Getting Ready for Writing

It seems to me that whenever I start a project, family matters overcome them. I have a hard time finishing through my writing when I'm continuously with my family. We were in Vermont last week, and I was so consumed with doing activities with everyone that my 31 day writing challenge got away from me.

I suspect I need to create quick rituals for getting ready to write. For instance, right now, I'm taking the cue of my children having TV time to tell me to get my fingers moving across the keyboard. I set a timer, and go.

I guess my question to myself is, "What do I need to get ready to write?" And, "How can I make it fit in to days when the kids are home from school?" Because right now, most of my writing happens when I'm alone.

Getting Ready for a Day Trip

Today, the children and I are exploring while Daddy is at his conference in the hotel. I look out the hotel room window, and we can see Lake Champlaign. We can see the Echo Aquarium we're going to from our window as well!

Now that we're here, if I packed well, I should be able to reasonably easily get us ready for our day. I think the only thing I forgot was plastic spoons for the instant oatmeal. Oh well. I hope we can grab some at the front desk.

I packed small bags for each kid to carry. We have lots of snacks, water bottles, homework and rain coats. And purell. I got them each a surprise bottle of purell to carry.

So we're off to explore!

Getting Ready for Vacation

Vacations, no matter how small, require some getting ready. Today has been my day of getting ready for our three day mini-vacation. The kids and I are joining my husband on his business trip to Vermont (in peak color season, no less!). Pool, activities, we can't wait.

But vacations need preparations. If we want to swim, we need swim things. Clothes, sleepwear, medications, all need to be organized! I can only imagine if I weren't organized, it wouldn't be a very fun vacation.

What is on your list to get ready today?

Getting ready to meet God

Yom Kippur is probably not the most "fun" Jewish holiday out there. Its certainly the Holiest of days. Its certainly somber and hard. No, its not fun.

Taking a day to fast, to avoid eating and drinking, brings people to an extremely vulnerable place. In this vulnerable place, the place where we realize our human dependence on food and drink, we become grouchy and irritable. How can I be expected to meet God in this condition?

Maybe that's the point. We come through the caffine headaches and slight dehydration, low-blood sugar moods and dry throats, and even in that condition, God loves me and wants to meet with me.

So may we be inscribed in the book of life for a good year. I'm thankful for the grace of God through Yeshua our Messiah that I'm not dependent on my own goodness. Even on the holiest of days, I can't get away from myself. Only through Him can we draw near to God,

Getting Ready for Yom Kippur

Today is a busy day for people in the Jewish world. Tonight begins Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. In my imagination, getting ready for Yom Kippur brings to mind all sorts of spiritual readiness. There IS plenty of spiritual preparation, but today, I'm going to discuss the other side of the coin. Physical preparation, I suppose we can call it. Here is a general list of what I need to accomplish today.

1. Stay Hydrated Before the Fast. When you get yourself ready for a fast, first of all, you want to make sure you're hydrated. So I need to drink lots of water today!
2. Prepare Food for the Children. I have children who will not be fasting during Yom Kippur. This means I should have meals at the ready for them so I don't have to mess with food. I remember one year I failed to prepare for the break-fast before the day of Yom Kippur, so I boiled some pasta. To test its doneness, I tasted it. Oops. That wasn't in the plan. So to avoid licking peanut butter off the knife when I make my kids some sandwiches, I should do so before I start fasting.
   
3. Prepare for my part in the break-fast potluck. I'm bringing Challah and orange juice. The challah needs to be done baking before I pick up the kids from school on Friday, for my own sanity!
4. Jonah DVD. I'm bringing the Jonah DVD for the children all to watch during the sermon.
5. Activities for my children, especially my 5 year old. It's a long day at synagogue. They'll need something to keep them busy.
6. Medicines, as needed. If we're not going to be home, I need to have any meds I'll need for the day.

Sometimes I feel that in the doing of things to prepare for a Jewish Holiday, you can miss the point of the day. On the other hand, the physical acts done to prepare can also enhance the spiritual experience of the day. If I'm prepared now for tomorrow, tomorrow should run smoother. May those of us who fast tomorrow have an easy fast!

