I - Days

A good week in terms of the spiritual and "I" tasks I am committed to so far.  I've been able to do my evening prayers, brush my teeth and floss in the evenings and also pray and brush in the morning.

Towards the end of the coming week, I'll be reviewing what is on the agenda for Marriage.  I pray you have been living S.I.M.P.L.E.

Simply,

ThereO

I - Day 3

Well, I think I'm on a roll...LOL!  But then I worry maybe it is just a honeymoon period and I'll start struggling again before too long.  Another successful day for prayers and teeth.  My dentist will be so happy  :-)

Many blessings to you all!

Simply,

ThereO

I - Day 2

Another day of success.  Amazing how taking care of prayers and teeth can lead to such a better day.

I pray you are finding your S.I.M.P.L.E. life.

Simply,

ThereO

I - Day 1

I actually started my "I" session last night.  Got teeth and prayers done both last night and this morning.  I can really see a rhythm beginning.  Slowly, gently, God is giving me the vision and the tools to create the life HE has planned for me.

Simply,

ThereO

S - Wrap up

Overall, the past two weeks have worked out very well.  I was able to say morning and evening prayers with the exception of one evening.  Bedtime is still an issue but each night is another chance to improve.  I would definitely consider the spiritual habit a success.  With two weeks under my belt, I feel pretty good moving on to the next task.

The next task will be in the "I" for I group.  After prayerful consideration, although I was only wanting to tackle one, there are two things I have felt God leading me to develop into habits. Since the beginning of the year, I have been doing a good job of communicating with my OA sponsor so if that were not already in place, then that would be my habit.  Since I'm already doing a good job with that, I feel God really leading me to focus on my teeth - brushing AND flossing.  I am also feeling very called to adopt a habit of drinking water instead of diet dr. pepper.  Believe me, this isn't something I WANT to do and  it will definitely be a challenge but over the next two weeks, I will not only work on being more consistent with brushing and flossing but I will also be working on substituting water for diet dr. pepper.

I pray any of you wanting to live a S.I.M.P.L.E. life have discovered your "I" task for the next two weeks.  I also pray your "S" habit was successful.

Simply,

ThereO

S - Day 9

STILL haven't gotten this going to bed thing under control.  STILL having a hard time shutting down the computer.  Aiming tonight for shutting down the computer at 10:15... I think I can, I think I can!!!  Aiming for getting in bed by 11 and lights out at 11:30.

I have been doing a good job of getting evening and morning prayers said.

Looking forward to adding in my "I" activity.  From the "I" post, I am considering...

something from Hygiene - showers, brushing teeth, flossing, getting dressed every day, make up OR from Health - OA participation, exercise, vitamins, water, meditation OR from Education - learning a new language, learning digital photography/scrapbooking, learning more about computers/design.  There are of course many more on the list but these are the ones I'm drawn to working on... now to narrow down the list some more.

Simply,

ThereO

S - Day 8

Bad girl again but did get a lot accomplished...LOL!

Aiming for 11:30 again and computer off at 11.  If at first you don't succeed...LOL!

I did say evening and morning prayers and was able to get up earlier this morning.  Had a VERY productive day but I'm exhausted now.

Simply,

ThereO

S - Day 7

Ohhhh... I was a BAD girl.  Stayed up WAY too late last night on the computer.  Not going to happen tonight though.

Computer goes off at 11 and bedtime is 11:30.  Did say evening and morning prayers and that is the goal.

Busy day tomorrow so I may actually see if I can shut it down earlier.

Simply,

ThereO

S - Day 6

Hmmm... I think weekends are going to be tough for me.  Late last night shutting down then computer AND going to bed.  I did say evening and morning prayers.  But slept very late this morning thanks to a wonderful hubby.  Hopefully it won't mess me up too much on getting to bed tonight.

Plan for this evening is to be in bed by 11:30pm.  Shut the computer off at 11:00pm.  Continue morning and evening prayers.

This week I will continue to make this spiritual task into a habit.    I will also be reviewing my "I" goals and looking to determine which will be the first task tackled.  If you are getting S.I.M.P.L.E. please start reviewing your "I" tasks as well.

Simply,

ThereO

S - Day 5

5 minutes late last night but not too bad.

Evening and morning prayers said.

Very late getting offline... oops.

Aiming for getting off the computer by 11 tonight and 10:30 tomorrow evening.  Bedtime is midnight tonight and 11:30 tomorrow.

Simply,

ThereO

S - Day 4

YEA! Lights were out by midnight last night. Good thing because we were blowing and going today. So much so that I was late with my morning prayers... that was not good. I could definitely feel a sense of peace once they were said.



