Blogger Etiquette

One more...I just seem to have a 3 post minimum when I finally sit down and do it!

What is the etiquette say for blogging: When someone kindly comments on your blog, should I be going to their sites and commenting? I am reading the other blogs and just don't know if I should be commenting to let them know that I am reading. I know that it is fun for me to read what others say about my thoughts (i.e. blogs), but I just wasn't sure what everyone else thought about comments on others.

Just curious...

To Exercise or Not

Well, here I am a week later that I have promised myself I was going to exercise every day or at least 5 times a week. HA! Not happening in my world, or so it seems. Something that gives me a great sense of accomplishment after it is complete is one of the hardest things for me to get motivated to do. With about 15 pounds left to go before I get back to my pre-pregnancy weight, I should find that to be motitvational enough to get up and exercise! Wrong again! I need to get up in the morning and just get it done. When Robin and I go early in the mornings to walk/jog, I feel great all day! When we don't, I keep talking about doing it later. Later comes and goes and I still haven't gotten it done. I guess I could blame it on everything else that I think that I have to get done , but even I know that is not a good excuse. I sure do think about it a lot (see previous post). I probably would get more done because I would feel better. I wouldn't want to crash each night at 9:30 because I just feel exhausted. This is not a complaint, just a realization of my reality.

This is going to be the week....I am going to exercise and watch what I eat again. The only thing I am consistent with is that when I blow it (being my diet and exercise), I go all the way. We shall see!!!.

Calm in the Moment

I was sitting here tonight feeding Holden his bedtime bottle and not giving a second thought to him, but giving many second thoughts to everything else I need to get done. I wish I could just be calm in the moment and stay focused on just the one thing I am doing. My husband seems to do this so well. Maybe he is not, since I can't read his mind, but it just seems so. I am sure there are ways or even books that tell you how to do this effectively, but I am not sure they would help! I really need to work on just enjoying the moment that I am in and not worrying about what I am going to get done in the next. I enjoy Holden taking his bottle and just staring up at me until he drifts off into a peaceful sleep. What could be sweeter?! I need to enjoy that while turning everything else off around me, including the TV. Another example is talking on the phone to a friend and doing other things like reading my emails. I guess I don't want to waste a second. This is also a problem for me in my prayer time. I begin my prayers and before I know it I am making a grocery list or a to do list for the following day. Why is it so hard to turn it all off and just focus? I, at least, learned a trick from my friend Robin about praying which is to concentrate on the image of Jesus in my mind when I need to stay focused. This has helped my prayers, but now I need to work on every other time I am trying to multi-task at a time that needs to be only single tasked! This is my new prayer: learning to be calm in the moment!

Quiet Time

Tonight I pulled out my bible to check out Proverb 31 to see what Robin was pointing me too when she commented on my post. I realized yet again that I need QUIET TIME daily. Why is this so hard? I really enjoyed reading this chapter and sat here wondering why I don't do this everyday. Not to compare reading the bible to exercise, but in this way they are the same. Once you actually do it, you feel good about yourself and rewarded. When you don't do it, you get into a slump! Hmmmm!

My Sweet Family

How sweet it is....!!!

Christian Working Mom

Since my blog is mostly for me to blog about the trials of being a "Working Mother", I usually seek out information about this 'job description". I even subscribed to the magazine "Working Mothers" so I could get another perspective on how to handle the trials and tribulations that come along with this title. But, I think that my biggest struggle is trying to be sure that this is where God wants me to be. With giving that more thought, I decided to search the other blogs out there to see if there were other blogs that discussed being a working mom. I found one that is very interesting. She actually calls it Christian Working Mom blog (CWM) {how appropriate!}. Anyway, I don't know why working moms feel the need to justify working outside the home, but for some reason I do. I think that this blogspot gave me a great perspective on this subject by making the following statement: "If you are working because you need to financially, know that if God didn’t mean for you to work he could change your circumstances! And whether you work from necessity or choice, be strengthened in the knowledge that you are serving God by using the abilities he gave you. Work is not evil! " I definitely feel like God gave me talents that I am using at my job, so I need to be good with feeling satisfied when I have an accomplishment at work and not only look for my new identity in being Holden's Mom and all that comes with that. I know that my true identity is being a Christ follower, but I believe we all seek out other parts of our identity! I need to remind myself of the following verse periodically!

