Simple Woman Daybook~ Monday

Outside my window... sunshine has gone, gray is back...oh but spring will be here soon. Plus the sun is setting anyways.

I am thinking... of all I want to do and why I always want to do so much with so little time

I am thankful for... a good start on my first "maximize your mornings" challenge...as well as a sweet hubby who will pick us up dinner since I didn't have enough frozen soup for tonight :)

I am wearing... my long sleeve teal shirt and my comfy cozy gray lounge pants that I did yoga in this morning

I am remembering... that I get to see the last episode of Downton Abbey tonight on the local PBS station :)

I am going... to make a diaper cake this week for a baby shower

I am currently reading... well, I was trying to finish "The Divine Conspiracy" by Dallas Willard, but it is so thick (takes in lots of brain work and is long) I am taking a break and reading "No Graven Image" by E. Elliot 

I am hoping... for wonderful news about the elections that took place in Southern Sudan, praying for freedom and peace

On my mind... my kids running and playing in the other room

Noticing that... I still have to get stuff done :) and it is THAT time of the day!

Pondering these words... "I will rejoice in His Love" (that should keep me from focusing on 'business')

In the kitchen... a little soup warming in the Crockpot. Leftover home popped popcorn for the kids snacks and my quasi empty fridge that could use a nice cleaning!

Around the house... pitter-patter of running little feet....they love to run around by the end of the day. We don't have carpet, so they take off their socks so they won't slip!

One of my favorite things  my daughter's precious little two-year old sentences

From my picture journal...

skyping with family so far away, one of my favorite things to do :)

Maximize your Mornings Challenge

Over at Inspired to Action the blog author Kat and her co-leader are encouraging women, especially busy moms, to get back in touch with the quiet early hours of the day, starting with time spent knowing and praying to God as well as taking care of ourselves first (exercise, breakfast, getting dressed and ready for the day) before we serve and take care of the rest of our troop and their daily needs. I know that I have in the past been a very good morning routine keeper. I would even have everyone's breakfast and hubby's lunch ready by the time they woke up. I have been on again and off again, but since my bout with morning sickness, and even before that I have NOT been waking up early enough in the mornings. And it shows. It really does. When I was waking up early for prayer and reading the Bible it did make a difference. I am not trying to be cheesy, just stating an actual fact. I usually start too big so I need to readjust a bit. I want to start with my quiet time, waking up 30 minutes earlier to do so and have my cup of tea before Jman, my first riser and followed closely by Liv wake up. First thing is to get my alarm set. I don't like alarms for I have a great biological clock. However, even though I do tend to wake up around 6 am (mostly b/c hubby has just gotten back from delivering papers!) I let myself go back to sleep! Not very disciplined uh? So I must make friends with the alarm clock.
 But my end goal will be to be also exercising, doing some stretching/yoga as well as hopefully walking. Finally I want to have had breakfast and hub's take-to-work lunch done as well as breakfast for all ready so that we will NOT have morning cartoons!! I might need to use tv (PBS/Qubo channel) from time to time, but I really want to reduce the time kids watch T.V. There are plenty of other times I need it so I hope to eliminate mornings. It will be hard for them because this is our routine now (mom turns on tv for Jman and Liv while she prepares their breakfast and hubby's lunch. Finally, with lots of interruptions she sits down an HOUR later to her breakfast, starving, and keeps the kids watching TV so she can have some time to herself online, writing emails, reading the news, planning her day, etc.)

 I think it will work best if I do the things I need to for myself FIRST. I will be a less grumpy person in the morning, giving a great boost to my busy day.

 You can join the challenge too. They actually have accountability partners (called captains) through twitter. I don't tweet (enough distractions with email, blogs and facebook for me right now, maybe when I am finally in a good routine and better with my time!). They also have a link on facebook so you can follow it there. Of course just go to the website, start following Inspired to Action so you can download for FREE her Maximize Your Mornings E-book (if you are like me and are wondering : how long is this e-book? Not long. It printed a total of 32 pages.)

Happy Mornings to me and to you then!

Our Architect in Training

Jman has always had engineering abilities since very young. He has loved building train tracks and towers and such for a long time. It's one of the few things that can keep him occupied longer than anything else (not hours but even whole 15-30 minutes depending on the scope of his enterprise!). He likes to show off his finished work to me, his dad, and his grandparents on skype. Nonno and Nonna (my parents, the Italian ones!) enjoy so much watching him display his 'towers' and 'buildings' made of legos on the floor in front of the computer camera while chatting on skype. Nonno is an architect and he told his grandson that he will soon have an assistant opening for him! Jman actually sound interested for a few seconds, of course he has lots to learn before he can truly design buildings and such as his nonno! But who knows? Maybe that will be something of true interest in the future! But wait, remember he is just four and half!

