Showing posts with label first 5. Show all posts
Showing posts with label first 5. Show all posts

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Reading with purpose

I love to read... there is nothing better than a good book-whether it is on the couch with a cup of coffee, on the beach listening to the waves roll in, or just a simple quick read when I have time (this is more the norm these days with two littles at home). I love to read for enjoyment, but I also find myself reading  more with a purpose these days- a purpose to grow in Christ, to be a better wife, and to be a better mom. Here are some things I have been reading lately.


The Daniel: Holding Firm in the Face of Fear Experience Guide
I have said it before and I will say it again- I love first5.org . It is a daily devotional and simple, but helps you to grow closer to God and learn about scripture at the same time. 

Image result for wife in pursuit
My husband and I just started this challenge. While we don't get to it every night, because kids are demanding and we both work and are tired, we do our best. It has scripture to read, prayers to say, and acts to do together. It has been great for us and helps us to really have some in depth conversation about God, life, and so much more. I highly suggest it for anyone who is married and just looking to grow together in your journey and be closer to Him.

Image result for from grouchy to great
Another great book! It really gets you thinking about how you as a mother set the tone for your household. It is easy as a mom and wife to feel overwhelmed and tired. It is easy to let the negativity come over you. This helps you realize you are alone in a lot of those feelings that people just don't talk about enough. I think there is this false sense of what mom life is like. It is not all yoga pants, trips to target and Starbucks. It is HARD work. Today when I was reading, it talked about 10 things you can do to create a home of warmth and grace. Get Rest, Time with God, Simplify Schedules, Clutter Busting, Give Up Perfection, Meal Plan, Schedule Mom Time Out, Play Music, Give Grace for Limitations, and Scripture Memory.
I try to do many of these. The ones that spoke to me most today were Give Up Perfection and Scripture Memory. I am too hard on myself and lately I have had to really take a step back and say "It is ok that the house is a little messy, we live here and it's not for show".... "It's ok if it doesn't get done today"- I am not perfect. The Scripture Memory is something I want to try and do with my family. I am going to be looking for a cute way to display a scripture every week and work on that. 


What are some books that you read for enjoyment on for a purpose? I am always looking for suggestions! 

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

How to push past procrastination!



I have several apps on my phone that I check in with daily. #1 is First 5 (first5.org) It is a great daily devotional/bible study app that keeps me focused and allows me to spend some time with God each and every day. Big priority for me. Tomorrow's post will be about that app and more about the Christian aspect of my life. 

Today, I am going to share another app that I LOVE! Shine! It is an app that brings all kinds of things to the table and really makes you think about all aspects of life. Today's topic on Shine is Emotional To-Do lists. It talks about how we have an emotional reaction to everything we do, whether we realize it or not. 

Example:
Dropping my son off to go to work    Emotion:Sad- he has been attached lately
Testing students today                     Emotion: Boring--- so boring
Working out                                    Excited!
Cooking dinner                                Relieved- something easy on the menu



Image result for procrastination quotes
See how that works? They say that the things that you don't look forward to or that evoke negative emotions are the things that we tend to procrastinate doing. We put those things off more than the things we are excited about doing. The suggestion was made that instead of just procrastinating in general with those things- find a way to make them happen, but maybe not in the way you originally thought. If searching for recipes makes you dread it- just find 1 a day. If working out is something you currently dread, try it for 10 minutes a day and then up your minutes as you start to enjoy it and crave the sweat. Really tune in the next time you make a to-do list and then work on trying to combat that list a little at time. The things that you don't look forward to doing can be changed, fixed, or maybe even looked at in small increments. This may help to get them DONE.


Here is the link to the SHINE article if you would like to check it out! 
https://advice.shinetext.com/articles/why-you-should-write-an-emotional-to-do-list/



Happy Tuesday all!