{March Reflections}

Can I just say, I am thrilled to see March fade away? What a tough month! March is the longest month of school/work without any type of break. Student behavior seems to intensify during the month. Staff gets grumpy. Sickness has been running rampant in the Oremland household. The bright spot has been the sunshine. It has been so lovely to see so much blue sky. 

Okay, onto reflecting!


My goals for March were to:
Read 3x Books. I read four books! Now I have to be honest, one of these books I read in a weekend and I was very much an absentee parent. I wasn't feeling great, and I real just wanted to curl up and do nothing but read. Paul was not impressed. 

• The Red Tent by Anita DiamantThis book was so good. A really great story. The author takes a passage from Genesis and weaves an entire story around it. The story was rich with detail and helped me understand biblical history a bit more.
• The Nightingale by Hanna Kristin
  I love books about Paris and I love books about World War 2, so this was lovely story to read. It was heartbreaking and encouraging at the same time.
• What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
  This was the book that I could not put down. Part of the lure for me was that the book hit on so many themes that I think about or have dealt with such as: becoming the type of person you did not want to become, a marriage that collapses, and then there was a character who dealt with multiple miscarriages. At one point, I had to set the book down and just cry.
• Out of Sorts: Making Peace with an Evolving Faith by Sarah Bessey
  Overall I enjoyed this book. There were parts where my mind wandered, but I appreciated the author sharing her journey and for the reminder that there is grace in the journey of faith. I have struggled in my Faith because of heartbreak over church disappointments and the miscarriages. The author validated being in the wilderness as you sort through your spirituality. I had kind of hoped for a How To manual to get "on track" and now after thinking about it, I am glad she did not try to give a formulaic answer, just grace.

Create. I envisioned using my coloring books this month. That did not happen. I am working on a process to get creative (and streamline) my meal planning process. Does this count? Also Paul and I did a painting class date night which was so much fun. Here we are with our masterpieces. 

Write 2-3 Blog Posts. I did meet this goal! I wrote about encouragement in motherhood and my selfish heart. Honestly, I think this is where I was able to be the most creative. I really enjoyed writing and plan to make this a goal for April, but it will look differently than a specific number of blog posts.

Workout 15 times. I did it! I did 16 workouts. Actually, I could have fit in a few more, but then this last week I got sick. I was exhausted, and had a terrible cough. So I opted for rest. My workouts in March had to change a bit. Lije and I are in new season in the afternoons. Lije is awake most afternoons, which makes getting my workout done difficult as he is tired and cranky and needs more love. I have had to adjust my routine, so I wake up around 3:30am to fit my workout in. Though I dislike that early time, I love having my workout done as I get my day started. There are days where I just cannot drag myself out of bed, on those days I wait until Paul comes home and I go for a run in the neighborhood. I have continued to do the Fit in 15 series through iFit and when I run, I have been doing a slow 1.5 miles in the neighborhood.

 For April, my mini goals are:

• Read 3x Books
• Write: I plan to write every day. I am not setting a word goal, or even the amount of time. I just want to start a practice. It may only be a few words, a few minutes or both. I really want to work on reflecting more deeply each day.
• Social Media Fast: 6pm each day I am going to strive to be off my phone.
• Workout 15 times 

We are 25% through the year! I am ready for April!