Category: personal

LIGHT : january

Necklace from this Etsy shop and I love it.

I am one month into the year of living with the word “light,” and I wanted to share a bit about how this process is going for me. In our prompts this month (for the class run by Ali Edwards) we set intentions and there were some suggested categories to focus on, so that’s how I’m going to structure these update posts.

spiritual

what’s been going well : so far I have been keeping up with my scripture memory challenge (one verse every other week), volunteering to help out at church, being involved in our life group and my own personal Bible study.

still weighing on me : here’s the thing. Being a light and being filled with the light aren’t items you can tick off a to-do list. This is a lifelong pursuit and all I can do is try to be obedient and do better. The one thing that I really want to do better with is praying. I want praying to be such a part of my life that I do it like breathing.

physical

what’s been going well : running has definitely been a positive part of my life. I have one more half marathon to run on February 7 and then I’m going to stick to shorter races. I hope to incorporate other forms of exercise at that time.

still weighing on me : I haven’t been curbing my sugar intake lately and I’d like to clean that up.

emotional

what’s been going well : I started personal journaling again on a private blog. I still hand write in my prayer journal sometimes, but this is much more effective for me on a daily basis. I also conquered a few nagging tasks this month.

still weighing on me : the weather wasn’t good for most of the month and it got kind of depressing. I overbooked myself for a few weeks (granted, we have six close family birthdays in January that had to be celebrated, sometimes in multiple ways). We haven’t made any progress toward paying off debt, and I am very low on PTO at work because of sicknesses.

relationships

what’s been going well : several times when I felt my patience running thin with the kids, and I could tell I was about to lose my cool, I thought to myself light light light and took a deep breath and was able to stay calm.

still weighing on me : I definitely still struggle to stay gentle with the kids, especially Meredith, since she can be so intense. David and I haven’t had a date night in quite awhile, and I am working on not taking out on him any grumpiness I may feel.

creative

what’s been going well : I have a memory-keeping framework set in place now that makes me feel confident (will share soon) and keeping up with editing/ordering photos relieves a lot of stress. I am happy with where this blog is. I am excited about getting knitting supplies & lessons for my birthday.

still weighing on me : just being behind on projects and trying to let go of that self-imposed pressure.

Here is how my album is shaping up:

It’s an 8.5 x 11 album, and I plan to use it every year until it gets full. I’m hoping I can get 3-5 years in here.

This project is a little bit creative but mostly reflective. The album isn’t the focus but I appreciate having a place to keep all my thoughts gathered, and working on the prompts – creative or reflective – will help me keep my word in mind throughout the year.

January 30, 2015
2015 reading plans and goals

I feel like I’ve been talking a lot about plans and goals lately. I guess that’s normal around this time of year, so just call me cliché! I’m not done yet, either, so I hope you like this kind of thing. (Personally, I could read about other people’s goals and plans alllll day long, ha.)

I want to read more this year. Last year I read 20 books which was a huge drop for me. Obviously it was a year of adjustment and that’s fine, but I’d still like to read more. I intend to do monthly book reports this year and hopefully there will be at least three books on each one. Here’s what I’m thinking:

Reading challenge: First of all, I’ve decided to play along with the Modern Mrs. Darcy reading challenge, which has twelve categories to fill. It’s flexible and low stress and just fun. I will update my progress on this every monthly book report.

Book clubs: I have a monthly in-person book club that I attend, and I usually read every book unless it’s just not worth it to me (see: The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Salmon Rusdie). The postal book club is finishing up its first round this month, and there will be six rounds of it this year, so I definitely plan to read all of those.

Library: For reading of-the-moment books that I’m really interested in, I’ll be using the library. I’ve used it for ages for book club, but I just recently started placing holds on popular books that I have to wait awhile for. This led to the discovery that having that return date as a deadline is a big incentive for me, especially when I can’t renew it because it’s requested already.

Audiobooks: I basically quit listening to audiobooks once my commute was drastically shortened, and I’ve been listening to podcasts instead. But I do own some audiobooks that I’d like to listen to, so my plan is to listen to one and then catch up on all my podcasts, then listen to another. Not sure if I’ll be able to keep up, but I’ll try.

Book choice: Along with my word for the year – light – I think I will aim for more lighthearted books this year. Or at least books that are fast and absorbing. This probably isn’t the year I will tackle a large classic, anything epic or dense. I also for sure plan to abandon a book if I’m not caught up in it by the first 50 pages or so.

The natural next question is where I will find time to read, but I don’t think that will really be a problem. I’ll make it happen if I want to. Even though I am super busy, there is always still time that is wasted on dumb things, and if I’m reading lighthearted books then reading can become my go-to relaxing activity.

What are your reading plans for the year?

January 12, 2015
currently

starting a monthly photo series of the kids to serve as title cards in this year’s Project Life using these templates from Paislee Press.

enjoying the extra time at home I’ve had this week due to Liam’s most recent illness (virus turned secondary bacterial sinus infection).

putting the last of the Christmas decorations away.

attempting to unsubscribe from the Madewell newsletter, because they send promotions every day and I’ve been unable to keep myself from buying these and these (but my unsubscribe attempts don’t work for some reason).

drinking cafe mochas.

researching what to make with fresh lemons since my neighbor gave me a bunch she cut from her tree (thinking about trying this).

planning Liam’s birthday party which is in just over a week and thinking: brunch with donuts, bright colors, pocket page scrapbook, easy kids’ activities like blocks and coloring.

anticipating my first half marathon in nine days even though my longest run has only been ten miles.

reading Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel and loving it.

playing Trivia Crack.

feeling really, really good.

