Summer Break

It wasn't really planned, but I took a summer break from blogging! Numerous factors contributed to this.... one, it's way easier to read a blog post than to write one. I read about 15 different blogs, a couple about food, a few about quilting, several written by friends, several about parenting or homemaking, and a couple of theological ones. Those posts add up! Especially if a blog happens to have several contributing writers, or several posts a week. Second, it's been a full season, and I have barely been getting my normal "gotta happen" things done, much less recreational pursuits like blogging. Third, I haven't really wanted to blog or felt motivated... so I haven't. That's the nice thing about hobbies! You can shelve them for awhile and pick them back up when you are ready.

I don't have a whole lot to share at the moment, other than... I'll try to post about the last few months of {12 in 13}, as well as Caleb's and Papa's (my dad's) birthdays, both in early September!

Until next time. :)

{12 in 13} Photo recap, January-April

Here is a photographic update of my monthly adventures! It's hard to believe we are almost halfway through the year 2013.

January: potty train Caleb

juice in hand, Caleb points to the success in the potty...

We spent three weeks working on this skill, and saw lots of progress! There were also lots of ups and downs... days with no misses, days with about 50/50 success, days with several misses.... then the day Caleb decided he'd rather go potty in his pants than stop playing to go sit on a toilet. Honestly, I got tired of wrangling the meltdowns and decided to take a break. I'd say, "Time to try and go potty!" He'd say, "NO!" and either fall down on the floor and scream/cry, or run away to the farthest corner of the room, or down the hall (which was actually almost funny, but not when it started happening several times a day). I got tired of spending so much of the day calming him down, talking through it, and finally sitting on the potty for a moment or two, then doing it over again an hour or two later. I was ready to be able to leave the house and buy groceries again! :)

So... he's in diapers again, for now. We know that he knows HOW to use the potty. He can definitely do it on command. I am just going to give it a rest and see if he's willing to try again in a month or two.

February: love deliveries

The love deliveries were a success! I had a couple good conversations with neighbors, and it has opened the door to more conversations with one neighbor named Carl who we see regularly, puttering in his garage. I was extremely excited to receive a couple of thank-you notes in the mail from people I didn't personally connect with, just left the little basket on their doorstep. It's very exhilarating to give love away, in even a minor way like a heart-shaped cookie and some cake balls. :)

March: start a garden

A few weeks ago, Caleb and I planted a bunch of flower seeds in an old egg carton. Our impatiens and alyssum seeds have just started to sprout, and we are waiting for the nasturtiums to appear. We also "adopted" four potted strawberry plants from Grammy and Papa's garden. There are several red berries on each plant, so we are excited to see how they taste in a few weeks!

Sometimes I forget what kids don't know, and specifically what Caleb doesn't know... When we were first getting familiar with the strawberries, I asked him to "water the strawberries" with our watering can. He poured water directly onto the biggest strawberry! I quickly realized I needed to clarify that the best way to water strawberries is to water the dirt beneath them. It was super cute. He responded very literally to my instructions.

April: read the Bible and pray for 30 days

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.... 

 I am loving my morning quiet times! I've kept with it, even beyond April (which was sort of the goal). I'm starting to enjoy getting up early, after that initial groggy period. I can hardly believe I just wrote the words enjoy and early in the same sentence. I think it might be getting easier as my body gets conditioned to waking up at 6 every (week)day. It makes a HUGE difference in the rest of the day when I am able to spend time in the Word before Caleb gets up. Love him to pieces, but it's just not the same if I try to read after he is up and moving and talking. :) I read Matthew for the first 28 days of April, then moved on to Mark and started Luke about a week into May. It's really, really good to get in the Word, something I knew but just never quite got around to doing most of the time.

