The Little Things...

So now that I am no longer hallucinating that everything (including my children) are food items, I can finally get back to living life.


Here is a little food experiment update: Feeling pretty good! Cravings are way down from what they were before and although the thought of Ice Cream is not revolting AT ALL, I do think I can live without it for another 21 days. YAY!!


Enough about that. On to the next...

Over the next few weeks I want to start focusing on the "little" things that I do (or should do) every day that I either don't do, or I don't do them well. I have heard conflicting ideas that it takes anywhere from 21-30 days to form a habit. I intend to form some good habits surrounding the things that seem small but can have a significant impact.


Below is a list of the first 5 things I want to start doing better. (In no particular order). Once I have "mastered" these, I will pick 5 more.


Wear A Seatbelt.
I always make sure my kids are buckled in and safe, yet a lot of times I just jump in and off I go. According to the internet, which is always accurate and reliable, about 100 bzillion lives are saved by seatbelts everyday. (Okay maybe not that many, but you get the point) I really want to be around for the next 50+ years so this shouldn't be a big deal. Cache has promised to be my little helper and remind me to put on my seatbelt too! It is always nice to have that extra push...Get in. Get Buckled - words to live by!


Read To My Kids.
This is an opprtunity I miss FAR too often. Honestly, there is no downside, yet I find myself making excuses for not doing it. (Too busy, Too tired, No New Books, Biggest Loser is on, etc.) Reading to my kids would benefit both myself and the kids and best of all, it allows me to spend time with them. In my opinion, my kids are some of the funnest people to hang out with! Earlier this month, Cache set a goal to learn to read prior to starting kindergarten. I am not sure if I just thought he would pick that up on his own, or in my mind I was putting the responsibility on his pre-school teacher, but I need to STEP IT UP. So...at least one book everyday!

Gas Up The Car.
How many times have you jumped in the car and seen that you are almost out of gas and said "I can probably make it."? If you are like me, you even have little contests with yourself to see if empty really is EMPTY. Well, no more! First, it is better for the car to keep it at or above 1/4 of a tank. Google it if you don't believe me. Second it is better for my husbands sanity! Last week, we were in a fairly big hurry and we got in the car to head out...and WHOOPS! For about the 10th time the car literally had 1 mile until empty. I suppose I can see how that would be just a touch irritating - and it was totally my fault. (sometimes I have a hard time excepting blame, so that little confession was big for me!) So from now on I am not going to let the car get below 50 miles left. That is easy to track because it is right there on the console, so I have zero excuses.

Be On Time.
Easy to say...HARD to do! At least for me. I have an awful habit of constantly rushing. I absolutely SUCK at time management. This is maybe the cause of a lot of my other shortcomings. Here is a little story problem: If I know that I have to be somewhere by 5:00 and it is 30 minutes away - when should I leave the house? Logic would say - leave at or before 4:30. Somehow in my brain, that doesn't register! The problem is that I start preparing to leave about 10 minutes before I have to go. Who in the history of the world can pack two kids complete with all their "stuff", including diapers, wipes, sippys, blankies, movies, and anything they may possibly need for any possible scenario and get themselves dressed and organized to leave in 10 minutes??? That's right! No One! And yet here I am, still trying and failing to do the impossible. And you know what happens when I am running late? I turn into frickin MOM-ZILLA...How fair is that? My poor kids suffer for my poor planning. I find myself apologizing once we get in the car and drive away. Me: "Sorry Mommy got mad, it wasn't your guys' fault. We just needed to hurry" Cache:"It's okay Mom, you were just frush-rated" Cruz: "AAWWEE" (translation-"sorry"). I end up feeling about this big... So, I am going to be making a focused effort to prepare as much in advance as possible and give myself a lot of lead time. I hope my family is okay with me setting my clocks 3 days fast!

Pray.
This is another thing that is probably much more easy for some people. It should be easy for me, but I am embarassed to say, it isn't. Sure, we say our "grace" at dinner, and I say prayers with the kids at night, but I don't personally take the time to have a conversation with God. You would think that if you owe everything you are and everything you have to someone, it would be easy to call them up and say "Thanks". You would think that if you know you have a friend who loves you unconditionally, who wants only the best for you, is so proud of the things you do well, and shares your discouragment when you fail, you would want to talk to them all the time. A parent who sees the good in you when you don't see it in yourself. Whose heart aches for you because of the tough things you go through, even when they are your fault. The person who doesn't judge you and always has time. I know it is not a lack of effort on His part, only on mine. It is time to put in the effort, to be humble, grateful and willing to exercise some faith...

I read this today and thought it was very applicable:

"The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is like a breakfast of eggs-and-ham.
The chicken was 'involved' - the pig was 'committed'."

Time to be committed