Tag: motivation

New Year’s Resolutions

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog3 Comments

I know most of us set goals and make resolutions at the beginning of the year. I know we have the best of intentions when make them but often times we start out strong and then just kinda let our goals fade out of sight. Sometimes we just keep procrastinating on getting started and before we know it the year is gone.

This year I am setting my intentions on becoming a better mother, a better friend, a better steward of my blessings, and a better keeper of the home. I also have other goals like losing weight, being more faithful in my prayers and devotions, and getting our homeschool stuff more organized. Some of these goals are being carried over from last year. I did make progress on them but I know that I still have a long way to go. Many of them are written down in my prayer journal and I try to pray about them on a daily basis.

Here is a quick list intentional goals that I have made, as I know that I must set my mind to wanting to do something and praying that God will lead me and give me the desire and willpower to accomplish things according to His plans for my life.

  1. Create more peaceful routines.
  2. Create routines and activities that help each of my family members to develop and grow in their own unique ways.
  3. Create a place home that is calm, peaceful, and nurturing. A place where everyone who enters can feel safe, loved, and cherished. A place where my friends and family can find rest, comfort, and peace when then need it.
  4. Create a budget and routine that allows me to be a better steward of my blessings.
  5. Create a more dedicated time to prayer and devotions.
  6. Create a better schedule for planning, organizing, and rotating our homeschool activities.
  7. Create a better schedule for my daily workouts. I would like to lose 10-15 pounds.

I know that I must work at each and everyone of these in order for them to be achieved successfully. Some of them will require research and work on my part while others just require me to get motivated.

I have already started on many of them. I have read that it takes 21 days to form a new habit so I wanted to get a little head start on it. I am also reading some books to give m inspiration and ideas to motivate me towards my end goals. I will list these at the end of the post.

When you set your goals try to be as specific as possible and find ways to hold yourself accountable. It is also helpful to break the goals down into short term goals so you can evaluate your progress and make changes as needed to reach your end goal. Be sure to ask your friends and family to help you stay motivated.

Remember that it’s OK if your goals and resolutions change through the year. Sometimes we set unrealistic goals for ourselves and then just quit or throw them out the window because we feel like a failure. Don’t give up, just sit down and revise or rewrite your goals. Life happens, circumstances change, and so many things are beyond our control. Just focus on what you can control and make the best of it.

Books I am currently reading.

Starting Your Day Right: Devotions for Each Morning of the Year

First Light – Women’s Daily Devotional & Journal First Light – Women’s Daily Devotional & Journal

The Lifegiving Home: Creating a Place of Belonging and Becoming

The Lifegiving Home Experience: A 12-Month Guided Journey

The Organized Homeschool Life: A Week-By-Week Guide to Homeschool Sanity

Becoming a Woman Who Pleases God: A Guide to Developing Your Biblical Potential

Reflections of 2016

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog2 Comments

Can you believe that this year is almost gone? I can’t but I am ready to start 2017 with a fresh, positive, and energized outlook. I know in my heart that this new year will be better than last year. I also know that God has some truly amazing things in store for me and my family. I can’t wait to see what He has planned for us in the upcoming months!

We have been through alot this past year. The year started off really rocky. There had been some nasty rumors and gossip that caused us to leave our church and lose contact with some people. It was also filled with some nasty messages, hateful comments, and posts from people who chose to believe the rumors.

I’ve learned to forgive even if you don’t feel that they deserve forgiveness. Forgiveness lets you move on and heal from the pain.

My oldest daughter finished up boot camp and then DD17 and DS21 took a road trip to Missouri to bring her back home. Then we had a lot planning to do for DD19’s wedding. It was really hard to stay strong for my kids and my family but I refused to let the chaos and nastiness get me down.

I filed for divorce after being separated for nearly 2 years. It was a painful and difficult decision that I prayed a lot over. It was not the outcome I wanted but it was what needed to be done at the time to protect my family and myself from his behaviors and actions. We have come a long way since then and are working to be the best parents we can be to our children.

I am learning to be content in whatever situation I am in and wherever I may be. I will change the things I can change, focus my attention on God, and let Him handle the things I have no control over.

Our family got larger with the additions of a niece and a nephew, both of which I absolutely adore. There was a camping trip where I got to go salt water fishing for the first time and I loved every minute of it. This was a welcome relief prior to the stresses of the wedding where we had last minute changes that threatened to ruin the whole thing. I am pleased to say that it was a success and it is now a beautiful memory for us to cherish.

