I Can't Do It All

Okay. I admit it. I can't stay on top of it all anymore. I just can't.

Today as I was trying to go around cleaning up the house I had to try to reconcile myself to two things. 1) My house may not be perfectly clean when my parents get here this weekend and 2) It's OKAY that my parents see my house somewhat messy, dusty, and/or not perfectly clean.

I juggle a lot of balls. And I will be the first one to say that I only juggle as many balls as I do because I have a fantastic husband who helps me out. But I just can't keep my house cleaned up, my ministry caught up, get birthday gifts for all of my neices and nephews, cook dinner, help my husband keep up our yard which sits on 1 acre, be involved in my church, spend quality time with both my kids AND my husband, and be a friend who is actively integrated in her friends' lives. (oh yah - and somewhere in there have some "me" time.) I just can't. I'm only one person!

I do think I've done a pretty good job. Most of the time my organizational skills keeps me on top of things where I don't lose my ever-lovin mind. But that's just on most days. Some days, some days I wonder how I do it.

I try to keep my priorities straight and that has meant that I have had to let some things go. I no longer can buy birthday gifts for all of my 15+ neices and nephews. And that just kills me. I no longer can keep my house picked up all of the time. I no longer email people back the very day I get their email. I just don't always have the time! And it really is hard to come to terms with. But unless I give up my ministry (which at this time I do not feel is the direction God is pointing me to) or unless I totally neglect my children to get everything done (won't even consider it) - then I have been forced to learn that I cannot do it all.

I cannot do it all.

There is some freedom in saying that. Have you tried it? Try it with me, "I cannot do it all." And it's OKAY!!! It's okay that we can't do it all. We weren't meant to. Knowing that and convincing yourself of it are two separate things but I'm getting there. Truly, I'm getting there. Because I'm learning that getting everything done means that I don't need anyone's help. I don't need to rely on God. And I SOOO need to rely on God!!

So today, as I seek to clean out my "drag and drop" daughter's bedroom - and feel the urge to be overwhelmed knowing that the next two days are busy and it's getting clean today or not getting it clean...... I will remind myself (and let God remind me) that it's joy in the journey that truly matters. Not the fact that the journey was perfectly clean, organized, and managed with a bow on top of it.

If my children's rooms are a little messy because our family has been busy enjoying life - IT's OKAY.

And if I'm a little behind on emails because I was watching my girls at karate or buying my family needed clothes or groceries - IT'S OKAY.

So if my house isn't all clean by the time my parents come into town for the weekend - IT'S OKAY. For we will be together laughin and lovin on each other and that's what truly matters.

And maybe someday soon, I won't have to keep repeating that message to myself over and over again - but I can simply relax, smile and do my best without having to counter-speak to negative thought patterns inside my head.

I can't do it all. Neither can you. And you know what? It's okay. Our best is all that matters.

I Went With The Majority

I’m a big Survivor fan. I think I like the show so much because it’s about people and how they interact with one another and make choices. I’ve always enjoyed watching people and so this show fascinates me as I observe people making the same mistakes time and time again. It says a lot about human behavior.

I have noticed that when it’s time for the Survivor players to vote someone off, a lot of them write a name down and then make the comment that “I went with the majority” followed by, “I’m really sorry I had to vote you off.” To me, that is not a good excuse for writing someone’s name down or betraying someone. Have we no better mind of our own than to simply follow the majority?

Someone once made the comment that whether in the game of Survivor or in the real world her word was all she had and she was going to stand by it. She immediately became my favorite in that game because that is my theory in life as well. My word is all I have left sometimes and it means a lot to me. It says a lot about me.
I don’t ever want to simply become like a sheep following the pack without using the brain in my own head to decide if something is really what I want to do or not. I want to have integrity in all I do – whether it’s a game or not. Some people say that you can separate the two; I disagree. For you can never separate what is inside of someone. It will come out sooner or later.

We are what we are. Who I am means everything to me. I may not play this game of life perfectly. I will make mistakes, I will let people down at times, and I won’t be everyone’s favorite person. But I do plan on being true to myself and true to the One who made me. For me, that means living as honestly as I can, with as much integrity, compassion, and character as I can.

Whatever mistakes or mess-ups I make in my life – at least I will own them. They will be completely mine. And I will know that I didn’t make them because I simply went with the majority.

Memes

Memes and Carnivals. The blogging world is full of them. There are "Thankful Thursdays," "Word-Filled Wednesdays," "Then Sings My Soul Saturday," and I could rattle on and on. There are a LOT of them.

