What new habit?

Here I am at the beginning of a new month, and my calendar and to do list are telling me I wanted to post a new habit for the new month.  Since I have been revamping the way I am writing and posting things my "Habit of the Month" series has moved to my new blog, Simplicity And Inspiration.  (Go ahead and check it out on side bar and let me know what you think.)  

Here are some of the my thoughts as I processed what to writing and what habit to select for the new month. 

Hello Morning! Week 12

Wow!  This is the final week of this Hello Mornings Challenge.  It has been a joy to work on my Study habit and be able to hone my skills a bit during the twelve weeks.  I am eager to enter this week, finish the study, and start on the next step of my Hello Morning! Journey.  Taking a moment to just breathe in God's Word and breathe out prayer in the mornings before "life" begins has been a rewarding and refreshing change.

Habit of the Month: Taking It Down a Notch

This is a different sort of habit.  Often habits we develop with intention are something we establish to make us better or to help us do more.  This month's habit for me is to do less!

I love, love, love planning - almost to a fault.  When I get in planning mode, I can very quickly develop a plan that is so big or involved that putting it into action is difficult at best or impossible and stressful at worst.  So for this month my habit is to take a step back and strike something from the plan - just bring it down a notch.

• If I plan to run four errands today - move one to next week.
• When we get together to bake with Grandma, instead of making four types of cookies, maybe do two.
• If I wake expecting (planning) to accomplish five things from my project list - bring that down to two or three.

My reasoning for the unusual habit - simply to reduce the stress and pressure I can put on myself and my family to accomplish more than is reasonable or possible while tending to all the routine things of life.  If I am able to accomplish more great! Or maybe enjoy a few minutes of relaxation, go for a walk, play an extra game with the kids, etc. The idea is to just reduce the pressure and stress trying to cram more into the minutes of my day, just because I planned more than was reasonable. 

Going into the holdiays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's it is easy to get over busy. Running around and stressed so much I am not enjoying the moments is not what I want for this Season. So for this month I am practicing cutting out something(s) and slowing down just to enjoy some simple moments.  

"Back to Routines" Follow-up

As I review what I wrote about getting back to routines in September, what a joy to see things that I expressed as being important to me becoming a reality!  Pleasant mornings are more regular then they were when I fist wrote about routines.  The skill of being able to see the big picture and how my daily activities are effected by my goals is developing in my life. 

It has been a good "getting back to routines" time, and I am happy with the overall relative calmness and confidence that has come as a result. 

Hello Morning! Week 11

Wow!  Week 11!  We are on the home stretch of this study.  Only three more weeks, and this Hello Mornings! Study will be complete.  There seemed to be such a slow moving start to the study that I find it hard to believe we are nearing the end.  

With the initial read and study of the passage (I Peter 4:1-11), there seems to be so much to wrap my brain around and process, yet I am excited about what is there for me to glean this week.  Today I especially appreciated verse 11.

". . . If any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things might be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever.  Amen."

I am at a point, where I sense a particular opportunity opening and yet, I hesitate -  should I really do this?  can I do this?  I know that I can work in the ability God has given me, and commit the results to Him!

One practical aspect to the routine of this Hello Mornings Challenge has been the habit of clearing my desk.  I know that ladies often comment about doing their morning Bible study in their favorite chair or sitting comfortably on the sofa.  I have found if I am too comfortable, it is way to easy for me fall asleep again once I am settled in for my study and prayer time. That combined with that fact that I have been using some computer resources in my study (depending on how much time is available before I need to face the more urgent matters of the day), I have been sitting at my desk for my morning study time.  One day sort of by accident, I discovered a new way to make my approach to this early morning habit a joy.  I had gotten my desk fairly well cleared of pressing projects, and it was looking rather neat, so on a whim as I went to bed I put my study notebook and Bible out front and center of my desk work area.  The next morning, as I approached my desk for study, there they sat ready and waiting to greet me.  What a grand feeling it was!  What a great way to start my morning and a great encouragement to me to actually sit and do my study!  

