Hi fellow bloggers! Today we are experiencing more rainy, cloudy, chilly weather. It's been a couple weeks of this type of weather. We had a short reprieve yesterday and it was a beautiful, sunny day with the temps actually reaching 80! I didn't want to return to the dreary weather after that!
Anyway, I have several things on my mind today, but am having a hard time formulating one thoughtful post. So, what I'd like to do instead, is to ask you all some questions. If you have a minute to answer one, two, or all I'd be thrilled. So, here goes....
1. How much time do you spend on the computer each day? I'm finding that I've become a bit obsessive in the amount of time I end up checking Facebook, Craigslist, real estate listings (just out of curiosity/dreaming), and reading other blogs. What do you do to help yourself stay on track during the day and not get sucked into internet land?
2. Do you have a cleaning routine or do you just wing it? I wing it. And, I'm finding that's it's not cutting it for me. But, my spirit rebels against follow a specific plan for the week. Ugh. What do you do?
3. How do you foster and nurture contentment in your heart? I struggle in this area specifically in regard to my home. I'm still formulating a post on being good stewards of our home no matter where home is. Sometimes it's hard to put my money where my mouth is.
4. Are you reading any books that you are loving? I would love to hear about them. Our book club is always looking for some new ideas.
5. How closely do you follow the news via newspapers, tv, computer? Lately, I hardly tune in at all because when I do I come away depressed and/or disturbed. Yet, I'm wondering if I'm sacrificing 'staying informed'. And, is 'staying informed' really important?
There you have it. A few random thoughts. I'd love to hear yours.
1. I too struggle with checking the computer too often. I did a fast from FB and that seemed to help. Also, it helps that the only easily accesible computer has a short battery life! :)
ReplyDelete2. I clean the lower level Wednesday mornings and the upper level Thursday mornings. It gives me enough time to do other things that day or squeeze them into one day if my week gets too busy.
3. Let me know when you figure it out. :)
4. Got Hater by Timothy McHaye
5. Don't follow at all. Didn't know about Egypt until a week into the unrest. watching. :) It's too depressing.
1.Waaaaaay too much. Google Reader helps me to organize blogs, but it makes it so easy that I have added a LOT which kind of makes it a hinderance since there's always goodness to read. Facebook still bores me most of the time, so that helps a bit.
ReplyDelete2. No plan. We are a big dirty mess over here forever and ever, Amen. Even if one things is done, other stuff isn't. If all of our laundry is clean, it means I need to clean the bathroom and dust. If it's dusted, I have a pile of dished and a mountain of laundry. Round and round it goes...
3. Depends on the day. Generally speaking, I love our house. I don't love how I take care of it all of the time, but ever so slowly I'm getting better and putting the time into making it the space I want us to have and that helps me a ton with feeling motivated to take care of things more. Wait, did I just make this question also about how I don't clean??? Sometimes I have to take a step back a bit. When I start really getting itchy and feeling "not good enough" I stop exposing myself to so many things and start doing some reading that makes me feel centered and grateful for all of my small blessings. Lately, Anna Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts is incredible. It would very much be right up your alley if you haven't heard of it yet!
4. See above:) I usually have a bunch going at once, so I'm reading One Thousand Gifts, Like Water For Chocolate, Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family(FANTASTIC) and re-reading and re-reading and referencing All New Square Foot Gardening.
5. Never. Literally. Unless my husband has the news on or I flip through the channels and stop, I never watch or seek it out unless there's something going on that I want to learn more about. The funny part is that my degree is technically "Media Studies" and more than anything else it made me want to turn off the news:)
Happy Tuesday! Enjoy that rain - it's going to make everything bloom this next week:)
1) I recently moved my laptop into an inconvenient area- upstairs. I rarely go upstairs during the day, so this keeps my blog and email checks super brief. In the evenings, I give myself permission to bring in downstairs but without the power cord, so my time is limited. This has helped me a lot in this area.
ReplyDelete2)I wing it.
3)I try to constantly remind myself of what the money for improvements could go towards- specifically spreading the Gospel and feeding starving children. This gets me off my "want" pretty fast. If it's a persistent want/need for a face lift- we repaint. It's on the cheap side and doesn't tie up money is something I may change my mind about later.
4)I mostly proof read books for Sam- not book club material, unless it's a kid's book club:-).
5)I avoid the news almost completely. I've almost posted about this numerous times and now you've gotten me thinking about it again....
Are you really asking me to put in print how often I am on the computer? That could get me in some big trouble with the husband- lol!
