MYM Challenge - Conclusion

So, I have spent the last month or so trying to maximize my mornings.  I love mornings and I need to make them count.  I need to spend time in the Word.  I’ve tried to get up before my family but I am finding that is not working for me.

This month has not been a waste.  Even though I’ve decided I’m not going to push myself to get up before my family, I have decided that if I do happen to be up, I am going to use that time to dig and to read and to study.  I am not going to waste that time online.  This last month I have read more scripture than I had in the previous 2 or 3 months combined.

I have found and developed a plan that works for my family for this time in our lives.  I will get up when I get up.  I will spend some time in the Word.  We will eat breakfast and clean up.  Then we will go for a walk to get the mail.  When we get back from that we will start some school work.  Then lunch.  Then clean up.  And naps.  And tidy up.  And supper and baths and bed.

I will continue to get more out of my mornings as my family changes and grows.  I will not give up on getting into the Word and exercising.  I will start getting up before my family in the near future.  I am making the effort.  And effort will bring changes.

Here are some tips from the ebook for a more successful start to your day:

1. Start simple. My “start simple” is to do just what I’m currently doing – doing what works for my family at this point in time.
2. No excuses.  My level of “no excuses” right now includes getting up, grabbing some water and reading my Bible/devotional book.  That is what I want my morning to start with each day.  If I have more time, I want to include some further reading and deeper studying.
3. Prepare.  To prepare, each night I need to lay out my clothing (happens most evenings) and my books.
4. Get uncomfortable.  I get out of bed and that is as uncomfortable as it gets.  I can’t stay in bed or curl up on the couch.  I read at my desk or at the dining room table.  If I do these things anywhere else my two year old wakes.  If the children are already awake, I don’t fall back to sleep anyway.
5. Plan.  I like to plan.  It is the follow through that I struggle with each day.

So even though I don’t have a set time that I will be getting up, I do have a plan and I am getting as much out of my wake up time as possible.

 

Still diggin',

MYM Challenge – Week 4

 

Week 3 Recap:

We started going for a morning walk.  The kids love it.  They hate when I decide against it on any given morning for whatever reason.  In the last 10 days or so I would say that we have gone for a walk 6 or 7 of those days.  We need to go more often.  I feel good on the days we do so.  The kids do too. 

Getting the mail has been great too.  We need to get better about actually writing some letters though.  And receiving packages might through a kink in things as the stroller can only carry so much, but we can always go home and return with the bus.

 

Week 4 – Create a Planning Routine

I have a “master calendar” in a couple of places.  I guess my "master-master” calendar is my Google calendar.  Everything is on there.  My next “master” calendar is my wall calendar.  In 2010, I bought my calendar from Flylady.net.  For 2011 I am planning to get a different but very similar one.  I just want a change and if I hate it, I’ll go back to Flylady’s.  All of our events and activities go on these two calendars and each person’s activities are color-coded.  Then on my desk I have a weekly calendar that I probably don’t need, but it’s easier to jot down notes and reminders on a desk calendar than to stand up and do so on the wall.  So a  couple of times a week I will make sure all of these are synced.

I do most of my planning in the evening, so that I’m ready for the next day.

I plan my menus in large chunks of time.  I use Google calendar for this task.  I have my menu all figured out from now until December 31, I think.  I modify it a little from week to week depending on our activities and desires on a particular night.  I also note on which days I’d like to do a mini- Big Cook.  A mini-Big Cook is when I make 7 or 8 of one meal and put the extras in the freezer for the weeks to come.

So my mornings do not consist of a lot of planning time.  I just have to re-check the calendar to see what the day holds and then get started.

 

Still diggin',

MYM Challenge – Week 3

Well, I’m just getting to posting about week three and it’s almost over.  I’m running a little behind as week two was hard on me.  You can read about week three on Inspired To Action.

Week 2 Recap:

As Michelle says in her post week 2 is often tough because the novelty wears off.  I can’t believe how tired I was.  There were a couple mornings I didn’t even try to get up at 7AM, my chosen wake up time.  I’ve also been struggling with kids suddenly waking earlier than they used to.  We are certainly working out the kinks.  All that being said, there was no way I could move on to the “homework” for week three.  But I’m there now.

My morning worship time comes in two parts.  First thing I get dressed.  Then I sit and read a chapter of Proverbs that corresponds with the day of the month – Chapter 22 on the 22nd.  (My Sabbath study has moved to other times in the day.)  Then when the house is starting to wake up, or when I want the house to start waking up, I turn on my music and we listen to that while eating breakfast and getting our morning work done.  This part didn’t go so well because I wasn’t getting up before the family.  We’re getting there, though.

Week 3 – Creating an exercise plan.

In talking with my friend, Christi I realized that starting with Billy Blanks’, Tae Bo might be a little ambitious.  She encouraged me to just start with going for a walk and trying to get it done in the morning.  Well, I kinda shot the idea down right away.  There is no way I’d get a walk in the morning without the kids.  Plus, it’s getting cold here.  I don’t wanna walk outside.

