For me, making my bed is a huge deal. Not because I'm a neat freak and need to have it made everyday, but rather because I look at it as a motivator for my day.

Let me explain. 

I always make my bed. No, it doesn't happen first thing in the morning (usually the carpenter gets up after I do), but nonetheless, I always make it a priority to get it done. It's an easily accomplished task that doesn't take very long, and for me, has an important emotional reward.

As a mom, my days can be filled with a bit of uncertainty. Who knows if Daniel will take two naps. Who knows if he will be cranky all day, and want to be held, or if he will contentedly play by himself for long stretches of time. Will he happily sit in the cart as we walk through the grocery store? Will he hangout while I do the dishes? What time will he wake up? On and on, there are so many questions that I ask myself during the day. And while I am so thankful for my little boy, sometimes I can get bogged down by the spontaneity of the day. And sometimes, because of said spontaneity, I get very little done around the house. 

So making my bed, yea...that is an easy thing that I can accomplish and feel like I have done at least one house related thing during the day. It also starts me off on the right foot: thirty seconds and I feel motivated to attack whatever that day may hold. 

Does that make sense at all? 

As someone who constantly struggles with motivation, tasks that are easily achievable help to encourage me. I may not have moved mountains, but I did something. The rest of our bedroom may look horrible, but at the end of the day, when I climb those stairs and head to bed, I'm greeted by a glimpse of order and peacefulness. And on a day when I may feel like nothing else was accomplished, a made bed is the only reminder I need that I, in fact, did accomplish a lot. 

I know I'm not the only one who has a task that they aim to accomplish everyday. I'd love to hear what makes it on your "must do daily" list. Is it doing the dishes at night? Is it making sure you have had your cup of coffee? Do you have to layout an outfit for the next day, every night? Please leave me a comment and let me know what your chosen task is! And with that, I'm off to make my bed :) 

This morning...

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I have been awake since five o'clock this morning. I was dead asleep until I heard that faint cry over the baby monitor. You know the one. The one that makes a mama's heart leap and sleep suddenly evades you. I love this moment. Even though I don't really want to escape from my nice, warm bed, I do so with ease. My little boy needs food and I'm not going to keep him waiting--I've waited all my life for this moment.

The early morning quiet is like nothing else. I think I may be a morning person--once I'm up that is. The beauty of a waking world is never lost on me. When we are in the middle of nowhere, at our cabin, the mornings are my favorite time. I wake to the sound of the lapping water as it gently tugs at the shore side. I listen to the birds sing and the gentle breeze rustle the pine trees. The coffee begins to percolate and everything starts to slowly move. The sun casts beautiful colors across the sky and all I want to do is sit, watch, and wait for the moment that it breaks the horizon.

I love these types of mornings. After he goes back to sleep, his tummy full to the brim, I am able to enjoy the quiet and stillness of the early day. My man is asleep, the dogs are still curled up, and the coffee just tastes and smells so good. I sit and read and absorb the goodness of life. I listen to an occasional car swish past on their way to work. But mostly, I submerge myself in the silence. Thank you Lord.

January 1st, 2014

I couldn't find the original post, but I believe this is from this blog

2014. 

Here we go...a whole new year. I had to literally hand-write "January 1st, 2014" this morning, because I wanted to see what it looks like. I know that may seem strange, but when you put pen to paper, things seem to become more real. More tangible. I'm a very visual person. 2014 is officially here. 

Usually I take this day to look back on the goals that I had for the past year and come up with new ones for this coming year. But, looking back, I didn't have any goals from this past year. 

At the beginning of January 2013 I was a bit consumed by the fact that I was finally pregnant -- and didn't really take the time to make any goals. Instead, I tried to focus on enjoying every moment of my pregnancy. And focus I did. I absolutely loved being pregnant and cannot wait to be again! After the first trimester exhaustion (which really wasn't that bad), I felt like a new person. My energy levels were awesome and I felt really great physically and mentally. So, I guess my unmentioned goal was accomplished. 

So, for 2014 I think it is appropriate to give myself a few things to focus on. I am realizing, now more than ever, that being a mom is a huge task. Not only does it involve a big lifestyle adjustment, but it also involves a huge mental adjustment. Truly, I think I have handled both decently. But there is always room for improvement. 

I have a few goals in mind that focus on who I want to be as Daniel's mother and the lifestyle that I want him to know. I want him to grow up in a family that is active and healthy in many aspects of life. I want it to be second nature for him to pick up and read his Bible on a daily basis. I want him to enjoy healthy, whole foods. I want him to know exercise as a fun, everyday activity rather than a tedious, scheduled task. I also want him to know happy and patient parents who have a solid foundation in the Lord and a heart for helping those around them. 

