Thursday, February 28, 2008

Timeless gifts for my family #2

I don't know about anyone else but there are times when I allow myself to end the day feeling unaccomplished....having just cleaned the kitchen or washed the boys clothes only to rise again to clean the kitchen and wash the very same clothes I just washed the day before. The last week I have been shift my thinking?? Making a "did list". So, instead of looking at my tasks as being forever endless I have attached a relational value to them, viewing them as an investment of my time and progress towards reaching my goals. As a result I have had a much more joyful attitude!! My list has looked like this.

Today's accomplishments and investments:
1) I drank 8 glasses of water today to keep myself hydrated and healthy!
2) Today I prepared home cooked meals for my family to provide for their nutritional needs.
3) Cleaned up the kitchen to take care of the house I have been given.
4) Did 2 loads of laundry to take care of the physical needs of my family.
5) Read stories to the boys to further expand thier minds.
6) Gave the boys choices today to teach them about being responsible.
7) Tried to modle a positive attitude for my children.
8) Encouraged Joshua to serve his brother by going and getting him a toy he really likes while playing and at the grocery store encouraging Joshua to pick out a snack he knows his brother would like.

Just sharing my attempts to help me keep things in perspective!! What works for you all??

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Timeless gifts for my family #1

Simple yet often forgotten gift #1: Giving the best ME! Not the best Mom or Dad but the best ME! There is only one perfect parent out there and that's our heavenly father and he certainly doesn't expect me to be perfect.
I am going to set realistic expectations- The best me is not required 100% of the time. My heavenly fathers grace goes along way if I allow it to.
So, I have made a "for me list" to help me to give and be the best me so that I don't lose my perspective.
1) Time for myself a few times a month.
2) Keeping my fuel tank full so what I am giving my family is overflow and not leftovers!
3) Take care of my body: a) Sleep the process in which the body regenerates itself b) Eating nutritional foods that are filled with the essential vitamins and minerals my body needs. c) exercise gets me out of the house and feeling energized.
4) "Presenting myself" taking the time to get dressed as well as a few minutes "primping" myself gives so much more motivation plus I am worth it and so is my husband!! I have a friend who says, putting on your shoes is important, it's the finishing touch to getting you in the, "I am ready to accomplish mindset."
5) Keeping my mind in high gear when dealing with the endless tasks of a home is challenging but reading time, computer time and my attempts to at crafty time help me with this.
6) Keeping accountable with someone.
7) Setting limits to my day. Just because I home doesn't mean I have time for everything!
8) Weekly sacred time with my hubby either a creative date at home or a night on the town to refuel and connect with each other!!
I am so blessed to have a husband who also wants me to be my best and is willing to do what it takes to make this possible!!

A renewed spirit...

Recently, I have been mulling over my responsibilities and the desires that lay upon my heart. It has been getting me pretty excited and I have been filled with a renewed spirit of passion to be the best (my best not my friends best) wife and mother I can be, to set and achieve my goals, to support and and love my husband the way he needs so I know he is alive with the belief that he can slay dragons, to equip and encourage my children, to discover and encounter more of the lord and to live without regret knowing I have done all that I can.
All this excitement has prompted me to share a few things from my heart and my attempt to encourage you, my reader. SO, Stay tuned!!! For those who want to follow me on my quest I think I will title these entries; Timeless gifts for my family.

Monday, February 25, 2008

"SO what does your Wife do?"

This question was asked by my husbands co-workers the other day. (For the record after 7 years of working at the same company he recently took a new Job elsewhere) His response was telling, She is a stay-at-home Mom! There responses indicated an, Oh, kind of feeling. So, he began bragging about me being a stay-at-home Mom. To cover a few he began to tell his co-workers that Motherhood was my profession. He then went on to describe how beneficial it has been for our family by me choosing to stay home ie, she actually finds ways to save us money on a regular basis, she is influencing the next generation on a daily basis, she cultivates a home for us; not just keeps house and the list goes on. But, the very coolest part was their responses. As they all pondered what my husband said, their eyes got wide. One person even said, That's really cool! So, if your are thinking a stay-at-home moms responsibilities are somehow inferior to other professions you are mistaken!! The next time your asked, "What do you do"? or "Do you stay at home"? Respond with passion, "Why yes, I am a Wife, a Mother and I LOVE MY JOB"!! And if you don't love it...find something you do love.
To add; If my husband and I's goal is to parent with purpose and raise morally conscious, emotionally stable, self confident, relationally strong children we sure know that's going to take a lot of time and energy then that is the profession we want.
Now, topics like this (and many other related ones) have been fresh and heavy on my mind lately. I would love to expand..any thoughts from my blog readers??
(By the way I let my hubby know how much I appreciated him shedding some light on the misconceptions of stay-at-home moms as well as the important role we play as parents!!)

