RUT Busters

Ever get in a rut?

I always find myself in one when our schedule changes drastically. Like....school starting up. Seriously, friends it was a CRAZY summer. And who thought routine would actually throw me for a loop? But it has. Do you have any methods to get yourself going again or just stop the crazy cycle?

I do.

I read. I make time to pray and get in the Word and I go to the library. Most of the time I will pull out the old stand-by books on my shelves....Like the Complete Tightwad Gazette, Miserly Moms by Jonnie McCoy and her cookbook Healthy Meals for Less. Sometimes I need a kick in the pants. I start to see all the things I should be doing or need to catch up on or just need to get back to doing and then all the things I would love to be doing and someday hope to do and I get stuck. So, usually I start looking at ideas and let them run wild for a week or so...I do some crazy project to kick start myself and then I go to the library and get down to the nitty gritty of the doing.

I love being a Stay at Home Mom! It's the ONLY thing I want to be doing with my life right now......but I don't always give it my all and I don't always love my family with my time or even with my efforts. So it is time to get serious. Get organized. Motivated.

God has been teaching my lately that I need to engage my whole heart in this thing called life. I need to love the people around me and love them more than myself. I need to work as if unto the Lord in EVERYTHING. That has started to find its way out of my head and heart in various ways. One of the ways I decided to engage in life is to do some of the projects around the house that I have been saying I would do someday. I re-decorated the master bathroom. That was my first step. It is usually the last place that gets cleaned and I just didn't really like being in there. So now we are well on our way to lovin' it! I still have some projects to do in there, some that involve paint, some that involve the sewing machine and some that involve some elbow grease.

While doing this project I was awakened to an attitude that has become more and more prominent in my life.....Just buy it and finish already. I have been leaning on convenience far too heavily lately. I tell myself that it makes life easier and saves time and effort for the 'important' stuff but let's be honest shall we....It only makes me lazier, less satisfied, and less diligent with the budget and less likely to do those 'important' things. Maybe that 's just me?

These sweet faces deserve the best I can give them. And I want to bring glory to the name of Jesus even through housework, homework, and laundry. So here's to the RUT busters!

Life.

So. I had big plans for this summer. I threw all those plans into the wind and held on for dear life! It was fast and furious and stressful and emotional and it's OVER! I wasn't home long enough to paint my table. I did ok keeping my laundry done. Traveling with 6 makes lots of laundry. I didn't win the fight against summer mush brain.....I didn't even execute my battle plan. I didn't read to my kids every day, I didn't do many of the things I planned. I do have tons of pictures on my computer. I did have TONS of fun visiting friends and family. We did take the family on one of the summer mission trips. We cried, we laughed, we loved.

What can I say. Sometimes you take life by the reigns and some times you just hold on and try to enjoy the ride! It was one rip roaring ride for us this summer. One I will not soon forget!

But now School has started back. And starting tomorrow it will be me and my little super hero here alone all day. He keeps telling everyone he is starting Momma School. I keep thinking of all I will get done with only one sweet face following me around. I am still planning to paint my table. I have some plans for Momma School with the Stud. I have some goals to work towards. I have two bible studies lined up. But we will see. I have one Youth Leaders conference I get to attend with Dan, all ALONE...in 14 days. Most of all I want to enjoy my days with the little man and not watch life as it blazes past me. I want to be fully engaged and lovin' it!