![Year of Me: Prayer/Spiritual Life Goals Update]()
by Catherine | Sep 26, 2016 | Faith
Prayer/Spiritual Life
When I started The Year of Me, my goals for my Prayer/Spiritual life were:
- Resume spiritual direction and monthly confession
- Daily Mass 1x/week
- Reintroduce my morning prayer routine when Dorothy has more of a schedule (Saying a Morning Offering before my feet hit the floor and listening to the daily readings while I nurse/pump/eat breakfast via the USCCB website is where I am for now, and that’s a-okay!)
I’m pleased to report that I resumed spiritual direction and monthly confession over the summer. Game. Changer. There’s something so powerful about having the same confessor month after month. It’s been great to clear the spiritual cobwebs away and feel like I’m ready to keep fighting the good fight again. I continue to make progress in this area, but progress in the spiritual life stuff is tricky. Once you realize you’re making progress, you become aware of your shortcomings in a lot of areas. My spiritual director describes this like a window in the sunlight. When the light is shining on it (in other words, when you’re getting closer to God), it’s easier to see that one dirty handprint on the clean window than it would be if the whole window were filthy. All of my imperfections become more glaringly obvious with each meeting we have. This is a very good thing, and I’m glad to have a good and holy priest helping me to work through my personal struggles. One day at a time!
My second goal was go go to daily Mass at least once a week. We succeeded in going probably 4 or 5 times in addition to Sunday Mass over the summer, but it never became a habit because of the interruptions in our summer schedule. One week we’d have a camp that started early in the morning, another week someone would get sick, another week we’d have an appointment, blah, blah, blah. Now that the school year has started, I’m still looking for a Mass time that will work with school drop-off and Dorothy’s morning nap. It may not be in the cards for this fall, and that’s okay. This just might not be the chapter for me to get to go to daily Mass.
Another goal was to reintroduce my morning prayer routine. I like to say the Morning Offering before my feet hit the floor. Do you know this prayer? It’s one of my favorites. There are a lot of different versions. Mine goes like this:
Oh, my Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day. Through all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for all my sins, for the intentions of my relatives and friends, and for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.
When I’m eating my breakfast and pumping, I read the daily readings from Magnificat before jumping on the treadmill. I recently joined a women’s Bible study, so I plan to start incorporating my study into my morning prayer time as well. We’re doing Keeping in Balance from the Walking With Purpose series.
Cover art from Keeping in Balance (Image from the Walking with Purpose website.)
Going forward, my goals are to:
- Continue monthly meetings with my spiritual director for confession and spiritual direction
- Create an abridged examination of conscience for the evenings that I can commit to doing nightly
Questions for You:
What’s your prayer/spiritual life looking like these days? How are you making time for this essential? Do you have any favorite prayers or devotions? Are you a journal-er? Do you go to a holy hour? Are you like me and struggle to get your brain to quiet down? Any tips on listening in prayer? Share away, friends!
!["Have I played or recreated with them?"]()
by Catherine | Jun 28, 2016 | Faith, Family
To prepare for the sacrament of confession, Catholics are taught to examine their consciences in an effort to bring to mind all of the sins they committed since their last confession. There are several different versions of examinations of consciences available. Most are organized by questions relating to the 10 Commandments or are specific to one’s state in life (child, single, married, religious life). I’m always seeking out new examinations. Each examination has a way of zeroing in on specific areas I need to keep working on.
In preparation for my last meeting with my spiritual director, I read through the examination for married life through the Laudate app on my phone. This examination went through many different questions and sorted them into 4 different categories:
- Responsibilities to God
- Responsibilities to my spouse
- Responsibilities to my children
- Responsibilities to society
One of the benefits of examinations of conscience is that they inform you of sinful behavior you might not even be aware of. When I got to the responsibilities to my children, I came across this question:
Have I played or recreated with them?
The question stopped me in my tracks. I read the question over and over again. Have I played with my children? Have I recreated with them? I had never considered the question as a moral issue before. I had to stop and think about how I was connecting with the kids on an average day. Sure, I gave the kids little “time-ins” throughout the day, but I rarely took more than 10-15 minutes at a time just to play.
The Internet can’t agree on who said this quote, but I’ll give it to Dr. John Trainer: “Children are not a distraction from more important work. They are the most important work.”