I promise not to ONLY blog about {12 in 13}! I just wanted to share a few photos to go along with the commentary. :)

COMING UP! 
May: complete Bull Canyon Run 5k
June: try a refined-sugar fast
July: sew, sew, sew
Aug: look into homeschooling resources
Sept: open Etsy shop
Oct: memorize a chapter of Scripture
Nov: prepare for Christmas/Advent season
Dec: make & execute a "giving list", not a getting list

{12 in 13} April update

Four days, folks. Four days. That's how far I made it into my daily Bible-reading plan for the month before I missed a day.

But you know what? I'm all about finishing the race, even if I mess up along the way. I am going to persevere. I haven't been keeping track of how many days I have missed or not missed, I am just going to try again each morning.

One way that this is going to happen is that I have joined "The 6 a.m. Club." One of my dear sister-friends sent me a book called Shopping for Time, by Carolyn Mahaney and her daughters (of girltalk fame) which builds the book around an analogy. The authors describe a well-planned-out shopping expedition, where the shoppers clip coupons, make lists and maintain their focus on the end goal, moving from store to store until they accomplish their mission. We always want the best deal, the most for our money. How much more should we be intentional about how we "spend" our time, which is not, in fact, an unlimited resource? They offer five tips for 'making the most of every opportunity':

1) Rise early
2) Sit still (at Jesus' feet)
3) Sit and plan (taking a personal retreat)
4) Consider people (evaluating relationships carefully)
5) Plan to depend (being productive in daily life)

Under the first category the authors bring up the idea of the "club" they started in their family to help each other get up earlier. (Theirs is "The 5 a.m. Club," but I have little desire to go quite that far... at this point in time...) They emphasize the importance of sitting at Jesus' feet first thing in the morning, before everyone else gets up, before the day's demands descend on unsuspecting households, and you find yourself merely surviving, 'same song, different verse.' It's a pretty solid point, I think, that it's crucial to "Eph. 6 it" as my friend Mallory says; we face trials and challenges so much better, and we respond so much more kindly to others (esp. the little people at our feet!), when our minds are prepared for action, and our hearts are refreshed by the truth of the Word.

I know I do not have the self-discipline to get up... and stay up... when I try to get up early. I have demonstrated that to myself often, especially since my kids will sleep until at least 7 usually, sometimes until 8 a.m. I have enlisted the help of Mallory once again. She has graciously agreed to give me a little ringy-ding each morning at 6:05 my time. It's working! Because even though the call is only 30 seconds or so, I know I would be more miserable if I let myself down and got back in bed, than if I just slogged through those first few minutes of waking-up-when-I'd-rather-be-hugging-my-pillow. And it doesn't hurt to hear her cheerful Southern voice, either! :) Love you, Mal.

I've been enjoying that hour or so when the house is quiet. (I can see why Sean likes it.) I keep the curtains drawn though, because, frankly, I bet I will someday enjoy seeing the sky's early-morning dimness, but for now I don't want to be reminded that it's not light yet. :)

A note on the {12 in 13} adventure: I'm finding, as I pursue these monthly goals, that I've really been learning a lot about myself, and about how to live this life well. Even though I have been far from nailing every goal 100%, it's been so neat to experiment, in a way, and strive toward something. Ultimately I want to strive toward "finishing the race." (Can you tell I'm doing a Bible study on Hebrews?) But it's been cool to see what works, what doesn't, and to test myself in different ways. I'm both scientist and guinea pig in this endeavor. :)

I'm excited for next month: the Bull Canyon Run is only a few weeks away! That race will seem easy in comparison to getting up early every day. To each his or her own!

Until then... look to Jesus, friends!

Potty training journal II

After the first several days where I felt like we were constantly (I know that's an exaggeration) cleaning the floor and changing his outfit, Caleb had a day with no misses! Every time that day when he needed to go, he said, I need to pee, then went and got on the potty. He is peeing into the potty most of the time now, with just one or two misses per day. Sometimes when he is playing or hanging out in the kitchen, he will stop, look down, and a puddle materializes. But more and more he is realizing the urge and making it to the potty!

We are still working on pooping into the potty. If he is already sitting on the potty, he does well, but he doesn't necessarily stop playing to go #2 on the potty. I have some underwear to clean today, and they're more than just wet. Ahem. Is this TMI?? I feel like it's important to document, but I realize this is pretty detailed!

