Last week was pretty crazy. It culminated in a trip to Dallas on Saturday that's highlight was me completely losing my cool on my 2-year-old in Ikea. Awesome.
One good thing about having kids is that no matter when you get them in bed, they wake up early. I'm calling this good at the moment because that meant that no matter how exhausted we were yesterday from our trip Saturday, we had absolutely no excuse to miss church. This was the second week of having a guest speaker and it was awesome.
The speaker yesterday talked about how God doesn't call you to give out of your excess, he calls you to give from your heart. He calls you to give all. And that God doesn't want just your money; he wants your money, your time and your talent.
Easy, huh?
I have been striving to be more generous lately in all areas of my life, and I was sitting there in church thinking "I'm generous. I'm good on this one". And then I realized that I also want more for myself. More wraps, more clothes, more things for the kids, more... stuff. God kind of slapped me in the face with that one. Would I still give my money if it meant I couldn't eat out whenever I want? Would I give my time if it took away from my precious sleep?
Am I giving out of excess?
I pray that I'm not. I'm asking God to show me the truth of my heart. And I'm writing. Because through my 28 years on this Earth, I have learned that I write to learn. Learn about myself and about God. I write to unscramble my thoughts and put them in logical order. I write to see where I need to go next. God is continuing to show me how important it is for me to write.
So sometimes I might get some comments about my blog that make me want to stop. Stop writing for other people to read. Stop putting myself out there. Stop showing people who I really am. But I'm not going to. I don't know why, but He doesn't want me to stop. I can only pray it's because He's using this small little space for good.
I know the last couple posts have been "deep". I'll try to do something more lighthearted next time :)
Showing posts with label Blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogging. Show all posts
Monday, March 4, 2013
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Social media
Generally speaking, I'm a big fan of social media. Moving as much as I do, it really comes in handy for keeping in touch with family and friends and I truly love reading blogs and getting a peek into other people's lives.
Despite all the good that comes with facebook and instagram and blogs, there can be definite bad as well. People tend to put their best foot forward so to speak. Most people don't take pictures of the piles of laundry, screaming babies, and soap scum in the shower. Which makes it really easy to think that everyone else has a squeaky clean, perfect life and your life is just awful.
But it's not true. No one's life is perfect, they just choose to only show you the good side. That's not the way I operate. I don't think it's a bad thing to show the good. It's incredibly important to focus on the good moments in your days. To hold on to those moments when things aren't so good. To really recognize all the things you have to be thankful for. I just like to be more balanced myself, to show you the good and the bad. Hopefully this shows people that while I'm not "super mom", I'm also not a horrible mom.
Yesterday? Had more ups and downs than most roller-coasters. And honestly, had more downs than ups. However, it would be really easy to show you just the good:
Looks like a pretty good day, right? Right. And I am infinitely glad to have these pictures. But I also have these:
Despite all the good that comes with facebook and instagram and blogs, there can be definite bad as well. People tend to put their best foot forward so to speak. Most people don't take pictures of the piles of laundry, screaming babies, and soap scum in the shower. Which makes it really easy to think that everyone else has a squeaky clean, perfect life and your life is just awful.
But it's not true. No one's life is perfect, they just choose to only show you the good side. That's not the way I operate. I don't think it's a bad thing to show the good. It's incredibly important to focus on the good moments in your days. To hold on to those moments when things aren't so good. To really recognize all the things you have to be thankful for. I just like to be more balanced myself, to show you the good and the bad. Hopefully this shows people that while I'm not "super mom", I'm also not a horrible mom.
Yesterday? Had more ups and downs than most roller-coasters. And honestly, had more downs than ups. However, it would be really easy to show you just the good:
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| Piper's all smiles while eating her breakfast. |
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| Advent: day 4 |
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| Making cookies for the neighbors. |
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| "It's stirring for us, mama!" |
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| Snuggles. |
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| Morning nap boycott. |
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| Afternoon nap boycott (yes, my hair is wet). |
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| The face I was staring at the majority of the day. This was when I had the audacity to walk into the playroom and suggest we play there. |
See? So please, realize that no one's life is perfect. And even if they're posting pictures of their happy kid baking cookies, they could be having a horrible day. So just focus on the good, but realize you are not alone in the bad.
