Week One Of Lent Down, On To Week Two

 I thought being more mindful of social media would be harder than it is.  Sometimes I forget and start checking it, only to remember, then I shut it down right away.  But I don't miss it as much as I thought I would. I think the times when I'm bored (like right now during my son's tutoring session) is when I miss it the most.  But I don't miss all of the news, all of the sad things, all of the infighting.  I guess I also don't miss all of my FOMO.  Man, I never really realized how even some of the positive accounts I follow make me feel bad.  Perfectly curated houses, perfectly curated children, perfectly curated everything.  This isn't on them, it's on me.  I look at myself and say "What a mess.  I've got to do better".  But honestly, I am doing my best.  And I may not be perfectly curated, but I'm doing ok.  And that's OK. But one of my New Years goals was to slow down and take more time for me and find more peace in my life.  I never really realized that I wasn't doing that until I lessened my social media usage.  All the noise is too much for peace.  And I didn't really realize that until I took a step back.

This is from my reading today and it really hit me.  (Lenten Reading: Media Fasting - Six Weeks To Recharge In Christ).  

Another thing that I have realized since starting Lent and implementing another Lenten penance is that I have really been fooling myself about my "healthy" life style.  There are things that I really didn't want to look at.  I didn't want to look at them because they might be hard, they might be ugly, they might not be what I want.  But I think it's what I need.  And it is hard.  But that is what Lent is all about.  It's doing the hard thing that brings you closer to God.  It's letting go of things that are coming between you and your relationship with God. And I've been cheating myself by not doing the hard thing.  When it's hard, that's when you pray.  That's when you call on God to get you through.  I can't do all things.  But God can.  I rely too much on my own strength, and I'm not as strong as I think I am.  And I certainly don't have all the answers. I'm pretty good about praying for others. And I'm good as praying to God to ask for things that I want.  I'm not so good at praying to God and asking for his help.  I always think that I have to push myself and do it alone.  That is such a lie.  I still have to push myself, but I need to ask for Gods help while doing it.  

Who would think that I would get to the ripe old age and would be still figuring this out? I'm sure I'll forget again. That's what we do. Our brains want to choose the easy.  So I'm learning this lesson and I'm writing down right here for my future self.  

I sat on the front porch with a cup of tea and a book this morning.  Normally I would have sat there scrolling my phone.  I would have missed the peace that came with sitting there quietly, with my Lenten reading, and taking 20 minutes to just be.  I think I'm going to do this again tomorrow. 

Lent 2025: Fasting From Social Media

 One of my new years resolutions this year was to slow down.  I had a mild health "thing" in November and it's because I'm going too fast and doing too much.  I am part of the sandwich generation.  We not only have children to take care of but elderly family members too.  Sometimes it can seem overwhelming, but it's really up to me to make sure it all works, without taking a toll on my health.  I can do it.  I just need to be mindful of it.

Lent starts tomorrow, but one of the things that I'm "giving up" for Lent is social media/phone time.  It has become such a crutch for me.  It's my place to escape when I feel overwhelmed, bored, anxious, or just plain empty.  I'm not giving it up 100%.  I still need it for email, phone calls, texts, and news alerts (today is 60 degrees and feels like spring, but this is Ohio and I know the snow isn't over yet).

But my plan is to set time limits to it.

I will check it when I first get up, at noon, and in the evening at 6 or 7 o'clock depending on the kids activities that I have to go to and from.  I never have my ringer on anyway, so binging and chiming won't make me want to check it.  My Fitbit usually lets me know if I have a text or a call and I can gate keep through that.  My parents don't have texting and they only have Facebook Messenger so I may have to adjust things so that if I have the sound up on the phone, that is the only alert I will get.  

So what will I be spending all that free time doing instead of doom scrolling?

1. More prayer.  Every time I have an urge to check that phone, I will say a prayer.

2.  Cleaning and organizing.  I need to do this for my own sanity.  We actually still have a Christmas tree up in the basement.  Don't judge me.

3.  Reading.  I love reading, but I just don't have the time for it because my phone use is getting in the way.

4.  Writing.  Either journaling or on the this blog.  I love writing and I miss it so much.  I need to get back to doing what I want to do and stop letting that phone take up my precious time.

5.  Learning to just be still, enjoy whatever the moment is, and listen for God's voice.  

I have a few other things planned for Lent but they involve food and alms giving.  While difficult, I don't think they will be as life giving as the decrease in phone time.

I started reading Media Fasting: Six Weeks to Recharge in Christ so I'm hoping that it will help me get through these six weeks, but also help me to make this be a full time life change.  

