Like many things I've learned, living intentionally is a constant commitment. Something you have to do daily, even hourly. And also something that reveals the human and imperfections in us.
I want to thank you so much for following along this series! "
Your support, inspiration, accountability, and personal stories have helped me in my personal journey.
I invite you to stick around as we continue our pursuit to simplicity (& contentment) and hope you recognize the need to refer back to posts when necessary.
Thank you following along on our journey to simplicity & contentment. Please be sure to learn about our family, like our page on Facebook, and visit the right column to subscribe to our posts :)
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."
This month, I've thought of literally dozens of ways I could be living my life more intentionally.
And in a lot of ways, I have changed.
I've changed my habits, my attitude, my priorities.
But unfortunately, in even more ways, I haven't changed.
For some things, I've continued to tell myself, "I need to do that... after I _________," or, "I want to add that to my day, once I am _______."
There is always a reason to delay.
Always a reason to put it off, wait for a better situation.
I'll start doing pre-school activities each day with Evelyn, after the busy holidays are over.
I'll start making Christmas gifts, once I'm not so busy preparing to move.
There is always a reason.
But are they valid?
There's a quote that says something along the lines of.. "There will always be a million reasons to not do something, but all you need is one good reason to do it."
I think that reminder is the kick in the butt I needed. My daughter is worth taking time to grow her now (when she's begging for it) versus when it's more convenient for me.
What is still on your list to do in order to live more intentionally that you've put off? Let me know I'm not alone!
Thank you following along on our journey to simplicity & contentment. Please be sure to learn about our family, like our page on Facebook, and visit the right column to subscribe to our posts :)
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."
I am honored to have a guest post today from an inspiring woman after my own heart!
Babychaser, as she likes to be called, is a homeschooling mommy to 4 blessings (5 and under), wife to 1 wonderful husband, and follower of the Lord Jesus. She is the keeper of their little home where she cooks from scratch, grinds her own flour, chases babies, and hires out the cleaning (for now), trainer of those precious souls, and dreams with her husband of living on a little farm one day. She blogs at Chasing Babies... Growing in Grace about all of the above and more.
I have been incredibly challenged with her series this month on Intentional Parenting and knew a lot of my readers would benefit from her wisdom. Enjoy the post and be sure to visit her at BabyChaser.com!
Intentional Parenting
I was simply honored when Beth asked me to share with you, her readers, about Intentional Parenting. I've been enjoying her series and getting to know her a little bit through her blog.
When she invited me to share with you all, she did so with a little light hearted confession: "Parenting in general is something I was confident in... until our oldest turned two." I have to admit that when I read it I laughed with her, but I'd read it wrong. What I thought she said was... "Parenting in general is something I was confident in... until our oldest two."
I thought it was hilarious because, of course, she only has two children. But really, I was agreeing with her. Somehow I'd twisted it around in my head and, for myself, came up with something like this:
"I had this parenting thing all figured out until my last four were born."
So let's get started... Hi, I'm the mother of four children, 5 and under, and most days I'm still learning what it means to parent them. As I've spent this last month focusing on Intentional Parenting, I've been reminded that parenting well is hard.
Parenting intentionally means doing it every day. Sacrificing my own desires. Getting up off the couch. Keeping my cool. And all of this whether I've had a full night's sleep or not.
Parenting intentionally means looking to the Word of God to guide me. Thinking Biblically about my children. And dying to self.
So how can we get started? I'd like to share three things we can do to get started in parenting intentionally!
1.Start each morning giving your children to God!
They aren't yours anyway, right? God has entrusted them to us to train up for His glory... for His will. Whether it is before ever stepping out of bed, in a quiet "devotions" time on the couch, or while sitting with a two year old on the potty and a baby in your arms, talk to Him. "Lord, these are your children. Help me to be intentional today in how I train them. Help every moment to bring You glory. Amen."
It can be as easy as that. And Jesus tells us that whatever we ask in His name, He will do.
2. Unplug!
If you can't do this all day, at least strive for part of the day. When I turn off my computer and set aside the phone (we don't have a TV or that would be off too), leaving myself in the dark ages, without reach of the outside world, I am able to be completely here... with my children. This opens the door to being intentional! It's so much easier if you can at least unplug during "kid hours".
3. Keep them with you!
This is one of the keys to being intentional in your parenting. If you aren't with them, you have no way of knowing what they are doing, not to mention no way of controlling what they are doing or to what they are being exposed. You may choose to keep it as simple as staying together as you go about your days or as extreme as choosing not to use babysitters, keeping them in the church service with you and staying together throughout your days.
It seems so simplistic to say that this is all you need, but understand, these are three things to get you started. This is your jumping off point. From here you have the ability to train them, talk to them about God and his commands, build relationships and whatever else you want to do... and all intentionally.
Thank you following along on our journey to simplicity & contentment. Please be sure to learn about our family, like our page on Facebook, and visit the right column to subscribe to our posts :)
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."
Yesterday I talked about how I am now intentionally striving for contentment in our pursuit for a simpler life.
I pride myself on being the "master" of window-shopping -- both online and in person. I can add 40 books and gadgets to my Amazon cart, walk around Target for an hour, and fill an entire cart at the dollar store, but then not spend a dime.
