Putting the BIG rocks in first!

Time. It's what we all feel like we lack, and it seems to always be running out.  We are currently doing a Bible study on Time with Andy Stanley, and it has been really eye opening.  In many ways it's reminding me of things I already knew, but like so many things in life, I need that reminder!

For years I've had a jar of rocks and sand sitting in my kitchen.  The illustration is that if I had put the sand (the little things in life, like Facebook, this blog etc.) in first the rocks (or the big things in life, like God, my family, friends, job etc.) won't fit.  Yet when you put the rocks in first, the little things still manage to fit too.  I'm sure if you really need to see the demonstration for yourself you could google something about jar illustration for rocks and priorities and find it.   I know that I need to put certain things first, and most days I do pretty good at that. Just the same, I'm trying to focus more on those big things. Andy Stanley stated "Priorities determine capacity" and that is so true.  When we make the priorities come first than we do have room for the nice, but not as important things.

With that in mind, I've realized that while I'm still reading my book, right now unless it's a day off, I really don't have time to do the Martha Challenges.  I've still been trying to squeeze them in, but we're in the final stretch of school so that means work stuff for me, and stuff for the kids, and those things need to come first.

Day 9 Was about Tornado Cleaning. I feel like that is a great way to clean on a fairly regular basis. It gets done, and you can move on. It's not a deep clean, but it is certainly picked up and gone over. Which for me is important. Actually accomplished the Martha challenge as I did vacuum the living room!  Whohoo!

Day 10 Slow and Steady. That's my declutter and reorganize method.  One step at a time, one room at a time and I will eventually get it done.  Sometimes it's even one pile at a time, not even one whole room and that's progress. Maybe you need to be packing things up right now. One box at a time is progress too!!! You can keep moving forward and that is the key.

Day 11 (today) is about your home being a reflection of you.  Who are you, and how do you want your home to look?  I want people to know they can come in and relax.  I like my home to be organized, as I'm a bit organized (stop rolling your eyes people who know me well!).  At the same time, when people come over I hope they know they can put their feet up and relax, and that when they are over I do the same and stop worrying about what else needs to be done.

I hope you find this book, and it's ideas useful!  Kick back and remember slow and steady wins the race.  Even the turtle learned that when he was up against the rabbit!!!

Making dinner can actually be dangerous!

Today's post won't be very long as it's hurting to type. I had a little accident involving my thumb and a kitchen utensil last night.  Cooking really isn't always good for your health! (just kidding...mostly!)

Here we are on Day 8!!  Today is actually my day off so I managed to get caught up on few, not involving water, activities like straightening the pantry, fridge and freezer as well as all bathroom cupboards. I'm slowly catching up which feels great!

Yesterday was about discovering your cleaning style and I think the author summed it up perfectly when she said on page 64, "I do think we nee to identify our style and go with it, because taking tips from others is helpful and good, but trying to be like others is damaging and demeaning." So true.  We all have things that work well for us, and sharing those tips may help others, but we don't need to try it that way just because so and so does it that way.  Find what works for you and do it!

Along those lines I've found that dusting the house and vacuuming from top to bottom works well for me.  Unless I"m doing a deep cleaning it also doesn't take long because I do keep things fairly tidy. Just the same I like to get that done once a week, usually on Friday or Saturday before we host our small group bible study on Sunday night. With that in mind I'm skipping the Day 7 Martha challenge because I will be dusting on Saturday and everything is currently picked up.

Day 8 is about making your style work for you. Like I mentioned early I like getting it all done in one day.  Sometimes with music sometimes without. It's a mood thing!

Keep plugging away, thumb is throbbing so typing needs to stop! UGH!!

Did you blink too?

Wow! Did that weekend fly by.  We were out of town celebrating my Mother-in-Law's 80th birthday, so needless to say I did not get a chance to use my "catch up" on my Martha challenges days, Saturday time slot.

Don't know if this will help motivate you or not, but...I still need to wipe out my fridge (doing tomorrow as it's garbage day) go through my pantry (again garbage day's tomorrow!!). Wipe down my cabinet doors, and mop and clean the microwave.  My bathroom's are clean for the most part which is a wonderful thing, yet I still need to go through the cabinets. Put that on my list for Wednesday, which is my day off!!

In reading chapter/day  6 I come to realize I need to overcome the curse which for me is complaining about the work and being to tired to do the work.  I'm trying to really focus on my attitude and be thankful for the things I get to do to take care of my family, and ultimately thankful that I have the ability and in many cases the finances to be able to take care of them.  Loading and emptying the dishwasher can be annoying, but we are blessed that we have a dishwasher to empty and enough dishes that I don't have to run it everyday.  I need to turn my attitude towards gratefulness more often to help me keep my focus on what really matters!

Post is short today as it's a sunny 80* day in Ohio...not wasting that by sitting around at my computer for too long!

Keep plugging away, and reading!

25,000 Advice boiled down to 6 things!

