This wasn't one of those better days.

You know how sometimes there are days when you wake up and you just know that it is going to be a rough one?

Today was one of those days.  I just can't get my head in the game, and quite frankly I don't want to.

I need an attitude adjustment!

I have mentioned motives here and here before.  But it is always good for me to be reminded to consider carefully what my motives are.  What motivates me?  Is it a desire to see God glorified or is it my selfish desire to be comfortable and happy?  Below is something that jumped off of the page at me from the book I am reading during my morning devotions.  It’s like the author could be found sitting at my kitchen table, watching me interact with my kids!

“The heart is the seat of motivation… Behavior has a when, what, and why.  The when of the behavior is the circumstance for the behavior.  The what of the behavior are things that one says or does. The why of behavior is the motive.

Imagine that I arrive home and find a bike in the driveway.  I have to get out of the car and move the bike.  Irritated, I go inside to find the child who belongs to the bike.  Imagine at this moment that you, the reader, come along and ask ‘Why are you so angry?’  I will probably say ‘Because he left his bike in the driveway.  This child never listens to me.’

But the bike in the driveway is not why I am angry, it is when... The what of my behavior os my angry outburst.  The why of my anger in the internal motivation – my attitude of heart.  I hate inconvenience.  The why of my behavior is that I want my will to be done on earth as God’s will is done in Heaven!

James 4 gives us a wonderful example of all of this, ‘What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?  You want something but don’t get it’ (James 4:1-2)”

Pages 57-58, Instructing a Child’s Heart

How am I spending my time?  Well, if I am lucky enough to find “free” time I am choosing to spend it reading.  In the mornings, I read.  After dinner, we read.  At bedtime, I read (usually about two pages before I am startled awake because I am dropping my book).

My morning reading consists of reading the Bible, and right now this book.

A couple of weeks ago our family started a new evening tradition that is proving to be quite enjoyable.  Each evening, after dinner, we all settle into a cozy spot in our living room and read together.  As a family we spend time reading the Bible and this book together, and praying.  Then we spend 30 minutes or so reading our own books in silence (I use that term loosely, since we do have a three year old, though she does sit pretty quietly looking at her own books).  This is my FAVORITE part of every day!

This is a beautiful thing!!!

When I started this post I was reading “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” by Steig Larson, but have since finished it and have begun reading the next book in the same series, “The Girl Who Played with Fire”.  I think I would also like to get a good audiobook from the library to listen to when I am cooking or cleaning.  Any suggestions?

When I think of something I want to blog about I jot a note in the back of my journal and hope that I will find the time to do it at some point.  These past couple of weeks have really been quite lovely as they relate to  my internet/media usage.  There are days that go by and  I realize I have not even opened my laptop.  My apologies to anyone who may be waiting for some type of email response from me

I got an email showing concern as to whether I was OK after someone I love read my last post.  In case anyone else wonders, I am.  Here is my reply to the email and maybe what my post should have said in the first place.   Thank you, Friend, for taking the time to check and for helping me better communicate why I am taking a break.  (I really do hope it is a short break!!)

Maybe that post sounded more negative then I meant for it to.  I can’t say that I am overwhelmed, but I will be if I don’t get my game on, and so I am working to re-evaluate how I spend my time.  Blogging is one of the things that I have been forcing myself to do even when I don’t have the time or desire, so I want to take a break from it and figure out how it fits best into my life. Does that make sense?  Having quiet time in the morning before the kids get up, loving my husband and children, schooling the kiddos properly, making our house a home, and fulfilling my responsibilities at church and Classical Conversations are just some of the things I need to focus on fitting into my days.  Blogging fits into that, but I have to figure out where   Plus, I’ve been getting bored with my posts.  I like the daily things, but sometimes they are awfully dry and I feel like I have a lot more to say that never gets said.

To the few readers I have I would like to say, I have not quit.  I am just taking a break.  I hope to resume blogging sometime soon,very soon, and hopefully with some changes… I am getting bored.  For now, though, I have some other things in my life that need attention and blogging will take a backseat.  I hope that it will not be for long and I do not expect it to be.  I hope to regain some of my lost time management skills and fit blogging nicely back into my schedule, but until then… b-bye.

It makes me feel important.  Here’s one that made me laugh…

“Unparalleled accuracy, unqueivocal clarity, and undeniable importance!”

I can’t wait to sit with my friend tomorrow and enjoy her wonderful company and a hot cup of tea with her.  From the Dove Chocolate Message she sent to me last week “Friendship is a gift in itself.”

That’s right, I am going to cheat and post Menu Monday on Tuesday night, but make the date appear as though I did it on time.  Unfortunately my brain had nothing left by the time I sat down last night and I had no interest in pushing myself for the sake of a blog post.  I did, though, have a menu plan in my head and have so far been sticking to it.  Here’s this week’s meal plan…

Monday

Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Green Salad, (Tomato Soup – if requested by Hubby)

Tuesday

Leftovers (I did go off plan a little here… The kids and I were in the mood for pizza, so I threw together a homemade sausage and cheddar cheese pizza for us.  Hubby has a meeting at church, but can have the leftover of choice when he gets home)

Wednesday

Tacos/Taco Salad, Corn

Thursday

I am leaning towards Pasta with meat sauce for tonight.  I will be gone most of the day and even if I opt out of going to Bible study this evening I still will not have a lot of time for food prep.

Friday

Grilled Cheese Sandwhiches, Tomato Soup, Green Salad (or not) We are spending the day in Lancaster, so it will depend on when we leave there.

Saturday

No idea!!!  This will be a “Whatever Hubby and I feel like cooking” day, or if we skip Friday’s meal maybe we will do that???  According to our calendar this should be a do nothing type of Saturday day, and we never go hungry on those days.  If anything, we overeat

Sunday

Leftovers (Hoping to start the week with an almost empty fridge… We’ll see!)

Better late than never… Here are pics of some of my favorite little people and how they celebrated Thanksgiving this year.