I think in and of themselves, memes and carnivals are kind of fun. They help your readers get to know you a little bit better. My problem with them is when they are so prevalent. I've visited blogs where every entry on their blog is either a meme or a carnival and I scroll past it all and move on. It's monotonous to see so many of them. I wonder sometimes, can't people think for themselves? Don't they have an opinion on something, a special moment that they want to write down, or just some words to share from their heart?

I love to get tagged for memes and carnivals because I don't do them that often. I don't participate in all of the weekly ones that are out there - mainly to draw traffic back to the originator's own site. So for me, they are a fun, fresh way to engage the reader and bring something fun and different to my blog once in awhile. But I just prefer not to stay long on the blogs who only have memes and carnivals going on and no other kind of content on their sites.

Blogging has a different purpose for everyone. For me, it's another way to reach women with my heart. For some it's just a fun trend. And that's okay. We don't all have to have the same opinion when it comes to blogging. Mine is neither right nor wrong... it's simply my opinion.

Labels

Well, I just spent a big chunk of time going through all of my blog archives and labeling all of my posts. Whew! Not sure why I didnt' do that as I went along. But now, maybe it will help you sort through my posts if you're looking for something on a certain subject. It was kind of tough to narrow the labels down - but if I didn't, I would have had hundreds of labels and that wouldn't have been very organized!

So, I hope that my efforts have not been in vain and that having my posts labeled will help you find what you're looking for.

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I also plan to post soon about the "meme" question in my Scribit box on my sidebar. Make sure you leave any questions or topics there that you'd like me to blog about! Maybe that will help some of you come out of "lurking" mode! :):)

A Great Mother's Day

I had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday. Enjoying the outdoors, having a picnic lunch, taking a walk, laughing, and making some memories together.

Just wanted to share a few snapshots of my day with you!

Return Within 30 Days

Okay. So I bought a gift at a pretty nice store. I bought it ahead of time knowing that I would have some time restraints and commitments coming up around the time when the gift would be needed. So, kudos to me for finding something ahead of time and not having to get stressed about it – right?

Wrong.

You see – in today’s world, they don’t really work with you on the “shopping ahead” part. The thing I bought will need batteries. I could have purchased the “item guarantee” for an extra $6 which would have ensured the item could be returned or fixed within 2 years. Or, I only have 30 days in which to return it. That bites! Can I say that again? That bites! The individual won’t even open the thing in 30 days. It will get opened in about 60 days. But if I wait and buy something within the store’s 30 day time limit – then oftentimes (especially around holidays) I’m trying to cram in a bunch of shopping all at once. I’m a mom. I’m a wife. I have a ministry. I don’t have time to cram in everybody’s shopping all at once. I like to work slowly. Methodically. A little at a time to save me stress-overload.

So, now I need to try and get batteries for this gift, open it up (without making it look like I opened it up) and make sure it works so that I know it won’t have to be returned. Because if I don’t, and the individual opens the gift and it doesn’t work? I’m out of luck. Can’t return it. Nope. It’s been past 30 days.

I think stores should give us a little bit more leeway. At least 60 days would be nice. Work with the consumer here! We all lead busy lives. We don’t have time to buy all our gifts the week prior to them being opened! Yes, there might be the occasion where that happens but on the norm, women like to plan ahead. We like to shop around - get the best deal – look a little and find just the right thing.

Yep. That’s my new pet peeve. Having to return something within 30 days. It is just not a fair or cool policy. It’s ruining my “shop with less stress and shop ahead of time” motto. Yah. I really hate it.

Skribit

Found another fun new thing. It's called "Skribit." You can find it over on my sidebar. Basically what it is, is a way for you to input or vote on questions or topics that you want me to blog about.

I know that some bloggers mention often that they don't know what they should post about or that they have writer's block. Luckily, that hasn't happened to me too often but maybe that's because I'm a planner. :) I often write things ahead of time and tuck them away until I'm either in a really busy phase or I don't have something off the top of my head to write about. Then, I go and select one of those pieces and use it. They're great to have on hand!

BUT -- there are those times where I feel like I have a little bit of writer's block. That's where Skribit comes in. You can ask me any question you want and input it in the little box that I have on my sidebar. Is there something you're curious about? Would you like me to address a certain "Hot topic?" Do you struggle with something that you just want someone's opinion on? Then write those things in my Skribit box. I may not choose yours - but I will do my best to address any and all topics/questions left there. (I will delete any inappropriate questions or ones that I feel are too personal.)

Have fun with it! And add a Skribit box to your blog too - let's see what inquisitive minds want to know!

Bearing One Another's Burdens

Gina over at Chats with an Old Lady has created a wonderful new blog. It is called "Bearing One Another's Burdens" and the sole goal is that it will be a place where women can drop in and share their hearts in the form of prayer requests. Gina has implemented a small prayer team that will pray personally and individually over each request that is left. Isn't that neat?

