I don't think I did a very good job explaining why I am doing this...this is mostly for own benefit, so I can see what my days look like in comparison to this Sanity Manifesto. :) How to stay sane when it seems like the daily to do list is so long! This is just my take on what I read, and how I can apply it. The original version can be found here...all credit goes to Anne Voscamp.
9. Make laughter your chocolate.
Love this, and I think I am good there. My kiddos bring me lots of laughter. Laughter when life is crazy gets us through.
10. No songs without rhythm.
I like her idea here...the idea is routine. So many times as a stay at home mama, I kind of feel like I'm just letting things happen. Wake up and see what the day holds. Some of that is good. But routine is good too. Kids need routine. And I'm finding so do parents! (This closely relates to #18)
11. On 25, Take 5.
I do not operate this way, and I think it would be very beneficial to me. She suggests that for every 25 minutes you are "in the pool" (involved in the task at hand), you take five minutes off. Again, that can be hard with small children. But how much would I benefit if I saved my checking facebook, email, and text messages for that 5 minutes? How much would I benefit if I worked really hard for 25 minutes, knowing that after, I could sit and play with my kids for a bit? It's an interesting concept rather than trying to go from laundry to playtime to checking text messages to emptying the dishwasher back to laundry...ha!
12. Unplug to plug into your purpose.
Constant connection to electronics is unhealthy. I'm one to talk. This is big for me, but I am trying. I'm not going to go drastic, but I would like to change this. I would like to unplug for a few hours every day. Sometimes I think about my grandmothers with awe and how they got so much done while still being moms to three and five children. I think, they must have worked their tails off. Yes, I think they did. But also, they didn't have some of the distractions and temptations we have today. Facebook, text messaging, etc...we are able to have conversations at any point of the day, any time we want. And that's not always a good thing.
13. Watch your nos and your yeses will take care of themselves.
SO much truth here. She says..."Don't have guilt about a no, because every no is a yes to something else." We cannot do everything, and at this stage of life, I have to say no to a lot. But I love the reminder that a no is a yes to something else...it is a setting of the priorities. No, I cannot teach another student. Yes, I can spend that time with my family. No, I cannot Zumba tonight. Yes, I can make dinner.
14. Daily Stillness Appointment
She suggests that for five minutes each day...we just sit and ponder. No emailing. No facebooking. No cleaning. No cooking. Just sit. Have you ever done it? I tried last week a couple of days...it's amazing how long five minutes feels! The first day it felt like I was just procrastinating what really needed doing. But after, I think there's some value in it. Calms you. Gets you ready to work. She says..."You only pass by this way once." Makes you put perspective on the day...this day will only come once. Am I using my time wisely?
15. If the Heaven's declare, get out there.
This is all about getting outside once a day. Oh man this is hard. Especially in the dead of winter when I don't want to get my kids out. We do try though..and you can bet in the other seasons, we do it. I start to go a little nuts when I'm cooped up inside...don't you?
16. Work on your wall before noon.
She compares this to Nehemiah and his wall. LOVE this comparison because it's how I feel...just move a few bricks. No way that wall is going to be completed (is it ever really completed?) but get a good grip on it before the lunch time hour. Whether for me that's starting/planning dinner, sending emails regarding lessons, picking out music, grocery shopping, laundry...move those bricks. I love what she says regarding this..."If you don't intentionally work on your wall, the tyranny of the urgent can make your life a rubble heap." Yes! This is what I struggle with! At least once a day the tyranny of the urgent takes control...I want to prolong it as long as possible. I want to think about what's for dinner before 5 p.m. To have emailed my husband my teaching schedule/kids' schedule before I'm texting him saying...where are you? To have my daughter practice/do homework before it's 7:30 and baths still have to be given.
17. Envision the end goal.
What does a day look like when my goals have been reached? What does my end result look like? An organized house, drawers full of clean clothes, a healthy dinner on the table, happy, clean kids, students who get my undivided attention, homework and practicing done, dishes washed, me getting a work out in...is it even possible? Haha. I think it's important to keep in perspective a goal and then a REALISTIC goal...one that's really attainable? Are all three of my kids going to get a bath every night? Nope. Am I going to cook a good dinner from scratch every night of the week? Hasn't happened yet. Will my laundry always be caught up? Ha.
