Goals

Yikes! It's been a long time since I last posted! But it is what it is, right? I'm not even gonna try to catch up at this point cuz then I'll never finish this post. Just wanted to share my new goals. I know it's not New Year's yet, but hey, who says you have to wait til January comes around to start working toward something. So, without further ado, here are my current goals

1. Read through 1 Timothy 50 times by the end of NEXT year.
2. Read Pursuit of Passion.
3. Read Raising Effective Kids in a Defective World
4. Exercise at least 15 minutes a day every day for at least 21 days.
5. Read Fringe Hours.
6. Get every room in my house picked up.
7. Make a budget, and stick to it for at least 3 months.

Would love to read any tips/advice you might have on how to get these accomplished.  And what are your goals as you work toward living more joyfully?

Blessings!

Too Fast Too Slow : The Time Enigma

Where does time go? Today my beautiful baby girl turned seventeen! How did that many years just fly by? My sweet Kelley Victoria is now a lovely young woman! I consider myself greatly blessed to be her mom. I feel that way about my other four kids as well, but she gets special mention since today is her birthday. :-)

No progress on my ongoing projects of weight loss, housecleaning, or installing the chandelier. A little frustrating, but other things come up and life happens. I keep losing and gaining the same two pounds. The exercise thing remains inconsistent, and I haven't scheduled that appointment with the surgeon yet. I think once I actually see the dr and start meeting with a dietician to get on some kind of plan, that will help. It's kind of hard to just try to eat "normally." Or to figure out on my own, how often I can have a treat or how much of the higher calorie or higher fat or higher carb foods I can eat. There's so much conflicting advice out there, and then people say everything is OK in moderation. But exactly how much is moderation anyway? And doesn't that vary from person to person?

As far as housecleaning goes, my next project is my youngest son's bedroom area, but there are several heavy items I can't move by myself, so I have to wait til Jim or my older son is home, and usually by the time they are, we have too many other things going on. Soccer will be over after this week, so that might help. We will see.

Every morning I plan to have a particular type of daily bliss but lately the things I've planned don't end up happening. By the time the have-to things of the day are done, it's often too late, or weather, schedules, and unplanned obstacles prevent me from doing as planned. And yes, this gets frustrating. But I also need to remember that even though I might not get to do the particular daily bliss that I had planned, it doesn't mean that there isn't joy in my day. Sometimes it's just different from what I was expecting, and that's OK too. Flexibility is important in pursuing joy.

I was able to bless Jim a few days ago, and that's a blissful thing for me. I know that sounds a little sappy or even fake to some, but whatever. Yep, I'll just come right out and admit it. I'm not normal. Never have claimed to be. So there! I told him in front of the kids how thankful I am for his servant's heart toward the kids and me. He works hard to bring in enough income to meet our needs so I can be home and educate the kids, and he gives us his unconditional love and often gives up some of his wants to provide stuff, time, and attention for us. Yep, I'm a blessed woman. I have challenges in life, but so does everyone.

So, how do you handle the days, weeks, or months in your life where progress slows or comes to a halt? Do you give up? Have a meltdown? Make changes? Wait it out? Keep on chugging along and chipping slowly away in little bits when you can? And how do you stay encouraged in the process? How do you incorporate joy into those times? Do you look for it in other places? As always, I welcome your comments! Until next time, here's to joyfully embracing life in the second half!

Midsummer Musings

Happy Almost Midsummer! Guess I'll start with my updates. Last time, I reported a 5 lb weight loss, but I don't think I was working from the correct starting weight, so it was actually only 4 lbs, and that's still where I'm at. Wish I could say I'd lost more, but then I'd be a liar. At least, I haven't gained. That's something anyway. I feel like I've done pretty well with food since I'm not really on any kind of specific diet plan at this point. I'm finding it challenging enough just to mostly avoid junk food. I haven't been consistent with exercise, though I have done a few walking sessions over the past couple of weeks, but not as many as I need to. But I can't change the past, and I am planning to walk today. I did have an appointment scheduled to see the doctor, but it isn't going to work, so I need to reschedule. So all in all, no real progress from last time, but haven't gone backwards either.

Jim still hasn't finished putting the finishing touches on my chandelier.  What can I say? We get busy. Life happens. And I don't want to tackle it myself because I am not good at that sort of handyman stuff.

