What Came From Being Outside Of My Comfort Zone…

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“Great things never come from comfort zones”
I seen this quote today and it totally resonated deep within me. It seems as if for the past few months very few things I have done have been within my comfort zone. You see, I’m an introvert and I thrive in small, routine based settings. And for the last three months my life has been anything but what I’m used too.
We left our small church, my husband is head coach of a high school football (which came with rebuilding a program and me being a big part of the booster club), I’m volunteering as a leader in a teen/young mom group, our children are all starting a new school, I went to my first writers retreat w/new people and 90% of the people I have been interacting w/as of lately are new.
Although at times all the new things that are going on make my head spin and cause exhaustion, it’s all exciting! It’s exciting to do things that in the past would cause me to either shrink in fear or be stagnant,knowing that to move and do something different would push me to new limits.
Throughout it all, I’m thankful.
I’m thankful to be in a place where I’m forced to see and do things differently than before. Being outside of my comfort zone has caused me to grow and nurture the woman that I am destined to become. New opportunities and relationships, a changed mind and a beautiful portrait of what’s to come came from being outside of my comfort zone…xo

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The Joys of Doing Something New…

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This weekend I am on a writing retreat!! It’s seven of us total, in a little comfy house out in the middle of nowhere.
There have been many great moments. Many moments of honesty and vulnerability shared amongst people who can on some level relate to or empathize with the impactful, sometimes heavy words, that flow from your heart.
One of the best times for me was when we discussed what it means to be a “writer”.
I didn’t realize the fear that I had when it came to calling myself a “writer”. Blogger, okay I’ll go with it. But to really say that I was a writer was something that I wouldn’t do because to me it signified a sense of accomplishment. Being a writer used to be something that I felt was unattainable. Something that I wasn’t worthy enough to achieve because I haven’t finished and published a book that has sold thousands upon thousands of copies…
But you know what I learned?
I learned that I’m a writer because that’s what I do-I write. I best express myself with words and that is my God given artistry…
More than anything I’m coming away from this retreat KNOWING that I am a writer and being confident in the fact that I will finish my book, I will finish many books, because it is my duty to share my artistry with the world…

The Grace in Motherhood…

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Please know that there is grace in motherhood. There will be days that are less than stellar…days that everything from the time you woke up until the minute you laid your head down on the pillow went wrong…
Nothing went as planned. No one behaved. The house is a complete disaster. Lessons aren’t completed.
The carefully planned meal has now turned into takeout. And the workout that was scheduled is now nonexistent.
Things happen. We don’t live up to the expectation that we set for ourselves…and to be completely honest, that sucks. It sucks to not have your day go as you envisioned…but it’s okay.
It’s okay to go to bed knowing that tomorrow has to better than today.
It’s okay to fall short on your personal mommy-meter…as long as you plan on reaching for the goal mark again tomorrow.
There’s grace in motherhood…grace that can help us be better mothers. More compassionate, loving, nurturing, God focused and attentive mothers…God let you grace be displayed in every area of my life in extraordinary ways. Xo

A Better Tomorrow…

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I wish I could say that I have perfectly behaved children at all times but I can’t. Our son had the worst attitude because he couldn’t go to football practice due to the rain and while volunteering today his twin sister decided that she was going to stand in her self-made puddle…of pee.
And our youngest barely reaches my kneecap but can throw a tantrum that most kids could only dream of…
But instead of me sulking and mentally calling myself the worst mother ever, I’m choosing to not freak out.
I’m choosing to smile and be pleasant when I really want to yell and flee from my home.
I’m choosing to clean up the messes, wash the clothes, hand out the consequences, give the speeches…and continue to believe that I’m a good mom and because God gave me these children, he’ll give me the grace to handle the everyday things that come up with love and compassion.
So, cheers to a better tomorrow! Xo
☕️👍💖😀

Time to Tighten Up…

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For the past few days I have felt a little disconnected…nothing major just that inkling in the pit of my stomach that I need to tighten up on some things.
So, instead of me getting down and beating myself up, I am going to take the time tonight to pray, make out my schedule, write, re-write my personal affirmations and get back to my place of growth and personal development 🙂
What do you do when you feel the need to “tighten up”??? Xo

My Children Suddenly Forgot To Say Thank You…

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For the past week or so, there has been a reoccurring theme with our children…them not saying thank you. They say it after I tell them that they didn’t, but it’s after the fact and it just doesn’t feel the same.
A couple of hours ago the same thing happened. They asked for hot tea (one of their favorites), I made it and then called them in the kitchen to get it. And they got their little teacups and walked right back into the den.
I called them back into the kitchen and reminded them that they didn’t say “thank you”. Of course they said, “oh, thank you Mom”…
This time it wasn’t enough. I made them put their teacups back on the countertop. I explained to them that saying thank you is how you show appreciation and if they don’t do it at home with me, then they won’t do it outside of home. And if they aren’t appreciative, then they won’t get what it is that they wanted.
So, my plan of action is to address this again during dinner, to look up some scriptures to give them and to continue to bring their attention to how important being thankful is.
So, how do you deal with your children if/when they forget their manners?
Xo

