I have been using my own Car Bucket and wanted to give you an update ...I am LOVING it!
Ashley's idea for using a canvas bin to cart things from car to house, and to keep the mini-van picked up is working great for us!
I found this great bin with wheels at Target for $14.99 ..it is perfect for us, because the boys can help me cart it back and forth.
Some things I have noted since using it myself...
* Ashley is right ..you gotta empty it as soon as you get in the door at home. If not, it will not be ready to take it with you next time out the door
* When it is just me and the boys, it sits in the passenger seat so it is easiest to put stuff in and take stuff out, like snacks for the kids or my wallet for getting cash from the ATM
* It has helped 100% in collecting all the trash that we seem to collect in the van. That really is most of the mess we had in there. Now, ALL of it goes in the CB and I just empty it out as soon as we get in the house
* I found a couple of water bottles at Target for $1. The are for the boys to carry to the car, and stay in the CB when we are at home. They arent for home use, in other words. That works for us.
Anyways, just thought I would share...thanks again Ashley for sharing your idea!
Have you used the Car Bucket idea in your own life? Tell us about it!
We cant forget that while we are learning ourselves to use our resources well, that we need to be teaching our children the same thing.
While the Steeds are enjoying the summer, we are ending up with lots of free time. For our family full of little ones, that equals loss of routine, lack of purpose and more time than I would like to admit in front of cartoons! We have had quite a few discipline issues that I directly relate to boredom, plain and simple.
A friend of mine has initiated "Learning Time" in her home, and we have latched on to the idea for the sake of everyone in our house. It has been a wonderful time to set aside on a daily ..or, every other daily, basis. While Kim has used this time to learn letters, shapes and colors with her preschoolers; we are focusing on life skill,s as well. Either way, we are teaching our little ones that time is a valuable resource and that we should manage it well ..even when it seems to be in over-abundance at times!
This summer, we have worked on tying our shoes (5 year old) and fastening buttons (3 year old), properly doing chores, staying seated. some cutting skills (3 year old) and the stories of Elijah for Bible time. It has been a worthy use of our resource of time.
Does this inspire ideas for Learning Time for your own little ones this summer?
I have to admit, having some of you reading some of my older posts has been great for me. It is reminding me of some things that I have felt very passionate about in the past, and refreshing my resolve in some of those areas.
One thing that I have been reminded of, is how unfair being a christian woman of God is! :) I dont say that in a whiny or feel sorry for us kinna way ...but its true.
To quote a past post.. Its not fair that I have to think about all of them before me, or that I cant even go potty without considering how it will effect them first.
Its not fair that I cant eat dinner, or even make a plate until all have been fed and filled.
Its not fair that I am responsible for cooking, cleaning, planning, budgeting, managing ...for all of them.
But, its my job. Its my purpose. And, its not about me. Its about God's big picture.
Thankfully, I have realized something even more comforting than that it is simply "my purpose".
I have also been very powerfully struck with how God has not only given us "everything we need..." but exactly what we need! He not only promises that He will give us all we need to accomplish the tasks to which He has called us, but He then looks to each of us and provides us each with a unique set of resources, tools and equipment to do exactly that.
My "ah-ha" moment was when I was enjoying some visiting time with my girlfriends and one of them was cooing over my two-month old. She was about going crazy from her want of a newborn in her own life ...she has 4 children already. I was amazed with how much she was wanting that #5, since I feel like I am about to lose my mind most of the time with the three I have!
What I realized though, was that this sweet mama and her husband have been given a task. God has called this family to produce many children, and to raise them to love Him. You only have to be with them for a moment, before you see that God has equipped them thoroughly for that task. Her passion for raising her children is obvious, and his love for his daddy-role is clear as day. They have been tasked, and equipped for it.
How about women who do things extraordinary in your own mind? The blogger, the writer, the speaker, the homeschooling mom, the working mom ...how do they all do what they do with a degree of grace and positive influence? Because God has equipped them for the task they have been called to!
What has God called YOU to, and also given you not only "everything" but
"exactly" what you need?
I know for me, that I can see what God has equipped me for because when I am doing that thing, I feel refreshed and not stressed. I feel at peace, and like I am where I need to be. Sometimes, that thing is something they may be overwhelming or stressful for someone else ...but I dont feel that way.
If you are a mom, you can be sure that God has called you that very important task ..to raise your babies to know Him. If you are married, then you can be sure that you have been tasked to be a partner for that man and do your part to encourage him to heaven. From there, we have beautifully diverse tasks in the Kingdom.