Aiming for midnight tonight and tomorrow night and then I will start working for 11pm.

Oops! Better email my sponsor and log off for the evening.

Simply,
ThereO

S - Day 3

Good news - I was actually IN bed before midnight and turned my light out by 12:30.

Better news - I got up a lot earlier than usual today and felt so much more productive.

Aiming for lights out at midnight tonight!

Said evening and morning prayers.

Computer goes off at 11pm for the rest of this week.  Aiming for shutting down the computer at 10pm next week.

Simply,

ThereO

S - Day 2

Bad news - STILL did not get in bed by midnight

Good news - Got in bed an hour earlier than usual (1am)

Aiming for 12:30 tonight and midnight tomorrow night.

Said evening prayers and morning prayers.

The dear husband asked what prevents me from getting in bed earlier... good question...  That is a goal of this project is to review why something isn't working the way it I would like for it to and fix it... simply.  

The problem... I want to get up earlier to have quiet time before the kids wake up.  To do that, I have realized I need to go to bed earlier.  Now leading to the next question, why do I stay up so late?  The reasons I see at this point and time are...

-I need wind down time after the kids go to bed (the later the kids stay up, the later I stay up after them to wind down).

-I've gotten up late so I'm not tired yet.

-I lose track of time when I'm surfing the internet.

-I haven't had a set bedtime so I just stay up until I've finished watching shows, reading, etc.

So... things I need to put into place as a result...

-earlier bedtime for the kids

-continue to go to bed earlier, gradually, so I'll be able to get up earlier and therefore be tired earlier...duh

-Set a certain time for shutting down the computer

-Continue with setting a certain time for bedtime

Simply,

ThereO

S - Day 1

The bad news... I went to bed after midnight.

The good news... I went to bed 30 minutes earlier than I have been going to bed.

I did say my evening prayers last night and my morning prayers this morning.

Aiming for a bedtime of midnight tonight.

Simply,

ThereO

2009 S Focus

My four areas of focus in the Spiritual area for 2009 will be morning/evening prayers, scripture reading, readings on Orthodox Christianity, and service.

There will be 4 sessions, each lasting 12 weeks.  Each 12 week session will consist of a 2 week "habit starter" for each area.  This first two week session will be spent in developing a habit of morning and evening prayers.  Lest you think I'm a complete heathen, I have been praying but I have not been doing a good job of praying consistently.

To make this become a habit, two things have to happen.  I need to begin waking up earlier and I need to go to bed earlier.  HA!  Okay, I got my little sarcasm out there but seriously... really, I do. I am in an awful habit of going to bed very late... say 2am+! and then I rise accordingly... not good! This week's bedtime is midnight and next week's bedtime will be 11pm.  Having a regular bedtime will also give me a regular time for prayer.  By going to bed earlier, I will also be able to wake up earlier (before the children) and have my prayer time while it is still quiet.

This week I will also work on getting out of bed and then saying my prayers instead of praying and taking the chance of falling back asleep (which happens with great frequency unfortunately).  Next week will find me actually setting my alarm clock to ensure a consistent morning prayer time.

Recommendation:  Consider what it is you need to change/improve within the spiritual area. Discover the task and review what is needed to make this task a habit.  Gently bring these things into your daily life.  I read this post today and thought it was VERY appropriate and inspiring.  It is also important to keep track of your progress and any set backs that occur.  So in the spirit of that, I'll "keep you posted"... LOL!

Simply,

ThereO

E is for Education

E is probably my favorite in terms of fun. I love homeschooling our kids. I especially love the planning and curriculum. Getting it into practice is different. For some reason I have difficulty getting from the plan to the action. My main "E" focus will be to put all these wonderful plans and curriculum into practice... simply.

In terms of areas within Education, we have...

Planning, Development, Implementation, Review, Grading and Record keeping

Group teaching - orthodoxy/bible, literature, writing

Individual teaching - reading, math, vocabulary, spelling, foreign language, independent studies (unit studies based on child's interest)

Intense Studies - science, history, computers, poetry, grammar, cooking, sewing, art, music

Additional activities - music lessons, sports activities, socialization groups, field trips, educational shows, educational computer/internet sites, service projects

So once again, I will be praying for the wisdom to see where God will have me focus my efforts.

This concludes the basics of the S.I.M.P.L.E. plan. I will be praying over the next few days for God to lead me in choosing my focus. Join me on Sunday to check out MY focus areas. Monday we will begin a two week process with our first spiritual focus.

Simply,

ThereO