Seasons of a Mothers Heart - Chapter 3

I am reading Seasons of a Mothers Heart by Sally Clarkson and linking up over at Home With The Boys. Remember you can also follow tweets about the book by using hashtag #momsheart.

Chapter 3 - Beside Still Waters
Wow after finishing this chapter I have come to the conclusion that my husband is right (wow I don't say that too often, lol) I do really need some "me time" and quality time with friends. He has been getting on me for years now that I need "me time", time with friends and an outlet (which blogging is one of). He says that if I don't get "me time" and time with friends that I will get burned out and start to resent being a stay at home/homeschooling mom. I am beginning to think he is right. And what better time to start than now! Thank you Sally Clarkson for opening my eyes to what my husband was trying to tell me for so long.

After reading several blog posts this week and joining the Maximize Your Mornings Challenge Update it seems like the morning is a GREAT time to get some alone time in. But lately I just cannot seem to get out of bed at a decent time. Normally I get up right when the kids do, I get out of bed and stagger to the kitchen to make breakfast. So I am going to try very hard to start getting up at 7:00 am. That will give me at least 1-2 hrs of some "me time" in the morning, to read, scrapbook or just sit and relax.

And well quality time with friends has never happened much since moving to GA 10 yrs ago. It wasn't until recently that I actually started making friends and now I just seem to broke to actually go anywhere for a girl night out. I know some of you are thinking, "what on earth do you mean you've had a hard time making friends?" Well when we first moved to GA I tried to make friends and it seemed hard because I was married and all of the  women my age (which was early 20's) were not. So they just weren't too interested in hanging out with a married (and in my opinion more mature) woman. And then I had kids and all of the women my age (mid 20's) really did not want to hang out. It wasn't until recently that I figured out the problem. I was trying to find women my age when instead I needed to find women who had common interests and understood what married life and parenthood was all about. It was when Gwyn started PreK last year that I started finding women to hang out with. And then I decided to homeschool......well that has opened the doors to a plethora of friends both in real life and in the virtual world. I have met the most compassionate women who are willing to lend a hand or prayer when I'm in need. However many of them live in other states so a girls night out is impossible (even though I do enjoy the twitter and facebook parties we have together.) So my goal after reading this chapter is to try to arrange a girls night out at least every other month or so with some of my GA friends.  Even if just means hanging out at the park or window shopping somewhere. Oh and most of my new friends are older than me, almost non of them are my age!

My Life:
I loved this personal application idea and over the next few weeks I am going to try to apply it despite the apartment being in shambles because of getting ready to move. The personal application is to ask God to show you a verse that will be especially refreshing. Then set aside a time when you can go shopping alone. Look for something beautiful or lovely that will be a visual reminder to you of that verse. Well I don't really have much spare change right now so I am going to look for something outdoors that I can perhaps find on a walk alone.

Quotes and Scriptures that really hit my heart:
-To say it more simply, I cannot keep giving out without taking in. pg 58
-The "easiest" way I have found to make time is to follow the advice of Ben Franklin: early to bed and early to rise. pg 60 WORDS I am going to try to follow in the coming weeks.
-Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, the Teacher says. "Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up" (NASB) pg 64

 If you have read the book please feel free to share your thoughts!