Man, those seem like lofty ideas. 

But you know what, they really aren't. I have already experienced a complete attitude change since Daniel has been born. I have a new perspective on my life. While waiting for God's timing in becoming pregnant, God cultivated a patient and understanding heart in me. Honestly, I look back on those two years and see the fact that I really wasn't ready for a child. I was too selfish to have a child. 

As this year begins, I am going to continue to let God work in me. I hope to tackle my addiction to food. Gluttony is a sin--and I'm the number one offender. I also hope to become even more hopelessly reliant on God. He is the only thing my soul truly needs and I need to stop trying to fill that void with other things. Finally, I want to make my family my hobby. I want to get as much enjoyment out of taking care of my husband and son as I would sewing, decorating, or crocheting. 

So it's January 1st, 2014.

Here. we. go. 

Goodbye 2013. Hello 2014.

As we get ready to start 2014, I am reflecting back on all that 2013 had to offer. It has been a good year. A really good year.

We went from announcing that we were expecting, to finding out we were going to have a boy,  to going through his semi-stressful delivery (more on that some day), and finally, to spending five whole months with our beautiful blessing. It has been quite the year. It has been the best year.

Our first family picture. Blurry, but I love it. 

I'm looking forward to 2014 though. I think it could be the best year yet. Jonathan and I will celebrate four years of marriage and seven years of being together, Daniel will turn one, Jonathan is going to participate in a Tough Mudder, I'm dreaming up big plans that involve becoming a healthier version of myself, and who knows, maybe by the end of the year we will be expecting baby number two (a mom can hope can't she? ;) ).

All I know is that I'm ready to ring in a new year and a new chapter in our lives! 

Welcome 2014, it's nice to meet you! 

Excuses.

Today I'm just feeling the urge to blog. There are so many things racing through my head. It's times like these that I wish I were a better writer. I need practice. In these moments I am able to formulate various blog posts without an issue. They sound great (in my head) and make tons of sense. But when I sit down to write them, they come out jumbled and confusing. Maybe if I took a few writing classes it would help. Fellow writers, any advice?

Moving on.

This time of year always has me thinking about the start of the new year. It's almost like a have a month to prepare for my new life. The start of a new year makes me want to be a whole different person. I find myself saying things like "from this day forward..." or "after today I won't...." Yea, then nothing ever happens.

I have been focusing on my motivation (or rather, lack there of) lately. I'm starting to realize that motivation isn't something you necessarily have, rather, it is something you do. Recently on Facebook, I asked a general question about motivation: "Where do you find your motivation?" The answers that I received back, were not what I expected. The majority of people said that they just. do. it.

Maybe Nike is on to something-ha!

Of course there were some very good ideas for holding yourself accountable and self motivation, but the comment that was the most frequent was to just put one step in front of the other. Maybe this is something that a lot of other people don't struggle with, but it is definitely something I do. I am able to generate a lot of ideas for things that I would love to do. They sound great in my mind and I think "oh that should be easy!" but then, when I attempt my idea, it turns out to be easier said than done. The process usually ends with a lot of excuses as to why I didn't accomplish my task. Anyone else have this problem? Please tell me I'm not alone.

Slowly God is doing His work in me. He is showing me, at a pace that I can handle, that all of my excuses are empty ones. They have no substance. They may be fears, shortcomings, or just plain nonsense that I have developed in order to justify my lack of motivation. When you really don't want to do something, or something becomes hard, it's easy to find a reason not to. I often find myself asking if it is really worth my time or energy. Rationalizing an idea away can be quite easy.

Trust me, I'm an expert at it!

All my life I have been concocting all sorts of reasons why I can't accomplish my on going to-do list. I don't want to do this anymore. By second guessing myself and coming up with excuses, I'm left believing that I'm incapable of doing a lot of things that I can definitely do. It's almost paralyzing to some degree. I think enough is enough. 

As this new year approaches, I have a new perspective. Not only to I want to focus on giving myself realistic tasks to accomplish, I also want to make sure that I'm not creating any excuses. I want to be sensible about what I want to tackle and set up a plan to finish those tasks. And when I start hearing myself make up excuses, I want to be able to immediately put an end to them. With a lot of prayer, focus, and understanding, I think 2014 will be completely different than 2013.

I'm excited! I'm excited to grow even more as a wife, mother, and follower of my heavenly Father. I'm excited to show my little boy how healthy his mom can be. I'm praying that God will continue to create in me the mother that my little boy deserves. I'm so thankful that through Him, and Him alone, I can be changed into an entire new person.

Thank you Lord for your amazing power and understanding. 

P.S. These pictures have nothing to do with the content of this post, but you have to have pictures right?