Ground Rules

In an attempts to keep life simple and in effect richer (ie. spending more time enjoying my family instead of being glued to the computer screen...) here I go setting some ground rules for myself. I will try to keep blogging to a once a week thing. Why? Because computer use can become addictive... you see, it starts all quite innocently as I jump on the computer to check just one quick thing... which leads to the next thing, then the next... and before you know it, I've been on the computer for longer than I had planned and I'm frustrated when a 3-year old is interrupting me mid-thought or mid-task pulling on my arm for me to come and play... or I realize how late it is and that I've just missed out on some PRECIOUS sleep! (I have a 3-month old... as well as a barely 3 and nearly 6 year-old... in short, I need my sleep!)

Two years ago, I started working with my dear friend Anna as well as my sister Caroline on Mom's Moments - an online ministry for moms (http://www.momsmoments.ca/). I spent countless hours the first 6 months setting up the website, formatting new templates for the monthly newsletters, you name it. Then I unexpectedly went back to work teaching full time as a job literally came knocking. Once I was back to work and juggling to balance life, longing for more time at home with my kids, I hugely kicked myself for having spent so much time in front of the computer screen instead of enjoying more quality time with them when I had the chance! Don't get me wrong, I am glad I put that work in back then, so that Mom's Moments is where it is now and it is not a large time commitment on my part. I learned last year when I was back to work to find a good balance and just do what I HAD to, not taking on new projects...

Now that I'm on leave again, I vowed to not make myself busy again... certainly not in front of a computer screen... that instead I would ENJOY my kids and husband, start getting excited about cooking more, making more time for friends, maybe even get scrapbooking again (it's been 2 years since I've done any)... and here I catch myself finding another thing to draw me to the computer... I have resisted facebook for this reason - I don't want another excuse to be stuck to the computer screen!

So back to the ground rules... because I know myself... I will aim to keep myself from posting on this blog more than once a week... or at the very least not at times when I could otherwise be spending time with my kids (or getting something else done that I should be... cleaning, cooking, exercising or sleeping!?!) Otherwise, I'm sure I could find myself jumping on the computer more often than I should. I already have all kinds of ideas about things I'd like to blog about... I'll just have to save them for later!

In short, I'm both excited and mad at myself for starting this blog all at once... all the while wondering exactly why I'm doing this? I'm not too sure... just felt like I needed to write... I'm lifting it all up to God... who knows where this will go... ??

So now I sign off to change a diaper, clean my kitchen and eat some lunch (before I keep typing and none of the above get done... all of which would be BAD).