But lately I'm wondering if this is really contentment. Maybe contentment is not just resisting temptation on the outside. I also need to eliminate the dissatisfaction on the inside to truly to be content.
It's normal at this time of year, as we approach the holidays, for Americans to get into consumer mode. Add that to the fact that we are about to close on our first house and we have about a billion things we could, should, or want buy and even more reasons to justify it.
But really,why do we want to buy stuff?
Why am I obsessing over picking out the perfect new curtains? Why am I searching Craig's List and every thrift store with 15 miles for a new dining room table? Why do I stop at every single estate sale I drive past to see if they have any more mason jars to add to my already unnecessary large collection?
1. Shopping is FUN
For some people shopping is fun and a social, casual event, but for me, shopping is a game. I want a high quality, unique item, for the best deal.
I love the hunt. I love walking through a store with my coffee in hand and getting the most I can for the least amount possible. 12 new baby shirts for $8? Sign me up!
Seriously, do you know anyone who never steps their foot in a store nowadays? It's normal to consume.
3. The Big One - Advertising
This is the one I now realize I've unintentionally become immune to. Advertising is everywhere. Having the TV on in the background, listening to the radio, on every blog you read, website you visit.
Even advertisements to consume for an idea are everywhere. I wonder what the statistic is for how much extra you spend for each hour you spend on Pinterest.
How do you change the spending habit? Or even more, the dissatisfaction?
1. Think: What are you surrounding yourself with?
Do you walk through Target 3 times a week or drive past the car dealership everyday?
Consider removing yourself from these situations which cause you to unnecessarily desire more stuff that you don't need. We are humans - put a chocolate cake in front of me, I'll eat it. If you're on a diet, don't hang out with cake or talk to cake and you'll increase your chances of never thinking about cake.
2. Count Your Blessings.
I'd like to get into the habit that whenever I feel the urge to peruse Target or flip through Pinterest, I sit down and write a list of things I'm thankful for instead.
I'm thankful we don't have any debt.
I'm thankful my toddler can entertain herself for 2 hours with a 50 cent piece of playdough
I'm thankful my feet are warm.
I'm thankful for coffee.
I'm thankful my husband has the flexibility to stop home for lunch everyday.
I'm thankful for fresh air.
There are so many things I can be thankful for. But how often do I take the time to reflect on them? (Answer: Not often enough).
Thank you following along on our journey to simplicity & contentment. Please be sure to learn about our family, like our page on Facebook, and visit the right column to subscribe to our posts :)
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."
If you noticed, I recently tweaked the tag line to our blog. It used to be, "The Story of a Young Family's Pursuit to a Simpler Life"... Now it's:
Simplicity & Contentment.
My initial inspiration for this blog was to live simpler. Living simpler, to me, actually isn't really simple at all, it's more time consuming! Cooking from scratch, homeopathy & holistic medicines, natural parenting, growing & raising our food.
How is that simpler living than hiring a maid to clean and ordering someone else to make your food every night?
It's really hard to explain unless you "have the bug"... but I guess living simple to me just means we don't need anything fancy. We can move slower, enjoy the process to what we are accomplishing.
And as I was thinking about it. I also realized that living simple also means that we won't need much. We will live based on what we need. What's necessary.
We need to learn to be content.
Duh, here I've had Philippians 4:12 at the end of every post since I started this blog!
So we decided we needed to officially add it to our "mission statement" and start focusing intentionally about being contentment - because it really goes hand in hand with our dream of living simply.
Tomorrow I'll be posting Part II on Contentment. Focusing on: "Why do we buy stuff?"
Thank you following along on our journey to simplicity & contentment. Please be sure to learn about our family, like our page on Facebook, and visit the right column to subscribe to our posts :)
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."
I created a visual list to hang up as a reminder of all the things that I want to accomplish every day. Things that I want to do and need to do, but often forget or that get pushed aside.
My Daily Intentions:
Begin each morning with hydration & supplements (1 glass of room temperature water + FCLO + probiotic)
Pray & Praise God before anything else
Enjoy a green smoothie
Have a "plan of attack" or list to accomplish, but be okay with altering part or all of it when the kids need you
Breathe Deeply
Go outside and play
Drink the homemade broth, it's good for you
Leave your cell phone where you can hear it, but you can't see it
Do 30 minutes of physical activity (whether it's chasing a toddler up the stairs or going to the gym)
Spend 20 minutes preparing for tomorrow
Go to bed before midnight. Seriously.
I got this idea from my friend Annette on Instagram. Some are health related, some are spiritual related, other are parenting related. As some become second nature and I think of more, I'll update it.
What things would be on your list? Will you make one and post it somewhere intentional as a reminder?
Thank you following along on our journey to simplicity. Please be sure to learn about our family, like our page on Facebook, and visit the right column to subscribe to our posts :)
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."
At the end of a busy weekend it's easy for my husband and I just to sit down in our chairs with a drink, turn on the TV, and zone off into our computers for a few hours.
But tonight, we decided we needed something different.
We (okay, I) decided to rent a movie and watch it together. Usually there's a movie playing on TV, but tonight we watched it intentionally.
No cell phones, no laptops, no sitting a crossed the room.
We sat together, laughed and enjoyed each others company for the first time in a long time.
Thank you following along on our journey to simplicity. Please be sure to learn about our family, like our page on Facebook, and visit the right column to subscribe to our posts :)
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."