Monday, January 2, 2012
I do still exist
I know that I've been beyond MIA lately. I'm not going to give any empty promises about how I'm going to start blogging every day or anything like that. But I am going to say that I miss it. I miss writing and I miss feeling like people know anything about my life.
I remember the first few months of Jade's life, I felt so alone. Getting out of the house was a huge challenge, so it didn't happen much. Chuck worked all the time and didn't understand my need to just talk to another human being that could actually talk back. So the loneliness hit hard.
I naively thought that it would be different this time. But even with the business of the holiday season, the luxury of having family in town and being able to get out of the house, and the experience of having done this before, I'm still struggling. Sleep deprivation combined with my tendency to question EVERYTHING I do has caused depression to begin to creep back in. Tears are flowing more frequently than I would care to admit and I've spent a lot of time lately feeling sorry for myself and questioning my abilities to function.
That should explain my silence. I have no desire to boo hoo my problems all over the internet. However, today I finally recognized that this might be more of a problem than I thought it was, and started remembering things counselors have told me in the past. Coping skills, healthy eating, etc etc etc. And one of my coping skills has always been writing. So I'm going to do the best I can to keep at this. It might not be the best blog out there, but that's never been my goal. It might get uncomfortable with my bluntness, but I'm not one to sugar coat things.
Hopefully in the next few weeks, I'll get my Christmas post out there. We really did have a great Christmas and I want to share all of that with you guys. But for now, both my babies are asleep, so I'm going to curl up with my Chuck on the couch and watch a movie (or fall asleep... but what's the difference)?
I remember the first few months of Jade's life, I felt so alone. Getting out of the house was a huge challenge, so it didn't happen much. Chuck worked all the time and didn't understand my need to just talk to another human being that could actually talk back. So the loneliness hit hard.
I naively thought that it would be different this time. But even with the business of the holiday season, the luxury of having family in town and being able to get out of the house, and the experience of having done this before, I'm still struggling. Sleep deprivation combined with my tendency to question EVERYTHING I do has caused depression to begin to creep back in. Tears are flowing more frequently than I would care to admit and I've spent a lot of time lately feeling sorry for myself and questioning my abilities to function.
That should explain my silence. I have no desire to boo hoo my problems all over the internet. However, today I finally recognized that this might be more of a problem than I thought it was, and started remembering things counselors have told me in the past. Coping skills, healthy eating, etc etc etc. And one of my coping skills has always been writing. So I'm going to do the best I can to keep at this. It might not be the best blog out there, but that's never been my goal. It might get uncomfortable with my bluntness, but I'm not one to sugar coat things.
Hopefully in the next few weeks, I'll get my Christmas post out there. We really did have a great Christmas and I want to share all of that with you guys. But for now, both my babies are asleep, so I'm going to curl up with my Chuck on the couch and watch a movie (or fall asleep... but what's the difference)?
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
A little change
So I finally got around to changing the title of the blog.
Saturday morning, my church had a women's brunch that was such a sweet time of refreshment and fellowship. The pastor's wife shared some about how God places specific seasons in each of our lives... college, marriage, babies, etc etc etc. She laughingly referred to her baby phase as the body fluid phase, saying that no one in her home ate, pooped or peed without her knowing about it. So true.
Anyways, not the point. After she shared, another lady shared her recent season and then we had a time of worship. During that worship set, I really felt God laying the phrase "the calm in the storm" on my heart. Him telling me that the season I'm in might be exhausting and might be terrifying at times, but that He can provide me a peace and a calm within that.
And I really felt that I had my new title. Sometimes, this blog becomes a stressor for me. Just another thing that I have to get done (hence why I took almost two weeks off). But that's not what I want it to be. There are certain blogs that I read that just make me happy. Make me smile. Make me feel relaxed. That's what I want this blog to be. For me and for you guys. And this title will help me to remember that. To remember my focus.
The new layout isn't perfect. I really want it to be WAY better than it is, but the fact of the matter is that I don't know anything about html and I get overwhelmed quickly, so I've left it alone for now.
I hope that you guys like the new title and will help hold me accountable to the focus of the blog: savoring the good within the craziness.