Yesterday, he had a couple misses but stayed dry during his nap-- that is good progress!! You can't really "teach" someone not to pee while they are sleeping. :) That's more of a maturity thing, or being smart about limiting their liquid intake for an hour or two before sleep. (??)

There have been several days where he has successfully gone first thing after waking up, or mid-morning. I think we will do Pull-ups for church, Bible study, and errands... We haven't tried using public restrooms yet, and I'm really wishing we had one of those portable potties for kids.

I might just bring our kid potty in the car and try that... but Caleb likes to climb around in the back of the Pilot, so he may be distracted if I put him and the potty back there and expect him to just sit on it and go. Why sit still when you can climb over the seat, push the light buttons, and grab the handles in the ceiling? :)

The last few days Caleb has really resisted going to the potty. But if we just say, it's time to sit on the potty, even if you don't go, and "help" or "encourage" him (i.e. carry him kicking and screaming) to sit down, he will usually go. :) We are working on having a good attitude in obeying Mommy and Daddy. I am so grateful he is doing so well at calming himself down enough to talk in a regular voice. We will often ask him, when he starts crying or whining, "Please try again in a normal voice." It might take a few tries, but he really does have a remarkable ability to do it, for a two-year-old. He's a special kid and even in the challenges, I am so grateful God gave him to us for a time.

{12 in 13} April's Challenge

This Month

For the month of April, I am going to read the Bible every day and pray every day, in some format.

Yesterday (Day One!) I picked the book of Matthew because it has 28 chapters, which will get me most of the way through the month at one chapter a day, and because I want to saturate my heart and mind with the life of Jesus. So far, so good-- I read chapter one yesterday, and chapter two today. :)

I haven't figured out how to do the prayer aspect-- other than, "Help!! How do I persevere through this potty training business?!" (Post on that soon...) I think I will use my 31 Days of  Praise book by Ruth Myers, which hasmy  Scripture-based prayers focused on a different topic for each day. Here's an excerpt from Day Two:

Thank you, Father, that You so loved the world that You gave Your one and only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ... that when the time had fully come, He wrapped Himself in human form, being born as a helpless baby in a poor family. Thank You that He walked here on earth radiating the brightness of Your glory and flawlessly expressing Your nature... and so, through Him, people saw You in action, involved with them, available to meet their needs. Thank You that He focused Your almighty power into the lives of common people with deep needs, just like me... that He preached the gospel to the poor, proclaimed freedom to prisoners of sin and recovery of sight to the blind, and set free the oppressed victims of sin and Satan-- the downtrodden, the lost, the hurting, the broken. Thank You for the way He rebuked the arrogant and looked with favor on the humble-minded, opening wide the door of His kingdom to those who were destitute and helpless in spirit. I delight in Your tender mercies, O my God, by which the Sunrise from on high has come to us!

John 3:16; Gal. 4:4; Heb. 1:3; Luke 4:18-19; Matt. 3:5; Luke 1:78.

I am looking forward to developing some discipline, even if it's little baby steps.

Year in Review

Here's a recap of my goals so far (because I constantly measure myself and like to look back often):

January: potty train Caleb -- in progress
February: love deliveries -- done!
March: start a garden -- postponed until potty training is further along
April: read the Bible and pray every day for 30 days -- in progress

Still to come...

May: complete the Bull Canyon Run 5k
June: try a fast from refined sugar (either for one week or one month)
July: sew, sew, sew/ develop inventory for future Etsy store

I have been running, sporadically, for the last six weeks or so. I want to get more in a regular habit of going  out for a run immediately after Sean gets home from work, a few days a week. He is totally on board, I just need to prep dinner beforehand and get in the mindset of going and not getting distracted with something else... and not rationalize away my motivation.

Stay tuned! Lots happening around here these days.

