What a sight at my house this morning! My sleepy girl Megan was wide awake at 6 AM. This girl could sleep 'til 11:00 every morning if we let her, but she couldn't contain her excitement this morning. She's starting swimming lessons today, and she can't wait. I haven't seen this kind of anticipation for anything before - not dance, not t-ball, not the first day of school, not even Christmas morning.
She's probably there right now and maybe even in the water. I can't wait to hear how it went!
----------------------
Update! Megan loved her first day of swimming lessons and already got bumped to the next level. Shea had fun splashing in the wading pool too, so it was a good morning overall. :-)
Monday, July 10, 2006
Friday, May 05, 2006
FLYing with FLYlady
I heard about FLYlady quite a while ago and just couldn't get into it, but I've been reading the daily digest from the previous day, and it has been very encouraging for me. They focus on combatting negative self-talk, being good to yourself, letting go of clutter and perfectionism, and breaking down tasks in to manageable chunks to bless yourself and your family.
Check it out! www.flylady.net
Check it out! www.flylady.net
Friday, January 27, 2006
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Day 1
I know it's the third of January, but for me it's Day 1! Day 1 of getting some things in my life whipped into shape!
I'm not huge on making New Year's resolutions; I'm a firm believer in each day being a new start/a new beginning and that for those of us who are in Christ, we have a God of new beginnings.
But the arrival of 2006 has me thinking of several areas of my life that I'd like to improve. Things I could do to improve the quality of my life and the lives of the people around me. Things I pray God is asking me to focus on and with His help improve.
In an attempt to set not just lofty goals but attainable tasks, I've compiled the following list of tasks and rules. I'm such an analytical thinker that rules appeal to me, so here they are ...
1. Spend time in the Word most days - As much as I'd like to say this will be in the morning, setting aside time each evening is more realistic.
2. No "my shows" TV-watching while the kids are awake - this will facilitate more focused time with my kids and my husband, plus it will motivate me to do resolution #3.
3. Put Shea to bed at 8:00 and Megan at 8:30. Shea's pretty good about going to bed, but Miss Megan loves to stay up late. She needs her sleep, and I need time to myself and with my husband.
4. Out of bed no later than 6:30 ... if you know about my timeliness issues, you know where this one comes from. I suppose this means that I need to be in bed by 11:00.
5. 10,000 steps most days - I'm wearing my pedometer today. I love it! Seeing my steps and trying to make my numbers is such a motivator for me.
6. Speaking of numbers, I will track, track, track my Weight Watchers points! And I will limit chocolate intake to 3 days a week.
I can think of many others, such as to email my mom every day and to track all of my spending, but I think these are a good place to start. If you too are setting some resolutions, I wish you well and promise to pray with you and provide encouragement. Know that I already think you're great and that God loves you.
Happy 2006 all! My Day 1 is going well. :-) Unfortunately, Day 2 is my birthday ... ! There's always Day 3!
Some songs of encouragement for you:
New Year's Day - Carolyn Arends
All Things New - Steven Curtis Chapman
You may notice that a lot of my resolutions have to do with how I spend my time. So often I feel like time is my enemy or that the lack of time is my enemy ... I think this song will have to be my 2006 mantra. I could write a whole 'nother blog about that, which would probably contradict this one ... oye!
Life in My Day - Newsong
I'm not huge on making New Year's resolutions; I'm a firm believer in each day being a new start/a new beginning and that for those of us who are in Christ, we have a God of new beginnings.
2 Corinthians 5
17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
1 Peter 1
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Lamentations 3
22The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. 23Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. 24I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!"
Revelation 21
5And the one sitting on the throne said, "Look, I am making all things new!" And then he said to me, "Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true." 6And he also said, "It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega--the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give the springs of the water of life without charge! 7All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.
But the arrival of 2006 has me thinking of several areas of my life that I'd like to improve. Things I could do to improve the quality of my life and the lives of the people around me. Things I pray God is asking me to focus on and with His help improve.
In an attempt to set not just lofty goals but attainable tasks, I've compiled the following list of tasks and rules. I'm such an analytical thinker that rules appeal to me, so here they are ...
1. Spend time in the Word most days - As much as I'd like to say this will be in the morning, setting aside time each evening is more realistic.
2. No "my shows" TV-watching while the kids are awake - this will facilitate more focused time with my kids and my husband, plus it will motivate me to do resolution #3.
3. Put Shea to bed at 8:00 and Megan at 8:30. Shea's pretty good about going to bed, but Miss Megan loves to stay up late. She needs her sleep, and I need time to myself and with my husband.
4. Out of bed no later than 6:30 ... if you know about my timeliness issues, you know where this one comes from. I suppose this means that I need to be in bed by 11:00.
5. 10,000 steps most days - I'm wearing my pedometer today. I love it! Seeing my steps and trying to make my numbers is such a motivator for me.
6. Speaking of numbers, I will track, track, track my Weight Watchers points! And I will limit chocolate intake to 3 days a week.
I can think of many others, such as to email my mom every day and to track all of my spending, but I think these are a good place to start. If you too are setting some resolutions, I wish you well and promise to pray with you and provide encouragement. Know that I already think you're great and that God loves you.
