Hey There! Boy, I have really let this thing go. When I first started this blog, it was nice to get my thoughts out there for others to read. It was healing for me to share about our grief while waiting for Mira, and I definitely look back on a year's worth of posts with a smile.
But I realized that I was putting a little bit too much stress on myself to keep updating. I got worried that if I didn't write at least once or twice a week that no one would read anymore. I was forcing myself to come up with new ideas, and sit down even if I didn't have any.
Well...that didn't work.
So, as of right now, I'm not going to be forcing myself to do anything. I have a 7 month old, and she is quite active. If I don't have time to brush my teeth, I certainly am not going to have time to sit down and write an entire blog post that is entertaining/informational/awe-inspiring ;-) (Just kidding, I totally have time to brush my teeth...most days)
I don't have any New Years Resolutions that I've decided exactly from this point forward I will do forever type of thing, but I do have a couple of new habits or accomplishments for the year that I am looking forward to working on:
1) Exercising/eating right. I know, everyone has this one on their list for a resolution every January 1st. This time though, I started it in November, right before the holidays where it's just unnatural to not eat everything in sight. I started WeightWatchers the first week in November, and have lost 15lbs. It has not been hard, I'm not starving, and I'm not working out 7 times a week. I watch what I eat (I can still even have McDonald's every once in awhile!), I work out maybe 3 times a week when I make the time (and it's not even that intense, I play Just Dance on my Wii for 30-40min), I make sure I get enough sleep, and I drink SO MUCH water. I find that on weeks I don't keep up my water intake, I actually gain weight! And for those that say, "You're 26, it's EASY for you." Ummm. No. Losing weight has never been easy for me, and to say that really undermines the work I've put into this. It might be hard for you, but that does not mean it's easy for me.
2) Read my Bible. I put this on my "need to do consistently" list all the time. I have not picked up my Bible in goodness knows how long now, and it's just something that needs to be done. I am on Day 2 of reading the entire Bible in a year on the YouVersion Bible app. I have tried to read my study Bibles on a pretty regular basis, but I always get caught up in trying to read every single detail. And although I love my study Bibles, I always lose myself after about the 10th chapter in Genesis. Seriously, I could probably recite Genesis from memory I have read it so many times in an attempt to read the Old Testament. Hopefully by just reading and taking notes on my phone, it will be a more successful endeavor (since I'm on that thing pretty much all day, might as well use it for some good!)
3) Get more involved in church and our community. Jamey and I used to drive 30 minutes back and forth to Whitehouse 3-4 times a week when we first got pregnant with Mira. I taught and we both led in the Life Support ministry, we were involved in Financial Peace University, and we usually served on both Saturdays and Sundays. I don't say that to be like, "Oh, look at how GOOD we are, being all involved and whatnot." We got burned out, and we dropped everything about halfway through the pregnancy. We have not even been part of a CedarCreek Lifegroup since she was born. We miss it now that she's 7 months old, and we want to teach our daughter the value of giving the time God's given us to serve others. We also made a commitment to serve 2+ hours/month in our community when CedarCreek asked for commitment cards. I am SO excited to start doing this...and I'm sure I'll change my mind when it becomes a part of our schedule (why does that happen?) I think, "Oh man, we have to go do this, ughh." However, when we go, I have a wonderful time connecting with people, and Jamey has to drag me away. This just needs to be a part of our lives again.
4) Spend more time playing with and teaching Mira. I'm a stay at home mom, so you'd think this would be a given. But I do not, by any means, sit in front of her and play with her all day. She's gotten very good at playing by herself. The older she gets though, the more she's going to need some more interaction and play time with momma. Too often I have gotten so sucked into making sure my house looks perfect and dinner is ready that she sits upset in her high chair waiting for me to get done. I need to make her more of a priority, and not just another thing on my list. And I know I'm not the only momma out there who doesn't entertain her kids all day (nor do I think they need it), but she's not always going to want me to play with her. I want to do this while there's still time :-)
5) Focus more on my relationship with Jamey, and not with social media. Hi, my name is Kaila, and I'm a Facebookaholic. I have looked up every single app out there to see what kind of locks I can put on Facebook (and if you know of any please let me know). Every one I have found either locks you out completely for a certain period of time (and if that was the case I might as well just quit Facebook and you know that's not going to happen), or has so many bugs that need fixed there's no way I'm downloading it because it can lock you out of your entire phone. I did find a program that limits the amount of time you can spend on it in a given day (say, 1 hour) and it just logs the time you've spent as you use it. It was just on the computer though, and my problem is with my phone. I think social media is a wonderful thing, but too often I'm staring at it when I should be engaging with my husband and daughter. I don't want my family to grow up thinking my phone comes first, and not them.
It's quite the list. It won't all be done perfectly (or maybe not even done at all), but at least I've made some goals. I don't want the perfect life, but I want a good one where my relationships come first, and my family lives to honor God.