And so was born a new habit and an addition (and motivation) to my evening routine.  I am still working to make this step a solidly consistent part of my evening routine, but the days I do, the reward is the happy greeting of "I am ready for you" the next day when I sit to study.  

I am praying for you, Reader, that this week, that you too will find a happy motivation in the life you are seeking to establish.  May your reward be the discovery of one small joy in what you face each day.  

Hello, Morning! Week 5

Week five is drawing to a close, and it seems as if the time has flown this week.  Study has been more challenging, and I am slipping in my early morning study time.  It is more of a mid-day study time the last few days. I am continuing to rise early (for the most part), but my family is starting to make the adjustment to early mornings along with me, and so what has been a quiet time for me in the early hours is becoming more of a family time.   I love the transition for us all, we seem to be starting our days better because it, but I am missing the alone time before everyone else is up.  

The passage of study this week has been a challenge to read each day.  The sentence structure and flow of thoughts within thoughts has been difficult for me to wrap my brain around.  Prayer:  "Holy Spirit guide me and grant me understanding as I read."   Two truths that seemed to repeating jump at me as I read and reread the passage this week, has been from verse 18 & 19 and 23.   "Ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things,  . . . but with the precious blood of Christ" and " . .. . the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever."   It is not me, and anything in me, it is God and God alone that does the amazing work of salvation and that keeps us!  He abides forever! despite what I do or how I act or think.  He is the great I AM.  Now and forever.  

Habit of the Month: Back to Routines

I have taken a break from writing and posting over the summer months.  Now, as my girls are headed back to school and our schedule needs are changing, it is time for a "back to routines" evaluation.  

Some times of the year just naturally lend themselves to changes in the routines of my day and a reevaluation of my time usage.  The start of the school year and beginning of the fall season are one of those times.  (Oh, how I love the fall!  Maybe more on that in a later post.)  The relaxed morning and evening duties/routines of summer do not assist in the smooth functioning of our family as a tighter schedule becomes necessary for school obligations.  

Mornings can be chaos and craziness if we don't have some sense of structure to them.  Getting my family up and started on their days with a pleasant attitude in our home, is a priority for me.  To help make this a reality, having a routine to our mornings is a must!  Once we get into it, even on the weekends it seems the routine is followed, though at a slightly more relaxed pace.  

Often repeated in organization and time management circles, is the concept that your morning really starts the evening before.  When I first heard the idea I agreed a routine the night before that considers the morning coming would be helpful, though I really did not think it was that important.  Well, I have been converted!  Considering the next morning and day as you go into the activities for the evening is cornerstone in helping me to make the coming morning pleasant. 

In addition to getting back to more structured morning and evening routines, evaluating my activities in the home, time spent out of the home, and where I am putting my energy is a big part of getting back to routines.  Big activities, jobs, and events all trickle down into the everyday tasks and commitments.   I need to be certain they are the priorities I should have and want.  If I don't things quickly spin out of control.  

So, this month's habit:  "Back to routines!"  I am looking forward to the structured organization and different sort of relaxed feeling it will bring to my life and our home.

Hello Morning!: Week 3

image from inspiredtoaction.com

What a fast week of study it has been.   Last week, those following the I Peter study read through the entire book - a chapter a day.  It was a great overview week, and it is wonderful how the Lord gives verses of encouragement and application through the book.   If you want to read what Katie at Inspired To Action says this week about the study, you can find her comments here.

This week, we look at the first passage (I Peter 1:1-2, 5:12-14).  Personally, I am curious as to why the writers of the study paired these verses.   Hopefully by the end of the week, it will be clear to me. Each day this week has a different focus as we read the passage.

Day 1:  Read the passage.

Day 2:  Look for specific truths.

Day 3:  Find the promises given.

Day 4:  Note commands.

Day 5:  Apply what I have learned to my life.

This week as we enter more of the in depth study of the passage, my focus will be spending time in prayer before each study.  I want to glean from this passage what I need to be learning, and I know that I need God's direction and help.  

image from http://prayinghandsclipart.com/ 

Hello Morning!

