Why I Quit My "To Do" Lists

For those of you who have been with me since the beginning of my blog back in 2009, know that I'm a routine lover and proffessional list maker. I've been known to be quite OCD at times. This year though, has been the beginning of a new way of life for me. I have changed things quite dramatically. Recently I blogged about how moms just LOVE to be amazing at EV.ER.Y.THING and in the process we unintentionally run ourselves into the ground.

So this year I decided to make some changes, starting with my "to do" list. I came to the conclusion that my routines and mile long lists of things I needed to do were not serving me well. I felt busy all the time and I didn't like the affect it was having on my spirit and the way I treated my husband and children. I knew that some things needed to change. I wanted to be more present and relaxed without feeling a constant pull to get things done. So I let everything go. Well not everything, but I've made some major progress. I'm simply trying to allow room for God to guide me in my every day. Trying to become MORE by doing LESS.

To be clear, I didn't give up ALL lists. I still use them when necessary like to ensure I don't forget things, or when it comes crunch time and I MUST get certain things done. Basically I'm just a lot more selective. My lists and schedules got pretty ridiculous at times. Like writing down what time of day I would say a prayer,  or when I would sit and play with my kids.  I'd even go as far as mapping out everything we were going to do during the hour of play time. Although this method can actually be really good, for me it was removing myself from the actual moment. I was constantly thinking about what I needed to do next, had timers going all the time and I would never just sit and relax. It also made me extremely frustrated because the TIME schedule with my kids never went as planned.

I just want to simplify my life, and be happy with doing NOTHING once in a while, or having no plan for the day. Doing nothing can be very good for the soul.

The book I'm reading right now has been extremely helpful in this endeavor. It's called The Power of Pause by Terry Hershey.

"We live in a world that urges us to admire and pursue whatever is faster, whatever is newer, and whatever is bigger~ the underlying idea being that we should be living a different life, not the one we're living now. This is no surprise given the model by which we quantify success. Since we crave speed and we see productivity as our objective, these things become our standards for measuring how well we're doing."

By giving up my obsession for "to do" lists and schedules I have opened up a whole new space in my life that I didn't know existed. I'm leaving room for creativity and spontaneity.  It's quite refreshing. Not an easy task but it definitely has it's rewards. 

MARRIAGE IS ALL ABOUT COMPROMISE

You all may be surprised to know that my husband LOVES animals. So much so, that he hopes to fill every bit of empty wall space in our house with these lovely animals.  I on the other hand, need a bit of persuasion before giving in to this new idea of interior decorating. So, we've learned to compromise.

It all started with THIS...

For this...

Then he got this...

And said I could have this...

Trip to Hawaii (it's in the works).

We both were happy with the outcome, and learned a new found tactic to get what we want. Soon after that, Sean got an itch for another one, and I really wanted a new couch. So we welcomed this fine fellow into our home.

We traded in our red couch, which looked great in the room but not the most comfortable for watching movies.

For this one! I'm so excited about it because it is probably THE most comfortable couch EVER!!! It came with 4 built in recliners, and the best part about it was the PRICE!!!

We got it for only $1275!!!  Even during the Labor day sale at the local Ashley stores, the cost was $1650.  
I have some exciting news! Through recent networking with the owner of the Ashley Furniture Homestore in Logan, UT.  YOU too can get unbelievable savings on your furniture purchases from the Ashley Homestore in Logan when you PICK UP your orders yourself!   We also got a swivel chair which was $445 on sale locally.  We got the swivel for $299.  So we saved $521 off the Labor Day Sale Price! 

 
For the next 60 days you can visit @FurnitureWarehouse.com and buy using our special discount code and you will get a special unadvertised discount of up to 48% off!
Here is the coupon code: escobargroup
Just enter the code in the coupon code field when checking out to get the discount.
Hurry while this great offer lasts. Click here @FurnitureWarehouse.com and start shopping!!
If you cannot pick up the furniture in Logan UT, then the original pricing does apply.  That pricing is competitive with other online furniture dealers and does include shipping.  Please still put in the coupon code so that our new friend Bob (owner) can see that we referred you.
I'm such a fan of Ashley Furniture. We now own quite a bit of their furniture. We have their dining room set.

Her'e a better picture of it directly from the site, so I know they are still selling this particular one.

And we also have their bar stools.

Okay so anyway, back to my lesson on marriage. Just give your husband what he wants and you can get what YOU want. Sounds easy enough right?

Oh, and don't forget to enter my giveaway! You could win all this!!!! I'll be choosing the winner on Thursday!!!

52 Weeks of Balance

Introducing the new Wanna Be Balanced Planner!!!
Here are all the details on how these binders work, please feel free to email me if you have any questions or requests.
crystal@wannabebalanced.com

This binder was made for the desperate housewife, striving to find balance among the constant chaos of motherhood.   You'll be compiling 52 weeks of meal plans, grocery lists, activities to do with your kids, house projects and more.   It comes with 3 full months and you'll be able to buy additional months as you go.  
Go HERE if you'd like to purchase one.

What you'll get:

• 52 Weekly overviews, with a "To Do" list provided for each day (notice there are only a few lines, this will keep your day simple without making you feel like you have too much to do).

• 2 markers, one permanent, and one wet erase.