Pope Francis completely agrees with Dr. Trainer. In an address to the Pontifical Council on the Family, he said, “When I hear the confession of a young married man or woman, and they refer to their son or daughter, I ask, ‘How many children do you have?’ and they tell me. Maybe they’re expecting another question after that, but I always ask, ‘And tell me, do you play with your children? Do you waste time with your children?’ The free gift of a parent’s time is so important.”
Harry loves taking silly selfies
Since reading that examination that asked me if I’m playing with the kids, I’ve realized something heartbreaking and very sobering. It’s hard to write this, but here goes nothing: I treat the kids like interruptions to what I think is my real work. I believe that they have eternal souls that I’m supposed to be molding, but I usually choose to make a god out of my housework and generally losing myself in busy-ness.
I’m not trying to unnecessarily beat myself up as a mother. Our kids are 6, 5, almost 3, and 3 months old. There’s a lot to juggle and balance. I take time out of every day to make the kids feel special and connected, but if I’m honest with myself, I could be less selfish with how I approach our days.
The great news? I can choose to change that every single day.
Since talking about the issue with Philip and taking it to prayer, I’m starting to see three things that have helped:
- Changing my view of time
- Remembering
- Moving On
Changing My View of Time
I get myself into trouble when I try ordering our days around my time instead of God’s time.2 Without fail, the day always, always, always goes better when I get in my morning prayer (even if it’s just a sincere Morning Offering before my feet hit the ground) and ask God to give me wisdom in how to order our day. When I relinquish control (and that’s hard for a control freak like me) and say, “God, how do You want me to spend this hour (or morning, afternoon, evening, etc.)?” He blesses the time more than if I start the day with my own agenda and timeframe.
It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? If only I’d remember that wisdom every single day! I have to keep reminding myself: It’s His time, it’s a gift He’s given me, and what I do with it is an offering for Him. When I can remember that, it’s so much easier to say “yes” to the kids as a “yes” to Him. Yes, I’ll play monster trucks with you in the living room. Yes, I’ll color with you at the kitchen table. Yes, I’ll read that book with you on the couch.
Remembering
All of us have both positive and negative memories of our childhoods. Taking the time to try and remember those positive and negative memories of my own childhood is really helpful. It helps me to realize what I’d like to do the same, improve upon, or change.
I forced myself to do this little thought experiment: What would the children say about their childhoods if they were suddenly adults today? If I’m honest, they’d probably say,
“My mom chose housework over me.”
“My mom was distracted.”
“My mom made me feel like I was interrupting her.”
“My mom was hot and cold. She was fun on the weekends and when Dad got home, but she was usually working during the day.”
I’m starting to see that the way I’m choosing to order an average day around here is not the way I want the kids to remember it.
Moving On
One of my favorite pastimes before I began spiritual direction was ruminating. I’d chew and chew and chew on all of the ways I had screwed up, replay the scenes in my head, and feel horrible about my shortcomings. Fun, huh?
This Year of Mercy has been a gift in that it has taught me to move on. Returning to the practice of monthly confession and spiritual direction has really helped me to do that. There’s something irreplaceable about being able to sit face-to-face with the same confessor month after month. The priest knows all of my shortcomings, administers the sacrament of confession in Persona Christi (in the Person of Christ), and encourages me to go in peace.
When I look at the crucifix, I realize that there’s a horrible price to all of my sins. Yet, wouldn’t it be such a tragic waste for me to keep kicking myself for all of the things I’ve already confessed and been released from? The God who died for me already moved on, so shouldn’t I do the same? Yes! I’m learning the answer is absolutely yes!
No more ruminating! Instead, I’m going to keep being honest, asking for forgiveness, forgiving myself, and moving on.
Learning How To Play
This might sound kind of silly, but as part of my efforts to move on, I’m realizing that I need to learn how to play with our kids. The kids have been excellent teachers. When I take the time to enter into their worlds, they show me everything I need to know. I used to think that a “good mom” looked like a summer camp counselor with pep in her step, a song for every occasion, and the energy of the Energizer Bunny. Instead, the kids are showing me that it’s more important for me to make eye contact, show them I’m listening by asking good questions, shower them with a lot of affection, and let them lead with their interests.
