Friday Quick 5

Man, has it really been so long since I've had an opportunity to sit down and write here?  I think it attests to the craziness of the past several weeks.  About which, I am ready to share:

1.  The Women's Retreat for church.  I wrote the curriculum.  Yes.  Yes, I did.  Did I ever really share that here?  I don't think so.  I only shared it with a few friends prior to the retreat, though the word did moderately get around.  I never intended to get any publicity/acknowledgement for it.  The hard work would be more than amply paid if the women enjoyed the retreat, were encouraged and even challenged in their walks with the Lord.  That was my hope for the time, anyway.  Praise be to the Lord that it seemed to go well and that I have heard many positive comments in the past weeks since that early November weekend.  My prayer had always been that HE would be glorified, and I think He was.

2.  We've started a new sleep schedule with Simon, and that is largely why I haven't been writing.  Or doing anything.  He used to sleep with us (against my better judgement) and it got to the point where I only slept a few hours a night because of the little guy.  Horrible, short hours with pains in my back and side and neck from trying to sleep around his growing form.  It finally came to the point where I had to put him in his own bed and let him holler at the top of his lungs as I just couldn't take it anymore!  Since then, he's been in his own bed, sleeping *most* of the night.  He still wakes up sporadically, naps badly, and wants Mama to come and snuggle him to sleep.  It's made exercising difficult, quiet and alone time almost impossible.  Already this morning I have been in twice to rock him and feed him so that he will sleep later and not wake up his sister.  I'm hoping things will equalize before long.  I have plans for my morning time.

3.  The past few months I was supposed to participate in a Maximize Your Mornings challenge.  The challenge was to get up early, have quiet time and hopefully exercise before your kids get us so you are ready to start the day with purpose.  I say supposed to, because all this nonsense with Simon made it almost impossible to do it.  When he started crawling, I couldn't leave him in the room, lest he wake up and crawl off our bed which is almost well over three feet high.   Sleeping in his own bed, well, we've covered that already.  It also didn't help that my accountability group was a bit of a flop.  I never heard or saw evidence of the group captain, and people didn't participate much.  I am starting again in the new year with the new challenge, because I as I said, I have plans for my morning times: quiet time with the Lord, exercise, and hopefully enough time for some personal study and a shower.

4.  Topeka Urban Ministry Institute, otherwise known as TUMI.  It's a program that started here in Topeka this past year.  It's really rather exciting, as it's a seminary level course for the cost of books, with a distinct emphasis on ministering to the city.  This is especially a great partnership for our church, because our purpose is to reach out to the community around us.  The Hapkido program Nick teaches in is hoping to bring in kids from the surrounding community.  We would like to participate, but I feel apprehensive that I can get the homework and reading done while our children are so small.  It's something we are praying about, but I suspect if we do it, this morning time will be even more essential.

5.  I have been so busy the past few weeks (scratch that, months), that I've been ordered to not volunteer for anything for sometime by my very loving husband.  Possibly, five to six months.  (Would that count TUMI, then?)  His intentions are good and true: I've run myself a little ragged the past few weeks.  I've been exhausted, the house has been a disaster, and I have had, at time, to sacrifice time and attention for my children.  Not good.  I think, though, he may underestimate my penchant for taking on projects.  As I have one for the new year in mind.  I am going to create a reading list for myself.  I'm always looking for something good to read, but it tends to be haphazard and sporadic that I will pick up this or that book to read it.  I've decided to make a list of twelve books to read in the next year, one per month.  I definitely intend to read far more than that, but I want to at least read with purpose twelve books.  So far the list is small: The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer; The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin; and French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano.  The list is short at the moment, but not for lack of ideas.  I'm also considering The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food, and Love by Kristin Kimball; The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery; Joy the Baker Cookbook; et cetera, et cetera, et cetera...  I think it may be a narrow-it-down kind of deal and set the rest on an auxiliary list to be read as there's time.

*Bonus: If you're wondering about Eliza, she's fantastic.  She turned two last month.  She giggles, sings, holds her brother's hand in the car when he cries, and is two.  Exercising her will and stuff like that.  She's developed a habit of wanting to snuggle, something Mama is savoring.  Who knows how long a child will be willing to sit in your lap and lay their head against you?  I'm taking full advantage.  She also tells her Bubby, "Come one," and crawls to get him to follow her.  She enjoys playing with him and I hope that lasts.

Well, the kids got up at 6:30 and are now roaming the house looking for me as I hide in my room to get this finished. (Not really, the door is fully opened.) But they've found me and crying and pulling has ensued.  TTFN (ta ta for now).