Weekly Goals: June 22-28

Overall, progress was good this week. I was thrown off a bit by traveling Wednesday evening to Kentucky with my husband and his summer travel team. We're still here and will be until Sunday. (It's been fun!) Below is a review of how I did on the goals. And new goals follow that.

      Goals for June 15-21

1.       Read the Bible a little every day. - Some days it was very little, but I did read some every day. 

2.       Write in gratitude journal throughout the day. - I did really well until we left for our trip, and haven't since...

3.       Write something every day (journal, blog, or letter). - I think Thursday was the only day I didn't get some writing done. 

4.       Do some sort of exercise every day. - Did very well Mon-Wed. 

5.       Hang the laundry instead of using the dryer. - I did this once. That's something!

Goals for June 22-28

1. Continue reading the Bible, writing in gratitude journal, and other writing every day.
2. Do some sort of exercise every day. 
3. Hang laundry instead of using the dryer.
4. Hand wash dishes instead of using dishwasher. 
5. Spend some intentional time with each child. 

It has been nice to get away and have a bit of a vacation, but I will be glad to be home and get back into the every day routines such as these. 

Care to share a goal you have?

Weekly Goals: June 15-21

 

Life has gotten a little sloppy around here. The past couple months have been on survival mode. Get through this event, plan for the next, get through it, etc.  Add to that my fatigue and the general requirements of raising two kids and maintaining a marriage and a home. Some things had to be let go. And that’s not a bad thing. It was a season, but now it’s time to move on. I’m still tired, but it is slowing fading, I feel. The schedule has relaxed tremendously so that is a huge relief. I am feeling more myself mentally and less foggy and overwhelmed.

With all that said, I wanted to share with you some weekly goals of mine to get back on track. It’s mostly little things. Things that used to be a normal part of my day. I’m mostly doing this for myself, but maybe you have some habits you want to pick back up or start? Maybe a project or two? Want to make a goal or two with me and we can work together?

June 15-21

1.       Read the Bible a little every day.

2.       Write in gratitude journal throughout the day.

3.       Write something every day (journal, blog, or letter).

4.       Do some sort of exercise every day.

5.       Hang the laundry instead of using the dryer.

Will you pray for me that I can be disciplined in these things (especially the first 4)? I’ll check back next week and let you know how I did and make new ones for the next week!

Now, tell us, what is something you want to work on this week? I’ll pray for you.

why and how I get up before my kids

I know many women get up before their kids, and many women have already written about it (because I've read about it a lot), but I also know some women still struggle with this. I've often felt hesitant to write about it because it's a bit personal, and I don't want to come off as, "Hey, look at me!" Yet since it's essential to me, and makes a world of difference, I felt compelled to offer my two cents on it. This is simply why and how I do it. Take it for what it's worth.

Why?

Like I said, I've read a lot of women talk about why getting up before your children is important. But the first person I read talk about this concept was Rich Mullins. I was still a young teenager and it was before his death. I didn't really "get it", but it stuck with me anyway, so I've always remembered it. Once I had a child, I learned the frustration first hand of not getting up first hand and this concept came back to me.

I started getting up before my daughter around the time she was one. I attempted to before then, but she'd still out do me sometimes or if I got up, then I'd wake her up, so it just wasn't smart. But after she turned one and we were living in our own place, everything started to settle down. And although there have been short seasons (early pregnancy, postpartum) that I've slept to the last minute, for the most part, I make a point to be up and going a good hour before them.

There are three main things I want to do before any children wake up:

• say my prayers
• read some Scripture
• be dressed and ready to go

Those are the bare essentials. All that takes, me at the minimum, half an hour. Some other things I like to have time for are exercising, writing, email, and reading on the internet. It's also nice to have a jump start on chores if there's a lot to do that day. Those are all things that I can do if one child is up and my husband is still home. But, the praying and reading... I like to have silence in the morning for those things.

Saying my prayers and strengthening myself with Scripture just gets me ready for the day. Being dressed and ready is like going to work with clothes on. It just feels better. In general, it's annoying to be interrupted, especially when I'm not prepared. Being woken up is like that to me. My sleep is interrupted and I'm not ready for it, or the day. Those are my reasons for getting up before.

How?

When I first started out, I determined how much time I wanted. Then I figured out how early I needed to get up to be sure I had that time. I can't remember what that time was then, but about a year ago, it was 6:00 or 6:30. For about a month now, I have getting up at 5:00 because Michael was waking up around 6:00. He's sleeping better now, but I don't think I'm going to go back. It feels amazing to have so much silence and uninterrupted time! For some reason it was an easy stretch, and I feel more alert than I did at 6:00. I never thought I'd be this way, but here I am!

This does mean that I need to be in bed around 10:00. This was the goal even when getting up at 6:00. Now that everyone is sleeping through the night, I'm good on 7 hours. Getting up earlier means I'm really ready to sleep, which is a good thing for me since I can have trouble going to sleep. I can handle staying up until 11:00 one or two nights a week.