 Here are a few of his most recent endeavors:

His Uncle Robbie & Aunt Mona from Firenze got him these Lincoln Logs for Christmas. He has been following his "map" (as he calls the instruction booklet) to make his own cabins :)

These are some of his lego constructions. He loves color schemes as you can see. I just realized that some of his latest and 'greatest' works are still on the camera and I have yet to download them so will have to post them later!

Simple Woman Daybook~ Monday

Outside My Window...

I see gray skies again, but it's sunnier inside

I am thinking...

of how beautiful the earth is going to be when it's spring because it is resting now

I am thankful for...

a healthy growing baby in my belly

From the kitchen...

hot tea is steeping

I am wearing...

my warm brown flower sweater everyone compliments me about (so European ;)

I am creating...

another blog post

I am going...

to be gentle with my kids as our day unwinds

I am reading...

parenting books

I am hoping...

for our last month and a half of winter to be calm and enjoyable

I am hearing...

the heater warming our house

Around the house...

it's getting close to the 'bewitching' time where I will need to cook dinner, put up the clean dishes. finish laundry and keep the kids patient and calm so I can get the above mentioned done!

One of my favorite things...

is evening quiet time when I can unwind from the day

Snow Day

Here's a post I've been meaning to put up (and yes, I am not posting EVERY day as I meant to. But you know, this is still going pretty good! so I am not going to be hard on my self, afterall it's not a trafficked site this one! don't have too many just hanging there for a new post ;)

 It's been snowing down in the Midsouth! wow! It does happen usually once or twice this time of year. However often it starts melting and then when it freezes again it's all ice. Not very fun to play with. But this time we have been blessed with some nice powdery snow and hardly any ice!

Liv getting aquainted with snow, she wasn't quite sure about it at first! Didn't like it 'sticking' to her 'mit'ens'

Jman could hardly stay still once he was out in the snow!

Daddy got to stay home that first snow day so it was lots of fun having him around helping putting back on gloves,...

Have a snow ball fight (Liv liked it as long as she was not getting hit with snowballs!)

We even attempted buidling a snowman

But we (especially he!) had too much fun stomping it and running over it!

Overall we had a good time. Jman came back in with daddy after we girls had already returned to the warm cozy indoors. He had gotten super wet (didn't dress him properly I guess!) and was shacking for being cold and wet and, silly me, I started a warm bath for him. Of course upon getting in the warm water, the shock of feeling all of the sudden warm got him all prickly and tingly and he started screaming, I had to get him out and calm him a bit, reassuring him the feeling was normal and would go away. His answer: "I am not going out in the snow again!"...of course the following week as it snowed a few inches he went back outside to enjoy it, get a bit wet, but not overwhelmingly so!

Different Seasons, different Christians

I am sharing this post from Mike Cope's blog. I have never met him nor hear him preach, that I can recall, but started reading his blog after finding a link to it from some other friend or acquaintance's blog. He has studied, preached and worked in my 'circle of heritage' (Harding University and the Churches of Christ). I have come to really enjoy his posts, especially since he seems to pinpoint issues pertaining to faith, religion, Christianity and American culture that I have also experienced or wrestled with. In this post about Summer and Winter Christians I saw my own journey and spiritual personality change, for I have been both summer and winter. I went from being a truly devoted Summer Christians (who, ashamed to say now, thought everyone who was not as 'summery' as myself as wrong and not a 'true believer'), to becoming a Winter follower, one that struggle to follow, love and forgive God after my very first and bitterest taste of tragedy and disappointment in life. Although I am not back to being Summer, and honestly I sometimes am sad, for I miss the un-entangled (not a word but I wish it were) joy, the unabashed emotions, the zeal and passion I had. I have often asked God to take me back to that, for I still struggle with that fear that my devotion, my love to Him is not enough or good enough unless I 'feel' that way. However, I am not as winter as I once was. No, I have been given lots of reason to sing for joy and gratefulness to God, my arms now filled, my heart now mending. Though there is still the ache and pain, it is hardly noticeble, for He has put a new song in my heart. I may not be able to say "God will do this" and I still struggle hearing Him, but I do hear Him in smaller, more ordinary ways: Be still, be patient, it's not about the big things alone. I am now, with the continual heart healing and cleansing, the changing of seasons, more of a 'in between 'Christian,' sometimes more like Fall, sometimes more like Spring. Nerveless, I hope we can all, winter summer and in between, learn to follow and adore God in unity and in respect and love for one another.