Hi. It's me.

 Has my last post really been since December?

Since then we've had birthdays, and holidays and one son graduate from college.  We have played basketball and baseball (still).

Everyone is good.  Things are going well.  

I hoped to get back on here and keep updating as this has become a diary of my life, but sometimes life just gets busy.

Yes, one son graduated from college.  I can't believe it.  I started my first blog when he was 4 years old.  And now he's 22.  He's back home and looking for a job (the job market is tough!).  The middle is 20 years old and will be a junior in college in the fall.  And the youngest will be 12 next month and starts middle school in the fall.  I'm not sure how all that is possible since I'm only 30... lol.  Some days I feel 30, some days I feel 80.

Having all 3 home is a blessing.  But also has it's challenges.  It's not easy having all these adults living under one roof.  But I wouldn't have it any other way.  I'm treasuring these times together because I know they are fleeting.  

This is a quick "I'm still here" post.  I promise myself that I will get on here more often.  

XOXO

Christmas Decorating: Using What YOU Have and Leaving The FOMO Behind

photo from Decorators Warehouse

 I love decorating for Christmas.  You know that.  And usually I'm ok with my decorations.  Could I have more?  Sure....  Could some use updating?  Sure...  But this year, I started to get envious of other peoples decorations.  

YouTube is Great!  I love it.  I love it for exercise, for recipes, for decorating tips, and more.  I get inspiration from so many wonderful YouTubers.  But I noticed something.  I found some interior designers that were decorating for Christmas.  And oh boy, was it ever beautiful.  Then I started getting FOMO, also known as the fear of missing out.  

My decorations are not elaborate and they don't really match or "flow" from room to room.  My garland is sad looking.  I have a lot of "character" decorations that might not look very sophisticated.  My mind started to race on how I could correct this faux pas.  It seems that across the board with YouTube influencers, things are more glamorous  this year for decorating.  Trends are more minimal yet very grand looking.  I need new garland.  And I need large gold deer.  And I need white fluffy blankets.  I basically need all new stuff, because I don't have any of those things.

So I started to fill my Amazon cart with Christmas essentials.  And I looked at Michael's and Hobby Lobby to see what they had.  And I made a plan to do a tour of antique stores in the area to see what I could gather up to make it a very merry and glamorous Christmas.  Clearly, my stuff is not on trend.  And this needed to be fixed NOW.

Luckily I took a deep breath before checking out on my Amazon cart.  And I was actually too busy to go to any stores.  Did I really want to drop several hundred dollars on new decorations?

Yes.  Yes I did.  

But was that the best use of our family's finances?  No.  It is definitely not the best use of our family's finances.  

And let's face it, my reasons for wanting all new Christmas decorations aren't rooted in reality at all either.  What will next years trends be?  Will I like those too?  Will I need all new stuff again?  I do not have the room to store all these decorations, even if I did spend the money on them.  That would mean that something would have to go,  and was I willing to give up our decorations that have sweet family memories attached to them?  Would my family be ok with that?

It's so easy to see what other people have or are doing on social media and want it for yourself.  It all looks so wonderful.  And it's easy to forget that these people are making money off of it and most of the things they buy are written as a business expense or were given to them to influence us to purchase from a particular store or online retailer.  I am not a business nor am I an influencer and no one is going to "give" me anything.  I have to learn to watch these videos with appreciation, and not envy.  People who celebrate Christmas want their homes to look festive and cozy.  But that has NOTHING to do with the real reason we are celebrating Christmas.  And because all of this Christmas decorating starts earlier and earlier every year, there is more time to get anxious about what we have, what design aesthetic we are going for, and it gives us more time to spend, spend, spend.  When my parents were young, most people didn't decorate their homes or trees until Christmas Eve.  We have moved far past that tradition. One lady I watched (whose decorating was spectacular) started to decorate in September.  She decorated every room on her main level and changes out rugs, artwork, and furniture to match each years theme.  But she clarified that by saying that this is "her job".  This is not my job.  Trust me, no one would hire me to decorate anything... lol.

I stopped watching that particular YouTuber.  Even though her style is amazing, it wasn't something that I could emulate.  And there was very little that I could take and use as tips (except maybe going forward, try to make my rooms flow better together).

If you can watch these videos or read magazines and see the beauty and leave it there, then you are ahead of the game.  If like me, you struggle with FOMO or feel envious or start coveting all the things, it may be time to mute that content until you can view it through a grateful lens and  not allow it to become toxic.  