Over time, these things that have helped me get up and stay up:

• Have an inspirational song on my phone as my alarm. 
• Have a little snack while I read Scripture so I won't fall asleep.
• Have an incentive to get up like a chai latte or check out a new blog.

On the Weekend

I usually "sleep in" on Saturdays, getting up at 6:00 or even 7:00, depending on how I feel or if I was up late. Even though I'm home everyday, Saturdays still feel like a weekend to me. So if I roll out of bed with the kids and make pancakes in my pjs, I actually like it - for that day. Hubby and I will take turns letting each other sleep in past the kids. On Sundays I like to sleep until I wake up. In a way I get to catch up a bit, but also, church isn't until 10:00 and I don't like doing much more than pray or read before church.

One More Thing

I have never claimed to be a morning person, and still don't. In fact, my husband and I don't really talk for a good hour or more besides an occasional "Good Morning" with a little smooch. I need a good chunk of time before I'm ready to be personable. I don't think this hinges on how much sleep I get. I think I simply need time to "wake up" and be ready, no matter what time I get up. Hence, the point in getting up early!

Sweet Thoughts on Valentine's Day

Although this week has had its share of "unsweet" moments, I'm trying hard to see all the "sweetness" in life because there really is a lot! Here are some "sweet" snapshots of joy shining into my day. 

Hope you have a sweet Valentine's Day!

Mia with  May May and May May's sister, whom she had just finished "nursing."

My smiley boy!

A sweet touch added to the living room this morning.

Ready and Waiting... Part 2

A week later, and still waiting... I was feeling pretty discouraged last night and stressed about the timing. But God, in His graciousness, gave me a peace. And not just an unexplainable peace, but also some rationalization, which He knows I need. So I am feeling better, but I still have moments when I think, "I wish this would just happen already!" Then I try to think, "I trust You Lord. Help me to enjoy the time."

For, really, there's no rush. Coach is home a lot, so he helps with Sweet Girl if I need a break (which I do often!). He goes up and down the stairs putting the laundry in the washer or dryer and brings it back up again. He does the dishes. He rubs my feet at night. It's great to spend so much time with him!

And Sweet Girl... it was her birthday yesterday and we celebrated by having some friends over in the morning and going to the park (her favorite) in the evening. So besides trying to enjoy my time with them, here and now, I am trying to just keep going as if I wasn't waiting for something big to happen any moment.

I started another book, Little Women.  I read it in junior high, but I don't remember much of it at all. I didn't start a book for a couple days because I was "sure" I wouldn't have time to finish it. But, obviously, I've had more time than I thought and reading is so relaxing (and distracting!).

I started a year-long "research project". Basically I want to learn more about real food and traditional ways of preparing it. Next I want to plan ways to implement all I learn into our lives. The goal is at the end of the year to have a timeline of changes to slowly make in regards to what food I buy and how I prepare it. I have eleven goals (so far) of things I want to learn or plan during this time. I hope to have this as my sole focus for the short times I get to myself. We'll see how it goes. I was planning on starting a month or two after the baby's born, but since I had extra time on my hands, I went ahead and made my goals and I'll do what I can until then.

Mostly I will do my research online. To organize all the information I find, without writing a ton of notes, I downloaded the program Evernote. I heard about it awhile ago here, but since we were using Coach's work laptop, I didn't want to download it on there. Now we have a new computer (which I love!), so I did it. I think it will be very handy and I'm really excited.

That brings me to thoughts about this blog. I'm not sure what I'll want to do here after the dust settles with the baby. It might be a random, when-I-have-thoughts-blog again. After all, I'm sure I'll have much less time. But maybe I'll want to do something structured again, just not as much. Maybe I will want to share all I'm learning in my research project. I would like some opinion from my few readers (I knew there are a couple out there...). At least so I can give it some consideration. I do enjoy blogging, but it does take time and effort. I may not miss it so much once I'm busier... Just not sure what direction I'll go.

Please keep us in your prayers during this time! It's certainly a trial of patience and trust.

Homemaking Saturday: Review/Preview

On Homemaking Saturday I share something I'm doing or learning to make my home a better place.


I think I will make it a habit to write my Review/Preview on the last Saturday of the month. It's just simpler and it does make sense. I want to update you on a couple things I've written about on Saturdays this month, so it just seemed natural.

Basil

April
I got almost everything accomplished in April that I had hoped to! I did have to slow down before and after Pascha, but lately I haven't needed naps in the afternoon, which I'm so grateful for! I know the days are limited so I'm trying to make the most of them!

