Intentional Updates

In my last post I shared about some things that I've been doing to be more intentional.  I thought in this post I would share an update on how some of those things are going.

The first is my Bullet Journal.  At this point we are three weeks in to February and I am finding my Bullet Journal invaluable.  I had some things that I wanted to keep track of as a way of creating better habits in my life.  

Some of the goals I had were:

• Drink more Water
• Read more Intentionally (outside of school)
• Listen to Podcast 1-2 times a week
• Intentional Whitespace
• Naps (yes, I often adult way too much and my body has started to let me know that)
• Eat more Salads

Water

I gave it some thought to how I would count things a success and how I would mark off my daily progress.  I found an awesome app for my phone called Waterlogged.  It's been a great way for me to track how close I come to my daily goal of 64 oz of water.  

I had a really bad habit of clicking on my Facebook app when I am bored or waiting.  As I decided to be more intentional one of the things I did was rearrange my phone apps.  In the place of the Facebook app where my finger would automatically go, I placed my Waterlogged app.  Now I think a lot about how I'm doing on my goal of water intake.  At the end of the day if I am within a few ounces of my goal I check it off as a successful day in my Habit Tracker in my Bullet Journal.  So far I have met my goal nearly every day and I'm feel much better for it!  My default is now water much more often than tea or soda.

Reading

The reading is a bit more challenging.  Some days I find myself struggling to get through my school work so when you add on caring for a toddler, who is potty training, and an 8 month old it can be trickier.  Since I draw the line at counting the ten times I read "Marvin K. Mooney, Will You Please Go Now" in one night, this one is progressing slightly slower, but I have successfully finished 3 books in the last couple of weeks.  

Hollow City

Library of Souls

(Both from Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children)

and

Breathing Underwater 

by Richard Rohr

Most of these I started in January, but I finished them up this month.

Podcast

  

At the first of this month I decided to make Podcast part of my monthly Habit Tracker.

I've wanted to listen to podcast for quite a while, but always struggled with how to make that happen. Enter the realization that I can plug my phone in to the USB port in my car and let the podcast play as I am driving.  Not a surprise that I can let it play, but hey, in our family we often just plug in the phone to see how many times the toddler wants to here "Gitchee Gitchee Goo" from Phineas and Ferb.

Finally!  An adult use for the USB!

Whitespace

This was really important for me after coming back from my personal retreat.  I knew coming back I needed to take care of myself better.  Taking care of myself means that I am a much better Mommy and Wife to those who live with me every day!  I am less cranky.  I can do more around the house.  Overall, I'm just a better person!

I have definitely developed a better pattern so far this month.  

I have always enjoyed wandering through our city's art museum so I took some time after an appointment last week just to wander around the IMA (Indianapolis Museum of Art).  

Another day I visited a local nature preserve and just sat on the lake for a short period (it was crazy cold that day!).

Another day I just watched movies I enjoy because I enjoy them at home.

Whitespace looks different for everyone, but it is a way to invest in your relationship with God by doing things that bring you joy.

Naps

I know this one sounds a little crazy and lazy, but one thing I have realized is that in the time since Eden was born I have pushed myself entirely too hard.  My body was screaming for rest long before  I gave it the rest it needed.  So I decided to start listening when my body says stop.  Now do not assume that because I am tracking it that I nap every day.  I don't!  I usually do take a few naps a week though just to care for my body.

Salads

This was just another goal I made to try to introduce more balance into my diet.  I thought that focusing on salads and water at the same time made sense as an easy first step for that.  

In addition to my habit tracker I have found the Daily Log a great resource in setting broad goals for myself each day.  It give me the flexibility to do it when I am able, but gives me some things that I can focus on for the day.  Some days I check everything off.  Other days things shift to the next day.

The second thing is we started our Finance Class last weekend.

It is a three week class so we still have two weeks to go, but it has been encouraging!  We realized there are a couple of things we need to work on ASAP, but we have the beginnings of a solid foundation to build on.  It's kind of nice to know those stupid mistakes from our 20's aren't going to haunt us the rest of our adult lives!  The great thing about the timing is that we are doing this right as our tax refund is coming.  We get to start being intentional with our tax return!  That's a good feeling.

So that's how our Intentional Life is going right now!  

Intentional Living

We are nearly a week into February and I am six weeks into my Intentional Year.

This year is especially exciting for me as my husband joined me in my word this year.  In previous years it has often felt like my word for the year trickled into our family over the course of the year, but this year is different. 

 We are doing this as a team!  

Now one thing you should know is my husband is my biggest cheerleader and my strongest support so when I choose a word for the year he supports it.  This year is so exciting though since he brings a whole different perspective to Intentional.

Not even 6 weeks into 2017, we have found some interesting ways to bring the concept of Intentional into our family life.

Some of those are....

• Bullet Journals
• Personal Retreat
• Date Nights/Days
• Budget 
• Finance Class
• Family Vacation

-Bullet Journals

I have always had good intentions in regards to using a planner.  Unfortunately, something always made those intentions fall through.  This year I had an amazing planner that I purchased last year.  I sooo wanted to start using it.  The down side was when I tried it caused my anxiety to flare up.  I would look at the ideal day I had mapped out and feel a sense of failure when the day didn't work out quite as planned.

