patience

All posts tagged patience

As 2014 Comes to a close…

Published December 20, 2014 by Angela

…I thought now would be a great time to take a final look at my 2014 to-do list as I get ready for 2015! I first posted my to-do list for 2014 here: https://parenthoodandotherhorrorstories.com/2014/01/02/my-2014-to-do-list/

I felt it was better to not make any ‘resolutions’ per-se, as they tend to be harder to keep. So I have updated on how I was doing a couple times this year, and now I will just do a quick run-down of my successes, and not-quite-successes as I think about my 2015 goals.

1 & 2 – I both went to church and increased my tithes; yes, I know, it kind of goes hand-in-hand 🙂

3 & 4 – stop swearing and yelling. Definite improvements here, and yes, these too tend to go hand-in-hand. I am happy to say I can no longer claim I cuss like a sailor. The truth is I did, and thank goodness I do not anymore!

5 – make and take some me time – Yeah; not so much. The opportunity never really presented itself, even when I had planned for it. This is one of my top priorities for 2015.

6 – be more patient – I would have to say yes I am more patient, or I highly doubt the yelling and swearing would have decreased as much as it has 🙂

7 – Exercise – Not so much. Okay; not at all. Although I did by running shoes and used them…once. This is another top priority for me in 2015, since I have managed in the last few months to stress-eat back the 30 lbs I had lost in the past year 😦

8 – I did read the entire Bible. I did not understand it all, but I read it; cover-to-cover. 2015’s goal here is to spend time reading it every single day!

9 – I have improved my photography skills. I have taken some classes, learned most of the functions on my camera, and have taken some spectacular pictures this year!

10 – I have definitely allowed myself to be happy, for the most part. I will honestly say these last couple months of this year have put me in a real funk. Tired, depressed, and just not feeling good.

So, for 2015, besides making time for myself, exercising on a regular basis, and reading my Bible daily, I also will be continuing to work on getting my MBA, as well as polishing up my blogs. I want to get all of my social media accounts in order and up-to-date so they are easier for me to manage, while eliminating the ones I do not need.

It is my goal to get my Editing work off the ground, as well as finding a marketing medium for my books and opinions blog. I recently became a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association, and this is a great platform for me to use as well as other methods I have been using.

I will continue to help and volunteer at my church, and hopefully I can increase those commitments. I will continue to love, nurture, and discipline my girls to raise them into the beautiful, polite, respectable girls they have proven to be every single day of my life.

I have been truly Blessed this year with my health, my family, new job opportunities at work, and much great success on beginning this new path of editing 🙂 I am excited to see what 2015 has in store for me!

Be Careful What You Ask For!

Published April 24, 2014 by Angela

For quite some time now, I have been praying for God to please help me with my patience. Okay. My lack of patience, which is generally a horrible problem for me. Most times I can cope fairly well, but when it is bad, it is really, really bad. When I seem to have 10 things to do and only time for 5, or I need to be in more than one place at the same time (this happens so much to me!), I get short on patience and long on anger.

 

Well of course I am going to have situations that test my patience, I keep asking God for just that thing. So since I am fully aware of what is going on, why can’t I deal with it better? Why can’t I take a deep breath, exhale, hold my tongue, and examine the situation for what it is? Take the situation in as a whole, divide it up into pieces, and work on one thing at a time, because that is really all any of us are capable of doing.

 

Instead, I immediately lose my patience, and Lord help anyone who is in the way of my words. I don’t yell or swear, but I certainly do not talk in a calm, helping manner. I feel mean, I feel upset that I can lose my cool that fast. I feel like this major character flaw I have is getting the best of me, at the worst of times. So, what do you do when you get exactly what you ask for?

 

Make the best of it. See it for what it is. An opportunity to improve, grow, change. To be a better you. To show a better you.

 

Don’t ask for something if you are not truly prepared to handle it. I am ready to handle it. In the worst situations, I can be at my best.

My 2014 To-Do List!

Published January 2, 2014 by Angela

I am not one to do resolutions, only for the fact that it seems to be much more pressure to accomplish something than you would normally feel if, say, you decided to go on a diet starting the 3rd Wednesday of February. And I also figure I gave up more than enough things in 2013, and I lost about 30 lbs (not entirely intentional) so I am going to share my To-Do List. I am an avid list maker; I have them in my desk at work, in my purse, in my car, on my dresser, on my bookshelf, stuffed inside books I was reading at the time, I think you get my point. With that being said, it is my intention that this To-Do list is one I will actually follow, and work towards.

 

1)      Go to church a LOT more than I did this past year (This tends to be difficult on Sunday mornings because a. I work 3rd shift, it’s a whole sleep/awake thing we aren’t going to get into here, and b. my 12 year old needs to go to confirmation classes from 9:30-10:30am, and trying to get her to church by 8:15 am for the actual service is next to impossible impossible.

2)      Tithe a LOT more at church than I did this past year. Granted, attending more should lead to tithing more, but I truly want to get it to the level it needs to be at. Give until it hurts, right?

3)      Stop swearing. Yes, I swear. A lot. Not as much as I used to, but enough that I cannot justify my faith and attendance at church while continuing to cuss like a sailor in my home.

