Just wanted to give another update on my shopping "fast". If you remember, I posted a pledge back in October to not shop for an entire year...if you don't, here's the link to that pledge: http://rmbmajor.blogspot.com/2011/10/cleaning-out-my-closet.html
At any rate, today is January 28th and since that pledge, these are the clothing items I have purchased for myself:
1) a cocktail dress for my husbands Christmas party, and shoes that matched.
2) a pair of pj's for myself and my mom from Target for Christmas morning
If I could only relay how big of a deal this is for me. I still have several months to go to meet my goal, and recently my husband and I set a goal of some debt payoff by the end of this year, so I have extended my pledge of no clothes shopping to go through the end of December 2012. I am really proud of myself, I can't tell you the doubt that I had going into this commitment at the beginning. But I am determined to meet this goal. I'm not saying there are not days that I would love to go cruise through the clothes at Loft..Dillards..Target...and just pick up a few things. I've even "window shopped" online and put stuff in a shopping cart, only to leave it there and shut the browser. Ultimately, I get to the point where I look at what I've got in there, and remind myself that I don't NEED any of it. My pledge is to only purchase the things that are necessity items during this time. I will admit, Christmas pj's were probably not a necessity. Christmas party dress was a necessity. The ones I had that would have worked were either summer time dresses or a few sizes too small. And of course, I picked a dress that none of my shoes matched.
Anyway...I am sticking with it, and am determined. I have donated quite a few items of clothing to local charities, and when this season is over and I transfer out my fall/winter clothes for the spring/summer ones, I will clean out again and donate those items. All that said, I still need prayers for this challenge. Prayers that I avoid setting myself up for temptation. One of the scriptures that I have been leaning on during this time is 1 Timothy 6:6-8 "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that." My goal through this challenge is to learn to be content with what I have, and not focus on the things that I want, but the things that I need. That my family needs. It is a definite attitude adjustment, don't get me wrong. And I am not proud of myself when I recognize how many times I catch myself thinking, "I need some new jeans" or "I want some new long sleeve t-shirts", etc. I do NOT need jeans...I think I have about 20 pairs in my closet right now. Various sizes, mind you.
Contentment. This is my goal. Finding happiness in my relationship with God and my family, and not in material things. Where do you look for happiness that doesn't seem to fill the void?
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Life Decisions
Why are some life decisions so easy to make, and some so difficult? Like the ones that you know what the answer is supposed to be, but accepting that answer is painful and just a hard pill to swallow..no pun intended. We've decided...officially...no more babies. This is a sad decision for me, as I wish we had made the effort a few years ago to have another child. But we have passed that window of comfortableness. You know..our other kids are at a point where they are pretty self sufficient. Our youngest will be 8 next month. They sleep through the night. They are potty trained. They can fix themselves a snack or drink when they want one. All of that is kind of hard to give up...Plus the mile long list of other reasons I won't go into here...
But then comes in the acknowledgement that I will never be pregnant again. Never see that positive sign on a test again. Never have that feeling of excitement and fear of what's to come again. Never feel that first baby kick again. Never watch my belly change and grow with pregnancy. Never have that elation of hearing the baby's first cries at birth again. Never wonder if it's a boy or a girl again. Never deciding on a name again. Never feel the soft breath that only an infant can have on my neck again. No first steps or first words again.
Accepting that I am past the point of having babies is hard. Really..it stinks. Does this mean I'm.....old?? I mean, really, what's left after that for me?? I'm still a mother, I know that..and a mother to 2 fabulous kids that I still wonder what I did to for God to deem me worthy to have been blessed with. I look forward to all the things that life has to offer with them. But sometimes, still, I picture another one running around with them and think what if? And unfortunately, all those what if's are answered with ridiculously practical answers that remind me that it's just not in the cards for us. It doesn't seem that the things that are falling into place and the results of decisions we've made to this point leave room for another child...and the practical, realistic side of me knows this. But the mother in me cries at the realization and acceptance of this truth. So forgive me if I tear up a little when I see a baby or a pregnant mom, as I mourn the passing of this stage of my life and turn my eyes to the next stage...being the mother of pre-teens. Prayers are appreciated.