During those stressful times I found out who my true friends were and became closer to my best friend. She really came through for me when I needed her. I had another friend who also came through and was a lifesaver, quite literally, and he was the calm in my storm on a few occasions.

There was a brief romance where my already tender heart was shredded and ripped apart. This was harder on me than my divorce as it came at me unexpectedly and then it was over without any warning or explanation. I lost someone who I considered to be one of my best friends with the end of that relationship. I know that my questions will continue to go unanswered and I know that there would never be anyway to get back what it was that we had. It still brings tears to my eyes but I do treasure the moments we had.

I am learning that it is much easier not to question God when something happens but rather to embrace it and trust that He knows best. 

Then I attempted online dating which I quickly learned wasn’t for me. I did meet a couple of really nice people and I went on a couple of dates but we didn’t really click. I quickly found that dating by text is not for me either. I need to be able to see the person and hear their voice. I want to know that they are not a figment of my imagination. I did make a friend through the dating site and we still text on a semi-regular basis.

We had another camping trip where I took the five kids and myself. It was an adventure that we all enjoyed and thankfully survived. There was moment that I wasn’t sure if I would make it as I had fallen in the river. Luckily I had a life vest on and I was able to stay calm until someone was able to reach me. The crazy thing was that he was able to walk out to me but I was just a little bit too short to reach the bottom.I think I swallowed my yearly quota of river water that day.

I’ve had many more episodes of the gossip mill. There were days and weeks that I felt I should just write a soap opera about my life. I finally realized that the problem wasn’t really with me but with the ones who were starting and spreading the rumors. This was a big turning point for me and the way I handled the stress and drama from those situations. I also had some painful revelations about family and friends.

Then there was the flu bug that hit us around Thanksgiving. I was upset that we were not able to visit with family but fortunately God did give me the strength and supplies to make our own impromptu dinner. I wasn’t able to eat but I made up for that at Christmas dinner with my daughter and son-in-law. That was definitely a dinner to remember as the police showed up twice!

I have learned to be ready to receive a blessing at any moment and any time.

These are just some of the ups and downs of my past year. There have been a lot of firsts like the salt water fishing, a low country boil (I actually had twice this year), and online dating. I can say that I have lived, loved, been loved, and have been truly blessed. Life has taught me a lot about myself, relationships, and God’s will for my life. There have been many surprises, good and bad, but all in all it was a wonderful year.

I hope you can also look back on the past year and see what has happened. Take a moment to reflect on what you’ve experienced and then think about what you want to experience in the 2017. I pray that each and every one of you will be blessed abundantly in the upcoming year. I pray that God will touch your lives and supply your needs, whatever they may be.

 

 

 

My War Room

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog5 Comments

I don’t know how many of you have read or watched ‘The War Room’. This is one book and one movie that I can read and watch time and time again because the message is so powerful.  Even before watching the movie and reading the book I had a desire to have my own little quiet space just for me. After watching the movie and reading the book that desire grew.

So with the recent changes of rooms in our house I had intended on turning a corner of my closet into my private little area. My ‘War Room’ if you will. Things just didn’t work out as planned when we first changed rooms. My closet had turned into the catchall for everything that didn’t have a home.

Some other events happened and it made me realize there was some things that I needed to get rid of. While clearing out those things I was able to make room in another area of the house to move our pantry cabinets that had previously been in my closet.

I also had a desk on the porch outside that my brother had brought to me before with the intention that I could use it in my private little space. It has been touched by the weather and isn’t quite as pretty as it once was but I enlisted some strong muscles to help me bring it in.

I also gathered a few little items from our shed and from around the house. Just a few little things that meant something to me, things the kids had given me or things the kids had made for me. Some of them were items that others close to me had given to me.

I moved a collection of Bible verses to hang on the wall. These had been hanging on the bulletin board in the kitchen but kept getting covered over with other things. Now they can give me inspiration and motivation to start my day with.

I also brought in a small bulletin board that wasn’t really being used. I may use this to post little verses or maybe even pictures that kids make for me. I reclaimed a small CD player and gathered up some inspirational and relaxing CDs to play. In another closet I found a basket to put all of my current books in there to set on the desk.

I put up a couple of small shelves, one of which my oldest son had made, to use for knickknacks that people have given me. My oldest son had given me a tiny turtle, a little peacock came from my sister, and a couple of beautiful mugs that other people have given me.

I had a peacock clock, which if you don’t know already I enjoy collecting peacocks, that is now sitting on my desk ticking away.I also placed one of my favorite coasters on the desk to hold a drink or a cup of coffee.One of the drawers is now home to my prayer journal and my daily devotionals.

