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Let's Get Writing


Each month I choose a new habit to develop or solidify in my personal life and practice. These habits range from life style changes to housekeeping tips. The common element is it is something I want to see developed or improved in my daily life and practice.  


This month, after a more personal growth habit last month, I am focusing on a habit that is more action oriented then attitude focused. As I have started to share more of what I am learning and doing on my blog, I have become acutely aware of the need to improve not only my writing itself, but way I write and how regularly I do so.

A Month of Growth

Each month I choose a new habit to develop or solidify in my personal life and practice. These habits range from life style changes to housekeeping tips. The common element is it is something I want to see developed or improved in my daily life and practice.

A month of growth. 


That really is the only way to describe what this month's habit has been for me. I knew when I chose my habit of the month as working on my interactions with my husband that things would be changing and stretching for me. They have been. It has been good to see how the little, tiny, seemingly insignificant things (the way I greet him when he comes home, the tone of voice I use when talking with him, etc.) have made a big difference. It has not always been easy for habits are sometimes hard to change, but it has been good to see the difference it already is having.  

Watching My Words

Each month I choose a new habit to develop or solidify in my personal life and practice. These habits range from life style changes to housekeeping tips. The common element is it is something I want to see changed or improved in my daily life and practice.  


This month my habit is to work on improving my interactions with my husband.  You can read more about my Habit of the Month here. With the start of the new week, I am updating my habit focus a bit.  

Last week, I focused on responding positively when my husband reached out to hug or kiss me.  Rather than being frustrated that he has halting what ever task I was working on, I want to be thankful I have such a great man to love me.  This week, I will continue that aspect of my habit of the month, but am adding in guarding my words and the way I say things.  

"The Confident Mom Weekly Planner" Review


I received The Confident Mom Weekly Household Planner for 2013 as an e-book in a bundled package that I purchased at the beginning of the year.   Though I had not intended to do a review on this resource, I thought since I had definite opinions to share this was a good way to do it.


Marriage Challenge and My Habit

I had just settled on my new habit for the month, and then I came across (through links in other blogs I read) the Marriage Challenge that is running over at Women Living Well Ministries.  I know it is February, and many blogs are probably focusing relationships this month.  This still seemed like a God thing, though.  

I just love Courtney's comments on her initial post about the challenge.  

"to praise, encourage, inspire, admire, build up, thank and appreciate your husband"


My wonderful husband

Each month I choose a new habit to develop or solidify in my personal life and practice.  These habits range from life style changes to housekeeping tips. The comment element is it is something I want to see in my daily life and practice.  

I have up to this point in my writing and blogging been very cautious about sharing too much personal information with "the world". That is going to change some this month for my new habit for February is very personal. It relates to my husband and my interactions with him.

Since February is so closely connected with Valentine's Day and thoughts of those you love, I tended to look for a habit that had to do with my family.

Yuck! What a mess . . .

I have been trying for three weeks now to do meal plans for my lunches.  This is one of the many steps I hope to make this year in discovering more real food and altering our family's relationship with food to be a bit better than it is.  I did not think this step would be that difficult, after all I have been meal planning suppers for over a year!  

Boy, was I wrong.  What a disastrous mess!!!


Speech lessons

The goal I selected (or rather choose out of slight desperation) for my January habit is excellent speech. When I first wrote about my new habit, I had grand ideas of studying excellence in speech - what did that mean? how did it look in real life? what was I going to do to establish this habit? how was I going to teach it to my kids and encourage us all in the development of this habit? Well, my grand ideas and expectations were drowned in the busyness and ideas that I allowed to crowd my days over the last few weeks.

Easy Tomato Soup

I am always on the look out for easy, good tasting meals; and this was so tasty, I just had to share.  

Meal Planning


I am following Melanie as she works through her Real Food Experiment for this coming year.  Since I have been wanting to change some of my eating habits and the overall food habits of our family, I am looking forward to using her experiments as a starting point for me to take some steps of change for myself.  

The first experiment Melanie is doing is meal planning.  I had initially thought that I might not do anything with this particular experiment, after all I meal plan our suppers and have for quite a while. It works well for me, and I do not see a need to change the way I am doing meal plans.  

However . . . .

Excellent Speech


The words we say have such great impact . . . on us and those around us. I have been impressed by the importance of the things we say and the way we say them.  Both are so vital and reflect our heart attitudes.  

As I have been contemplating a new habit for this month, the list of possibilities was rather long.  In reviewing the possibilities, nothing seemed to be quite right.  Then in the midst of yet another talk with God about the attitudes in our home, and how they are being reflected in not such good ways in our speech . . .

My Food Journey


One of the many things that are on my list for this year is developing better eating and snacking habits for our family as well as eating some foods new to our dinner table.  This will entail some food learning for me.  And I know I will need to work with foods that to date I have left on the shelves of the grocery store.

I have a lot of trepidation about this goal.

When I came across Melanie from Only A Breath's The Real Food Experiment, I was very excited to be able to watch over her shoulder as she also journeyed in the area of real food and healthy eating.  

As Melanie shares her experiments in real food, I hope to follow with her and share with you all my own food journey: what I am doing, learning, etc.  I am not a food expert!  I have no official training in food prep or nutrition.  All I have learned has come from the people in my life, reading (reading, reading, and more reading), and experimenting (some successful and some not!).  I am terrified of being overwhelmed by the amount I have to learn, the changes I feel we need to make in our family, and the resistance I may face from the others in our home.  Yet, this terror while not stop me from proceeding!!

How about you?

Do you have eating or food habits you would like to see change?  Consider joining me as I make baby steps along the way.  I plan to post a couple of times a month, specifically about my food journey. I will make baby steps as I grow in my food knowledge and practices this year.  At the end of the year, I am determined to be in a different, hopefully better, place then I am today! 

Focus


Wow!  It seems as if I was just setting about to find and define my One Word for 2012, now it is 2013 and I am being prompted to think of my One Word for the new year.  Yikes! The ideas and possible word options are overwhelming. My brain is starting to short-circuit just thinking about all that I could choose: joy, praise, simplify, refine, patience, enjoy, etc.  Do you get the sense I am a bit scattered . . . 

The last month or two of 2012 have been a weird blur of Holiday activities, sickness in our home, moments of family time, and just trying to juggle the normal routines of life in the midst of it all.  I am starting the new year with  projects calling to be tackled, work for my boss that needs to be completed, areas of my home that need some cleaning and pick up, a child who is sick and needing some extra loving, a body that is worn from activity and illness -- Ahhh!

I wish it would all be quiet for minute so I can focus . . . and there, in the midst of it all, my One Word is born. 


FOCUS


All the things demanding attention!  All the projects and activities I want to work on or complete!  All the people I desire to bless and help!  In the crazyness of it all, my One Word: Focus takes its first breathes of life and slowly begins to grow. With the ever growing list of things I want to or need to accomplish in the coming week and month, not to mention the whole year of 2013, "focus" will be one my greatest allies and hopefully help keep me from being overwhelmed and overrun by it all.  




What about you?  Is there one word that you can use to describe the past year?  What about the coming year?  Is there a word you would like to represent what you hope this coming year will be for you or your family?  Check out the One Word Community, read what they are about and consider joining us as we seek to have One Word for all the days of this year that will describe what we hope to be and do.