Happy 2006 all! My Day 1 is going well. :-) Unfortunately, Day 2 is my birthday ... ! There's always Day 3!
Some songs of encouragement for you:
New Year's Day - Carolyn Arends
All Things New - Steven Curtis Chapman
You may notice that a lot of my resolutions have to do with how I spend my time. So often I feel like time is my enemy or that the lack of time is my enemy ... I think this song will have to be my 2006 mantra. I could write a whole 'nother blog about that, which would probably contradict this one ... oye!
Life in My Day - Newsong
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
All I want for Christmas
No ... it's not my two fwont teeff! LOL But that song is stuck in my head now ...
Every year my mom says that all she wants for Christmas is for her family to be healthy and happy, and every year, I think how sweet that is. And I agree, but I still busy myself making a list of "stuff" I'd also like for Christmas. I think I just take my family's health for granted.
In fact, this year I wrote my Christmas letter before Thanksgiving, in which I talked about how my family is healthy. And then my father-in-law was in the hospital over the whole Thanksgiving holiday. Oops, I thought. I guess we're not as healthy as I thought. But still I didn't pause enough. Yes, I prayed for him and asked others to do so as well. But overall, there was too much to do, too much to think about.
Then my mom called with the news that there might be something wrong with my sister Erin's baby girl, who Erin is currently carrying at about 28 weeks. I was shaken, but my faith told me that everything would be fine.
But it wasn't until we were at Charlie's parents' this weekend celebrating Christmas that God reminded me how blessed I am to have a healthy family. He reminded me so vividly that I am to rejoice and humble myself in gratefulness for the most important things in my life.
Charlie's dad was back in the hospital earlier this month, but he received excellent care and underwent a procedure to fix the problem in his heart. He was a bit tired and not quite himself this past weekend, but his prognosis is great. And I am so looking forward to seeing him with his energy restored and his body healed.
We got to spend two days with Charlie's sister Melody, her husband Kenny, and their darling daughter Eva, who's one. We've seen so many pictures of her that we definitely feel like we know her, but to see her in the flesh was such a blessing. She reminded me to never take for granted the wonder of hearing a loved one laugh and seeing them smile.
I talked to my mom on Sunday, and she gave me the wonderful news that Erin's baby will be absolutely fine and that the baby's heart has a small hiccup that should cause her no harm in her delivery or her life. Yippee!
I am so happy that things have worked out so well, and I will especially cherish this Christmas as a reminder of what a gift it is to have the people I love in my life. I am also reminded that I have an internal joy and peace that only comes from my savior Jesus Christ. For this I am most thankful! And I know that if things hadn't worked out well, I could still hold on to this peace and joy that surpasses all circumstances. And for that, I am also grateful.
But, God, I've gotta say a big THANK YOU!!! I am sure glad to have my loved ones are healthy and happy this Christmas. Whew!
May you and yours be happy and healthy this Christmas. But most of all, may you have the peace and joy only Jesus can give.
Merry Christmas!
Tracy
Every year my mom says that all she wants for Christmas is for her family to be healthy and happy, and every year, I think how sweet that is. And I agree, but I still busy myself making a list of "stuff" I'd also like for Christmas. I think I just take my family's health for granted.
In fact, this year I wrote my Christmas letter before Thanksgiving, in which I talked about how my family is healthy. And then my father-in-law was in the hospital over the whole Thanksgiving holiday. Oops, I thought. I guess we're not as healthy as I thought. But still I didn't pause enough. Yes, I prayed for him and asked others to do so as well. But overall, there was too much to do, too much to think about.
Then my mom called with the news that there might be something wrong with my sister Erin's baby girl, who Erin is currently carrying at about 28 weeks. I was shaken, but my faith told me that everything would be fine.
But it wasn't until we were at Charlie's parents' this weekend celebrating Christmas that God reminded me how blessed I am to have a healthy family. He reminded me so vividly that I am to rejoice and humble myself in gratefulness for the most important things in my life.
Charlie's dad was back in the hospital earlier this month, but he received excellent care and underwent a procedure to fix the problem in his heart. He was a bit tired and not quite himself this past weekend, but his prognosis is great. And I am so looking forward to seeing him with his energy restored and his body healed.
We got to spend two days with Charlie's sister Melody, her husband Kenny, and their darling daughter Eva, who's one. We've seen so many pictures of her that we definitely feel like we know her, but to see her in the flesh was such a blessing. She reminded me to never take for granted the wonder of hearing a loved one laugh and seeing them smile.
I talked to my mom on Sunday, and she gave me the wonderful news that Erin's baby will be absolutely fine and that the baby's heart has a small hiccup that should cause her no harm in her delivery or her life. Yippee!
I am so happy that things have worked out so well, and I will especially cherish this Christmas as a reminder of what a gift it is to have the people I love in my life. I am also reminded that I have an internal joy and peace that only comes from my savior Jesus Christ. For this I am most thankful! And I know that if things hadn't worked out well, I could still hold on to this peace and joy that surpasses all circumstances. And for that, I am also grateful.
But, God, I've gotta say a big THANK YOU!!! I am sure glad to have my loved ones are healthy and happy this Christmas. Whew!