January 9, 2015
january 2015 goals

Here are my first set of monthly goals for the year! I am choosing one goal for each of six categories that I want to make progress in. As I wrote about in my personal planning post, these do not include big, serious subjects (like health, spirituality, finances, etc.) but are nonessential tweaks I want to make to add happiness to my life. I think they will also help me on my journey to feeling light.

Nagging task: Clean the car

I keep my car fairly uncluttered and don’t leave trash in there, but I’m not the only one who drives it and lugging around two kids just begs for crumbs and random toys to be left in there.

Purchase: Running gear

I have one half marathon this month and one next month. After that I am going to continue running 5k’s and 10k’s. My plan is to run about three times per week: 3-4 miles twice on weekdays, and 6-7 miles on the weekend. Then I want to cross train at least once a week at my work gym.

Basically, I want running to be a regular part of my life and having the right gear will make it a lot easier. I got a pair of Lululemon running pants for Christmas and they are amazing. I have good shoes, socks, and headbands. What I would like to add is a long-sleeved shirt and possibly a hydration belt. (In the future I also want to get a good jacket and tank tops for summer, but I can’t do that all at once.)

Style & Beauty: Make a list of items needed for cold-weather wardrobe

This winter I’ve been wearing what I already own, with no new purchases. I’m not calling it a real “capsule wardrobe” because there are for sure holes in it, but I’ve been making do in order to save money and know what I really need. I want to have a solid list so that I can pick up things when there are sales. (Also, my goal is to only buy ethically-made clothing from here on out, so if you know of any great companies let me know.)

Leisure: Read three books

I would love to read more this year. Currently I’m nearing the end of The Magicians by Lev Grossman. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel is on deck because I have it from the library. I’m listening to Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng. Our January book club pick is The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. I’m hoping that at least three of these will get finished this month.

Also, I’m going to participate in Modern Mrs. Darcy’s 2015 reading challenge. It looks like just the kind of fun, low-stress thing I’ll enjoy!

Memory-keeping: Complete Monday in Week in the Life album

This is such a small goal for all the memory-keeping I want to do, but I’m hoping if I can complete Monday in this project I’ll get on a roll and keep going. I’m also hoping to finish up our 2014 Project Life album and keep up to date with 2015, do a first birthday scrapbook for Liam, and begin my One Little Word album.

Blogging: Choose fonts

I have decided some things about blogging: I want it to be a regular part of my life, I want to do it as well as possible for this time of my life, and I want it to remain a hobby. There are some things that I want to update and tweak and nail down, one of those being the graphics for posts. I keep using different fonts because I can’t ever decide what I really like, so I want to choose 3 fonts that I will use regularly and that will make it much easier for me.

I’m having fun with this kinds of goals already! Look for an update on how I did when I introduce February’s goals. Have an awesome week!

January 5, 2015
one little word 2015 : LIGHT

As I’ve mentioned a few times already, this year I am taking part in Ali Edwards’ class One Little Word. I have been following Ali for years so I’ve been familiar with her approach of taking on a word to help guide your intentions for the year, but I never felt compelled to do it myself until now.

A couple of months ago I was going for a run around my neighborhood and listening to a podcast – I am pretty sure it was this one where Jess Lively interviewed Ali. They were talking about the one little word concept and all of a sudden the word LIGHT popped into my head. It felt very clear and I just knew at that moment that in 2015 I would choose a word and it would be light.

Months later, and I don’t feel exactly the same as I did that day but I am still certain of my word. It is extremely multi-faceted; it can be a noun, adjective, verb, or adverb and it has dozens of definitions. Here are the ones that spoke to me most:

>something that makes vision possible

>spiritual illumination

>bright and airy

>cheerful, intended to entertain

>gentle

>capable of moving swiftly or nimbly

>to take fire

>with little baggage

I am entering this project openly, not knowing what to expect. Some of those definitions I want to bring into my life literally. Some are figurative. I don’t have a set plan for my word because I just want it to guide me and be an inspiration, but right now I have a few thoughts:

I want to be a light. I am thinking of this in spiritual terms, mainly. One thing I will be doing to enhance this is to take part in Beth Moore’s scripture memory program. I will be memorizing one verse every two weeks for the next year, and all of the verses I’ve chosen have to do with light in some way. Jesus is the ultimate light, I want more of him in my life, and I want that to be evident to those around me.

I want to feel lighthearted. This is kind of vague, and so not a measurable goal. That’s why this exercise is different for me. But for the last couple of months I’ve struggled with getting bogged down with stuff that really doesn’t matter and I’ve felt grumpy. My attitude lately has been better, but I still want to take action on some things that are weighing me down. For example, my one big goal for the year is to reduce our debt. There are also a bunch of nagging tasks that I want to take care of. Our home isn’t very cluttered, but I definitely want to keep the “stuff” from overwhelming us.

I want to choose light. I want to be gentle in my parenting and my dealings with others. I want to read more entertaining books and watch more funny videos. I want to keep running and get faster. I want to get outside more and see the sun.

As a part of Ali’s class there will be monthly prompts and I’ll be putting together an album that is part scrapbook, part journal. My plan is to share it, along with how I’m interacting with the word LIGHT on a monthly basis. I’ve also ordered a necklace with my word stamped on it, and I can’t wait to wear it every day to keep it visible to me.

I would love to know if you’ve done anything similar to this in the past, and how it affected you. I am excited to see where it leads!

January 1, 2015