We throw off the lie of perfection and cling to our identity in God as we strive to be whole, healthy, and fit. Our goal is wholeness, not perfection.

Archive for the ‘time management’ Category

12 Days of Christmas: Day 7 – Create Margin

7th day

…my blogger friends gave to me: The permission to Breathe

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by life?  Whatever your work/family situation is, do you ever feel like you’re juggling too many activities/responsibilities/roles?  And let’s face it, although technology can simplify our lives, it usually reminds us via social media that we can be doing so much more, or at the very least do what we’re already doing with a lot more style.

So today, we give you permission to just breathe.  What’s that you say?  You don’t have the time to stop and breathe?  Or your living space is so cluttered that you can’t find a place to sit down long enough to enjoy breathing?  Well, here are some resources that may help you find the time and physical space to do just that.

Corie Clark’s “The Simplicity Project” is aptly named.  Her approach to simplifying our over-complicated lives is exactly that – simple.  She doesn’t try to push a multi-step program .  Nor does she just focus on the physical decluttering that our lives need.  She addresses the need to tend to our spiritual health, physical health, physical spaces, finances, and time management.  Her approach to simplifying is not only doable, but grace infused, which makes it more likely for recovering perfectionists to complete the project.

Simplicity Project

While “The Simplicity Project” touches on learning how to say yes and no wisely, Lysa TerKeurst’s “The Best Yes” really gets to the heart of the matter – people pleasing.  Too many “Oh, snap!” moments in the book to get into here.  If you can relate to any of the quotes from the front of her book {I dread saying yes but feel powerless to say no.  I hope there’s more to life than my to-do list.  I’m a little overwhelmed and a lot worn out.  I’m drowning int he regrets of too many commitments.}, grab a copy.

Best Yes

This last book, “Finding Spiritual Whitespace” by Bonnie Gray, comes highly recommended from a God friend.  Since it’s on the “Read in 2015” list, you can read her write-up of it here.

Whitespace

Advertisement

Category:

balance, freedom, grace, time management, truth

Tagged with:

12 Days of Christmas: Day 1 – Choose your ONE Word

There are many goals for Catalyst Movement, with the foundational goal being to help women live out loud.  To help each woman, regardless of her age, to live her life on purpose, with purpose.  Unfortunately, as women we often feel that we need permission to focus on ourselves.  The 12 Days of Christmas Health and Wholeness Challenge is us at Catalyst Movement giving you, and ourselves permission to do just that.  So let’s reflect on 2014 and intentionally spend the last six days of it, and the first six days of the new year in order to enter 2015 worry and guilt free.

1st Day of Christmas

…my blogger friends gave to me: The Permission to get Focused

In the spring of 2013 a God friend introduced me to the idea of choosing one word to guide your year rather than making a New Year’s resolution.  Granted, it was spring when she shared this with me, but I had long forgotten my resolution I set in January.  Having the opportunity to start over, almost half way through the year, motivated me to check out what this One Word movement was all about.  The fact that two of the authors are involved in FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes – an organization I have been involved with over the past six years) made it all that more attractive to me.  The authors recommend that when choosing a new word for the year, that you not completely scrap the previous year’s word.

My word for 2013 – Stewardship

Funny story.  I became painfully aware of all my resources I was wasting – time, energy, money, health, etc. – and told God that I wanted to become a better steward.  I asked him to help me organize and manage my personal space (both at home and at work), my time, my energy, my sleep, and what I ate.  My prayer went something like this “Lord, please help me to take care of all that You have already given me, then expand my territory. I do not want to squander what You have already given me only to do the same with what You are going to give me.”  Apparently He knows me better than I do, and decided to expand my territory first by blessing me with identical twin boys.  I didn’t have a choice but to spend my resources more wisely! {Matthew 25:14-30}

My word for 2014 – Intentional

Building on Stewardship, I focused on being intentional with the resources God has blessed me with.  Especially my time.  Juggling newborn twins, a seven year old, a marriage, and career has been challenging, and I wanted to make sure that I was fully present wherever I was.  Although I haven’t been 100% intentional 100% of the time, having the word as my focus for the year has served as a much needed anchor for my attention. {1 Corinthians 10:23-33}

My word for 2015 – Finish

It is a call to action not only to finish several projects I’ve started over the years, but also to finish some God assignments that I was too afraid to see through.  In order to finish these projects and assignments I will definitely need to be intentional with my time and a good steward of my time. {1 Corinthians 9:23-25}

One Word

Are you already utilizing One Word in your life?  If you are, comment below with your word for the new year.  If you aren’t, visit the One Word site learn more about finding your word for 2015.