I am honored that Gina has asked me to be on the prayer team. I know there are so many needs and hurts out there. It blesses me to be able to intervene on behalf of others in prayer.

Is something going on in your life right now? Could you use some extra prayers? Please visit Gina's site and leave your prayer request. I guarantee you that it will get prayed for.

Some Things Can Be Left Unsaid

Why do I feel guilty if I don’t tell people everything I know? I’ve been pretty much an “open book” all of my life but I’ve been learning in recent years to keep some things close to my chest. I’m not trying to be secretive, it’s just that I can tell people everything – even things they may not want to know or care to know. I am learning to bite my tongue a little bit more. But I still internally fight this “need” to blurt out all that is on my heart or mind.

Take today for example. My girls’ karate owner’s wife called me to inquire as to my girls’ sizes. She is ordering their black belts for them and wanted to make sure she got belts that were long enough since they would have to wear them for a year. She was really stressing about this because she didn’t want them to be too short. I worked through it with her over the phone and told her their clothing sizes etc to help her figure it out. I reassured her that it would be fine and then hung up.

Now comes the guilty, part. I feel guilty because she’s making the effort to try and get them a good size belt that they can wear for a year… when I know that come testing in a few weeks, if they get their belts we are taking a huge break from karate – possibly quitting.

I feel guilty for not telling her that we might not be there for a year so she needn’t worry about the belt size. Why do I do that to myself? It’s not like I’m hiding something from her. I’m just not telling her everything I know. Things could change. Our plans could change. Maybe after our break my girls will really miss karate and want to go back. But there is a good chance they might not.

I’m reminded that God convicts our hearts and Satan makes us feel ashamed. I’m not sure which category my “guilt” falls under when I don’t spill the beans to someone but I’m leaning towards the “Satan” category. I think that if I can start to learn the boundaries that I need to implement in my life then I will be a stronger person less prone to pleasing others all of the time. I will become freer. And that is not what Satan wants for my life.

Learning who to tell what in my life is a process. Not everyone can be trusted with the contents of your heart. Not everyone will rejoice with you over good news – they might think you are bragging. Not everyone will lend a shoulder when you share tears – they might feel you are wimpy or simply having a pity party. I’m learning that you have to be discriminate with who you share things with. It has nothing to do with not being a genuine person. It’s just knowing who will be able to read your heart with the right intent.

I’m still working my way through this “not telling everyone everything” thing. I’m a work in progress, for sure. But God is showing me how sometimes you can give too much away.. .and then there is nothing left for yourself. And you can’t continue to give of yourself unselfishly to others if your heart has been stomped on, crushed, or cast aside because you shared things with the wrong people.

Choose wisely those you tell your soul to. And remember that it’s okay that some things are left unsaid.

A Little Taste of Idaho

Lori over at Just Pure Lovely is sponsoring a "Where Do You Live?" carnival. The idea is to showcase your area and let other people into your corner of the world a little bit.

I currently live in lower Idaho. A lot of people laugh because they think that Idaho is off in the sticks somewhere and that nothing is here. But I have come to find out in the almost 10 years that I've lived here that Idaho is a hidden jewel.

Idaho is pretty deserty and dry. It's very beautiful in a different kind of way. There are rolling hills, deep canyons, and lots of outdoor actitivites. Idaho inspires outdoor activity! There is hiking, rafting, four wheeling, dirt biking, lakes for boating or skiing, snowskiing or snowboarding in the winter, bike riding, snowmobiling, running, rock climbing, fishing, and camping.

We have wild rabbits, coyotes, wolves, bears, fox, cougar, deer, elk, rattle snakes, and lizards. Although I'm thankful to not have seen some of those! :)

Although the desert can seem to go on and on, the city I live in is very pretty and has a lot of trees. The city is growing at a very fast rate but still seems to be fairly family oriented.

We do get snow almost every winter. Sometimes just a skiff here and there - other times we get dumped on. But I can make it through the cold winters because the summers are gorgeous. It gets in the 90's and low 100's almost every year and sometimes has some great summer storms that blow through!

It is very dry so no humidity. In fact, you need a lot of lotion to keep your skin moisturized. (I never seem to get enough) And because it is so dry that means we don't get a ton of rain. Rain is refreshing and welcomed when it comes and rarely stays longer than a few days.

Points of Interest?

Bruneau Sand Dunes - the largest freestanding sand dunes in North America!

Sun Valley - ski slopes and vacation getaway spot to celebrities

Snake River Canyon - gorgeous steep canyon where the river resides for rafting and fishing

Boise State University - Home of Broncos football and the famous blue turf!

I think it's a great place to live and raise a family!