Saturday morning, my church had a women's brunch that was such a sweet time of refreshment and fellowship. The pastor's wife shared some about how God places specific seasons in each of our lives... college, marriage, babies, etc etc etc. She laughingly referred to her baby phase as the body fluid phase, saying that no one in her home ate, pooped or peed without her knowing about it. So true.
Anyways, not the point. After she shared, another lady shared her recent season and then we had a time of worship. During that worship set, I really felt God laying the phrase "the calm in the storm" on my heart. Him telling me that the season I'm in might be exhausting and might be terrifying at times, but that He can provide me a peace and a calm within that.
And I really felt that I had my new title. Sometimes, this blog becomes a stressor for me. Just another thing that I have to get done (hence why I took almost two weeks off). But that's not what I want it to be. There are certain blogs that I read that just make me happy. Make me smile. Make me feel relaxed. That's what I want this blog to be. For me and for you guys. And this title will help me to remember that. To remember my focus.
The new layout isn't perfect. I really want it to be WAY better than it is, but the fact of the matter is that I don't know anything about html and I get overwhelmed quickly, so I've left it alone for now.
I hope that you guys like the new title and will help hold me accountable to the focus of the blog: savoring the good within the craziness.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
New blog title
*warning: this post contains rambling. Possibly more than usual.
I'm not sure if you guys have noticed, but I'm a little pregnant. And the title at the top of the screen still says "Life with Jade". I think the pregnancy might warrant a change to said blog title.
With that said, I'm not going to change the URL. If I ever have a large readership (doubtful), maybe I'll get around to that. But right now, I don't really think it matters.
I've given a lot of thought about what I should change the title to. One of the things I said a while ago is that I want my blog to start covering more topics that are important to me. I haven't changed a whole lot around here since then, but I've thought about it. Honestly, right now I'm focusing on surviving the pregnancy with a teething toddler, but that's a post for another day.
Anyways, my point is that I would probably be changing the title soon even if I wasn't pregnant because my life does actually involve some things that aren't about Jade. *gasp* So even though changing the title to "life with two under two" or "my crazy pathetic excuse for a life with two under two" is tempting, I think I'll be going another direction.
Last year around Christmas, my pastor preached a sermon series on tending to your garden. Now, at risk of butchering what he said very eloquently, I will attempt to explain the concept. God might not have given each of us a literal garden like he gave to Adam and Eve, but He gave us each a metaphorical one. We all have things that God has placed us in charge (as stewards) of. In my case, I have a home, a family, a desire for learning and reading, etc. Some people (a lot of people) have a job. These are all things that we should be using to serve the Lord.
Now, I fall short of this a lot. My garden is sometimes withering. But I am constantly striving to be better. Striving to be a good gardener of the blessings God has given me. So, in an effort to have a title that reflects more of my life, I thought about naming the blog "My little garden" or "My garden patch" or something along those lines.
The problem, of course, is that some people might think that I'm actually talking about gardening. As in plants and things. Anyone that knows me knows that gardening is not my thing (sorry mom!). (I would just like to share that I did manage to keep some marigolds alive the ENTIRE summer. That's never happened before). I could solve that by adding an "about the blog" tab at the top of the blog to explain the whole concept. I could maybe even explain it more eloquently than this. I know I have the sermon notes somewhere that surely are more accurate than my memory.
Ok... so what do you guys think? Good idea? Bad idea? I do have some other ideas, but I like this one the best. So let me know. Seriously. Click on the "comments" link and tell me what you think. Now.
I'm not sure if you guys have noticed, but I'm a little pregnant. And the title at the top of the screen still says "Life with Jade". I think the pregnancy might warrant a change to said blog title.
With that said, I'm not going to change the URL. If I ever have a large readership (doubtful), maybe I'll get around to that. But right now, I don't really think it matters.
I've given a lot of thought about what I should change the title to. One of the things I said a while ago is that I want my blog to start covering more topics that are important to me. I haven't changed a whole lot around here since then, but I've thought about it. Honestly, right now I'm focusing on surviving the pregnancy with a teething toddler, but that's a post for another day.
Anyways, my point is that I would probably be changing the title soon even if I wasn't pregnant because my life does actually involve some things that aren't about Jade. *gasp* So even though changing the title to "life with two under two" or "my crazy pathetic excuse for a life with two under two" is tempting, I think I'll be going another direction.
