Tag Archives: resolutions

books, faith, holidays, home, mommyhood

Currently: 2018!

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Happy New Year! I can’t believe it’s already 2018! My ten year college reunion is in April, our 9 year wedding anniversary will be in June, and our kids are all getting so big!! Goodbye, 2017! You were good to ya, but we’re excited about 2018!img_0358

Linking up with Anne in Residence for our first Currently of the year! Here’s what I’m up to:

Starting || the year off with my eyes in the Word (more than I ever have!) and my heart listening for Jesus. Instead of making resolutions and setting goals that I probably would never follow through with, I’m trying to go wherever God leads me. It’s a perspective shift I’m excited about!

Hoping || for as successful a year as we had in 2017! We started off by getting rid of the crib (!!!) and hopefully we’ll ditch the changing table soon! We also switched our health insurance away from a private BCBS plan to Samaritan Ministries, and we are SO excited. Hoping it’s as awesome as we have heard it is!

Scheduling || an already busy January. Well visits at the doctor, church activities, a wedding, a couple of birthday parties… we’ve already got a full month! Hopefully we’ll be able to keep up with it all and enjoy ourselves, too!

Reading || a few goodies to begin the year. I’m on a podcast (more info to come!) about the Chronicles of Narnia, so I’ll be reading through those as we record. I’m reading Dance, Stand, Run by Jess Connolly with a friend (so convicting, in a good way!) and I just began Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger. When I found it on the shelf, I was actually looking for Catcher in the Rye (another book of his) but when I found this one, I figured, “Why not?!” When I finish it, I’m planning to reread A Wrinkle In Time (I LOVE Madeleine L’Engle). My only resolution/goal last year was to read for pleasure every day and not push myself through any book I wasn’t enjoying. While I didn’t quite make that (I doubt I read every day) I read a whole LOT of books (around 20, I think, which is a lot for me as a mom) and that doesn’t count books I read to the kids! Yay! So I’m thinking that I’ll just try to do that again this year, and maybe increase my number a little. I truly love reading, so it’s a self-care thing for me. It definitely lets my brain relax!

Playing || with all our new Christmas toys and games. We haven’t broken out Guess Who? yet, but that’s next on my list! School started back today, and so I bet I’ll have a little more margin for planned play with my kids. I was getting burned out because I couldn’t get anything done… drowning in Christmas leftovers (of the trash, toy, and decor variety) I could barely keep my head above the housework. Here’s hoping I’m a more patient, fun mom now that I have a couple of hours in the day to get my productivity in without feeling like I have to tell them, “No, I can’t play with you right now.”

Well here’s hoping for a wonderful 2018! Tell me all about what you’re up to currently!!!

faith, holidays, mommyhood

A Year of Being Thankful

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Last night, on New Year’s Eve, just before my children woke up from their naps, I sat down with my journal and silent but bubbling glass of prosecco. I had seen a few people on Instagram talk about how they made lists of things they were thankful for and ways that God had shown up over the past year. Naturally, I latched onto that idea immediately; how better to be in a positive mindset and a thankful posture to begin a new year?!

So I sat, pen in hand, and wrote down twenty ways God had blessed me, our family, and worked things out for His glory and my good. I hadn’t predetermined twenty as the number, but it just worked out that way. The things are quite varied: some about our family, some about me personally, some about the kids individually. There were big things (my eldest starting – and loving – kindergarten) and small things (learning about the Enneagram). There were specific things (successfully transitioning our youngest to a “big boy bed”) and more general things (how often we were able to host our beloved friends and family in our home last year).

But what it did, even more than just posture my heart toward thankfulness, was make me SO. DARN. EXCITED. for what He could do in our lives in 2018. Lots of people are saying that 2017 was a dumpster fire, and in some ways it was. But I’d be willing to bet that at the end of every year, if you sat down and listed the crummy things that had happened, and the things that went wrong, that only thing you’d accomplish is a horrible mood at the end of it. But when I sat down to think of things that were successes, heartwarming memories, and things I was joyful about, I got a glimpse into God’s heart towards my family, His love for us, His protection over us, and His desire to build us up, not tear us down.

In this same vein, I just saw (again) a post by a fellow writer friend (check out the original here!) about how to daily shift the perspective from one of worry or stress to one of thankfulness. Cliff notes: each morning, she and her kids think of a thing or two – however small – that they’re looking forward to that day, and then she asks how she can be praying for them while they’re at school. Just a little shift to positive thinking, and a covering by mom of prayer over things they might not be as excited about. I love this idea so much, and I think that you can take that idea on a daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly basis, and totally run with it. God blesses us with so much; we can bless Him with our gratitude and prayers! When we do those things first, before asking for stuff or airing our concerns and “needs”, our hearts begin to change, ever so slightly each time, to become more like Jesus’s.

books, faith, home, mommyhood

Currently – The New Year’s Edition!

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I can’t believe it’s 2017! We are here already, friends, and this year is waiting for no one. After a year of what many are calling “bad luck” (or something worse), I’m ready for a fresh start… and that means the first Currently update of the year! Since it’s the first of the month as well, I’m linking up with Anne In Residence, and Jessica at An Immeasurable Joy. Here’s what I’m currently up to!

