They grow up so fast!
It's just now hitting me that my daughter is going to be three-years-old in a little over a month and I am losing it! How did this happen? Was it really three years ago I gave birth to this little bundle?
People have warned me about this...
"Enjoy them while they're young!"
Savor these moments, you'll want them back."
"These years go by so fast!"
When I heard these comments I played it off like, "yeah yeah," but it is true! They do grow up too fast and It has hit me smack-dab in the middle of my thirty-year-old forehead. So instead of freaking out about her birthday this year I decided to embrace, adapt, and continue to remind myself to savor these moments, every single day. I'm still very new to this mother thing, but below is a list of things that have helped me do this and because I am not perfect, I have to remind myself CONSTANTLY to visit my list.
How to savor the moment 101:
Step 1: Have a heap-pile of faith
I know this sounds cliche, but it is so true. Having faith removes the fear of the future and helps us trust that no matter what the future brings, God has our back.
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your
God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deut. 31:6 (NIV)
Step 2: Be flexible and adaptable
Having our heap-pile of faith allows us moms to be flexible. As a mom I feel this is a must,
especially as our children grow-up. Even though it's tough, we have to except the fact that our children will grow into adults and as they go through this process they need us less and less.
Instead of looking at this as a bad thing, I try to look at it as a positive thing. I want my daughter to become a self-sufficient adult who is an asset to society and I feel this is something all moms want and strive for. So instead of being sad about the fact that my daughter is turning three, my goal is to look at it as an adventure! Think of all things I can do with her in the upcoming year that I couldn't do last year because she was two. I have all the wonderful memories of my two-year-old daughter, now lets make some awesome three-year-old memories!
Step 3: Unhurry yourself
When we stuff our life with too many activities and things to do, it makes life move even faster that there is no time to even savor the moment at all! When I hear the schedules of some of the other families I know it makes my head want to explode! I've heard of some families only seeing each other for maybe an hour each day! The thing is though, I don't really have room to talk because before I was married I was a workaholic.....big time! I've really had to discipline myself to slow down and my reasoning was mostly out of necessity. I was diagnosed with IBS the summer of 2016 and one of the key components in healing IBS is rest...slowing down...not overdoing it. I even still catch myself at times trying to do too much (I'm basically have to unlearn twenty-seven years of a bad habit) and it takes someone on the outside such as my husband to tell me, "slow down! you're doing too much!" We live in a culture that encourages business to the extreme. Learning to slow down takes a conscious effort and really taking a step back and asking the question....
What is important to me?
Below is a book that has really helped me with this one. For more information click here.
Step 4: Learning to be content in the present
We as human beings have always yearned for more.... more money, more house, more from a career, more kids (or maybe not), more technology...more, more, more! And on top of all that ambition and the need for more, we are becoming a society that spends all of your time in front of a screen whether that be a cell phone, computer, tablet, smart watch, what have you, which feeds our dependency on being entertained twenty-four-seven. All of these components mixed together make it ten times harder to find contentment in the present. To help reach this level of contentment we have to find quiet... enjoying a cup of coffee on the porch with no music, phone, Facebook, etc. Sitting in your living room with a good book and no television on in the background. Going for a walk down the road and leaving your cell phone/ music at home and just enjoying the sound of the birds and the wind. The second component in finding true contentment in the present to to relinquish complete control over to God. It takes some serious trust. Trust that goes beyond our humanness and can only be accomplished through the power of Messiah.
"Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?" Luke 12:22-26 (NIV)
Step 5: Choose Joy!
I grew up believing that happiness just comes to you... It shows up in a pretty little box with a bow and when you open the box "JOY" pops out and absorbs into you life without any effort. Boy was I wrong. I have since learned that happiness is a choice. It's something that you have to choose with conscious effort and it all begins in the mind. Your attitude can really make or break a day and what's worse is that your attitude rubs off on those around you. I've seen it in my marriage. If I am in a bad mood it rubs off on my husband and his mood turns sour. Sometimes taking a time out, removing myself from the situation for a few minutes is enough to reset, but other times the issue runs much deeper. I am currently working through book that has really helped me with this and is listed below. For more information click here.
Wrap-Up!
In conclusion this list is a work-in-progress and I continue to learn, adapt, change, tweak as I mosey through this crazy, exciting, up-and-down adventure we call life. I would love to hear any of your suggestions and ideas on how you savor the moment. Please leave them in the comments below.