Category:

balance, family, organization, Scripture, time management

Tagged with:

Amateur Juggler (October 4th)

I need to take care of myself.  What does it look like to you to take care of yourself?  There’s basic hygiene, water, nutrition – you know, the basics.  I’m just wondering how other full time working moms take care of themselves.  I remember doing it when my son was a toddler up until the time I got pregnant with the twins.  I did it with the help of having a membership to the Y, and then being a group fitness instructor.  So that kept me accountable because if I didn’t show up to class then class didn’t happen.  But now that I have twins and I’m back at work, I don’t really know what it looks like to take care of myself during this season.

I know sleep is a huge priority (as I yawn).  I know that spending time with God is a priority, but it seems like it’s something I don’t ever get around to, not how I used to, not how I’d like to.  I haven’t worked out in a really long time and I can feel my body craving all the good chemicals I get from working out.  I know I need to go out on a date with my husband.  It feels like it’s been forever since we went somewhere that wasn’t church or with family.

I know there are things I can do to take care of myself, I just don’t see how to juggle it all.  I’m missing margin in my day.  I need white space.  I need…how do you clear things off of your calendar and to-do list when all of the stuff has to be done?  I have a friend of mine at work who used to joke with me “Reina, all you need to do is get yourself a wife.”  All I know is I feel overwhelmed and spent.  So if you’ve got tips or suggestions on how to refocus energy and time, I’d love to hear them.

Category:

balance, grace, organization, parenting, time management

Tagged with:

Frozen to Crock Pot Paleo-ish Meals

I’ve been back at work for three weeks now.  Of those three weeks, we have had grandparents from California (two different sets) for all of four or five days.  Which means that dinner has been prepared for us one way or another for most of the last five weeks.  It’s been great, but we’re not slated to have house guests again until late October.  As our leftovers have been dwindling, reality has been setting in. I’ve got to start cooking again. But the idea of cooking now that I’m back at work seemed daunting and completely overwhelming.  So I did what any working mom of three would do – I scoured the Interweb (yes, another Jon Acuff reference) for ideas.  

Before getting pregnant with the Floyd Twins, I was eating clean – at least 80/20.  But the combo of exhaustion + hunger = anything goes diet has rewired my taste buds, and not for the better.  As a nursing mom of twins I still need to eat about 3,000 calories a day and what seems like a ridiculous amount of protein.  So, rather than trying to go super clean, I’m focusing on eating more real food in the most convenient way possible.

So after doing a search for “frozen to crock pot paleo meals” I found the Paleo Made Simple site.  I decided to prepare 6 of the 7 freezer to crock pot meals (no one in our house is a fan of stuffed peppers). I have no clue if they’re going to be any good, but so far I’m sold on the process.  With the help of my seven year old son, Minifleeze, I prepped SIX MEALS in under 2 hours.  I cleared the counter after every meal bag so by the end there was very little clean up needed.  

 Frozen Meals

We’re having a meal each day this week and hopefully there will be enough leftovers for me to take to work for lunch.  I’ll report back with everyone’s thoughts.  

Do you have any good freezer to crock pot recipes or resources?

Category:

meals, time management

Tagged with:

So How Do You Blog?

I’ve really enjoyed blogging this summer.  I set out with the reasonable goal (thank you, Jon Acuff for the recommendation) of posting once or twice a week.  Some weeks I posted more.  But it’s August now and real life has officially returned.  So how do you do it, you non-SAH bloggers?  How do you keep up with the demands of work and family and find time to blog? 

I considered journaling again.  I thought that once a week I could post a journal entry.  Would that be cheating?  Any and all tips would be greatly appreciated.  Ooh, maybe if I compile enough tips I can blog about it!

Category:

balance, time management

Tagged with:

Diet Update

The last time I posted I confessed that although I exercise regularly, my diet isn’t too stellar.  I said that I was going to check in twice a week – for some accountability – and share how my eating habits have, or haven’t, improved.  Uhm, so why didn’t anyone stop me and remind me that the 4th of July weekend was just around the corner?  Hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, soda (a rarity for me), coleslaw, and the cookie part of two Oreos.  That’s what I ate on the 4th.  Not too impressive.  But I’m not striving for perfection.  More along the lines of 80/20 clean eating – 80% clean 20% not.

I can do 100%.  I’ve done it twice before.  21 days each time.  The first was a Daniel Fast in 2010, and the Ultimate Reset last spring.  So I know it can be done.  The problem is I tend to be a little obsessive and compulsive when it comes to, well, anything.  I know that food is fuel and it shouldn’t be used as a reward or punishment (head knowledge), but it can easily become either if I choose to let it take over my thought life.  For me it’s all about balance.  After almost a year of not “too stellar” I’m ready to get back on the balance beam.