Saturday, February 16, 2008

And, today's temp- 55 degrees!!!

All the more fueling the spring fever in me!! I'm envisioning a walk today..possibly to the Park.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Deceptively Sunny outside....

It's SUNNY & BRIGHT outside today! However, it's still 40 degrees...I have decided if it rises another 8 degrees we are going to play outside today...even if just only for 30mins.
The following things are getting me excited for the sunny spring weather:
1) Some 20 days or so until we change the clocks
2) Joshua is growing out of all his long pants (although he won't be able to wear shorts for sometime...the thought of more light versatile clothing makes me excited..strange I know)
3) John has been selling his cards (a hobby he once had) on ebay and told me yesterday that I get to plan a family trip with all the money he has been making!!!
4) My Hubby's Birthday is in about 3 weeks. March 8th...it's always sunny on his Birthday.
5) Listening to Joshua talk about his Birthday coming....he wants a Starwars party!!
6) Walks to the park and maybe a starbucks stop on the way! :)

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Happy Valentines Day!

Today has been such a delight!! I just love my boys..I took them out to lunch which I have not done by myself in awhile and they did great!! On the way home we rocked out in the car to some tunes...I was belting out I feel so alive I could fly (it's really just one of those days)...I see a drum set and micro phone in my near future, well maybe Joshua's!! When we got home Joshua was talking about how he wanted to fly with me!! Too cute. So, I began to tell him about the figure of speech...hmm I am thinkin that flew over his head!

Tonight's Menu:
Dinner:
Flank steak (Our Fav)
Roasted Red potatoes
Grilled Veggies
Garlic Bread
Dessert:
Vanilla Bean ice cream and cupcakes from Starbucks (seriously they are oh so yummy)

My mouth is already watering and it's only just nap time!!!

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Our Super Tuesday fun!!!

Last night John and I went to Ignite Portland and it was a ton of fun...for those curious;

If you had five minutes to talk to Portland what would you say? What if you only got 20 slides and they rotated automatically after 15 seconds? Launch a web site? Teach a hack? Talk about recent learnings, successes, failures?
What is Ignite Portland? A bunch of fast-paced, interesting presentations - 20 slides for 15 seconds each. Our mantra is "share burning ideas" - just about any topic will do, as long as it's interesting. From tech to crafts to business to just plain fun!(description taken from ignites website)

It was the second Ignite Portland event and John's employer was a sponsor, we are so glad we went and look forward to many other events like this. While all the presenters did a great job we would have to say our favorite presenter was; Why Deutschland Loves David Hasselhoff. You can watch his clip on http://www.igniteportland.com/. Another presenter I found interesting/thought provoking was, Time for Portland to Take Its Place.
What a cool city we live in...a city full of wonder and opportunities!!! We are so blessed!

Monday, February 4, 2008

Sunday Morning!

We had an incredibly lazy fun weekend spent with each other and friends. I was not feeling well but seem to be doing better now. Saturday we took the boys to firstenburg for family swim and both the boys braved the slide with Dad.
Saturday night we had dinner at some friends house and we got home about 9:30ish put the boys to bed and guess what time we all slept until Sunday???...the best part of our weekend...10:15! John and were shocked, did I say shocked. When do the parents of little ones get to sleep in like that? Joshua however had woken up sometime in the A.M. and went downstairs to pour everyone some coffee creamer and then made himself a house with all the pillows from the couch and went back to sleep.

Eating nutritionally and living naturally on a budget is my vision for my family