Getting Ready :: Routines

Routines have in the past been the bane of my existence. I mean, where's the fun in the schedule? I'd rather not be told what to do, even by myself. But life tends to work more smoothly with routines. When I was newly married I discovered Flylady. One of the points she made was that whether we schedule them or not, we all have routines. Those are the things we do consistently. Sleep in late, make dinner late, rush to school at the last minute  - these can be routines as much as good routines of getting the dishes and laundry completed.

The first step in reforming routines is to get ready. It can be as complicated as a spreadsheet, or just a note or two on a piece of paper. I have come to realize that if I do a couple of specific tasks the very first thing when I wake up, specifically preparing my son's formula, my morning runs much smoother.

Because then when things go askew(there's always something), you have some space to handle it.

If you have to run find the hair dryer to dry off homework that accidentally was spilled on, at least other parts off the morning ran automatically with routines.

31 Day Challenge 2014::31 Days of Getting Ready

Welcome to my 31 days Challenge. Thank you for reading along. I'm going to focus this month on getting ready. So many parts of life can be made easier when we take a little time to get ready for the next thing. I don't mean that we need to keep our noses in the future, rather, we have to have an eye on the future to anticipate the next need. I know that dinner happens nightly. I shouldn't be surprised that I have to prepare it for my family (it's part of my job). Life works more smoothly when it's planned.

Join me as I touch on different ways we can be ready for some of the things that life throws our way.

Getting ready::routines

31 Days Challenge October 2014

Last year I participated in the Nester's 31 day challenge. The challenge is, for the month of October, to write daily. I did a pretty decent job last year, writing almost daily. I found myself thinking ahead to this challenge in the middle of summer this year. Although I have barely written since the end of June, I chose a topic midsummer, and was eager to start brainstorming. I find that this type of writing gets the juices flowing for me, and gives me more purpose. So. I'll be here a great deal in the days to come. 

Let's Get Ready!!!

I did it!

When I dropped off my kindergartner yesterday, his friends were all excited about October 31.

"It's pajama day!" "AND it's Halloween!" "AND it's the last day of October!"

Wow! A lot of things to happen all on one day!  For me, however, this October 31 is extra special. I followed through on the 31 day challenge. I completed 31 days of being me.

One of the reasons I started was to get into a rhythm of writing, and to be comfortable with myself as a writer. I think I've accomplished that.  I also wrote for almost all 31 days. I'm proud of myself. 

Give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done these days!

Thinking about the day that went wrong

The Nester created the 31 day writing challenge.  I'm looking forward to joining in and pushing to the end of 31 days with a breath of fresh air of creativity. To get my writing flowing, I'm writing 31 Days of Being Me.

So as I thought about my day yesterday, and all the things that went wrong, I realized something.  The things that stuck with me today were not the things that went wrong yesterday, but the things that went right.

I'm so thankful for all the little things that went well.  Toilet paper in the house is a good thing.  The yogurt I needed to get, I had previously found at Stop and Shop for $1.39.  At Walmart, they were $1 apiece!  At the farm, I bought some farm-fresh maple syrup.  I had forgotten how incredibly delicious real maple syrup is!  And dinner out at Denny's last night was a nice way to end a crazy day.

In life, we have choices to make.  We can choose to wallow in the negative, or we can pick up on the positive and focus on that.  When I decide to wallow, I get really crabby.  When I decide to focus on the positive, my day gets better, and I can enjoy the little things in life.

Pick one thing that makes you happy in the midst of all the craziness.  Hold on to that.  Count your blessings, and see where that takes you!

day twenty-six: Shalom Y'all
day twenty-seven: When, not if
day twenty-eight: On Waiting
day twenty-nine: Not quite the day I intended
day thirty: Thinking about the day that went wrong

Not quite the day I intended

The Nester created the 31 day writing challenge.  I'm looking forward to joining in and pushing to the end of 31 days with a breath of fresh air of creativity. To get my writing flowing, I'm writing 31 Days of Being Me.

Today was supposed to be my day to focus and get things done at home.  I had plans for coffee with a friend after dropping off the kids, which went as planned.  After that, I was supposed to accomplish many loads of laundry, organize food for the rest of the week, and so on and so forth.  Home work?