Gathering || storage devices and ideas. Every January, I’m overwhelmed at the stuff we accumulated at Christmas. Most of it was either needed (new clothes, for instance), or really wonderful things my kids are loving playing with (this year, it’s dress up clothes). But just making sure that the kids are able to (help) put it away, or that I’m able to keep it organized so I don’t lose my mind when someone asks, “Where is this item?” is imperative for their playtime and my sanity. I’m always looking for hacks on this topic, so fire away if you’ve got some!

Making || a routine and a schedule. I used to love planners when I was a student, but I let them fall by the wayside after college… and my first iPhone. However, EK picked one out for me for Christmas (it happens to be a Lilly one, yay!) and now I’m really excited about using it! I’m going to splurge on a set of nice colored pens, and get to scheduling!

Sipping || Hot, spiced apple cider with a splash of bourbon. It’s been my recent drink of choice, because I love warm drinks in the cold. My friend Mary Catherine introduced me to the phenomenon, and I can’t stop. The spiced cider at Trader Joe’s is yummy (and comes in a huge jug) but I’ve also been happy with the smaller jars I’ve found at Lowe’s Foods.

Resolving || to read more (for pleasure) in 2017, as well as get deeper into the Scriptures. I’ve long been making excuses about why I don’t have time to do these two things (small kids, mostly) but it’s time for me to plan in some quiet moments for both. I’ve always loved reading (I wrote a little about this resolution here) so I’m excited to add that in. And spending more time in the Word is something I always say I’m going to do, but the seasons of actually doing it ebb and flow for me. I have weeks where I am great about it, and weeks where I am not. So I’m praying that this year, I will be able to find a routine in which I can keep up with both.

books, faith, holidays, home, mommyhood, random thoughts

Currently

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A new year, and a new Currently to give a little update! I’m linking up with Becky at Choose Happy, Jenna at Gold & Bloom, and Anne In Residence. In honor of starting 2016 off right, I’ve got a totally organized update for you!
currently button

Resolving || to pray. That’s it. I wrote about it, explaining in a little more detail, but basically, I just want to grow closer to the Lord and rely on Him more.

Reading || Still Harry Potter, and then I want to get into the next thing. Any suggestions? I’ve heard I need to get on the Fifth Wave train…

Organizing || my Christmas things as I put them away. I’ve always been a big fan of the 12 days of Christmas, so I haven’t started putting things up quite yet. Hopefully by the end of this week we will be all sorted out, though. This year, my goal is to actually rid the house of all things Christmas: books (we have a lot), pajamas, ornaments, the whole deal. Wish me luck!

Loving || that it’s finally cold outside! I love turtlenecks, scarves, and coats, and I’m finally wearing all three! Yay!

Craving || Coffee and Prosecco. Those two things are basically my life blood. The only thing I care about is that I drink several bottles of water between the one and the other. It’s a busy time, folks, and I need the boost on both ends!

Partying || for New Year’s! We hosted, since finding a babysitter that night is difficult. We had our besties over, plus a few more, and craziness ensued. What else would happen on NYE? 

we all just stood on the (very sturdy) coffee table so you could see the ball we made.
  
we don’t have cable, so we fabricated the ball drop.
  
Hubby and I obviously danced. Obviously.
 Well, there’s my life currently. What are you up to?

faith, mommyhood, random thoughts

2015 – Embrace It

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Image from www.123newyear.comImage from http://www.123newyear.com

So, I’ve never been one to make a resolution and stick with it. I typically don’t make resolutions at all. Have you ever done it? Have you even come close? I’m not great at setting goals… I know, that sounds silly. I’m afraid I’d just fail at it, get discouraged, get depressed, and then it’d be all over. I just do what I do, and try to do it well. That’s a goal, right?

Well, I heard a few things this year about resolutions not really being a thing any more, but having a quote or even just one word that you live your year by instead.

I read this post on My Big Jesus (here it is!) by a lovely woman I know, and she had a great take on a New Year’s “word”. She chose “ordinary”. That may seem like underachieving, but truly, it’s providing a blank slate for God to create something really beautiful, wonderful, extraordinary, that’s He has ordained, not me. Not something that I that I’ve heard other people did and thought it might look nice on my social media when you read it.

Leaving myself open to God’s plan isn’t always easy. His road is rarely freshly paved, with wide lanes and glorious views. It can be tough, windy, hilly, and we can feel like we’re low on gas.

But I think I’m gonna intentionally choose to embrace where I am in 2015. I jokingly say sometimes that I feel like I’m constantly on the crazy train, and I should just embrace it because it isn’t going anywhere. But seriously, I want to embrace the crazy – embrace it because it is my “ordinary”. I won’t set unattainable goals, lofty and numerous. I won’t even try my hardest to do what I want to do. I’m just going to pray more, and let His Spirit lead me. Saying “yes” to His will is the biggest “resolution”, or “word” to live by. The best part? There will be grace when I fail. There will be forgiveness when I’m not following. There will be room for growth, no matter how I’m doing. And that is where the true blessing is.