Peas

I finally ordered new glasses for myself, Sweet Girl has an appointment for the dentist this Wednesday, and all the photos I have are organized in photo albums. I have pictures waiting to be ordered (when there's a special!). That last one especially feels good to be done. I hadn't bothered to order pictures (except of Sweet Girl) since we've been married! When you move around so much, you don't have a place for photo albums. However, now we do and it feels good to have that set.

Zinnia and Lettuce

I planted seeds the middle week of April and there are sprouts already in most of them. I think I will need to replant a few things or start them indoors like I did with the basil. I'm so excited to see growth, I just hope I don't kill them somehow! It will be so wonderful to have real plants! Sweet Girl is just as excited. She loves to water them and always talks about them when we see them as we leave the house.

Spinach

And those curtains I mentioned last week? I finished them Sunday afternoon. They really make the room darker. I made them out of coat lining material I found at the thrift store. Four yards for $4! It's lightweight, yet non-transparent. It blocks those security lights too, which helps at night. I had to add some fabric at the top as it wasn't quite long enough. It's still not as long as I'd like, but it will do. It's temporary, really, as we won't be in this house much more than another year. I bought a cheap curtain rod at Dollar General. It's stretched to its maximum length and if we tried to open the curtains, it probably would come apart. So we just won't.

May
Here's my list for May:
1. Get more soil as well as tomato and broccoli plants. Plant.
2. Plan gifts and household needs through October and start shopping.
3. Start buying things for the baby.
4. Move Sweet Girl into her big bed and rearrange her room. Decorate it too.
5. Make dish soap.
6. Make a food plan with Coach. (Meals he feels comfortable cooking once in awhile after the baby's here.)
7. Get a curtain for the front door.
8. Make a cardboard kitchen for Sweet Girl.
9. Reorganize areas of the kitchen.
10. Reorganize storage boxes.

In my mind, it's really getting down the wire. I'm getting big. I'm going to be tired. I don't want to have a lot on my plate after this month. My list for June is small and I hope to keep it that way!

Homemaking Saturday: Gardening

On Homemaking Saturday, I share something I'm doing or learning to make my home a better place to live.

I have never gardened before unless you count when I was a child and weeding was a chore that I despised. Now that I see the value in growing your own produce, and I am finally in a position to, I am going to attempt it this spring and summer.

I am going to do container gardening since this is not our property. Around February we started composting in a container. I don't know how it's doing except things are rotting. Again, a new venture in which I don't know what I'm doing. So, I may or may not end up using some. I really need to look into it.

For containers I will be using the bottoms of milk and juice jugs (for herbs, flowers, and smaller plants) and five gallon buckets (for bigger plants). Glamorous, I know... My goal this year is not to make a pretty garden, but to grow produce.

I ordered seeds from Fedco, a company my former-CSA-farmer brother recommended. They should come some time next week. I will buy some seedlings next month.

For April I hope to start:

• lettuce
• peas
• parsley
• chives
• cilantro
• basil
• dill
• zucchini
• yellow squash
• flowers

In May I'll get tomato plants and start green beans and cucumber as well.

I have sort of a giddy, but anxious, excitement about this venture. I feel like a child, excited about the possibility and adventure, in awe of growth. But my rational adult side feels fear and dread at utter and total failure. Because, friends, I really don't have a clue what I'm doing! I've compiled information from books and my brother, but I'm getting the sense that this is something one must learn on one's own and only by experience. Kind of like having a baby.

So we shall see. Fortunately, I haven't spent that much money so if nothing works out, it wasn't a huge investment to begin with. And no matter what amount of produce I get, I hope to can at least learn and have some value from that. 

Are you planning on gardening this year? Any tips for newbies? Happy growing!

Thoughtful Thursday: On Being a Coach's Wife

Saturday at church a lady asked me, "Do you feel like a single mother now that baseball season has started?" I laughed and said, "Yes, but it's harder because I still have to feed him when he gets home!"

I had been reflecting on this new development in my life and how it's been different than I had imagined. Although I didn't really put too much thought into what it might be like, my main thought was that it would be way easier than pro-ball life because he wouldn't be gone for 4-8 days at a time at frequent intervals. While I am glad he's not going on long road trips, it still has taken some adjustment and it is still a lot of work, just different.

Instead he's working 10-11 hour days, most days. Sometimes he comes home for lunch, sometimes he doesn't. Sometimes he's home by 7:00, sometimes later (and occasionally, earlier). Sometimes he stops by at random times during the day. Anyone who knows me can see why this alone would be hard on me. I like routine!

However, it hasn't been too bad. I've actually been fairly flexible. It helps that I can have an idea of what the week will look like before it starts. Also, four years of pro-ball has broken me in somewhat... I've had to learn to be flexible! It does kind of stretch me in less noticeable ways. It's just much more calm and comfortable when things are fairly the same from day to day and week to week. And, obviously, it's harder being the parent most of the time.

