What's going on with me right now:
Sticking with my smoothie and workout goals for the month. I've got two workouts and 5 smoothies left before meeting my goals, and nine days to do it. This is the second month I've set some goals for myself and I like it. I purposely do set them at a moderate level (every other day), so that they are doable, but still keep me motivated. I enjoy the way working out makes me feel, so that usually happens more often than the smoothie, so I will definitely be exceeding my goal on that. But that's good :) I feel like a lot of times people set goals too high and then if you can't complete them, you feel guilty, like a failure, and are less motivated to do anything. Figure out what will be doable for you, not what your "perfect world" situation would be. You will feel proud that you completed your goal and be encouraged to keep at it. I set my workout goal for a minimum of 20 minutes but usually end up doing almost an hour of a combination of fast walking and then stretching and some light weights or strengthening/toning exercises. So even on a daily basis I'm exceeding my goal, which feels awesome.
I have been keeping up with my goal to read through the book of Proverbs as well. I usually read the daily chapter with the kids, and they are really growing from it too. We get to talk a lot about wisdom and foolishness, and what it means to be wise. Nathaniel's favorite passage in the Bible right now is Proverbs 4. He likes the part about the "path of the wicked and the path of the just and the darkness and the light." So encouraging to see them growing in the Lord, even at a young age.
I've been fighting off what feels like a cold or sinus/ear infection, but I think it is actually being caused by my new-ish detox support supplements. Going on for over a week now. I know dairy affected my sinus/tonsil/ lymph node/ear area in the past, so hopefully this little "flare up" is a sign that things are moving and healing. Since being treated for dairy allergies with NAET, I have been eating cheese (Darigold white cheddar and Kerrygold grassfed cheeses, mainly) and have also added in some sour cream and raw cow milk too, and haven't experienced any symptoms like I was the last few years. Cutting back right now though, to hopefully get this all cleared out and behind me for good!
I've been sorting out more emotional changes as well, due to things that were brought up on my last few visits with Alicia. Feeling stronger and more stable. I've also noticed that as I've worked through my emotional issues, its become a lot easier for me to organize my house. I always felt that it was strange that my "perfectionistically inclined" self wasn't better at organizing things and such....and I would want to do it even, but didn't know where to begin. It feels like I needed to get things in order inside of myself first, and then I could really start to do other things. Just an interesting observation I had recently :)
Being a mother has its ups and downs, on a daily basis. Being the oldest of twelve, I didn't expect anything different, but some days...it's all I can do to make it to bedtime. Thankfully, I know that God can use me in spite of my shortcomings and that He can bless the seeds I'm planting now so that someday there is a bountiful harvest, even if it feels like I can't see any progress now, some days. But Sophie and Nathaniel really do bring so much joy into our life. I'm so thankful for them. So humbled and grateful to be blessed with these little beings of light from God. When they aren't fighting, they're pretty ok. ;) I think one of the best things you can do as a parent is show grace and be forgiving and ask for forgiveness too. Don't think you can't admit when you sin because any sign of weakness will be a "breach in the wall" and they will come barreling over to conquer. Apologize if you've actually done something wrong. It makes you relatable and it feels better too; you can let go of the guilt when you are forgiven. And in my experience, children are always willing to forgive.
Some things I've been enjoying doing with Sophie and Nathaniel lately are building Legos (Seriously, I love it. Buy me a box of Lego bricks for my birthday and I will be so happy.), practicing writing letters and drawing pictures to go with them, reading stories and the Bible, making birthday cards for people (we have seven birthdays in our families in the next three weeks!), watching them play house and doctor and put on "shows" for us. Sometimes if I'm feeling brave I will attempt to bake cookies with them... They have also been getting more helpful with chores, especially since they each got a paper for collecting reward stickers. I love snuggling in bed with them and talking about the day. Sophie loves it when we imagine something before she goes to sleep, like a candy-land, or a mermaid castle under the sea. There are hard,exhausting days, and bedtime can be especially challenging, but God gets us through it and we start each day fresh.
I'm thankful for my patient, caring husband, who keeps coming home to me, to us, even though sometimes it probably feels like he walked into a war zone. We like to spend our evenings talking or watching Good Mythical Morning on Youtube or finding silly quizzes online to do together, and eating snacks secretly after the kids are in bed....like Paleo chocolate microwave mug cake with "the good vanilla ice cream" on top....mmm.
Over all, I am feeling positive and grateful and humbled. Being sick isn't fun and raising children is hard, but the blessings pour down, torrentially, and God is always here with grace and guidance.
"Unless the Lord had been my help,
My soul would soon have settled in silence.
If I say, “My foot slips,”
Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up.
