most of the day so I ate after 6 and again pretty much ignored this goal.
• I went to bed at 11 and was on my electronics until then so not so great with this goal.

I did very well at the first of this week but being sick and then the weekend trip really threw me off.  I need to be able to keep the goals I can whatever is happening or wherever I am.  Also I was almost better but I didn't take care of myself during the trip so my cold is coming back.  I'm going to have to spend a couple of days really focusing on getting better and definitely no sugar.