One thing that is a little difficult, as it was with pro-ball, is, not the leaving of the husband, but the return. Yes, he's missed when he's gone, but it's also easier. Smaller meals to fix and all of nap and night time to myself. And lets not forget the whole bed to myself! Ha ha! But seriously, by the time he gets back, I'm used to doing everything myself, the way I like it done. Just like living with him for the first time took adjustment, it takes time once he's back to readjust. These are good opportunities to be patient and understanding (and let go of control), but I am usually so excited to have him back that I forget that these trials come up, so they take me by surprise and I usually lack that patience and understanding. Fortunately, we're back in sync fairly quickly.

Going to games has been fun. It's nice that the field is only a five minute walk from our house, and the weather has been gorgeous. But, it's yet another thing that wears me down a bit. Packing snacks, being presentable, regulating Sweet Girl, disciplining subtly (because people are watching!), and finally the walk home. It really is fun, don't get me wrong, but it's work too.

Then there's the publicity aspect. I never really liked it that fans, complete strangers to me, knew who I was and who I was married to. And now, it's parents. Not as creepy, but still catches me off guard when a mom chats with me in the bathroom about my daughter or my husband. I mean, what's your name again? I know they all mean well, I'm just a privacy snob. And I haven't been there enough (or been able to people watch enough) to see who's there every time and make note of who cheers specifically for whom, etc. I mean, I'm just trying to keep my daughter happy most of the time! I'm lucky if I get to watch the game some too.

I've enjoyed the memories it brings back to me of when my husband and I were dating. It was his senior year of college. I spent every weekend at his games. I got to know the moms... and baseball. I liked how people yelled, "Let's go 1-2!" for the player with the number 12. The players were right there. The crowds were small; it was intimate. It felt safe. After pro-ball, this is a welcome relief. People are at the games because they are invested in the players or college in some way. Not because they are fanatics about the team or want a ball signed by a maybe-celebrity-someday. Although I would say the majority of the people at professional games are there just for a good ball game, which I am all for, I saw a lot of crazy things too. I'm happy to be somewhere low-key again.

And finally, what makes me happiest is knowing my husband is loving his job. I don't get to see him in action much because he's the pitching coach. He stays in the dugout unless a pitcher is struggling. I'm sorry for the pitcher, but I get excited when I see him walk out and I get to see him "in action." (All he does is give the pitcher a pep talk.) We sit on the opponents side so we can see him in the dugout and sometimes he'll wave to us. And although he's adjusting to this new role too, and some things are hard for him, I know he's happier in this role, and excited to continue and develop as a coach. I feel the same about being a coach's wife.

Homemaking Saturday: Ways to Save Money Around the House (and create less waste!)

On Homemaking Saturday I share something I'm doing or learning to make my home a better place to live.


My friend Rachel over at Mighty Violet inspired me to share some ideas I had a few weeks ago. These ideas struck me as I was adding to our household shopping list, even though the household fund was empty for the month. Then I thought, "How can I stop buying things that I just use up?" These were things like q-tips, toilet paper, plastic wrap, etc. And my head was spinning the rest of the day until I could get my ideas down on paper (in my helpful "Me Binder"). While Rachel's focus is on reducing waste (which is important to me also), my main focus is on saving money. That's where we're at.

So today I'd like to share a few ways we already save money (and prevent waste), new ways I have just implemented or want to soon, and a few of my dream ideas for the future (maybe way in the future!). After all, green seems to been the theme this March.

Ways We Already Save
1. We don't buy trash bags. Buying trash bags seems exceptionally ironic to me. You pay for something that's only use is throwing away? We use plastic grocery bags in the kitchen, produce bags in the bathroom and no bags in the living room and bed room. These last two usually only get paper and the like in them, which I sort each week into recycling or actual trash.
2. I make our own laundry detergent and household cleaner. I really don't even give a second thought to how  much we save because I've been doing it for a few years now.
3. We use rags. A lot. I have paper towels, but they are rarely used and then only for special purposes.
4. We use cloth napkins. I have two sets of four from our wedding and we'll use them for a few days, then they get washed with the towels.
5. I reuse foil. Over and over. Until it's too ripped, messy or crumbly, I reuse it!

Things I've Just Started or Hope To
1. Using hankies instead of tissue. Rachel mentions this in her post. I need to get some hankies, then we'll start!
2. Give up plastic wrap. I didn't use it often anyway, and since I ran out a few weeks ago, I haven't missed it. I just use foil if I need to, but most of my containers have lids.
3. Use a small baby washcloth over a q-tip to clean out my ears. Then wash the washcloth with the towels. I  admit, it doesn't feel as great, but it's a little pleasure I can give up. I tried it on Sweet Girl though, and it was too bulky for her little ears. So I will probably still have to buy more, but at least they will last longer!
4. Make my own dish soap. I need to do some research, but there has got to be a simple recipe out there. In fact, if you have one and already do this, please share!
5. Use cloth baby wipes instead of toilet paper. (Just for pee!) I left this for last because, well, it's pretty odd. But logically, if they are fine to wipe my baby's bottom, I can use them too! I just toss them in the diaper pail and wash them along with the diapers. I just bought a new package of toilet paper and I hope it lasts to the end of the year! (Um, well, at least longer than usual!)

