Reflections and Looking Ahead!

It is the darkest days of the year now, as we say goodbye to one year and begin another.  Funny how we end in the darkness and begin again as the light of the days gets slightly longer.

As I look back on the year of 2019, the word that comes to mind first is quick.  This year has gone by so fast.  As with every year there were moments of great joy and moments of great sorrow.  For whatever reason I am stuck on the great sorrows, yet bursts of joyful moments take over at times as I reflect on the last year of the 2010s.  

Some amazing things have happened in the past decade and in 2019!  To write about them all now would take the length of a book, not a blog post.

Here are some things I have learned in the last year and decade:

• Marriage is not easy or for the faint of heart.  It is 💯 worth the time, effort and love shared, but it is not easy.

• Losing a beloved family member and/or friend never gets any easier.  

• I am resilient and can get through anything by clinging to my faith, being willing to ask for help from my loved ones and not being afraid to seek therapy when I can't handle life.

• Parenting is the best, hardest job ever!  No exceptions!  I have never been more tired, afraid and joy-filled in my life and I wouldn't give up being a parent to my boys for anything!

• Small town, rural America is where it is at folks!  I love being a big city gal, but if you really want to make a difference in the world and people's lives, head to a small town!

• If I don't get between thirty minutes to an hour of alone time each day, I turn into a horrible monster and have a hard time functioning or giving a crap about anything.  This introvert is hardcore y'all!

• Time out with friends and away from my family is important.  Even though I still have that initial pang of guilt every time I leave to go hang out with a friend or a group of people, it energizes me to be around others without my boys around.  I am able to come home from my outing and again enjoy my family.

There is a lot more that I have learned bit this post is already long enough.

I don't do New Year's Resolutions.  I set goals and work on accomplishing them throughout the whole year.  I have set three goals for myself for 2020 to work on the whole year.  I am excited to get started on them and may even begin working on them a little early. 😉

So there you have it.  As we come to the end of a year and a decade, may you have a blessed new year!  

Until next time!

Megan

How I plan ahead

I am a planner gal.  And by planner, I mean a good old fashion paper planner with all the accessories.  In fact, not only do I have a fancy paper planner but I have a mini paper calendar that I bring with me everywhere I go so I know when I can schedule appointments, etc. or meet up with friends and family.  

Having both my fancy planner and my mini calendar helps me keep #allthethings organized for not just myself but my family.  I color code my planner; orange for family schedule, yellow for my husband's and Church events schedule, blue for my schedule, appointments, meetings and other fun things, and pink for my Mary Kay and Thirty One Business goings-on.  My mini calendar contains all the same things as my planner but is easier to bring with me everywhere I go. 

At the beginning of each month, I sit down with my husband for about 10 to 15 minutes and we write down everything we know about at that moment that is going on that month on our joint paper calendar that hangs on a cabinet door in our kitchen so we can always have it to refer to.

Once everything is written down on our joint calendar, I write it all in my fancy Keepsake Planner from Thirty One Gifts, in pencil and then highlight each category with the appropriate color, on the full month spread for that particular month, say December, since that is the month we are in right now.

Once I'm done with filling out the month spread in pencil and highlighters, I move onto each week and only write down #allthethings for two weeks at a time, again in pencil and this time not highlighted because things can change from day to day at a moment's notice, especially being a clergy family; my husband can be called to leave at any moment or have a sudden meeting come up which changes the plan for the day.  But having a good routine in place helps create flexibility too, which may seem counterintuitive.

Setting up my planner and mini calendar for the month and two weeks ahead of time, takes me about an hour.  Yup, all the things I just described above takes me about an hour.  If I can find an hour at the beginning of the month while being a stay-at-home mom and keeping everything going around our home as smoothly as possible, then so can you.  And trust me, making the time to get your monthly schedule organized at the beginning of each month will alleviate a whole lot of stress in the long run.  You will thank yourself for taking the time to do this for yourself and your family, I know I do everyday.