 T
FOR TODAY
Outside my window...
 Light gray sky contrast long black tree limbs, wet sidewalk and grass. 
I am thinking...
 Of finishing the short novel I am reading while sipping hot tea...(if children permit)
I am thankful for...
 My children. Hot "English" tea when you can't have coffee. Books to read.
From the learning rooms...(aka as play room here!)
children played with Kid K'nex toys creating structures and 'pictures'...mostly learning to share the pieces together
From the kitchen...
 some yummy applesauce mini-muffins are calling my name
I am wearing...
 NOT my pjs, but my nice maternity "skinny" jeans and my 'what's kicking?' long sleeve shirt, though I plan to go nowhere today :). Except that I am not wearing 'laced-up shoes' buy house-shoes, the Flylady would be proud of me. 
I am creating...
 a long-term "to-do" list of non urgent but important things (updated my Italian citizen status, get citizenship for the rest of the family, finish my history degree)
I am going...
 to try and do what I want to do, not only what I have to do
I am reading...
 "The Reckoning" by Beverly Lewis- last book of a three part series set in Amish Lancaster country.
I am hoping...
  Dr's Kings dream of a world of love, peace and brotherhood will come closer to reality, on earth as it is in Heaven, starting with where I live.
I am hearing...
 My children's CD player playing "Amazing Love...;" as they laugh and dance; the washing machine spinning the cloth diapers
 Around the house...
lights are on for this gray morning
One of my favorite things...is to have nothing pressing to do
A few plans for the rest of the week:
 Blog about our snow day, watch Masterpiece Classic on PBS, start and FINISH a few personal and house projects, talk, dream and plan with hubby about buying our first house, cook some warm yummy soups (chicken tortilla soup and rice and lentil soup) as well as attempt more homemade bread and goodies.
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Friends

 Tuesday we had our sweet "O-Liv" (the girl I keep Mon&Tue) come over and the kids were thrilled to have her back to play. It is the cutest thing to just see them rushing to the door when she comes. They are such social beings, and Jman more and more asks me about seeing friends. Liv as well has started to ask about a particular friend more and more. I know that they get  a lot of the social drive  from me, but it is so sweet to see how it plays out in their little selves. When we went freecycling and the lady came out to help me with the item I was taking, he asked her "Do you have any boys I can play with?"- my sweet little boy LOVEs being with others and I know I need to make more of an effort to get him some play dates!

 I also got to keep a couple of my friend's little boys as she had a Dr's appointment to keep. Even though sharing and taking turns with different toys and stuff can be hard, Liv and Jman interact with eagerness and great exuberance when they are with others, children and adults alike. In some ways they are a little too friendly- they don't have personal space, as well as wanting to be center stage- especially Liv right now, she loves getting all the attention, but that is her age too!

 (RE: personal space. I still remember one day , during a lesson about personal space in our communications class my freshman year of college, a girl I had gone to high school my senior year with shared how I had in fact demonstrated that Europeans, Italians in particular, have less of a personal space since we had become acquainted in our English class! I was mortified for I never realized that even this girl, someone I was friendly but not close to, thought I was getting 'too close' when talking to others; I asked not-yet-hubby about it and he said it was mostly true, but that he loved it! lol!). 

 Here is a picture of the kids on the couch watching the beginning of 'Land Before Time' (a dinosaur movie). 

The staying still on the couch didn't last very long! I put a double quilt on the floor later (no carpet) for them to have a picnic and eat their lunch. Then it was a wonderful mayhem of crumbs and toys and laughter. Oh, but so much fun, especially for the kids you know! like that wonderful movie says "no one is a failure when he has friends"....and no one- including mommies- worries about any silly ol' messes when you are with friends!

Today...

....I spent some time sipping tea with a very good friend
....My son asked me to cuddle him (and I need to take advantage of that more)
....My daughter laughed and giggled with her brother playing pretend
....My children shared their toys, and then my son shared his snack with me
....My husband said that both my hard-worked for homemade dishes were 'heavenly'....
....and I am starting to feel more sure about those tiny little movements inside of me :)

 It felt like a hard day at times, but now that I look at it closer it was a very good day too. Lots to be thankful for.

