the quest for balance in my life

So, this online bible study that I'm leading through Anchored by Hope - called First Place 4 Health: Balanced Living - challenged me to take inventory of the activities and relationships that I am involved in and ask God this question: "How does each activity and relationship fit into Your plan for me, Lord?"  Then, based on His promptings, I had to draw a line through things that needed to be eliminated or changed somehow.

Well, I've made some decisions based on this exercise:

1. I decided to stop going to church on Wednesday nights, for now.  Why, you ask?  My reply... Well, why not?  We would go for Beth to sing in Joyful Noiz, and then she would go to Awanas while I went on to bible study.

Now, these are all great things, but even great things can be detrimental to your health if done in excess, and I just - at this time - feel like our time would be better spent at home.  By the end of the day, Beth is too hyper to be anything but a problem for her choir teacher, and she doesn't take the whole Cubbies thing seriously (at a unfocused four, she isn't really caring about earning patches for her vest or memorizing a bible verse to get something checked off in a book).  And since I'm already involved in bible study online, I don't need to be there on Wednesday nights either.

So, I've devised what we are calling Praise Picnics.  Basically, I found these preschool devotions online.  What we do after I pick her up is set up a picnic using milk and cookies in her bedroom, and we pray, eat, talk about the day, review the quick devotional, and then - so far - play Barbies - where mom reiterates the lesson of the bible story, but Beth doesn't quite catch on to that yet! hehe

Anyway, this way, I get to spend more one on one time with Beth and Hannah (she's at the picnic too, usually sleeping in her bouncer).  I really feel like we need this more in our lives than the chaos of trying to get to church on Wed. night after a long day at work, and thus, I've created a better balance for myself and my children!

2. Well, that first change was a pretty big one.  These next choices/changes are small but meaningful... I moved the online bible study time from 9:30pm-10:30pm on Monday nights to 9pm - 10pm.  Now, you may ask, why is this change meaningful?  Well, it gives me 30 more minutes to get to bed early - and I start back to work in two weeks, so this is VERY important!

3. I'm cutting back on time spent on the computer!  As one of my friends put it, "I don't want my kids to remember me from behind a computer screen!"  So toward this end, I've resolved three things. (A). Buy the Weight Watcher at home kit so I'm not on the computer all the time logging my food/points used.  (B). I've stopped my babycenter message board addiction ;-)  (C). I'm only going to blog and check blogs on Sunday.

Yes, you read it right.  One blog post a week.  Will you forgive me? Will you still keep reading?  I'll read yours!!! I promise!!!! 

Anyway, they'll probably be long posts - reflective posts - updates on my life posts, but they'll be "just what I need at the moment" and "get it all out" posts.  A way to work through what I've learned from the Lord this week - so I won't forget it.  You know, forget-me-not. ;-)

I need to do these things to set the priorities in my life straight!  And I can say, I've already felt a better balance!  The devotional time with my daughters went GREAT!  The change of the bible study time was a better balance for ALL involved! AND now that I've cut back on computer time, I've had moments where I've been, like, "What should I do now?"  It's weird!  I've had some withdrawal moments.  Where I want to go check facebook even though I just checked it 30 mins ago!  I want to go to some website and do something... and I have to tell myself, NO!  Whatever do I need to do that for?! LOL

I'm happy, ya'll!  I'm less stressed and overwhelmed - which is a miracle given mice have infiltrated my house this week and the exterminator told me that it's going to cost $1000 to ensure this never happens again. But, you know what? I'm okay!  We're gonna get this taken care of. Life could be worse...

I could be spending this day mourning a lost loved one like so many that had a friend or relative who died in those towers on Sept. 11th. :-(  Thankfully, I am not!

...  I was at K-mart that day.  Working the jewelry counter - my job before I became a teacher.  I could see on the TVs in home electronics what was going on.  I called Michael at work.  He was watching while working, stocking shelves, at Costco.  This was all pre-kids.  We just couldn't believe what we saw unfolding...

And today, we remember those lost in that horrific attack.  And I thank God I'm here and able to make better choices for me, my Savior, my family... it's truly a gift!