My mom and I had a long conversation the other day about my frustration about the toys in my house. We are blessed with our home, but I don't have a toy room. It's called my living room. :) My daughter is a little bit older so most of her toys are in her room, but my son is smaller so he's not quite happy to play in his room just yet. Mom and Dad started in a trailer when my oldest sister was born and then spent many years with all three of us kids in a VERY small house. In fact, when my oldest sister was having friends over and wanted privacy in the living room, my parents would go sit on the washer/dryer to talk because there wasn't really another place to be! (My room was attached to their room.) To put it this way, my mom totally gets it. My couches have been "loved on" by my kids and are smooshed and stained. The carpet has a trampled path and toys are creeping up on me in all directions. Mom gave me some very helpful advice that I thought I'd share with you:
1. If you can't change it, clean it. Just because we can't afford new furniture or carpet right now doesn't mean it can't be cleaned. There is a lesson to be learned in taking care of the things you've been blessed with instead of just running out and getting a new one when you're tired of the old one.
2. Change it up. Move your stuff around so that everything has a new place. Rearranging is free and can make a whole new room. If you have some spare money that you are willing to put into your home, even changing the paint color can make a difference.
3. Dream a little. Walk into every room and allow yourself to think of all the things you would do if time and money were not issues. Write it all down. Look for inspiration online and in magazines. Sit down with a book and some coffee at Barnes and Noble and dream a little. Dreaming is free too. :)
4. Prioritize. Take your dream list and prioritize it. What needs to be done first? What things are less important to you and can fall to the bottom of the list? Once your list is prioritized, you can cross items off one at a time or work toward a financial goal to make them happen.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Organizational Tips
I'm feeling rather uninspired this week, and I'm growing totally frustrated with the toys in my house. So I figured I could put the two together! Instead of posting a blog this week, I'm simply asking:
What is your favorite organizational tip around your household? (It doesn't have to be about toys, but I could sure use a few!)
What is your favorite organizational tip around your household? (It doesn't have to be about toys, but I could sure use a few!)
Sunday, September 18, 2011
The Speed Limit
I learned to drive mostly from my dad. To say that my dad is laid back is an understatement, but when it comes to being behind the wheel he's all about control. I can probably count on one hand the times I have been in the car with my mom driving and my dad as the passenger. He was an excellent teacher, but I could tell it made him nervous not to be in the driver's seat. Another thing you should know about my dad is that he ALWAYS goes the speed limit. Most people I know go at least 5 over to "keep up with the flow of traffic." Not my dad. When I was learning, he always used to say:
Just because it says 65 doesn't mean you have to go that fast.
I got to thinking about that this week as I was making my to do list. The world tells us that our speed limit is 65, but do we really have to go that fast to keep up? And who are we keeping up with - ourselves, our neighbors, other moms? I started to weed out those things that I didn't really "need" to do this week and some white space started to appear on my calendar. Hmm... that looked pretty good. Then the week started and life got hectic again. I started thinking about the world's speed limit and how I was just keeping up witht he flow of traffic. Then my Gram's words popped into my head:
Jesus never hurried, and He got everything done that God needed Him to do.
Well, that was it. I just needed to slow down and take it one thing at a time. I needed to prioritize and set goals for myself instead of speeding up, saying yes to everything, and cramming at the last minute. Things started to fall into place, and God started opening doors for me to do some special ministry work. Hey, I even had time to enjoy a date with my husband and some alone time too.
How do you keep yourself from putting the pedal to the metal?
Just because it says 65 doesn't mean you have to go that fast.
I got to thinking about that this week as I was making my to do list. The world tells us that our speed limit is 65, but do we really have to go that fast to keep up? And who are we keeping up with - ourselves, our neighbors, other moms? I started to weed out those things that I didn't really "need" to do this week and some white space started to appear on my calendar. Hmm... that looked pretty good. Then the week started and life got hectic again. I started thinking about the world's speed limit and how I was just keeping up witht he flow of traffic. Then my Gram's words popped into my head:
Jesus never hurried, and He got everything done that God needed Him to do.
Well, that was it. I just needed to slow down and take it one thing at a time. I needed to prioritize and set goals for myself instead of speeding up, saying yes to everything, and cramming at the last minute. Things started to fall into place, and God started opening doors for me to do some special ministry work. Hey, I even had time to enjoy a date with my husband and some alone time too.
How do you keep yourself from putting the pedal to the metal?
Monday, September 12, 2011
A True Mom to Mom Experience
Matthew 25:40 "...Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."