 Here’s my plan:

1) Incorporate More God Food

Eat More FOOD

2) Eat Less Man Food

I’m not a fan of bad language, but I love this acronym. 

Eat Less CRAP

3) Prep Veggies and Fruit

I’m not sure if I’m a Gen X or Gen Y gal, but I definitely know I’m a member of the Microwave Generation.  You know, a slave to convenience.  Ugh, that sounded horrible and stung with conviction.  If I have to wash and cut anything when I’m hungry the likelihood of me doing it is zero.  But if I put in the time before hunger hits, then I don’t think twice about grabbing a handful of veggies or fruit.

4) Track Water Intake

I hate to admit that as a nursing mother of twins I have not been tracking my water intake.  I’m not quite ready to jump back into tracking my food, so if you know of an app for specifically tracking water, I’d love to hear about it.

5) Go to Bed BEFORE 11

This one may seem unrelated to nutrition, but it’s not.  Adequate sleep helps to curb your appetite – especially where unhealthy cravings are concerned.  People have less willpower when they’re tired.  Period.  It becomes even more of an issue if you’re working out.  Your body needs time to repair itself.  Honestly, going to bed before midnight has been particularly difficult for me. Once all of my boys are asleep I work on my many hustles.  If you are not familiar with Jon Acuff, please click HERE.

 That’s it.  I figured this would be more beneficial to use as a check-in system than a rundown of what I ate over a three day period.

Category:

grace, nutrition, organization, time management

Tagged with:

Mulligan Monday

golf-course

As I was watching the US Open this weekend with my husband, I gave thanks that I am not a professional golfer.  There’s no grace in professional golf. ( Anyone else get a visual of Tom Hanks shouting “There’s no crying in baseball!”?  Just me?)  The first, and only, time I played golf with my husband, he showered me with grace in the form of mulligans – several of them.  I was shocked the first time I realized that in professional golf, the players do not get such a gift.

But like I said, I’m no professional golfer.  So today, I declare this day to be a Mulligan Monday.  I started an at home workout program on May 12th.  It’s a reasonable workout – as little as 10 minutes if I don’t want to warm-up or cool down and it’s as challenging as I make it.  During the first four weeks of doing the program I missed a day each week for one reason or another.  Most people would say that having newborn twins is reason enough.  But now that I know that the best time for me to work out before they even wake up, I really don’t have an excuse not to get it done.

With the exception of the night David Sr., David Jr., and I all tried Rev Abs, I took all last week off.  I decided to use the time to regroup. I wanted to come up with realistic strategies to help me meet the goal of working out each day.

Strategy #1: Visual reminder – I drew up a crude calendar for the next four weeks and taped it up on the wall next to our television. I plan to put a check mark, or a sticker if I ever get around to organizing the teaching supplies I brought home, every time I complete a workout.  My prayer is that having the calendar right next to the TV will serve as a great reminder, not just for me, but also for my motivation squad – David Sr. and Junior.  For every completed week, I will be rewarding myself, not with food, but by buying some of the ingredients I need to make homemade sunscreen.  I’ve totally fallen down the rabbit hole with this whole DIY healthy and natural skincare thing.  (See “No Filter” if that last sentence left you scratching your head)

Strategy #2: Accountability – As soon as I log my workout on my calendar, I will report to my online accountability group.  I set an alarm on my phone to go off during the twins’ “big” nap to remind me to report to the group.  It will also serve as a push and shove for me to work out just in case I haven’t gotten around to it by that time.

Strategy #3: Eliminate excuses – I will keep clean workout gear downstairs, close to the TV room, or in it when possible.  This includes my workout clothes, yoga mat, shoes, and socks.  I am easily distracted, so I’m more likely to start and complete my workout if I do not have to travel upstairs to get my workout necessities.

The beauty of a Mulligan Monday, or any day of the week for that matter, is that there’s no need to wait for New Year’s Day or the first of the month to “start over”.  However, we do need to be careful to not abuse the gift of the do over.  It’s not really a do over if we are continuously starting over.  If we find ourselves constantly starting over, there’s a really good chance we never earnestly started in the first place.  When we notice this happening, it’s best to take a step back to identify our goals, get our priorities in check, make a game plan, and then implement it.

Are you in need of a Mulligan Monday?  In what specific area of your life?  I’d love to walk with you on your journey to wholeness.  Let me know how I can pray with and for you.  Feel free to email me at floyds07@gmail.com if you don’t feel comfortable commenting below.

Category:

grace, organization, time management

Tagged with:

Tag Cloud