It's Friday!!! Week 1 is done, and yup, I'm a few jobs behind. Add to it that we are headed off for the weekend so on Monday I'll be even further behind BUT...

I have accomplished a few things in the last few years that allow me to say...it's ok to be behind!

Day 4 was about making it workable and I have found this is so true.  I usually spend some time on Sunday getting an idea of what lies ahead and writing it down in my planner. I've also discovered there are certain days of the week, Tuesday and Thursday, where I simply can't do any more. Those are my all day work days and by the time I get home I want to focus on my family not on the house.  With that in mind I have developed workable routines for the other days of the week. There are days where I typically clean, do laundry, shop etc.  Those workable routines help me stay grounded in what really has to get accomplished and not jump from thing to thing and forget what I needed to get down.

With Day 5 we learn about the 25,000 piece of advice and the list of 6 and that has been a huge help to me too! There will ALWAYS be a list.  It's annoying, but it's true. So each day you really have to decide what is the top priority, and what can be left till another day. Yes, usually my day has way more than 6 things on it, but once I've completed the 6 I feel like I've at least gotten somewhere with my day.

Those of you reading along I hope are learning a few tricks that will help you continue to focus on the important and feel a sense of peace about your home.

Have a great weekend, whether you're catching up on jobs or just relaxing!!!

I'm not a failure, but yeah, my fridge didn't get cleaned yet!

For those of you taking the 31 Days to Clean Challenge with me I have a confession. It's day 3 and my fridge is not clean!  It's organized, I'm a bit type A, but it's not wiped down, and I haven't gone through all the contents yet.  Yet, I'm not a FAILURE, and neither are you! (assuming you too have not cleaned out your fridge)

My old self would be yelling at me right now, for having failed to follow through on the assignments and it's only day 3.  My new self knows that my priorities for today, my typical day off, did not include getting the fridge cleaned out, and that's OK!

What I've learned in the first three days of this journey are that I need to be a life giver.  I need to invest in the people around me that are important and make sure that they are are feeling love.  Sometimes I give life to those around me by making sure my home is in order and clean or at least straightened. Sometimes it's by providing clean clothes and having the dishes where they need to be to be used, or on today's list purchasing food.  Other times it's by not making my family feel like they have gotten in the way of what I had planned for the day.  For instance, today my son needed to go downtown to the Clinic for an appointment.  He shouldn't feel like it was a hassle for me to take him, and that it messed up my schedule.  He should know that I love him, and that despite the reasons for having to go downtown,  I enjoyed the time I got to spend with him.  Otherwise, by making him feel burdened by "having to go downtown" I'm no longer giving life to our relationship. This lesson mainly came from day one.

In day two we learned to define our vision.  This quote from page 25 speaks loudly to me " I need clarity and peace and space to think, both physically and mentally. When there is a mess swirling around me on the outside, I internalize it. For me, chaos outside equals chaos inside".  I know this about myself.  I need things to be organized and tidy before I can even start working.  Knowing that, I have established that I need a clean home for me to feel less frantic and chaotic.  If I'm less stressed my family is less stressed.  How does this play out in my life? It that means that I will make it a priority to straighten the kitchen first thing in the morning, or put the mail away as soon as it comes in.  That works for me, as then I'm able to focus on other things.  Sarah Mae reminds us that we need to have a vision or purpose or we will stay in a rut.  The Mary Challenge was particularly good this day.  It helped us seek out why we do what we do.  I hope those of you following along were able to determine your vision and are looking forward to working on making it happen.

Today, Day 3 helps us to discover our rhythm.  We all have a different rhythm.  Living out the priorities we set is not always easy.  We need to discover, as I did today, what has to happen, and what we can let go. For me letting go of my time with God is something I don't want to do.  I try to make that my first priority after getting the lunches ready and kids mostly out of the door. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I have to find the time later.  Regardless, I know  it is what keeps me moving forward.  Yes, I would love to be done with this study in 31 days and have a perfectly clean house at that point.  It may happen, but I'm ok with being behind because I know that today I got done the things that had to get done today.  While making dinner I still may take the time to straighten the fridge some, yesterdays assignment, or wipe down some cabinet doors, but if I don't get to those things until the weekend that will be ok too.

Moving forward is more important than sprinting and not learning anything.  Keep your eyes focused on your vision.  Take a step a day, and know that our journey might not always be identical but regardless we're all in this thing called life together.  We have hills and valleys and sometimes beautiful country roads and sunny skies!

Happy Reading and cleaning! Off to accomplish the next priority which has to be the load of laundry that needs folded and put away!

BUT...I don't have time to read a book, or get organized or...

No matter who you are you have a list, either physical or in your mind, of what you need to or want to accomplish. Some of those things are items that need to happen today, some of those are items that you dream will someday happen, but they are there, in a list waiting.  So why aren't they being accomplished? Or, if they are being accomplished why do we often not feel the joy of having them accomplished.

