Blessed Drudgery

 Today was a great day. I have started on my new goals and I accomplished a lot! That always makes me feel great. 

One of my goals this year is to NOT scroll on my phone when I'm in bed. It doesn't mean I can't scroll during certain hours. If I want to, I just have to get out of bed to do it. To remind myself, I put a sticky note that I had written my morning routine on my phone. The idea is that I have to move the sticky note to use my phone. It was a good reminder! I got up right away and got my exercise clothes on. 

I'm reading a great book called Atomic Habits and he talks about habit stacking - which is similar to what Gretchen Rubin calls the strategy of pairing - where you do something when you're doing something else. For example, I used to always read scriptures when I was on the treadmill. Reading every day was no challenge at all. Then I started walking to school and I didn't have my pairing. I decided that each morning I am going to do some time on the treadmill for two reasons: One is because I want to become a runner. This month I'm committing to running for one minute every day (pathetic, I know....but it's something I know for sure that I can do!) Today I did it and I stayed on the treadmill for an hour because I also was reading at the same time. It was terrific! 

I also did quite a lot of housework. I did my usual Saturday House Blessing (vacuum and mop and generally tidy up) but I also got a bucket with some good soapy water and bleach and cleaned some floor spots that just don't get clean with a mop. What a difference that made! I also cleaned the oven. I sprayed it with oven cleaner and left it for two hours, but that wasn't quite enough. It required some scrubbing. Actually, it required a lot of scrubbing....and it was brutal! I did get the glass clean though! I promise myself I will never let it get that bad again!

Ain't that something! I posted the before and after and my cousin asked me how I got it so clean. After I told her, she said she figured she'd just buy a new oven. Honestly, I don't think that's a bad idea. It was exhausting work!! I'm eager to get back to school so that I don't have time for things like this anymore. LOL

More drudgery: I got groceries and made my lunches and snacks for next week. These are the things that make life so much better! It's a breeze if I don't have to think about lunches all week. 

Okay. That was a lot of drudgery - but it sure feels great to get it all done! Life is good. I'm grateful to have time for such drudgery.

 

Lessons From A Venus Fly Trap

This week in seminary we did section 24 - which is a section that came about when Joseph Smith was starting to experience more and more (and more serious) persecution. We talked about how we deal with hard things when they happen. It was a good discussion. After, we watched a video where John Bytheway talks about that idea. He talked about venus fly traps. He said that a venus flytrap needs pure light (has to be outdoors), pure water (no minerals or additives in the water) and a cold winter. If you keep it indoors, it'll die. If you feed it regular water from the tap, it'll die. And if you don't let it go through a winter, it'll die. Then he compared that to us - we need pure light (the gospel), pure water (the daily things that we need to do to feel close to the spirit) and a freezing period of death (ya...that describes winter....but it also describes what it feels like when we go through trials). Without those things, we won't flourish. I thought that was a good analogy. I also appreciated that it showed me why I can't keep a venus flytrap alive. I've tried to have one for my class pet - but it dies. Apparently, it's not my poor gardening skills....it just can't survive in a classroom. :) 

Day 10 Not Knowing Beforehand

The scripture I am focusing on this week is 1 Nephi 4:6 from the Book of Mormon.

I chose this scripture because I have been thinking about how important it is to led the spirit guide. I am a planner and always plan with a lot of detail. Often, being willing to throw a plan out the window and "follow your gut" can bring about beautiful experiences.

It's not that I want to focus on throwing out plans, but rather to being sensitive to the times when there I something more important to the plan.

Gospel Doctrine

Today I got to teach gospel doctrine. I loved it!  I especially loved how it made my scripture study more focused this week.

At the beginning of the class I explained that I was filling in (there were a lot of visitors) so I asked for everyone's help by participating. They came through with flying colours! The family visiting reminded me of times we have gone to Sunday School when we spare visiting somewhere with lots of Ackroyds. Lots of interesting comments and discussion.

The lesson was on John 16 and 17 and we focused on feeling the spirit.....how it feels, how we know when it is the spirit speaking to us, etc. Could there be a more important topic?!

Nerdlution

Exercise every day. Good goal.