18. Everyday. Not every now and then.
She reminds us that habitually doing something is what is more apt to change your heart than doing it randomly, when you remember it. That means my time in the Word has to be set in stone daily. That means praying for my kids and my husband isn't for when I get time for it, but that I have to MAKE the time for it. It's not an afterthought. But what I'm figuring out and probably everyone else has this figured out :), is that it works for getting other things done too. Laundry in first thing in the morning, out when I get home from school drop off and another load in. A 15 minute clean up session before I teach and another before bed. Haven't quite conquered the grocery shopping once a week/weekly menu...but it is a goal. And I'm getting better!
Stay tuned for Part 3!
Monday, February 4, 2013
Thursday, January 31, 2013
My take on Sanity Manifesto Part One
Since Christmas, we have had at least one child sick pretty much every day. A mother's job when her baby's sick is much more than just comforting, drying tears, and giving medicine. It's trips to the doctor, making life sane for the other children, doing load upon load of laundry, keeping up with the normal housework while trying to disinfect everything you can think of. It is geting up in the wee hours and taking temperatures and giving lukewarm baths and cleaning up...well let's not go there. It's enough to make you a little bit crazy. :) Many nights I go to bed and am asleep within seconds.
I'll stop the whining now. But can you relate?
Anne Voscamp posted something a week or so ago that really like and I have mentally adapted to make work for me. She calls it "Sanity Manifesto".
1. Word in. Work out. Work plan. First things first.
Word in: I have been better about reading the Word first thing in the morning. Several mornings this week, I have gotten up just a few minutes before the kids and read my Bible right there in bed. It makes the start to the day so much better. It is TOUGH to do, but last year when I went through the book "A Place of Quiet Rest" by Nancy Leigh Demoss, I saw what a difference in made to study the Word FIRST THING. Before anything else. Doesn't happen every day, but I'm trying!
Work out: Lots of great ladies I know get up first thing in the morning and work out. I wish I was one of them! Haha! Different stages of my life, I did this. My dad and I used to run at dark thirty. But...these days, I'm just lucky to get a work out in at some point during the day. I'm hoping when Spring comes, to get up two mornings a week for a run. We shall see!
Work Plan: I don't really feel a need to write out my work plan for the day. However, maybe I would get more done that way. I do keep a pretty detailed calendar of the daily events and document what's for dinner, grocery lists etc.
2. What a heart knows by heart, a heart knows.
I want to be better about Scripture memory, for my own sake as well as my kids. This is a big one I am going to work on.
3. Pray with children every morning.
She believes in lighting a candle first thing, to remind herself that she is a light to everyone in her household. I'm going to change this, just cause it's not really my thing.
Instead, for me, praying with my kiddos each morning before our day gets started puts us all in a good spot. Softens our hearts. Gets us over the craziness of getting out the door. And reminds us where our focus should be.
4. Your work is art; it needs a soundtrack.
I LOVE this. I work much, much better with music. Don't know if that is just the music teacher in me, but cleaning the kitchen is far more enjoyable when you can pause for dance breaks. And my kids know the words to many hymns and worship songs simply because they are often playing in the background of whatever we are doing. I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees this as a sanity saver!
5. Step on the snake before breakfast.
Voscamp's life is different than mine because she isn't rushing to get a child to school. I have committed to driving my daughter to and from school each day. I may change my thinking on this in the future, but for now, it is a high priority. So it's hard to step on a snake...get a hard thing done before breakfast, because it's hard enough just getting us all dressed and fed and out the door in time! Realistically, I just don't see this happening for me in the near future unless I get up earlier :), in which case I will probably do better about #1. If I do have extra time in the mornings (almost never), I try to start a load of laundry before I leave.
6. Stay in the pool.
OH man, this is huge for me. I flit from thing to thing during the day, half folding a load of laundry, then to half empty the dishwasher, pausing to wipe some noses and send an email. Obviously, when you have small children, you are going to have interruptions (and we should welcome lots of those!), but the suggestion is to finish the task you start before beginning another. When I think I am multitasking, often I am procrastinating.
7. Clean a space=clear headspace
So true...the cleaner my workspace is, the better I can focus on what needs to be done. The desk...where we keep school info, bills, etc. is the messiest part of the downstairs. And the messier it is, the crazier I feel.
8 Go slow. Life is not an emergency: It's a gift.
There's a fine balance of getting things done that need to be done and rushing through life breathless. When my children see Mom always in a hurry, it stresses them out. I admittedly struggle with putting the two of these together. I feel like I need to be in a hurry to get it all done; when I'm not in a hurry, I kind of feel lazy. But...it's absolutely crucial that we LIVE FULLY, in the moment, taking life in as a gift and giving it as a gift. Communicating to my kids and my husband that they aren't my interruptions, they are my gift. Not being too busy to serve others, to love others.
