Thursday, August 24

Seven Habits

Lately I have been thinking and reflecting on a few habits that I want to bring into (or get back into) my life, especially before our new baby enters into the world. I don't remember much of Bug's first two weeks on this planet (yay, exhaustion) and I know that the first two weeks of baby's life with be so much different than when I was just a mother of one. I want to create little changes (and remember to be flexible within those as well) now that will, hopefully, help guide me on days when I am too tired to think properly or when I tend to try and rush to get through a specific moment. I have thought about each of these habits and I feel like each and every one is exactly what I need to be focusing in on at the moment. 

I really hope that you enjoy reading about them and if you have any advice or experience or thoughts, I would love for you to share. xo 
Treasuring Mornings //I find mornings come in a constant state of blurriness and exhaustion. I am not a morning bird by nature. Evenings more often agree with me, and I find myself easily spending hours after everyone has gone to bed to have "me time" or to get housework or craft work done. As wonderful as it sounds, that means my mornings are tough. I stumble out of bed. It takes me a couple hours to get through the morning fog and into the world of energy and focus. I definitely cannot sleep in like I once could, because Bug is definitely more of a morning bird. I want to shift my schedule and start waking up earlier, going to bed earlier, having me time and work time in the mornings before people start to wake up. Or even, if there is no time for me time or work time before people wake up, I still want to be able to enjoy the fresh cool air, french press coffee, birds singing in the morning, being able to kiss my husband goodbye to work, and to just truly treasure mornings.

Stop Rushing // I often catch myself trying to rush Bug. "Let's go" or "hurry up" or "come on" are usually on my lips whenever I feel like she isn't going as fast as I want her to. Why am I always rushing? Why do things have to be quick? Why can't I just sit and enjoy the process of it all instead of focusing on getting out of the door? I want to slow down, to enjoy the process, to watch as her mind works, to plan ahead so that we are not late. I want to slow down and enjoy each moment as they come, especially since I know that the days will only get busier once we have a newborn in the house. I want to focus more on her and her world, how she is feeling, what she is saying. I want her to know that there is always time for her to speak her mind.

Being Intentional // I want to start thinking about the overall moment that I am in and be as intentional as I possibly can within those. Whether this is in regards to how I want to spend my days with Bug or how I want to clean my house or how productive I want to be in another area of my life. I want to be more intentional with my time, with my money, with the time I have with Bug and my husband, with friends and with my own me time. I want to start asking myself about how I could wisely spend my time, and realize when I need to stop doing "other" things and focus in on what the people around me are doing. I want to feel like I am spending each day being fully here, slowing down, doing the "best" that I can within those moments, knowing my limits, testing myself, and completely understanding that each and every day is going to look different, let alone every single minute.

Breathe & Move // I want to get into the habit of morning walks. I have a little furnace inside of me and the idea of being outside in the afternoon or even in the evenings, when it's still so hot outside, is unbearable. Mornings are still cool and fresh, usually accompanied with a breeze. I want to get out and move and still have the walk adventures with Bug (and soon with baby) during the rest of this summer season. I cannot wait for fall when the weather is much more to my liking, however, I do not want to wait to start this habit until then. I want to make the most of every single day and every single season. I want to move and explore and stop to smell the roses, or find rock treasures, along the way.

Reading Before Sleep //I would love to start the habit of going to bed with a book. I want to be able to turn off my phone, turn off the television, and just get cozy under the blankets and read. I find that my mind relaxes so much easier after I have read a chapter or two than after I have watched an episode of something (or two or three). I know that this goal will definitely play a huge part in my wanting to get up earlier as well.

Play More // I am not sure if I slipped on this one because I am exhausted or if I just got out of the habit, but I have been finding it more and more difficult to get down to floor level and play with Bug. Maybe its a combination of the needing to rush and the difficulty I have with being intentional, but this is an area that I want to focus in on more. Again, especially before the baby comes. I want to dress up as Princesses, play lego for hours, colour and draw, get dirty, talk to the ants, play with marbles - I want to be a kid with my kid and watch, explore, be part of the adventure with her, not just watch from an audience point of view. I want to come to her with ideas and games instead of her always going to me. I want to be her best friend and play mate. I want her to see that even adults can be crazy, that I have time to be silly with her. I want to release my imagination upon her and see how she adds to it. I want her imagination to bloom and for it to have no limits. I want her to remember her mom as being a partner in crime more often than not. I want to teach her the balance between being ridiculously crazy and knowing when the time isn't right, and being okay with that. I want to have energy and patience with all of the stages, games, ideas, and whatever else the day holds. I want to let go of my stuff and play more. And then find the balance of knowing when to pick up "my stuff" and have her play beside me.

3 Happy Thoughts // I find that I can get into the mind frame of "nothing special happened today" or just killing time. Some times my days are so blurred together that I can easily say that there was nothing to them or I wonder what we did. I want to start focusing in on the happy thoughts, on looking out for moments that can be easily ignored, and see the beauty in the things that can be easily mistaken for mundane. I want to start doing Ann Voskamp's Joy Dare and I want to teach Bug how to see the beauty in everything as well - although she is already great at it. I want us to stop, and point, and see how things move, or talk about how things work or relate to each other. I want to see colour and life and growth and joy and be thankful for it all. In the wise words of Voskamp: "It’s habits that can imprison you and it’s habits that can free you. But when thanks to God becomes a habit —  so joy in God becomes your life." 


  1. I can't help but agree with everything on this list. You've inspired me.

    1. Thank you so much! I am glad that I have inspired you. :)


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