{12 in 13} March

Life was good. I had decided to try a simple approach to growth, goal-setting, life. I picked one big "thing" to focus on for each month of this year... Then I joined two Bible studies. And had a second child. And Sean had his wisdom teeth out in early January, which ended up including infection and two additional oral surgeries to rectify it.  We've gone to Hawaii twice, in February and March, to visit Nalani. Sean is taking classes for his master's degree in apologetics-- not easy classes, and his only opportunity to work on them is in the evenings/weekends. In addition to having a new baby, we have a two-year-old whose language of love is quality time.

It's been a busy year so far.

January's goal, potty train Caleb, is staring me in the face.
February's goal, share love, was a smashing success.
March's goal, start a garden, is still waiting to become reality.

I am realizing I never thought through what I would do if I didn't meet my goal in a given month. Keep it on the plate and try to do two "big things" at once the following month? Discard it and move on? Keep it on the back burner in case I finished another month's goal early, and only attempt it in that case, so I'm still doing one "big thing" at a time? In Caleb's situation, ignoring it is not an option. :)

I'll admit I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. I was doing great with the tempo of my schedule until we went to Hawaii last week (16-23 Mar). I was even getting all my homework done for both Bible studies! But now I am thinking something has to go. Probably the first, best option would be to slash Facebook/online time. I have the nasty habit of "rewarding" myself with some veg time during Caleb's nap, because "I've earned a break." The "just checking my email" usually turns into 1-2 hours of FB and online browsing, following links to articles that are often useful, but become time-wasters when I have not earmarked that time to read online articles. Or I'll get lost in researching a debate, whether it's the safety of prenatal ultrasounds, or the evils of refined sugar, you name it. There is so much "information" out there, much of it conflicting, it's hard to know what the "right" answer is.

A second way I could recapture some time is to get up earlier. That has also been a particular challenge since we returned, with jet lag hindering my attempts to get up at a reasonable time. Not that I was very disciplined before our trip. I honestly don't know how to change. My willpower is not exactly stellar when half-asleep and my body's in the habit of wanting more sleep.

A third option, concurrent with the others, is to prayerfully consider (again) what God would have my priorities be. I want to regain that clarity and purposefulness in my daily life, instead of seeing everything in front of me, all the time, and feeling overwhelmed and anxious. I want to focus on one thing at a time, even one task at a time, and enjoy the time I do have. Especially time with the kids. Instead of seeing them as an obstacle to productivity, I want to see them as a gift I have the responsibility to steward well, for the Lord. I'm training and shaping precious human beings' character, all day long, under the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. What a high responsibility.

All that being said.... today was Day One of earnestly working on potty skills with Caleb. After a few hours of hanging out in the bathroom half-naked, he has peed in the potty once. And on the floor three times, in far greater quantity than what made it into the potty. :) But still. I think it's progress. The other day he said he wanted to learn to be potty trained and not use diapers. That is progress. He has been resisting even conversation about it until recently.

For a couple hours I had tried the "sit on the potty every 30 minutes" technique which didn't seem to be very effective. We're going to try the technique of 10 minutes on the potty, five-minute break... for a few hours at least, maybe a couple days running. I only did that once this morning (10 mins. on), and that is when he peed a little bit into the potty. A few minutes later he peed a LOT on the floor, but that's okay. The process has begun. Thankfully, he is an exceptional toddler who will sit and read books with someone for a long time. He has a really good attention span. I am also thankful for tile floors in much of the house!

How do you manage your priorities? What specific techniques do you employ to remind yourself of them?

Until next time...
M

{12 in 13} February endnote

After I dropped off our Love Deliveries on February 13th and 14th, we went out of town for five days (more on that later).

When we returned home, we had received not one but TWO thank-you notes from our neighbors! I was touched especially by this one:

Thank you so very much for the wonderful Valentine basket of goodies. The cookies were the best. Thank you. How thoughtful of you. God's love is everywhere. Thank you again for sharing his love with me. It was the only Valentine I read so it was special.