I've made a little more progress on my house. I picked up and rearranged my son's living area of the basement. Couldn't believe how much junk was there! Now, it's up to him to keep it clean. He needs to work on doing better there, but at least it's not the pit that it was before. And my wonderful husband blessed me immensely by cleaning up our really gross, disgusting laundry room that had gotten all wet and yucky because of a broken pipe and dirty clothes left on the floor. It was NOT a pleasant job, but he did it anyway. Yay, Jim! So now I can walk in there without fear and trepidation.

Yesterday's daily bliss was so commonplace and uncreative, but it was enjoyable for me, so scoff if you'd like, but I watched TV. GASP! Truth is, I like some tv shows. I do get it that it's not a good idea to have a couch potato lifestyle and do nothing other than stare at the screen for hour upon hour of free time. But guess what. A little tv once in a while won't kill you. I don't get local network tv because we don't have the right antenna or set up or whatever it is you need, and we don't have cable because seriously, I don't have that kind of extra cash to throw around every month, especially when most of the stuff is indecent or else just doesn't interest me. But I do have Hulu and Netflix. Jim, Kelley (my daughter), and I have watched several shows on Hulu that we've enjoyed. Right now, we've finished all of them for the season,but we started a new one several days ago. It's a suspense drama called The Family. It's a current series on network tv though I don't know if there will be a second season this fall. There are twelve episodes so far, and we've finished the first six. I don't know if the final one will wrap up everything or be a cliffhanger. But I love trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. I've always enjoyed mysteries and things with a twist to the story.

So speaking of enjoying things, I decided to change up my hair a bit since I've had pretty much the same cut, style, and color for the past eight years. I'm now wearing it quite a bit shorter in the back. The front is about the same as before. My new style is a layered bob that I mostly wear in beachy waves, which is pretty close to what my hair does naturally. I was coloring it kind of a brownish coppery color with a few golden blonde highlights, but now I'm not really getting any more red put in but did add a lot more golden and lighter blonde highlights, so I guess that makes me a blonde. Sort of anyway. So I decided to try a new shampoo by John Freida called Go Blonder. It's supposed to deposit small amounts of color to help keep your blonde fresh looking. It seems to work well on my hair, which gets very dry if I wash it too often. It cleans without over drying, and my color is staying nice. So I'm planning to stick with it. Definitely would recommend this shampoo for anyone who wants to add some luster to their blonde. And I like the smell too!

 Hey, if we have to use products anyway, since there are so many options out there, we might as well choose ones that bring us some sense of pleasure. What products (beauty or other categories) have you found that you enjoy? Would love to hear from you!

Progress and Books

Hi All! Though I don't know if "all" is just one person or several. Since, AHEM, nobody makes any comments. I am a little curious if anyone besides Jim ever reads, and if so, whether they are strangers or good friends or acquaintances. I guess it doesn't really matter, but I've always been a curious person. Inquiring minds want to know. ;-) So please if you do visit, leave me a comment. If you don't have anything to say about the post itself, just say hi.

So here's the scoop on my progress with some of my joy enhancers. My daily bliss today might not sound like much to most people, but we all have different things that bring a smile to our face. One thing I enjoy is finding ways to bless others. I know that might sound kind of sappy, but honest and truly, I LIKE doing that. It's fun for me. So today I decided to start the morning with a big smile and an enthusiastic hug and cheerful good morning greeting to Jim. Not a huge deal, but I'm not really a first thing in the morning person. It takes me a while to merge into wakefulness. So Jim doesn't usually get much of a morning greeting from me. In fact, it's not uncommon for the first words out of my mouth to be, "Where's the truck?" as in the truck that ran me over. Not exactly the most pleasant way to start the day. So I decided I could set a happier tone for both of us just by exuding a more enthusiastic, glad to see you morning greeting. While, it's a small thing, I believe that the small things add up, both positive and negative, and sometimes when a marriage seems to have lost its luster, it's at least partly because we stopped doing the little kindnesses and pleasantries. It doesn't always take a huge overhaul to improve your marriage. A small tweak or two can often go a long way. And there are so many different things you can say or do to bless your spouse, kids, family, friends, associates, or even strangers. It doesn't always require money or much time, effort, or sacrifice. And it can be fun!