But then comes in the acknowledgement that I will never be pregnant again. Never see that positive sign on a test again. Never have that feeling of excitement and fear of what's to come again. Never feel that first baby kick again. Never watch my belly change and grow with pregnancy. Never have that elation of hearing the baby's first cries at birth again. Never wonder if it's a boy or a girl again. Never deciding on a name again. Never feel the soft breath that only an infant can have on my neck again. No first steps or first words again.
Accepting that I am past the point of having babies is hard. Really..it stinks. Does this mean I'm.....old?? I mean, really, what's left after that for me?? I'm still a mother, I know that..and a mother to 2 fabulous kids that I still wonder what I did to for God to deem me worthy to have been blessed with. I look forward to all the things that life has to offer with them. But sometimes, still, I picture another one running around with them and think what if? And unfortunately, all those what if's are answered with ridiculously practical answers that remind me that it's just not in the cards for us. It doesn't seem that the things that are falling into place and the results of decisions we've made to this point leave room for another child...and the practical, realistic side of me knows this. But the mother in me cries at the realization and acceptance of this truth. So forgive me if I tear up a little when I see a baby or a pregnant mom, as I mourn the passing of this stage of my life and turn my eyes to the next stage...being the mother of pre-teens. Prayers are appreciated.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Happy Birthday, Brian!!
January 8th, 2001 at 5:13am I was blessed with this bouncing baby boy that weighed in at 8lbs 13oz! Brian Austin Major..
Look at all that hair!!! It quickly turned into this:
Here's some more pics of my little man as he has grown over the last 11 years....
2nd birthday, in England..it snowed!
In Brugge with the daughter of some of our closest friends..we've decided if they marry, this will be on their wedding invitations...
how can you not love that???
1st day of school for 1st grade....
Christmas 2008...
after his first Tae Kwan Do tournament in December 2009...
at his sister's birthday party in 2010...
And this morning, with me. I believe by this time next year, he will be as tall as me!
I can't begin to express what a blessing Brian is to our lives every day, his sense of humor (which I don't always understand) keeps us entertained and his sweetness are only a few of his attributes. I lost two pregnancies before we found out we were having Brian, and I can't help but praise God for His timing. Timing that we don't always understand, but it's perfect. Happy Birthday, Brian!!!
Here's some more pics of my little man as he has grown over the last 11 years....
This past summer, he decided he wanted to grow out his hair....I'm so glad that notion passed.
And this morning, with me. I believe by this time next year, he will be as tall as me!
I can't begin to express what a blessing Brian is to our lives every day, his sense of humor (which I don't always understand) keeps us entertained and his sweetness are only a few of his attributes. I lost two pregnancies before we found out we were having Brian, and I can't help but praise God for His timing. Timing that we don't always understand, but it's perfect. Happy Birthday, Brian!!!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Happy New Year!
It has happened. Another year has come and gone. Which leads me to the thought..I'm getting older. Again. Which has also led me to the thought...what am I doing about that? Not too much the last few years. So many times as a mother, wife, employee, we allow ourselves to get so caught up in those roles that we forget the importance of taking care of ourselves in the process. I know I have. We often don't make giving ourselves time for spiritual and physical health and growth, that we end up burned out and can't fulfill our many roles in life the way God intended for us to do them.
My typical weekday is this:
5-6:30am: Wake up. Get my computer fired up and the coffee made. Sit down at my desk and get an assessment of my work day, and sometimes get a few orders completed, or atleast started on.
6:45am-7:30: Wake up the kids. Get their breakfast made (have to admit, my husband often helps with this task, as sometimes I'm still working on an order at my desk), get their school uniforms ironed, get myself dressed, fix my daughter's hair (and my son's for that matter..have you seen this kid's hair?) and get them loaded up in the car with all of their school paraphenalia and wave goodbye as their dad whisks them off to a day of education at their school.
