Lindsay's List Blessings - Lindsay's List

by lindsaymwright

flashback friday: the season of no

July 11, 2014 in Blessings, Blog, Blogging, Faith, Family, Goals, Rambles by lindsaymwright

It’s been a year since I quit my job to pursue my family. It’s been a year since I took a full month away from the blog. It’s been a year since I took the words and made them into action.

The year of many changes.

There are no words (actually there are more words than I have time to write)…but rather a sense of fulfillment. The calm of knowing that I’m right where I’m supposed to be. And though each day brings it’s own headaches, I can’t imagine going back to that place of RACING through each day.

Here’s the post that announced my last break. I’m planning to take another in August – not a full month, but maybe a couple of weeks. Blogging isn’t as stressful these days. Because life overall isn’t as stressful.

Maybe YOU need a season of NO.

———-

First, thank you for the AMAZING comments in regards to this post. If you haven’t read it, go back and do so – today’s post will make much more sense.

As my title alluded to, I am entering in to a season of NO*. Let me tell you – this has been a YEAR in the making. A year for the stress of all the activities and duties that I’ve taken on to come crashing down around me (multiple times). I’m finally to the point where I need to step away from a few things. I need a season of no.

I need to take ACTION against what I struggle with.

Because busyness does NOT equate to productivity.

Because God is literally MAKING me lie down in green pastures.

Because my family and I deserve more.

What does that mean? What does that look like?

In this season, I’m saying NO! to….

Working at the gym for the month of July (training and subbing). <-this led to me stepping away completely
Blogging for the month of July (writing and, sadly, reading).
Theater shows for the Fall.
Anything else that takes me away from my first two callings – wife and mother.

I think everything on that list is pretty self-explanatory, but for today, I’ll address the blogging aspect as it kinda-sorta impacts my readers.

I need a break from the blog.

When I started this blog nearly two years ago, my life looked very different. I had the convenience of TWO NAPPING CHILDREN who gave me two full hours of alone time a day (I miss those days!). I wasn’t doing shows. I had just started teaching at the gym and had no clients. Basically, I had more time. And my focus was more home-centered.

Flash-forward to now. Henry no longer naps. Clara’s naps are shorter and some days she doesn’t sleep at all. I’m at the gym for at least two hours a day, training clients – usually three. I’m at the theater two hours at night. I have no time to sit down and write. And honestly, when I get time to myself, I don’t WANT to sit down and write. I want to read a book or my Bible or work on a house project.

Blogging (the act of writing) is something I LOVE! But everything that comes with it (reading other blogs, social media, self-promotion) …..I just don’t love that aspect anymore. Some days it feels like my phone is super-glued to my right hand. It’s simply not fair for the people around me to be “absent” while I’m “present” online.

For the month of July, I suppose I could blog sporadically or line up guest posts, but I don’t even want to give myself that option. If I did, I would just devote thoughts to blogging and right now, I simply do not want to think about it.

This isn’t goodbye necessarily (notice the month of July thing above), but I suppose it could be the start of goodbye. Who knows??

I’m taking a month to find out.

Catch you on the flip side**!

QUESTION: What do you need to say NO to in your life right now??

splendid…lindsay

travis611 Comments »

by lindsaymwright

three word weekend

June 23, 2014 in Blessings, Blog, Family, Kids, Love, Marriage by lindsaymwright

Hey ya’ll! And happy Monday!

We had a really productive weekend over here (which happens far too rarely). Our Saturday mostly consisted of having a YARD SALE. Katy, Ariel and I gathered all our junk, you know – the stuff that you’re trying to make other people WANT to buy, and camped out in the driveway hoping to make a buck. Yard sales and yard sale people just fascinate me. The psychology of it all….it’s just so interesting. Like if you say the sale will start at 8am, why do people start showing up at 6:30 (!!!!)?? And haggling….over a dollar. Over 50 cents even?!? The 90-year old ladies that buy baby dolls – are those for their grandchildren or themselves? And some people are SO nice! I had one lady come back later in the day just to give me a pair of earrings that she’d found at another sale (was that too nice? Should I put those in my ears?). And pricing – since you KNOW about the hagglers, you (the seller) should probably price things a little high…but then you look like a jerk.

Lots of yard sale talk. These are the things that keep me up at night.

Moving onnnnn…..

Here’s our little weekend…with three words under each picture…just because.

———

Run challenge: DONE!

My life season.

Princess Jemmayee Ayizabeth

Summmmmmmer!!!

Not a cheat!

Let’s Do THIS!

Sneaky toy stealer.

Porter’s too big.

Buy our junk!

Chunky hunky.

Shoulda used sunscreen.

I don’t cook.

I can’t even.

Salt. Pepper. Always.

Soccer. Allthetime soccer.

Herdez (Medium) + Avocado

She screams, “SUMMER!!!!!!!”

Feels like home.

Beauty for ashes.

My life season (again)

Drinkable cookies?? Futuristic.

Every single time.

Randomthingsyoufindinaworshipleadershouse + swearIdidn’tdoit

My sexy guy.

Outside is best.

Smiley, smiley girl.

Cheap therapy.

The essentials.

Rest day. Sabbath.

———–

QUESTION: How was your weekend?? Tell me in three words!

splendid…lindsay

travis613 Comments »

by lindsaymwright

they’ll understand

June 3, 2014 in Blessings, Blog, Faith, Family, Friends, Goals, Motherhood by lindsaymwright

I learn something new almost every day.