Ive made a little more progress on getting my house cleaned up. Right now, my kitchen, bedroom, main bathroom, living room, and basement stairs are at least reasonably picked up. Dishes get done each day; sinks and counters are wiped; tables get cleared and wiped, trash gets emptied before it overflows (usually), toilet gets swished with brush and wiped, and floors get swept. We are also working on leveling our laundry mountains.

Still waiting for Jim to finish the chandelier.

I've lost 5 lbs so far. Woo hoo! Just 95 more to go. ;-0. Well, it's a start. I just have greatly reduced the amount of junk/processed/sugar foods and added in some healthier ones. Not following any specific diet or food plan at this point. Nor am I saying treats are 100% off limits, but I'm attempting only to have them if I plan for it ahead of time rather than just spontaneously partaking at every opportunity. I haven't exercised in a few months, but yesterday I walked with my daughter for 30 minutes. Not exactly a super mega fat burning shred workout, but I'm not in good enough shape to try something like that. Maybe down the road. Or NOT. I'm not exactly a sports nut fitness fanatic by nature. For now, just 30 mins of moderate walking is enough for me. It's a slight challenge but not overwhelming.

I did talk to Jim about wanting to at least start on the road toward weight loss surgery, and he's willing to support me on some of the first steps. It's actually not something you can jump right into. There are several steps you have to complete before going under the knife, and it takes a minimum of a few months from your your first appointment until you are cleared for surgery. I did take the first step of filling out the 17 page intake form. The next thing to do is to make an appointment with the bariatric nurse. In the meantime, I'm already starting to incorporate some healthier habits because I would like to lose some weight even before the surgery since it will be at LEAST 3 to 4 months, and I'd rather be going in the right direction in the meantime.

Right now I'm reading a novel called The Book of Hours by Davis Bunn. It's an intriguing story about an young American widower who inherits a deteriorating castle in England.  I'd love some other reading suggestions. This is a list of the types of books/subjects that interest me:

1.  Classics
2.  Clean fiction
3.  Christian living
4.  Clean humor
5.  Christian marriage
6.  Christian parenting
7.  Christian homemaking
8.  Christian writing
9.  Organization and time management
10. Health
11. Beauty and Fashion
12. Travel
13. Christian Womens Interests
14. Christian counseling
15. Relationships
16. Homeschooling
17. Decorating

Would love to hear any recommendations you might have! Reading is such a joy!

Movies, Cleaning, Chandelier Joy, and Morbid Obesity

How's that for a unique title? Hard to believe it's been over six weeks since I posted! Time sure flies when you're doing life! And I'm not even all that busy compared to the "norm". Neither my kids nor I are involved in many activities, which is how I like it because normal life in the twenty first century is, in my opinion, completely insane. And I refuse to follow cultural norms that don't flow with who God created me to be. That's one nice thing about being a little older. I don't care all that much what other people think of me, which definitely was NOT the case when I was a younger woman. But even without adding in all the extra stuff that many have deemed necessary in today's fast paced world, things still get busy. Just being a wife and mom and homeschooling and feeding people and going to church and appointments for my daughter with chronic health issues and doing laundry and taking a shower and all those millions of little things add up. And, of course, I have to have my weekly date with Jim as well as getting my daily bliss (though there have been a few times when the bliss didn't happen, but I really try to get it in most days because it just helps my joy quotient so much.)

Speaking of dates and daily bliss, yesterday I covered both by going to a movie with Jim. We both wanted to see Finding Dory, the sequel to Finding Nemo. Yes, we went without our kids! They can see it another time or when it comes out on DVD. Why would we do such an unthinkable thing???!!! Well, if we took the kids, that would have cost another $21 in movie tickets. Plus, we would have been more likely to end up buying snacks and drinks, and by then could easily have spent enough to feed half the world. Ok that's a little exaggeration, but seriously, have you SEEN what they charge for popcorn and drinks or how much two teens and a tween can eat? With just Jim and me we opted to skip the snacks and save our money for other things, like the mortgage. ;-) Besides, Jim had just taken the kids to the carnival the night before, so it's not like they didn't get to do anything this week. And a date means no kids. Jim and I liked the movie. How can anyone NOT like a Pixar film? But we didn't think it was as good as the first one. Then again, sequels usually aren't.  I guess I don't really expect them to be. It's kind of a tall order to fill. The first is new and fresh. The second is just more of the story. The short before it was adorable too. But I pretty much like every Pixar short.

