encouragement

A realistic to-do list

~ Christie ~ 1 Comment

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Ever feel like you worked all day but didn’t actually accomplish anything? Ever looked at your to-do list, known you’ve been working and productive all morning, but have nothing to check off?

This happens to me!! And I finally realized *something needs to change*! Either I need to write down what I actually need to do, or I need to stop writing down things that I realistically can not do. Maybe both.

I used to make long, ambitious lists of all I wanted to do in a day; but currently, I write down lunch and dinner and give Eden a bath and sometimes even make my bed and get a shower if I can tell it’s that kind of a day. Not only does it help me to not write in extra things that will never realistically get accomplished, but it also motivates me to do those seemingly obvious things that tend to be forgotten in the daily plan. (Ever forgotten to take a shower? Or forgotten that the little people were planning on eating dinner?)

These seasons do not last forever, but it is very tempting to feel that they might.

It’s okay to write “clean up from breakfast,” or “put dinner in the crockpot,” or “read with ‘Zoe'”on your list. If it needs done and you’re in a crunch season (or if it’s a rather undesirable task that tends to be overlooked), then write it down.

Now you might not write “change diapers.” But think about it – even if it’s only five minutes – that multiplied times five or ten takes up a good little chunk of your day. The same could be said for nursing or potty training. Leave room for those things. And especially leave room for discipline, conversation, and sweet times with the kids.

We have to figure out how to still do laundry, errands, meals, etc., but don’t plan beyond what is reasonable with so many other responsibilities.

I wish I could tell you this post will help you accomplish more… but it won’t. That’s not even my intention. But I do hope – if you find yourself in such a season – that you will recognize how much you do accomplish, and feel a tiny bit more encouraged at the end of the day.

 

Remember this {on bouncing back}

~ Christie ~ 4 Comments
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About this time last week, I was down. Down on housekeeping, down on homeschooling… cooking, kids, you name it.

When I look around and find myself so dissatisfied with what I see, feeling helpless to turn any of it around, I’m often forgetting some extenuating circumstances.

In this particular case, my husband just graduating from seminary! A four-year long culmination for him. Not to mention more than a week of careful preparation on my part to insure that everything went smoothly that weekend so we could fully enjoy celebrating together.

So yes, there were rotten bananas on the counter that just hadn’t gotten made into banana bread. The laundry that had been so carefully taken care of before Friday had once again spiraled out of control. The two-year-old who had completely mastered potty training started having accidents out in public when I had no extra clothes and no idea what to do about the mess.

But accidents and dirty laundry and rotten bananas are not the point. The point is that I let these things convince me that I’m a complete wreck who will never get it right no matter how hard I try. Which is completely untrue. What is true is that I am a very average homemaker who most of the time keeps everything in line enough so that our family can run smoothly and enjoy each other, who some of the time can do above that, and who sometimes bottoms out and lives in a very messy house for a few days before bouncing back.

When you’re pregnant and there’s big a big abnormal life event, you might have to just rest for a few days. And no, your housework will not get done while you’re resting. And that’s okay.

Because somehow, in some way, I usually bounce back. It’s not normally from the big, all day, get-this-place-cleaned-up times I dream of; it’s usually in very small, indiscernible steps. Then one day I look around, and things have gotten better.

This applies to so many areas of my life. Just after having a baby is a big one. Or when baby has to start eating solid food. Sometimes it’s not just the physical settings of a messy house, testy kids, disorganized homeschooling, or never-ending schedules, sometimes it can be spiritual growth (or the lack thereof), strained relationships, or cloudy moods that evoke those feelings of hopelessness. It’s hard to convince yourself that those circumstances won’t last forever, but really those “lows” are most often just as temporary as the equal and opposite “highs.”

It might be the next week, the next month or the next year, but most of the time if you wait long enough, things will bounce back.

Maybe I’ll remember for next time. = )

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Just wanted to say a quick hello to you, the readers! This may be the longest stretch of time I’ve gone without blogging! We did indeed have a lovely and touching graduation. God blessed and everything was smooth and wonderful. It’s hard to believe that sweet time of life has come to an end. We currently have three days of homeschooling left before we finish our first year. And then, it’s get ready for all things baby! Somehow that has given me the itch to rearrange everything in the house. = ) I am woefully behind on sharing pictures. Keeping my fingers crossed that I will have some ready for this Saturday. Until then or whenever, thank you so much for reading and for your sweet support. 

31 days of training my kids: favorite blogs

~ Christie ~ 6 Comments

I have a confession to make: I don’t really like mom blogs.

Reason 1: At the end of the day, I want to think, read and look at something that has almost no connection to what I’ve been doing all day.

Reason 2: I find that even most Christian mom blogs have tendencies toward secular thinking, man-centered theology, or an imbalanced view of grace.

With that said, today I want to share with you the two blogs that are an immense help to me as a mom – and wife, and believer.

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Girl talk

This blog is by Carolyn Mahaney and her three daughters. I call this my “get up off the couch and do something blog.” It is encouraging and convicting. Their content goes way past the surface we’re so often content to stay at and digs to the deeper theological basis of womanhood. Many times at the end of the day after perusing other non-mom blogs, I come to this one and am so helped. So much that I usually find myself getting up off the couch to do dishes. Now that’s a blog I can use! (by the way, I don’t think they’ve ever mentioned getting up to do dishes, but rehearsing biblical truth has a way of spurring you on to that next step of obedience – which in my case is normally doing the dishes.)

They have a great sense of history, using examples, quotes and excerpts from godly men and women from the past.

The site also has the fun 52 home collection which features pictures of everyday home events in a way that make a mom smile.

Also on the site is a great list of resources, books and audio, many of which I’ve listened to.

I really hope you know about this blog already, but if you don’t please check it out! Even if you’re unfamiliar with the family, it will be a huge blessing and help.

On to,

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Femina

This blog is quite often hilarious. Again, a mother and daughters team, they are all gifted and humorous writers.

But they don’t cut a mom slack, and that’s what I love about them. They will probably describe exactly what’s happening in your day and point you to the biblical truth that will help you tomorrow.

I find that they are excellent at addressing the day-to-day issues of being a mom as well as the cultural issues that are specific to our society and even our generation of Christians.

Always there is the firm foundation of bringing glory to God, whether by thought, word or action.

If you have not read at this site before, please go! You’ll love it! I highly recommend it.

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Well, those are my favorites! What are yours?