Dreams for the Future
1. Make our own lotion. I really, really want to do this. We use a lot of lotion, and we buy an all natural kind which runs about $6 a bottle. It is great, but the first ingredient is canola oil, which I choose not to eat, and would rather not put on my skin. It's the best thing for us right now, but I want to make something perfect.
2. Make our own toothpaste. This will not be hard, it's just getting motivated to do it. Honestly, I like "normal" toothpaste, but Tom's is close to $4 a tube.
3. Make our own shampoo and body wash. I have a few bottles for now, but once I get close to running out, my goal is to not buy, but make!
4. Make my own lip balm. I have paid good money (okay, $4 or $5) for good lip balm, and ones that individuals made themselves. I know it can be done. I want to try this kind.
5. Try an alternative to using tampons. I joked with my husband that I should just be either pregnant or postpartum until I hit menopause that way I'll save money and the environment by having less cycles, ha ha! But maybe I'll just look into Rachel's way.

I know there are people out there doing more than this, and I hope to learn even more as we mature and someday have a house of our own (and hopefully land to garden and raise animals!). Until then, I will try to do what I can and continue to learn. I want to check out a website Rachel recommends called The Zero Waste Home. Sounds like a high standard, but one I'd like to try to reach.

A Peek Into Our Every Day (newly revised) Lives

I feel as if the pregnancy fog has lifted. My head feels clearer and I'm feeling motivated again. I am sticking to my resolutions, but I am doing more in the home. No more mid-day nap (for now!) means more time. And less fatigue (for now!) means more desire to get things done!

The past couple days, I have felt like our daily life was a bit too unstructured for me, and the house was getting a bit too dirty also. I had dropped the "zone cleaning" that I took from the Fly Lady because I just didn't have the energy to do more than the basics. Yesterday I was noticing the honey fingerprints on the cabinet, a smudge on a curtain, and lots and lots of little girl prints on the glass doors (I do adore those, but after a while, the window needs a freshening!). Sigh. So I started thinking about how I could get the things done that really need to be done once a month or so. Today, I decided to revise my zones. I was going to break it down into 4 or 5 chores a month (i.e. clean cobwebs in every room). As I looked at them, I realized it's really not that much work a week, and if I planned right, I could get it done, or at least most of it. So I deleted a few things, modified a few (like doing cobwebs all at once instead of one room a week), and made a weekly planning checklist to make sure I planned in the zone chores each week!

A couple days ago, I had sketched out a daily routine for us. It's basically what happens on a good, organized day. So I hope it will serve as a reminder to stay on task, get the things done while taking time to read and play too. Here's a peek into my goal for the day with Sweet Girl (of course, Mama's day includes much more!):

*Note: Any time we are done with tasks before the next thing, we'll spend the time reading or playing. Also, for the most part, Sweet Girl "helps" with most tasks, so we are still spending time together.

Daily Routine ·     Get up and get ready
·     Prayers
·     Breakfast and clean-up
·     Read for 15-20 min.
·     Cleaning tasks for the day
·     Tasks for the day
·     Lunch and clean-up
·     Nap time
·     Snack
·     Fold laundry, finish tasks
·     Make supper
·     Play/read
·     Clean-up
·     Bedtime routine

I feel like running a home, and caring for a child/children, is a constant process or reevaluating the situation, revising, then coasting for a bit, until things get bumpy again! I enjoy the process, thankfully and really feel refreshed when I can find ways to make our lives more efficient, smooth and enjoyable!

As a final note, I felt the baby move for the first time Wednesday evening! As I wrote this, it felt like the baby was dancing. It's such a wonderful feeling! This is definitely a wonderful time of pregnancy; thanks be to God!

Belated Review/Preview

If I could take pictures with my eyes and write posts with me head, you would hear a lot more from me... maybe too much! A lot is going on my head, as usual, but not a lot of time for blogging. As I wrote about recently, blogging is just lower on the priority list right now.

November was a good month. For the most part it was calm and normal, with a few birthday parties sprinkled in to add some fun. Of course, the almost last week of the month was spent traveling - lots of traveling. It was wonderful to see family, but exhausting for us all (we had a lot of driving!).

Goal-wise I was more slack. I didn't get all my Christmas gifts bought and made. As of now, I will go to a couple stores tonight (baby free!) and get some stocking-stuffer type gifts. We still have to draw a name on my side of the family (the siblings do this) and I will have to buy for that person. Other than that, I'm done with spending! But I have a lot of gifts to still make. Once I have everything made, I will post a picture of each thing. I'm pretty excited about the ones I've done already. (This might be after Christmas, since some people who read my blog are, or parents of, recipients.) So that is my sole goal for December - finish gifts!

