Blessing in the Midst of Transition

Very soon, in fact, two weeks to be exact, we will be welcoming our youngest son to the outside world and our family.  In the midst of this upcoming transition in our lives, our oldest son has been displaying some strange behavior due to anxiety about his whole world changing.

But even though it has been challenging lately with keeping up with our 3 year olds ever changing moods, it has been a blessed time too.  I am enjoying the little moments with him, snuggling watching a movie, his daily bedtime ritual complete with story time and more snuggling. 

We lucked out with our oldest.  For the time being, he is still a big snuggled, hugger and overall compassionate, caring kiddo.  Of course he can turn into a bear at a moments notice, but it helps to remember the snuggly times in the midst of the chaos.

The transition of going from three to four is going to be challenging and exciting for all of us.  It will be hard and a blessing for each of us in different ways.  And once our youngest is a little older, we'll all really get to have some fun, especially our oldest son, because he will be able to teach his brother so many things, both good and bad. ;)

Transition always has its scary moments and blessings.  It is focusing on the blessings in the midst of transition that make transition easier for all involved.  Thanks be to God for all the blessings he has given our family and continues to pour out upon us daily.

Write What You Know...

Recently, I have been discerning about going back to work outside of the home.  I am pregnant so it would not be until after baby boy is born, more likely at least a year after baby boy is born, as was my original intent with our oldest son.  But living where we do, I could not find a job that would pay enough to make it worth working outside the home.  I have been a stay at home mom since our first son was born in August 2012. 

I have liked staying at home and being the one to raise our son with my husband who is a pastor in a small rural town in what is referred to as North Central Montana.  But I often feel very isolated most days.  Being a city gal in a small rural town has been a challenge.  I am often at a loss for things to do and places to go with our son that don't require driving long distances or spending money.  I am thankful that our son is easily entertained by a trip to the town park or a walk around town.  Otherwise things would really be tough.

The idea of working outside the home is appealing for a couple of reasons.  For one thing, it would force me to leave the house.  Getting out of the house is a lifeline for me.  Even if I don't see anyone, the fresh air and nature are reviving.  But it would be nice to interact with more people, even for a few moments at a time depending on the work I do.  Another thing that makes working outside the home appealing is the second income.  With how bogged down we are in student loan debt these days any and all extra income will be helpful.

Then there is another part of me that loves staying at home with our son, soon to be sons.  I love the fact that I am raising my kids along with my husband.  I love the flexible schedule and not having to accrue time off or lose a days pay because we decide to go somewhere as a family.  The big downside is figuring out how to sanely live on one income with all of our student loan debt.

For the time being I'll be staying at home with our sons.  So what to do then about my anxiety about money?  Well, we have a budget that I meticulously keep track of every month.  I am also looking at work from home options but with my time constraints it is hard to find options that pay well and are flexible time wise. 

One option that I keep coming across is to monetize my blog, which I have already done, or to write what you know and self publish on Amazon.  I love to write and blog, so I am going to see where I can go with this option.  Writing about what I know and sharing those things with others will be an interesting experiment in time management, but I am going to give it a shot.  Maybe I will be successful and I will be able to continue to stay home with the kiddos and alleviate some of my anxiety about money at the same time. 

I have a lot of work to do to get started, so I better get started. 

Week 4 of Healthier Living in 2015

2/11/2015
For the week of 2/4 - 2/11/2015
Weigh in Weight:  150.0 lose of 2.6 lbs

Week 4 went much better than week 3 did.  I accomplished most of my goals I made for myself for week 4.  I worked on eating low-sodium and low/no cholesterol foods and meals.  I did pretty well but did allow myself a few indulgences, but nothing like during week 3.  I ate a lot of salads.  I am going to continue this goal for week 5 because I feel better when I eat low-sodium and low/no cholesterol foods.  My mind and body feel less foggy since I have started eating this way, so I am going to continue to do so.

I was able to get in two days of speed walking on the treadmill and two days of speed walking outside.  One of the two outside days I was also pushing my 33 lb son in his stroller, so I got a really good workout that day.  I've been feeling physically better this week than last.  I'm going to continue this goal for week 5.

Every morning during week 4, I took a few minutes and prayed and reflected on all of the blessings in my life.  God is good!  I have a wonderful husband, an amazing son, amazing family and friends and ways to communicate with them.  Skype is one of the best inventions ever!  I have a roof over my head, clothes to wear, food to eat and a vocation that I am seeing realized with the publication of my first book this year.  I feel so much better emotionally and mentally since I started this exercise so I am going to keep it as a goal for week 5 too.

I fell short of my goal to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night.  It doesn't help that my son has woken up almost every night in the past week and a half in the middle of the night.  He sometimes wakes up for a few seconds to a few minutes and then goes back to sleep without us having to go into his room.  Other times, one of us have to go into his room to calm him down and it is usually Jason.  When my son gets that way, the only one who can calm him down is his dad.  I get up too to help out, and end up going back to bed, but not back to sleep until my husband comes back to bed to make sure both him and Preston are okay.  So needless to say, I am keeping my goal of getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night on my list for week 5.

I'm keeping my goals for week 5 the same as week 4 because they are things I want to continue doing and things I need to continue to work on.  So until next week, Keep on keeping on!  :)

Goals for Week 5: 2/11/2015 - 2/18/2015
1) Get 7-8 hours of sleep a night
2) Continue to eat low-sodium and low/no cholesterol foods and meals
3) Speed walk on the treadmill and/or outside 3 days during the week
4) Pray and reflect on the blessings in life