Make Me Better Monday-A Pledge and a Return

It's been a while since I've done this. If you enjoyed reading these in the past, sorry I bailed. If you don't enjoy reading then, sorry I'm back at it. Can't please everyone, right? Anyway, the reasons I stopped were many, but the most prevalent was the fact that I got lazy....the end. But life is returning (slowly but surely) to more normal routines which means I feel better and more life myself. So now that we have a new little one, I'm having to re-commit to a few things. Things like sleep deprivation, limited social contact for the time being, and sweat pants. Whilst I'm in the re-commitment sort of attitude, I'll re-commit (say re-commit again) to being a better version of myself.

The Pledge:
*Get everyone healthy again and keep them that way-Mr. Will and Audrey have been sick and remain in a continued state of drippiness and hacking.
*Figure out how to get Ethan comfortable in the sling-He's in it right now and while he's not crying, he doesn't seem totally comfy.
*Create some sort of textile for myself-I just got this book and I think I'll start there. Now that there is a vacancy in my belly, I can actually make something figure flattering and cute!
*Valentine decor down, St Patty's decor up....it's one of my fav holidays so expect something fun and unexpected!
*Bring back 'unplugged thursday'
*Spend some time (lots of it because who wouldn't want to) admiring this face and getting to know him a little better.
*Do a lot of blogging, but I'm not promising how much!
*Let go of some anger and negativity that I've been holding on to.
What do you want to do better this week?

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A Few Things Overheard Recently:

Me: 'Audrey what's wrong?'
Audrey: 'My tummy hurts."
Me: 'Is that because I asked you to clean your room.'
Audrey: 'Yeah.'

Siobhan: 'Dang it to heck! I left my prophet papers in the car!'

Make Me Better Monday-A Pledge

I didn't do a pledge last week because it was my birthday and I didn't feel like it. Now, I'm feeling sad and a little frustrated (not to worry....just normal life stuff getting to me). So this may be short and sweet.

*Get Christmas as done as possible so that next week is as stress free as possible.

*While I've been praying everyday for the last few weeks, I need to bring them back to a place where they are more meaningful and more sincere.

*Find a way to liken the scriptures that I'm currently reading to myself a little better. (That would definitely relate to the one above)

*In all of the Christmas prep, get to bed a decent time.

*Patience, patience, patience, patience, patience!
*Me and the boy who doesn't like me. I was going to edit this one to be black and white or sepia because my freckles are very prominent but it just didn't look right. So here I am in all my speckled glory!

Make Me Better Monday-A Pledge

Last week I missed out on being able to make my pledge because there was a power surge that threw the wireless off. Then it happened again later in the week. Between those two instances plus not wanting to do a 'Monday' thing on a different day plus unplugged Thursday made it difficult to make my pledge. Then it came late today because I decided it was more important to blog about my kid than me. So without further ado, here's my pledge for this week of thanksgiving and gratitude.

*I pledge to take my time cleaning so I'm not stressing myself out but still getting things done.

*I pledge one load of laundry done each day.

*I pledge to really increase my gratitude this week and be a good example to the kids about what it means to be grateful.

*I pledge to complete some of the homemade Christmas presents that I'm making.

*I pledge to refrain from raising my voice towards that kids.

*I pledge to get to bed before midnight each night which means I have 12 minutes to get this done and get downstairs. Good thing I read scriptures earlier today.

*I pledge to enjoy the moments of silence and relaxation and send good vibes to the baby boy.

Make Me Better Monday-A Pledge

This week, I pledge the following:

*Write this post on Sunday night and post it on Monday morning in an effort to spend less time on the computer tomorrow.

*Wash, fold and put away at least one load of laundry each day this week. I hope that I can do more than that, but my hip is seriously jacked up right now and I'm not sure I can lug a laundry basket up and down for more than one load. We'll see!

*Read my scriptures in the morning instead of waiting until right before bed.

*Go to the temple.

