I did one of these posts back in May. A post dedicated to a select few things recently that have really stepped in to save my life! Here are my go-to's the last few months.
1-Sudoku - This summer was F.U.L.L. So full that I found it absolutely necessary to quiet as much noise around me as possible. Reading was hard. It's always been hard for me to read when people are around. Voices and movement can be super distracting and that can (not always) lead to frustration because I keep having to re-read things. I was also finding it hard for my brain to stay focused. After coming off of a busy season and stepping into summer, and all that comes with that, I decided I was going to give myself permission to just be. But I also like to be "doing" something and I found the PERFECT thing!
Solving things + Numbers = Life Giving
Sudoku has been SO fun! I can jump in a game and be interrupted without feeling like I have to spend 20 minutes to get back in the zone. It has nothing to do with technology. I can be present with my family while also keeping my brain active and sharp, and also giving my hands something to do while just hanging out.
2-White Out - We make plans, then the times change, they get cancelled, then rescheduled, then completely moved to another month... I could just write in my calendar with a pencil, but I don't trust that. I could also just cross things out, but when my the little daily white squares on my calendar begin to get cluttered with changed plans being crossed out everywhere my anxiety starts to rise. Enter in this little gem. I can't even count the amount of times I've used this little guy on my homeschool plans or my calendar and IT.MAKES.MY.HEART.SO.HAPPY. It's like a fresh start every times something changes instead of the potential chaotic mess it not only looks like, but actually becomes!
Go get you one of these and I promise you won't be disappointed.
3-Juice and Toya - Working out has been sporadic the past few months in between travel and extra littles running around, but I can always count on Juice and Toya to give me a good HIT. Josh and I love to do these workouts together. I mean, we get to work out with another J and T, husband/wife team! Here's the workout I knocked out this morning! Go check them out on YouTube.
4-Puzzles - When we were keeping Josh's sister's kids for a week in August they came with a 300 piece puzzle that the boys would put together, take apart and put together again, over and over. We went to our puzzle arsenal after they left but only had a couple of 1000 piece puzzles, which can be a bit too much for a quick weekend puzzle, so I headed to amazon to pick out a couple 500 and 750 piece puzzles which seemed much more attainable. I love looking over and seeing which of the kids (or adults) gravitate toward the pieces throughout the days.
5-Sabbath Candle - I started using a
taper candle on Sabbath. There's just something about finishing the prep of grocery lists, laundry and cleaning chores on Friday morning and then walking over to the table to light the candle to enter into sabbath that is so life-giving to me. As the day goes on I catch myself glancing over at the flickering light, remembering this day as set apart. It also reminds me that I can trust God to still be alive and active even when I am not.
That's it. The things that are saving my life right now. Nothing earth-shattering, just things that keep me centered.