My husband and I recently took a trip to Las Vegas. He had been there before on business, but it was my first Vegas experience. Frankly, I was a little bit nervous. Neither of us drink. Neither of us gamble. So really, what's left? A LOT! I think it's something everyone should see once in a lifetime. The lights, the shows, the beautiful hotels, the breathtaking Bellagio fountain... and the people watching. After just one day there I told Adam that I think Vegas is such an interesting representation of the American people. At 28, I couldn't quite figure out if I was too old for the place or too young. College kids were there doing things their parents would never approve of, and the senior citizens were burning their hard-earned money left and right. But somewhere in the middle, there were people just like us.
I could have spent my entire vacation praying over Sin City, and deep down I think I did. Regardless of what people were doing, I couldn't help but look at them and wonder what their circumstances were, if they knew Jesus, if the Church was holding them up or letting them down, if one smile or kind word from me was all the Jesus they had seen that day. As we passed by the many homeless people outside Caesar's Palace, I saw a pregnant woman sitting with a sign asking for food. I had just left my 9 month old baby home in very capable grandparent hands for the first time, and my soul just ached. We were on our way to dinner, and I just couldn't get her out of my mind. Adam and I decided we would bring her something to eat on the way back. With food in hand, we walked back to where she was sitting. My heart sank deep into my toes and a lump went into my throat. She was already gone. We decided to just keep walking and ask God to lead us to the person who really needed that food. After all, there were countless people on the street who needed it.
Just from a tug in my heart, we decided to walk a different way back to our hotel that night. We turned a corner, and there was Brandi. This woman was sitting all alone by the street with her five month old son and an Enfamil can. I wanted to shout, "Hallelujah!!!" Clearly, she was the right person. I stooped down to her level and asked if she wanted the food. She turned to her son and said, "Look, we have dinner from the nice lady." She told me their names. I said how beautiful her son was, even though he looked as though he hadn't seen a bath for a while. I told her that we would be praying for her, and she thanked us and said she needed it. As we walked away, I just lost it and wept the whole way back to our room.
As a mom, I am blessed to have what I need to care for my children. As a Christian, I am blessed to give to others what God has graciously given to me. As a child of God, I am blessed to be cradled in the arms of the Father when I am most needy. Tonight, I hope Brandi feels the same.
My husband and I recently took a trip to Las Vegas. He had been there before on business, but it was my first Vegas experience. Frankly, I was a little bit nervous. Neither of us drink. Neither of us gamble. So really, what's left? A LOT! I think it's something everyone should see once in a lifetime. The lights, the shows, the beautiful hotels, the breathtaking Bellagio fountain... and the people watching. After just one day there I told Adam that I think Vegas is such an interesting representation of the American people. At 28, I couldn't quite figure out if I was too old for the place or too young. College kids were there doing things their parents would never approve of, and the senior citizens were burning their hard-earned money left and right. But somewhere in the middle, there were people just like us.
I could have spent my entire vacation praying over Sin City, and deep down I think I did. Regardless of what people were doing, I couldn't help but look at them and wonder what their circumstances were, if they knew Jesus, if the Church was holding them up or letting them down, if one smile or kind word from me was all the Jesus they had seen that day. As we passed by the many homeless people outside Caesar's Palace, I saw a pregnant woman sitting with a sign asking for food. I had just left my 9 month old baby home in very capable grandparent hands for the first time, and my soul just ached. We were on our way to dinner, and I just couldn't get her out of my mind. Adam and I decided we would bring her something to eat on the way back. With food in hand, we walked back to where she was sitting. My heart sank deep into my toes and a lump went into my throat. She was already gone. We decided to just keep walking and ask God to lead us to the person who really needed that food. After all, there were countless people on the street who needed it.
Just from a tug in my heart, we decided to walk a different way back to our hotel that night. We turned a corner, and there was Brandi. This woman was sitting all alone by the street with her five month old son and an Enfamil can. I wanted to shout, "Hallelujah!!!" Clearly, she was the right person. I stooped down to her level and asked if she wanted the food. She turned to her son and said, "Look, we have dinner from the nice lady." She told me their names. I said how beautiful her son was, even though he looked as though he hadn't seen a bath for a while. I told her that we would be praying for her, and she thanked us and said she needed it. As we walked away, I just lost it and wept the whole way back to our room.
As a mom, I am blessed to have what I need to care for my children. As a Christian, I am blessed to give to others what God has graciously given to me. As a child of God, I am blessed to be cradled in the arms of the Father when I am most needy. Tonight, I hope Brandi feels the same.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Finding Something for Myself
When I first started staying at home, finding time to do things that I loved was a lot easier. Sure, I had a baby, but she could go anywhere I went and sit in one of her millions of seats while I did what I wanted to do. I'll never forget the day that last seat (the jumperoo) went in basement storage. I thought, "what am I going to do now?" That lovely time of doing the things I wanted to do when I wanted to do them went right out the window. And when I had my second child, well you can just forget it! I am robot-mom. I am wife. I clean. I change diapers. I feed people.
