“..in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” - Proverbs 3:6
The idea of a home office is so appealing. There is a certain romance in the thought of listening for the washing machine to finish spinning while I type away on my latest book, knowing I’ll be home when my kids return from school and will have dinner on the table promptly at 6:00.
However, romance has never been a strong part of my reality. This morning, for example, I got my kids out the door for school, had a quick breakfast with my husband (who also works from home), then sat down to get a little bit of work done before heading out to my weekly writers group meeting. I had about 20 minutes to outline a talk I’m preparing, and told my husband about my need to be efficient with this limited amount of time. I had a busy day ahead, with no time for any laundry, cooking, cleaning, or shenanigans. Sweet home office image dissolved.
About seven minutes into my work, I heard my husband’s approaching footsteps on the stairs, along with his low chuckle. “I need to take you away from your work for five minutes, but it will totally be worth it.” How do you argue with that? He directed me to his facebook post containing a Southpark video about the perils of “friending” people on facebook.
How on earth could he possibly think that Southpark would be “totally worth” taking up 25 percent of my working time?
However, this situation is in no way unique. In fact, I could write about this every day by simply changing the distractions and those doing the distracting. I find that I can get house work, work-work, or what I call “people work” (relationship building) done in any given day. It is a rare day when my fantasy of getting “everything” done is realized. This morning, taking time for people work meant I didn’t finish my work-work. I didn’t even bother trying to tackle house work.
Somewhere along the line, our society got the idea that multi-tasking is a good idea. Ask any home office worker, or any mother, and she will tell you it isn’t true. When you try to do everything, you focus on nothing and excel at nothing.
I regularly have to remind myself of my priorities. When my head says, “The kids will be okay if you just write one or two more pages,” my heart admonishes me with, “You are a mother first. You can work again tomorrow.” In the end, the laundry does get done, the work deadlines are met, but when I skip or shortchange the people work, I never get those moments back again, and that time is truly lost. The moments spent in relationship with others are the meaningful times that I remember.
If you are also having trouble getting “it all” done, share with me so I know I’m not alone!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Wisdom in the Every Day
But wisdom is proved right by all her children." - Luke 7:35
A heavy, work-related decision for my husband has us both asking God for an increased measure of wisdom. Requests for insight, discernment and sound judgment fill our prayer times as we wait for God to give us direction.
I can’t help but notice that I tend to ask for wisdom when facing big decisions. However, as a mom, I make millions of little decisions every day that also require wisdom. Deciding on how to get nutrients into my kids’ mouths most efficiently and with the least amount of mess requires wisdom (and creativity). Leading my kids through their daily homework with a positive attitude takes wisdom (and patience). Deciding which friendships to encourage and which one to keep quiet about uses wisdom (and discernment).
I want to remember to ask God to be my guide in every aspect of my life, even the mundane, every day actions like making dinner. With an extra dose of His wisdom, I know I can do a better job taking care of my family.
In what areas of life do you need His wisdom?
A heavy, work-related decision for my husband has us both asking God for an increased measure of wisdom. Requests for insight, discernment and sound judgment fill our prayer times as we wait for God to give us direction.
I can’t help but notice that I tend to ask for wisdom when facing big decisions. However, as a mom, I make millions of little decisions every day that also require wisdom. Deciding on how to get nutrients into my kids’ mouths most efficiently and with the least amount of mess requires wisdom (and creativity). Leading my kids through their daily homework with a positive attitude takes wisdom (and patience). Deciding which friendships to encourage and which one to keep quiet about uses wisdom (and discernment).
I want to remember to ask God to be my guide in every aspect of my life, even the mundane, every day actions like making dinner. With an extra dose of His wisdom, I know I can do a better job taking care of my family.
In what areas of life do you need His wisdom?
Monday, March 22, 2010
Off The Mark
“I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint." - Jeremiah 31:25
Thank you for sticking with me, my faithful readers. I apologize that my Christmas blogging break extended into a longer hiatus.
Recently, I had the amazing opportunity to accompany my 9-year-old to her first archery class. She had been practicing with a toy bow and arrow for years and eagerly anticipated the day when she could get her hands on the real thing.
After stretching and warming up, she finally strapped on a protective arm guard and picked up a real bow. She straddled the firing line, aimed, and let her arrow fly. It streamed through the air, straight and true. Success. One after one, her arrows hit targets fifteen yards away as her smile got bigger and bigger.
I have no idea how many arrows she launched, but after about 40 minutes her bow was tipping to the side and her arrows hit low on the target. Fatigue led to a loss of focus, and therefore, less accuracy.
I’ve sure had that feeling as a mom. When I am tired, I am much more likely to ignore an offense that really should be disciplined. I serve food that is easy to get on the table, even if its nutritional value is marginal. Dawdling is allowed to the point where the kids go to bed later than normal when I don’t have the energy to keep them on track through the bed time routine.
When mom is tired, everyone suffers.
Now, when this happens occasionally, I don’t worry about it. What concerns me is when it becomes the normal state of family life. Sometimes what starts as fatigue turns into apathy.
Mom, please make the commitment today to take whatever steps are needed to give yourself more energy. Maybe you need more sleep. Maybe you need to cut sugar or simple carbs from your diet. Maybe you need to eat more veggies, or take a multi-vitamin, or get some exercise. Maybe you need a little downtime to just play. Maybe you could ask God to help, and spend some extra time in prayer with the Giver Of All Good Things. You may even need to experiment with some different ideas to figure out which ones really make a noticeable difference for you.
