Life Changes

Things have changed a bit in my life.  Not since last year, not since last month...just in general.  I was thinking about this the other day as I was vacuuming my living room floor at 6:30 p.m. as my husband bathed the boys.  Life is different.

It's a good different in so many ways.  The vacuuming is what set my thinking off.  Ways that things are different:
1.  I clean whenever I can.  I used to take an entire Saturday and deep clean the house.  That was back when our house was a much smaller basement suite we were renting AND we didn't have children.  These days a Saturday usually consists of us waking up when the boys do...which is usually by seven.  We then snuggle with them for an hour or so, playing and talking in the bed.  This is followed by breakfast, getting ready, and then heading out for some kind of family activity.  This could be geocaching, going to a park, or many other activities.  We then grab lunch somewhere or go home for a quick bite.  That is when my small bit of cleaning MAY happen on a Saturday.  Rocky naps while Kev and Rusty usually watch sports or play in the backyard.  I might get the kitchen cleaned, or the bathrooms...maybe some linens changed!  I do it as I can.  The rest of the cleaning happens as we find time.  I may quick clean the bathroom as the boys take their baths.  I may do all of the sweeping once the boys are in bed.  We do laundry basically whenever we can!  The one thing I am really thankful for is that my husband is just as involved as I am.

2.  I am much less of a procrastinator.  I have realized that if there is something that needs to be done and I have a moment to do it I had better get it done.  Case in point-today I received the gift of two hours to myself because Rocky was with Papa and Rusty was in Kindergarten for the afternoon.  I really wanted to go to the mall and browse around or go for a quick run in the park but the thing that was looming over my head was marking...and a lot of it. So, rather than frittering the two hours away I grabbed a pile of marking, went to Starbucks and got it done.  Tonight I feel relieved that it is done and not sad that I didn't go to the mall and waste a few hours browsing around.

3.  We are healthier.  Kev and I have both realized that we need to be fit to be there for our kids and have enough energy to play with them as they deserve.  Kev also faced serious back pain two years ago, to the point where he was hardly able to walk.  The Lord has really provided and healed Kevin's back to the point where he could work out again and Kev has not taken that for granted.  He got a great bike.  He bikes 8-10 kilometres several times a week and any other workout that he can get in.  I was finally able to start running again regularly and also doing some weights workouts and cardio work.  It's not easy to find time to work out and some weeks go by that it definitely doesn't happen, but on the whole we try to be as healthy as possible.  The final part of that has been eating healthy.  A good friend of mine introduced me to clean eating this year.  I was already doing quite well, but clean eating has been an amazing blessing.  Getting to the point where we are as natural as possible with our food choices has given me more energy, helped me to maintain my weight, and given us the ability to be solid examples for our kids.  It's been a very long journey to this point, but I am thankful for the journey.  We aren't perfect in our eating and working out-I love ice cream way too much for that-but I think that moderation is the key!

4.  I have become a homebody.  I used to love going out and doing things.  I still do occasionally, but I find that so much more I simply want to snuggle up on the couch with my man, play with my kiddies, read a good book, or simply clean my house!  

It's interesting to see how we change with our lives through the years.  Today my mom said, "We can't change people," in a conversation we were having.  I mulled that thought over all day and decided that I'm not sure if we can change people, but I know that people do change.  I certainly have.  Now I need to work on changing to be more like Christ.  Today in my Bible Study Fellowship class we were talking about how people can see that we love Christ by the way that we live.  I wondered if that was true about me.  I know that often it is not...I hope that I can change and that I can live that way.  That I can love unconditionally, have patience, and be kind.  That will be my next change!