There’s even a space for my laptop. I was able to run an extension cord from an outlet close by so I have a little bit of power in my little room also. (This is only temporary until I figure out a better solution.) DD 17 gave me a little lamp from my desk and I was able to finally unpacked some Christmas gifts from a couple years back.

Among those gifts was a water globe to hold pictures, I intend to put pictures of my kids in it, a small little battery powered fountain which makes a very soothing sound, and a beautiful candle holder that may hold a scented candle in the near future.

My space is not big but it’s cozy and it’s filled with things that remind me of the people that I love the most. So while I’m sitting in my little space I can look around and see things that remind me of my friends and family and it helps me just to get in touch with those feelings and those people that I’m praying for in a deeper way.

I have some other ideas about things about a few things I may add. I will probably add an aromatherapy device of some sort as I know that Santa has brought me some oils. I may hide a stash of chocolate in one of the drawers for emergencies. I’m sure there will be a few other things as well that I think of but I plan to try to keep it as decluttered as possible.

This morning was my first day to enjoy my little space and let me tell you it was so relaxing and peaceful.  I was able to come in and put a CD on very softly, go through my devotionals, go through my prayer journal, and  give thanks to our most awesome God.

It is a very humbling experience to actually be able to spend time in the presence of God. To just sit, relax, and be still. I thank Him every day for all the blessings that He has bestowed upon me, my family, and my friends. I thanked Him today for bringing the images of what I needed to do to rearrange my house in my life in order to have this little space. I thanked Him for the awesome sense of peace I had this morning while in my ‘war room’. Note: I need to put some tissues in a drawer.

This morning I went through my normal activities and had so much peace from them. I prayed about a few things like the fact that our furnace has not been working properly. I asked God to touch it and to guide me as to what I needed to do. I got my answer and I will be replacing the thermostat soon.

Another prayer is something I have been praying about everyday for the past several months. It concerns a person, I don’t know who this person is yet for sure, but I am praying for God’s wisdom and guidance for him and for myself. Today I heard the words ‘Prepare him room’. (I know this is a phrase from a song we hear at Christmas but I wasn’t playing a Christmas CD.)

I will be taking that phrase quite literally as I’ve seen what needs to be done. I have faith that God is working for my good and that He has marvelous things in store for me. I’m telling you that this morning’s experience in my war room was one of the most humbling, gratifying, and blessed time that I have spent with my Father.

I desire to have more of these moments and experiences in the near future. I know that now I have a place where I can truly ‘be still’ and listen for His voice. It is His voice of wisdom that I have been so desperately seeking and that my heart yearns for. I long to hear Him whisper the promises of His love and His plans for me. Now I have a private place to meet with Him. I left my closet with a happy heart!

My desire now is that everyone can have a place like this to go to.I know a lot of you may not have a spot in your home or a closet big enough but just try to make some little space for yourself to spend time with God. This has been over a year in the works. Before this ‘war room’ my space was a little ottoman beside my bed. My nightstand held a stack of books and a small lamp. The top drawer of my nightstand held my prayer journal and devotionals. It was a very comfortable little space and I enjoy it so very much. However it was not my own little private space as my kids would often come in. I enjoy having them around me but sometimes Momma just needs a place to get away for a minute or two.

I challenge you each to find your own little corner, your own little closet, or just somewhere that you can go into and quietly spend some time alone doing something that makes your heart happy.

Have a blessed day! While I was finishing up this post my furnace started working! God is so good!

  

See also:

Pray In Secret

So Much More Than A Basketball

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog5 Comments

Wow! Well, I had written this article last December after we had the surprise pleasure of meeting with the ‘Basketball Cop’. I came to revisit this post only to find out that is GONE! I’m not entirely sure how this happens but I have had some comments from others that this has happened with some other posts on my blog as well. I do apologize and will try to find out what is causing this.

This picture was taken December 25, 2016 in Gainesville, FL. We had went to my oldest daughter’s place for Christmas dinner. There were a lot of people, mostly kids, crammed into a small apartment so it was a bit noisy. We were in the middle of exchanging gifts when we heard a loud rap on the door.

Immediately we all stopped what we were doing and my son-in-law went to open the door and found a police officer standing at the door. Our first thought was that someone had called in a noise complaint but that wasn’t the case at all. She explained to us that she had some gifts she would like to pass out.

We brought all of the kids outside and she began passing out gifts only to realize that she didn’t have enough girl gifts. Well, the kids were not that concerned as she let them choose a boy gift. She promised to return with some girl gifts later on.