I’m getting better at this recreating thing, and I’ve noticed a big difference in the kids. For example, Jane has been putting on evening performances of “The Sound of Music” for our entire family in the basement with her Barbie dolls and Ken. She is so confident! Philip and I love to exchange looks during her play. It means so much to her that the whole family will come together to sit and watch her many installments of her favorite movie.
Introducing us to the cast of characters from “The Sound of Music”
I’m still not great at playing with the kids for big chunks of time, but I’m choosing them more often than distracting myself with housework. I’m taking it one day at a time and getting better and better at balancing the needs of the kids with my other duties.
Questions For You
How do you play with your kids?
How do you balance your responsibilities to family and home?
How do you remember your childhood? Did your parents carve out special time just to play with you? What did it look like?
![“Have I played or recreated with them?”]()
by Catherine | Jun 28, 2016 | Faith, Family
To prepare for the sacrament of confession, Catholics are taught to examine their consciences in an effort to bring to mind all of the sins they committed since their last confession. There are several different versions of examinations of consciences available. Most are organized by questions relating to the 10 Commandments or are specific to one’s state in life (child, single, married, religious life). I’m always seeking out new examinations. Each examination has a way of zeroing in on specific areas I need to keep working on.
In preparation for my last meeting with my spiritual director, I read through the examination for married life through the Laudate app on my phone. This examination went through many different questions and sorted them into 4 different categories:
- Responsibilities to God
- Responsibilities to my spouse
- Responsibilities to my children
- Responsibilities to society
One of the benefits of examinations of conscience is that they inform you of sinful behavior you might not even be aware of. When I got to the responsibilities to my children, I came across this question:
Have I played or recreated with them?
The question stopped me in my tracks. I read the question over and over again. Have I played with my children? Have I recreated with them? I had never considered the question as a moral issue before. I had to stop and think about how I was connecting with the kids on an average day. Sure, I gave the kids little “time-ins” throughout the day, but I rarely took more than 10-15 minutes at a time just to play.
The Internet can’t agree on who said this quote, but I’ll give it to Dr. John Trainer: “Children are not a distraction from more important work. They are the most important work.”
Pope Francis completely agrees with Dr. Trainer. In an address to the Pontifical Council on the Family, he said, “When I hear the confession of a young married man or woman, and they refer to their son or daughter, I ask, ‘How many children do you have?’ and they tell me. Maybe they’re expecting another question after that, but I always ask, ‘And tell me, do you play with your children? Do you waste time with your children?’ The free gift of a parent’s time is so important.”
Harry loves taking silly selfies
Since reading that examination that asked me if I’m playing with the kids, I’ve realized something heartbreaking and very sobering. It’s hard to write this, but here goes nothing: I treat the kids like interruptions to what I think is my real work. I believe that they have eternal souls that I’m supposed to be molding, but I usually choose to make a god out of my housework and generally losing myself in busy-ness.
I’m not trying to unnecessarily beat myself up as a mother. Our kids are 6, 5, almost 3, and 3 months old. There’s a lot to juggle and balance. I take time out of every day to make the kids feel special and connected, but if I’m honest with myself, I could be less selfish with how I approach our days.
The great news? I can choose to change that every single day.
Since talking about the issue with Philip and taking it to prayer, I’m starting to see three things that have helped:
- Changing my view of time
- Remembering
- Moving On
Changing My View of Time
I get myself into trouble when I try ordering our days around my time instead of God’s time.2 Without fail, the day always, always, always goes better when I get in my morning prayer (even if it’s just a sincere Morning Offering before my feet hit the ground) and ask God to give me wisdom in how to order our day. When I relinquish control (and that’s hard for a control freak like me) and say, “God, how do You want me to spend this hour (or morning, afternoon, evening, etc.)?” He blesses the time more than if I start the day with my own agenda and timeframe.
It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? If only I’d remember that wisdom every single day! I have to keep reminding myself: It’s His time, it’s a gift He’s given me, and what I do with it is an offering for Him. When I can remember that, it’s so much easier to say “yes” to the kids as a “yes” to Him. Yes, I’ll play monster trucks with you in the living room. Yes, I’ll color with you at the kitchen table. Yes, I’ll read that book with you on the couch.
Remembering
All of us have both positive and negative memories of our childhoods. Taking the time to try and remember those positive and negative memories of my own childhood is really helpful. It helps me to realize what I’d like to do the same, improve upon, or change.