After putting down her bow and stretching again for ten or fifteen minutes, my daughter went back to the firing line and started hitting her targets again. As moms, we can be on the mark as well with just a little refreshment.
What do you do to re-energize yourself when you start feeling weary?
Thank you for sticking with me, my faithful readers. I apologize that my Christmas blogging break extended into a longer hiatus.
Recently, I had the amazing opportunity to accompany my 9-year-old to her first archery class. She had been practicing with a toy bow and arrow for years and eagerly anticipated the day when she could get her hands on the real thing.
After stretching and warming up, she finally strapped on a protective arm guard and picked up a real bow. She straddled the firing line, aimed, and let her arrow fly. It streamed through the air, straight and true. Success. One after one, her arrows hit targets fifteen yards away as her smile got bigger and bigger.
I have no idea how many arrows she launched, but after about 40 minutes her bow was tipping to the side and her arrows hit low on the target. Fatigue led to a loss of focus, and therefore, less accuracy.
I’ve sure had that feeling as a mom. When I am tired, I am much more likely to ignore an offense that really should be disciplined. I serve food that is easy to get on the table, even if its nutritional value is marginal. Dawdling is allowed to the point where the kids go to bed later than normal when I don’t have the energy to keep them on track through the bed time routine.
When mom is tired, everyone suffers.
Now, when this happens occasionally, I don’t worry about it. What concerns me is when it becomes the normal state of family life. Sometimes what starts as fatigue turns into apathy.
Mom, please make the commitment today to take whatever steps are needed to give yourself more energy. Maybe you need more sleep. Maybe you need to cut sugar or simple carbs from your diet. Maybe you need to eat more veggies, or take a multi-vitamin, or get some exercise. Maybe you need a little downtime to just play. Maybe you could ask God to help, and spend some extra time in prayer with the Giver Of All Good Things. You may even need to experiment with some different ideas to figure out which ones really make a noticeable difference for you.
After putting down her bow and stretching again for ten or fifteen minutes, my daughter went back to the firing line and started hitting her targets again. As moms, we can be on the mark as well with just a little refreshment.
What do you do to re-energize yourself when you start feeling weary?
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Blessed or Stressed
While flipping through a catalogue last week, I noticed a coffee cup bearing a saying that has become my new mantra: "Too Blessed To Be Stressed."
This phrase really socked me in the gut. How often do I let the little, often unimportant, worries of life cause me to forget how abundantly I am blessed. Or worse, am I sometimes too stressed to even receive a blessing sent my way?
Now, thanks to the fresh insight brought on by this simple coffee mug, when I feel my stress level rising, I remind myself that I am too blessed to get bogged down in unnecessary silliness, pettiness, or guilt. My children are a blessing, even when they sing in loud, high-pitched squeaks like little chipmunks. My husband blesses me every day, and I don’t want to overlook that when he leaves his dirty dishes on the counter instead of tucking them in the dishwasher. Things may break in my house, and it may never stay clean for more than fifteen consecutive minutes, but I am still blessed to have a safe, secure, warm home in which to rest, enjoy my family and friends, and worship my Lord.
At Christmas time, we are bombarded with things that can push us to our limits. Sometimes it even seems as though we are expected to stress out during December. This year, I encourage you to push that convention aside and enjoy your blessings instead. Maybe that means buying fewer presents because the mall crowds are driving you crazy. Perhaps you could skip sending out Christmas cards this year, or you might leave the exterior of your house unlit, simply because you are content and won’t feel guilty about avoiding a chore you find isn’t meaningful to you this year. Whatever it may be, feel free to cut a stressor from your annual Christmas routine so you are better able to see and appreciate your blessings.
Have a wonderfully Merry Christmas!
In celebration of our Savior’s birth, I am taking a blogging break until the New Year. See you in 2010!
This phrase really socked me in the gut. How often do I let the little, often unimportant, worries of life cause me to forget how abundantly I am blessed. Or worse, am I sometimes too stressed to even receive a blessing sent my way?
Now, thanks to the fresh insight brought on by this simple coffee mug, when I feel my stress level rising, I remind myself that I am too blessed to get bogged down in unnecessary silliness, pettiness, or guilt. My children are a blessing, even when they sing in loud, high-pitched squeaks like little chipmunks. My husband blesses me every day, and I don’t want to overlook that when he leaves his dirty dishes on the counter instead of tucking them in the dishwasher. Things may break in my house, and it may never stay clean for more than fifteen consecutive minutes, but I am still blessed to have a safe, secure, warm home in which to rest, enjoy my family and friends, and worship my Lord.
At Christmas time, we are bombarded with things that can push us to our limits. Sometimes it even seems as though we are expected to stress out during December. This year, I encourage you to push that convention aside and enjoy your blessings instead. Maybe that means buying fewer presents because the mall crowds are driving you crazy. Perhaps you could skip sending out Christmas cards this year, or you might leave the exterior of your house unlit, simply because you are content and won’t feel guilty about avoiding a chore you find isn’t meaningful to you this year. Whatever it may be, feel free to cut a stressor from your annual Christmas routine so you are better able to see and appreciate your blessings.
Have a wonderfully Merry Christmas!
In celebration of our Savior’s birth, I am taking a blogging break until the New Year. See you in 2010!
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