I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me. (Philipians 4:13)

There are two verses that give some food for thought.

Romans 8:28
We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.

Ephesians 6:8
Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

Friendship

I guess I am catching up for lost blogs tonight since I have posted 3 in one night! Oh well, Robin got me thinking after reading her blog tonight. I feel truly blessed that she considers me her best friend. That is a title that should not be taken lightly. I got to thinking about the fact that she said that we are different in so many ways, but what she failed to mention is how much alike we are. The fact of the matter is that a friend is a person that genuinely cares about you and your life, which she does. They also are there to offer up advice, even if it is something that you don't want to hear! They cry with you in your sad times, like trying to get pregnant for 6 years and feeling like a failure each month it did not happen! Or cry with you in your happy times, like having your baby and feeling overwhelming joy for you! They laugh at you and with you. A friend prays with you and for you! A friend wants to spend time with you even if you only have 5 minutes to spare. A friend has two sticks of butter when you want to make a cake for someone else...she won't even get to share in the sweet temptation! A friend allows us to talk about subjects that our husbands don't want to hear about! A friend wants us to have a date night with our husband and is willing to watch my child or children so we can have it! A friend tells you how to create a schedule for your new sleeping baby or how much food to feed them. There are so many things that a friend does or just who they are that matter so much more than the differences! It is nice to have differences because it will balance us out! What is also nice is that there may be one person to fill this role or several, but that is what makes having friends great! Robin was right, we probably should all work harder at deepening the friendships we have! Thank you, Robin for filling almost all of these roles and more in my life and to all of my other friends, I thank you too! I love you all!

Grasping at Life

I am learning so much every day! I can't believe that Holden is nearly 5 months old! I am learning that life now runs at WARP speed and I don't want to blink or I might miss something. I don't know how many other people feel this way about it, but now that I have a child, I am not sure I can keep up with everything going on around me. It is absolutely wonderful and breath-taking.

Holden is the source of all of my true amazement these days! If you would have asked me several months ago if I would be so interested in such milestones as Holden grabbing at toys, I would have told you no way! It is absolutely amazing to watch him grow and make these milestones! I can't even explain how happy it makes me to see him grab at his toys and actually enjoy playing with them! I am having such joy in my heart to watch him learn about his surroundings and become playful! I can't help but smile and laugh when he is smiling and cooing! I feel so good when he is belly laughing! I seriously want to stop whatever I am doing to just listen to him or encourage him to laugh more! No one could have told you that it was going to be this wonderful or you could have such joy in your life for simply seeing your baby grasping at the life around him! Again...all you can say to that is Praise God!

Blessed as a Working Mom

I think of the gift that I have been given...Holden and wonder sometimes how can I even go to work today. I think about all of the things in my life that I have been blessed with and I know that God has a plan for me. At this point, it includes me working outside the home. So on that note, I think even more of how much God has blessed my life in this arena. My job has allowed me to work at the house several days a week and take care of my son. Though this has been one of my biggest challenges since Holden was born, it is so worth it! (I believe the biggest is sleep deprivation!!!) On the other days, I have found someone to come into my house and watch Holden. I don't have to put him into Day Care yet. I was so torn about this and prayed for to be able to stay at home or have someone come to our house for child care. I don't think I have really sat back to take a look at answered prayers till now. Praise God! I prayed for a child and was blessed to have this beautiful baby boy. I asked God to help me sort things out when it came to working and that he has done. Though, if I could stay home with Holden and get to spend every moment with him and not worry about finances, I would give working up in a heartbeat. I know that it is not where I am supposed to be at this very moment, so I have the next best thing.

I also feel that being a working Mother has opened up my eyes to so many more things. I know that it is important to go to work and be there with everyone else and work together as a TEAM, but when the right people are in place, it doesn't matter where we do our job. I also found that I am surrounded by wonderful people both at home and at work. These friends want me to succeed and they make it possible for me to do well at both of my jobs. Some of the most influential people in my life I have met through working! This blessing can't be overlooked! I get so caught up in trying to make everything work all of the time, that I lose sight of the important things around me and that things are working! I will continue to pray for guidance because I know that this I can't do on my own. Thank you to everyone that helps me get through every day, even my fellow bloggers! God Bless!