Enter the Bullet Journal...

A Facebook group I am in introduced me to this idea.  The idea that I could combine all of the random notes I make with a schedule and a to-do list, was intriguing to me.  So I began to research...

While there are a variety of planners available, the thing I love about the bullet journal is that it can be whatever you need it to be.  Mine has the plans for birthday parties, to do lists, a habit tracker, my future log for the next 6 months and my daily log for the things I need or want to do each day, books I want to read and movies I want to see this year.  

For the initial introduction check out 

Bullet Journal - The Analog System for the Digital Age

There are other great ideas for finding the perfect set up for you on Pinterest and YouTube.

Using Bullet Journals is proving to be life changing for Dustin and I.  It has helped us move from a place of feeling like we are struggling to manage each day to being able to look at and prioritize what we need and want to get done on any given day.

-Personal Retreat

This one was hard for me at first.  It felt selfish to leave Dustin and the girls for a couple of days to go away by myself.  Dustin insisted it was something I needed though.  Since our daughter Eden was born 8 months ago I really have not stopped going.

So I made reservations and went away for 3 days and 2 nights to a retreat center near the church we attend.  When I walked through the door of my room there, I nearly cried.  It was like this massive weight of responsibility rolled off my shoulders.  For 3 days I had nothing to worry about except me. Someone else was cooking, cleaning and there were no diapers to change, bottles to fix or "hangry" screams from a 2 1/2 year old.  

In that time I was able to reconnect to God in a way that the craziness of life had prohibited in the previous days, weeks and months.  In those days I realized how right Dustin had been.  I needed to get away and talk to God so that I could come back and be a better mom and wife. 

If you have not tried a personal retreat yourself, you really should!  I came back from mine totally convinced I wanted to send Dustin in the next few months.  The busyness of life can make us lose connection with our God, who wants to have a deep and intimate relationship with us.  We think we are reading our required Bible verses, praying and assembling with other believers, but that is only part of connecting to God.  I found I had let the white noise of the world around me become just a little overwhelming and none of those things had the impact they have had since I came back.

Look for a local retreat center...  Some older Catholic schools have been converted for this purpose.  Two that I have been to and would recommend are:

Benedict Inn and Retreat Center

The Sisters of St Benedict - Ferdinand, Indiana

Really though, any place that gives you time with God will make a huge difference!  

-Date Nights/Days

One of the awesome things we started last year that ended up being some great prep work for htis particular topic, is a kid exchange.

We started trading kids once a month for a date night with another couple.  It's great for both of us since my oldest daughter adores the whole family and my youngest seems to have bonded with the husband of the couple! LOL

This actually does two things...

It gives the adults in the arrangement couple's time.

It lets the kids play and wear off some of that excess energy.

But it also puts some really awesome role models in my daughters lives outside of family.  

In addition to these date nights, we have grandmothers, cousins, aunts and uncles that love to spend time with our girls so we have begun to make date nights a regular investment for our marriage.

It can be easy to decide it's not worth the hassle to wrangle the kids or find a babysitter, but marriage deserves intentional investment.  You are not just investing in your spouse...  you are setting an example for your children on how to value their future husband or wife.

-Budget

From the moment we started planning our wedding and even before that Dustin and I have utilized a budget.  So the idea that we need a budget is not a question as much as how does a budget work best for us?

We love the Dave Ramsey principles and often reference them when we are making future plans.  One thing we realized early this year though is that we want to be more intentional with our money.  We want the way we spend our money to reflect our values.  

This one is still in the working stages to figure out how best to refine our budget and spending habits to fit our family, our values and not the least honor God with our resources.

Which leads to my next goal....

-Finance Class

Never believe that God does not think of what we need before we ask...

Our church, The Southeast Project, is currently doing a series on money/giving.

The thing I love about our pastor is he doesn't just give you the information, on a topic like money he typically manages to pair it with resources or opportunities to learn how to implement the things he is discussing in a practical, real world way.

This month that happens to be partnering with a church member, who is a financial coach and is willing to do Finance Classes.

Honestly, we had been waffling over whether we "had the time" to do them.  Then yesterday morning during service, God slapped us upside the head and yep... the beauty of technology... I signed up during service the moment God showed us we could not miss out on this opportunity. 

 (Side note: Technology can be what you make it, a distraction or a tool.  In this case it provided the opportunity for me to follow God's prompting in the moment without putting it off)

The last thing I mentioned is...

-Family Vacation

Travel and time spent as a family having fun is something we value in our family.  Because of that we decide that we need to start planning now for our family vacation to Hilton Head!  We had the opportunity for a cost effective vacation to a fun new location neither of us have visited.  We are soooo excited so we have decided to plan intentionally for that so we can enjoy ourselves without worrying.

Being Intentional about Fun is Important!!

Being Intentional we are discovering does not mean joyless responsible behavior.  It means planning so you can enjoy the fun times and knowing when buckling down and sacrificing is needed.  

Intentional Choices Lead to a Balanced Life!