Being a Voice

In December 2013, I came across Ali Edwards and her blog for word of the year. 

She calls it her One Little Word. 

I was instantly intrigued.  

I embraced this new way of taking on New Year's Resolutions.  

Not setting goals, that sadly I end up falling short of year after year,

but using a word to navigate you through a year.  Push you in mysterious ways.

I was inspired by her words and way of finding meaning in this one little word throughout the year. 

In 2013, after contemplating and really over thinking it I chose my word.... SPARK. 

I had my word posted so I would see it every day and the word's meaning 

transformed over the course of the year.  I was ambitious and energetic seeing 

how my life, from new hobbies to my faith really did spark throughout the year. 

{read my 2013 thoughts here}

In 2014, my word was LIFE. 

I really wanted to have a cool word, but as January approached and I reflected 

on 2013 and looked to what I saw in 2014 this word kept being in the forefront. 

The first thing on my list for 2014 was to take care of me.  

I had been neglecting myself and putting all my energy in taking care of my family. 

I am ashamed to admit it, but until last year I hadn't been to a Doctor since we moved to the 

Quad Cities.  I hadn't seen a gynecologist since I had Lily.  Sad truth. 

So 2014 was to take care of me and take care of my LIFE. 

I finally got a physical, have a family doctor for the hubs and I, 

saw a gynecologist (ugh, pap smear), and here's the kicker took time for myself. 

I found myself taking more mommy breaks. 

(Hello, trip to the Mediterranean)

Saying "yes" to more Mom's night out.

Not feeling guilty for going on a run over the weekend when hubs was home.

I actually shocked myself when I ran 500 miles this year.  

I couldn't have done that in the past... I wouldn't have found it necessary. 

But taking care of me has become as much of a priority as taking care of my family. 

This year 2015, my chosen one little word is VOICE. 

I am looking forward to seeing how this word appears and directs me in 2015. 

Discovering my voice and being a voice for others. 

Keeping Shel Silverstein's poem in my head this year,

I am ready for a year of more personal growth. 

Being a better wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend, and human being.

That is what I am striving for.  

One Little Word -- Vision Board

I am truly enjoying where my one little word is taking me this year.  My intention for January was ignite the spark.  Not really knowing what that meant when I wrote my intentions the first week in January, I just let this month evolve.  I focused on two different areas of my life. 

 

1.) Health.  I started laying out my plan for the 1/2 marathon in May and I have 12 weeks now until the race.  I have had to motivate myself to get out of bed and get active.  Hard to do in the cold weather of January.  I wrote my training schedule on my calender in RED ink and that means business.  I am really trying to cook healthy meals for the whole family and putting alot more vegetables on the kids plate than they are used to.  Concentrating on Health.

{chicken breasts and bacon wrapped asparagus}

The kids loved the bacon and reluctantly ate the asparagus.

 

2.)  Also my self image.  This is an extremely tough thing to change.  I am determined to change the way I see myself.  I am trying to give myself positive compliments instead of getting down on myself.  When I notice myself saying something negative, I stop and count off at least 3 things I have done right or wouldn't change about myself.  Not easy.  But helps me not focus on the fact that I lost my temper.... didn't track my food that day... or didn't do this or that.  I see Rosie already at 8 years old saying things like "I don't look good in this," or "my hair looks horrible today,"  or "I wish I had blond hair like...".  I want my daughters to love who they are and not wish to be anyone else.  And I am learning that their own self image hinges on how I see myself.  If I don't like myself and am using the words "fat" and "ugly", then how do I expect them to love themselves.  So when I talk about dieting and working out, I have trained myself to say I want to be healthier instead of saying I want to be skinnier.  This is a work in progress.....not easily done overnight. 

James 3:5

In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes great speeches.  But

a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire.  And the tongue is a flame of fire.

It is whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body.  It can

set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

 

So our One Little Word "assignment" for February was create a vision board.

It didn't have to correlate to your word but the images and words needed to speak to you in some way.  On Friday while I was recuperating from the flu and had little energy to do much else.  I browsed through some magazines looking for things that spoke to me. 

I was going to take some time to browse and come up with the right images and words for my vision board.  But I was on a roll, so I just got started.

{essentials:  mod podge, sponge brush, canvas, magazine clippings, and Mt Dew}

I pulled a canvas out of the craft closet and got to work.  Its funny, as soon as I picked up the paint brush I didn't feel ill anymore.  My energy was focused on creating something. 

I little layering and a little mod podge and my vision board was complete. 

Its up to interpretation on what it means. 

Not sure why I was feel such a  strong attraction to the apron splattered with paint, or the beautiful image of the two apples.  No clue.  The words on the bottom of the canvas read as such:

Find your healthy happy mom place.