Balancing budget and healthy eating

Our garden, that Jon planned, planted and tended all summer/fall, end of May/June '10

  I officially am a good spinach sausage pie maker- both kids loved it last night, as well as hubby, and Liv wanted a third helping, while super Jman, I couldn't believe it, just enjoyed two helpings of cauliflower with olive oil and salt. I am doing my best to keep up with cooking our own meals and making most of our food from scratch if needed, as well as making it healthy as often as I can. That's time consuming and hard, and I knowI probably will have to buy pie crusts more often than not. And that is okay. As well as bread. But I am going to attempt and start making my own bread and such. We shall see how it goes. My financial goal right now is to bring down the grocery bill as much as I can, and still not go crazy, eat out or eat unhealthy. But I am not going to be able to buy organic or even cage free eggs, or my organic milk and meat. Unless somehow I can eliminate some other things and make room for that. But the good thing is that this is not the end of the world, as it might be for some. And it might be just for a period of time. Or maybe until the kids move out of the house and we can afford it. And it is okay. I want to eat healthy and teach my kids good nutrition, but I don't want to make it an idol. I never have seen it that way, truthfully. I grew up on good, preservative and additive free food in Italy, and no, we did not make our own pasta and tomato sauce! It's just easier to eat fresher fruit and vegetables and buy healthier meals. The food industry is not like it is here. For now at least. And even now that I am an American resident, we eat whatever is shared with us and I won't turn up my nose at anything that has refined grain (hey, we still use white flour often!) or anything that might have grown with pesticides, because we are still there baby- and food is food, something we should always appreciate and be thankful for. We have it in such an abundance you can't even compare it to the rest of the world without wanting to cry.
 I was recently encouraged to know there are others out there, like the author at Passionate Homemaking making a conscientious effort to diminish the negative aspects 'eating healthy, sustainably, etc" can have with our personal relationships. In her latest post about this subject (follow the link above) she talks about why it's better to make exceptions with 'healthier' food if your husband won't eat it or doesn't like it- it's sounded like a given, but then I talked about it with Jon and come to find out, he doesn't like when I add cabbage or spinach to my meatloaf (which is what I usually do to make it more 'nutritious' and get some veggies in the kids systems!)

We learned how to garden last year (or my hubby did, because he did most if not all of the work! And he did great btw) I have my "The Vegetable Gardener's Bible" my dad bought us this past summer to read now. Lord willing we will attempt it again this year, and I plan to go at it with more foreknowledge. I will do the reading/research for hubby since with the bambino or bambina (there is some Italian for you) coming beginning of the summer, I am going to once again leave the bulk of the work (that is everything probably!) to him!

 (in case you are wondering: why is she posting everyday? Well, two reasons, one is that I am trying to get into the habit of blogging again, and second because my friend Amy asked other's to join the '21 day challenge' where we try and blog everyday.)

Freecycling

 Today was fun. I got a used, but free baby diaper changing table! First time ever to have one. I have been very proud of what we had used in the past (a desk, now a small dresser) and it has worked fine for us and would have, but I thought," hey a real changing place would be nice this time around" :) The best thing is that I got the call! Here in Memphis when someone offers something free there are lots more that respond than the small town when I first joined freecycle. Freecycle is a yahoo or some other e-mail group specific to a certain area where people can list what they have to give away for free and you can also ask for what you are looking for, hoping someone has it and will give it away, again for free! I have been able to get some free stuff for the kids this way (shoes, clothes, an umbrella stroller, and a few other things like that). Here in this city there are lot more people who will respond. I have given things away too and I have a stash, in fact, up in one of my closets of 'things to give away'. This is my favorite way of 'getting rid of stuff', other than giving it tosomeone I know personally or who is known by friends who needs it. It is a community way of doing things- get to meet and interact, even if briefly or not even face to face, with strangers who live in your own town and area. I like the idea of doing things this way: build community, share, and stop filling the landfills with stuff! Some of your junk is other's people's treasure! Truly, you can post just about anything....I have a electric tea kettle I just loved, but for some reason is not working anymore. It might just be trash, but maybe somebody out there knows just what to do to make it work (or what to use it for!).

Practical and Inspirational ideas for the New Year from other bloggers

  I was reading different blogs recently (a new non-written resolution of mine, to keep up with blogs I like) and I discovered a few great pearls of wisdom about what is important about making resolutions.