Last year around Christmas, my pastor preached a sermon series on tending to your garden. Now, at risk of butchering what he said very eloquently, I will attempt to explain the concept. God might not have given each of us a literal garden like he gave to Adam and Eve, but He gave us each a metaphorical one. We all have things that God has placed us in charge (as stewards) of. In my case, I have a home, a family, a desire for learning and reading, etc. Some people (a lot of people) have a job. These are all things that we should be using to serve the Lord.
Now, I fall short of this a lot. My garden is sometimes withering. But I am constantly striving to be better. Striving to be a good gardener of the blessings God has given me. So, in an effort to have a title that reflects more of my life, I thought about naming the blog "My little garden" or "My garden patch" or something along those lines.
The problem, of course, is that some people might think that I'm actually talking about gardening. As in plants and things. Anyone that knows me knows that gardening is not my thing (sorry mom!). (I would just like to share that I did manage to keep some marigolds alive the ENTIRE summer. That's never happened before). I could solve that by adding an "about the blog" tab at the top of the blog to explain the whole concept. I could maybe even explain it more eloquently than this. I know I have the sermon notes somewhere that surely are more accurate than my memory.
Ok... so what do you guys think? Good idea? Bad idea? I do have some other ideas, but I like this one the best. So let me know. Seriously. Click on the "comments" link and tell me what you think. Now.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Why do I do this?
When I first started this blog, it was solely for my family and any far away friends that wanted to keep up with my pregnancy with Jade. It was also a nice place for me to document things that are going on, because my journal-keeping habits have waned since high school and my poor kids are gonna get baby books with 1/3 of the information filled out.
With that said, this blog makes it look like my entire life is being pregnant and Jade. And I don't like that. Sometimes, as a stay-at-home-mom, that's what I feel like already. And it bugs me. I'm a person... with likes and interests and (currently) pregnancy insomnia. So why would I purposefully put stuff out there that perpetuates the stereotype that as a SAHM, all I care about is my kid?
I don't know. But that's what I'm doing. And I want it to change.
Because of this, I've been giving this little blog a lot of thought lately. Trying to decide to just keep it what it is, or to jump head-first into the blogging world and make it more. There is a HUGE network of bloggers out there... bloggers that write things that I enjoy reading. And I know that I could write things that strangers enjoy reading. But first they have to know about it. I have to go to the effort to leave comments, say hi, and link back to this page. But do I really want to do that? Do I really want this to start becoming a bit of "work"?
I actually think that I do. I miss writing with a purpose. There are things in this world that I really care about- and if I don't have an outlet for those things in my own blog, where will I? I don't update as much as I should because oftentimes, my posts bore me. I want to write about more. I'm afraid that this will mean boring some of my current readers (hi, dad), but you guys can skim the "boring" stuff and only read the Jade posts. I'm cool with that.
So what does this mean? I don't know. I hesitate to even publish this because you guys probably won't notice many changes at first. Heck, you might not notice many changes for a while. But I'm going to try to network more, and write more about things that matter to me. It'll be a gradual process, but hopefully one day this blog is something that I'll actually be proud of.
And because a post with no pictures is boring, here are some gems from my iPhone:
My new wrap!
With daddy on the beach in NC
First time Chuck wrapped Jade on his back
Hanging out with Belle, eating a shoe
Brushing Zoe with her My Little Pony brush
Put her new vest on as a cape and had a hanger hanging around her straw
Going for the basket!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Need some inspiration...
So I read quite a few "mommy" blogs. I really like reading about other people's experiences and it helps me to learn that there is no one right way to do things. That, and they give me ideas about cool things to try (or buy... much to Chuck's dismay).
And I want this to be something that people enjoy reading... but I need help from you guys. I recognize that I have a whopping 5 followers, but I figured if I asked you guys what you want to see, I can make the blog more reader-friendly and maybe more people will read it. I mean, not that I don't love posting for 5 people... but it would be nice to post for a few more too, haha.
So, more pictures? Maybe some video? Does anyone know how to make pretty backgrounds? Every time I try I mess them up and wind up just going back to this one...
If you read other blogs, share those with me if you don't mind and I can maybe steal some of their ideas. I just want this to be more of a two-way street...
I guess that's it for this post. So let me hear from you, my 5 followers :)
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