Until then, don't expect to hear from me really. Maybe, but probably not. It's a busy, and wonderful, time of year.

November Projects: Recipes, jars and more

Although I feel behind and a tad overwhelmed at the moment, I have actually accomplished a lot this month so far. It being the 9th day and all. Here's a look:

I bought the big, half gallon jars and my mom gave me all the quart and smaller jars. It feels so organized and looks nice too! The top shelf has grains, second baking goods, and the bottom shelf has the gluten free flours, as well as whole wheat. I wish I had room in my kitchen, but it's better we keep them in the "mud room" because it's cooler. They say you should refrigerate gluten free flours, but I just don't have room in my fridge.

I cleaned out my recipe box leaving only those recipes I still want to try. I organized all my tried and true favorites into a book my mother-in-law gave me a few Christmases ago, and made a master menu planning list of all the dishes and side dishes we love. I have to say I was pretty giddy at the completion of my "Family Favs" book - all those wonderful food ideas in one place!

I made this cute pencil roll for my niece who turned six last week. Her party is tomorrow so hopefully she'll like it! I admit, it is far, far from perfect, but maybe she won't notice... being six and all. I complimented the gift with a notepad for her to doodle or write in. The party is ballerina themed so I have an excuse to put Sweet Girl in a super fun, ruffled skirt! Yay!

No pictures, but I'm happy to say I made gluten free yeast bread and gluten free noodles for the first time this week! AND they both turned out pretty good! Especially the noodles. (And they were easy-wow!)

Now I'm working on Christmas shopping and drowning, er, swimming in doubt about what is best, when to buy, etc., etc., etc. Good thing I have over a month still!

What are you working on?

October Review... November Preview

I was able to accomplish most of my goals for October. Personally, I worked on reading a life of a saint and doing pilate abs each morning. Both are now habits although I still have to make myself do pilates.

Around the house I organized cluttered areas, made laundry soap, updated our important information sheets, and made a habit of sorting out pictures when I upload them (aka deleting the bad ones!).

With Sweet Girl, I worked on giving her more opportunites to go potty. When I needed to go, I simply asked her if she wanted to and usually she did. Sometimes she peed; most the time, nothing. I didn't do any "lessons" with her like I wanted to.

My project for the month was scrapbooking. I was able to get everything organized as well as get the book updated through our wedding. I wish I could have done more, but I am happy to have accomplished what I did.

I had goals for my blogs that I didn't meet but I was able to create a vision and an organized approach so I hope to stay focused and write more on them.

Here are my goals for November:

Me

• continue doing pilates each morning
• read Spiritual Counsels: Select Passages from My Life In Christ (St. John of Kronstadt) each day
• say an akathist once a week

Around the House

• wipe down Sweet Girl's chair each night
• clean in a "zone" each week
• buy large canning jars and organize dry goods

Sweet Girl

• buy tights and onesies
• plan a lesson each Tuesday
• do lesson on Wednesday
• have "exercise time" a few times a week

Projects

• Organize recipes
• Start Christmas shopping

What are your plans for November?

New Favs for October

As I said, I am hoping to start posting once a month some "New Favs" (favs is short for favorites...). This is where I share some things I have recently discovered or rediscovered and enjoyed during that month. Here we go...

1) Coconut Products - At the beginning of the month I bought a huge thing of coconut oil (very good for you!) and have been using it more, okay, a lot in my cooking. It's yummy on green beans and to cook scrambled eggs to mention a couple. Also, I bought unsweetened shredded coconut to make these awesome chicken tenders. I added it to my sister-in-law's granola recipe for the first time and it raised the bar for granola big time!

2) Joshua Bell's album Romance of the Violin. I checked it out from the library. It reminded me how much I love the violin. The album is so beautiful and relaxing. Perfect for listening to while sipping a cup of tea and reading with a candle flickering nearby.

3) Librovox - Thanks to that same sister-in-law, I now know about the amazing Librovox website. It has thousands of free audio books. Every book is in the public domain, which means they are not copyrighted. (I had no clue what that meant. I feel so educated now!) Volunteers record the book, you download and enjoy! So simple. I listened to A Little Princess on the way to and from my friends house last weekend - 8 hours worth of "reading" that would have been spent listening to music I know by heart. And Sweet Girl didn't seem to mind a bit!

4) Small Notebook blog - I already mentioned this blog, but it had to be apart of the list because it has had a big impact on me already. You will see. I have more to write about ideas I've gleaned from this site.

5) Acorns - I have never given a thought to acorns before. But as I was browsing blogs and looking for things I could put together for Mia to do, I saw acorns everywhere. I thought we just didn't have any oak trees in this area because I didn't remember seeing them as a child and I knew we didn't have any in our yard. But one afternoon we ventured out on a trail nearby (but you still have to drive to it) and found a bunch of acorns! Sweet Girl likes putting them, one by one into a jar. I like just looking at them. Whenever I see some outside, I have to restrain myself from gathering a whole handful to take home!

