Stretched too thin

Today I responded to a friend's request by telling her that I would be happy to help sometime around August. What? Apparently, I am now booking my time 6 months in advance. When did things get so out of control?

I know you are all in the same boat. What is it exactly that fills up our time? And are all of those things really important? Or even necessary?

Hmmm, I think it's time for some changes...

So in an attempt to find order and balance, and perhaps greater simplicity in my life (and because lists make me happy), here we go:

Priorities:

1. My relationship with God

2. My marriage

3. My beautiful children

4. Home= heaven on earth

5. My beautiful YW

6. Friends

7. Other volunteering opportunities (schools, etc.)

8. Personal time



Am I forgetting something? Probably. But this is a good start.



Details:

Stop snoozing. The schedule works well as long as I get started on time...which I very rarely do.

Get off the dumb computer.

Only check email once (or twice) per day. Facebook and blogs twice/week. (Sorry blogging friends- I love you all- but I've got to find some time somewhere.)

Rediscover my love of reading.

Read a good balance of books- one novel, one church book, one classic

Exercise 30-40 minutes 5 times + 1 dance class per week.

Keep volunteering in the kids' classrooms but maybe not chair the silent auction for next year's fundraiser. It's taken too much time away from my little ones at home. I can be more involved again in the years to come.

Remember there's a time and a season for everything and it's okay to not do it all right now.

Less is more.

Learn to make bread with the wheat grinder that has been tucked away in its box since Christmas.

Go for a walk or bike ride with the kids on good weather days.

Find a time to practice piano with Tess and stick to it.

Just finish painting/decorating the house already. No more excuses.

Contact each of the YW at least once/week.

Have one full night each week dedicated to nothing but Nathan (even if it means missing out on something social).

No raised voices in the house- this was our New Year's resolution and it's going quite well. Makes such a difference!

Quit thinking I can do it all myself and rely on the Lord a little bit more. Ahh- I think I've just stumbled upon the real secret.

So I guess that's a good place to stop. It felt good to organize my thoughts for a moment.

Now, back to work...

Seriously?

Goodbye gum- you've seen your final day at the Meeker house.

I know what you are thinking: Awesomest. Haircut. Ever.
(And just as the reverse mohawk was starting to fill in. See previous post if you don't know what I'm talking about.)

Who votes we just shave him bald?

It's a little TOO quiet in the house...

...which always spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E-!

A little recap of what we've been up to lately.

Nora found
the make-up bag



Nora, daw-ling, you've never looked so gorgeous!

David found the scissors. We call this a reverse mohawk.

(Davey calls it his "stripe.")

The onions I burned while giving a stern lecture and sweeping up the golden curls.

Past too-quiet-in-the-house, up-to-no-good, classic Meeker moments...

Panty liner art

Spilled paint on the master bedroom carpet. (Done by none other than Davey. I bet you could have never guessed!)

Yes, I was able to get it out after a mere 4 hours of Bissell sucking action.

This one happens on an hourly basis. Anyone know how to keep the cushions on the couch? I would love the chance to just sit down without having to put the couch back together.

Good times...oddly I suspect I'll miss these moments as the kids get older. Which is happening all too quickly.

Sigh.

It's why I love her

Normally if we get a brush through Tess' hair on her way out the door for school we are doing well. But this day I had actually done it. Complete with a cute little braid on the side. But by the time I picked her up from school it looked more like this:

Okay maybe not that bad, but you get the point.

me: Tess, why did you take out your braid?

Tess: Because Ella came to school with really messy hair...and she didn't want to be the only one...so I made my hair messy so she wouldn't feel so bad.

Awwww. So sweet. That's my girl.

Preschool Fieldtrip...

...to the Fire Station

So have you ever bought something and then seen it in a picture a few months down the road and wondered, "What was I thinking?" Yep, me too. Neon green sleeves on David's coat? Really Erin? What were you thinking?... Okay so actually I know exactly what I was thinking: "Wow, this is great! I will be able to spot David anywhere!" (He has a terrifying propensity to wander off.) And guess what... I CAN! So there... I guess I was right.

Things that keep me thinking into the wee hours of the night

Pres Gordon B. Hinckley:

"I just cannot get over the tremendous responsibility we have. There has been laid upon us as people of ordinary talents the work of carrying the gospel of Jesus Christ to all the world. I just speak of myself and wonder if I should be doing a little more."

Hmm- I'm thinking if Pres Hinckley thought he could do a little more, that there is probably a great deal more that I could be doing.

Do you remember when Pres Hinckley died, and everyone kept going on and on about how happy they were that he was reunited with his sweet Marjorie? Well- I totally agree with that. Except when I miss him. Which I still do. A lot.

Pres Ezra Taft Benson:

"I work as hard as I can. I try to be obedient so the Lord knows I'm serious about Him. And then I trust the Lord to make up the difference."

Do I live my life in such a way that the Lord knows 'I'm serious about Him?' Does He know I'm on His team? (Go team Jesus.) Are there things that I do that would make Him doubt that? Hmmm...should I make a list?

And this one- this one- totally blows my mind. It's written about Marjorie Hinckley. I absolutely adore Sis Hinckley. I like to think that I'm the best friend she never knew she had. But there are probably a good many of us that feel that way. Because she was that kind of person...

"What everyone felt in her presence was the pure love of Christ...It was the pure love of Christ that allowed her to stop worrying about how the world saw and treated her, and left her free to focus her attention on others. It was the pure love of Christ that allowed her to rejoice in the accomplishments of others without feeling jealous or intimidated; to focus intently on others rather than worry how she was being viewed. It was the pure love of Christ that, over time, made her oblivious to the enticements of the world. It was because she was filled with the pure love of Christ that she never failed to have the impact on others that she had. And the results were stunning."

Ya. New goal: get me some more of that kind of love.

**All of these quotes are taken from the book, "No One Can Take Your Place" by Sheri Dew.