January 2026 Update!
The snow outside is blindingly bright today and sunset-colored rays are dancing across my kitchen (even though it's mid afternoon) thanks to these orange curtains! This is my favorite room in the house.
Everything today is calm and joyful after a slightly worrisome weekend. People across the country were without power due to snow and ice storms. Luckily, we and our loved ones were spared any electrical blips but my prayers are with everyone who had a worse weekend.
I am so grateful for this month and the following is my overview/review.
The good things:
1) Thanks to the Lord's provisioning, I've been able to consistently read and study my Bible every day of January so far and the discipline has become mostly effortless. I still utilize the quiet while Kiddo is sleeping to jump in!
2) Similarly, I am so grateful for my new study Bible! I picked up the MacArthur NASB Study Bible for this year and it has already helped me understand scripture so much better!
3) I also tried a new planner this year and I am a BIG fan. I love everything about it so far, the layout, the goal setting and monthly review pages, the reading log, EVERYTHING! I hope they make one exactly like it next year too or I may have to look into making my own.
4) One of my goals for the year is to read a book a week and that's also going really well so far too, Hallelujah! So far I've read:
- The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel,
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie,
- The Joyful Child by Susan Mayclin Stephenson, and I am set up to finish
- The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian by the end of this week and may also finish
- How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie soon too!
5) Thanks to God, I have also started a new Fly-Lady-inspired daily/weekly routine and it has been going swimmingly so far. My home has never been pristine, and never will be, but this routine really helps me stay on top of clutter and cleaning a lot better!
6) Every week, I have been able to do some exercises regularly (at least twice) and I pray that I could find a more consistent rhythm to work out.
7) Kiddo is learning and growing SO MUCH! I am so amazed by how much he can say now, the variety of foods he likes, and his coordination! He's also a very kind and affectionate child which makes everything so much more rewarding. He's such a blessing to my heart.
8) Toward the latter half of the month, I have gotten into a better rhythm of cooking healthy food more often, 2-3 times/week, so we have heathy stuff to munch on and I FEEL healthier.
The not-so-good things:
1) I don't, however, feel like I LOOK much healthier yet. I am still pretty stagnant in my weight loss. Since about a year PP, I haven't really lost much more. So still up 20 lbs out of the total 50+ that I gained while pregnant. This feels like a superficial thing, but I also would like to have another child soon (as I am not a young mom to begin with) and I want to get back down to a healthy weight before we start trying again.
One of the reasons I think I've stalled is I have been consuming a LOT more sugar over the past year than I really ever have in my life. Secondly, I definitely got into the habit of not watching my portions since I was pregnant and that needs to change! Thirdly, I realize I have some negative emotional eating habits that need to stop.
I have set what I would deem a pretty reasonable plan to make a big dent in that number over the next 6 months. I have vowed to myself to lift weights at least 2x per week. I've also vowed to myself to cut sugar through the week and have a "cheat" day on the weekend if I like. And I've additionally vowed to myself to cut down on carbs and pay attention to my portions and my actual hunger signals. With God's help, I know I can keep these promises to myself and work to get my body healthy again.
I tend to eat in an unhealthy way when I feel exhausted, annoyed, or some sort of negative emotion so I just want to be cognizant of that and just stop buying junk to begin with.
2) There is a really big and heavy monkey on my back about a task (or set of tasks) that I have failed to do in a reasonable amount of time and so it's just lingering. I have a plan to finish or at least be almost finished with this burden by the end of the week so I can start February fresh. Dear Lord, please help me to complete this task and help it to go more smoothly than I can imagine. Thank You, in Jesus' name, Amen.
3) There are additional burdens on my husband and I about our house and things that need to be fixed and neither he nor I have been able to get anyone to come fix them. Father God, please help us to find the right people to fix the issues in our house that need work and help us to be able to fix the rest. Please help us to find them soon. In Jesus' name, Amen.
4) Another prayer is to find a group of playmates for Kiddo to play with regularly and to regularly attend church as a family. This is something that has been on my heart for awhile and I definitely need the Lord's help here.
5) Lastly, although I am so grateful for my new schedule this month, it seems like there are not enough hours in the day or week to do all the things I would like to do. Kiddo sleeps at least 2 hours for his nap, usually closer to 3 hours, but that's not really enough time to do everything I'd like to do every day. So I will be tweaking my schedule a bit this week and potentially through February to find a better rhythm. When I focus on certain tasks, other things slip, and vice versa so I'd love to find a happy balance. Dear Lord, please help me find a better balance during my down time while Kiddo is sleeping or find other time during the day. Please help me to do all the things I need and want to do. In Jesus' name, Amen.
I'm so grateful for January and so hopeful for February!
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