Well, last time I updated you on my progress, I told you that I was going to focus on developing in disciple in one area at a time, starting with health and fitness.
I’ve been trying really hard to be more conscious of the food I eat, which basically means that I still eat whatever I want; I just eat it in smaller portions than before. I’ve also been as consistent as possible in running on the treadmill a few times a week. There have definitely been setbacks over the past couple of weeks. I’ve got some kind of sinus head cold crud that I just can’t seem to banish, and that has made me less than willing to jump on the treadmill for 30 minutes, but I’m doing my best.
The good news is that all of this is starting to pay off: since the beginning of the year, I’ve lost 7 pounds. At this point, I’m only 3 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight, but thanks to lots of food court meals during my last semester at Beeson, I was up about 15 pounds from my ideal when I got pregnant. It’s a battle, but I’m definitely developing more discipline in exercising regularly.
I’m also trying to be more intentional in the way that I spend time with Micah. It’s easy to turn the TV on and just hang out in the chair while she toddles around and plays by herself, but I’m really trying to limit the amount of time that the TV is actually on in the house. That means that we spend more time playing outside, which, as you could tell from my last post, she loves. It also means that we read more books, color more pictures, put together more puzzles, and chase each other around the house more often. I’m pretty sure that it’s a good development :)
Last week, I read a post from Becky Higgins about “the purpose of the task.” Basically, she said that the purpose of every task we engage in with our children or spouses, or anyone, really, is strengthening the relationship. When I read with Micah, yes, I’m trying to cultivate a love for the written word in her, but I’m also, and most importantly, strengthening my relationship with her. Becky’s post gave me a lot to think about, and it has certainly helped me in my efforts to be more intentional with my little one.
Hope you’re all doing well this week. I’m at the outset of the week number nine, and I’ll be back in a couple of weeks to let you know how things are going.
Until next time, grace and peace.
At the tail end of last week, I was wrapped up in finishing a writing project and retrieving Micah from my parents, so I missed updating you on my progress. I’m sure you missed the post :) By the time I had a few free moments to update you, I decided I might as well just combine the two weeks and update you once. So, here it is.
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve come to realize that I need to slow down a bit and just take things one at a time. At the beginning of the year, I signed on with lots of goals, and I tried to tackle them all at once. The first week went very well, but after that, things have fizzled a bit. Sickness, snow, exhaustion, and general life craziness has kept me from progressing much. My perfectionism doesn’t help. Since I’m a “do it perfect or don’t do it at all” kind of person, I’ve been shutting down in several areas.
For example, if, for some reason, I don’t manage to work out on Monday or Tuesday, I’ll just write off the whole week and say that I’ll start over again the next week. Because if I’m going to work out, I want a whole week of perfect workouts. Not just a few days. Irrational and silly? Yes. I’m working on it.
I’ve been consistently disciplined in my Bible reading, which is a good thing. As important as my other goals are, this one is of top priority, and I’m happy with where things are there. Since things are going well in that area, I’m tackling another area. This time, fitness and healthy eating. Once I’ve got that under control, I’ll tackle another area, probably getting up with Dennis. One new thing at a time seems to be all I can manage right now.
All of that said, we acquired a treadmill from some friends, and I’ve enjoyed having it around, even though I haven’t used it as consistently as I should have. But I HAVE used it twice this week, and I’m going to hop on a little later on today as well. Three out of seven days isn’t bad, right?
In all of this, I’ve been trying to remember that the end goal is developing discipline in all areas of my life so that I will be less harried and more able to handle the curve balls of life. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.
I’ll be back next week (or the week after that) to let you know how things are going.
Until next time, grace and peace.
It seems that the theme for these update posts is me explaining why I haven’t done such a good job of living up to my resolutions. The past few weeks have been a little less successful than I had hoped, but I keep reminding myself that the overall goal is what’s most important, and I know that there will be setbacks along the way.
Life has been busy in the Jones household lately. Senojal Designs sales are 40 percent higher than they were most months last year, and I’ve also got several writing projects under contract. Professionally, things are thriving.
It’s personally that I seem to be having some trouble. Earlier today, Kelle Hampton over at Enjoying the Small Things wrote that when you see a mommy shining in one area, it means that there are shadowy areas elsewhere that will eventually need tending. I’ve got some major shadows, y’all.
I’m such a perfectionist that it kills me that I can’t be everything I want to be right now. Sometimes my world seems so small, and I seem to be unable to get even the simplest things accomplished because there’s a tiny little nose and hiney that need wiping, a mouth that needs feeding, and a little girl who wants to be held. At the end of the day, I look back and realize that not only did I not get up early with Dennis, I also didn’t MOVE at all. But then I remember the things that I did accomplish, and I remind myself not to be so hard on myself. The goals are, afterall, yearlong goals. They’re not going to happen overnight.
That said, I’m actually quite astonished that I’ve managed to keep up with M’Cheyne’s Bible reading plan. In the past month, I’ve read about Ezra and Nehemiah rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem, and I’ve heard the apostle Matthew’s account of Jesus’ life. I’ve also read all the way through the book of Acts and over halfway through Genesis. I’m shocked by it, actually. I’ve never been that good at sticking with a plan like this, but I’m really enjoying having a constant flow of Scripture running through my days. So far, so good.
AND, in case you haven’t noticed, I’ve kept up my blogging end of the deal. For the past four weeks, I’ve written at least three times a week. And last week {gasp} I wrote four times. That’s saying something, y’all.
I hope you’re all having a good weekend. There’s something incredibly luxurious about a Saturday morning, and I pray you all got to revel in laziness for at least a few minutes this morning.
I’ll be back next week with another update :)
Until next time, grace and peace.
Let’s just say that life got in the way of my resolutions this week. I spent a good portion of the week in South Mississippi for Uncle Red’s funeral, and upon my return home, both Micah and I have come down with a little cold. We spent yesterday afternoon in the pediatrician’s office, which is an hour away from here.
Needless to say, not much has gotten accomplished in the way of running or waking up early.
Quite frankly, I’m exhausted. It’s been a long week.
That said, I’m looking forward to a new beginning on Monday. Micah’s poor little schedule is out of whack, and we’ve got to dedicate some time to getting her back on track. I should also be able to resume running and working out with Jillian every morning.
I’m afraid it’s going to be a rough return to the disciplined and intentional life I started a few weeks ago, but life in general will be much better with those things in place.
Hope you all have a good weekend. I’m trying to catch up on some of the work that fell by the wayside this week. I also have big plans to finally get the Christmas tree down.
Wish me luck.
Until next time, grace and peace.
To be honest, it hasn’t been a good week for my resolutions. All the snow kept me from running on the roads, and I only got up with Dennis once during this entire week. It’s been far from perfect…
That said, I accomplished a lot professionally, and I’m really proud of the work I completed, even if a few of my personal goals had to slide. I somehow managed to write on here a few times, and I’m a couple of chapters behind in my Bible reading, but I’ll be caught up on that by the end of the day.
I’m thinking that the upcoming week probably won’t be much better, but I’m trying here. I should get a little credit for effort, right? Life should return to normal after that, and maybe then I’ll be back on track.
Hope you’re all doing well and staying warm. I’m grateful for the upswing in temperature – I hope it stays that way for a while!
Until next time, grace and peace.
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