And now, I'm going to pause to take another child to the doctor. :)
I'll stop the whining now. But can you relate?
Anne Voscamp posted something a week or so ago that really like and I have mentally adapted to make work for me. She calls it "Sanity Manifesto".
1. Word in. Work out. Work plan. First things first.
Word in: I have been better about reading the Word first thing in the morning. Several mornings this week, I have gotten up just a few minutes before the kids and read my Bible right there in bed. It makes the start to the day so much better. It is TOUGH to do, but last year when I went through the book "A Place of Quiet Rest" by Nancy Leigh Demoss, I saw what a difference in made to study the Word FIRST THING. Before anything else. Doesn't happen every day, but I'm trying!
Work out: Lots of great ladies I know get up first thing in the morning and work out. I wish I was one of them! Haha! Different stages of my life, I did this. My dad and I used to run at dark thirty. But...these days, I'm just lucky to get a work out in at some point during the day. I'm hoping when Spring comes, to get up two mornings a week for a run. We shall see!
Work Plan: I don't really feel a need to write out my work plan for the day. However, maybe I would get more done that way. I do keep a pretty detailed calendar of the daily events and document what's for dinner, grocery lists etc.
2. What a heart knows by heart, a heart knows.
I want to be better about Scripture memory, for my own sake as well as my kids. This is a big one I am going to work on.
3. Pray with children every morning.
She believes in lighting a candle first thing, to remind herself that she is a light to everyone in her household. I'm going to change this, just cause it's not really my thing.
Instead, for me, praying with my kiddos each morning before our day gets started puts us all in a good spot. Softens our hearts. Gets us over the craziness of getting out the door. And reminds us where our focus should be.
4. Your work is art; it needs a soundtrack.
I LOVE this. I work much, much better with music. Don't know if that is just the music teacher in me, but cleaning the kitchen is far more enjoyable when you can pause for dance breaks. And my kids know the words to many hymns and worship songs simply because they are often playing in the background of whatever we are doing. I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees this as a sanity saver!
5. Step on the snake before breakfast.
Voscamp's life is different than mine because she isn't rushing to get a child to school. I have committed to driving my daughter to and from school each day. I may change my thinking on this in the future, but for now, it is a high priority. So it's hard to step on a snake...get a hard thing done before breakfast, because it's hard enough just getting us all dressed and fed and out the door in time! Realistically, I just don't see this happening for me in the near future unless I get up earlier :), in which case I will probably do better about #1. If I do have extra time in the mornings (almost never), I try to start a load of laundry before I leave.
6. Stay in the pool.
OH man, this is huge for me. I flit from thing to thing during the day, half folding a load of laundry, then to half empty the dishwasher, pausing to wipe some noses and send an email. Obviously, when you have small children, you are going to have interruptions (and we should welcome lots of those!), but the suggestion is to finish the task you start before beginning another. When I think I am multitasking, often I am procrastinating.
7. Clean a space=clear headspace
So true...the cleaner my workspace is, the better I can focus on what needs to be done. The desk...where we keep school info, bills, etc. is the messiest part of the downstairs. And the messier it is, the crazier I feel.
8 Go slow. Life is not an emergency: It's a gift.
There's a fine balance of getting things done that need to be done and rushing through life breathless. When my children see Mom always in a hurry, it stresses them out. I admittedly struggle with putting the two of these together. I feel like I need to be in a hurry to get it all done; when I'm not in a hurry, I kind of feel lazy. But...it's absolutely crucial that we LIVE FULLY, in the moment, taking life in as a gift and giving it as a gift. Communicating to my kids and my husband that they aren't my interruptions, they are my gift. Not being too busy to serve others, to love others.
And now, I'm going to pause to take another child to the doctor. :)
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Stress!
"I'm just so stressed right now." "There's just way too much on my to do list."
I teach six high school students a week and I guarantee I hear this from three of them every week. Kids today are wearing and carrying so much stress.
My almost seven year old told me this week, "I'm stressed out that I'm not going to have time to finish my homework."
I am still keeping my gratitude list, but this time in a journal. It is difficult to get on to post every time I want to document my gratitude. But can I just tell you, keeping this list, writing down my thanks to God...it's amazing the change it makes in my days and in my heart.
And I've been thinking about stress and trusting. Because anyone in my family can tell you, if there was a contest in who stresses the most, I'd probably win a lot. I've long been a stressed out person; it's just my nature I've told myself. Change and new situations stress me the most, especially if it involves my children.
Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow."
How can I overflow grace and peace to others, to my children, to my husband when my own heart is stressed out so much? Here's the simple truth I'm discovering: I can't.
Being stressed out is kind of popular in our culture. If you hear someone is stressed, sometimes it says...ooh that person is important, their work/job is indispensable and can't be done as well by anyone else.
In Anne Voscamp's book, I read..."Stress isn't only a joy stealer. The way we respond to it can be sin."
God COMMANDS us to trust in Him. It's not a suggestion; it's not just a way to bring peace; it is a COMMAND. Trust is the opposite of stress and worry.
Anne Voscamp goes on to say something that has stopped me in my tracks every time I think on it, every time I let my mind go there. And I think she's right...I think she has hit on something here that is really tough, but really true.
"I've just begun to feel around the outside edges of it, here in crumbling economics, the fretfulness of parenting, the dizziness of the twenty-first century spin. Just begun to realize it, and it catches in my throat: If authentic, saving belief is the act of trusting, then to choose stress is an act of disbelief."
For the everyday stresses...for the job stress, the uncertainty of tomorrow, the worry for our children, for the how am I ever going to get everything done...
Aren't we commanded to trust and obey?
How much would my time be better spent to pray, trust, and DO instead of stress and worry?
I teach six high school students a week and I guarantee I hear this from three of them every week. Kids today are wearing and carrying so much stress.
My almost seven year old told me this week, "I'm stressed out that I'm not going to have time to finish my homework."
I am still keeping my gratitude list, but this time in a journal. It is difficult to get on to post every time I want to document my gratitude. But can I just tell you, keeping this list, writing down my thanks to God...it's amazing the change it makes in my days and in my heart.
And I've been thinking about stress and trusting. Because anyone in my family can tell you, if there was a contest in who stresses the most, I'd probably win a lot. I've long been a stressed out person; it's just my nature I've told myself. Change and new situations stress me the most, especially if it involves my children.
Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow."
How can I overflow grace and peace to others, to my children, to my husband when my own heart is stressed out so much? Here's the simple truth I'm discovering: I can't.
Being stressed out is kind of popular in our culture. If you hear someone is stressed, sometimes it says...ooh that person is important, their work/job is indispensable and can't be done as well by anyone else.
In Anne Voscamp's book, I read..."Stress isn't only a joy stealer. The way we respond to it can be sin."
God COMMANDS us to trust in Him. It's not a suggestion; it's not just a way to bring peace; it is a COMMAND. Trust is the opposite of stress and worry.
Anne Voscamp goes on to say something that has stopped me in my tracks every time I think on it, every time I let my mind go there. And I think she's right...I think she has hit on something here that is really tough, but really true.
"I've just begun to feel around the outside edges of it, here in crumbling economics, the fretfulness of parenting, the dizziness of the twenty-first century spin. Just begun to realize it, and it catches in my throat: If authentic, saving belief is the act of trusting, then to choose stress is an act of disbelief."
For the everyday stresses...for the job stress, the uncertainty of tomorrow, the worry for our children, for the how am I ever going to get everything done...
Aren't we commanded to trust and obey?
How much would my time be better spent to pray, trust, and DO instead of stress and worry?
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Letters to my Kids Day 1/1000 Gifts
To my youngest...
In just a few weeks you will turn one. I remember this time last year. I was so ready to hold you, so sure you would be here any day since your brother had been early and I was having early contractions. The anticipation was incredible...and we spent most of December sure that you would come any day.
And then you were induced. :) You came home on Christmas Eve. You were the best Christmas gift I could ever imagine (except for Jesus).
Your pregnancy was stressful...there were several complications that concerned us along the way. Someday I will tell you more about them. Daddy and I just wanted you in our arms, to be able to whisper how much we loved you. To know that you were healthy.
And then you were here. And you were healthy. And you were perfect. And you are perfect. Perfectly you. And I am in awe of the awesomeness of God.
I look at you today, learning to hold your own with your big brother. You love to take his toys and then crawl as fast as you can away from him. You are so playful, always wanting to get a smile from someone. And you give your smiles so freely. You adore your big sister, breaking into a smile the moment she walks in the room. Your Daddy holds your heart. As soon as he gets home, he has to hold you or you are very angry. And you love your Mama too. You recently learned to give pats and kisses...and oh buddy, you can melt my heart with those.