7:30-till....Sit back at my desk with a fresh cup of coffee and work until I get all of projects that are due for that day, and sometimes the ones for the next day, are completed and turned in to the office manager. Occasionally I will stop long enough to get some sort of dinner started for the evening and try to keep some laundry going. My children get home from school around 3:45, and I try to be through with work by then, but that doesn't always happen. Generally, I am through by 5pm at the latest and spend the evening finishing up supper and getting it on the table. My sweet husband is great about getting the kitchen cleaned up, so most of the time I don't have to do that. By this time of the day, I'm just ready to relax and end up falling asleep or getting lost in a TV show.
As you can see, I haven't allowed myself time to exercise, or have a dedicated time to read my Bible or do a devotion. I do get a few daily devotionals by email, and because they are right in front of me on the computer, take the time to read those, but don't really give myself time to get lost in the Word or just quiet time to talk with God and listen to Him. For the most part, by the end of my "required activities" for the day, I am exhausted and burned out. I'm tired of being burned out.
So, that is my plan for this year. I plan to adjust my schedule to allow myself atleast 1 hour a day that is mine. Mine to exercise, mine to read the Bible, mine to pray and listen for God's direction. I can not fulfill my other duties in life to the fullest if I don't allow myself time to "refuel" and keep my body and spirit healthy. I think the best time of day for me to do this is right after my husband and kids head out in the morning, from 7:30 to 8:30, I plan to absorb God's word, pray and spend some time doing some sort of physical activity. I have tried to start workout plans before, and normally do well for the first week or two, but then allow other activities to take priority over that. It's easy to talk yourself out of exercise. Why is that? At any rate, I hope that if I connect my exercise to my time with God, that I will stick to it. I pray for that dedication and determination. I pray that my hunger for that will outshine any other things the devil might put in front of me to distract or deter. Please pray with me for this!
My typical weekday is this:
5-6:30am: Wake up. Get my computer fired up and the coffee made. Sit down at my desk and get an assessment of my work day, and sometimes get a few orders completed, or atleast started on.
6:45am-7:30: Wake up the kids. Get their breakfast made (have to admit, my husband often helps with this task, as sometimes I'm still working on an order at my desk), get their school uniforms ironed, get myself dressed, fix my daughter's hair (and my son's for that matter..have you seen this kid's hair?) and get them loaded up in the car with all of their school paraphenalia and wave goodbye as their dad whisks them off to a day of education at their school.
7:30-till....Sit back at my desk with a fresh cup of coffee and work until I get all of projects that are due for that day, and sometimes the ones for the next day, are completed and turned in to the office manager. Occasionally I will stop long enough to get some sort of dinner started for the evening and try to keep some laundry going. My children get home from school around 3:45, and I try to be through with work by then, but that doesn't always happen. Generally, I am through by 5pm at the latest and spend the evening finishing up supper and getting it on the table. My sweet husband is great about getting the kitchen cleaned up, so most of the time I don't have to do that. By this time of the day, I'm just ready to relax and end up falling asleep or getting lost in a TV show.
As you can see, I haven't allowed myself time to exercise, or have a dedicated time to read my Bible or do a devotion. I do get a few daily devotionals by email, and because they are right in front of me on the computer, take the time to read those, but don't really give myself time to get lost in the Word or just quiet time to talk with God and listen to Him. For the most part, by the end of my "required activities" for the day, I am exhausted and burned out. I'm tired of being burned out.
So, that is my plan for this year. I plan to adjust my schedule to allow myself atleast 1 hour a day that is mine. Mine to exercise, mine to read the Bible, mine to pray and listen for God's direction. I can not fulfill my other duties in life to the fullest if I don't allow myself time to "refuel" and keep my body and spirit healthy. I think the best time of day for me to do this is right after my husband and kids head out in the morning, from 7:30 to 8:30, I plan to absorb God's word, pray and spend some time doing some sort of physical activity. I have tried to start workout plans before, and normally do well for the first week or two, but then allow other activities to take priority over that. It's easy to talk yourself out of exercise. Why is that? At any rate, I hope that if I connect my exercise to my time with God, that I will stick to it. I pray for that dedication and determination. I pray that my hunger for that will outshine any other things the devil might put in front of me to distract or deter. Please pray with me for this!
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