Starting tomorrow, Monday, April 11th, I invite you to join me on a journey of rediscovering how to get things accomplished and find joy at the same time. We will be reading through and discussing the book Having a Martha Home the Mary Way 31 Days to a Clean House and A Satisfied Soul by Sarah Mae.

Here's how I envision this working. Sometime today, or maybe tomorrow,  read the introduction. This section explains better how the book is set up and some background information on the author Sarah Mae.  It's about 20 pages all together, and the longest reading you will have to do.  Then over the course of the next few weeks we will read a chapter a day, (Monday-Friday only) which will usually be about 2-3 pages, complete a short activity designed to help get our homes in better order, and spend a little bit of time in reflection of scripture and God's design for our lives.  Because we all have different schedules, families and responsibilities I find that it is best to do the readings 5 days a week with 2 days allowed at the end of the week to catch up on anything you may not have accomplished. Yes, that means you will learn to have a Martha home the Mary Way in longer than 31 days, but I'm ok with that if you are!

I am planning on posting a short reflection on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays here on my blog, as well as sending the link to this blog to Facebook. I'll be taking the journey with you, and sharing with you how I've begun to discover how to find joy despite the busy in my life.

Here's what I've learned from the introduction:

We have a skewed sense of our worth.  Many of us think we are worth something more if our homes and lives run smoothly.  We aren't! We are worth what we are worth because God loves us and was willing to die for us, despite how our house looks, our kids behave, or what job we have.

"I love the freedom that comes from knowing I am already-from eternity's perspective-perfect and complete for all time. I don't have to do better or be better; I just need to walk faithfully with my God as He molds me. And so do you" (Sarah Mae, xvi).

We are often so caught up in what others have, or are doing that we miss what we have and what we are doing.  We need to learn how to make good choices everyday, with discernment as to what His plan is for our lives.  That is where we will learn to find the joy, and quite often in the process the rest will fall into place too. Sometimes that means doing what we can as we can and not worrying about our inabilities or what doesn't get done. I have come to the conclusion as long as we are alive there will be things we need to get done. Somedays I will succeed and get things done, and other days I won't get as much done.  On the days I don't get as much done I am not a failure! Even if I don't get as much done because I made choices that caused me to be delayed in what I was doing, I am still not a failure. I will make mistakes, I will mess up. Just the same I am a work in progress and I can keep moving forward.

I hope and pray that you will be encouraged as you read this book.  As Sarah Mae so beautifully chose for the quote for Day 0 (which is incidentally today!) "The secret of getting ahead is getting started"- Mark Twain


Happy getting started! Let the journey begin!

Two Sisters, Two Styles OR Can They Work Together?!

Mary and Martha, have you met them? Have you wondered what life was really like for them? Were you annoyed or at peace with their story?!!  

From Luke 10:38-42

38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

I've read this Bible story before, perhaps you have too, of these two sisters that Jesus visited.  They stand out to me as a homemaker because I have longed to be the "Mary" the one sitting around doing nothing (ok, that's not really what she's doing, but tell me that's not the impression you get at first!) Yet, I've found myself for years only being the "Martha" running from thing to thing, making sure everything got done, and so distracted over the process that I've sometimes forgotten the people.  I don't want to miss out on the people though!

Is it possible to be a combination of both?

Sarah Mae in her new book Having a Martha Home the Mary Way takes a look at that age old question and discovers an amazing truth.  IT IS POSSIBLE! 

First, I know that we can all feel overwhelmed and the thought of reading a book to help you feel less overwhelmed may make you stop and ask "do you think I have time for that?!" The truth is, YOU DO!  One of the things I love about this book is that it is broken down into doable chapters. The introduction, with some background information on Sarah Mae is a little longer, but then there are 31 chapters, one for each day. Each chapter has a short reading/reflection on life, usually giving us a peek into Sarah Mae's life, then a Mary Challenge which is a few minutes reflecting on God's Word, and then a Martha Challenge which is a few minutes doing something to make your home a cleaner more organized space. Still feel like you won't have time for reading and the activities? Save the Martha challenges for a weekend, and get the family involved! 

"I need clarity and peace and space to think, both physically and mentally. When there is a mess swirling around me on the outside, I internalize it. For me chaos outside equals chaos inside." (Sarah Mae, pg 25) Yes, yes and yes!!!! This is me.  I can't think with a mess. So I've had to learn little tricks to keep the mess under control in order for me to find inner peace. This book has a wealth of tips for finding that inner peace. Again, all the tips and ideas are in doable amounts. 

You don't have to be a "Martha" doing it all and never having time to stop, but you also don't need to be a "Mary" only ever stopping.  You can be  combination of the two, and have inner peace and a peaceful, restful home.  Will you take the time to find out how?

 Join the challenge, and find the calm!  The book is available now visit http://sarahmae.com for more information about this fantastic book and to order your copy! Don't miss out, it's simple, it's direct and it will make a difference!