Easily Distracted

Apparently, I can't stick to anything... right now I am feeling a little discouraged and a little negative, but I just want to put this out there... Here are things I have started but not finished (it could probably be a Top Ten list)

#1: this blog post... I keep getting distracted, by children, by email, by facebook, blogs and twitter, even lunch!

#2. 31 Days to Clean challenge...  I lasted one week... ONE WEEK, y'all!  I didn't even get my fridge fully cleaned, so technically I didn't even make it one week.  I quit reading the ebook, and the blog posts by the lovely Christin at Joyful Mothering, I never did a blogpost with my progress or pictures, I just quit trying... May was a crazy month for me... the last month of school and all! The kids had a lot going on with school, we signed them up for swim lessons, and then our VAN DIED!  can I tell you how hard it is to get your family of 6 around in an Oldsmobile Alero? (impossible, I tell you) So thankful for friends and neighbors who helped us out in this mess!!  Currently, we are borrowing a van, but that is only for 2 more weeks, so would you pray with us that God would provide a great vehicle at a great price that would meet the needs of our family (and maybe a few wants, too) :)

#3. 3 in 30 Challenge... I watched this one on my twitter feed for the first few months of 2011, before I jumped in!  I made very achievable goals and completed 2 out of 3 the first month, but May just went to pot (see previous failure for reasons/excuses). This would be totally doable. I am tempted to try again in June, but I am going to FLORIDA, attending a women's conference, getting used to no-school with the kiddos, and ... what other excuses can I come up with?

#4. Siesta Scripture Memory Team ... Here is it June 1, and I still haven't memorized the last 2 verses I set out to work on.  I started out STRONG!  so strong in fact that I did 2 verses each on the 1st and 15th of January!  I carried my verse spiral with me all the time... problem is now, it just sits in my purse, I never pull it out and review them. Then the 15th rolls around and I write another verse in it, but don't ever work on it! :(  Can you say DISCOURAGED?!??!!  then, Beth Moore mentioned the celebration in her most recent SSMT post and I got a little depressed, because WHY would little old me up and fly to Texas just to celebrate memorizing a bunch of scripture with 1000+ other women I have never met?!??!!  (those kind of situations make me nervous anyway--I am such a people pleaser) What would possess me to to spend the money, why would my husband let me go? would it really benefit me, or is it just an excuse to get away from my real life for a weekend? what is my motivation?????

#5. Good Morning Girls summer book club! it seems that most of the "good morning girls" groups are people that really know each other, really get involved in each other with accountability via phone, email, facebook, twitter... but I don't know anyone doing this book club... So I attempted to join the blog frog community ... but you get out of it what you put into it and I apparently don't know how to connect with strangers!  so it's not going so well.  I really enjoyed the first week and got so much out of the SOAP method that they recommend, and even read the introduction to the book  they/we are studying... great book, The Ministry of Motherhood, by Sally Clarkson (that I have had since Christmas, but am afraid to read, because I might learn something and I might have to change my way of thinking, and my way of doing things). So anyway, I started strong, and then I got side-tracked... and then I got very afraid of really digging down deep and actually answering the questions in the discussion guide, so it got put aside!!  Here's hoping I pick it up again... and soon!!

I should stop there, but I love Top Ten lists so...

#6. the 100's of books I have by my bed,on the living room shelf, and in my Kindle app... parenting books, marriage books, "religious" books, housekeeping books ... and a few fiction books

#7. my attempt to start a business out of my card making hobby... If I am lucky enough to find time to make new cards (which I did recently), I still have to find the time to take pictures, edit pictures, upload to website and make them sound fantastic so someone wants to buy them... all without making them too expensive, but still not lose any money on the time spent creating them.

#8. Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University... and sticking to the cash envelope system!  I have just bombed this... no details necessary!  I would love to get back on track (especially now that we need to buy a new family vehicle --see #2)

#9. Counting my #1000gifts ... this is just a set back, I haven't completely given up, I am just discouraged because I have not been writing things down on a regular basis and almost missed the last few weeks of posting... but I am still counting, I am just afraid I am not going to be able to remember all the gifts I have been given and that God is continuing to give me every day!!  I did finally order One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp and I am waiting with bated breath for it to arrive in the mail!!

#10. the ONE thing I am keeping up with... Project 365!  I am still taking at least ONE picture everyday. I am just 2 weeks behind in getting them uploaded to my Facebook album where I am keeping track of them!! :) and I haven't taken a picture yet today, but the day isn't over yet!!

Motherhood

Motherhood should come with....

more moments like this!

Okay, in reality, just gettting that video uploaded alone took me more than five minutes, but here is my 5 minute addition!

This week has been insane!! Here is the short story! Our Van is in the shop. our other car does NOT hold 6 people. 3 of the kids are signed up for swim lessons on Monday and Wednesday. Thursday, Friday evenings had ballet recital practice for my 6 year-old.  We have to transport our kids back and forth to school (8AM dropoff, 11:30 K pickup, 2:45 2nd grade pickup) and my husband has to go to work! and somewhere in there grocery shopping had to be done! Everything has come together, God is even in these details, but my brain is overloaded trying to make all the connections!

Then we got the news that the van is going to cost more to repair than it is worth. So now I am looking at another week... or two... or three... of  this crazy schedule!!  and now we have to go buy a vehicle that will hold our whole family... would you pray for me that I would leave it in God's hands and trust my husband to handle it... (instead of nagging, whining, complaining... etc)?  

So today, I wish that Motherhood came with an affordable, decent size van/SUV!!

Also, because of my crazy week... I am not doing so hot on the 31DaystoClean schedule, or my 3 in 30 goals ... maybe next week.

This is a pathetic attempt to link up to The Gypsy Mama's Five Minute Friday ... go check out all the great submissions here...

May 3 in 30 Challenge

So... I am sure you are all wondering how I did in my April 3 in 30 goals...
I didn't do so good in reporting once a week... maybe I will do better on that in May! :)

so here is a quick review on April
Goal 1: Read Psalms before I turn my computer on... did really good with that, until I visited family for Easter, really messed up my routine (although I had a great time)  So I need to start working on that again!
Goal 2: Create a housecleaning schedule ... TOTALLY bombed  on that one, but I am going to succeed in May with the help of 31 Days to Clean by Sarah Mae.
Goal 3: I will send out one encouragement note a week... I sent four cards out in the third week (does that count?)

As I am new at this 3 in 30 thing, I am going to work on these goals again for May.

1.  I still really want to make time in God's Word a priority. If I want to be more like Jesus, I need to spend more time getting to know him better

2.  I also still really want to make my house a nicer place to be. I have been bombing in the homemaking area lately!!

So to succeed in both of these challenges for the month of May, I am partaking in a Homemaker's Challenge with Christin from Joyful Mothering.  check it out!!





3. I need to catch up on my goal of sending one encouragement note a week, since the beginning of the year... Maybe I can do 2 a week!  This week is easy, it's Teacher Appreciation week, so my kid's teachers (there's at least 3) will (hopefully) be getting notes from me this week!!

So there you go, 3 in 30 May goals... same as the first, I'll get it yet!

3 in 30 Challenge Take One

Jumping in here with an effort to make some changes in my life!  I have been watching #3in30 in my twitter feed for about 2 months now, and I have put it off for too long.

This post is not gonna be pretty, but it is going to be a start...

3 goals for the month of APRIL

1. I will read the Psalms for (at least) 15 minutes everyday ... before I get on my computer!

2. I will create a housecleaning schedule.

3. I will send out (at least) one encouragement note each week.