That living intentionally stuff? I am working hard on it, and constantly seeking to let the Lord show me other areas of my life where I need to be more intentional. And I'm being brave and telling y'all about it so I've got some major blogland accountability! Yikes! Good thing I know "God hasn't given [me] a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline," because I'm going to need ALL of those! (2 Timothy 1:7)
A quick update on how I'm doing so far:
• I am not getting up as early as I'd like. My goal is 6:30AM, but that "naturally" waking up thing just isn't happening. I have a strong animosity towards alarm clocks, but yesterday I realized that we're going to have to learn to get along. As of today I started using the alarm to wake me. In Day One of Jamie vs. Alarm Clock, I am not sure who won, but I still didn't get up on time.
• However, I have spent some time with the Lord every morning for about two weeks now. Not always the very first thing -- it depends on how early I do get up, and when Kathryn gets up and how hungry she is, but it's still in the morning. So, YAY!
• Regular exercise is not happening so far. It's a goal, but I don't really have a specific plan on that yet. I had thought we'd go for a walk on all but the the rainiest, coldest days, but it is SUPER cold this week. Ok, not Alaska-cold, but this is Georgia, y'all. And a high in the 30's or 40's in Georgia seems like Arctic temperatures. I really used to think I wanted to move somewhere like Vermont or Maine, but now this Georgia born-and-bred gal is thinking she's too much of a cold-weather wuss for that. Summers in Vermont, however, still sound quite lovely!
• We are getting back into the swing of things in our homeschool, but not being too rigid in our schedule. So this is going well.
• I received the loveliest note cards as a surprise gift from a friend (Thanks, Mari!) to encourage me in that part of my intentional living. She, of course, was the first recipient of one of those beautiful cards. I told her they are so pretty I want to hoard them for myself, but that doesn't really accomplish my goal, does it? I sent off another one to an old friend today.
• On the topic of modesty, or "intentional clothing" perhaps, Sarah Mae is hosting a Modesty Fashion Show this Thursday! She wants to show that modest does not equal frumpy. What a neat idea! If I have time to play model before then, I'll be playing along, too.
And now I've added a few more things. I'll call this Intentional Marriage, and I encourage you to join in the fun. It'll bless your man, and you, too! Jill is hosting the 1 Corinthians 7:5 Challenge (for married couples only!) and Kristen has given herself a Kiss Challenge, and will host a S.W.A.K Carnival on the three days leading up to Valentine's Day. Kissing burns calories, releases feel-good chemicals in your brain, and is dentist recommended (seriously)! And besides the fabulous marital benefits of the 1 Cor. 7:5 Challenge, there are many other perks, too! If you've made a new year's resolution for better health and fitness, consider these health benefits (from an article on WebMD):
1- relieves stress
2- boost immunity (great in cold & flu season!)
3- burns calories and it's great exercise!
4- improves cardiovascular health
5- boosts self-esteem
6- improves intimacy (may I say, "duh!" to that one?)
7- reduces pain (no more headache excuse!)
8- reduces the risk of prostate cancer for him
9- strengthens pelvic floor muscles for her
10- helps you sleep better because of the release of oxytocin
As part of my intentional living, I plan to show my guy how swell I think he is! ♥ I encourage you to show your husband/wife how swell you think he/she is, too!
A quick update on how I'm doing so far:
• I am not getting up as early as I'd like. My goal is 6:30AM, but that "naturally" waking up thing just isn't happening. I have a strong animosity towards alarm clocks, but yesterday I realized that we're going to have to learn to get along. As of today I started using the alarm to wake me. In Day One of Jamie vs. Alarm Clock, I am not sure who won, but I still didn't get up on time.
• However, I have spent some time with the Lord every morning for about two weeks now. Not always the very first thing -- it depends on how early I do get up, and when Kathryn gets up and how hungry she is, but it's still in the morning. So, YAY!
• Regular exercise is not happening so far. It's a goal, but I don't really have a specific plan on that yet. I had thought we'd go for a walk on all but the the rainiest, coldest days, but it is SUPER cold this week. Ok, not Alaska-cold, but this is Georgia, y'all. And a high in the 30's or 40's in Georgia seems like Arctic temperatures. I really used to think I wanted to move somewhere like Vermont or Maine, but now this Georgia born-and-bred gal is thinking she's too much of a cold-weather wuss for that. Summers in Vermont, however, still sound quite lovely!
• We are getting back into the swing of things in our homeschool, but not being too rigid in our schedule. So this is going well.
• I received the loveliest note cards as a surprise gift from a friend (Thanks, Mari!) to encourage me in that part of my intentional living. She, of course, was the first recipient of one of those beautiful cards. I told her they are so pretty I want to hoard them for myself, but that doesn't really accomplish my goal, does it? I sent off another one to an old friend today.
• On the topic of modesty, or "intentional clothing" perhaps, Sarah Mae is hosting a Modesty Fashion Show this Thursday! She wants to show that modest does not equal frumpy. What a neat idea! If I have time to play model before then, I'll be playing along, too.
And now I've added a few more things. I'll call this Intentional Marriage, and I encourage you to join in the fun. It'll bless your man, and you, too! Jill is hosting the 1 Corinthians 7:5 Challenge (for married couples only!) and Kristen has given herself a Kiss Challenge, and will host a S.W.A.K Carnival on the three days leading up to Valentine's Day. Kissing burns calories, releases feel-good chemicals in your brain, and is dentist recommended (seriously)! And besides the fabulous marital benefits of the 1 Cor. 7:5 Challenge, there are many other perks, too! If you've made a new year's resolution for better health and fitness, consider these health benefits (from an article on WebMD):
1- relieves stress
2- boost immunity (great in cold & flu season!)
3- burns calories and it's great exercise!
4- improves cardiovascular health
5- boosts self-esteem
6- improves intimacy (may I say, "duh!" to that one?)
7- reduces pain (no more headache excuse!)
8- reduces the risk of prostate cancer for him
9- strengthens pelvic floor muscles for her
10- helps you sleep better because of the release of oxytocin
As part of my intentional living, I plan to show my guy how swell I think he is! ♥ I encourage you to show your husband/wife how swell you think he/she is, too!
