The Intentional Life

One of the blogs I follow posted this week about their Summer List, something they had started in their family as a way to make sure they were spending their summers "intentionally".  I loved the idea of it.  Too many years we have gotten to the end of summer and said "We didn't really do anything this summer"  or "I wish we had done (fill in the blank) this summer".  Considering my time with my kids is limited and precious, I really liked the idea of implementing something like this for our family for the summer.  Our list consists of stuff I want to see us do (less TV), things my husband has mentioned (crabbing), and things the kids have brought up (sleeping on the lawn and mini golf).  Others are general goals for the summer (daily walk and scripture study).  Here's our list:

Summer List 2011

Face Painting. Playdates. Mini Golf. Pinata Party. Backwards Day. Crabbing. Fly Kites. Wings and Waves. Albany Water Park. THD Kids Clinic. Sleep on the lawn. Gilbert House. Craft Day. Berry Picking.

Carousel Rides. Zoo. Fishing. Aquarium. Make homemade ice cream.
Ride on a boat.

Birthday Parties. Cousin Sleepovers. Hiking. Bike Rides. Less TV.

Summer Reading Club. Daily Walks. Scripture Study.

As I was working on this list, it got me thinking - what if I lived my life like this all the time?  I already make lists, lots of them.  Grocery lists, housework lists, yardwork lists, packing lists.  But what if I started making a different kind of list?  What if I started looking at all my activities in life with the mindset of spending my time intentionally?  What if every decision I made was geared towards making my life more positive and productive all the time, not just for summer vacation? 

I know most of the time I am so focused on just getting stuff done that I seldom question what I am doing to add value to my life or my family's lives.  I know it's not realistic that everything I do everyday would have some kind of value-add.  Laundry is laundry, dishes are dishes, and there's no way to do those things intentionally.  (Sometimes I intentionally don't do them).  But the books I read, the TV I watch (or don't watch), and the time I spend with my kids and husband, could all be done with a lot more "intentional-ness". 

For now I am going to start with The Summer List.  But hopefully that will turn into The Fall List, The Winter List, and maybe eventually it will just be a new way of thinking and I won't need a list at all. 

But I do love lists.......    :)



Game Closet Redo

It is my secret dream to be a professional organizer.  In a perfect world I would quit The Depot, and get to organize other people for a living. 

For the time being, I am left to organize myself, and this time around it was the game closet in need of a makeover.  Now granted, part of the reason my game closet is disorganized is because I have 2 little boys who can't ever put a game back where they got it.  But, it needed some love.

 

(One of these days when I do a project, I will take some "before" pictures.  Usually I don't think about blogging it until I am into it and then the "before" is no more.  Maybe next time.)

These are the "tools" I used.  The scissors, bags and pen are for the puzzle project.  The tape is for fixing broken game boxes as you go.

We had 13 puzzles that took up way too much space in the closet.  So to start out with, I went through and dumped all the pieces into their own ziploc bags, which I get at The Dollar Store for, you guessed it, $1 a box.  They come in all different sizes, which works nicely for different size puzzles.  Then I cut the picture off the original box, put it in the bag with the pieces, and voila, you get this:

I use the label to write down how many pieces are in the puzzle.

Then they all stack nicely in a small bin I also got at The Dollar Store....

which fits neatly on the shelf!

The next step was to clean up all the cards and poker chips. 

 Again, I used the zipper bags I got at The Dollar Store.

They all went into a basket I got at, yes, The Dollar Store. 

Are you sensing a theme here?  I like to organize, but I am CHEAP.

And there you have it.  A neatly organized game closet!  At least until the boys play another game.....

My little loves

A friend of mine told me today that she loved pictures of my kids because they were always touching each other, and she could tell how much they loved each other. I hadn't ever really thought of it that way, but this afternoon, I sat back and just watched them play for awhile. They are completely happy just the three of them.

Baker Boy

Austin was in charge of treats for FHE on Monday. 

He decided to make cookies. 

 (Those of you who know me well will be shocked to see an actual bowl of dough and not a sheet of break aparts.... )

He mixed the batter with only a little help from Mom on the eggs....

formed all the cookies himself

and made some of the best tasting cookies ever!

Happy Birthday

38 years ago today my best friend was born, to a young army veteran and his wife.  We wouldn't meet until almost 25 years later, and our lives would take very different paths in the meantime, but eventually we were destined to find each other.  I spend way too much time coming down on my husband, and not nearly enough time letting him know all the things about him I truly love.  Today, that is my gift in honor of his birthday.

Brian and I have been through more than our share of rough spots in our marriage.  We have overcome more challenges in 13 years together than most couples will in a lifetime.  One of the reasons we are still together, and striving towards eternity together, is because we can talk about anything, and we make sure we do.  Whether it's the big stuff or the small stuff, we hash it out til we find a solution.  We also stay in touch several times throughout the day and rarely make decisions, even minor ones, without talking with each other.  As a guy, I know it's not is favorite thing to do, but he knows it's important to me, so he does it.

Brian is very smart.  Beyond the regular "book smarts", he makes connections between things and has insights about topics that surprise and educate me.  He is a never ending fountain of knowledge for my kids and their ever inquisitive minds, and more often than not when they have a question about something, I tell them to go ask their dad, because I know he will know the answer.

Family is the most important thing to Brian.  From the early days of our little family, he wasn't really interested in going places that we couldn't take our kid with us.  He is completely happy foregoing steak dinners for Happy Meals and loves to take the boys on man-dates or have boys night at home.   He dotes on his Peanut and has no problem painting her nails or trimming her bangs.  Very early on, he embraced my family, never viewing them as "in-laws" but as brothers and sisters, mother and father.  Most important, Brian has never given up on us.  His family tree is full of divorce, but he has never lost sight of the commitment we made to each other, and even in the roughest of waters, he has never abandoned ship.

Brian has very easily stepped into the role of the spiritual leader in our family.  It surprises me what an easy transition his conversion has been, and how comfortable he has become in his role as patriarch and priesthood holder in our home.  We have been blessed in many ways because of his love of Christ and his commitment to the gospel.

Brian has an amazing capacity to forgive.  I know that alot of people think I have put up with alot over the years, but Brian has stood by me during some major moments of being a complete neurotic , and has forgiven me some major missteps in our relationship.  I have seen him extend this forgiveness to others as well, and it has humbled me.  I do not forgive so easily.

Brian has always made me feel beautiful.  Most days I can't be bothered to do my hair or makeup, and I would almost always rather be in jeans and a tshirt than anything else.  It has never mattered to him - he has always loved me the just the way I am.  I grew up taller and bigger than all the other "pretty girls" and always felt awkwardly out of place.  His love has done more for my self-esteem than years of therapy ever could.

Happy birthday to my husband and best friend.  I love you!


P.S.  Here's what the kids had to say............

Jacob - why I love my dad
He makes great pancakes and french toast.
He is nice.
He used to be in the Marines.
He is always willing to help anyone
He is good with cars
He teaches us about cars and animals and other things.
He is my Dad!!

Austin - why I love my dad
He is nice
He loves me and lets me hug him.
He lets me play on the computer.
He wrestles with me.
He loves me and I love him.
He lets me eat Popsicles.
He teaches me about Jesus and animals.
He teaches at church.
He always lets us ride our bikes.
He looks nice in church clothes.