don’t really answer that because the answer might not make me happy.
and really, isn’t it all about making me happy?
don’t answer that either.
same reason.
i have been on a blogging break (pretend you noticed). i don’t really know why. just busy living the life with three kids, one husband, and trying to find margin in my life.
i love the concept in this book that in our culture we only think of progress in two areas... mentally (new grade in school, getting an “a” in a class, earning a new degree, taking a class in something new) OR financially (climbing the ladder, promotion, earning more money). YET those are two areas where progress NEVER equates with more joy, only more stress, more work, more to learn, more to earn.
where progress in other areas... spiritually, emotionally, and/or relationally gets unnoticed and those are the areas where progress actually equates with with more joyful living.
no one ever asks “so what’s up with you” and gets an answer of “well, i am really doing so much better with my listening time with the Lord” or “i have really established some boundaries in my life and i am saying yes to things that matter and no to things that don’t” or “i have really been working on being a better mom and wife and i see a lot of relational growth in those areas”.
but those are the things that truly matter. and truly those are the things i have been doing instead of blogging.
that AND creating this awesome wall o’ pockets for chores and schedules. it is brilliant, if i do say so myself. my kids love it. of course, if i made a card that said “end world hunger” and it was printed in avenir font (my signature font) and it was laminated (my signature plastic), they would have it done by friday and in their “done” pocket. they are list checkers.
they got it from their mama.
everyone has a row with a schedule personalized with their activities on it for each day. then everyone has three pockets...
to do, done, and extra
in the to do pocket are task cards... laundry, clean bathroom, clean out car. their obligation for each week is to complete three cards. any extra go in the extra pocket and you are paid $2 per extra card. more work= more money. you can take work cards from my to do pockets to earn your extra $ (PLEASE take work cards from my pocket). i can add extra tasks as they need to be done around the house. it is working really well. we are on about week 3 with it.
here are some of the work cards. notice how many cards i have (the last photo). poor poor me. someone please take some work cards away from me.
since today is monday, i cleaned off the kids cards (wiping off the dry erase marker with my finger, so easy) and put them all back in the “to do” pockets for the week.
now i have to start over again completing my work cards for the week. sigh.
anywho, it is a TOTALLY brilliant system and it is all laminated and made with fun scrapbook paper that is so close to godliness.
and i have also been reading instead of blogging (see i even have to justify my blogging absence by saying that i am learning new things)...
i am on this book now... very practical advice.
and i have seen some changes as a result of trying to add margin into all areas.
financially, the dave ramsey course is really helping with giving us more margin in that area. and i think that if we must be the change we wish to see in our world (props to ghandi for that quote. i just wrote “props to ghandi” hee hee hee. does progression in humor count as progress? i am not sure that was progression in humor though...) so unless i have removed the financially unwise board from my own eye, i can’t expect leman brothers to remove the speck from their eye (props to Jesus for that quote). and i am not so sure that leman brothers financial dealings can be referred to as a “speck”, but i digress.
and i promise to blog more now that i am so organized. and i am sure my blogging will make you all cleave my friendship more...
make sure you click on “cleave” because it may not mean what you think it means. which was a total shock to me that it could mean two things at once. what a weird world. so wabi-sabi.
oh, you also might want to know that my house smells DEEEEE-LICIOUS. i am roasting two chickens today to have the meat for three meals this week.
chicken enchiladas (monday is greene girl dinner and new recipe night)
chicken and broccoli alfredo over noodles (tuesday is italian night)
and plain ole’ roasted chicken on a salad (thursday is salad night)
plus using the chicken bones to make chicken tortilla soup on friday (soup night)
just for those keeping score (and you know that some of you are), wednesday is church supper night, saturday is leftover day, and sunday is frozen pizza lunch and pancake or waffle dinner. there am i finished? did you even care if i finished?
can you tell that this is the last week of the month and i only had $80 in grocery money (or any kind of money) left to spend this week. i can make ALL those meals for under 40 bucks, feed all 5 marshalls, a greene girl or two (and some boyfriends... well, if meghan met a guy and brought him to dinner, it would be boyfriendS). and have $ left for lunch stuff, breakfast stuff and some halloween candy that i will buy ON halloween so we don’t eat it all before then. and by “we”, i mean “me”.
the food schedule has helped a lot. i LOVE to cook new things, but that gets expensive and time consuming. now mondays are my BIG EXCITING cooking days and the one day i make dessert (baked apples tonight, my dad brought some mountain apples from north carolina and we are trying to use them all up).
alright enough useless drivel for one day (and perhaps one lifetime)....