Another person that I watch went outside to gather dried flowers, grasses, and seed pods to spruce up her garland.  So I took Daisy with me, and we went out back and did the same.  Her garland looked amazing.  Mine looks a little funky.  I'm not sure I'm going to leave it this way through the Christmas holiday, but the good news here is that it cost me nothing to mess this up.  It's not glamorous, but it did look a little better.  And it was free.  

I'm going to get my decorations out in the next few days and I'm not going to look at them like they are not good enough.  I'm going to look at them with gratitude and try to carry that gratitude into every thing I do this season.  And maybe I'll stay off of social media a bit more and just enjoy what I have right in front of me. 

Advent hasn't even started yet.  We have a long way to go, and I want Jesus to be at the center of this season.  He's the one we are actually celebrating.  That's where I need my focus to be.  The beauty of the season is HIM.

We have a lot of flooding in the back, but I was still able to gather a few things.

Daisy was just happy to be outside

Still a work in progress

Happy Thanksgiving!

 The big boys are home and we are enjoying our time together.  I hope you have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!!

Something That Has Been On My Heart

 For a few years now, I've tried to come up with something I could do for employment that would fit into my main responsibilities as a homemaker.  I know my main job is taking care of my family and I'm happy with that (and usually that alone can be overwhelming).  First, I thought being a secretary for our church would be a good option.  It's not exactly full time, but it would be a enough and I could probably work it around M's school schedule.  I'm his "bus".  I drive him to and from school since he goes to a "non-public" school.  I really hoped that the position would open up. 

In my previous life, I was employed in inside sales and marketing and at one point I was a Marketing Assistant to the Marketing Manager. My strengths are keeping things organized, helping customers, and gate keeping.   I can put together an awesome trade show complete with a customer reception. I enjoy running an office.  And not to toot my own horn, but I'm pretty good at it.

When the job finally did open up, I was very excited.  And 2 days later I got the news that a close family member was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer.  That family member was going to need me.  This was not the time to apply for work outside the home.  I believe this was God telling me "This is not the job for you".  That was 2021.

And since then, I've tried to figure out if not THAT, then WHAT?  I pray.  I put it in Gods hands.  But I do try to research things. I have Linked In alerts for jobs that would fit my qualifications.  And so far, nothing has come up that would fit my "bus" schedule or that would be flexible for family members. 

Then last week, I was feeling really down about the results of the Ohio election.  And I kept praying and asking God for peace with all of this.  And one of my prayers was "God, please tell me what you are calling me to do"?  And then it struck me.  Not like a lightening bolt, or not like anything grandiose.  I just felt Him say "Right now, I'm not calling you to do anything.  I'm just calling you".  And there it was.  As much as I would like to find work outside the home and help contribute to the finances of this family, God wants me right where I'm at, taking care of these people He gave me, and He wants me to use that to bring me closer to Him.  He's not calling me to save our church, or make more money for vacations, or become a professional outside of the home again.  He's got me where He wants me, and He wants me to grow in my relationship with Him.  "I'm not calling you to do anything".  I'm just calling you".  Took me a few years to hear that.  But I heard it.  Finally.  

Maybe some day that will change.  Or maybe it won't.  For now, I will be content with where I'm at physically, and keep trying to move forward spiritually.  

Weekly Meal Plan: Feeding the Family 11/10/23-11/16/23

 

Friday:  Out to Eat (M had a friend spend the night so we took them out to dinner)

Saturday:  Hot Honey Chicken Meatballs, rice, and sautéed zucchini

Sunday:  Za’tar Chicken, potatoes, and vegetable

Monday:  Pasta, salad, and rolls

Tuesday:  Turkey Tacos

Wednesday:  Mediterranean Turkey Burgers, coleslaw, and vegetables

Thursday:  Clean up day or One Pan Lemon Chicken and Potatoes 

Friday night, M had a friend spend the night and they had so much fun.  They always have a nice time together and laugh the entire time.  I love hearing the giggles.  

The rest of the weekend was just doing house work and trying to keep up with the laundry.  

This week I plan on finalizing my menu and grocery list for Thanksgiving.  And I hope to do a little Christmas shopping at the end of the week too.  

I've been watching YouTube videos on Christmas decorating.  They get me inspired.  But the problem is, all of my decorations are mismatched from over the years and I have no plans on going out and spending a fortune to replace them all.  Maybe I should start a YouTube channel on decorating with a hodgepodge.  

I would not start a YouTube channel.  I don't like being on camera, I don't have the voice for it, and I could not be that creative week after week.  But someone should start that channel!😜

Have a Blessed Week!!