2010... Don't Let the Door Hit Ya'

Or so the saying goes. Not so sorry to see this one go. This year I mean. 2010 has not been my favorite as far as years go.

Joint pain... Lupus... Twice disappointed by trying to rent a new home and it not working out...
New job that turned out to be a bust... Some struggles in different relationships...
Blah, blah, blah.

I am ready for a fresh start.

As this new year begins, I am not so much making resolutions as I am doing some shifting. Shifting from reactive to proactive. From "I wish the boys would sleep longer" to "Good Morning!" From joint pain to health and energy. From "Where does the time go?" to "I am happy with how I have spent my days."
I have made the decision to give myself a hard-and-fast bedtime on weeknights. I started doing this when my joint pain was at its worst and it really did help. I will be IN bed each night by 11pm. The flip side of that is... no matter what time my boys sleep until, I am going to get up each day at 6am. I fully realize that it may be earlier some days if Caden decides to be an early bird. But on the days they (thankfully) sleep a little later, I am going to get up and shower and maybe even have 5min to drink a cup of tea and read a verse or two to get my day going.

It is about shifting my focus. So much of 2010 was spent reacting to this new health challenge and the actions/words of people around me. Or reacting to those early mornings after later nights when I was already at a deficit. It is just so hard to be patient or proactive when your body and your "schedule" are working against you. Enough.

In 2011, I am going to be gluten-free and more rested. I am going to proactively take care of my body and my mind and my soul. I am going to change my work schedule (increasing my days) so that we can pay down our debt and live more free. I am going to be intentional about how I spend my time and my money and make hard decisions for both.
God has blessed me with a precious woman in my church to meet with and pray with and walk this journey together with. She challenges me when I need it and loves me when I need it. And hopefully I can do the same for her. Having this mentoring-type relationship is the first intentional thing I have done in years for my own personal/mental/spiritual health.

My bedtime is in 7minutes.

So 2010... I can't say I'm sad to see you go. Welcome 2011! The year I turn 34 (ahem... on Friday!) and regain the healthy, happy, vibrant me that I know is still there somewhere. She never really left, she just got muffled at times. Let this be the year I stand up for my own/my family's needs and not let fatigue or frustration or the sometimes unkind words of others dictate how my life should go. I am shifting my focus. Maybe a little more towards myself, but really just a lot more towards my Savior.

Happy New Year to y'all.




Need a Sling? Click here!
Subscribe to Me!! Click here for your regular dose of BabyLove Slings!

Read more...

Resolving to Subtract

This is an updated version of a post I ran around this time last year. It still applies- even more so this year. So if it sounds familiar, it probably is. But aren't most NewYear's resolutions recycled versions of resolutions-past. They are for me. And this year is no different.

Happy New Year, to all y'all! Love and Blessings to you in 2010!!

My and my boys on Christmas Eve

Bloggy-land is running over this week with posts full of resolutions and goals and the best of intentions. I am no different than my fellow moms in that I have several (ok, LOTS) of areas in my life that need improvement and are in desperate need of a resolution or two.
In years past, I have started the new year with any number of things I want to change in my life in the coming months. Lose weight, get in shape, read more, pray more, yell less, spend less, ... I keep up with these things off and on, but like most people, my resolve fizzles fairly quickly. Because of my usual trend, I am approaching things a little differently this year. Instead of adding more things that I have to remember to do, to be, to accomplish.... I am subtracting. I am simplifying. Cutting out the things that clutter my mind, my day, the top of my desk. I am reading some really clarifying books that are helping me gain much-needed perspective. I am thinking of ways to keep life organized and simple and stress-free.