Like just yesterday I learned that if we have another baby, Clara would like to name it “Jemily.” Except when she says it, it sounds like “Jem-a-yee.”

Gender neutral. Naturally.

And as I learn and grow in my adulthood, I’m finding that I have less time to worry about what others think, less time to fret over getting approval and less desire to please.

And these are all good things.

I look back and I can see the slow, gradual change towards this “relaxation” but I think my “AHA!!!-moment” came last year when I quit my job. Instead of talking about making a change for the betterment of my family, I took action. It was liberating and frightening ….and hard.

You see – I am your typical YES girl. Stepping away or quitting something is really hard for me because everything in me wants to make sure that the boss/the company/the friend is happy with my decision too. But sometimes you can’t have both: the stepping away AND their approval of it. For probably the first time in my life, the sting of letting others down just didn’t sting so much last summer.

I saw (see) that as great progress.

Example: My church family brought over several meals after Porter was born. Such a HUGE blessing, but the thing with meals and a newborn…scheduling can be difficult. On more than one occasion, it was best for the cook to bring the meal at a time that wasn’t best for me, usually naptime when I wanted to lay down and get some sleep too. Instead of staying up and waiting for the meal, I simply told the person to leave it on my doorstep.

Whoa.

I would have NEVER done this before. Seems selfish. Rude.

But all those women…they totally understood.

And it all worked out.

I’m learning that true friends will understand that your house is a mess. They’ll understand that it’s hard to get Clara’s hair brushed (she hates it) or that paper plates are preferred. They’ll understand that a nap is sometimes better than conversation.

True friends will look past all those things I do that make myself look more “put together.”

They’ll relate.

They won’t mind. (actually…they’ll probably love you all the more for it.)

There’s such a relaxing peace in knowing that all of the superficial crap that we do, all those attempts at perfection – they don’t matter. Not really. I’m not saying I’m giving up on life. I’m saying that I’m finally in a place where I can choose (with no regrets) when to say no.

When to say, “Hey! You know what – I need a nap today. It’s not a good time for me.”

Liberating.

QUESTION: Are you a YES girl? A people pleaser?

splendid…lindsay

travis623 Comments »

by lindsaymwright

delighted

April 16, 2014 in Baby, Blessings, Blog, Faith, Family, Kids by lindsaymwright

One of the neat things about blogging is that you can regularly see your analytics – what posts are most viewed, shared. What day of the week most people read, where they’re coming from, etc. It’s actually pretty cool (and something I used to obsess over – I rarely look at numbers these days).

Since November 15th, 2012, one of my TOP THREE most viewed posts has been this one. Titled, “Devastated.”

It still hurts…

It also pained me to write a second, very similar post last April 30th, 2013. Titled, “Devastated 2.”

When I tell you that Porter is a blessing, that he’s been WANTED and PRAYED FOR…I hope it makes sense.

This child…he’s my beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.

delighted…lindsay

**Tomorrow I’ll have more pictures and in the days to come, a birth story! Thanks in advance for letting us settle in as a family of 5.**

travis644 Comments »

by lindsaymwright

wordless wednesday

February 5, 2014 in Blessings, Blog, Family, Food, Kids, Love, Wordless Wednesday by lindsaymwright

—————–

More Wordless Wednesdays: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6 (Colorado Edition), #7,#8, #9, #10, #11, #12 (Color Me Rad edition), #13

—————–

QUESTION: Leave a wordless comment below if you’re awesome.

splendid…lindsay

travis611 Comments »

by lindsaymwright

why stretch marks aren’t as bad as you think

February 3, 2014 in Baby, Blessings, Blog, Body, Inspiration, Kids, Pregnancy by lindsaymwright

As a little girl (with no brothers), I saw my mama’s bare belly plenty of times. But never for very long….because of the stretch marks. Those pearly-white lines etching patterns into her body. Like rivers on a road map. Like a tattoo that she never really signed up for.

I’d ask about them (because I didn’t have any yet – surely I needed those to be a beautiful woman like she was (is). She also had a big, puffy C-section scar – twice cut open. I needed one of those too…) and she’d laugh them off and say something along the lines of,

“You were worth it.”

I never understood what that meant until now, in my third trimester, with my third baby.

Those lines.

They weren’t something ugly, like my mama thought but would never say out loud. No. They were a bartering tool.

My mama, like all mamas, traded her body for my life.

What a precious, flawless thought.

And that’s exactly what this journey of pregnancy is. A handing over. An act of trust. Submission to whatever may come. Stretch marks, c-section scars, the swollen ankles, nausea, the acne. All of it – simply part of the deal. Some women go through the journey unmarked, while others take on a heaping bag of stuff. And the truth is, nobody goes into pregnancy and SIGNS UP for this stuff. I won’t pretend that I, like many other women, haven’t sought out ways around the stretch marks and cellulite.

But….

When we devote time (too much time) worrying about how we’ll look after that baby comes or whether we’ll be marked up, we miss out on the beauty of submission and what the end result provides us with. New life! A small chance to play a bigger role in something beautiful.

I would challenge us all, myself included, to look at our bodies with a little more grace, pregnant or not. And THIS is why I won’t be sharing any anti-stretch mark tips with you. Because in doing so, I would in a small way be contributing to the idea that our bodies, squiggly lines and all, are things that need to be changed.

And they aren’t.

————

splendid…lindsay

travis648 Comments »