Praise God! Thanks, God, for showing me a little bit of your work. :) I was pretty excited that people responded, by mailing cards, no less. I'll have to go for more walks in the neighborhood and see if I can run into people more often. He is always at work! I want to be ready to join Him.

{12 in 13} February's "Love Deliveries"

Here's the play-by-play on this month's project: share love with our neighbors via "Love Deliveries."

2/1: Baked a chocolate cake for later incorporation into cake balls (froze it in big pieces for later).

2/4: Bought baking supplies at commissary.

2/5: Today is the first of three potential "baking days" I had penciled in on my calendar. Caleb is running a fever and asks me many times to hold him. I sit next to him on the floor with pillows and we watch an Elmo video three times in a row (I must admit, I folded some laundry here and there during that time). The TV is rarely on in our house, but he was so pitiful looking and lethargic I let him keep watching it.

2/6: We stayed home from Bible study because of Caleb, who's feeling much better today but is still under observation. Made some veggie enchiladas for the crock pot and destroyed the kitchen. Put Caleb down for nap... mixed up the cake ball filling (cream cheese, butter, sugar, cocoa, crumbled chocolate cake) before dinner and refrigerated it overnight.

cream cheese, butter, cocoa, powdered sugar

2/7: Rolled cake filling into balls; rearranged freezer to accommodate cookie sheet with newly-formed cake balls. Meanwhile, Mom made granola at her place.

2/8: Baking day, for reals! We dipped the cake balls in melted chocolate (with a small quantity of coconut oil added to make it creamy and harden nicely), coated Mom's granola and crushed pretzel sticks in chocolate; and baked shortbread cookies. We decided that chocolate-dipped shortbread cookies was just too much, and straight shortbread would be a better complement to all that chocolate. I think it was a good choice!

melted chocolate chips

granola on L; pretzels on R

washing hands with Grammy

Caleb enjoys cutting out cookies :)

Caleb, my sous chef :) Love that kid!!

Ready to bake!

Like this? No.... Let's roll it out.

Fresh out of the oven!

Caleb was pretty sad that I wouldn't let him eat any cake balls.
We did sample the shortbread cookies...

2/13: Assembly and delivery day! During Caleb's afternoon nap, I assembled the 10 little treat boxes. After dinner, I set out to deliver them while Sean watched the kids. I was able to connect with two different neighbors: our longtime friend next door, Melanie; and a friendly elderly guy down the street whose name I failed to get. (Argh!) No one else answered their door. I debated about whether or not to leave the treat boxes on doorsteps, since I have seen cats wandering around. (I decided not to, and try again the next day.) I must admit I was kind of disappointed and confused. I told Sean, Well, that's not how I anticipated it going! So much for my big "love delivery" project! Yet again this year-of-goal-setting project is turning out differently than I thought it would. But he reminded me it wasn't a failure.... We never know how God is going to use the seeds we plant. We aren't the ones who save people; our job is just to be a faithful laborer. There was still an opportunity to connect with neighbors the next day, when perhaps more people might be home.

I got little cardboard boxes for $1 each at Target, and lined them
with some colorful striped wrapping paper I already had

chocolate Valentine trail mix

triple chocolate cake balls

Here's the little note card I wrote to share about the
GREATEST demonstration of love that has ever been known.

Caleb, Bessie (the stroller) and I, ready to embark on a Valentine's Day adventure...

2/14: delivery day #2! This day felt more successful. :) The sun was shining, the kids were happy, I was excited. I left treat boxes on doorsteps when the door wasn't answered, and reached a few more neighbors: Judy, a sweet older lady two houses down, who invited me in; Sally, a lady with three teenagers who was working from home that day, and let Caleb pet her Dachshund puppy, Gracie... Tom, a retired gentleman who showed me his "man cave" (sideyard sitting area and backyard putting green) and Raul, next door, who owns a landscaping business and thanked me profusely in accented English. It was fun, and though I wished I had gotten to talk more with neighbors, the conversation I had with Sally in particular was a good start.

February Love Delivery project: complete!

There are still eight days left in the month; maybe I should pick back up with my January project....