May you and yours be happy and healthy this Christmas. But most of all, may you have the peace and joy only Jesus can give.
Merry Christmas!
Tracy
Saturday, November 05, 2005
“Mess-free” Color Wonder, a black eye, and a 4T sleeper
Motherhood rule #3768 – The words “mess free” do not apply to any product a 2-year-old boy could possibly get his hands on. I was reminded of this simple, yet crucial, rule just this evening by my sweet boy Shea.
I had slipped downstairs to get just a couple things off the computer. Shea and his ever-watchful big sister Megan were upstairs entertaining themselves. I thought, what could go wrong; I’ll be gone just a minute (rule #107, don’t ever let yourself believe that there is such a thing as a harmless, unsupervised minute).
Well, I’m not sure how it all started, but Megan’s Color Wonder art kit got brought out, Megan came downstairs, and Shea was left to his own devices for said “minute.” If you’re unfamiliar with Color Wonder, it really is a wonderful product. They make the special markers that work only on the special Color Wonder paper and nothing else. The markers look white (or colorless) if used on regular paper, clothing, skin etc. In this kit Megan got for her birthday, it also includes Color Wonder finger paint, which is also white (colorless) “stuff” that is kind of like jelly – or hair gel … You can probably see where I’m going with this …
When I came upstairs, Shea had scooped all the gel from several of the finger paint color wells and rubbed it through his hair. He was frustrated because he didn’t like the feel of it on his hands and wanted me to clean them. I was horrified at the sight of his new, spiked and greasy hair-do.
I tried to wash it, but rule #4385 states that stuff like that never washes out. With Megan it was Vaseline; with Shea, it’s Color Wonder finger paint. He’s asleep now, but he was up a few minutes ago for an extra middle-of-the-night snuggle, and the gel is starting to dry and get crusty. Maybe we’ll try washing it again tomorrow, or we’ll see if it flakes out throughout the day. Either way I’ll be sure to get a picture for your viewing pleasure.
Again, if I had my digital camera yet, I could post it right away, but as things stand it’ll be a while. When you do see it, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the funky hair, the black eye he got when he fell at church on Sunday and hit his cheek on a kneeler, and the super-cute, size 4T! Buzz LightYear sleeper he’s wearing. And you know, I haven’t taken the picture yet, but I know he’ll be smiling from ear to ear and melting my heart and causing me to forget at least half of the standard mom rules. :-)
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Busy, busy ...
"I work for god." St. Paul wrote in Colossians 3:23-24, Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."
I am blessed with work ... idle hands are the devil's tools ... those cliches, I've found to be true. My new boss commented today about how much happier I seem in my new position than I was in my old. And on this day, the busiest since I started in technical support, I find that it is true.
There was a time when I was unchallenged and unhappy in my work - not in my home, family, church work - but in my daily, make-some-money, feed-the-family work. I remember looking back over the previous year and not seeing any remarkable accomplishments, no desire to tackle new challenges. I was being reprimanded for tardiness and too much time on the internet. Things seemed to be spiraling downwards.
I felt a bit hopeless and without clear purpose or direction, but in it all, I prayed and trusted that God had a plan for my life. I was just getting a little bit impatient waiting for things to change. I applied for several new jobs in my company and found no success, until God opened the door to this position, which I believe is exactly where I'm meant to be. Thank you, Jesus!
There was a point where I could barely stand to read the passage from Colossians because I felt so disappointed in myself, but God is faithful. And I am so happy to be in a position where I can work hard and give my all. To work, to be challenged, to give unto the Lord ... whatta blessing!
Oh, my group just received this email from the head of another tech support group. :-)
"Congratulations to the Unit Controls group…for taking 105 calls today with an average call answer time of 2 minutes and 35 seconds. Very impressive!
Note: This was with half a staff due to split day training!"
I am blessed with work ... idle hands are the devil's tools ... those cliches, I've found to be true. My new boss commented today about how much happier I seem in my new position than I was in my old. And on this day, the busiest since I started in technical support, I find that it is true.
There was a time when I was unchallenged and unhappy in my work - not in my home, family, church work - but in my daily, make-some-money, feed-the-family work. I remember looking back over the previous year and not seeing any remarkable accomplishments, no desire to tackle new challenges. I was being reprimanded for tardiness and too much time on the internet. Things seemed to be spiraling downwards.
I felt a bit hopeless and without clear purpose or direction, but in it all, I prayed and trusted that God had a plan for my life. I was just getting a little bit impatient waiting for things to change. I applied for several new jobs in my company and found no success, until God opened the door to this position, which I believe is exactly where I'm meant to be. Thank you, Jesus!
There was a point where I could barely stand to read the passage from Colossians because I felt so disappointed in myself, but God is faithful. And I am so happy to be in a position where I can work hard and give my all. To work, to be challenged, to give unto the Lord ... whatta blessing!
Oh, my group just received this email from the head of another tech support group. :-)
"Congratulations to the Unit Controls group…for taking 105 calls today with an average call answer time of 2 minutes and 35 seconds. Very impressive!
Note: This was with half a staff due to split day training!"
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