A few minutes after I came home from my coffee, I got a call from the fifth grade teacher.  My oldest, who has a feeding tube, had a leak spring in the formula bag.  (Remember my normal days?)  Daniel turned off his pump, but the bag was leaking all over the place.  Not only did the bag leak, they were at a field trip on a farm on a chilly day.  The poor teacher didn't know what to do.  So.  I had to drive 2o minutes to the Orchards to save my son...my son's teacher, actually!

Then, I had to run some errands, (we needed toilet paper.  desperately.) and give my husband a ride back to work from the car dealership.  With that, I got home in time to make a smoothie for my lunch, grab my music and Naomi's dance bag, some sandwiches for after school snacks, and leave again.

It wasn't quite the day I intended, but it turned out quite nicely anyway.  I discovered that there is still a Walmart in the area with a fabric section!  Yay!  I had some extra time with my husband on our 13th wedding anniversary.  We went to Denny's for dinner.  Since it was Tuesday, the kids ate free.  Eating out forced me to sit with the family instead of putzing around the kitchen before dinner.  

But here I am.  After one of those days, I'm here, pushing forward, doing what I have to do.  What about you?


day twenty-five: Five Minute Friday :: Together
day twenty-six: Shalom Y'all
day twenty-seven: When, not if
day twenty-eight: On Waiting
day twenty-nine: Not quite the day I intended

On waiting

The Nester created the 31 day writing challenge.  I'm looking forward to joining in and pushing to the end of 31 days with a breath of fresh air of creativity. To get my writing flowing, I'm writing 31 Days of Being Me.

I don't have a ton of posts hanging out in my drafts, but this is a post I put together in June during concert season.  Today I barely missed the 12:45 bus home, and had to wait until past 1 for the next bus.  At that point, I remembered this post I'd written:

Tonight I had rehearsal, and stayed downtown, while my family went home for dinner, and came to get me again when I was done.  I found a ledge to sit on to wait, and waited.  While I was waiting, I watched the Yale shuttle pass me twice.  Part of me wanted to hop on the bus and go, but it wouldn't take me home, no matter how much I'd want it to.  I had a ride coming, a direct line to my home, full of people I love on the way to just get me.  I wondered what the people around me waiting for the shuttle thought when I didn't get on.  Not much after perhaps noticing I wasn't joining them.

It occurred to me as I waited that this is like life: sometimes parts of life are like waiting for a ride.  You need to get somewhere (home), or accomplish something.  There are many options to take.  Some look great, but you have to make sure the options will take you where you need to go. Taking the bus that goes east won't help you if home is in the west. Taking a bus may be less effective than having a friend get you.  

Knowing what you want in life is important, as important as knowing your address.  When opportunities come past, you can filter them like you filter the shuttle that comes by.  Will this opportunity (job, relationship, purchase, etc.) lead me to my desired outcome (happiness at work, enough money, friendship, marriage, debt-free).

It is more challenging to filter opportunities in life the way you do when you pick your bus, but the process is the same.  Where do I want to go? Where does God want me to go?  Will this take me there? If it doesn't, then I will not hop aboard. 

The others waiting on the corner with me can go that way if they like, but not me.  I may have to wait longer, but my ride comes to take me home, exactly where I need to be.

Where do you need to be? Which ride will take you where you need to go?

day twenty-three: Inspired
day twenty-four:
day twenty-five: Five Minute Friday :: Together
day twenty-six: Shalom Y'all
day twenty-seven: When, not if
day twenty-eight: On Waiting

When, not if...

The Nester created the 31 day writing challenge.  I'm looking forward to joining in and pushing to the end of 31 days with a breath of fresh air of creativity. To get my writing flowing, I'm writing 31 Days of Being Me.

I'm not the hugest baseball fan, but my dear husband follows just about all things news and sports. Did you hear the one about James Taylor singing the national anthem to open Game 2 of the World Series?  He made a mistake.  He started singing America the Beautiful, but quickly recovered to what he was supposed to sing.



Because people, even professionals, make mistakes.   Being a professional means that you make fewer mistakes than most, and you are able to recover from mistakes quicker than others.  This video link calls James Taylor's performance a Epic fail.  I think it's an epic recovery.