Happy day to you!
Photos by Greeting Tree Farm
People have warned me about this...
"Enjoy them while they're young!"
Savor these moments, you'll want them back."
"These years go by so fast!"
When I heard these comments I played it off like, "yeah yeah," but it is true! They do grow up too fast and It has hit me smack-dab in the middle of my thirty-year-old forehead. So instead of freaking out about her birthday this year I decided to embrace, adapt, and continue to remind myself to savor these moments, every single day. I'm still very new to this mother thing, but below is a list of things that have helped me do this and because I am not perfect, I have to remind myself CONSTANTLY to visit my list.
How to savor the moment 101:
Step 1: Have a heap-pile of faith
Photo by Greeting Tree Farm
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your
God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deut. 31:6 (NIV)
Step 2: Be flexible and adaptable
Yes this actually happened to me and no, I was not in the car...thank goodness!
Photo by Greeting Tree Farm
Having our heap-pile of faith allows us moms to be flexible. As a mom I feel this is a must,
especially as our children grow-up. Even though it's tough, we have to except the fact that our children will grow into adults and as they go through this process they need us less and less.
Instead of looking at this as a bad thing, I try to look at it as a positive thing. I want my daughter to become a self-sufficient adult who is an asset to society and I feel this is something all moms want and strive for. So instead of being sad about the fact that my daughter is turning three, my goal is to look at it as an adventure! Think of all things I can do with her in the upcoming year that I couldn't do last year because she was two. I have all the wonderful memories of my two-year-old daughter, now lets make some awesome three-year-old memories!
Step 3: Unhurry yourself
Photo by Greeting Tree Farm
When we stuff our life with too many activities and things to do, it makes life move even faster that there is no time to even savor the moment at all! When I hear the schedules of some of the other families I know it makes my head want to explode! I've heard of some families only seeing each other for maybe an hour each day! The thing is though, I don't really have room to talk because before I was married I was a workaholic.....big time! I've really had to discipline myself to slow down and my reasoning was mostly out of necessity. I was diagnosed with IBS the summer of 2016 and one of the key components in healing IBS is rest...slowing down...not overdoing it. I even still catch myself at times trying to do too much (I'm basically have to unlearn twenty-seven years of a bad habit) and it takes someone on the outside such as my husband to tell me, "slow down! you're doing too much!" We live in a culture that encourages business to the extreme. Learning to slow down takes a conscious effort and really taking a step back and asking the question....
What is important to me?
Below is a book that has really helped me with this one. For more information click here.
Step 4: Learning to be content in the present
Photo by Greeting Tree Farm
We as human beings have always yearned for more.... more money, more house, more from a career, more kids (or maybe not), more technology...more, more, more! And on top of all that ambition and the need for more, we are becoming a society that spends all of your time in front of a screen whether that be a cell phone, computer, tablet, smart watch, what have you, which feeds our dependency on being entertained twenty-four-seven. All of these components mixed together make it ten times harder to find contentment in the present. To help reach this level of contentment we have to find quiet... enjoying a cup of coffee on the porch with no music, phone, Facebook, etc. Sitting in your living room with a good book and no television on in the background. Going for a walk down the road and leaving your cell phone/ music at home and just enjoying the sound of the birds and the wind. The second component in finding true contentment in the present to to relinquish complete control over to God. It takes some serious trust. Trust that goes beyond our humanness and can only be accomplished through the power of Messiah.
"Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?" Luke 12:22-26 (NIV)
Step 5: Choose Joy!
I grew up believing that happiness just comes to you... It shows up in a pretty little box with a bow and when you open the box "JOY" pops out and absorbs into you life without any effort. Boy was I wrong. I have since learned that happiness is a choice. It's something that you have to choose with conscious effort and it all begins in the mind. Your attitude can really make or break a day and what's worse is that your attitude rubs off on those around you. I've seen it in my marriage. If I am in a bad mood it rubs off on my husband and his mood turns sour. Sometimes taking a time out, removing myself from the situation for a few minutes is enough to reset, but other times the issue runs much deeper. I am currently working through book that has really helped me with this and is listed below. For more information click here.
Wrap-Up!
In conclusion this list is a work-in-progress and I continue to learn, adapt, change, tweak as I mosey through this crazy, exciting, up-and-down adventure we call life. I would love to hear any of your suggestions and ideas on how you savor the moment. Please leave them in the comments below.
Happy day to you!
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