Word of the Year: Consistent Vol 3

Consistent Vol 3

Routine

con·sist·ent

adjective

1. acting or done in the same way over time, especially so as to be fair or accurate.

Let's talk routine quick, EVERYONE does better on routine.  Even if you don't think you are a routine person most people are.   I am use to be a VERY routine person.  Kids for one need routine but also disrupt routine.  Add 4 kids to that, let's just say we have a 'loose' routine at the Nelson Household.  

Routine during the school year vs routine during the summer looks different for us.  The last 2 weeks have really been hard on me for routine.  One we have had super icky weather.  Today we are on our 6th snow day since last Monday!  

Weeks like the last 2 weeks I struggle to be consistent in pretty much everything, more like fly by the seat of your pants instead.  Which tends to lead to WAY too much electronic time for my kids.   So today even though it is snowing like crazy it is FINALLY decent weather to play in our new snow.  Outside we went for an hour, eat lunch, reading time and no electronics for 3 hours. 

Hate to say it but this mom is ready for a more 'consistent' week again! 

Word of the Year: Consistent Vol 2

Consistent Vol 2

Vitamins

con·sist·ent

adjective

1. acting or done in the same way over time, especially so as to be fair or accurate.
2. 
   

So...I'm super forgetful!  I would forget my own head if it wasn't attached.  Which means I have taught myself to be consistent, what time I do things, where I put things, etc.  This is where taking my vitamins daily is so key.  With the quality of our foods these days our bodies need extra vitamins and minerals, especially being I know I am not always perfect with my eating.  

Putting them in my weekly container helps me remember to take them,

plus keeping right on my countertop helps also.

These are what I take and have been the best I have found so far.

* I have more energy

* Feel more rested

* Less brain fog

* Less aches 

Word of the Year: Consistent Vol 1

Consistent Vol 1

Quiet Time

 

con·sist·ent

adjective

1. acting or done in the same way over time, especially so as to be fair or accurate.

1. 

So I LOVE coffee which is probably the most consistent thing each morning, so I make sure my quiet time and devotions are linked with my coffee.  As a mom 'Quiet Time/Devotions' is not always easy.  During the school year I have an easier time with this than when the kids are all home for break. 

 

Here are a few ideas for quiet time, all paired with a good cup of coffee:

https://amzn.to/2AOd8RX

I love to start with a journal of 3 things I'm thankful for and 3 prayers I have each day.  Normally I just use a small notebook but recently a good friend sent it to me as a gift, knowing that I do this each day.  So I have an actual Gratitude Journal.  I still use a notebook for my prayers each day cause I find it is so important for me to write down those prayers.  It is so neat to go back and see where prayers were answered.  

I also use You Version Bible App verse of the day and one of their awesome plans.  What is nice with the app is you can set it to remind you each day if you haven't read by a certain time.  Sometimes I need that reminder on a busy day.  Even better, if I am not home I can take a few minutes on the car to read my devotions.  

I also attend a Mom's Bible Study group.  This is great not only for the companionship.  But also to make sure I really am diving into the word multiple times during the week.  Right now we are studying 'God of Covenant' by Jen Wilkin that covers Genesis 12-50.

Start small, all of these were not added into my morning at the same time.  

Join me each week on small ways to add 'Consistency' into your daily life!

Introducing My Word of the Year

Word of the Year 2019

As I thought of doing a word of the year, I felt a bit overwhelmed.  I actually considered having my word being overwhelmed.  Then I thought that it might actually make me more overwhelmed.  Today a dear friend posted in a business group this phrase 'you can do business part-time, you can do business full-time but you can NOT do business sometimes'. This is also so true in most things in our lives, you can take the underline business and substitute parenting, exercising, eating healthy, etc. This year, I want to be... 

con·sist·ent

adjective

1. acting or done in the same way over time, especially so as to be fair or accurate.

I am slowly working on being consistent in more areas of my life.  Follow me through the year on ways I am working to be more consistent.  

Reflecting on 2018

As 2018 is starting to wrap up I've been doing some reflection.  This year has been a roller coaster if I am honest with myself.  Started with my gall bladder surgery, followed by Christian's emergency detached retina eye surgery. 

Highlights from 2018

Snowmen Building & Snow Day Baking

Celebrated Zeke's Lego birthday

Road trip to Houston for a wedding 

Piano Recital & Spring Concerts

Hannah's Donut Birthday

My mom's birthday with my sisters 

Starting the summer right with Baseball & Softball, 

ice cream on the refinished deck

Much needed Anniversary Trip

Celebrating 15 Years of Marriage!!!! 