Stay tuned. :)

{12 in 13} February: First update

It's February already! Time just seems to fly lately. We are adjusting to being a two-kid household, I think. We are getting used to getting two kids ready to go out the door; operating two five-point-harness carseats; feeding, clothing, and bathing two little bodies. I was even one minute early to an event last week... which for me is quite an accomplishment. :) My typical MO is two minutes late-- no matter where I'm going or how far away it is, somehow I manage to be two minutes late. That's something I want to work on (add it to the list, right?!).

Anyway... here is my original post of 2013 goals: 12 in 13 

February's goal is: share love. This is going to be a treats + tract bundle for our neighbors.

My initial planning has included these thoughts…

I've decided to make three kinds of chocolate treats for my neighbors' care packages (cake balls, chocolate/berry trail mix, and chocolate-dipped shortbread cookies). Is that too much chocolate, or what??  :) I decided on preparing 10 plates... then counted the houses on either side of the street and guess what, we have 10 occupied houses (not counting ours) on our street! I've made an ingredients list, with quantities needed.  I'm planning on going to the commissary soon to stock up on flour, cocoa, etc.  I’ve tentatively asked my mom if I can come over and have a baking day with her, and if she’d be willing to contribute some of her homemade granola (and a set of hands for occupying kids and baking).  She sounded enthusiastic! We both love baking.  And she loves her grandbabies somethin’ fierce. J  Now we just need to put it on the calendar.

For the spiritual side of things, I’ll be drafting up the “message” portion of the packages soon, sharing about God’s love vs. romantic love. Not that romantic love is bad; God designed it, so it’s good. But so often people get hung up on it when God’s love is perfect and holy and eternal. I want to spread that good news with people and open the door to future conversations, if our neighbors are willing. I’ll be praying that the gospel would be clear and that God would help me in this project—that it wouldn’t be me doing it in my own strength. That’s the key to success in any endeavor. One of Caleb’s memory verses is Proverbs 3:6—In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. I like how that version phrases it.  Caleb and I like to flip through his ABC verse cards at mealtimes. He really likes the pictures, but he is starting to get familiar with the words, too, as I read them to him.

Well, I’m off to bake a chocolate cake!

{12 in 13} EOM Reflections on January

Well.... I learned a lot this month. One thing I have learned about setting goals (and recently heard somewhere else) is that you should usually make goals that aren't dependent on other people for accomplishment. I think it's easier to gauge why you reach or don't reach a goal when there's only one person contributing toward the goal. Well, most of my goals for 12 in 13 will be solo-accomplished. But this one and my March one (start a garden) include the participation of others, namely Sean and/or Caleb. :)  I hope to be able to post on or near the last day of each month and summarize how it went with each goal. So here we go, an end-of-month recap.

January goal: potty-train Caleb.

January result: Caleb is not potty trained. I'm not too bummed, because I know he/we will get there eventually. Now I am wondering if we should wait until after our trip to Hawaii next month (or is it just an excuse, because there never appears to be a convenient time to start.... and we have more travel planned in the future, so he will have to use public potties someday?!). I can only imagine how he would do on a three-hour drive to LA, and a five-hour plane flight with cramped toilet facilities onboard.

I still want to decide on a plan of attack for the "gradual approach" and start it up again in Feb. Will keep you posted!

{12 in 13} January: First update

Well.... the holiday weekend has come and gone, and no potty training occurred... an auspicious beginning to this new goal-setting endeavor. :) Sean and I hadn't had a chance to "compare notes" until after Saturday morning, at which point we mostly-mutually decided to postpone it. And when I say "compare notes," it means "try to explain to Sean what I've been reading and then we decide how we want to do it." But we had a little bit of marital miscommunication, or lack of grace-giving, or I'm not sure what to call it.... just enough to make me want to not push the issue.

I wanted to start the training when we'd have a good chunk of time to work on it (e.g. first thing Saturday morning). I did not think it would be very profitable to start it, say, Sunday after church, where we get home and have maybe an hour of awake time before Caleb's nap. I'm wondering if there might never be a time that seems perfectly convenient to start something like this.

