Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

I've decided it's time to make some changes to my blog, among other things. I'm repurposing my blog. (Well, not entirely. Let me explain.) I've been wanting to make some changes in my life in general, but have found myself very uninspired and unmotivated. I need to eat healthier, lose weight, exercise, use my time more wisely, be more organized, and be more connected to my family and those around me. There's probably a few other things that could be added to the list, but I think that's plenty to start with. So, you're probably wondering what my blog has to do with all this. Well, I'm getting to that.

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. :)

The thing is, I know I can do better. I’m a daughter of the King, and He has promised not to give me more than I can handle through His strength. Which is part of the problem. I’m too often depending on only my own strength. I need to trust and rely more. I want my home to be a shelter, and a safe place. I want it to be a place of hospitality, not just for guests, but for my family, too. I can do all things through His strength! Even this. I want everything I do to be done ultimately for Him. So am I going to become a “domestic goddess” overnight like all of those wonderful bloggers? Not likely, unless aliens kidnap me in my sleep and replace my brain with a Stepford wife brain. (No, I don’t mean that those women are Stepford wives. If I did I could not be inspired by them. It’s just a joke, people! :oP ) But little by little, one step at a time, I can make changes that will make be a better person, wife, & mother.

(“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!