The Road Ahead

Since we are in transition of careers and we are not sure exactly where we will be next year or in five (do any of us really?), I've been anxious about it lately. I want to know where we are meant to be and what we are meant to be doing. What is God's vision for us and our family?

This morning I read this in Jesus Calling:

"As you become increasingly aware of My Presence, you find it easier to discern the way you should go. ... Instead of wondering about what is on the road ahead or worrying about what you should do if ___ or when ___, you can concentrate on staying in communion with Me. When you actually arrive at a choice-point, I will show you which direction to go.
Many people are so preoccupied with future plan and decisions that they fail to see choices they need to make today."

Isn't it clear? Focus on TODAY. Focus on CHRIST. CHRIST IS ALL!

So, I am done. I am done worrying. I will still plan, as necessary, but I will try to remember it is all a guideline. It is not a must. So if things change, then that is okay. That it means God is stepping in and saying, "This is My plan; My will for you." And I must remember that His will is always, always better than mine.

I don't know what God's grand plan is for us, only that there is one. But what must be done today, that is clear.

Getting organized... my life, that is

I'm continuing to have the struggle of too many good ideas coming my way and not enough time or capacity to do them or sort them out. Too much blog surfing I guess.

So lately I have been taking some steps to organize my interests, time, and, well, life. The most recent is that I now I have a "blog" night. This is where after the dinner clean up, Coach and Sweet Girl have a "date" out of the house, and I have a "date" with my blogs. Starting tonight. So I spent the first 40 minutes figuring out how to upload a video on YouTube and onto my family blog. Arrrg. Anyway, I was just not making time to blog because when I did blogging, took more time than I intended to spend. This way, ideally, it is structured. I'll have about an hour and I plan to have a few things I want to do or post about. Before it was haphazard and I'd plan to do something "quick" and end up spending the whole nap time on it, or doing other things.

Another thing I've added structure to is how I spend my time on my hobbies and interests. First, I wrote them all down. This list included things like sewing, quilting, scrapbooking, organizing my recipes differently, etc. Next, I decided I would work on ONE hobby or project a month. October is scrapbooking. So far I have sewn a paper organizer (got the idea here), organized my other supplies (stickers, tags, borders, etc) and have made 3 pages to add to my started scrapbook. I am working on pages from our wedding currently. So... only 4 more years to go! I don't think I'll be caught up by the end of the month, but I may just keep working on it slowly here and there. We'll see.

November will be Christmas shopping and projects as well as reorganizing my recipes. I will post about that when I come to it. I'm not planning too much more in advance because one thing I'm learning about myself is that if I plan too far ahead, I just re-plan it as it gets closer. So I am wasting my time by planning the first time.

I think this one-hobby/project-a-month will really help me. I have enough interests to take me through the next year! And trying to find time for a little of this and a little of that all the time was driving me crazy!

Another thing I've been doing is writing out goals for the month in different areas like home, spiritual, Sweet Girl and others. I hope to post a preview each month in the future. This has helped a lot with priortizing. When I plan my week, I look at my goals and decide what things to work on that week. It really has helped me use my time wisely and get things done!

So since we've started our "normal" life after baseball in July, I feel like I have organized my home, house duties, cooking, and now, my interests. I feel so much better when things are organized and for the most part they are. But there are still things like my "Control Journal" and menu planning folder getting out of hand... the six different gluten free flours sitting in their plastic bags needing containers and the list of random projects adding up. I enjoy the challenge and the feeling of completing something.

I've really enjoyed getting ideas from the Small Notebook blog. I just discovered it and  I could literally read her stuff all day! But then nothing would be organized or simplified, now would it?

October

I found myself greeting another new month, my head full of goals and plans. I am glad this month is not as busy as last month was. For one, Coach will be home in the evenings for dinner and home on the weekends, mostly. A lot of events happened in September too, one after another. October has it's fun things too, but more spread out.

The first few things happened this week already. Thursday I went to Amish land to a bulk store and a farm for fresh cheese (more on that on another post). Friday a friend came with her two children for the day and we had a lot of fun together. Saturday was my 10-year high school reunion (post coming on that too). This week is low key. Just a doctor appointment for Sweet Girl on Wednesday.

The 16th is the first day of a family reunion with my dad's siblings. It will be just a couple hours south of us and last until Wednesday morning. We will be staying in a cabin with my parents. It's a state park and the area is gorgeous, especially at this time of the year. I am really looking forward to it! Plus, they have an awesome indoor water park. I'm sure Sweet Girl will love splashing around!