1. The workout.  Well, then I got thinking.  We can dress warm.  We can still go outside.  And, hey, I never get to the post office.  And I have trouble getting the kids focused on school in the morning.  Maybe this can work!  So I’ve decided to get us up and going by 8AM.  Breakfast done by 9AM and us out the door for a morning constitutional.  When we get back, it’s school time.  I love it!  I can see it working for me.  We’ll go to the post office and drop off any letters we’ve written and pick up what’s there.  In addition to walking with the kids, we have two exercise machines that I will be using while I watch TV or at other times throughout the day.

2. Make it fun.  Now, while walking outside in the cold weather with my 6 kids may not be fun, getting the mail and delivering our letters there is fun.  I can’t really listen to anything has I need to be able to hear and focus on my kids’ safety.  But I LOVE walking.  I have missed it so much during my last pregnancy and recovery.  I was just too tired to expend energy on anything other than my family and home.

3. The habit workout. My habit workout will be to jump on one of the machines that reside in our living spaces.  :)

4. Do something.  Well, I am going to make this work.  Even if we only walk to the end of the street and back because the kids are being miserable or the weather is not cooperating.

5. Set a goal.  Faster, no.  Farther, no.  Loose pounds and inches, YES!  Just to get out there, YES.  I just need to get active again.  And so that’s my main goal.  To loose pounds and inches and to just do something.

6. Workout music.  Well, I won’t be able to listen to these while walking, usually.  But sometimes we need to get pumped up to get some cleaning done, or to just dance around in the living room.  I’m gonna make a playlist on YouTube for that purpose.  There will be some Go Fish Guys songs in there.  We love them guys!  lol.  What music do you listen to while you exercise?

In the ebook, Kat gives some online exercise trackers and such things.  I’ll be checking them out in the next couple of days too.  However, week 4 is looming.  I think I may push week four back a little too in an attempt to not take on too much at once.

 

Still diggin',

MYM Challenge - Week 2

Week 1 Recap

Well, it was better than I thought it was going to be.  I would say that about half the time I got up at least a few minutes before Rayna.  Rayna’s my early bird.  I planned to get up at or before 7 AM.  I think there were only two mornings that I didn’t get up very close to 7.  In order to get up around 7 (or earlier) I need to get to bed by 11 PM.  I was successful most nights; in fact there were a couple of nights that I was in bed closer to 10 PM!!  I was certainly glad for that as my baby has not been sleeping!  He is very stuffy and can’t get a good rest during the night.  This is going to be creating problems soon as he is starting to sleep more (and better) during the day!!

Week 2 – Creating the Worship Action Plan

The Music

I created a playlist on youtube for a few different songs mentioned in the eBook.  I guess I will be moving my morning times to the computer.  I was staying away from the computer but more and more I find that I am needing a tool or something online (ESV Bible, or concordance or music).  I will play  my music quietly in the morning.  This will not bother anyone (I suspect) because we play the radio all night long anyway.  I’ll change that for my worship songs.

The Bible study

Right now I am focusing my study on sabbath – what it is and what it means and how to implement. I will be reading scripture and blogs and websites at the computer.  Maybe when I’m done with that topic I’ll move on to some listed at Revive Our Hearts. 

The Prayer

I printed the calendar in the eBook as a guide for now.

The Listening

We need to remember to allow time for God to speak to us.

I’ll let you know how things go in a week or so.





Still diggin',

MYM Challenge - Week 1

I used to love mornings.  I still do, I guess.  Mornings are just really hard when I’m not getting enough sleep.  I think I’ve been sleep deprived for so long that I hardly notice anymore.  But I do notice, and I’m working at changing a few things around here.



I want to do some things, for me, that will make me a better mom and a better wife.  I want to study my Bible and the topics that have me intrigued there.  I want to exercise.  I want to plan our days more effectively so we get more things accomplished each day – school, baking, housework, play dates and visiting.



So to do that I am going to join this challenge and work through the workbook.  I’m going to discuss and encourage with others on Twitter and BlogFrog.



My biggest issue (next to being really tired) with getting up earlier than my family, is my family wakes at the time I ant to wake.  My Rayna gets up around 7 every morning.  I guess I could try to get up earlier, but it is all I can do to get up WITH her at 7 already.  I could have a nap in the afternoon when Rayna naps, but then what will the other four do?  I guess they could watch a movie.  (I really do not like the afternoon TV shows, so that’s not an option in my mind!)  I’m just gonna have to keep working on  things to find what works.



Action Steps:

I plan to wake around 7AM; that means I need to work at getting to bed and asleep by 11PM.  I will either sit at my desk or at the table; that will be decided after I decide what I study I am doing and whether it will require the computer or not.  I’d like to stay away from the computer if I can; I get sidetracked too easily by the computer.  I will save my exercising for later in the day at this point.  I can’t fit it all in before they are waking and looking for breakfast.

Still diggin',

Hello Mornings! The Maximize Your Mornings Challenge at Inspired To Action

Hello Mornings! The Maximize Your Mornings Challenge at Inspired To Action

Look for more posts on this topic coming in October.

Still diggin',