My Word for 2018: Intentional

I know we are almost finished with January. I'm a little late on the whole word of the year thing. But after listening to one of my favorite podcasts The Homemaking Foundation, I was convinced this was something I needed to do. I've never been great at setting goals, so to sit down and actually write these steps down took some discipline on my part.

The word I have chosen for 2018 is Intentional. It was a no-brainer for me as I have become lax in several areas where I should be devoting more attention. I have outlined 5 specific areas in which I want to be more intentional and how I plan to see that through.

1. Intentional in my spiritual disciplines.

To make this happen I plan to

• wake up 30 minutes before  I wake my children to study my Bible and pray. I was in a good habit of doing this but gradually 30 minutes became 20 then 10 until I was  waiting til the kids left for school. Which there's nothing wrong with waiting until they have left but the more I put it off the more distracted I am by the days tasks. I want the time I spend with God to be the most important thing I do each day. To value that time more than my sleep or anything else that needs to get done that day. 

•  start keeping a notebook of my prayer needs. This is something I've done in the past but haven't kept it up. Now that I'm "older" my memory isn't what it used to be so I don't always remember to pray for everything that I should. I don't want to be that person that says "I'll pray for you" but then never does it. Writing down specific needs for my family and friends will help me to remember what I should be bringing before the throne of God each day, and it also allows me to look back and see how God has worked in situations. 

2. Intentional in loving my husband and children. 

You wouldn't think that this would be something someone would need to actually write down on a list. But, unfortunately, it is. Because we are sinners living in a fallen world, it is natural to think of self first. At least it is for me. It is so easy to only think about myself and what I want to accomplish in a day, that my husband and kids are not receiving the best from me. So how do I become more intentional in loving them and putting them before me? For my husband, I plan to:

• write love notes
• plan at least 1 date night a month 
• do the things he would want me to do before I do what I want
• kiss goodnight before bed each night
• compliment more 
• take my selfish thoughts captive to obey Christ as described in 2 Corinthians 10:5. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.

I'm sure there are more ways that I could add to this list, but this is a good start.

For my kids I plan to:

• be consistent in discipline (yes that is showing love!)
• set aside 2 nights a month for family game night
• go on walks
• be an active listener
• tell specific traits I love about them and specific areas I am proud of them in

Again this is not an exhaustive list. Just something to get me started. I have been guilty too often of letting my family have what is left of me instead of the best of me. I really want to see myself change in this area.

3. Intentional in managing my home.

As wife and mother in our home, it is my responsibility to manage the home well as outlined in Titus 2. To make sure things run smoothly and to set the tone for the home. This category has myriad of subcategories, but I'll narrow it down to a few.

To make sure my home runs well I will:

• revert back to #1. If I am not spending time with the Lord, anything I accomplish is for my own glory and not for God's. So that time with God is crucial to creating a pleasant atmosphere for my family

• eliminate distractions. This is a big one for me. I let things steal my attention so easily. A couple ways that I am going to implement eliminating distractions are: 1. go Facebook free every other month. I'm not that into Instagram or Twitter. I keep Messenger because I talk to my sisters a lot through there. The months that I am on Facebook, I won't allow myself to check notifications until after my quiet time. And I also take the app off my phone so that I have to actually get up and go to the computer to check instead of mindless scrolling. 2. take games off my phone. This is such a time killer. I have spent more hours than I care to admit playing games on my phone. And that wasted time had no eternal value. So they're gone.

• meal planning and freezer meals. Most of you know that the 5 pm is "witching hour." Trying to cook dinner while getting kids to do their homework and stay out of the kitchen asking for a snack every 5 minutes while trying to get dinner on the table, can be a nightmare. To reduce the stress that comes with dinner time, I will: 1. Meal plan every Thursday. 2. Stock the freezer with freezer meals once a month.

• follow a cleaning routine. When I first started staying at home 10 years ago, I stumbled upon a cleaning routine that I love. You can find it here if you are looking for one. I have used this one on and off.  With the birth of my son, Samuel, and all the health issues we had to deal with the 1st 2 years, I put my cleaning routine on the back burner. But now that Samuel is doing great with no more surgeries for probably5 years, I'm ready to get started again.

• prioritize my responsibilities outside of the home. I want to be intentional with the time I spend outside of my home whether it be Bible study, my moms group, or my kids basketball games. It's not wrong to spend time outside the home. It's refreshing at times. But I don't want to ignore the responsibilities that I have inside my home. That means saying 'no' at times. I will begin homeschooling my oldest this fall so I will have to be even more intentional with this when that time comes.

4. Intentional in discipling others.

This one takes me way out of my comfort zone. It forces me to dig deeper rather than stay on the surface. I want to evaluate the relationships I have and put forth more effort. Some ways I can do that are:

• leading or participating in women's Bible study during the summer. My church has great Bible study options during the fall and spring, but nothing in the summer. So I will take initiative in either opening up my home, if necessary, to lead other women or participating in one at another's home. 
•  sending texts or making phone calls to check in. This seems so simple, but as an introvert, I often neglect it in hopes that the other person will make contact.
•  ask intentional questions such as "what did you read in your Bible this week," "what is God teaching you," "how can I pray for you." 
• seek out relationships with those that may be going through a similar life struggle that I've been through and those that have very little in common with me.

5. Intentional in my health.

 Ugh. This one makes me cringe a little. But it's necessary. I will improve my health by

• making healthy eating choices. Right now I am following the Trim Healthy Mama plan, which I have followed successfully in the past. But it seems like I'm always having to pick myself up after the holidays. 
• exercise. I hate it with all of my heart. But I do want to be healthy for my family and I want to be able to use my body for God's glory, so I will set aside at least 30 minutes to exercise.
• Drink more water. I've never loved water. I have to make myself drink it. My husband and I are in the midst of an only water (and coffee for me) month. I want a Diet Dr. Pepper something awful! Michael does this every other month ,and occasionally I will  join him.

Those are my 5 areas in which I would like to be more intentional. I hope to look back at the end of the year and be able to say I succeeded in each area. I'm sure there will be days when I fail. But overall, these are my goals. I also ask those of you reading to hold me accountable to these. Ask me how I'm doing in a particular area. I'd also like to hear from you. Did you choose a word for the year? How do you implement it? Have you found ways to succeed in areas that I mentioned above? If so, I'd love to know about it. Thanks for reading!

God Bless,