I forced myself to do this little thought experiment: What would the children say about their childhoods if they were suddenly adults today? If I’m honest, they’d probably say,
“My mom chose housework over me.”
“My mom was distracted.”
“My mom made me feel like I was interrupting her.”
“My mom was hot and cold. She was fun on the weekends and when Dad got home, but she was usually working during the day.”
I’m starting to see that the way I’m choosing to order an average day around here is not the way I want the kids to remember it.
Moving On
One of my favorite pastimes before I began spiritual direction was ruminating. I’d chew and chew and chew on all of the ways I had screwed up, replay the scenes in my head, and feel horrible about my shortcomings. Fun, huh?
This Year of Mercy has been a gift in that it has taught me to move on. Returning to the practice of monthly confession and spiritual direction has really helped me to do that. There’s something irreplaceable about being able to sit face-to-face with the same confessor month after month. The priest knows all of my shortcomings, administers the sacrament of confession in Persona Christi (in the Person of Christ), and encourages me to go in peace.
When I look at the crucifix, I realize that there’s a horrible price to all of my sins. Yet, wouldn’t it be such a tragic waste for me to keep kicking myself for all of the things I’ve already confessed and been released from? The God who died for me already moved on, so shouldn’t I do the same? Yes! I’m learning the answer is absolutely yes!
No more ruminating! Instead, I’m going to keep being honest, asking for forgiveness, forgiving myself, and moving on.
Learning How To Play
This might sound kind of silly, but as part of my efforts to move on, I’m realizing that I need to learn how to play with our kids. The kids have been excellent teachers. When I take the time to enter into their worlds, they show me everything I need to know. I used to think that a “good mom” looked like a summer camp counselor with pep in her step, a song for every occasion, and the energy of the Energizer Bunny. Instead, the kids are showing me that it’s more important for me to make eye contact, show them I’m listening by asking good questions, shower them with a lot of affection, and let them lead with their interests.
I’m getting better at this recreating thing, and I’ve noticed a big difference in the kids. For example, Jane has been putting on evening performances of “The Sound of Music” for our entire family in the basement with her Barbie dolls and Ken. She is so confident! Philip and I love to exchange looks during her play. It means so much to her that the whole family will come together to sit and watch her many installments of her favorite movie.
Introducing us to the cast of characters from “The Sound of Music”
I’m still not great at playing with the kids for big chunks of time, but I’m choosing them more often than distracting myself with housework. I’m taking it one day at a time and getting better and better at balancing the needs of the kids with my other duties.
Questions For You
How do you play with your kids?
How do you balance your responsibilities to family and home?
How do you remember your childhood? Did your parents carve out special time just to play with you? What did it look like?
![Keeping Sunday a "Day of Protest"]()
by Catherine | Jun 26, 2016 | Faith, Family
Sorry for the radio silence on the blog! It has been a wonderful summer around here. We seem to be finding our summer rhythm, and I’ve (mostly) adjusted to life as a mama of 4 littles. I have so much to share and want to write about, especially some updates on the “Year of Me”, but I’ll save that for another time.
Last week, I listened to Episode 27 of The Right Heart Podcast with Erin Franco. The episode is called, “Back to the Heart of Sunday Rest.” In the podcast, Erin interviewed my friend, Lisa Schmidt, about where this idea of Sunday rest came from, they shared their struggles in making it happen, Lisa reassured us that there are very few rules beyond our Sunday obligation to attend Mass, and Lisa offered some wonderful, practical ways to make Sunday more restful. Please, please, please do yourself a favor, and listen to the episode now if you’ve ever wondered how to make Sunday a special day for you and your family.
A few of my favorite takeaways from the podcast:
- God gives the commandment to rest to the Israelites AFTER entering into covenant with them and freeing them from slavery in Egypt. It is weekly reminder to them of the love that God has for His people.
- Like the Israelites, we should keep Sunday as a “day of protest” from the things we feel enslaved by. “God’s action is the model for human action. If God ‘rested and was refreshed’ on the seventh day, man too ought to ‘rest’ and should let others, especially the poor, ‘be refreshed.’ The sabbath brings everyday work to a halt and provides a respite. It is a day of protest against the servitude of work and the worship of money.” Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2172
- What you feel enslaved by may not be enslaving for someone else. (Example: If you like gardening, go ahead and garden on Sunday. If you don’t enjoy it, find something else to do!)