I'm working on getting my very messy, cluttered house clean. But it's too overwhelming to tackle at once. So I've been working on little bits as I can. It's a work in progress and will most likely take several weeks to get it up to speed. But that's OK. We just don't have people over. That way there's no pressure to do a maniacal 12 hour cleaning marathon. I can work at a saner pace. I'm doing pretty well on maintaining the things I've already started before tackling a new project. Not perfectly maintained, but well enough. I don't let anything go too long that I've already worked on. Today's project was picking up the living room, which was a huge undertaking. I didn't do any deep cleaning. Just picked up the surface areas. But even that made a big difference. It's nice to be able to walk through the room without tripping on stuff.

Last week we bought a new chandelier for the dining room. It's so pretty. It's clear plastic, but looks like crystal. I would love real crystal but don't have several hundred dollars available to spend, and this one is surprisingly nice looking with all it's faux crystal beads. Jim has it almost all put together. I'm hoping he can put on the final touches tomorrow, but I won't bug him too much since it IS Father's Day.

I also have decided I'm going to commit to losing approx 100 lbs. That's a lot of weight, but that's what it will take to get to the top of my ideal weight range. I would really like to get the gastric sleeve surgery since research shows that's the best option for both losing the weight and keeping it off for morbidly obese people like me. Morbidly obese. Isn't that just an awful sounding term? When I think of someone being morbidly obese, I picture them weighing like 700 lbs or something. I'm definitely a fat chick, but I can still walk through doors. I don't even have a double chin. Just one. Well, maybe like one and a half. But I guess that has more to do with the bone structure of my face being more angled than round. Cuz I seriously have seen thin girls with more face pudge than I have. But the funny thing is when I do start to lose weight, guess where the first place is. Yep, my face. I don't mind having a bit more slimness to my face, but it's really not my problem area. Why can't the fat on the belly or butt or hips or thighs go first? That's where 99 of those extra 100 lbs are sitting. But no, my face and chest shrink first. Go figure.

Anyway, so many people are anti surgery (right now that includes Jim) and want to tell me all the horror stories of people they know who had awful side effects or who gained the weight back. But I'm not looking at the surgery as an easy out. I get that I have to dramatically alter my diet and exercise patterns in order for the surgery to work. Yes, removing more then three quarters of your stomach is radical, but less so than needing brain surgery because of a stroke or quadruple bypass from heart disease. I think what a lot of people don't get is that morbid obesity is a disease, not just a lack of self discipline. Of course, food choices are a huge contributing factor. (Sorry couldn't resist the pun), but research is now showing it's a complex condition. Not all obese people are gigantic gluttons who eat constant boatloads of junk food all day long. Though we aren't paragons of nutritional virtue, a lot of us eat fairly close to what an average person who may be only somewhat overweight eats. But our body chemistry and physiology doesn't handle the food, especially carbs, as efficiently as a "normally" functioning system does, and we become insulin resistant, which leads to weight gain, which leads to further insulin resistance and packing on more pounds in a crazy vicious cycle. One which is very very hard to break through diet and exercise alone. The surgery helps to break that cycle by altering both the amount of food we can consume AND some of the  physiology that makes our metabolism so inefficient.

So I'm planning to talk to Jim about taking just the next step, which is to meet with a bariatric nurse. It doesn't mean I have to get the surgery, though I do want to. I can say no at any step along the way up until they put me under, but I'm convinced this is most likely my best chance for success, and I think if I start the long process of working toward it, Jim will realize that as well.

Health matters and for me that means losing lots of weight, but whatever good health looks like in your case, I hope you make getting and maintaining it a high priority in your life and become as healthy as you can. Not crazy obsessed with some impossible standard, just being in good health so you can experience your own joyful second half.

Currently Reading

I love to read both fiction and nonfiction. This has been true as far back as I can remember and is probably why I chose to major in English. Though I do enjoy both informational books and novels, when it comes to pure fun, novels win. They are an escape from the sometimes not so exciting realities of daily life. Not that I'm complaining about my life. It's a pretty good one. And in all honesty, I think if real life was anything like most novels, it would be way too dangerous and chaotic for my liking. While it's fun to read about a character's breathtaking adventures and harrowing near misses, if I had to go through all that in real life, I'd be drinking Malox by the gallon to calm all the ulcers I'm sure I'd develop.

