Taking Time

I love the freedom that vacation gives my mind.  I'm freshly back from a week at the beach.  Without the constant pull of the "must do" list of every day life, I found my mind refreshed.

I came to a mini epiphany while I soaked in the sun's light.  It was this: we are worth extra time and effort.

On the surface it may sound like a selfish statement, but I assure you that it is not.  I am guilty, as so many moms are, of pushing off my own needs to take care of the needs of others.  I cannot tell you how many times I've just felt completely used up because I've given all of myself away.

It was in the quiet moments when the only decision I had to make was whether to sunbathe or swim that I was given the clarity to ponder my self worth.  When I choose to take care of myself, I really am taking care of my family.  If I pour out all of me to bless them without taking time for myself, there is less of me to go around.  When I take time for me, even if it's just a few minutes here or there, I feel better, lighter, more willing to serve.  And that's when I can really be a blessing.

Starting today, I resolve to treat myself better.  I know that this will look differently each day, but I think the result will be the same; I will be happier, healthier, and more able to be the mother, wife, daughter, and friend that I want to be.

All the Pretty Little Houses

I live in a community made up of single family homes, condominiums, and town homes.  I live in one of the town homes.  There were two different builders of the town home part of the community.  One of the builders created homes that are all different; each house in the row has a different colored siding.  Some have wide, covered porches.  Others have small stoops.  Each one is unique.  The other builder created homes that are very much alike one another.  Each section of homes is swathed in the same color paint.  Some rows are yellow, some gray, some white, some blue.  These homes all have small front porches.  Each home in the row is the exact same design.

When my husband and I were looking to buy, we walked through several of the houses and saw a few of each design.  We ended up buying a home that was crafted by the second builder, as the floor plans offered much larger rooms.

Looking at the houses in my neighborhood, I see some homes that are well taken care of and others that have fallen into disrepair.  There are homes that sit vacant, needing some family to fill the rooms with love again.

I was thinking, tonight, about the houses.  I thought about my own front yard, my flowerbed full of beautiful blooms of purple and pink.  I thought about how I decorate my yard so lovingly, and how it pains me that some in the neighborhood just don't seem to care that their gutter fell down 3 winters ago or haven't figured out that old trashcans aren't lawn decor.

Then I thought about our bodies, and how some people work so hard to make sure that they care very well for the body they've been given.  They monitor their intake of calories, carbs, or whole food groups.  They regularly work up a sweat.  Many of us don't think too much about those things until our pants don't fit quite like they used to or swimsuit season is coming around.

 I guess what it comes down to is that the things we love are the things we put work into.

Blessed

I took a walk tonight, in between the swimming and the playing, the eating of delicious food and the lazing around with my family.  I walked around my neighborhood, taking care to walk the sidewalks of every cul-de-sac as I went.

It was an impromptu walk.  I only decided to do it about five minutes before I set my feet on the pavement.  I wasn't wearing the proper walking shoes; I'm paying for that a bit now...poor tootsies.  I didn't have my headphones, either, so I wasn't listening to music as I usually do when I go out for a walk.  Because of the latter, I was truly blessed by my walk.

As I made my way around my neighborhood, my ears were tickled with the sounds of conversations, children playing, adults telling stories, laughter coming from all ages.  I heard the sound of warm bodies cannon-balling into backyard pools.  I heard the sound of families, neighbors meeting together and enjoying one another's company.  I heard even heard a little girl singing a love song to her father, in Spanish, as she twirled around him as he rocked in a hammock.  I'm so thankful that I didn't have my headphones tonight.

I felt so content listening to the happy sounds of my neighbors as they celebrated Independence Day, each in their own way.  I couldn't help but think, as I walked, how blessed I am to live in this neighborhood, and to live in this country.

Summer Fun

I've been missing 'round these parts for a bit.  Summer always seems to wake up my desire to blog.  I think the school year just gets so crazy, I don't give myself the space to write until the long lazy days of summer stretch before me.

So what have I been up to?

For me, summer is always a time to get my life back in shape.  I do this in a couple of ways.  I take an inventory of what I am depleted of.  Have I been getting enough sleep?  How are my eating habits?  Have I gotten enough quiet time?  Have I been missing out on connecting with others?  When I've determined what I need to adjust, I do it, and begin to feel more in tune with myself in no time!

So I've been catching up on sleep, trying new recipes so that my family and I are eating healthier, and I've been taking really great walks. I've also joined a Bible Study/Book Study with some other moms.  We are currently reading Desperate. I'm loving the conversations that we've been having as we go through each chapter.

Next, I usually use the summer as a time to do a bit of deep cleaning around the house.  I know that most people do Spring Cleaning.  As a teacher, I do a big winter cleaning {coinciding with Christmas Break} and a big summer cleaning.  I just found an awesome organization specialist online, and her videos are giving me a ton of ideas.  I've already reorganized my linen closet, revamped my kitchen, and I've got plans to reorganize my bathroom soon!

Then, I start gearing up my brain for the upcoming school year.  I think back on what I liked about the previous school year, and I determine what I'd like to do a little differently.  I spend time cruising the web and finding ideas to make my classroom fun.  I've found LOTS of great ideas on Pinterest.

One more thing that I've gotten into this summer has been Influenster.com.  I recently made a profile, and I'm hoping to get the opportunity to try out some products soon.  Influenster has you take surveys to find out what you are interested in, and then they match you up with products to try and give feedback on.  As soon as I get wind of any products coming my way, I will be sure to share what I think about them right here.



That's about all I've got right now.  It's time to head to bed to rest up before tomorrow's Independence Day festivities!

Heaven on Earth

I recently started reading a new blog: 

Whenever I start reading a new blog, I get voracious.  I read as much as I can before I have to close my laptop and drag myself up to bed.  

One of the posts that really got me thinking, was Casey's post on Heaven.  I admit that the whole idea that we are not in Heaven does have a bit of a "duh" factor to it, but I've found that when you allow a thought to marinate in your brain a bit, you start to see things in a whole new way.

A week or so after reading her post, I suddenly had my own Heaven moment.  I was in my car, headed to the store, when I was overwhelmed with how beautiful the sky was.  Driving down the street, I saw kids playing and a couple walking their dog.  The weather was gorgeous, and I couldn't help thinking that the moment was just perfect. 

Suddenly, I felt a little zing.  It hit me that although that moment may have looked perfect, it really wasn't.  

We may have seemingly perfects days, hours, or minutes, but that period of time is just a tiny glimpse of what true perfection will be.

It kind of takes your breath away when you realize that it's only a peek of what forever will be like.