Yesterday was the beginning of the Hello Mornings Challenge over at Inspired to Action.  Though, I am not officially joining the challenge, I am using their study of I Peter and doing my own Hello Morning! Challenge.

There are several aspects to the Hello Morning Challenge routine:  God. Plan. Move.  Check out more at the Hello Mornings official site.

God:  Spend time reading God's Word, studying Scripture, and praying.  This area is the the primary focus for me this challenge.  I have a big need to grow in my personal Bible study habits and prayer time. 
Plan: I could spend all day in this area of the routine, so for me it is more of putting into action my plan for the day - acting on the flexible structure I try to have in each day.  
Move:  This habit of exercising is not one I plan to focus on during this fall challenge.  I do think the habit of basic stretch routine might be in order, though. 

Come join me in this twelve week challenge/adventure.  Whether it be in study and prayer, moving, or planning.  Join me in solidifying the habit of starting our days with a Good Morning.  

Habit of the Month: April

This month's habit at first glance seems to be very applicable to me.  The Habit of the Month is Completion: finishing the task or project I am doing before moving on to another. My life at times seems to be a constant string of interruptions. With family demands, housework that is never done, and my personal list of tasks there are days I feel as if I am moving from one thing to another with out never really finishing anything. 

So, this month, my attention will be to work on completing the project or task I am doing. Admittedly there will be times when that is not an option. If a screaming child calls from the other room or an appointment time comes, of course I will need to pause what I am doing to move on the another responsibility. The key will be coming back to and completing it when I am able to do so.  

As I think about this habit, I am not sure how it will play out in my life this month. So, we shall see.  I am curious to see how and if changes the way I do things. Would you join me this month is seeking to be intentional with completing the task or project at hand before moving on to another?

Habit of the Month Follow-up: March

This month's habit has been to find a home for the stray items laying around our home.  Overall I have done well.  Definitely not perfect, but steps of progress have been made.  More importantly than seeing the progress around me, the development of the habit has been good.  Just establishing the habit of finding homes for things in our home or letting them go if they are not something we use and love has been a wonderful exercise.

Now on with a new month and the establishment of a new habit.  Of course, not forgetting to continue to find homes for the loose items I find around our house.  

Habit of the Month: March

This month, as I seek to help my home be a bit more organized, I am tackling the hidden or not so hidden areas of our house: our storage locker, the extra closet in the baby's room, and the top of the large closet in the master bedroom.  I may even attack the boxes in our bedroom - the ones that have become invisible because of their long time residence along the walls.  

Regina Leeds' recommendation for this month's habit is to watch for the following comments: "I don't know where this goes.  I'll just put it here for now;" then acting to find a home for those things.*  When I find myself thinking or saying this (or hearing it from someone else in my family), I will find it a home or seriously consider letting the item go.  If it does not have a place in our home, why is it here?

How about you?  Do you have a habit you would like to solidify in your life this month?  Is there a new habit you have been wanting to develop?  Make this month the month to start.  Maybe you would join me in seeking to find homes for the stray or orphaned objects in our homes?  

*One Year to an Organized Life, Leeds, p. 119.  

Habit of the Month Follow-up: February

February's habit of wiping off the bathroom counters each day has been challenging to implement.  Mid-month I almost gave up . . . Enter the mental image of me standing at the mirror yelling, "I quit"; them calm me responding, "No, I don't" and heading back to do my best to establish this habit . . . .

I have a large container of disinfecting wipes left over from a pack of three I bought for my daughter's class last fall.  Actually, I have two left (why I bought a pack of three very large wipe containers when I only needed one, still escapes the logic side of my brain).  Two containers - perfect - one for each of our bathrooms.  I moved the containers under the sinks for easy access and started wiping what of the counter I could see.  In the master bathroom this was the space of about the size of a dessert plate at first.  Yikes!  

I needed to consistently have the counter cleared enough to access it with the wipes.  So, last week I moved the items I use each morning into a portable container and stashed it under the sink.  This freed up some space.  After adding things from my bathroom drawers to my "morning container" I was able to move most of what lived on my counter out of sight.  NICE!  What a difference!  Now I can actually get at the counter consistently enough to wipe it off.  