Later on she did return with more gifts and more people. It was then that I found out who was responsible for the gifts and this prompted me to investigate further. I had seen the ‘Basketball Cop’ on the news, after his YouTube video went viral, and I had told people about how wonderful he was but I never imagined how much he and the Basketball Cop Foundation did for the community.

If you have never heard of him or his foundation I encourage you to take a moment and check out the link I posted above. He is also on Facebook and Twitter too!

I really hate the fact that my original post was deleted and I am looking for an original that may have been posted elsewhere. I can’t go back and recreate that post or recapture the excitement I felt when I was writing it. I do pray that you will feel a bit of excitement yourself if you happen to check out the links and see what an amazing thing has started.

Pray In Secret

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog4 Comments

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. – Matthew 6:6

I’m sure we have all heard or read this verse at some point in our lives. It has been my desire to have a ‘secret place’ to pray. After reading ‘The War Room’ this desire became more intense. While I do feel it is important for my kids to see me praying, sometimes I just need my own little space.

Yesterday morning was one of those times. It was a bit cold in the house so I decided to turn on a heater in the bathroom before my shower. My plan was to have some quiet time while the bathroom warmed up a bit. I was sitting on the ottoman beside my bed trying to read my devotional when DS3 popped in. He had a million and one questions, maybe more than that, and he was super excited about Christmas.

Well DS14 heard little brother’s excitement and decided to make some noise of his own. His room is right next to mine so it just added to the disruptions. I was able to settle down the little one and send him back to his room for a few minutes. However DS14 was up and at it.I had to take a few minutes to get him calmed down and settled back into his bed.

I checked the bathroom and it was still a bit chilly for my liking so I attempted my quiet time again. I prayed about a few things that had happened the night before and asked God to show me what to do. I also went through my prayer journal and reviewed some of my previous requests. One of them was to be able to create a little space for myself, a prayer closet of sorts, where I can find some peace and relaxation.

I don’t know for sure if it was the Holy Spirit or just my imagination, which would have had to have been influenced by the Holy Spirit, but an idea popped into my head. I know it sounds crazy but I kept hearing the words, ‘pray in secret’, and some visions flashed in my head. I saw what needed to be done. Every obstacle was no longer an obstacle as I had seen the solution to fixing several issues, even the issue from the night before.

My faith and energy was renewed as I finished up my prayers and quiet time. I hummed a little tune as I showered and got ready for the day. I worked with a purpose to finish our morning tasks so I could set about making the vision become a reality.

Well, at nap time, it happened. I was able to rearrange some furniture in the laundry room to make room for our pantry cabinets. The pantry cabinets had been in my closet as we had no other place to put them. They had previously lined a wall in my bedroom when I had one of the smaller rooms. When we switched rooms a month or so ago I had planned on making a portion of my closet into a quiet area but the cabinets had taken up more space than expected.

Once the cabinets were out of the closet I had more space but some more things needed to be rearranged. I wasn’t sure how to do it but I had faith that it was going to happen. My dad helped me to carry in a desk from the porch. My brother had brought me the desk when we had switched rooms as I had all intentions of using it at that time. This poor desk had gotten wet and didn’t look as nice as it did before but I intended to use it anyway. We brought the desk in and left it near the closet door.

Then came the measuring and trying to decide where to put it and what would need moved. My closet is kind of a catch all for many other areas of the house. I have a filing cabinet that holds cleaning supplies, some paper supplies, and some files. There are a couple of shelves that hold other various items like my crafting tote, my sewing box, and my sewing machine. And another that holds the surplus of items that are bought at Sam’s club.

Not too mention that I have totes upon totes overhead that hold our party supplies, party decorations,camping/overnight supplies, extra bags, etc. And of course my clothes and shoes have a place in there as well. It is not really a huge space, even though I had once thought of converting it to a small bedroom, but it holds a lot of stuff. Last week I had went to my closet to hide for a bit as I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and needed a place to clear my head. Well, that wasn’t the place but after spending a few minutes in there I was motivated to declutter and organize it. This was a good thing as it made this project so much easier.

It took about another hour to finish the rearranging and moving stuff around. After taking a stroll through the house and shed to ‘shop’ for things I was able to pull it together. There are still a few more things I may add but I don’t want to clutter it up as I want to be able to relax and just ‘be still’.

I will be writing another post in the next day or so to show you my ‘war room’ and what I’ve put in there. So until then I pray that you may be able to find your own little ‘private space’.

See My War Room for how it came together.