At the end of 2011 I posted a To Do List for myself. I made my list public in hopes that it would keep me accountable, and of course, help me remember my year-long goals. So here's how I'm doing so far:
1. Run a 10K - Check. I actually completed this somewhat by accident and with no planning on my part. I was originally scheduled to run a 5K with a friend in early March. My friend wasn't able to get a spot in the 5K, but she found out that there were plenty of spots open in the 10K (to be clear, a 5K = 3.1 miles, a 10K = 6.2 miles eek!).There was no way I'd be able to run a 10K, but I reasoned that I'd rather walk most of a 10K than run alone in a 5K. So we both signed up for the 10K. We figured we'd run a bit and then walk the rest of the way. To our surprise, we actually ran most of the way. Which was shocking to me because I had not been able to train very much since we'd had a 3 month old just a few weeks before and currently had a one-week old - doesn't leave much time or energy for training! I'm going to count this one as my 10K for the year. I haven't run since that race, and don't see myself having much time for running anytime in the near future.
2. Spend at least 10 minutes one-on-one time with each of my kids every day. Pending. It is no easy task getting these boys away from each other! They have the same sleep schedules and otherwise play together all day. Occasionally one will sleep in while the other one is awake, and when that happens I'll purpose to spend time with them; we may read a book or we'll make breakfast and chat together. I saw one idea that I'm going to try to implement, which is to have one day a week for each child where they get to stay up past bedtime for 15 minutes. I'm thinking that's the only time I can make sure to get them alone with me!
3. Commit to eating only real food. Fail. I just looked back at what I wrote for my plan to cut out all processed food and sweeteners and I had to laugh at myself. These days, I'm lucky if I get something, anything, on the table each night. I have been trying to get a lot more veggies into our diets, especially after watching Forks Over Knives. But "quick" usually wins over "real". We'll tackle the switch to real food some other time.
4. Read the whole Bible again. Pending...possible fail. Having a newborn is really hard. I don't know how anyone who has a newborn finds time to read anything, let alone have a quiet time. So I've been taking short-cuts on my Bible reading. My reading plan wants me to read a few chapters from an Old Testament book (like Deuteronomy), one Psalm, a few paragraphs of a gospel (like Matthew), and a chapter of one of the letters (like James). Normally all of this takes about 20 minutes of reading. Now, instead of reading all the passages assigned for the day, I've been reading just a few paragraphs of a gospel and a Psalm, since I find those the most encouraging for the short amount of time that I have before someone starts crying or fighting. If I have more time, I'll read from one of my favorite books, like Philippians or Ephesians, even though they're not part of the plan. What I need most these days is comfort and encouragement. I'm probably not going to get through the Bible this year, and that's okay.
I can see how having a newborn in the house can wreak a havoc on the best laid plans. Very impressed that you ran 10K!
ReplyDeleteI think you get a pass on reading the Bible, you are living it! You are doing a very Christian thing by fostering children.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Amanda. I understand the sentiment behind what you're saying. But whatever good works I'm doing are happening only because God told me to and gave me the strength to do them. So it is very important to me that I live and breathe His Word. Without it, and without Him, I am nothing. Plus, nothing has driven me to prayer and searching the promises of His Word than this experience!
Delete"What I need most these days is comfort and encouragement. I'm probably not going to get through the Bible this year, and that's okay."
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who one time advised me to open my Bible to a passage and keep it on my kitchen counter/ironing board/wherever I'm most likely to come across it throughout my day and dwell on that passage. I think comfort and encouragement are where most moms of new babies are in their season of life and I think it's okay. At least you are READING IT!
And I agree with the idea that you give them each 15 minutes past their bedtime one night a week to spend some time with you. I need to get back to doing that with my crew!!!