Beyond that though, I am taking a strong look at the ways we spend our days and "free time." Am I filling my days with things that matter and am I filling them too much? I am learning that my own whole-ness and that of my boys (young, old and canine) really depends on how well I am able to filter out the unnecessary clutter in all areas of life. Mid January will bring a big change for me and my family. I am changing jobs and I know this will have a big affect on all of us. It means more time at work and more of my home time will need to be dedicated to studying and learning my new role (BTW- I am a cardiac interventional nurse). This shift in my professional life and commitment makes it even more crucial that I take a hard look at all the other things that fill my days and decide what can stay and what needs to go. My time with my family, while being the most important thing to me, is about to diminish in quantity. So it MUST improve it quality. And that, for me, means simplifying and filtering and being intentional about the ways I spend my minutes and my dollars. So on the brink of this new year, I am resolving to subtract the insignificant, the clutter, the fluff. I am resolving to stop deciding what I should or should not be doing based on what seems to work for others or makes them popular and successful. I am resolving to decide what I want my life to look like and cut anything that doesn't contribute to that end so I can focus on the things that do.

Whatever your resolutions or goals are for the coming year, I pray that God would show you how to proceed, give you the perseverance to stick to it, and the grace to not get down on yourself if you can't. I have always been one to have very high expectations of myself. So this time I am trying to just see things for what they are and pray that God would help me make the small adjustments that will make a big difference.

I leave you with some pics from our Christmas this year! :) ...

Lucas and Caden sitting in the nativity out on my parents' front lawn

Lucas learning to ride the bicycle my parents gave him for Christmas

I got the boys these adorable superhero capes since they are so into superhero play these days. They loved them!! (Want your own? BabyPop on Etsy)

Working on his cool MotorWorks toy with "Pa"- an awesome toy with actual tools and parts and the kids put the toys together themselves. Lucas loves it!! (Check out this website...)

I made Caden a mailbox complete with felt letters and stamps and address labels that are interchangeable. It turned out super-cute!

Boys opening presents from each other :)

I also made them pirate blankets since Lucas is WAY into pirates. It was kinda inspired by one of our favorite books about a pirate pup who is looking for his treasure (his blanket).

Hubby and I with our team hats- his is the Chicago Bears and mine, of course, is my Gators.

Need a Sling? Click here!
Subscribe to Me!! Click here for your regular dose of BabyLove Slings!

Read more...

A New Beginning

My Family

(L to R- hubby, me, my mom, my beautiful sister Ashley, Caden, my dad, Lucas)

Bloggy-land is running over this week with posts full of resolutions and goals and the best of intentions. I am no different than my fellow moms in that I have several (ok, LOTS) of areas in my life that need improvement and are in desperate need of a resolution or two. But, you aren't gonna see a list here. Sure, I have one. Not written down anywhere, mostly in my head. And I am not gonna list it here, at least not yet. It is a work in process. I am pondering the list in my mind, in my heart, and praying that God will show me how to move forward from here.
In years past, I have started the new year with any number of things I want to change in my life in the coming months. Lose weight, get in shape, read more, pray more, yell less, spend less, ... I keep up with these things off and on, but like most people, my resolve fizzles fairly quickly. Because of my usual trend, I am approaching things a little differently this year. Instead of adding more things that I have to remember to do, to be, to accomplish.... I am subtracting. I am simplifying. Cutting out the things that clutter my mind, my day, the top of my desk. I am reading some really clarifying books that are helping me gain much-needed perspective. I am thinking of ways to keep life organized and simple and stress-free. Beyond that though, I am taking a strong look at the ways we spend our days and "free time." Am I filling my days with things that matter and am I filling them too much? I am learning that my own whole-ness and that of my boys (young, old and canine) really depends on how well I am able to filter out the unnecessary clutter in all areas of life.
So, expect some up-coming posts on how I am reducing my lists and not adding to them. About how I am cutting things out and not adding more things in. Whatever your resolutions or goals are for the coming year, I pray that God would show you how to proceed, give you the perseverance to stick to it, and the grace to not get down on yourself if you can't. I have always been one to have very high expectations of myself. So this time I am trying to just see things for what they are and pray that God would help me make the small adjustments that will make a big difference.

Read more...