Practical: 

On The Simple Mom's blog post on NY's resolutions, she discusses about the importance of creating habits and how much more effective that is than just making a whole entire resolution and hoping it will come to pass by the end of the year. The way to create lasting habits is to start with one small step at a time. I should know that, but an eager 'eater' like myself, I tend to bite off more than I can chew. My first habit change should be choosing smaller bites, and not just when it comes to food. I am not sure how I will start with this, but I am going to try for the next few weeks to focus on one thing that I want to do, and make sure I take small steps. For example, even though this is definitely not a top priority, this coming week I have decided to just let myself get my Homemaking Notebook in order. I'll share more about this and all the free printables and ideas about creating one I found online. All the information about them was a good thing as well as not so good, because now how do I simplify and create what I need from all those ideas? Well, I'll let you know how I've worked it out later on! My main challenge will be to NOT waste time finding the 'perfect' little design to print for my cover!

Inspirational:

 Another great thought comes from this mom at Inspired to Action who is actually learning about 'getting things done' from her seven year old, who read the entire Bible in less than a year. I am so impressed as well as so utterly challenged and convicted! How did she do it? Simply by doing it, one page at a time, anytime she could (choosing to read the Bible in her free time over other things). The main thing that hit me is that she didn't talk about wanting to do it. She just started doing it. It was something just for her to think about and not to talk about with others (wanting to have something to 'show' like I might have done). I have a cousin as well as a sister who seem to get things done all the time, finishing what they have started. I have always thought that they have a gift. Perhaps it's also because they just don't waste time talking about things and just do them!Perhaps if I would follow that example and not blog about all I want to do.... 

Resolutions....to do it or not

Resolutions: the bad and ugly:
For the past few years, especially since Jman was born, I would have written a list of personal resolutions for the new year: lose weight, get organized in my routines and at home, have a set time to read the Bible and pray, etc. And this year it would be the same (well, the lose weight would have to wait for another six months), but I have not wanted to because it makes me feel bad.
 In the past I have gotten started on my resolutions, but then I stop, sometimes starting back again, and then stopping again. For good. Something happens. It can be an illness, a couple days out of town and I am blown off course, but honestly it's because I lose stamina and sheer will. I don't have the passion to go on. However, the more and more I think about my resolutions and the way I approach them is this: I am very good at planning what I need to do and getting all sorts of ideas to 'better' myself and implement my goals: I get all the books I can find at the library, find more online, buy new day planners, get them all in order...but it's actually DOING it that just is so hard! And then I feel like a failure. So right now I do not like resolutions because everyday I am thinking of things I have to resolve, in me, my children, my home....and it's enough to make me feel like I never get anything done.





The good and best thought about resolutions- the truth of why I keep failing:
 Typically when I think of new year's resolutions I am thinking of external changes, what I want to "see" or "do" differently. But there is another side to resolutions, and it's the most important one. Wanting to start "fresh" and "new" has spiritual implications. Part of us, our souls, yearns for more, desires more for us, for our life.

 For I hear Him, the One who strives to get my attention, day after day, saying to me, and from the beginning of time, that I want the wrong things, I am going about it the wrong way! The things I want to change around me are not the most important usually, nor are they the ones that will bring me true happiness and peace. The truth is that my resolutions seem to always fall through because they are rooted in my own selfish desires. I desire my own perfectness, and not God's. Even reading His Word is about being 'better" at being Christian, and that is not what I want and believe Christian to mean- it is simply who I am by Grace. Nothing I can or could ever do. I had written, months ago now,a short little note that I kept as a word document on my computer:

Seek peace, not perfection. Perfection is not peace. We think we will have peace when we arrive to what we believe will be perfection (a perfect body? a perfect house? perfect spouse and kids? a perfect me?) whereas we won't ever achieve that and thus live without peace....

Ps. 34:14 "Seek peace and pursue it"

Peace is a gift God wants to give, a fruit of His Spirit

 My resolutions fail not only because I am trying to do it all by myself, but it's all about myself! I need to be about His kingdom, and not about a perfectly synchronized house routine and wonderfully behaved children (that reflect how wonderfully I am.) My first resolution must be not about me but about Him. And perhaps I won't need resolutions anymore, for He will take care of 'all the rest':

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matt. 6:31-33

 So to all those making resolutions, like myself, and hoping for a better year: seek first His kingdom. And take it one day at a time!

 Peace be with you.