4)      Stop yelling. Ugghh; this is a big one for me. I have gotten much better, but my 2 youngest tend to communicate by yelling (yes, they learned it from me) so I tend to continue to communicate in that manner with them. Meaning, if they are yelling and screaming at each other, I yell “Knock it off!” So not necessary.

5)      Make and take some “me” time. I do not get time away from my girls, pretty much ever. I also have college classes beginning in 7 days for my Master’s Degree (which could really hinder any chance of free-time what-so-ever!). So I think this year it is going to be more important than ever that I make sure I have time to myself to recoup, and relax, and keep my sanity right where I need it; with me.

6)      Patience. I just gotta get some. This in turn will likely help tremendously with #’s 3 & 4.

7)      Exercise. Exercise. I do NOT like to exercise. Never have, likely never will. My intention is to actually begin running as soon as the temperature gets above 10 degrees in Michigan.

8)      Read the Bible. The WHOLE Bible. Even the hard parts that I never understand and skip over. I have started a reading program with the YouVersion Bible App. I should complete this task in 6 months.

9)      Improve my photography skills. I have an amazing camera system and lenses, but never seem to take the time to experiment with it. I spent 4 years in high school taking photos for our yearbooks so I am familiar with the technical speak of photographers, I just need to test the limits of my camera.

10)    Allow myself to be happy! I have felt incredible for the last 5 months, and I just really need to enjoy and bask in that.

What are your big goals?

When Did “No” Stop Meaning No?

Published December 17, 2013 by Angela

I know when.

When I stopped making it mean “No.”

When I said “No” and changed my mind later.

When I was too tired to argue with my kids.

 When I was too tired to listen to my kids argue with each other.

When I got sick of listening to my kids whine because they were told “No.”

 When I felt bad for one of my kids for one of any number of reasons and let them have their way.

When I was mad at myself for something I said or did.

When I was mad at myself for something I didn’t say or do, and should have.

There are just some days when I do not have it in me to deal with the whining, bickering, arguing, and crying. There are days when 3 girls, all 3 years apart, can shut themselves in one bedroom and get along so well that I would never even know they are in the house. Then there are days when I literally cannot walk up the stairs, and into the bathroom, without them beginning to argue. I cannot take a shower without someone putting their hands on someone else. I cannot walk into the kitchen to cook dinner without a yelling match breaking out in the living room.

The closer it gets to Christmas; the worse they are behaving.

The closer it gets to Christmas; the less patience I have for it. I mean this is when they are supposed to be all sunshine and roses, right? On their best behavior for Santa, right? Except only one of them may still believe in Santa, and I honestly will be glad when I know for sure that the ruse is up!

So I do take full responsibility for not making “No” mean “No”. Of course they are going to keep bugging me; it always worked before. At some point I have got to make what I say mean what it is supposed to mean, and that will have to be over Christmas break. At the beginning of January I will begin classes for my MBA, so any semblance I have had of peace and free time will be non-existent.

Attitudes can be adjusted, (including mine!!!) but it will take lots of willpower, patience, and positive reinforcement on my part, and cooperation on my children’s part. It will be an experiment in the making, but I am excited to work on it, and fine-tune it, to be able to enjoy the final results, eventually. I will rely on my Faith, and pray often, with my girls, and hope that my positive attitude will set an example for them to have a positive attitude!

I Thought This Would Be More Fun

Published November 27, 2013 by Angela

Having 8 full days off from work after working 19 straight, what could be better? I have plenty of time to spend with my girls, do some extra cleaning, organize, get out the Christmas decorations, read what I want, and watch mindless television, which is something I no longer take for granted 🙂

What is really going on? OK, I am watching mindless television, but I am also not sleeping, my stomach is very angry with me, along with the rest of my body for messing with its schedule, and this in turn has made me less than pleasant. Everything I attempt to do seems to be bound for failure before I even get started, and my patience is being tested. I laugh at myself because I always ask God to give me more patience, which means God is going to give me situations to test my patience. If I would quit asking for more patience, maybe I wouldn’t be tested and things would go more smoothly for me 🙂

So although I am grateful for my time off to get caught up on things, I would really rather be working my 3rd shift schedule, sleeping when my body has been sleeping for the past year and a half, eating at 2am instead of noon (and feeling sick because of it), and being in a better mood. It is currently 3:15 am and I have been awake for a couple hours, doing laundry and cleaning 🙂

Today I get to make 2 pumpkin pies, and some mint-chocolate brownies. I am super-excited for Thanksgiving tomorrow, and just hope that I can feel top-notch and as awake as everyone else when normally I should be sleeping.

I guess the best thing is, everyone takes a nap after Thanksgiving dinner, right?

I really truly am grateful for all I have been blessed with, and am thankful to have a warm house to be awake in, with plenty of food for my girls and myself, our health, a wonderful job, and a strong faith. God has been good to me, and nothing can change the feeling that gives me in my heart! More on that tomorrow!

 

 

 

Even when all those feelings are Happy feelings!

Even when all those feelings are Happy feelings!