In the multitude of my anxieties within me,
Your comforts delight my soul." (Psalm 94:17-19)
Sticking with my smoothie and workout goals for the month. I've got two workouts and 5 smoothies left before meeting my goals, and nine days to do it. This is the second month I've set some goals for myself and I like it. I purposely do set them at a moderate level (every other day), so that they are doable, but still keep me motivated. I enjoy the way working out makes me feel, so that usually happens more often than the smoothie, so I will definitely be exceeding my goal on that. But that's good :) I feel like a lot of times people set goals too high and then if you can't complete them, you feel guilty, like a failure, and are less motivated to do anything. Figure out what will be doable for you, not what your "perfect world" situation would be. You will feel proud that you completed your goal and be encouraged to keep at it. I set my workout goal for a minimum of 20 minutes but usually end up doing almost an hour of a combination of fast walking and then stretching and some light weights or strengthening/toning exercises. So even on a daily basis I'm exceeding my goal, which feels awesome.
I have been keeping up with my goal to read through the book of Proverbs as well. I usually read the daily chapter with the kids, and they are really growing from it too. We get to talk a lot about wisdom and foolishness, and what it means to be wise. Nathaniel's favorite passage in the Bible right now is Proverbs 4. He likes the part about the "path of the wicked and the path of the just and the darkness and the light." So encouraging to see them growing in the Lord, even at a young age.
I've been fighting off what feels like a cold or sinus/ear infection, but I think it is actually being caused by my new-ish detox support supplements. Going on for over a week now. I know dairy affected my sinus/tonsil/ lymph node/ear area in the past, so hopefully this little "flare up" is a sign that things are moving and healing. Since being treated for dairy allergies with NAET, I have been eating cheese (Darigold white cheddar and Kerrygold grassfed cheeses, mainly) and have also added in some sour cream and raw cow milk too, and haven't experienced any symptoms like I was the last few years. Cutting back right now though, to hopefully get this all cleared out and behind me for good!
I've been sorting out more emotional changes as well, due to things that were brought up on my last few visits with Alicia. Feeling stronger and more stable. I've also noticed that as I've worked through my emotional issues, its become a lot easier for me to organize my house. I always felt that it was strange that my "perfectionistically inclined" self wasn't better at organizing things and such....and I would want to do it even, but didn't know where to begin. It feels like I needed to get things in order inside of myself first, and then I could really start to do other things. Just an interesting observation I had recently :)
Being a mother has its ups and downs, on a daily basis. Being the oldest of twelve, I didn't expect anything different, but some days...it's all I can do to make it to bedtime. Thankfully, I know that God can use me in spite of my shortcomings and that He can bless the seeds I'm planting now so that someday there is a bountiful harvest, even if it feels like I can't see any progress now, some days. But Sophie and Nathaniel really do bring so much joy into our life. I'm so thankful for them. So humbled and grateful to be blessed with these little beings of light from God. When they aren't fighting, they're pretty ok. ;) I think one of the best things you can do as a parent is show grace and be forgiving and ask for forgiveness too. Don't think you can't admit when you sin because any sign of weakness will be a "breach in the wall" and they will come barreling over to conquer. Apologize if you've actually done something wrong. It makes you relatable and it feels better too; you can let go of the guilt when you are forgiven. And in my experience, children are always willing to forgive.
Some things I've been enjoying doing with Sophie and Nathaniel lately are building Legos (Seriously, I love it. Buy me a box of Lego bricks for my birthday and I will be so happy.), practicing writing letters and drawing pictures to go with them, reading stories and the Bible, making birthday cards for people (we have seven birthdays in our families in the next three weeks!), watching them play house and doctor and put on "shows" for us. Sometimes if I'm feeling brave I will attempt to bake cookies with them... They have also been getting more helpful with chores, especially since they each got a paper for collecting reward stickers. I love snuggling in bed with them and talking about the day. Sophie loves it when we imagine something before she goes to sleep, like a candy-land, or a mermaid castle under the sea. There are hard,exhausting days, and bedtime can be especially challenging, but God gets us through it and we start each day fresh.
I'm thankful for my patient, caring husband, who keeps coming home to me, to us, even though sometimes it probably feels like he walked into a war zone. We like to spend our evenings talking or watching Good Mythical Morning on Youtube or finding silly quizzes online to do together, and eating snacks secretly after the kids are in bed....like Paleo chocolate microwave mug cake with "the good vanilla ice cream" on top....mmm.
Over all, I am feeling positive and grateful and humbled. Being sick isn't fun and raising children is hard, but the blessings pour down, torrentially, and God is always here with grace and guidance.
"Unless the Lord had been my help,
My soul would soon have settled in silence.
If I say, “My foot slips,”
Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up.
In the multitude of my anxieties within me,
Your comforts delight my soul." (Psalm 94:17-19)
That verse in Psalms was pointed out to me last summer, seriously a blessing. My foot slips constantly. And my multitude of anxieties overwhelm me, but it's a comfort to know "He's got the whole world in His hands".
ReplyDelete