Its not a matter of if you make a mistake or not.  Everyone makes mistakes.  The question is, when you make a mistake, can you recover well and move on?  This principle can be applied to just about every part of life: in parenting, in housekeeping, in your job, in your relationships.  When you make a mistake, are you able to make it right?

I think James Taylor did a nice job getting back to what he was supposed to be doing.  Don't you?

day twenty-three: Inspired
day twenty-four:
day twenty-five: Five Minute Friday :: Together
day twenty-six: Shalom Y'all
day twenty-seven: When, not if

Shalom Y'all

Friday night brings the Shabbat. From sundown Friday night to sundown Saturday night, scripture asks us to give a day to God - to turn away from our own paths and turn to His.  In college, I fell in love with the idea of a family honoring God every week at the dinner table.  I thought that this would become the built-in time and place for my future family to talk about God.

Shabbat has truly become a rhythm in the life of my family.  As we grow and develop as a family unit, our needs change, but the day of rest comes.  Some weeks we are formal, some weeks we are informal. This week was very informal, but no matter what we do, Shabbat arrives.

With that, Shabbat shalom, friends!

Five Minute Friday :: Together

I'm linking up again to Lisa-Jo Baker's blog where she hosts a Five Minute Friday Party where she invites other bloggers to write freely for five minutes.  This week, the prompt is together.

GO

Together we go to the Fall Bash at school.  Costumes on, cash on hand for the PTO-provided dinner of hotdogs, drinks and juice.  It's not our usual Friday night dinner, but we were together, and that's what's important.

Together with other parents and kids, we got together in the gym and enjoyed each other.  A couple of pumpkin crafts later, some face painting, and dancing, we come home, together.  Exhausted.

Shabbat is about being together.  Sometimes, not always, but sometimes, it is good to do something different and say "yes" to an event on our special family night.  We did something different together tonight, and it was exactly what we needed.

STOP

I write slow today, so that was five minutes.  It is good to be together, and fun.  I love my family.







day nineteen: Shabbat Shalom!
day twenty: Zoo Day
day twenty-one: Memories
day twenty-two: Spelling Words
day twenty-three: Inspired
day twenty-four:
day twenty-five: Five Minute Friday :: Together

Inspired

The Nester created the 31 day writing challenge.  I'm looking forward to joining in and pushing to the end of 31 days with a breath of fresh air of creativity. To get my writing flowing, I'm writing 31 Days of Being Me.

I realized a few minutes ago how inspired I am by the wonderful people on the internet.  I feel that I've gained friends, sisters, that I've never met, and may never meet.  

Today, I thought about a blogger while I was grocery shopping with my meal plan. (Thinking about Don't Waste the Crumbs today, but so many blogs have talked about this!)

Today, I made pretzels, after learning that my entire family likes them.  We spent $11 at the pretzel shop on the road yesterday. Jessica from Life as Mom, has a great recipe to try.  Which I did.

Today, I'm here, writing, making art.  I also spent the better part of two hours making music, practicing piano, guitar, ukulele, and doing vocal warm-ups.  Thank you, Simple Mom, The Nester, and Chatting at the Sky for inspiring me to make art and pursue it.

Why blog?  For community.  We change each other's lives when we put ourselves out there.  So thank you, I'm inspired.

day nineteen: Shabbat Shalom!
day twenty: Zoo Day
day twenty-one: Memories
day twenty-two: Spelling Words
day twenty-three: Inspired

Spelling Words

The Nester created the 31 day writing challenge.  I'm looking forward to joining in and pushing to the end of 31 days with a breath of fresh air of creativity. To get my writing flowing, I'm writing 31 Days of Being Me.

Remember spelling homework in third grade?  Did you love writing sentences or stories with your spelling words?  I did.  I actually sometimes miss it as I watch my daughter enjoy it as much as I did.  So.  Why shouldn't I just go ahead and do it anyhow???  So fiction, here we come:)

The words:

gnarl gnome knee problem cell ever germ gnat gym knit birds cent gel glance gnaw knack knob bounce compute gem

"What's the problem little one?"  I bounce my baby on my knee.  It doesn't ever end.  Everyone needs something just about every other minute.  Not that I don't love it.  I love it.  It's just a little overwhelming sometimes.  A few minutes later, the trouble has passed, and the little one toddles over to the window.  "Bird," she points.  She gnaws on her sleeve as she watches out the window.  I glance at her as I wash the dishes.  She has a knack for breaking all my defenses.  I may get frustrated at all the interruptions, but I suppose it's worth it.  Nah.  I see the gnarl in her hair. It's really worth it.

