Good morning! 
So, last night, I realized that I have a weird bedtime ritual. Before I get into bed, I need to close all of the closets in the apartment. For some reason, I feel like I can’t sleep soundly if they are open. Weird, right?
This weird-o habit probably goes back to my “monster in the closet” days as a kid. Of course, my husband finds it entertaining to watch me walk around the house and double-check that the closets are closed. What can I say, I’m strange sometimes!
Breakfast
I’m working at NuVal today and taking Friday off, so I woke up bright and early with Mal to put on a pot of oatmeal for breakfast.
In the mix:
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1/4 cup spelt flakes
- 1/4 cup granola
- 1/4 cup low-fat ricotta
- 1/4 cup non-fat milk
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Cinnamon
Makes 2 servings
I also added two packets of Barney Butter to my bowl.
This was a really tasty batch of oats! Mmm! 
My iced coffee was especially delicious this morning. I brewed a new batch of Caftea Chocolate Truffle coffee last night, and it tastes, oh, so good!
I’ve been loving the Caftea coffee so much, the nice folks at OpenSky have hooked you guys up with a sweet deal: buy a 12-ounce bag of Caftea Creme Brulee and get an 8-ounce gourmet coffee blend FREE! You get 20 ounces of coffee for the price of 12! Sounds like a deal to me!
Yoga Challenge
I am such a bum. I don’t know where last week went, but I only managed to practice yoga one time, which is not a good start to the Yoga Challenge. This week, however, I am recommitting myself to the Challenge. I have two yoga sessions planned (including a 60-minute yoga class), so hopefully, a little planning will help re-motivated me.
How’s the Yoga Challenge going for you?
Question of the Day
Do you have a weird ritual or habit? What is it?
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Yummy looking oats- 2 packets of Barney Butter sounds just right in my book! I cannot sleep without some form of white noise. I have a travel sound machine just for vacations! Weird, I know
Have a great Monday to start your week!
I like all closets closed, too!! I also CAN’T have our bedroom door closed – makes me claustrophobic or something. And I must have all covers on me no matter how warm it is!
Yes, I need all of the doors in the apartment to be closed. Even though our bedroom door is shut so I can’t see the other doors, it gives me peace of mind knowing they’re shut. Who knows why. Oh, and I check to make sure my alarm is set right, the doors are locked, and the oven is off about a million times before I can go to bed.
Mine is similar-I can’t sleep with any open doors. Our bedroom door and door leading to the bathroom must be closed! It’s probably because I don’t like any light coming in while I sleep. Have a great week!
Hmmmm…no weird habits before going to bed…although I do INSIST on sleeping with one leg hooked out over the covers
Have a great day!
not only does the husband have to close all the closet doors, he also has to turn around the mirrors.
don’t ask.
I’m the same way about closests and all cupboards. MY bf loves to leave a cupboard here or there semi ajar and it bugs the HECK out of me!!!
I don’t know if you can call this is “habit,” but I refuse to look in a mirror without a light on…the idea of looking into a mirror in the dark freaks me out! If I need to get out of bed in the middle of the night, I avoid glancing at the mirror at all costs (which can be difficult, since our closet doors have huge mirrors on them).
I have to close the closets too! I also HAVE to have all the dishes out of the sink and wipe my counters with a clorex wipe or I can’t sleep. But I believe that’s just called anal. haha
@Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg: Gotta love the leg hook!
Cooking granola into oats…clever! I don’t have any werid sleep habits, other than that I need three pillows and I sleep with them almost parallel to the side of the bed (ie all twisted round)- I can imagine it’s very annoying for other people!
I like to close all the doors too. I used to check the locks on the doors and make sure my wallet was in my purse like 10 times before I went to sleep!!! I was a lot more anxious then and I think that was how I channeled it. Now I only do that if I’m feeling anxious about something.
Courtney
adventures in tri-ing
I always need to have my closet door in my bedroom closed and some form of white noise going. The white noise app on my iPhone has been my savior when I travel!
I’m the same with the closet doors — especially the closet in our bedroom. I also have to walk around the house before I leave for work and check that everything is turned off. Oven? Coffeemaker? Flat iron?
It’s a little OCD, I’ll admit.
I cannot sleep without the fan on — no matter how cold it is or if I am sick, etc. And it has to be on number 2 and pointed directly at me.
Well I can’t say closet doors or mirrors bother me
but…my weird habit involves the covers and pillows. I have to have at least 3 pillows around me and all the covers on so that normally means we have the fan on in the middle of winter!
I know I have some weird habits, but I just can’t think of any right now.
Have a great day
I think that you should practice yoga when you want to. It kind of defeats the purpose if you are making yourself practice. Yoga has many benefits and I think that if you focus on the movement and breathing you will learn to love it and crave it constantly.
Amazing oats!! Two packets of barney butter? YUM!
Funny question- people’s bedtime tendencies are interesting! I check the door more than once to make sure that it’s bolted. I always check my alarm clock more than once, even though I set my phone alarm as well!
I like to have the closets closed before bed as well. I just feel more at ease when everything is in its place (including closet doors!).