Celebrating a TEENAGER in the house!!!!!!!!

Last hurrah's before school started again with County Fair, 

Family Camp & Big Kids trip to PA with their Grandpa, 

Mall of America trip with Little Ones.

Another wedding

My parents 50th Wedding Anniversary Party

October Birthday's 

Kezia's Tea Party Birthday

My birthday buddy

All in all a full but BLESSED year!

One more eye surgery and praying this is the end of surgery's for us!!!!

Overwhelm

How do you deal with overwhelm?  

As a mom, I find I get hit with overwhelm pretty much everyday, multiple times a days.  Overwhelmed with decisions, overwhelmed by joy, overwhelmed by questions, overwhelmed by love, overwhelmed with papers, overwhelmed with bedtime routines, overwhelmed by noise, overwhelmed by schedules, overwhelmed by fill in the blank ________.  Not all overwhelmed feelings are bad yet most of the time it makes you feel like your drowning.

Few weeks ago we celebrated my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary with family and friends.  This was a such a beautiful overwhelm!  

It has been quite some time since we had EVERYONE in our immediate family together!  And look at all those healthy, happy smiles!!!  What a blessing.

With four kids, working from home, I've had to come up with a few steps on how I deal with my overwhelmed feelings.  My five steps when I'm feeling overwhelmed: 

1) Stopping for a few seconds and replace it with one thing I'm thankful for.  

     * Putting your feelings into perspective.  

     * Will what I'm feeling overwhelmed with this second still matter in 5 years?       * Assess how much time and energy I need to use right now. 

2) Reassess my reaction.  Take a few minutes after being thankful:

     * What is best way to address this.  

     * Take time to give it to the Lord right then and there.  

     * Embrace the person with a big hug.  

     * Give a word of encouragement.  

3) Having people to use as a sounding board.  I know not everyone is like me, sometimes I just need a sounding board to work it out in my head!  

4) Journalling, this right here is not always my first thing I do but the most releasing for me.  Writing it down on actual paper. 

5) Most important! GOD

The Forgotten Rosebush

Here's a little tale about a forgotten rose bush, right from yours truly.  

Remember how our summer has been crazy?  Late summer, my sister bought me a gorgeous rose bush from the nursery she was working at for the summer.   She dropped it off at my father in law's house because she forgot to bring it when she saw me, and she didn't want it to die.  Fast forward quite a few weeks, guess who finds it 'cause "Miss forgetful" (me) forgot ALL about it.. My father in law found it!  It was just twigs by now, but he started to water it not knowing where it had came from.  One weekend at church he was talking about how he had been watering a bush that was by his garage door that he didn't know what or where it had come from.  I still had completely forgotten that I had a rose bush there.  My sister overheard this conversation, and asked me if I had picked my rose bush up.  Nope...I had forgotten my rose bush!  

Fast forward again, a couple more weeks. My father in law remembered to bring it over, and set it on my deck.  Yup, you might have guessed, I forgot about it on the deck! 'Cause honestly, life keeps on going, and I seemed to be in survival mode with only necessities happening. Occasionally, Zeke would water it when he was completing his task of watering the pots on the deck.  Finally one day I took the few minutes it took to put the rosebush into the ground.  

Once again this poor forgotten rose bush, was forgotten AGAIN!  I didn't water it, didn't nurture it, didn't feed it plant food.  I had done the bare necessities, thinking the forgotten rosebush would not survive anyway.  I had dug a hole, covered it back up, gave it a little water and walked away.  

Then couple weeks ago, I noticed a splash of color out my kitchen window!  Lo and behold, there were ROSES on the forgotten rosebush!!!!!!!!!! My sister Lydia (who gave the bush to me) was over yesterday, and gasped when she looked out the window. "Is that the rose bush I gave you?" She exclaimed. She said "that one looks healthier than mine does, look at all the roses!" She had gotten them at the same time, planted hers, and left mine at my father in law's.  

More, and more roses keep coming out.  Today I stopped and took a picture of this 'forgotten rosebush'.  

This 'forgotten rosebush' taught me something.  Roses will bloom again! 

Reminding me of the song by Bill Gaither called 'Roses Will Bloom Again'.  The chorus to the song goes...

Roses will bloom again,

Just wait and see

Don't mourn what might have been

Only God knows how and when that

Roses will bloom again.

Isn't this the truth? This little forgotten rosebush wasn't truly forgotten, and God used it to show me his love the last couple weeks. A little watering by God, a little digging, and he revived something so it could bloom again!!!