Through a friends’ blog (Flo's Foibles) I have recently discovered several other blogs related to nutrition and homemaking. I’ve found these blogs to be very informative and inspiring. For some time I've felt like I'm only nominally successful at being a housewife and mother. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids to death, and they are very well-behaved (at least in public anyway ;) ), but I know I fall short on enriching their lives. It's just all so overwhelming to me. It's really hard for me to get out of the house with them, so often church is the only place we go. I've always been a bit of a homebody, so it's a stretch for me to go anywhere other than church. Whenever I schedule appointments outside the home (and even in-home appointments), I usually try to make it 11:00 at the earliest because getting us ready for anything feels like a massive effort to me. Then there's the issue of trying to do family projects, like crafts, or even getting outside to play or take a walk. For one thing, I've got some really bad habits that I know interfere with family time (which comes back to the changes thing). Could spending too much time on the computer possibly be one of them? Nah! (I wish!) I know I spend too much time on the computer. So that is going to be one of the first things I do is relegate my computer use to only certain times of the day. I want God and family to take priority over everything else in my life. Another thing that interferes with family life is my nearly constant lack of energy, which is one of the reasons I want to eat healthier and start exercising. Plus, for some reason, it seems to take me longer to do things than other people. I don’t know if it’s because I’m too focused on the details, or if I just move more slowly (maybe both). But I feel like I have a really hard time fitting everything into the day. So, usually the housework suffers. I know it’s okay to let the housework go every once in a while, but constantly is not a good thing. So I often find myself stressed and retreating from life because I feel so overwhelmed that I just shut down. Either that or I’m Miss Irritability.
("Stephanie, your blog?") I really am getting there. I promise. :)
(“C’mon, Stephanie! What in the world does all this have to do with you blog?” )
I’m so glad you asked. :) Those other blogs have inspired me to start a new project. As I said earlier, I want to start making changes in my life. So, I’m inviting you to join me on this journey through my blog. Ideally (emphasis on “ideally”), I will post about a new change I’m introducing into my life, and for the next couple of weeks thereafter will post about my progress and the impact the change is having on our lives. My plan is to start small and work up to bigger things. I now see the blog as not only a place to talk about my experiences, but also as a source of accountability. I’m also hoping to inspire my readers. As such I want to make this blog more than just a bit of reading material. I want it to be a resource, too. Occasionally I will blog about things I’m learning like nutritional information, and I will start posting links to other blogs, websites, and books that I find helpful on my journey. I also will continue to blog about the revelation I receive from God, but that will not be the sole focus of my blog anymore. (Although, in a way it still is, as everything that works to make my life a better example of who Christ is is revelation from God.)
So, I’m sure you’ve already noticed that I’ve changed the blog layout. I want the layout to be more reflective of the new direction I’m taking with this thing. I thought about changing the title, but I felt that “ordinary marvels” was even more applicable now than before. You’ve probably also noticed that I’ve added advertisements to my blog. This is an idea that I’ve toyed with for a long time. I kept going back and forth on whether or not I should post ads. Frankly, I just didn’t feel right about it before, although it’s a possible income source for my family. But now, I feel a release to do so. And, since Google uses contextual ads, hopefully the ads will provide an additional resource for you. Who knows, maybe this thing will become big enough that I can start selling ads to companies and organizations that I want to support.
So, if you have any (helpful :D) advice, links, resources, etc. that could help me on this journey, please feel free to comment and share. Also, please tell your friends and family about me. I want to reach as many as I can. Thanks for supporting me!
4 comments:
Two thumbs up from me!
I look forward to learning some great information from upcoming posts and following your progress. Plus, by all means, monetize your sight. It will help all concerned.
Oops! Spelling error. That should be "site" instead of sight.
Stephanie,
I can relate to so much of what you wrote and have been struggling similarly.... the getting out, the crafts, enriching our children's lives (beyond the regular homeschool curriculum stuff), the house. I've started making some changes myself and have been surprised (but really should I be?) by how God has honored my efforts and given me even more energy than I thought possible... although my "want to" isn't always there somehow the things I never thought I would get done are completed. That said He and I still have a lot of work to do. I've had to slow down a little because I'm at the end of my pregnancy, but He's been growing me in ways and stretching my faith in ways that I wouldn't normally be otherwise.
I'm really looking forward to reading all the encouraging things I know will be coming =)
Amber R.
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