Snow Day #6

Unfortunately we have had several No School/Snow Days already this winter. Today is #6 and is our second one in a row. Yesterday we tackeled the kids' rooms making room for new toys and moving out the old. So, I feel great getting that accomplished. We have lots of family coming tomorrow for our daughter's 5th birthday, so lots of cleaning to be done. So, we are going to work for a little bit this morning, but then we are going to head in for a movie, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. I just don't think we can sit around another day in the house and I know they won't want to work all afternoon. So, I am hoping by breaking up the day for a movie, we will be able to get back home and get back to work. Yeah right! I love snow days, but after 6 of them, they start to get a little dull, especially when you know that these winter days are shortening your summer days!

A Peaceful Heart

I recently read the Bible verse from Proverbs 14:30 and I was interested to see how it was translated in other versions of the Bible.

Proverbs 14:30
TLB: A relaxed attitude lengthens a man's life.

RSV: A tranquil mind gives life to the flesh, but passion makes the bones rot.

NIV: A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

NLT: A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones.

THE MESSAGE: A sound mind makes for a robust body, but runaway emotions corrode the
bones.

Boy, doesn't that New Living Translation (NLT) really hit it home for you? As many of us are making New Year's Resolutions for a healthier lifestyle, isn't this just the best way to start? As someone who used to work in Hospice, cancer of the bones is one of the most painful and most difficult to treat of all the cancers. God has put jealousy into that same category. How many times this week have you been jealous of what your friend got as a gift for Christmas? How many times have you been jealous of someone else's home, career, car, schedule, lifestyle? I could go on and on. I know that I have been jealous on numerous occasions and this has really knocked me in the head this week.

So, going back to my original resolution, if you have peace in your heart, you will feel better, look better, and everyone around you will feel the warmth of your heart. Wouldn't that be a great way to start the new year?

Put On Your Hiking Boots!

It's not the mountain that we conquer, but ourselves. Sir Edmund Hillary

Sometimes it isn't the goal that is stopping us, but our fear of overcoming that goal. Am I too afraid to apply for a job and get rejected? Am I unwilling to sacrifice a little to go back to school? Would I rather sit on the couch watching my favorite show than getting up and working out? Am I too shy to go out to the party where I might meet someone new?

Step out of your box, put on your hiking boots, and start to conquer that mountain of a goal you have today! YOU CAN DO IT!

Make Someone's Day

"There is nothing to make you like other human beings so much as doing things for them"
Zora Neale Hurston

What can you do today to make someone else's day? What will you do to sacrifice your time or your money or your skills and give to someone else? I haven't decided yet, but I will searching hard to find a way to do something for someone else today. It may be something as small as making my son's favorite meal or it might be something for a stranger. Stay tuned....

An inspiring Start

Starting each morning with an attitude of gratitude - no matter what - the circumstances can splash joy over the rest of your day.

What are you grateful for today?

At this moment I am grateful for a warm home, blankets to cuddle in, coffee with cream, healthy children, and that my cold is gone. If I really took the time I could come up with a list of hundreds of things I am grateful for. But the point is to start each morning being grateful instead of being grumpy! :)

Getting Back on Track

As the Christmas vacation comes to a close and the house is "deChristmastized", I am eager to get back to a regular routine, regular food, and regular sleep. I got a new planner for the new year that is called a Busy Mom's Pad. Each day is a tear-off sheet that has a quote, a new word for the day, notable events from history on that day and famous people's birthdays. Then it has space for a To Do list for that day. So far, 3 days in, I have been LOVING it! I have everything written down that I need to accomplish tomorrow. Little things like phone calls I need to make and big things like planning the food for Reagan's birthday party on Saturday. So, as the new year begins I am hoping to stay on task and look forward to checking things off of my list every day!

One way I stay on task each and every morning is laying the kids' clothes out the night before. This is such a HUGE help. I don't have to leave what I am doing to go and pick out clothes, they can get up and have the responsibility of getting dressed on their own, and there are no clothing choice struggles. This can also work for adults. If your clothes are layed out before you go to bed, there is no struggle in the morning for you either!

May you have a productive first work week of the New Year!

2010 offers a fresh start

Happy New Year to you! Last year I made 10 resolutions and posted them on here. Looking over that post I for the most part kept 7 out of those 10 resolutions, which I don't think is too bad. This week I have been thinking a lot about what I want 2010 to look like for me. As I think about everything I want to improve, accomplish and change it all relates to one core principle. If I spend time with Jesus each and every day, the rest of my life will fall into place. In the past, any days that I start in prayer or in quiet time, those days have gone much smoother for me. It isn't possible for me to start every day with my own quiet time, but it is possible for me to set aside some time each day for Him. I truly believe that if I do this, the rest of the chaos, the stress, and the struggles will fall into place for me. So, my one and only New Years Resolution is to make Jesus part of every day and give Him some of my time. If I make him part of my life and give Him the glory and the control, the pressure is off of me. Wouldn't you like to join me in this adventure?

Two of the books I plan to use as devotionals this year are The One Year Women's Friendship Devotional by Cheri Heath and The Stained Glass Pickup: Glimpses of Gods Uncommon Wisdom by Cathy Messecar. The devotional I bought for myself and my best friend, Tammy last year. I really enjoyed reading it and plan to go through it again this year. Each day there is a story and a way to relate that to your life whether is has to do with your spouse, your faith, your finances, stress, etc. This year I gave it to my Sister-in-law for her birthday and look forward to sharing it with her! Each division ends with questions to ask yourself and forces you to go a little deeper. The other is a weekly devotional that I just won and look forward to reading those stories as well.

I hope 2010 is a year full of happiness and blessing for you and your family. I look forward to sharing my year with you.