Though I do like novels, sometimes it can be hard to find one that isn't filled with explicit language, sex scenes that are basically typewritten porn, or graphically descriptive gore. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I don't find that entertaining. While I most definitely do not advocate banning books, it sure would be nice to know what it is I'm getting into before I start a book. More than once I've started a novel, which I thought would be a good read, and start to get a little bit into the story, when I get bombarded by indecency. It would be nice if there were a rating system for books, similar to what we have for movies. I know I'm pretty safe with classics (which while they may be suggestive or tackle adult type themes, don't launch an all out assault on the imagination) or Christian fiction. But sometimes, I like to read something contemporary and explore different authors besides my tried and true favorites. I finally got the bright idea to google "clean fiction." And I'm so glad I did.

I found a great novel that I'm really enjoying, The Help by Kathryn Stockett. There are a couple instances of some swearing, but it's not a constant barrage. It's realistic fiction set in 1962 in Jackson, Mississippi about the lives of black maids and the white women for whom they work. It's well written and interesting enough to keep me wanting to read when I should be going to sleep. Definitely a thumbs up so far.

So what books have you enjoyed in the past? And what are you reading now? I would love to have some suggestions for what to read when I finish The Help.

Marriage Matters

Marriage matters. Second only to God is where it's supposed to be. I'd say that's pretty important. Definitely important enough to say it matters A LOT! I don't claim to be anywhere near being the perfect wife. And if you don't believe me, just ask my husband. Though I'm sure he'd be very gracious about it (because we really try not to EVER cut down the other, particularly when talking to people), he would have to say that I fall short. Though he would also add that he does too. But I do want to make it clear that we both try to pursue excellence in our relationship. Yet, like all other human beings, we miss it at times, sometimes more often than we care to admit. I realize that I'm extraordinarily blessed to have a godly man who loves me unconditionally and who tries whole heartedly to be a great husband. A lot of women, many who are much more beautiful, intelligent, creative, talented, kind, and just all around wonderful than I am, don't have this blessing in their lives. I get that some men are just, well, for lack of a better term.... jerks. Or else they just are unengaged, uninterested, unmotivated, and uninvolved. And I get that it can be really hard to put effort into your marriage when your husband is at best apathetic and at worst a complete ______ (any word I can think of to insert in the blank really isn't appropriate for someone attempting to live a godly life, so I will just let you use your imagination). But if we always wait til our husband acts in a "deserving" way before we make any sacrifices to better serve and minister to him, then nothing is going to change. I get that it's not "fair" for a wife of a less than stellar man to work on becoming a wife of godly excellence, but as I tell my kids, "Life is definitely not fair," so we can either cry and whine about it, or accept it and go on. God commands married women to honor their husbands. There's no clause afterward stating that we are released from that directive if we are married to someone who would come in last place in a husband of the year contest. I also realize that God commands husbands to love their wives. But just because a husband is disobeying God doesn't give us an excuse to. God expects each person to obey Him regardless of what anyone else is doing. And, yes, sometimes that's hard. Other times it's super hard. That's where things like grace, commitment, and perseverance come in.

Having preached my little sermonette here, I'll share one way that I do this.  Don't worry, this tidbit isn't a real huge sacrificial thing. You know this blog is all about joy. And I'm a big fan of making everything as much fun as possible. We do dates. Yeah I get it. There are lots of excuses why we can't do them consistently. Too expensive, too time consuming, too hard to coordinate schedules, too tired..... and blah blah blah. OK I'm here to knock the excuse tower down. You can do cheap or even free dates, quick dates, dates that don't require a lot of energy, etc. Maybe you think you aren't creative enough to come up with ideas. Cool part is, you don't have to. There are many ideas for dates that fit around whatever your limitation is. You can find books, probably apps, definitely internet sites that are chock full of ideas. Some of them might not be your thing, but I bet anyone can find something they might enjoy. And who knows? Maybe one of those ideas that sounds a little stupid or weird or not you or just meh might actually turn out to be better than you think. It doesn't hurt to try. And if it does end up being a total flop, you and your husband have created a memory you can look back at and laugh. So even a bad idea can end up bringing you joy.