Monday Motivation: You Are So Much More Than Just

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Happy Monday!
When people used to ask me what I did for a living, I used to say, “Oh, I’m just a stay at home wife and mom”…Just! Just a stay at home wife and mom, that was seruously my answer.
“Just” put so many limitations on me. “Just” kept me in a box, confined to a life of average…until I realized that I am so much more than “just”.
In addition to being a SAHWM, I am also a blogger, (soon to be) author, volunteer leader w/teen and young moms, encourager and lover of creativity, to name a few 😜
So, this week I hope that you dont see yourself as “just” one of the roles you’ve been given in life.
I hope that you see yourself as a valuable, purposeful person in addition to a success at whatever roles you have been so blessed to be given…You are so much more than your”Just”!!! Xo

The Tide Has Turned…

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Today I was at the store and I was parked next to a Chrysler Town and Country mini-van. For some reason, it caught my eye. Anyone who really knows me, knows that I am so not a mini-van person!
Last year when we went to get me another vehicle, I specifically left mini-vans, of any sort, off of my list. The compromise for this Mommy of four was a Chrysler Pacifica, with the third row. When my son called it “a black van” I quickly informed him that my vehicle is a “crossover” lol.
But today…the tide turned. I am now a fan of the mini-van. When I told my husband he laughed and said ” so babe, you want one?”
I avoided answering and told him that it just seems more practical, the kids will have more room…and it looked like my Pacifica. My husband said that I was trying to “rationalize” wanting van now. Anyway you slice it, it was nice, I liked it and I will be the owner of a cute mini-van sooner or later…man, how times have changed 😉

We Made the Change…Now What?!?

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About two months ago, my husband and I decided that it was time for us to leave our church. This decision seemed to come out of the blue for some, but for us it was a gut feeling that had been present for awhile but never acted upon.
This was a very hard decision to make. We had been at our church for a little over ten years for me, and my husband for almost twelve. To be honest it was scary…for so long we had been used to being in one place with our family and now to do something different was life changing.
What would we do? Where would we go? What would people say?
These were just some of the questions swirling around my head…this was major! But we knew that leaving was what we were being lead to do and we wanted to do so in the most respectful way possible. This was the place my husband and I met and were married, our children were born into and the family that helped me deal with the deaths of both of my parents, but most importantly this was the place where my true relationship with God was cultivated…so leaving was anything but easy.
There was no anger, no offenses, no bad blood…just the tugging that it was time to do something else, be somewhere else, see something else. Not necessarily better, just different.
And we have. As a family we’ve visited a few churches and it has been great! Just to see people so passionate and free in their worship and relationship with a God has been beautiful…even a bit liberating. For so long, I had been in a box and have tried to abide by certain “rules” and had lost the feeling of what a true love experience with Christ felt like.
The liberation. The freedom. The very essence of His love…
So this time away has been good for me. I can’t say that I would never go back to my former church because honestly I don’t know what God will do and there’s no reason for us not too…if that is in God’s plan.
The church we’ve been going to for the past couple of weeks seems to be great…there were specifics we’ve prayed for and I’ve seen most of them there. We are not in a rush to become members, we want to make sure it’s the right fit for our family and I don’t ever want to make such an important decision just because we need a “home church” or out of fear that our family will be punished. The one thing that I am continuing to learn is that God’s grace is sufficient for me…no matter what church I belong too.
So, we made the change and now it’s time to…keep going, be positive and see the good, and God, in the journey no matter what!

The Voice…

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I’ve come to the realization that I can’t be everything to everybody nor will I try to be. There was a time in my life that I would make decisions based solely on the opinions of others…it was a miserable, unfulfilled existence. The things that I loved and dreamed of doing, I suppressed because I made the voice of others louder than my own. I allowed the words of others to penetrate my soul and my very own words I banished…
I felt that I was insignificant and if I did just one thing wrong or out of the ordinary, the people closest to me would leave. And I wanted to hold on to them, at all costs. Oddly enough, given time, they left anyway. But I kept on living…their absence didn’t take my breath away…
It didn’t then and it won’t today. The one thing that has changed is my own opinion about me. I realize, deep within me, that I am significant to God and He created me to do great things. Things that may seem small to some and impractical to others. However, they are important to me.
Once upon a time I would have buried my head in the sand or went back to what was familiar because my choice wasn’t agreeable with those around me. But this time, from this moment forward, I’m going with the voice that’s on the inside of me…God’s voice within me.