This habit has mostly affected  just "my" side of the counter in our master bath.  I didn't even try to touch my husband's side of the counter.  The main bathroom has also benefited a bit.  I didn't get it wiped everyday, but even that counter has been cleared a bit more and there appears to be some improvement.  I even caught my five year old wiping the counter the other day.  Her comment, "It needed it, Mommy"  Wow!  Habits really do wear off on those around you.  I am so thankful this one was a good one.  

Habit of the Month: February

Here it is, the end of February and I have yet to write about the habit I have been working on developing this month.  February's habit is wiping off the bathroom counters everyday.  As I read and work through Regna Leeds book, One Year to An Organized Life, I am working in the bathroom this month.  She advocates wiping the counter each time you are in the room.  I am going for at least once everyday.  

So . . . I guess this means I need to be able to access the counter.  The clutter and "necessary" items that usually live on the counter top will need to be pared down and assigned a new home.  

So I am seeking to have a clear counter able to be wiped off each day.  

Habit of the Month Follow-up: January

Well, it is new month (really, already?).  As I seek to establish a new habit each month, this means on to the next.  Before I do that, how did I do with last month's habit?  As I sought to deal with all the paper we have in our home, not necessarily in piles, just a lot of it in files and notebooks and cabinets, I was trying to deal with it all more efficiently as it enters our home.  This initially translated into dealing with the postal mail as it came into the house.  The idea grew as the month progressed.

So, since all the papers (mail, school worksheets, newsletters and bulletins, fliers from our neighborhood, and things for Mom to deal with) were being piled on my desk, that became monster to attack this month. When I wanted to sit at my desk to do any work or writing or even just check my e-mail, I had to do it around the piles of papers or deal with them first.  Yuck!  My solution: an inbox.  I bought an inexpensive tray and placed it at the corner of my desk.  All things that Mom needs to see or do something with go there, then at the end of the day when I check my e-mail for the last time, I look at and deal with what is in my inbox.  

Overall it has worked well.  I think that I am the one that uses it the most. There are so many times during the day when I need to do something with but am not in a position to stop what I am doing to do it.  In my inbox it goes, and I know that before the day ends I will take the opportunity to review the papers and then do what is needed: file, recycle, or place in my action files.  (I am still working on how the action file idea will look and function for me.)  

My goal going forward is that at the end of each day, I'll have an empty inbox to greet me the next morning when I sit down at my desk.  I have yet to be consistent with that aspect of the habit, but just having it there is making a big difference in corralling the papers and keeping them from taking over my desk.  

Habit of the Month: January

I drafted this several weeks ago, and I as I was reviewing posts to write my monthly habit follow-up I realized I never posted this article.  Yikes!  So, here is what I wrote about the habit of the month for January.  Tomorrow I'll post my follow-up and then on to the new month's habit.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the Holiday Season fades and the New Year is bright with all the possibilities and freshness of a new beginning, I turn again to my organizing book and return to the routine of reading, learning and organizing.  

This month's organizing area is the paper!  It seems to be everywhere and self reproducing.  I don't necessary sense I am drowning in it as some might, so I'd like to say it is reasonably under control.  However, it is everywhere!  In the era of more and more paperless options and so many things available electronically, I am struck by the irony of even electronic paper clutter.  As I weed through all the files in my filing cabinet, the miscellaneous boxes around my home, and on my computer I will be seeking to cull it down to the necessary and important items.  

To assist me in maintaining what I am seeking to set up, my habit for this month is to deal with the paper once when it comes in to our home.  This would be the postal mail, my e-mail, the papers the kids bring home from school, the newsletter and bulletins from different events or groups.  Papers seem to easily overtake my desk, so should assist with controlling that very messy monster.   

Maybe this simple habit, will help manage what some may classify as a necessary evil in the business of life.  

Goal: Encouragement

As I write out my goals for this coming year, it really seems to be amounting to a list of habits I already have but would like to cement or expand this year.  