That's all fine and dandy to say when you have a week off of school. So far it hasn't happened.

So, I'm a little leery to join in the nerdlution.
And I'm really eager to join the nerdlution.

What's the nerdlution? I heard about it on Twitter. I read about here and here and here and here and here.

Basically, it's a bunch of people committing to a new habit for 50 days - from today until Jan 20th.

I can't help it. I'm in. There is a long list of things I should do. I'm trying to keep it simple. For the next 50 days I will:

1. Spend time on my SS lesson each day - even if it's just 10 minutes. I will think about it and work on it a little every day.
2. Read for at least 30 minutes a day.
3. Plan something every school day to share my love of books and reading with my class.

I'd like to put exercise in there too....baby steps.

...and I'll blog about it. Here goes!

General Conference

This past weekend was General Conference. I try to always listen to all the sessions. This year I wasn't quite as attentive. I missed Saturday morning because Peirce and I went to Freckleface Strawberry. Normally I don't let anything get scheduled in the way of General Conference, but I've been a real poor calenderer lately, so these things happen.

In the afternoon session and on Sunday I just listened....didn't take notes. I've always taken notes! Not sure why I didn't - but I just listened this year. It seemed like the right way to experience conference this time.

It was once again, a great conference. On Sunday morning especially my heart burned as I listened to the speakers. I'm always amazed when that happens. I know what it's like to feel the spirit testify of truth, but now and then, when it's so apparent, it strikes me again how amazing that experience is.

I really look forward to those talks being in print so I can remember what it was that touched me so! All I know is the spirit was truly witnessing to me that what I was hearing was true. I just sat still and felt the feeling and marvelled at it.

So grateful.

Come Follow Me

Today at church we learned about the church's new youth curriculum. I was asked to do part of the lesson. It has been quite interesting to read about it. I think they have really created something great. It made me so glad that I get to be a Sunday School teacher. I hope I can do it justice!

Goals for September and on....

I tried to go back in January to see if I had posted about my goals for 2012. I didn't! Weird!!

One of my goals this year was to wear lipstick. I can't say as I am a regular lip stick wearer at all. I can't even say I'm committed to that goal. Allen wants me to wear lip stick. I still need to work on this habit.

My other goal was a load of laundry a day. I have to say that that goal has happened! I did make a few adjustments as the year wore on by making my kids do a load sometimes. They became responsible for doing their own laundry this year, and it's been a wonderful thing. I just couldn't keep up with laundry while working. The best part of having them do their own laundry is now and then when I fold a load for them they're soooo grateful!

This summer I have a goal to read 58 books...a book a day. I think I just might reach the goal too! I also had a goal to be an exerciser. I have made good strides there.

 too.

So, now I've been thinking about what goal I should set for when school starts. I should have a school goal or two, but I think what I really want to focus on is menu planning. I have tried to plan our menus out for a whole month at a time. When I do that life is so great! I only have to think about what's for dinner once, and the rest of the month I just follow the plan. I don't always follow the plan perfectly, and that's okay. Sometimes I move things around. Sometimes we go out for dinner. If that happens I just forward plan the meal we were to have that night. Sometimes I find we have so many left overs that we have a left over night.  I actually get more than a month's worth of meals from one session of planning.

In addition to my menu planning goal I plan to continue exercising an hour a day and I plan to do a better job of daily scripture study. And here's where I'm upping the ante! From this day on, I am not going to let myself get on Facebook until I've exercised, studied scriptures, and have dinner on the go (or at least figured out). I'm really addicted to Facebook, so it's going to be hard at first, but I think it will make my life much more productive.

Here's to new goals!!

Inspired

Today I found Sacrament Meeting really inspiring. I feel a great desire to do a better job of my own personal prayer and with scripture study. Someone recently posted a quote on facebook that said: "One hour of study per day will put you in the top of your field within 3 years. Within 5 years you will be a national authority. In seven years you will be one of the best people in the field of what you do."

I am not looking to be a national authority with scriptures, but I liked that quote because it speaks to how much difference just one hour a day can make. That is my commitment: an hour a day.

More posts on scripture study to come!