I think that sums it about up. 

 

Still focusing on Spark for the year. 

This month I focus on MY interests. 

I have successfully spent more time than ever on sewing, journaling, and crafting. 

It's been very nice, and its not always possible to have "alone" time. 

So sometimes it is the girls doing the craft with me. 

It's been fun. 

Ignite the Spark

So my goal today was to complete my first "assignment" for the One Little Word Class.

I felt very studious.

While Lil Miss was down for her nap I started.

The assignment (after you pick your word for the year) is to come up with Intentions & Actions to go with every month. 

The intentions were alot harder to come up with than the actions. 

I am not sure where this project is going to lead me through the year so some months are very open in their intentions while others are very specific, such as June is Spark Creativity; 30 days of being creative. 

So far I am really enjoying this. 

Pushing myself in my thinking process and out of my comfort zone. 

 

 I am looking forward to where this reflection over the year leads me. 

Also had a fun time creating my assignment.  I haven't picked up cats eye chalk or my paper trimmer in a while.  It was nice to dust off my scrapbooking supplies. 

It was nice that te instructor gave us pretty specific prompts on how to put our intentions and actions together.  I didn't really push the envelope on that, but I did have fun playing around with the look of mine. 

 

January is Ignite the Spark.

I used the bible verse Timothy 4:12 to lead me in my directions of this month.

Don't let anyone think

less of you because you are

young.  Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you

live, in your love, your faith, an your purity. 

 

For me, I relate to this verse because I feel like I am not

taken seriously. Not because I am young, but because I am

a stay at home mom.  Just because I am not in a work

environment doesn't mean I can't make a huge impact

in the world.  It starts though with my actions, my words, and

the behavior I set forth. 

My intention for this month Ignite the Spark inside of me... and ever month there after.

 

In One Word

A mighty flame followeth a tiny spark.

Dante Alighieri

So it's the new year.  Time for new beginnings and starting resolutions that are always impossible to keep.  One starts out the year with such energy and vigor.  I am guilty of that.  I enter into January 1st with beautiful intentions and hopes for the year.  I look back to last year and see what I have accomplished; a 1/2 marathon, self teaching myself how to sew, and building a closer relationship with God which has led to a much happier mommy/wife/friend.  So my expectations for this year are even higher. 

Today I signed up for a class.  Oh my god, I can't believe those words came out of my mouth.  Just an Internet class from Big Picture Classes, but still it is something out of the blue for me.  .  A scrapbooking/journaling/view of life class.  I stumbled across the #onelittleword project through instagram.  Ali Edwards the creator and author of the class is one of my scrapbooking idols from way back.  I loved her style that she gave to her pages and would buy many creative keepsakes magazines just to see her latest work.  Not to mention her handwriting is to die for.  So a few weeks ago I saw this post about #onelittleword and thought that it is something interesting.  It is taking a year to reflect on one word.  I could write a whole bunch of resolutions and try to keep them, but I would probably (from experience) fail.  Because I do not the have toned arms I vowed to have or wear a size 8, or have all my scrapbooks up to date and pictures organized.  But I love the premise of focusing on one word for an entire year and "it" having a huge meaning in your life.  I also liked the idea of getting slowly back into the scrapbooking I so love but have put on the back burner. 

This idea of one little word has swam around in my head the last few weeks and I started to think about what would be MY word.  I started jotting some words down.  Balance.  Nurture.  Journey.  Grow.  Give.  But I still didn't feel one of them jumping out as the word.  Until I was cleaning the house this past weekend daydreaming and it came to me.  SPARK.  The word may not mean anything to you, but the course of events in the last couple months and how I have been feeling that I need to do something.  (way to many ideas have been percolating in my brain that I need to narrow down the somethings but something BIG I think for me needs to be started) So the word spark means so many things to me.  A spark of possiblities, whether I start a crafting buisness on etsy or jump with both feet in and start an organization... something is working within me.  Igniting this Spark.  Rekindling the Spark.  Spark will be defined this year.  So you may hear as I complete my assignments throughout the course of the year about this "one little word" you now understand what I am talking about.  My mantra for 2013 -- SPARK. 

spark 

 

Noun A small fiery particle thrown off from a fire, alight in ashes, or produced by striking together two hard surfaces such as stone or metal. A lively young fellow.

Verb Emit sparks of fire or electricity. Engage in courtship.

Synonyms noun. scintilla - sparkle - flash verb. sparkle - scintillate - glitter

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the yar

ralph waldo emerson

 

 

If you had to reflect on one word for 2013 what would it be?