When God Tells You to Slow Down

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When God tells you to slow down you have two options:

  1. Ignore It
  2. Listen

I learned my lesson and I am going to listen from now on and I hope you will too. Find out more below.

Are you listening when God tells you to slow down?

 

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Moms work hard. Whether you stay at home, work at home, or work outside the home, you no doubt are working your tail off. It can be hard to find leisure time either with you family or to yourself but when we’re honest, it’s not finding the time that’s difficult. It is prioritizing the time. 

I am incredibly guilty of not finding that work/life balance. 

Lately, I have been pushing myself so hard that I was exhausted and burnt out. There were signs that I needed to slow down but I, being the stubborn punk that I am, totally ignored them. I kept pushing until earlier this week God body-slammed me with one of the worst 24 hour bugs I have ever experienced. 

 

Importance of Listening

When I was sick we are talking couldn’t-get-vertical, thought-I-might-die kind of sick. Just taking the oldest to the bus stop (a whole 50 feet away) felt like taking part in the Hunger Games while being stung by Tracker Jackers. 

Once I felt better I could have said, “Okay God, I rested like you wanted,” and gone right back to work like I thought I should. That wasn’t the point, though.  What He was really saying was that I needed to slow down. I need to remember why I really do all of this.

Instead of going back to work, that kids and I along with a couple of friends took the advantage of the gorgeous 60 degree weather, a rarity this time of year, and headed to the zoo. It was absolutely fabulous! 

The sun was shining and because of the time of year there weren’t many people. This meant the kids could have a little more freedom to run that usual and it meant mommy got some spectacular photos. Even if I didn’t realize it before hand, God knew that this was what my family needed.

 

Your Blessings are Multiplied

After that day, I was able to come back at my work feeling fresh and re-energized. Most importantly, so were the wee ones. They got my uninterrupted attention which they needed. They got to run and explore for hours.

Now, it is easier for me to have a few solid work hours because they have been reassured that they are still a priority. All of that came from one simple outing that didn’t cost a dime outside of the gas to get there.

 

Days Off are Important

Days off are so important for moms, all moms. You need to find a balance that is right for you and your family. Remember that there is a difference between not working and actually taking a day off.

If you have a birthday party to go to you may not be working, but if you’re chasing your kids and cleaning up the entire time, that does not count as a day off. If you are feeling exhausted, burnt-out, or overwhelmed then take the day off.

These feelings are part of how God tells you to slow down.  Learn from my mistake and listen. How are you going to slow down this week? Let me know in the comments!

 

Are you listening when God tells you to slow down?

See More From Our Day Off Below

This day was perfect and everyone felt amazing after. If you take nothing else away from this, remember that when God tells you to slow down, listen to Him. Your family, yourself, and your overall happiness will be better for it.

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How to be Productive during Football Season

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It is that time of year again. That magical time that lets us know colder weather is around the corner and allows us to be best friends with total strangers, for a few hours at least. I am of course talking about that glorious season known as football season! (Insert Hank Williams, Jr. singing about being ready for some football here to help get you pumped up!)

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I will admit that on game days for my team, I can be kind of useless. I have been known to encourage cereal for dinner on game nights and once was relegated to writing a 10-page paper for a class in college during the Super Bowl half-time show (sorry, Teach). Luckily for you, you can learn from my mistakes and use these tips for how to be productive during football season and game nights especially.

Learn from my mistakes and use these tips to be productive during football season, game nights especially.

Make Commercials Work for You

Before the game starts, set a series of small goals and tasks to accomplish. During commercials, race against the clock to complete these tasks. Make sure your goals are super specific:

If you are watching the game somewhere other than home, you can still be productive. Pick tasks that you can do anywhere:

**Tip: Don’t worry about working these into your budget yet. Just notate them on the months they are coming up. This gives you a jump start on your next budget session.

Learn from my mistakes and use these tips to be productive during football season, game nights especially.

Plan for Meals Early

If the game falls right around meal time, you don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen for it. Luckily there are so many options available, you don’t have to be.

  1. Set the crockpot. Crockpot meals make it super easy to have dinner ready with minimal prep and time.
  2. Have a living room picnic. Throw together something quick and easy, like these toasted ranch chicken sandwiches or these taco roll-ups. Then put a blanket down on the floor and eat with your family there. Kids will start to love football days if this becomes a tradition!
  3. Have meals earlier. If it’s a late game, plan to eat dinner at 5pm instead of 6:00 or 7:00. If your family starts getting hungry during the game, whip up some popcorn for them to snack on during half-time.

Learn from my mistakes and use these tips to be productive during football season, game nights especially.

Don’t Forget about Bedtime Routines

Again, if you are looking forward to a late game, don’t forget about your kids’ bedtime routines. Get baths done and jammers on before the game starts. This is also great opportunity to start some family traditions. Buy some special game night jammers for everyone in the family (or make your own). The best part about these is that each person can get them in the team they love!

Trust me, these tips will help make football season more enjoyable for everyone in your family. (Even those crazy pants who don’t “understand the draw of it”.)  Cheers to a productive season!

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