One of those habits is note writing.  This year, I seek to solidify this habit by intentionally finding a person or family in my church each month to encourage with a note or card.  We worship, learn, and minister along side of one another and yet at times I feel disconnected from them amidst life.  

I pray this habit of encouragement will cause me to be aware of the needs around me and those who may need a little more prayerful support.  May the LORD use my pen to bless others through my monthly encouragements.  


May be next year God will guide me to a friend who will join me in seeking to write encouragements each month.  This could be the start of something wonderful!

One Word for 2012

Today I am linking up with the One Word 365 Community.  This is something new for me, and I am excited about doing something different.   One Word 365 is about finding one word to apply to your life each year, every day, all year.  

Wow - narrowing it down to only one word has been a challenge.  I have mulled over the possibilities for a week and still today I was not sure.   I was settling on "aware" - aware of others around me, things that needed attention, time to spend with family, opportunities to grow, chances to minister - the list could continue.  

I was pretty sure "aware" or something similar was to be the word I would claim for 2012.  Then, in my study and reading this morning I found a chart which listed character traits to work with develop in and with your children*.  (As any parent knows or soon will discover, you tend to work on developing a character trait or habit in yourself just as you are seeking to teach your child.)  First on the chart was "alertness: knowing what is going on around me."  OK -- that settled it alert - aware they seemed to be in the same general category.  So, my word for 2012 - Alert.  ("Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.  Let all that you do be done with love." I Corinthians. 16:13-14)

Now how exactly does that flesh out in daily life?  What is the definition of alert and how am I do apply that.   To discover this is my self assigned homework for year 2012.  As the year progresses, I'll report what I am learning and how I am being affected.  

* The chart I refer to was compiled by Jill Savage and is found in her book, My Heart's at Home (pp. 94-97).

Habit of the month follow-up and the new month

I am later getting this posted then I wanted, but here it is anyway:
Wow!  Is anyone else amazed by how quickly November seemed to pass?  As I review the habit for November, being thankful, seems that the habit was not necessarily something new that I did this past month.  It was simply an extension of what I seek to do anyway.

My thankfulness cards that I was to write in each day; well, did not get written in every day.  About half of them are used.  Rather than trying to finish it off the last week, I just let it be, continued on until the month end and now am tying it off and putting it my folder for review next year.

With all that is happening in our lives in December (well, it may not be that much, but as I stand looking ahead at it, it seems very mountainous), I am not seeking to establish a new habit.  Rather, perfect and hone the ones I have been working on this year.  Specifically, I am thinking of my follow through with projects and ideas and the act of completion in the task I undertake.

All in all, I am seeking to have a joyous, blessed and wonderous Christmas season and start of a great new year!

November's Habit

This month with Thanksgiving coming here in the US, this month's habit is sort of by default.   With our focus starting to turn to the Christmas Holidays, and not wanting to overshadow Thanksgiving, ideas of how to streamline our Thanksgiving focus are plentiful.  A simple online search will reveal more suggestions then one could ever hope to implement.  
For me, I have chosen to use the Gratitude Journal developed by Jason and Jennifer Bruce and found on Motherhood . . . Your Way.  (On a side note: Life . . . Your Way collection of sites is definitely worth checking out.  There is almost something for everyone there.)  
My dear husband printed the beautiful color cards for me, and they sit on my desk.  When I am working there, if there is something that I have been especially thankful for that day, I write it on a card.  Though, I may not think to write one each day (for there are days that are not "leisurely" enough to allow me to sit at my desk), I have already had a few days were more than one card was filled.  I plan to have them all filled by Thanksgiving.  At the end of month, I'll read them through and stash them way in my Holiday Journal to pull out and look at next year.  
In thinking of how I can help my family focus on being thankful each day, not just in this time of year, and it has been impressed on me that I need to be thankful!  I think of myself as a thankful person, but I more often than I want to admit I have found myself complaining or "sporting" a bad attitude.  That is harder to do when you are truly thankful.  So this year, rather than trying to drag my family into thankfulness mode, I am seeking to guide by example.  A wife and mom with a thankful attitude will most likely cultivate a family with a thankful attitude.