Simplifying

So, I've come to the realization that I need to do something to encourage more smoothness in my days- less agitation and frustration, more calm and peace.  Some days I feel so frazzled and bent out of shape, and I can't even figure out how I got to that point.  I should start by explaining two things.  First, I am an anxiety-prone control freak.  I like it when things go a certain way (which is always my way, of course), and when they don't, my adrenaline starts pumping, my heart starts racing, and the anger starts boiling.  Second, the transition from one to two kids has been much more difficult than I expected.  My two-year-old has always been rather high-strung and demanding (hmm...wonder where she gets that from?) and I now have a high-needs baby who is fussy much of the time and just as demanding.  I feel like I'm being pulled in forty different directions and find myself often saying, either out loud or to myself, "I'm only one person!  I can't do it all!"  Well, duh?!  No one person is meant to do it all.  Maybe I am just trying to do too much (definitely part of it, I think) and maybe I'm not bringing alongside the Person who promised to help (yup, think that's part of it, too).

Our life group is currently going through the book of Colossians.  And, for once, I actually participated in part of the study this week (after feeding and rocking a fussy baby and finally getting her to sleep).  The passage we were looking at was Colossians 3:1-17.  At one point we split into groups and had to define the various traits we are to clothe ourselves with in verse 12: "...clothe yourselves with with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." We then had to share which attribute we struggled with the most and pray for each other.  Well, for me it was a no-brainer.  I struggle with patience...every day...which, in turn, causes me to lack gentleness, especially when dealing with my kids.  The study this week has really challenged me to work at being more patient.  But, I've realized that it takes more than just saying "I'm going to try to be more patient today." I've realized that I need to take some practical steps in my day to help towards that end.  

So, I'm trying.  The one part of my day that has always been exceptionally stressful (as most moms, and even many women who don't have kids but work, can relate to) is dinner time.   Finding recipes, planning meals for the week, making grocery lists, actually going shopping, and finally preparing meals can be so stressful for me.  Every week I felt like I was spending hours poring through cookbooks and magazines looking for easy recipes to make that week; but after coming up with little, would end up just buying whatever at the store, which subsequently resulted in me staring at my pantry shelves blankly during the week trying to come up with some wonderful idea for dinner, and feeling like I failed miserably.  So, after joining (and becoming rather addicted) to pinterest, I found a wonderful idea for a menu board that I immediately made and now use each week.   I think it's FABULOUS, and it has really simplified dinner time for me:

The menu board has a clothespin for each day of the week to which I attach a self-laminated card with the name of a meal on the front and the ingredients needed for it on the back.   I now have about 20 (and hope to compile more) meal cards that are my "go to" meals for most days of the week.  This has taken the guesswork and extensive planning and prep out of my dinner-making each week and made shopping much easier, too!  As mentioned, I got this idea from pinterest, so I cannot take credit for it, but I LOVE it!

This is just the first of hopefully many steps I can take to simplify my days and hopefully encourage more patience in my attitude.  I'm definitely on the lookout for other practical things to help me in this endeavor. Obviously, I know that the most important thing I can do is to keep looking to Jesus for help.  I know that without the Holy Spirit working through me, I can never accomplish the goal of a patient spirit.  But I'm working on it...and learning as I go.  So, here's to more patience!  And, if anyone has other brilliant ideas of ways to simplify life at home, I'm all ears!