I don’t really have any habits, but my husband does! Everynight before bed he says to our dog, “Goodnight Dexter, Goodnight buddy”. He can’t go to bed without saying it. It’s hilarious. He’s tried before but he always ends up spitting it out! Cracks me up everytime!
Oh gosh, not weird at all. I like things closed and in order too. Weird habit for me would be that I have to triple check my heated eyelash curler is off three times before I leave the house. either a weird habit or my only symptom of obsessive compulsive behaviour I guess
I also have to sleep with the window open so I can hear the traffic outdoors and so I feel like I get air. If it’s closed I feel suffocated. My boyfriend is presently having to wear socks to bed to stop freezing to death, bless him.
i guess i’m weird in that I don’t have a weird ritual! I’m just a slob in general, so oranization stuff doesn’t bother me — nothing that can’t wait until “tomorrow”
your closet ritual isn’t that weird! I typically do the same thing. It’s something about the darkness of an open closet door that freaks me out. I don’t do it every night, but if I notice a door is open, I close it.
I guess my weird habit–I classify it as ‘responsible,’ personally
–is doublechecking that everything that belongs in my wallet, is in my wallet before I go to bed. I don’t really know anyone else who does this. My fiance always jokes about how long it takes me to actually get in bed. Between taking out my contact lenses, moisturizing my face and hands, checking my wallet, etc., it can easily take me half an hour.
Your iced coffee sounds so good. How glad am I that iced coffee is really starting to appeal to me now that the weather is getting warmer again?!
I am the same way with the closets. I can not sleep if they are open. Totally weird
I’m the same way with closets except they have to be open! When I was little, I always checked for monsters and left the doors open afterwards so I could verify that the closets were monster-free!
Oh, forgot to added…practicing yoga once a week is great! As long as you enjoyed your practice and felt you gleaned something positive from it, then you’re well on your way to being successful with the Yoga Challenge. In my opinion, when it comes to yoga (or, really, any other form of exercise), success is all in how you define it.
I have to sleep with a fan on, even in the winter. I think it drowns out all of the little noises in my old apartment!
I always have to get ready in the morning in this order: put in my contacts, wash my face, then brush my teeth. It throws me off if I do it in another order!
Can you buy the BB packets at the grocery store? I am looking for portable PB to take on vacation with me. As for yoga, one day is better than none, right?! And similar to Sophie, my weird habit is that I have to sleep with a fan on or else I get no sleep at all.
I don’t think I have any weird bed time habits except that I like my pillow and sheets to be cool when I get into bed. Even in the winter time I don’t like getting into a warm bed.
I think that practicing yoga once last week is better than none! If you enjoyed it then you are on the right track!
I think it’s those little ‘quirks’ that make people endearing. I also didn’t make it to yoga all of last week and definitely feel the worse off for it.. hopefully tonight. Have a great day!
I am weird that way too about the closets. I also quadruple check doors to make sure they are locked. Seriously, even if I know I have checked them…I do it again! I used my last packet of Barney Butter on Friday night on my dessert oats. It was a bonus treat since I found it in the pantry (I thought I was all out). Have a great day!
I know you are not supposed to do this, but I love falling asleep with music or the TV on. I’ve been doing it since high school and it feels greaaaat!
I line up all my morning beauty products in a row before I begin: Cleanser, toner, deoderant, eye cream, moisturizer. Then, when i’m done, I put them back in the medicine cabinent in that same order!
I have a habit of eating about a cup or so of cereal every night while reading in bed. It drives my husband nuts – all that crunching! I need to cut it out though because its something I tend to do whether I’m hungry or not… I guess I just like to keep my mouth busy!
I do the closet thing too! Now I really just do it in my bedroom…our downstairs closet is always closed and I don’t think my roommates would appreciate me barging into their rooms to shut their closets!
I used to have a bedroom with a closet with no door! It definitely interfered with my sleep.
@Jessica @ How Sweet It Is: Me too!!! I can’t sleep without any covers!
haha, I hear ya with the closet doors… but I have to have them open cause then I can “see” that there isn’t anything hiding in there! And I have to sleep with covers and no limbs hanging over the edge of the bed…. stupid….I know haha
Hey Tina – I’m so glad you have the closet thing too!! My husband laughs so hard (he doesn’t get it…) because even if I’m all comfy in bed already and see that the closet door is open, I have to get up, close it, and crawl back in. Phew – maybe it’s not weird after all
Monsters totally live in the closet, therefore the closet doors MUST be shut tight before bed. You know, so they don’t get me.
I always close the closet door before I go to sleep! (The one in my room anyways).
Not only do closet doors have to be closed but also cabinets. My husband will get a dish out of the cabinet and not close it. It drives me nuts!
If I am in the bathroom the shower curtain must be open.
I do the same thing!!! I even make my husband get out of bed and close the bedroom closet if he leaves it open after I go to bed.
I have the same habit. I hate open closet doors! Same reason!
After I turn the shower off, I always stick my foot under the bath faucet so that bit of water that comes out runs over it. No idea why I do it, but it’s a pretty weird ritual!
I leave the closet doors slightly open sometimes just to drive PB crazy. He can NOT go to sleep if they are ajar!
Everybody has their OCD. I can’t sleep without staring at the stove knobs for a couple of minutes (to make sure there’s no fire)
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