ReplyDeleteI have been trying to stay off- which is hard.
I try to give myself times- same thing with food and cleaning- this is not surefire as I am kind of laid back and a little lazy. But it does work when I do it.
I say clean the bathroom, then you can eat lunch for 10 minutes while on the computer.
I think even more than the computer, I have to work on my phone calls. I will be going good and a friend calls and I find myself sitting and just chatting away!
The news doesn't bother me unless it is about kids and then I once again vow to never allow the children out- I know very healthy! lol
I go back and forth about the news- I know it is negative, but then I should stay up to date with our government and how I should be voting.
I love Christian amish romance novels (wanda Brunstetter and beverly lahaye) and Lori Wick books- they are my favorite.
But right now I am reading the Love Dare from the movie Fireproof- which I haven't seen yet.
I am not bothered by my house too much all though it needs major work- way major- usually I am just used to it,but some days I wish we could just re-do the whole thing- not happening!
Interested to see what everyone has to say about the other things.
1) I'm off and on most of the day. I don't know how many actual hours. I do try and not follow to many links in other people's blogs or else I'd be on all day!
ReplyDelete2) I use motivated moms for my cleaning schedule. It works for me! I've been using it for a couple years now and my house actually stays fairly clean.
3)Well, I love my house, so I don't know about this one. I guess just seeing those who don't have has helped me to be more content and the whole realizing that life is short, so short.
4) Pretty much anything by Karen Kingsbury, Robert Liparulo, Ted Dekker for Christian writers and I love Kristin Hannah's (non-Christian)books.
5) I read the headlines on my iGoogle page. I, too, get really down if I start spending too much time with "headline" events. There is good happening out there, too, but it's always the negative the world focuses on.
good questions
ReplyDelete1. Like the other moms, which was nice to see, to much time! It is sad because I see so many activities and crafts others are doing through there blogs and wish I was doing those too but then I think I can I just need to unplug. However for my defense those are usually people who live in CA or TX where it is warm and sunny. In PA it has been a cold wet winter and spring which keeps ,me inside and online. It will change quite a bit in the summer when I am out more and all the kids are here all the time.
2. I gave up on cleaning. Not really but it looks like it and I don't put as much into it anymore. Like you with 4 little kids, it is overwhelming for me. I can't keep up. If I get one thing done they have in that time made a huge mess in three other spots. There are always toys, crayons, wii controller everywhere. The boys are supposed to help and do a little but it is not enough. I just can't keep up and would rather enjoy them then spend all day walking behind cleaning evrything.
3. I give it to God and that helps. There is a lot I still want but I feel content in knowing God will give it to us when he wants to. It is all his will not my wants and sometimes he grants wants too. But he has blessed me with a health family and all my needs I focus on being thankful for that.
4. No time for books but I read blogs
5. I love fox news. My kids say moooommm not fox news again. But lately I have not been. With a newborn I am a little busier. But it is depressing.
1. I spend too much time on the computer. Part of this is due to my job. I need to write but I also waste a lot of time on it. I love surfing and it's been particularly bad because the weather has been awful. Now that it's spring I hope I can limit it. I have no good suggestions as I'm wrestling with this too!
ReplyDelete2. My general rule is always pick things up before you go to bed. If you leave things out they pile up and then you have to deal with a great pile instead of just a few things. I also try to do a quick toy clean up before lunch. This way when we start playing again in the afternoon everything is new and fresh and we don't wind up with twice the mess! I try to keep things tidy by constantly wiping counters and I generally clean a few things a day in the house so it never seems out of control. It's hard to keep things clean and I'm glad to hear others struggle with it too.
3. The concept of being content is hard. There is nothing wrong with striving for more and attempting to do well but we do need to make peace with what we have and who we are. I pray, I ponder and I try to appreciate who I am as God made me this way. Some days are easier than others.
4. No books that I am loving. I'm wrestling with a few books right now and won't recommend them as they are probably not book club material!
5. I'm really bad at this. I read headlines and clips of articles. I try to get a feel for what's happening and will sometimes read more but generally I want to be informed not overwhelmed. I think we need to be informed to a certain extent. We cannot live in the world and serve others if we don't know what needs to be done. That said we live in an age where information is available 24/7 and we see things we would never have seen 20 years ago. It's important to know enough but we don't need to overwhelm ourselves.
Karen, have you read The Help? I think this would be great book club material. Check it out.
ReplyDeleteLois Jean