• The first 3 months of meal plans and grocery lists (you can buy each additional month for $8)

I've tried several times to have weekly menu's complete with grocery lists, but have failed more often than not. So I decided to make REUSABLE ones, a full years worth. That way I’ll never have to do it again! I figured it may take some time to put it together but in the long run it will save me time AND money. These meal plans include breakfast, lunch, and dinner, making meal time much less time consuming.  I'm going to compile these all, and add as much variety as possible for a whole year. I’ve noticed I’m spending less time and money at the grocery store and used up EVERYTHING I bought. I've found that sometimes I get a little too ambitious with eating healthy and buy all this fresh produce without any real plans of what I'm going to make.  They usually just end up going bad before I get the chance to eat them.  A little preparation goes a long way. Also, I've been really bad with the whole breakfast and lunch thing for the kids. They usually have the same thing every day, and it's all due to my lack of planning. So now I'm excited to be introducing more variety into their diet. You'll notice I don't share entire recipes for most of these. This is what google is for.  I do this ALL the time now. For example, steak, if you're looking for a good marinade, just google "steak marinade" and see what pops up, and what ingredients you already have, or just add it to the grocery list. So simple!

• Over 25 different activity ideas to do with your kids.

Before we go any further, I must tell you that I am half OCD half ADD :)  Well, not really but I'd like to think so.  At least it'd give us all some kind of explanation to this madness.  Creating these 52 weeks will cure my sickness I think.  If I have something new to do and eat each day, then perhaps it will take the monotony out of the daily motherhood grind.  I'm really bad about taking the time to do fun activities with the kids. My problem is simply lack of planning and idea's.  I've realized that if I just plan ahead a bit, then each day I can dedicate at least an hour or so spending quality time with my kids doing something creative and fun. I'm going to provide a list of four activities each week. You can plan them on days that fit your schedule by adding an activity from the list to your weekly overview. These activities may not be age appropriate for your kids, but at least you'll have something to go by.  Most of these activities fit ages 2-8.

Here is a list of the first 4 weeks of meal plans and activities to give you an idea of what they look like.

Week #1

Week #2

Week #3               

Week #4

• A reusable list of house projects.

I've put together a list of house chores in order to get things done one project at a time. Pick ONE thing from the list and work on it over the course of the week. Thinking about all the things you need to do around the house can be quite overwhelming, we all know that the list of house projects is NEVER ending. Not only do we have constant dishes and laundry to keep up on, we also have to periodically do things like, organizing drawers and closets, getting rid of old stuff, cleaning out the car and so on.

The key is to not give yourself TOO much to do on any given day, that's why my goal is to pick only ONE item from the list. Give yourself an allotted amount of time each day, even if it's only 15 min. Set aside that time to tackle those chores one at a time.



Monthly
I've come up with a small monthly list  that consists of only 4 things. You can obviously make your own, but here is my list if you need an example. I figure I can do ONE a week.

• Have a girls night! Go to dinner to catch up on all the girl talk, or go see a chick flick.
• Plan a daddy daughter date or mommy daughter date. This will give Sean and I some special alone time with each child to do something fun.
• Do some kind of service project and have Lily be a part of it. I want to teach her about the joy of serving others. For example, take someone dinner, offer to watch your neighbors kids, run an errand for a friend who's sick, you get the idea.
• Get together with another couple. I've realized that once you start a family you begin to see your friends less and less. So, I figured I can make an effort to stay connected with friends by planning a double date, or inviting them over for dinner or BBQ once a month.

Daily
I know some of you might be MAJORLY against having a daily schedule, but you have to keep in mind that having a daily schedule does NOT mean you have to stick to it perfectly everyday.  Like I said before, it's just there to be your guide. You've got to PLAN when you're going to work out, PLAN when doing an activity with your kids will work for everyone, and PLAN when you're going to have special alone time to ponder, pray, study, meditate, whatever it is that helps you grow spiritually. Planning out your day just ensures that you'll have the time to do all the things you hope to.  Things to consider:  naps, school, homework, sports events, ect.  I posted my daily schedule a while back, you can see it HERE if you'd like. Also, I understand that each day is different, so just do the best you can.

•  A reusable daily planner where you can jot down your routine, just designate certain times of the day you plan to do the important things.

Marriage
Contrary to popular belief, having a healthy marriage is a HUGE part of staying in balance. When the wife aint happy, nobodies happy, and the wife aint happy when she's failing to make her marriage a priority.  I admit, I'm guilty of forgetting about my husbands needs, and I'm not just talking about sex, although we all know that plays a MAJOR role in a mans happiness.  Men are such simple beings. They have only 3 major needs. To be appreciated, food in the tummy, and sex. As apposed to us women who have.. oh gosh,  I can't even count, let's just not even go there.
So my goal here is to be sure to plan a weekly date night, as well as focus on some things I can do to let my husband know I appreciate him.  I heard somewhere that when you're taking the time to serve  one another in your marriage, your less likely to be so critical of each other.

More on this coming soon!

Excercise

I've got quite a few ideas as far as work out routines go, and like I mentioned before, I have a slight case of ADD, so I do really well when I continually mix things up :)

More on this coming soon!

Purchase your planner HERE!


And a BIG Thank you to Natalie @Nattie Sue Designs for designing the templates for me.

Our Weekend Getaway!

Sean and I just got back from an amazing weekend at our cabin. As you all know it was our 6 year anniversary, so we thought it would be nice to plan a few nights away, just the two of us. I put together a video of our weekend, it's not that kind of video you sicko's :) 

Here's the card Sean got me.