At some point, I realized that EVERYTHING I did revolved around my husband or children. I didn't have any hobbies and rarely took time for myself. While I had Mom2Mom (hooray!) that encouraged me in my role as a mom, I still ended up talking about my husband and kids all the time. What I needed was something just for myself, someplace where people would actually use my name, Ashley, instead of calling me Natalie's mom. Now I want to say that I am so proud to be a mom and that I would have it no other way than to be at home with my kids. When they are your daytime, nighttime, every time job, however, it's so easy to sacrifice yourself and the things you love. I didn't even know I was doing it!!! If I continued on this path for too long, I knew that I would be lost as soon as my kids hit school. Simply said, God called me to be Ashley. When my parents named me, they didn't name me Mom. I am a person with passions, interests and God calls me to use those things for His glory.
Okay, so I needed something in my life just for myself. Maybe I could take a class? No, that sounded like a lot of money. Maybe I could join a club? I really need a hobby first if I'm going to join a club. Maybe I'm just not cut out for staying at home, and I should go back to work? No, God called me to this, and I'm committed to it. I prayed through it and decided to start a small business at home selling cosmetics. I gave it my absolute all for a year and then knew it would be too much once my son was born. At the time, it was just what I needed. Time out. A chance to dress up. A chance to make some goals for myself and be rewarded for meeting them. But when all those things became hindrances more than rewards, I knew it was no longer meeting my needs. (Side note: I did this because I wanted the fun - not the money. If you have a small business and are doing it because you need the money - DON'T QUIT.) It was time for me to move on. I ended on learning to sew, and it has been a great blessing. It has been a great chance for me to connect with my mom since she spends much of her retirement in her sewing room. Also, God has opened up many doors for me to make things for people in need. Yes, sometimes I still sew things for my kids, but mainly I just sew. It's my own little place to be creative, and finishing something is just the reward I need.
What do you have in your life that is just for you? If you see yourself in this, what can you do today to help you find "that thing" you need? Here are some questions to ask yourself:
1. Did God give me a special talent that I enjoy and that can be used for His glory?
2. How does our family schedule look and where can I carve out the time to do this?
3. Is there an activity or group that speaks to my heart and that I can find a way to serve? (In blessing others, we also receive blessing and satisfaction!)
4. What is it that I crave - more time alone? more time in God's Word? more time with people? a creative outlet?
At some point, I realized that EVERYTHING I did revolved around my husband or children. I didn't have any hobbies and rarely took time for myself. While I had Mom2Mom (hooray!) that encouraged me in my role as a mom, I still ended up talking about my husband and kids all the time. What I needed was something just for myself, someplace where people would actually use my name, Ashley, instead of calling me Natalie's mom. Now I want to say that I am so proud to be a mom and that I would have it no other way than to be at home with my kids. When they are your daytime, nighttime, every time job, however, it's so easy to sacrifice yourself and the things you love. I didn't even know I was doing it!!! If I continued on this path for too long, I knew that I would be lost as soon as my kids hit school. Simply said, God called me to be Ashley. When my parents named me, they didn't name me Mom. I am a person with passions, interests and God calls me to use those things for His glory.
Okay, so I needed something in my life just for myself. Maybe I could take a class? No, that sounded like a lot of money. Maybe I could join a club? I really need a hobby first if I'm going to join a club. Maybe I'm just not cut out for staying at home, and I should go back to work? No, God called me to this, and I'm committed to it. I prayed through it and decided to start a small business at home selling cosmetics. I gave it my absolute all for a year and then knew it would be too much once my son was born. At the time, it was just what I needed. Time out. A chance to dress up. A chance to make some goals for myself and be rewarded for meeting them. But when all those things became hindrances more than rewards, I knew it was no longer meeting my needs. (Side note: I did this because I wanted the fun - not the money. If you have a small business and are doing it because you need the money - DON'T QUIT.) It was time for me to move on. I ended on learning to sew, and it has been a great blessing. It has been a great chance for me to connect with my mom since she spends much of her retirement in her sewing room. Also, God has opened up many doors for me to make things for people in need. Yes, sometimes I still sew things for my kids, but mainly I just sew. It's my own little place to be creative, and finishing something is just the reward I need.
What do you have in your life that is just for you? If you see yourself in this, what can you do today to help you find "that thing" you need? Here are some questions to ask yourself:
1. Did God give me a special talent that I enjoy and that can be used for His glory?
2. How does our family schedule look and where can I carve out the time to do this?
3. Is there an activity or group that speaks to my heart and that I can find a way to serve? (In blessing others, we also receive blessing and satisfaction!)
4. What is it that I crave - more time alone? more time in God's Word? more time with people? a creative outlet?
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