- There is a difference between doing nothing (NOT the idea of the Sabbath) and the goal of holy leisure
- Wondering how to say “no” to commitments on Sundays? Read this Wall Street Journal article that Lisa mentioned. The author suggests stating your “no” as a value. Instead of saying, “We can’t…,” say, “We don’t participate in sports on Sundays.” Saying your “no” as a value does a few things: The person on the receiving end is less likely to argue with a value. In fact, they will likely respect you for drawing a line. In turn, the person will also be more inclined to create healthy boundaries for themselves. Imagine if our “no” stated as a value led to other families creating similar policies for their own families!
After listening to the podcast, I was inspired to share the nuggets of wisdom from Erin and Lisa with Philip. We have made an effort in the past to avoid shopping and do only the necessary housework (mostly cooking and kitchen clean-up) on Sundays, so we didn’t have too many radical adjustments to make, but there was definitely room for improvement.
Lisa gave me a very fun and very easy way to set Sundays apart: a special baked treat! Instead of having dessert all week long, Lisa is making it a goal to limit sweets for her family during the week and baking something special for Sundays. We took that idea and ran with it! Our inaugural special dessert was a delicious apple crisp with vanilla ice cream.
Baker Walt mixing the ingredients for the crumble
Baker Jane slicing the apples under Dad’s supervision
Adding on the crumble
Apple crisp (crumble doubled and a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top, of course!)
I love the idea of setting Sundays apart with special desserts. I think it will take us awhile to cut back on the desserts the rest of the week, but we can definitely make a very special dessert for Sundays.
We’re still thinking and praying about what we want Sundays to look like in this family. There are plenty of ways our Sundays could look different when we think about escaping from or at least limiting the things we feel enslaved by. What are you feeling enslaved by? Screens? Sports? Social media? The phone? Social commitments? Family commitments? Housework? Exercise? How can you make Sunday a “day of protest” for you and your family? Would the outside world know you are a Christian by the way you are living your Sundays?
![Keeping Sunday a “Day of Protest”]()
by Catherine | Jun 26, 2016 | Faith, Family
Sorry for the radio silence on the blog! It has been a wonderful summer around here. We seem to be finding our summer rhythm, and I’ve (mostly) adjusted to life as a mama of 4 littles. I have so much to share and want to write about, especially some updates on the “Year of Me”, but I’ll save that for another time.
Last week, I listened to Episode 27 of The Right Heart Podcast with Erin Franco. The episode is called, “Back to the Heart of Sunday Rest.” In the podcast, Erin interviewed my friend, Lisa Schmidt, about where this idea of Sunday rest came from, they shared their struggles in making it happen, Lisa reassured us that there are very few rules beyond our Sunday obligation to attend Mass, and Lisa offered some wonderful, practical ways to make Sunday more restful. Please, please, please do yourself a favor, and listen to the episode now if you’ve ever wondered how to make Sunday a special day for you and your family.
A few of my favorite takeaways from the podcast:
- God gives the commandment to rest to the Israelites AFTER entering into covenant with them and freeing them from slavery in Egypt. It is weekly reminder to them of the love that God has for His people.
- Like the Israelites, we should keep Sunday as a “day of protest” from the things we feel enslaved by. “God’s action is the model for human action. If God ‘rested and was refreshed’ on the seventh day, man too ought to ‘rest’ and should let others, especially the poor, ‘be refreshed.’ The sabbath brings everyday work to a halt and provides a respite. It is a day of protest against the servitude of work and the worship of money.” Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2172
- What you feel enslaved by may not be enslaving for someone else. (Example: If you like gardening, go ahead and garden on Sunday. If you don’t enjoy it, find something else to do!)
- There is a difference between doing nothing (NOT the idea of the Sabbath) and the goal of holy leisure
- Wondering how to say “no” to commitments on Sundays? Read this Wall Street Journal article that Lisa mentioned. The author suggests stating your “no” as a value. Instead of saying, “We can’t…,” say, “We don’t participate in sports on Sundays.” Saying your “no” as a value does a few things: The person on the receiving end is less likely to argue with a value. In fact, they will likely respect you for drawing a line. In turn, the person will also be more inclined to create healthy boundaries for themselves. Imagine if our “no” stated as a value led to other families creating similar policies for their own families!