This age is so sweet.  Everything is an adventure to a two-year old.  My darling little one is such a gem. I actually finish the dishes before another interruption, and I scoop up my little one.  They tell me to appreciate these moments, that they'll be gone before you know it.  The words gel with me, even on the tough days.  I rub my daughter's knit sweater and compute.  In ten years, she'll be twelve, almost a teenager!  And I'll probably look back over the years and miss the stage I worried about germs on the pacifier.

She jumps down to run in the backyard, sneaking up on the garden gnome.  I check my cell for messages.  I pull the knob shut behind us. Off the the gym.  If I'd only get a cent for every time I thought I was going, but didn't make it.  Brushing away the gnats, I sit down on the porch.  The gym will wait.  I'm going to enjoy my baby girl while she's still a baby.

Okay. So the story isn't quite the same as the stories that came out of me in third grade...or High School for that matter.  And it's not quite the story that comes out of my third grader now.

day eighteen: Five Minute Friday :: laundry

day nineteen: Shabbat Shalom!
day twenty: Zoo Day
day twenty-one: Memories
day twenty-two: Spelling Words

Memories

The Nester created the 31 day writing challenge.  I'm looking forward to joining in and pushing to the end of 31 days with a breath of fresh air of creativity. To get my writing flowing, I'm writing 31 Days of Being Me.

When you have a baby, the first few years are hectic. Then, another child comes along, and maybe a third.  If you're like me some things have taken precedent over others, such as having clean clothes, and food for meals.  After that, you can't deal with it.  I couldn't.  Not with a child with medical needs, a precocious middle child, and a little one who doesn't stay still.  So some things, like school papers and memories, were put in piles.  The piles were put into boxes, and the boxes sent to the attic.  Toys they no longer needed, but the baby might grow into were sent here, alongside CDs and cassettes.

This year, in my second year of kids at school, I am finally tackling the attic.  I'm being ruthless in what goes into the trash, but saving things to pass on.

One struggle I realized recently I have is that I keep things I've written, and things the kids have made, for far too long. I was wondering why I have trouble getting rid of things is that I don't want to get rid of things that tell my story.

My job now is to find a way to tell this story in a way that saves space and in a way that the story can be heard.  How do I preserve my memories (easily, mind you) and thereby clean the attic?

day sixteen: FlyLady

day seventeen: Koffee?
day eighteen: Five Minute Friday :: laundry
day nineteen: Shabbat Shalom!
day twenty: Zoo Day
day twenty-one: Memories

Zoo Day

The Nester created the 31 day writing challenge.  I'm looking forward to joining in and pushing to the end of 31 days with a breath of fresh air of creativity. To get my writing flowing, I'm writing 31 Days of Being Me. Part of who I am

"We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo, how about you, you, you, you can come too, too, too, we're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo."  Today, we took a family trip to the zoo, just the five of us.  Sometimes you just need a day away from the normal to be able to rest.

Between the Dinosaur Safari, Butterfly Garden, Monorail ride, Tiger Mountain, Carousel ride, and the drive to the Bronx, I'm shot, and the words are just not flowing today.  Happiness is a good day with the family!


day sixteen: FlyLady
day seventeen: Koffee?
day eighteen: Five Minute Friday :: laundry
day nineteen: Shabbat Shalom!
day twenty: Zoo Day

Shabbat Shalom!

Friday night brings the Shabbat. From sundown Friday night to sundown Saturday night, scripture asks us to give a day to God - to turn away from our own paths and turn to His.  In college, I fell in love with the idea of a family honoring God every week at the dinner table.  I thought that this would become the built-in time and place for my future family to talk about God.

Shabbat has truly become a rhythm in the life of my family.  As we grow and develop as a family unit, our needs change, but the day of rest comes.  Some weeks we are formal, some weeks we are informal.

With that, the table is ready. Shabbat shalom, friends!