What perfectly peaceful thought that I have all that I need to accomplish the tasks which are mine :)
It is not secret that 2 Peter 1:3 is my current focus verse..I love the promises there. I have been reading the verses immediately afterward as well, and I am loving that the the promises keep coming!
"3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5For this very reason, (to participate in the divine nature and escape corruption) make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
10Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:3-11 (NIV)
Very great and precious promises, indeed!
I looked at this same section of scripture in the New Living Translation as well ...
"By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises...8The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."
I know that I am not alone in that desire to feel like I have accomplished something at the end of the day, or when I feel like I am getting older. I desire to be productive and useful! So much of my stress happens when I dont feel that way. God must know me pretty well to know how that promise would comfort me :)
I am (almost) speechless with appreciation that God promises so clearly to provide us with the tools and resources that we need to accomplish what we need to receive a "a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." vs. 11
It is because of that appreciation, that I want so much to make sure that I am using my "everything you need" as He intended it. I want to be productive and useful to Him! I want to receive a rich welcome!
Thank you, Kelly for giving me pause to consider my favorite passage of scripture!
BTW ..I really do read and love other areas of scripture, you wouldnt know it lately but I do! :)
This week's focus is on the Stress Less Journal ..a tool that I have developed for me that has helped me balance my resources...
DISCLAIMER: please ignore the poor quality of the video ...I tried to use my computer's webcam, and didnt realize until after a couple hours of work, and an hour and a half of uploading to youtube, that it was as dark as it was. I thought it was my tired eyes playing tricks on me! Lesson learned, next time I will use the camcorder! :)
About the SLJ ..I have written a post on this but really, it is too long and makes this simple concept a bit to complicated. So, I am gonna start over again! :)
The Stress Less Journal is something I use to help me balance my resources well ..it does that by being a place where I can write down my stresses, my thoughts, my ideas, my prayers and my study. It gives me a place to put my many lists that help me clear my head of menu ideas, shopping lists, gift ideas, blogging thoughts, cleaning lists, etc. I have alot of dividers in mine, but that is because I love to have things ordered that way.
The SLJ is just a three-ring binder, with a set or two of dividers and some notebook paper. The dividers make it yours, so make sure to only use sections that will be helpful and not stressful to you.
Some of the dividers that I have ...
*My Stress List: we will talk more about this soon, but basically it is a place to jot down everything that is weighing on me, my husband and my children. For me, it is useful to help me see where I need to deploy my Stress Strategies! ..something else we will talk about again soon!
*Menu List/Shopping List: a place for me to jot down recipes and stuff my family likes, I refer to this when I need some inspiration for the menu
*Cleaning Lists: straight off of Flylady ...reminders of what to clean in each room, if I ever get a chance to do some deep cleaning there!
*Blog Ideas: I found a great blog calendar online yesterday, this would be a great place to put it!
*Routines: having mine and the boys routines written down helps me to identify areas we need to make more time, or reorder our resource of time
*Contacts: I use this tab alot! Its a place where I have my church directory and a printed sheet with all my and my husband's family listed with phone numbers and addresses. Also, our doctors, dentists and emergency numbers. This is in a page protector toward the back, so I can find it easily.
*Coupons: I also keep my page protectors with my weekly coupon inserts in the back of my binder. For me, it is less stressful to have fewer binders to deal with! :)
*Prayer/Study/Thoughts: these are three separate tabs for me, and help me keep my spiritual mind focused as well as my life ordered. It is what it is all about, after all :)
Another obvious addition would be a calendar ..I use something different for my calendar now, but it may help you to add one for your SLJ!
If you want a more in depth (or, at least more wordy) version of all this, please go here.
Otherwise, keep it simple and let it work for you!
Some tips..I stole this from the wordier version:
clean it out frequently - all those little pages can add up. Throw away when you are done, dont let it build up. It adds weight, clutter and stress!
pay attention to sections you use, and ones you dont - it may surprise you which sections you dont use at all, get rid of them!
I keep my stamps, and some blank notes in the front pocket of my book so I can easily write a note to a friend if they come to mind while I am praying.
Keep a clear zipper pocket in the front of your book to keep pens, highlighter, white out pen, stamps, paper clips, etc.
Remember, if it causes you stress then it defeats the purpose!
Does this idea inspire or stress you out? Tell me, and share with all of us some other ideas for dividers you may have!