I'll give you an example of a date that cost zero. Yesterday, I made breakfast for Jim and me (used food I already had in the house) and brought it up to our bedroom, locked the door, and told our kids we weren't available. So we enjoyed breakfast in bed together. Simple, No money spent. Didn't even have to get dressed or go anywhere. Once breakfast was made, this date didn't even require energy. Well, not while we were eating the breakfast anyway. And that's all I'm saying about that. Just in case anyone who might be bothered by any further narration of the rest of the morning is reading (AKA any person to whom I gave birth). ;-)  So that was my daily bliss for yesterday.

My next project is to find a good resource for studying one of the books of the Bible in depth since my weekly Bible study will soon be ending for this year. I'm sure I can find something suitable online. What did I ever do before Google?

So in keeping with our theme of joy, what date ideas have you done or would you like to do? I'd love to read about them.

Caring for my Spirit

I claim God as my top priority in life, yet if I don't purposefully make time for spiritual matters, it's all too easy to ignore the One to whom I owe my very life. He is the only source of true joy. Daily Bliss is great, but it's not enough to truly bring me the abiding joy my soul craves. Even bigger things that go beyond the daily bliss,such as a vacation or new car, can't fulfill me the way that my Lord Jesus Christ does. There truly is no one like Him. Yet, my relationship with Him isn't automatic. It takes effort and time just like any good relationship does. The challenge here is that the Lord never screams for attention, where other people and circumstances often do. My physical needs , my family, my obligations and appointments, are so obvious, sometimes urgently tugging on my inner resources. I don't deny the importance of any of these, but the problem comes when all these other things end up crowding out my growth in God. That's why I need to make time and effort to pursue intimacy with God and spiritual growth. That's what I call caring for my Spirit, the part of me that communes with my heavenly Father, my Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

But what does that look like? I believe the Bible gives us specific things to do if we want to grow in Christ. One is to be part of a Bible believing church and attend and participate consistently. As in showing up each week and truly participating in the service through actively engaging in worship, really listening to the sermon, and looking for opportunities to minister and serve others. It doesn't count if you just are a body warming a pew, but your mind and heart are elsewhere.

I also go to a weekly Bible study, that has daily reading and study questions to do at home. This gets me reading my Bible and interacting with God's Word each day. I also need time away from others, where I get alone with God and worship Him, talk to Him, give Him my requests, and share my heart. But just as important, maybe even more so, I take time to just be quiet, and wait and listen to see whether I sense the Holy Spirit speaking to me. It's not anything weird or spooky. I don't hear an audible voice, but sometimes I get an impression, an image, a sensing, or a leading in a certain direction. Sometimes, I may not sense much of anything, but that's OK too. I know I've spent time in God's presence, and that brings me peace and joy.

I also have decided to set spiritual goals to make sure my walk with God doesn't end up on the back burner. My latest one is reading through the Bible in a year. I've been a Christian since I was 9, but have never read through the whole Bible. I admit, I've begun this project multiple times throughout the years, usually starting in January, along with all those other resolutions, like losing weight, exercising, yada yada yada. But this time I'm not waiting til another year begins. I started today, well past the first month, and half way through the current one. Because the truth is, the starting date isn't important. What matters is sticking with it.

This isn't to say that all my mini joys are meaningless. I still do my daily bliss. God isn't a killjoy. I don't believe for one moment that He wants me to live in drudgery. Yesterday's bliss was going to Caribou with my friend Dawn and enjoying a caramel hot chocolate as we spent time together.

So, how do you keep God first in your life? What things do you do to keep you growing spiritually? I would love to read your thoughts!

Live joyfully in the presence of the Author of joy!

Kid Time

My kids are such an important part of my life! I've always loved kids, even when I was one myself. I couldn't imagine a life without children. I've wanted to be a mom ever since I can remember. I'm not saying I don't ever face challenges with my kids. They are far from perfect and can take a lot of work and sometimes bring hurt into our lives, as I know at times I've done inadvertently to them. Welcome to life. We are all fallible human beings who sometimes fail, hurt, anger, and disappoint one another. The important thing is that we make the effort to move forward and walk in love and forgiveness, especially with our spouse and kids since these bonds are designed to be the strongest ones, second only to the one we're supposed to have with God Himself.

