Motivation Monday #2

Happy Monday to you guys! It is no longer snowing here in Nashville...but we sure soaked in as much as we could of those cozy snow days. Back to reality this week for both of us...and for me, it's the first full week of school in quite a while. So, with a full week ahead of work for Pierce, school for me, small group, and tutoring, I thought I would keep my "big" things to a manageable pace as I get back into the swing of things.

Last week, I managed to get two of the three completed. Pierce and I read one time that an ennegram nine's life and to-do list can often lead to sitting on the floor looking at photo albums from nine years ago and putting off the one thing that they set out to do...and for me, that is usually par for the course. 

I set out to vacuum downstairs on one of my snow days....one of my very simple to-dos for the week, right? Well, when I opened up our dreaded downstairs closet to get out the vacuum, this is what I saw...

This is a tad sad and so vulnerable, but necessary for the story to share I believe...And yes...somewhere buried way back in there is a vacuum. So, being seven months pregnant and all, I figured it would be much easier to simply take everything OUT of the closet than to try to reach vacuum and lift it out through the maze. Now, this closet has collected everything from fall decorations, to my math tutoring things, to left over extension cords, picture frames, picnic baskets...you name it, it was probably in this closet. So, I spent the next several hours going through the plethora of unnecessary items, until....

I could at last, get to our vacuum and very easily roll it out. So, although cleaning out and purging our downstairs closet wasn't on my list, I felt like it was a nice goal to have accomplished, even though I then saved vacuuming for the next day 😂

And when I went to start vacuuming the next morning, I realized that it was silly to vacuum our downstairs with Christmas still out because the minute I started taking Christmas down, there were going to be pine needles and every bit of Christmas mayhem left on the floor and I would need to yet again vacuum again...so, I started taking down Christmas. 

This is where Pierce usually just shakes his head, and probably a good reason why I have these blog posts holding me accountable to the ACTUAL vacuuming haha! 

But...many hours later, Christmas was finally packed away, stored in the attic thanks to my amazing husband, and the floors FINALLY vacuumed. All that for one "simple" to-do list item 🤦🏼‍♀️😂

I also did manage to make my way upstairs for to-do list item number two (wash the guest room sheets) only to find maybe as big of a mess as our downstairs closet in our "guest room..."

This picture is definitely embarrassing....but you will find everything from the past month scattered in this room. And with a guest coming in less than 24 hours....

I worked hard, carried about a million things to our porch for a "Goodwill pile," and managed to get the sheets washed and put back on the bed....

I did not realize that last week when I wrote my first Motivation Monday post, it would spiral me into purging and cleaning our whole house, but alas...here we are. With the third thing of returning my jeans and sweater still sitting in my car to do tomorrow... So...here's to a new week and a fresh start this Monday. Did you have better luck getting your things finished?! I will say, that I have been making it a point to pray every morning before I start my day, and I have been praying for motivation and productivity, which I do think helped in these long days of completing my to-dos. I am very thankful for His grace, and the ability to let things go and live a little more simply in this new year and this house that is getting ready for a plethora of new things for a little one... 

This week, my two to-dos are hopefully a little more simple and will not lead to a two-day counseling intervention in our house haha 

They are...

1. Read my Bible every morning before school. 

Pierce and I have started a plan to read through the Bible this year. We have done it a few times, and always love the discipline it creates and the sweetness of soaking up so much of His Word throughout our days, weeks and months. I know that come March, this may be a bit harder, but we are giving it a try in 2022. So I would love to start the first week of school off not missing a morning of this sweet routine. 

And my second is...

2. Pack a healthy lunch for school every day. 

We also always try to make January a clean eating month for us. We have found it just helps our bodies be able to function at their capacity when it's dark and cold outside and we are tired from the long days. So, I would love to start the semester off by getting back into a good habit of taking good, healthy foods to school. And I would say now more than ever, those little meals get me through the day as well. 

So here's to praying my way through simple to-dos and routines and holding each other accountable throughout the week. What are you to-dos this week and how can I be praying you to find joy in the ordinary items that are on our lists? 

Thanks for following along, and I'll be sure to check back in next Monday. 

Love y'all!!
Tab