Monday 3-2-1: Doing Less, Doing it Well

“In our ordinary chores and in the act of corralling chaos into order, we image God. Organizing a cluttered closet, sanitizing a nasty high-chair tray, distributing clean and folded laundry to the four corners of the house — these are as quietly mundane as the work God does in our time to water his trees with rain or, in history, to arrange for the manna that faithfully fed a generation of Israelites (Exodus 16).” Michele Morin

I’m sitting here at my kitchen island with the warm spring sunlight shining through my sliding glass doors. I’ve been thinking alot this week about some quotes I’ve jotted down from some books and blogs I’ve been reading. Even though we are halfway through the month, they motivated me to make a list of “must-do’s” and a list of “want to do’s”. Just doing that helped me release some anxiety I was feeling over how I should be using my time.

“Today do less. Do it well.” ~Sarah Mackenzie

“Do one thing at a time and do that one thing with all your heart.” ~Sarah Mackenzie

“Trusting a few things done well are better than many things spread thin.” ~Lara Casey

3 Quotes Worth Considering

1. Do less but do it well.

Take time this month to work on teaching, practicing, and reinforcing table manners with my kids instead of being frustrated by repeated behaviors at dinnertime.

Instead of randomly scrolling facebook or checking emails when my mind wants a break from the chaos, actually designate a specific time of day to sit down and look at it.

Instead of responding to the urge to reply to every text message as soon as it comes in, set aside several times a day to reply and give more thoughtful responses when appropriate.

Start making a list of what I want to do with my kids this spring and summer. What do I want that to look like and sound like? What memories do I want my kids to walk away with and remember about summertime? What do I need to do to make these happen?

Pray for a neighbor today.

Look at my calendar. Am I making time for the most important things? Am I intentional about what I say yes and no to?

2. “Do one thing at a time and do that one thing with all your heart.”

Continue to cultivate a love for reading for my kids and myself. Silence my phone when reading books to the kids so I’m not tempted to be interrupted.

Get outside as many days as possible. Push the kids on the swings whenever they ask. Take more walks. Let them get dirty with mud and sidewalk chalk and not be annoyed at the extra laundry.

Take the time to stop the to-do list and work on handwriting with my three year old when he asks how to write letters.

Make good, healthy meals from a cookbook or printed recipe (and not pinterest.) Make dinner with worship or instrumental music playing, but not podcasts. Learn to focus my mind better at the task on hand without being distracted by other things.

Plan a date night with my husband. Get a sitter, pick a restaurant, make the reservation.

Plan some one on one activities with the each child and write these into my calendar.

Get up early to spend time in the Word without the interruptions of kids. Leave the planner in a different room. Turn my phone on airplane mode. Be present in the presence of the Lord.

Get coffee with a friend this month. Silence my phone. Listen well and ask better questions. Ask about her marriage, parenting, good things, and hard things. Know how her family is doing.

3. “Trusting a few things done well are better than many things spread thin.” 

Do an inventory of the kids clothes and shoes for the summer/fall/winter. What items do they actually need?

Make a list and plan 5 new, healthy freezer meals for those busy days I know I won’t feel like making dinner.

Pray for a friend today.

Spend some time pro-actively teaching the kids a new job this month. Do it along side them every day. Teach and re-teach. Praise and affirm.

Not sure where to start this week? Make your own list of “must-do’s” and “want to do’s” and prioritize from there.

2 Things I’m Loving

1. My air fryer. I’m the first to admit, it took me a long time to jump on this train. I wasn’t interested in an appliance that would take up counter space and not be used very frequently. And then my friend started sending me all these pictures of her air fried veggies she was having for lunch and the next thing I knew my husband and I were on a date night looking at all the different models at Kohls! I’m a believer now. I’ve used it pretty much every day (ok maybe multiple times a day!) Here’s my favorite recipe so far. Air fried chicken breast (pair with a salad!)
2. I recently read the library book “Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race” to my five year old daughter. It was fascinating! A few weeks later, my husband came across the movie on Disney and we watched it after our kids went to bed. 10/10 recommend! My sister-in-law also informed me there’s a novel, and I’m adding to my “need to read” list this year.

1 Quick Thought

Jesus didn’t do it all. Jesus didn’t meet every need. He left people waiting in line to be healed. He left one town to preach to another. He hid away to pray. He got tired. He never interacted with the vast majority of people on the planet. He spent thirty years in training and only three years in ministry. He did not try to do it all. And yet, he did everything God asked him to do.” (Kevin DeYoung)