10 Reasons to Love a Daily Walk

Of all my goals for last week, the one thing that I actually did everyday was take a daily walk with Silas. Even when it was cold, I bundled Silas up and off we went. Here are 10 reasons why I love our daily walks and why they are so important to me.

1. It gets us outside, breathing in fresh air, allowing for some natural vitamin D exposure, and enjoying this beautiful weather before the harsh winter weather sets in.




2. It gets us out of the house for FREE! It's free to take a walk and enjoy nature. Maybe it is still an adjustment to being at home, but I get cabin fever very easily, so a daily walk outside is a free cure then going somewhere that I am sure I would spend money.




3. It allows for easy exercise with the baby. Try as I might, working out at home during nap time, or early in the morning before Silas gets up, doesn't always work out. Silas loves getting into his stroller for a walk, and I love that I am at least doing something to lose the baby weight!




4. We get to enjoy the changing seasons and decorations in the neighborhood. Silas loves to look at the large inflatable pumpkin that we pass everyday on our walk. I love to see how my neighbors decorate for fall and other seasons. I love pumpkins and mums on porches this time of year. In a few weeks they will be replaced with Christmas decorations. In the spring fresh flowers are abound.




5. Walking through my neighborhood makes me realize how blessed we are as a family to live in a beautiful, mature community with big trees, old homes, and familiar faces as well as dogs barking.




6. The nearby park allows for a change up. Just a 5 minutes drive away is a beautiful community park that has a wonderful walking trail when Silas and I need a change of view.




7. As much as I love mine and Silas' walk together, I also cherish the times that my husband and dog Rocco joins us on the weekends. It is such a sweet time as a family.




8. When the weather turns snowy, or rainy, I am also blessed to live only a few minutes away from an indoor mall so we can continue to walk despite the weather's conditions.




9. I love how Silas pulls himself up in the stroller to get a better view, and how he sits back contently taking in the world. He loves the walks just as much as I do!




10. Walks help to restore my sanity! As I am walking it gives me the opportunity to think, and pray without the interruptions or distractions from home.

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Creating Weekly and Daily Goals

As I have been adjusting into my new role as a Stay-At-Home Mom, I have been really struggling with creating a schedule and a routine that my 8 month old son and I could stick to on a daily basis. I like structure, I like routines, but wouldn't you know that Silas likes to just go with the flow? Try as I might to create any sort of routine, Silas has other plans. So the frustration and the sense of failure was beginning to creep in.

Instead of focusing on a set schedule and routine, I been thinking about goals~ things I would like to accomplish. So I sat down and thought through all the chores that I do to keep the house clean. I made a list of what I do daily, and what I do weekly. The weekly chores I assigned a day, and I would plan them according to when my mom or mother-in-law was coming over. It is a lot easier to clean the bathroom if I know that Silas is being entertained elsewhere.

Next I started to think about about exercise, personal, devotional and reading goals that I wanted to create. So I wrote those out as well. I typed up my list and it is now posted on my refrigerator as a reminder of all the things that I would like to get down, and really make a priority.

As well as having set weekly goals, I also wanted to create an easy "Week At A Glance" that I could post on the refrigerator as well. So I created another document with a weekly calendar, dinner plans, and specific To-Dos. Both now hang in the kitchen where I see them on a constant basis. My days are still crazy and unpredictable, and to be honest I have yet to have a day where I do everything I plan to do, but just having a plan, having goals, and having a visual reminder have really helped me to feel productive. At the end of the week when I see how much I have crossed off my list I realize just how much I have actually accomplished.

This week's goals are...

Devotional

1. 
   
   Have a daily Bible study and prayer time


2. 
   
   Read a Bible story and pray with Silas


3. 
   
   Nightly prayer and Bible reading with Brett

Exercise- still trying to lose that last (pesky) 10 pounds of pregnancy weight that has permanently taken up residence in my mid-section.

1. 
   
   Daily walk with Silas


2. 
   
   Work out at the gym Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday afternoon


3. 
   
   Work out at home Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

Reading-

1. 
   
   Read assigned chapter from A Confident Heart for ladies book study


2. 
   
   Finish The Mission of Motherhood


3. 
   
   Finish Organized Simplicity


4. 
   
   Read aloud daily to Silas

Personal-

1. 
   
   Clean out and organize closet- still need to pack up maternity clothes


2. 
   
   Bake chocolate chip cookies


3. 
   
   Try 2 new recipes for dinner

So these are my goals for this week, we will see what I actually am able to accomplish.

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Autumn Blessings: 10 things I love about fall

I LOVE FALL!

It is my absolute favorite season of the year. There are 10 things that I love about fall...

1. The temperature changes from the brutal heat of the summer, to cooler, crisp weather.



2. The leaves turn beautiful shades of yellows, reds, oranges, browns, and greens.



3. Pumpkins and squash are bountiful which means many recipes for soups, breads, desserts, and of course for decorating.



4. Apples are crisp and in season, and going to pick apples fresh from the tree is such a joy.



5. The four months of fall- September means back to school, organization and new routines. October means pumpkin patches, apple orchards and birthday month. November is the season of Thanksgiving, my absolute favorite holiday of the year! And December (yes part of the month is technically still fall) is the gateway to Advent.



6. Hearing the leaves crunch under my feet as Silas and I go on daily walks.



7. Enjoying a warm cup of coffee after the long, hot summer. Nothing beats a good Pumpkin Spice Latte!



8. Pulling out the sweaters and cardigans, but still being able to wear flip-flops on my feet.



9. The beginning of the seasonal decorating which leads into Christmas. Below I have posted some of my fall decor.



10. 
    
    
    A time to stop, think and be reflective during the busy season of fall. To be be reminded off off God has blessed me and my family with.

My Pintrest inspired fall wreath that I made and is now hanging on our front door.

A lovely fall centerpiece on our dinning room table

Spiced Pumpkin candle sitting in my kitchen window box.

Potpourri pumpkins fill a basket on the coffee table in the living room.

Fall candles and cornucopias in place on my picture table in the living room.

A future fall lover, just like his mommy!

Did I mention that...I LOVE FALL!?

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The Nap Time Battle

I must admit that when I dreamed about my life as a stay-at-home mom I had visions of being productive, having a clean house, eating healthy cooked-from-scratch meals, and accomplishing several projects and tasks around the house. None of the above is true, in fact it is quite far from the truth. I get quite jealous of other mom blogs that boast about the really cute craft or cooking project they accomplished during the day. I'm lucky to have gotten dressed!

I feel like my house is messier and cluttered. The other night I was so tired we had chicken nuggets, tator-tots, and some frozen vegetables I found in the freezer for dinner. I have had the pieces to the fall wreath that I had planned on making piled up on the dinning room table for over a week now. I just feel like I can't get it together.

The problem is coming from a baby who will not nap, unless it is in my arms. I blame the grandmas while they were babysitting, to much holding him throughout the day. Silas will be sound asleep in my arms, and as soon as I lay him in his crib he is wide awake and crying. It has been extremely frustrating and draining. I have really been working hard at trying to create a routine of an morning and afternoon nap. Some days he will do really well with one nap, just not the other. Once he is asleep in his crib it is a race to try and get something done before he wakes up again. He usually only stays asleep for about 45 minutes on average.

He is a good night time sleeper, sleeping anywhere from 6 to 9 hours in is crib, I have no idea why he won't take naps. When he does sleep, he is so peaceful and sweet looking.

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