I'm also thinking it might be better for us to try the gradual approach, because of the season we are in: getting to know a newborn. :) Caleb is familiar with his potty chair, and has asked before to sit on the potty with no diaper, but I really don't think he's aware of when he is peeing. One of those times, when I had let him sit on the potty, I helped him stand up, then he peed on the floor, and was like, "Oh! What's that?" He had no idea he had caused that puddle that magically appeared (or so it seemed to me).

So for now, we are still in diapers full time.

The "gradual approach" means (for us) I will start taking him to the toilet a couple times a day (probably after meals so it's easy to remember), sitting him on it for a few minutes so he gets used to it; whether he goes or not is not important. If/when any poop or pee makes it into the toilet, praise the heck out of him. That's as far as I've gotten so far. :)

Any tips, you moms-of-boys-who-are-potty-trained?


I've also been thinking about the rest of my goals... and even spent some time writing out all the action steps I could think of for each month. For example, for my May goal (run the Bull Canyon Run 10k), I put:

• look up Couch to 5k program
• write out training plan
• start running 
• ask Mom to babysit kid(s)?
• join YMCA?
• look up healthy diet for running
• buy sports bra?
• pump up tires on jogging stroller
• register for race online
• update May budget to include registration fee

For my February goal, I have decided on the baked goodies I will make, as well as quantities of ingredients needed and a shopping list.

For my April goal, I have looked up several Bible reading plans, and dusted off my Daily Light. (I've actually started reading the Daily Light already; is that cheating? ;) My grandmother gave it to me when I graduated from high school, and she's been reading it daily without fail, probably for several decades.)

For my May goal, I have looked up the "couch to 5k" program and will plan on beginning it this coming week (it's a nine-week progression of interval training to get you up to running for 3 miles straight, starting with alternating jogging/walking in one- or two-minute increments). There's also a "5k to 10k" app, but I don't have a smartphone! I'll have to keep hunting and see if the information is on the web site in a different format. The Bull Canyon Run is 16 weeks away from last Saturday (1/26), woohoo! This is one of the few goals that exceeds one month in planning/execution. Most of the rest of them are contained within the month.

Anyway...

I'll plan on placing links to all the monthly posts in one place as they accumulate!

12 in 13

Ok, folks, here are my 12 goals for 2013.

January
Goal: Potty-train Caleb. My plan is to look up the "boot camp" method (2-3 days of focused concentration on learning the skill, vs. a more gradual approach) and execute it together with Sean during the long weekend of 19th-21st January (the Monday that is MLK, Jr. Day).


February
Goal: Share love. I will focus on sharing non-romantic love by preparing and giving care packages to neighbors or friends. I hope to start Caleb (and our other kids) young on an others-focused, "better to give than receive" mindset... even though I myself am still far from really embracing that, if I'm honest, though I know that's what God and His love are like, and what we are called to emulate. It's just as much training for me as for him, I think! I know it will be fun. I'm thinking we (Caleb and I) will make heart-shaped cookies to give to our neighbors, perhaps with a little Gospel tract or some sort of message to go along with the treats... about the BEST love there is-- God's perfect, undeserved grace expressed in His kindness toward us in Jesus.

March
Goal: Start a garden. Sean wants to learn how to "build stuff," and we are thinking about making some raised beds for our back yard. I'd like to try some strawberries, lettuce, maybe spinach, carrots, beans, berries... there are lots of options. Need to research and decide what exactly we will plant, and whether we will go with seeds or seedlings.

April
Goal: Establish daily prayer/Bible-reading habit. I will set aside a little time to read and pray for 30 days straight during the month of April. I think choosing, and sticking to, one specific time each day will help it happen (i.e. after breakfast or during naptime). I haven't decided where in the Bible to read, or how to pray, or how long I want to shoot for, but I will decide by April. :) I'll admit I'm not very consistent at either of those disciplines right now.