After listening to the podcast, I was inspired to share the nuggets of wisdom from Erin and Lisa with Philip. We have made an effort in the past to avoid shopping and do only the necessary housework (mostly cooking and kitchen clean-up) on Sundays, so we didn’t have too many radical adjustments to make, but there was definitely room for improvement.
Lisa gave me a very fun and very easy way to set Sundays apart: a special baked treat! Instead of having dessert all week long, Lisa is making it a goal to limit sweets for her family during the week and baking something special for Sundays. We took that idea and ran with it! Our inaugural special dessert was a delicious apple crisp with vanilla ice cream.
Baker Walt mixing the ingredients for the crumble
Baker Jane slicing the apples under Dad’s supervision
Adding on the crumble
Apple crisp (crumble doubled and a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top, of course!)
I love the idea of setting Sundays apart with special desserts. I think it will take us awhile to cut back on the desserts the rest of the week, but we can definitely make a very special dessert for Sundays.
We’re still thinking and praying about what we want Sundays to look like in this family. There are plenty of ways our Sundays could look different when we think about escaping from or at least limiting the things we feel enslaved by. What are you feeling enslaved by? Screens? Sports? Social media? The phone? Social commitments? Family commitments? Housework? Exercise? How can you make Sunday a “day of protest” for you and your family? Would the outside world know you are a Christian by the way you are living your Sundays?
![The Year of Me]()
by Catherine | Apr 25, 2016 | Faith, Family, Marriage
So, I had a baby girl, she’s perfect, and she turned 4 weeks old today.
Dorothy Jo
There’s so much great blogging material I could choose from: birth photography, the birth story, the story behind Dorothy’s name, breastfeeding this time around, life on the home front with 4, marriage lessons in the newborn phase, etc. Today, I’m going to abandon all of that blogging fodder to write about MOI.
Back in December when I was brainstorming my New Year’s Resolutions, I decided that 2016 was going to be “The Year of Me.” (I got the idea from our friends who had declared that 2015 was “The Year of Us,” and opportunity for them to refocus their time and energy on strengthening their marriage.) I’ve stolen that theme and made it my own resolution for 2016.
As I near my 6-week follow-up appointment with my OBGYN, I’m revisiting “The Year of Me” with a whole new lens. With 4 kiddos ages 6 and under, it is becoming increasingly obvious that I need to start investing more in myself in order to give my family what they need. I’ve let myself get out of shape and out of touch with who I want to be. I’m treating the day of my 6-week follow-up appointment as my 2nd New Year. (I suppose I should call this afternoon to schedule it then, huh?) That means I have two weeks to figure out exactly how I’m going to put “The Year of Me” into action.
Here’s what I’m envisioning:
Exercise
- At least 3x/week guiltless workouts at the gym while the kids enjoy the childcare
- Daily walks with Monty
- Get MOVING with the kids and get our hearts pumping (at least 15 minutes in the AM and 15 minutes in the PM)
Nutrition
- Meal planning with Philip to reach our healthy target calorie intake each day (working on portion control and balance of different food groups)
- Food diary to keep me accountable, reveal bad habits, and help me learn about portion sizes & caloric values of various foods
Prayer/Spiritual Life
- Resume spiritual direction and monthly confession
- Daily Mass 1x/week
- Reintroduce my morning prayer routine when Dorothy has more of a schedule (Saying a Morning Offering before my feet hit the floor and listening to the daily readings while I nurse/pump/eat breakfast via the USCCB website is where I am for now, and that’s a-okay!)
Rest
- In bed by 10:00 Sunday – Thursday, by midnight Friday & Saturday
- Guiltless napping whenever needed (this is the first day I haven’t taken a nap since Dorothy was born)
Me Time
- Guilt free regularly scheduled sitter during the day a few days a week so that I can nap, run errands, read a book at a coffee shop, blog, exercise, etc.
Kids are stirring from their naps, but a few areas I didn’t touch on are marriage and friendship. I’m still pondering specific goals for these two areas, but I’m envisioning more regular contact and in-person visits with my friends as well as some new hobbies and ways to spend quality time with Philip.
That’s the plan for The Year of Me. What ideas would you include in your Year of You? Any feedback on how to reach my goals?