The weekend after that, the 22nd, Sweet Girl and I will finally visit my friend and her new baby. We'll come home on Tuesday. Coach has things happening on campus so I thought it was a good opportunity to go.

Other than that, the days will be "ordinary" days! I'm glad to have some normalcy and hope to get some projects (and relaxing) done.

This Morning

It was very hard to get up this morning. I laid in bed an extra fifteen minutes after my alarm before forcing myself out of bed. I've had Sweet Girl's cold since Thursday and though it's better, I still don't feel great. After a my morning reading, I curled up and closed my eyes on the chair. I saw Coach get up, but I couldn't bring myself to get up again. Later when he walked through the living room again, I opened my eyes to talk to him. Then I hopped in the shower before he headed off to work. 

Sweet Girl slept in while I did some cleaning for the day, a little bit of Internet surfing, and debated about waking her up... twice. I walked in her room, pulled open the curtain... but when I went to lean down and rub her back, I just couldn't. There was no reason except that I don't want her up late. I just thought, "Well, maybe she needs this rest. I know she's a lot better from the cold, but maybe she just needs more." So I waited. However, I did leave her door open and turned on some classical music while I cleaned. It did rouse her eventually I think and at 10:30, my sleepyhead was awake. 

We dressed, prayed and nursed. I fixed scrambled eggs and she ate a whole egg's-worth. Then we shared the last muffin of a batch from last week - warm with a generous pat of butter. Just the way we like it. Inside, I felt a warm joy, spending my morning with my Sweet Girl.

Plans

The plan was to leave Monday to visit my best friend who recently had her second child. But when Sweet Girl had a fever on Sunday, Plan B was to leave Tuesday. The fever was still there Monday night, so there was a dilemma of whether to leave Wednesday, or just leave next Monday since I had plans for the weekend. 

All day yesterday I fretted. Which was the better plan? Lord, make it clear to me, I prayed. Nothing, nothing until the evening; I felt we should just leave today. I let my friend know, I packed up the rest of our things and went to bed early. Sweet Girl hadn't had a fever all day. It was a great, normal day. We were set. 

But when she woke up over and over, 5, 10, 20 minutes apart. And felt very warm again, I knew we weren't going to go. And when she threw up all over me, there was no way I'd be able talk myself into it no matter how great she seemed to feel when she woke up. No, it just wasn't going to happen. 

I really don't like my plans getting changed and things not happening how I see them. I'm a planner by nature and when I have something in mind, it takes a while for me to reprogram my brain to accept a different plan. When we were living the baseball life, this was quite a problem until I just planned on not knowing. As long as I knew I wouldn't know I was okay... for the most part. Now that my life is much more predictable, I am back to liking it that way and not being as flexible. 

In my devotional book, Jesus Calling, it recently talked about not planning. I took it half seriously knowing that I had also read that for every minute you plan, you save ten minutes of the future. "Yes, planning is good." I thought. And that is true... to a degree. But when planning becomes my security, and I get frustrated when my plans get changed, then it is not good. Planning is important, but it must be flexible. And it must not become an idle. I must have faith in Christ that if my plans change, then that is okay. It may even be better than what I had planned. I need to remember to ask God to bless me when I make plans, and to guide me as I make decisions about the future. I am always being reminded of how I need to make God a part of every aspect of my life. Every part.

Writing Again


It's been almost a year, but I'm back for good. We have high speed internet connection, and I have lots to say! I get lots of ideas for posts throughout the day, but they seem to, of course, escape me when I try to recall them. Therefore, I will resume my "schedule" and post random things as I am able as well.

So what's going on with us? We moved two week ago, to the day, into a little house in town that my husband's work is providing. He's working as the assistant baseball coach at the local all men's college. I have enjoyed setting up the house and getting into good routines and cleaning habits (thanks to FlyLady - I recommend her book Sink Reflections). There are still things to do (especially before our open house in two weeks!), but daily life prevents too much of it getting done quickly. Bit by bit though...

Sweet E is such a little toddler now - no longer a baby! She is quite expressive and has her own ideas about everything! This is both good and challenging at times (like getting dressed). Also, there are times we both get frustrated because she is trying to tell me something by saying "da, da" (her word for just about everything) and I am looking at her clueless. However, she has started to sign some, which I had given up on! My favorite is that she can sign banana. She also is pointing, so that is helpful.

Today is thrift store day, and I'm very excited! I haven't been to them (there are 2 great ones plus a Goodwill here in town) in quite a while, and I actually have some money and things on a list to hunt for! W is not working this morning so he'll have E. I like shopping with her because she's good and fun, but it's also easier without her. I have a lot of little errands to do also.

I sigh when I think that this blog is not and never will be as eloquent or well written as other blogs I love and read. But this is me. This is my life. It helps me to share and maybe it'll help someone else too. Or at least be entertaining and enjoyable. No matter, I hope it blesses. I know it blesses me. Have a wonderful Wednesday!