*Get a baby sitting co-op going with the ladies in the area.

*Try to get up with the kids most mornings so the TV isn't babysitting them until I can get my sorry you-know-what out of bed.

*Attempt to show more gratitude.

*Use my crock-pot a lot this week! Its cooling down so the weather is perfect for crock pot cooking!

*Do my visiting teaching this week (or attempt to at least-there's so many variables that I can't control). Going into the holidays, wouldn't it be so much better to get it done earlier in the month rather than later?

*Refrain from raising my voice in anger. I find that if I really focus on that, the kids are more willing to be obedient.

*Take more pics of my being a mommy. Seriously, I have like zero!

*Spend less time on the computer! And 'Unplugged Thursday' is definitely happening!

This is my sorry attempt at getting a picture of me and Derron Williams at a Jazz autograph session that we had the chance to go to (more on that another day). You can just barely make out Darron Williams-or as he's known in these parts, D-Will- sitting at the table behind me. I got better pictures that I'll post later and really funny story about using my pregnant belly as an excuse to get an autograph! Who knew I cared so much?

Make Me Better Monday-A Pledge

Kristin told me that she enjoys reading my weekly pledges, so I'm going to stick with it. Here it comes:

*I pledge to be in bed no later than 10pm every night.

*I pledge 3 square meals each day for myself.

*I pledge to 'de-Halloween' the blog hopefully sooner rather than later.

*I pledge to let the kids play outside as much as I can this week.

*'Unplugged Thursday' here I come!

*I pledge at least one post over on my other blog.

*I pledge to take more pictures of me being a mom and being myself. I noticed while I was going through some pictures this weekend, that I have virtually no pictures of myself because I'm always behind the camera.

*I pledge to eat at least one piece of fruit each day.

*I pledge to approach the Lord with some issues going on in our household. At this point, I've tried everything and now I need to go to a higher power to find some new solutions. Maybe I should have done that in the first place.

Make Me Better Monday-A Pledge

Here's the pledge for today. I have to say, this whole thing is making my weeks go so much better! I guess it gives me more motivation to be the best I can be. Please feel free to join me, maybe it won't work for you, but you never until you try! And I love that it's not just a to do list. I have enough of those in my life.

*I pledge to come up with more creative ways to get my kids to do what is asked of them. I don't want to yell! Right now they have until the end of the song that's playing to get a certain group of toys cleaned up. We'll see. I want to think outside of the box with my parenting a little more.

*I pledge to take more pictures of me with the kids and then post them.

*I pledge another 'Unplugged Thursday'. Best thing I've done in a long time. When I get a chance, I'll blog about it.

*I pledge to use my crock pot more this week. It's perfect weather for it and I always feel better about myself because I don't get 5pm not knowing what to make for dinner.

*I pledge more prayer and time in the scriptures (I've been doing really well with the second-15days straight-but for some reason the humility part of the first is causing a road block. I'm working on it.)

*I pledge some more time enjoying the stillness in life and sending a good thoughts and vibes to Little Ethan.

*I pledge to tell my kids how much I love them and how special they are regardless of how hard it is for me to say it.

Make Me Better Monday-A Pledge

I really enjoy making these pledges to myself every week. Like I've said before, it almost feels like I'm giving myself some serious accountability. And believe it or not, my weeks have gone slightly better. Last week, I made it to Thursday before I felt crummy about myself, my mothering and my wife-ing. That's gotta be a record! So I want to keep up momentum, thus another pledge! I also changed the title of these posts....what can I say, I'm a sucker for alliteration.

*I pledge to accept things that I cannot change.

*But I also pledge to stand up for how I''m feeling and voice what I truly believe when it really matters.

*Just like last week, I pledge to drink more water, but I also pledge to eat more fruits and veggies.

*I pledge to finish my book 'The Help' and move onto another 'Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet'. I love reading now and I feel like I'm really broadening my mind and building my intellect a little bit.

*I pledge to 'unplug on Thursday. No TV, no computer, not texting and being very selective of phone calls that I answer.

