Here is this month’s update with my relationship to one little word (light).
spiritual
I feel kind of weird discussing my spiritual “progress” or lack of, since it’s a matter of the heart. I know that my actions matter, but I am not necessarily judged by them. Anyway, in the future I might leave this section off of these monthly updates unless I really have thoughts. For now I just want to note that Scripture memory is harder than it seems, and I still believe it all comes down to prayer (which I am not very good at).
physical
what’s been going well : I am done with long-distance races for now, and I’m pretty happy about it. David and I had a talk about health that was encouraging, and I’m hoping it leads to positive changes for our whole family.
still weighing on me : I’m in a transition phase at the moment; going from training hard for a half marathon to more of a sustainable whole-body fitness routine. I’m still figuring out what that will look like for me, but right now I’m thinking of cardio 3x per week and strength training 3x per week. Not necessarily on the same days. Once I know what’s working for me I’ll devote a post to it.
emotional
what’s been going well : Private journaling has been really helpful with decreasing the noise and chaos I sometimes feel in my mind. Now that I’ve started making nagging tasks monthly goals, I find that it’s kind of addicting to check them off and I’ve already tackled some extra ones. Our schedule has calmed down a ton and I’ve had much more time to rest and be productive.
still weighing on me : Being productive also leads to me becoming inspired to do more and more, so my list of goals becomes longer and longer. I have to struggle to be okay with projects that are in progress. I’m still somewhat stressed about finances in a big picture way, and my work PTO is at an all-time low (as in I have none).
relationships
what’s been going well : David and I had two date nights this month! We’ve also had a bunch of fun family outings. And although it’s very difficult to know how to handle Meredith’s tantrums, we started some new tactics to deal and so far it’s at least helpful to have a plan.
still weighing on me : Having a spirited, strong-willed child means I have a lot of battles in my life. I battle with her over many things, but more importantly with myself. I battle to stay patient. I battle to be compassionate with her 3-year-old struggles. I battle to stay calm and keep the anger at bay. I battle to not feel guilty over how we discipline, why she isn’t compliant, what she eats, the fact that it’s my own daughter who seemingly brings out the worst in me. I hope that she also brings out the best in me, but I don’t know. This phase of parenthood is hard.
creative
what’s been going well : I’m slowly but surely getting caught up on projects! Having a plan and only working on one “extra” thing at a time is very helpful. (Right now it’s my Week in the Life album.) Knitting lessons are happening soon, and I’m pretty excited.
still weighing on me : Just wanting to do all the things at once! But really I’ve been in a good place with this.
In class this month we were prompted to create a vision board. I used to do projects like this back in high school and college! It was pretty fun to cut and paste things again. Here is what it looks like:
I made my board on an 18 x 24 canvas. For the scripted word “light” I got creative. I knew I wanted it on there as a title of sorts, but I don’t have a machine to do cut files. So I just printed the word out (font is Blackjack), cut it with precision scissors, traced it (mirror-image style) onto white cardstock, then cut again.
This was the only prompt in the class for February, so the album updates were minimal. I took a photo of the canvas and had it printed 8×10 to put it inside.
Then on the back I printed out this perfect word art that Ali Edwards shared on her site.
I just added a simple cork star.
Then there is this mini page which I am using to hold monthly reflection cards. I will add to this as the months go on and I may move these pages around.
That’s it for now! This is one of my favorite projects in a long time. :)
From Dawn:
I’ve always been taught that if we pray what’s on our heart, we’re “doing it well.” It doesn’t have to be eloquent or take a specific formula. It’s just a conversation with your God. What He cares about is that you’re coming to Him, talking to Him. Like any conversation, the more you do it, the less “unnatural” it feels. =)
From Kathleen:
That is so true! I actually feel very comfortable in prayer and have no problem sharing my heart with God. I guess what I mean when I say I’m not very good at it is that I am easily distracted and don’t do it nearly enough!
From Dawn:
A-ha! Hmmm… What about a reminder on your phone? It may seem weird, at first, to “schedule” it that way, but it may help in establishing the behavior by prompting you to think of it regularly throughout the day? I know it’s worked for me with physical health stuff, like drinking enough water and getting up from my desk to stretch and move around. Now those things are part of the rhythm of my day. Why shouldn’t it work for spiritual health as well? As for being easily distracted, my particular prayer style (when it isn’t part of a church service or attached to a devotional) is brief and to the point. Maybe I just breathe a line or two. I also keep a physical list of people and things I am wanting to remember in repetitive prayer. I keep it in my purse for reminder and direction.
From Nora:
When I first met Knight my youngest bonus daughter was two, and when we were living together she was three… and I tell you, friend, it was a STRUGGLE every single day. I love her with all my heart and for the most part things have gotten better. We have some struggles but now I accept them as being who she is, things like how she only likes mac n’ cheese and carrots and ketchup. Or that bedtime is always going to be hard. The upside is that we have moments where she is totally and completely a different child, full of sweetness and light and says the most profound things (like when we told her my mom was an angel, she said “at least she’s with Jesus.” I mean, seriously, just so sweet and kind.) All this to say from my very limited experience it will get better and some days it will suck, but once the clock struck age four for her, things were night & day better. Hang in there, you’re a great momma and one of the blog moms I turn to for inspiration and support. <3
From Jennifer:
So this is random, but for scripture memory, have you ever heard of Seeds of Worship? It’s music, I guess probably for kids, but it’s not too nursery rhymey. Most verses that I’ve seen are either NIV or ESV and they’re just sort of…singing the scriptures. I don’t know. It sounds weird, but I’ve learned more scripture with these albums than I ever did at Bible drill when I was little. I think they’re truly amazing. Here’s the link, they let you listen to samples and stuff. I cannot stress how amazing I find this.
http://www.seedsfamilyworship.com