What changes (if any) would you like to make this year?
But I realized that I was putting a little bit too much stress on myself to keep updating. I got worried that if I didn't write at least once or twice a week that no one would read anymore. I was forcing myself to come up with new ideas, and sit down even if I didn't have any.
Well...that didn't work.
So, as of right now, I'm not going to be forcing myself to do anything. I have a 7 month old, and she is quite active. If I don't have time to brush my teeth, I certainly am not going to have time to sit down and write an entire blog post that is entertaining/informational/awe-inspiring ;-) (Just kidding, I totally have time to brush my teeth...most days)
I don't have any New Years Resolutions that I've decided exactly from this point forward I will do forever type of thing, but I do have a couple of new habits or accomplishments for the year that I am looking forward to working on:
1) Exercising/eating right. I know, everyone has this one on their list for a resolution every January 1st. This time though, I started it in November, right before the holidays where it's just unnatural to not eat everything in sight. I started WeightWatchers the first week in November, and have lost 15lbs. It has not been hard, I'm not starving, and I'm not working out 7 times a week. I watch what I eat (I can still even have McDonald's every once in awhile!), I work out maybe 3 times a week when I make the time (and it's not even that intense, I play Just Dance on my Wii for 30-40min), I make sure I get enough sleep, and I drink SO MUCH water. I find that on weeks I don't keep up my water intake, I actually gain weight! And for those that say, "You're 26, it's EASY for you." Ummm. No. Losing weight has never been easy for me, and to say that really undermines the work I've put into this. It might be hard for you, but that does not mean it's easy for me.
2) Read my Bible. I put this on my "need to do consistently" list all the time. I have not picked up my Bible in goodness knows how long now, and it's just something that needs to be done. I am on Day 2 of reading the entire Bible in a year on the YouVersion Bible app. I have tried to read my study Bibles on a pretty regular basis, but I always get caught up in trying to read every single detail. And although I love my study Bibles, I always lose myself after about the 10th chapter in Genesis. Seriously, I could probably recite Genesis from memory I have read it so many times in an attempt to read the Old Testament. Hopefully by just reading and taking notes on my phone, it will be a more successful endeavor (since I'm on that thing pretty much all day, might as well use it for some good!)
3) Get more involved in church and our community. Jamey and I used to drive 30 minutes back and forth to Whitehouse 3-4 times a week when we first got pregnant with Mira. I taught and we both led in the Life Support ministry, we were involved in Financial Peace University, and we usually served on both Saturdays and Sundays. I don't say that to be like, "Oh, look at how GOOD we are, being all involved and whatnot." We got burned out, and we dropped everything about halfway through the pregnancy. We have not even been part of a CedarCreek Lifegroup since she was born. We miss it now that she's 7 months old, and we want to teach our daughter the value of giving the time God's given us to serve others. We also made a commitment to serve 2+ hours/month in our community when CedarCreek asked for commitment cards. I am SO excited to start doing this...and I'm sure I'll change my mind when it becomes a part of our schedule (why does that happen?) I think, "Oh man, we have to go do this, ughh." However, when we go, I have a wonderful time connecting with people, and Jamey has to drag me away. This just needs to be a part of our lives again.
4) Spend more time playing with and teaching Mira. I'm a stay at home mom, so you'd think this would be a given. But I do not, by any means, sit in front of her and play with her all day. She's gotten very good at playing by herself. The older she gets though, the more she's going to need some more interaction and play time with momma. Too often I have gotten so sucked into making sure my house looks perfect and dinner is ready that she sits upset in her high chair waiting for me to get done. I need to make her more of a priority, and not just another thing on my list. And I know I'm not the only momma out there who doesn't entertain her kids all day (nor do I think they need it), but she's not always going to want me to play with her. I want to do this while there's still time :-)
5) Focus more on my relationship with Jamey, and not with social media. Hi, my name is Kaila, and I'm a Facebookaholic. I have looked up every single app out there to see what kind of locks I can put on Facebook (and if you know of any please let me know). Every one I have found either locks you out completely for a certain period of time (and if that was the case I might as well just quit Facebook and you know that's not going to happen), or has so many bugs that need fixed there's no way I'm downloading it because it can lock you out of your entire phone. I did find a program that limits the amount of time you can spend on it in a given day (say, 1 hour) and it just logs the time you've spent as you use it. It was just on the computer though, and my problem is with my phone. I think social media is a wonderful thing, but too often I'm staring at it when I should be engaging with my husband and daughter. I don't want my family to grow up thinking my phone comes first, and not them.
It's quite the list. It won't all be done perfectly (or maybe not even done at all), but at least I've made some goals. I don't want the perfect life, but I want a good one where my relationships come first, and my family lives to honor God.
What changes (if any) would you like to make this year?
Awesome goals though! A few I intend to do myself :)
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