May
Goal: Complete the Bull Canyon Run 10K. This will require starting to run again... soon... as in, starting as soon as I am able to exercise more vigorously. I haven't run in... several months. Maybe about nine. :) Is it cheating to have a goal that is not completely contained in the one month? I will build up two miles per month (Feb, Mar, Apr) till I am able to complete a 10K, or 6.2 miles, in roughly 10 minutes per mile. That's my goal. The last 10K I attempted was last May, when I was 10 weeks pregnant. It was not pretty, but I finished! It didn't help that the first four miles were uphill. But Sean and our friend Cameron were kind enough to run (ok, jog) with me the last few miles and it was a really fun day overall. Hey, this time we will be at sea level! This race is special to me, because the first 5k race I ever did was the Bull Canyon Run in May of 2008.

June
Goal: Fast from refined sugar for one week. I've read a lot about refined sugars, and have read about people who have eliminated it from their diets... but I think the most I could handle would be a week at first. I put white sugar in my coffee. I sprinkle brown sugar on my oatmeal. I bake (and eat) cookies. Sugar is in a LOT of things that I prepare and eat-- even store-bought peanut butter has sugar in it, as an example of places you wouldn't think to look for sugar. Right now, I try my darnedest to avoid high fructose corn syrup, but I do allow other sugars into my home.

July
Goal: Sew, sew, sew! I'd like to work up some inventory for the September goal. :)

August
Goal: Look into homeschooling resources. Caleb is doing great with colors and numbers, which he comes across in some of his books or out in the world. (e.g. Red means stop!). I'd like to look for something a little bit structured, even just to give me some ideas for how to occupy him when I am nursing or trying to do something that requires both hands and concentration.

September
Goal: Open Etsy shop. I have a lot of research and fine-tuning to do before this point! There are a lot of great tutorials on the Etsy site and elsewhere.

October
Goal: Memorize one chapter of Scripture. Chapter TBD. :)

November
Goal: Prepare for the Advent season. This will include buying new Advent candles (ours melted sometime during the past year); researching kid activities/devotionals; purchasing any other supplies for crafts or nativity-set creating; and brainstorming gift giving ideas for our family members and our giving budget with Sean.

December
Goal: Make and execute a "giving list"... not a "wish list." Our parents ask for our lists each year, which is great because we will love what they give us! They want to bless us, and I appreciate that. I am really enjoying the CD, Boppy cover, spatulas, cooling racks, etc. I asked for. :) I'm also enjoying the things I didn't ask for. Some good reading-- I hope to share more about that later. What I don't like is that I start thinking a lot about what I want, even though I have more than I need. My desire this year is to focus on giving and not ask for anything, except maybe two chickens and a goat or education for girls.

There you have it! Twelve goals, some spiritual, some physical, all doable with God's help! I'm excited. Do you have any ideas for your own 2013? I'd love to hear about it!

It's a new year!!

Well, this little lady has been keeping us busy!! It's true: you can get used to functioning on less sleep... and interrupted sleep. I am sort of coming to a new normal in our daily routine. Sean is back at work, so I am home with "the kids." We still get excited and a little weirded out when we say that. We have kids!!! Plural! Whoa. :)

Anyway, I have decided, in lieu of a list of New Year's resolutions, I am going to focus on one task, project, or idea for each month of this year (still finalizing the contents of this endeavor). That way, hopefully, I won't feel overwhelmed with trying to get better in every area of life at once (e.g. "I'm going to memorize a chapter of Scripture, and start a garden, and potty-train Caleb, and run a 10K, and open an Etsy shop... today!"). I'm excited. I've never really looked at a whole year like that, plugging in goals on a calendar. I'm good at making lists, and having great ideas, but lists or goals (or lists of goals) can easily become overwhelming when all the items on the list are fair game at once. I tend to give up or avoid looking at the list if I don't know where to start. So, 12 items for 2013. Should be doable! I'll be logging my progress here, so stay tuned...

 More soon!