*I pledge to keep up the cleaning regimen that I started a few weeks ago. It seems to be working!

*I pledge more compassion to everyone!

*I pledge to call my family this week.

I'm well on my way to becoming a better, more compassionate, more thoughtful me!

*All photo editing done over at picnik.com

Becoming a Better Me...A Pledge

I wasn't planning on posting a pledge to myself every week, but I found that after I did last week, I did a little better through the week. No, it wasn't a magic pill to make things better. It simply helped me have a little bit of accountability when it came to keeping things in check. By putting my pledge out into the world, I acknowledged the fact that there are things in my life that I'm trying to work on. Rather than obscure thoughts, there were actual tangible thoughts written down for the world to see. So, I'm still on the fence of whether or not I'm going to make this a weekly tradition, but if you choose to join me, I find that it's a great way to start my week. So I pledge to

*Listen to my children and their thoughts and not make assumption for their behavior.

* I pledge to give my children, especially my oldest, more responsibility. She's very capable and I have been too slow to notice that. Maybe by giving her more responsibility, it will help wrangle in the mischief a little bit.

*I pledge to spend time in the scriptures studying so that I can find answers to my questions that come from the Lord.

*I pledge to drink more water.

*I pledge to remember the following: '...The tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hast chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.' 1 Nephi 1:20 To learn more about 'Tender Mercies' take a look at this. It might just change your life.

*I pledge to count my blessing everyday. There are so many people who have so little, therefore, I need to cultivate a greater 'attitude of gratitude'.

*I pledge to spend less time on the internet and more time being creative with my time. However, I want to post something on one of my blogs everyday. I need to find the balance.

*I pledge to take my kids to library tomorrow and then read more with them throughout the week.

I feel that these things will all help me come closer to who/what I want to be.

Becoming a Better Me...A Pledge

I came away from General Conference with a general feeling that there are improvements to be made. I think most people feel that way after watching Conference whether they would admit it or not. For me, that feeling of inadequacy comes from watching our amazing leaders admit that they have areas in their lives where they need to improve. Wow! If they need to work on things, then I have about a million things/ways that I can improve. I'm not trying to be self depreciating or fishing for compliments. For me, this feeling is a good thing, because it motivates me to actually make those changes, even if they are small ones.

So today, I'm making a pledge to myself for how I'm going to handle my life this week. I would like to make a pledge every week that is tailored to what is going on in life. Whether I post them or not, is another story. But for today....

*I pledge to not go to the grocery store. I've been pretty good about this in the last few months by making a commitment to cooking with what I have around, but I'm not perfect. The point of the pledge, is to work with what I've got and not stress myself out. Really, going to the grocery store with all of the kids is probably the most stressful thing that I do.

*I pledge to have one day where I don't do any housework including cooking, and I will not go anywhere. I'm thinking Thursday. I was reading this post over on the Nie Nie Dialogues about how she handles life when things get overwhelming. It got me to thinking about a lot of things, and sometimes, I just need to let life happen.

*I pledge to do a lot of cleaning tomorrow, Tuesday, so that I can have Thursday free.

*I pledge to take a little bit of time everyday this week for quiet stillness and reflection. I remember choreographing a dance one time and someone told me that while the choreography was great one part had just too much going on. She said, that a moment of stillness in the midst of the chaos, was that much more meaningful and thought provoking. I think that there is something to be said for taking time to reflect. Making sure to remove stimuli and focus on the stillness.

*I pledge to make sure that I'm taking just as much care of myself as I am with the kiddos. Whatever, that means to me, though.

*I pledge to spend more time on my knees, talking with my Father in Heaven and asking for his help.

*I pledge to do at least one act of service for someone outside of my family.

As you can see, this is not a to do list as much as it is a list to help me be a better me. I want to be a better mommy, a better wife, but most of all, a better Meghan. I want to get one step closer to the version that Heavenly Father has in mind.