My sweet Cole baby (how long can I call you that?), I was in love with you the moment I knew you were going to be. I will love you for always. And I will always thank God for the miracle of you.
Love, Mama
1000 Gifts
192. My sweet Cole baby, who will not be a baby much longer.
193. Clean sheets.
194. A washing machine. The stomach flu has been going through this house. Let's just say the washing machine has been used a lot lately. A lot.
195. Unexpected lunch date with a friend!
196. Letting T pick out a new snowman for our collection yesterday and seeing his excitement over showing his sister and Daddy "Frosty".
197. On days I feel like nothing is working out the way I planned it to be, I'm reminded "The Truth is that all I have to do is the work God assigns to me. What a freedom...there is time for me to do everything that is on God's "to do" list for my day, for my week, and for my life!" (Thanks Nancy Leigh Demoss)
198. For my E, who laughs in the chaos with me. He is my best friend and my greatest earthly love.
199. For my dad, who checks on us every day with a text.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
1000 Gifts...a Thanksgiving version
169. Enjoying time with family.
170. My mom...she works so hard to make Thanksgiving awesome.
171. Bonding time with my mom and sis in law while Black Friday shopping! One lady told my SIL and I..."You guys are family AND good friends? You are so lucky!" Yes, we sure are. My sis in law and my mama are two of my closest friends. Who could ask for more?
172. Finding some good deals!
172. Finding some good deals!
173. An unexpected day off for Em from school while family was here!
174. Snuggles with my little sis
175. A boy who loves to ride the tractor with his Papa!
176. And a girl who does too! (Wish I had a pic of this!)
177. A full, crowded house. Yes, it's packed to the brim and loud and sometimes crazy...and we love it!
178. Fire in fireplace, family all around, good food, and football on tv!
179. Running with my dad on Thanksgiving morning. He is one of my best friends too.
180. Celebrating my brother and my mom's birthdays.
181. Big gathering for E's side of the family...seeing lots of family we don't get to see as often...
182. And good times with family we DO get to see often.
183. That we have plenty to eat and a warm house.
184. Remembering this time last year...C's pregnancy had its scares. I was so anxious to get him here and hold him. So thankful that he is here and healthy and for the blessing he is to our family. He's such a sweet, happy baby.
185. For my parents and E's parents who love and dote on their grandkids...
186. And their kids!
187. Great cousin times.
188. Tate's excitement over EVERYTHING "Kissmas".
189. Everyone pitching in to cook and clean.
190. SNOW!
191. "Kissmas moosic pease pease?" I hear this many times a day.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Giving thanks
"I believe in Christ like I believe in the sun. Not because I can see it, but by it I can see everything else."
C. S. Lewis
I've been thinking about this quote a lot this week, as I prepared for Thanksgiving and went about my daily routine. As you know, I've been participating in the Joy Dare. I've been quite literally counting my blessings.
In doing so, in seeking the lovely in the daily routine and the blessings in the chaos, I've drawn closer to God. I am learning that when I look through at the world in a way that I am seeing the blessings, in a way I think God looks at it, then my faith is strengthened.
1st Thessalonians tells us:
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Paul knew that the secret to living a life that MATTERS, a life that GLORIFIES, a life that POINTS TO JESUS is in the thanksgiving.
What if...we kept counting our blessings, long after Thanksgiving and after we reached 1000? What if...we got caught up in what we have instead of what we don't?
What if...we learned to thank God through the hard times, even when the only thing we can think to say thank you for is Jesus?
What if...we knew that Jesus was enough? That even if every worldly pleasure was gone, that He would be enough?
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. May you have many gifts to count.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Thankfulness
This morning while I was loading the kids in the car, shivering and wishing for my hot cup of coffee that I didn't have time to grab in my rush, my daughter prayed, "Thank You God, for the cold and for the frost. The frost is so pretty." When I stopped to look around and got past my selfish thinking, that frost really was beautiful! And with the cold weather comes some of my favorite times of the year.
Sometimes it takes our kids to remind us of the blessings all around us.
200. For colder weather...anticipating the holidays!
201. My sweet babe who just wants to snuggle right now
202. For my daughter's teachers and the love they show
203. For that look E and I share when our kids do something crazy or cute or funny...the look of parents who are thankful for their kids. Knowing that we share that pride.
204. For a warm house!
205. For being able to be home with my children and take Emma to school and pick her up each day.
206. For a husband who holds down the fort in the evenings so I can Zumba and teach flute.
207. For the Bible...a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
208. For learning to be courageous
What can you thank God for right now?
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