A Word for Wednesday: Taking Stock (Part Two)

Finally!

I just haven't had the mindset necessary to work on this till now. So here's more of my effort at taking stock of what needs discipline in our life. Last time I reflected on my need for discipline in my spiritual life and a few areas of my personal life. Honestly, I haven't applied my goals a whole lot over the last few weeks. You may have noticed, I've been a little distracted. Oh well, I'm not giving up on it. There will always be moments of distraction. I'm going to try to pick up where I left off rather than beating myself up for missing a few weeks. The word (discipline) has still been in my mind. I'm thankful for that.

Taking Stock

Blogging: I have made a few changes in my blogging styles this year that have really helped me to post more frequently. I've assigned some topics to days of the week. Wednesdays I try to talk about how things are going with our word for the year. Thursdays are kind of my open day for whatever is on my mind - so far I think it might be the day for my book posts. Fridays I have a goal to do something with photography, but right now that isn't happening and, frankly, I'm okay with that. The point is for this to be fun and productive reflection and sharing, not a chore. Saturdays I try to post some of my favorite reads of the week from other blogs. Mondays I post our meal plan and a review of a recipe I tried in the last week. Tuesdays I post something about life with my wonderful, adorable toddler. Once a month I post some of my favorite pictures of Ariel from the month. I also plan to start posting once a month the grocery products that are supposed to be easy to stock up on because of specials and such. Everyday I post something for which I am thankful. I thought I would make these assigned posts everyday, but I've decided I'll only do them when I feel I have something worth writing or more importantly I feel like posting. This has really helped me to post more and not to feel overwhelmed when I want to blog about something, but don't have the time. I just say "well that would be good on Tuesday so I'll wait till then" and I'm off the hook, but I still get to do it. Actually, I posted more in the month of January than I had in the two previous years I've had this blog. Yay for tools that help with discipline.

Physical Activity: I am not very intentionally active right now. I want to be, but cold weather is such an easy excuse for staying inside. Yes, there are things that can be done inside too. That's one place I can improve immensely. Jason got me a Wii for my birthday and I used Christmas money to get Wii Fit Plus. I really like it and I can see how it could actually contribute to good exercise habits. Some of the activities really are physically taxing. I haven't gotten into a habit of playing it everyday (or even every week) with any consistency. I guess this is where I will start with my physical activity discipline. I find it easy to take a nice walk whenever the weather is nice. I do other little things frequently enough to satisfy me too - like small exercises on my balance ball when I watch tv. I'm a rather small person, so this goal isn't about weightloss. It's about health and habits. So here's to playing with my wii fit once a day for 20 minutes. Should be fun.

Pets: We have two dogs and I love them. They are my first dogs ever and they are great. Why mention them in my discipline post? They are part of my life and I think a little discipline can improve my care for them. We found out this fall that Halie has seasonal skin allergies that effect her ears and the pads of her paws painfully. I need discipline in caring for these areas weekly - nothing difficult just have to remember to take 2 minutes once a week and do it. Another area, I could work on is brushing their teeth. I'd love to just give them dog biscuits that claim to help, but per the vet Truck's teeth and gums look rough so I have to get on this or they will have to do it (and then I have to pay). I have the brush, once again I just need to do it. They also need discipline in their training. I've taught them enough basic commands to be satisfied with their conduct usually, but I feel compeled to be more consistent and even teach them a few new things regularly. I'd like them to only get on furniture when asked, I'd like for them to stop begging for food, I'd like them to sit when people come into the house instead of jumping up on them to be pet. I also believe training is mental stimulation for them and it improves their life. I could enjoy trick training and they would probably be happier doggies for it. Hopefully, sometime this year I can spend some time reinstalling the forgotten behaviors and discipline us all to keep them up AND add some new ones. Wouldn't it be awesome if Halie could be trained well enough to be a therapy dog that visits nursing homes and hospitals???

Homemaking: Consistently posting meal plans has really helped in the food/cooking area. Often deciding what we are going to have from what is already in the house is the most difficult part of cooking for me. Now, I've already decided it for the week and I can swap the options up as I please, but I know we have what we need and I don't need to run to the grocery store for one item (which always ends up being more like $30 worth of groceries usually without coupons). A lot has been put into the freezer over the last month too. That's exciting for this month. Reviewing a recipe each week also helps because its keeps me trying new things and being more reflective about the meals and recipes (I'm learning a lot, I think). I've been doing a decent job keeping the house neat by picking up each day (usually), but I haven't worked out a new cleaning system with my busier schedule. Right now, I'm only getting things done when I happen upon a few minutes or I let something else go (like calling work for Jason). I've done a little organizing and rearranging that makes me happy, but not as much as I'd like. My soft goal is to organize each room, so that when spring gets here I can deep clean every room without being distracted by the need to sort, junk, organize, etc. I've organized of the easy four rooms to a decent extent. The kitchen, our bedroom, our big closet, and the attic really need my attention still. I've tried to assign myself a room a week for this. This week is kind of busy so I'm focusing on the family rooms. There's more I could attend to, but these things are enough for now.

Finances: Last year we made huge strides in our finacial management. We developed a budget and started living by it. Started saving in particular areas. Began coupon and deal shopping in earnest. To mention a few changes. This year, I've started a sinking fund savings account that I've been faithful with (though I've only had one month) and working to pay off all our debt. I've got a plan and we've been working it pretty well. Right, now my main desire is to continue being disciplined in these areas we've already set up. It's hard work to set up a plan that you can live by, but for us its even harder to consistently live by it. I would like to start stock pile shopping seasonal deals a little for grocery items, toiletries, and even gifts. This month I'm hoping to start developing a system for this.

So in terms of discipline, that's where I think we are in these areas in our little household.

Next time, I hope to reflect on discipline in regard to:
Parenting
Marriage
Relationships
School/Work