Although there are many things I miss now that none of my kids are little anymore, there are some perks too. No more diapers and relatively few sleepless nights or tantrums or potty accidents. ;-) Though they no longer have that baby and toddler cuteness, I still can enjoy them as the amazing young people they are becoming. Which brings me to the matter of doing this intentionally. My kids still need me (though not all of them will admit it, not naming any names here, but I'm thinking them), and I'm pretty sure they still want at least some of my time and attention, even at the ripe old ages of 22, 19, 16, 14, and 10. It's all too easy just to let life happen because they aren't screaming for mommy anymore, nor do they tend to initiate contact. Because of this, I've let one on one time with them slip. So now, as part of my joy filled, purposeful second half, I've decided I need to incorporate spending individual time with them, for their sake and mine. Relationships need time and work. You can't stay on cruise control too long and expect to have great depth, closeness, or joy in them.

Today, it's Kelley's turn. She's 16. We have a lot in common as far as interests and tastes. Out of the 5, she and I are the most alike. That doesn't mean I love the others any less. Just that sometimes it's easier for us to relate to one another and to find activities we both enjoy equally. We're planning to go to Caribou (a place like Starbucks, not sure how widespread Caribou is, but we have it throughout Minnesota). We both love hanging out there, getting a drink and a treat. I'm looking forward to this bit of bliss in my day.

Yesterday's bliss was taking a nap. I know that doesn't sound too exciting, but sometimes getting under the covers in the afternoon and snuggling into my pillows for a little sleep feels soooo wonderful, especially since I've given up caffeine (for the most part).

Would love to know what kinds of things you do when spending individual time with your kids.

Enjoy your kids today!

Daily Bliss

I've started incorporating this thing I call my daily bliss into my life. It's just a fun way of  saying that I make sure to include at least one thing each day that makes me happy. It doesn't have to be anything big or expensive or time consuming. Repeats are ok as well. But I think it's important to put something fun or relaxing or exciting or lovely, something that brings me joy into each day. Too busy, too broke, too tired are no longer acceptable excuses. Many bits of bliss take only a moment and cost nothing.

Yesterday, I went out to dinner with my husband. That was my daily bliss. It was just at a family restaurant, but the break from cooking and clean up was nice. And I enjoy eating something other than my own cooking once in a while.

So I'd like to encourage everyone to go for their own daily bliss. Maybe it will be dinner out. Or maybe something else. The important thing is that it's something YOU like. I would love to read about ways you have or would like to incorporate daily bliss into your lives. I enjoy finding new ideas to get my happy on. 😃

Welcome!

Hi there! Welcome to my new blog! I've started a few but ended up ditching them after a while. Hopefully, I'll do better this time around. This will be a kind of potpourri of my thoughts, feelings, activities, struggles, victories, dreams, goals, and peeks into my life as I attempt to live out my second half joyfully. My natural tendency would be to get bummed out about the aging process and the loss of youth, the physical challenges that can come beginning in our fifties, the fact that it's extremely unlikely to have any more children (which I realize for most women is a happy thought, but I'm NOT like most women. I adore babies and little ones and would be thrilled to have them around until I kick off.) But instead, I've decided to start fully embracing life and am determined to walk in joy and have fun while pursuing my purpose and passion. Some of my interests include beauty and fashion, health, personal growth, having fun, family (married to an awesome dude and have 5 beautiful kids, two grown, two teens, one tween), friends, spiritual growth and disciplines, reading, writing, shopping, decorating, homemaking, homeschooling, crafts, organization, ministry, travel, learning new things, having non threatening adventures, humor, becoming a Christian counselor, food, babies and kids, being a girly girl. I'm not saying I'm good at all these things. In fact, some of them I really struggle with or don't currently do, and I could improve even in the ones that I'm pretty good at. In some ways I'm an overgrown kid. I love all things Tinkerbell and princessy, even at my somewhat advanced age. I'm pretty laid back, but if pushed too far, I do have a temper.

Anyway, that's a little about who I am and where I'm at in this second half. I'd love if you'd join me as I work on doing life more joyfully. I welcome any comments, questions, or ideas about topics to explore here, or any tips you might have as I walk out this adventure called life. I do ask that all comments be respectful to me and other commenters. It's OK to disagree, but please make sure to do it kindly. (That's the mama hen in my talking. lol) BTW I'm a quirky mix of that mama hen AND overgrown kid. Funny paradox, but it's who I am. I never have claimed to be exactly normal. But then again, normal isn't a requirement for living out a joyful second half. ;-)