#celebratelu Celebrating Strong

I'm linking with Ruth Ayres, and her weekly link up.  Read More about that here.  What a wonderful idea from Ruth Ayres!

This week, our family had a little, mundane adventure.  After 9 years of having Daddy at home with us, he has started traveling again for business.  As he flew to Oregon and back, it was all together uneventful.  And that we celebrate.  

As I reflect on my One Little Word, Strong, I think that I learned some things this week, and those need to be celebrated as well.  So here's what I reflected on this week:

1.  I don't need social media as much as I think I do.  I love connecting with you all, but I really was focused on things that need to be priorities this week.  What was born out of necessity is quickly becoming a challenge for me.  How can I unplug even more?

2.  Being Organized is awesome.  If you know me, you know I'm not talking about magazine ready organization.  However, a little preparation the night before and a little bit of housework everyday definitely makes a difference.  

3.  Complacency is NOT awesome.  I was thinking about how often I just let things go in the spirit of staying relaxed.  As I reflect on what we did this week, I'm not sure that it was a spirit of relaxation anymore.  I'm pretty sure it had morphed into complacency.  

4.  Priorities are important.  As I laid out a plan for the week, it involved 2 things really.  Safety and consistency.  Priorities in the classroom ensured that it was business as usual.  (Except for Thursday when the weird version of the stomach flu took out students and teachers and made me wonder if the end of the world was coming.  Yikes!)  Priorities at home ensured that our "have-tos" were accomplished and we met all of our obligations.  

5.  Self Care is Critical.  Nope.  It wasn't all picnics and slumber parties while Daddy was gone.  Early bedtimes, dinner at the kitchen table, and devotions and prayer at bedtime?  No Wii/Kindle/Screen time for the kiddies?  Absolutely.  I want my sons to see that self-care is critical, not a luxury.  I had the opportunity to model that this week.  I too participated in early bedtimes, balanced meals, and asking for help.  (A shout out to my principal, Mrs. Stites, and my first grade team for an early morning text messaging intervention on a morning that I was starting to feel weary!)  

6.  My Mom is Amaze-balls.  (Yep. I just said that.) :)  For over 20 years, she modeled all these things relentlessly as my dad drove a semi across the country.  I thought of her often as I was folding laundry, making lunches, driving to practice, encouraging my own kids to sleep, going to work, getting in bed at night.  She was an outstanding model for the things listed above.  And I'm so glad I was able to talk to her yesterday and tell her that.  

In the end, I guess I'm celebrating the uneventful and the mundane things that make us strong.  What are you celebrating?

Joy!

Kendra