Carolyn Carleton
  • About
    • media
    • Contact >
      • Subscribe
  • Blog
  • My Journey Journal
  • Living Skies Fibre Studio
    • Living Skies Fibre Studio podcast
    • Prairie Fibre Festivals

being intentional

12/13/2018

0 Comments

 
make it a December to remember
It seems that in December the crazies set in.  I start to feel dizzy with all that is going on in our family.

This December I am trying to be intentional with how I invest my time and energy.  It doesn't always work out the way that I plan.  But I have found so much more enjoyment in this Christmas season than I have in years.

So how I have I chosen to be intentional?
  1. It has started in our home.  This needs to be our safe zone.  We have started a few small but meaningful family traditions that we need to stick to.  Years ago we used to custom order our Christmas tree, a really full tall tree - we would get a personal phone call about our tree each year.  The tree company loved us.  One year as finances were tight we realized that this extravagance was not going to happen that year.  So we took our two daughters and our dog and went for a walk in the bush behind our home in search of the perfect Charlie Brown tree.  We usually find an average size one for our living room and then a couple of small ones for additional spots around our home.  With a smaller tree it takes no time to decorate and a less busy feel to it.  This year we were going to do something a little different and drive to the National Park and cut down a tree with their special fuel break program.  We soon came to realize that our family walk to get a tree was a tradition that we couldn't compromise on.  Our 16 year refused to go anywhere else to get a tree, she even told us even though she may seem grumpy when we do it she really enjoys it.  So you may not know that value that small traditions have to our children.
  2. Another element that I have found important is lighting.  With the craziness of the season a peaceful environment is important.  I found great deals on lighting this year and I have placed them in various locations around our home and at night the lights dim and a warm glow fills our home.  I know this has made an impact on me and I believe in the environment in our home.  I am now trying to come up with ideas of what I can do to incorporate this into our home year round.
  3. Also in creating a peaceful environment I have been staying positive.  For me this can be a struggle.  I have been listening to Christmas songs - mostly the jazzy station for a more soothing sound.  I have made time to sit with my daughters and watch Christmas movies.  I tend to the be the parents that runs around doing "stuff" and pops in every now and then to catch spinets of the movie.  This year I have been making tea and watching a whole movie!  - more memories of what my daughters will remember. 
  4. Gift giving has been greatly reduced from presents to experiences.  What gifts are being given are handmade or local items.
  5. Being intentional with my time.  I have made lists of different things that I need to accomplish and I have been actively working on them in an organized manner so that it doesn't take me hours away from our home.  This is something that is working so well that I need to continue this in the new year.  Errand lists, meal prep, family schedules - if organized well doesn't need to steal our time.
  6. Creating excitement.  Do you remember when Christmas was so exciting as a child?  -  the anticipation and wonder.  Now with two teen daughters Christmas has changed, and that doesn't need to be a negative thing.  It is our new reality and I am choosing to embrace it.  We are driving to visit family this year and it is a really long drive.  One that we are all not looking forward to, but instead of letting those thoughts make it a horrendous experience I have been coming up with ideas for us to enjoy it and look forward to it.  Looking for the positives can only benefit a situation.
These are a few of the changes I am making this year.  So far they are working - this Christmas feels different.  I hope as a family we can agree at the end of the month that this was a December to remember.
Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Carolyn Carleton
    Picture

    RSS Feed

    Virtual Assistant for Maker's and Artists

    Get notes from Carolyn

    * indicates required
    Email Format

    Powered by MailChimp

    Picture

    How to build a handmade business

    Journals

    Picture
    Picture

    Picture
    Book Club
    Book Reviews
    Choices
    Daughters
    Journaling
    Journey
    Legacy
    Life Lessons
    Mentoring
    Parenting
    Wellness
    Professional Reader

    Categories

    All
    2 Timothy
    31 Days Of Gratitude
    A.B. Simpson
    Acceptance
    Adult Children
    Albert Einstein
    A New Reality
    Answers
    Be Brave
    Be Brave With Your Life
    Being Intentional
    Benefits Of Ginger
    Berea
    Be Still
    Beth Moore
    Bible
    Bible Journaling
    Book Review
    Bridal Shower
    Bucket List
    Burden
    Busyness
    Cell Phone
    Character Building Exercises
    Choices
    Christian
    Christmas
    Church
    Church Abuse
    Community
    Contentment
    Conversations With Corliss
    Cowl Crochet Pattern
    Crafting For Mental Wellness
    Craft Therapy
    Crochet
    Crochet For Mental Wellness
    Crochet Pattern
    Crochet Therapy
    Culture Days
    Daughters
    Deborah
    Delve
    Devotional
    Equipped
    Equipping
    Esther
    Family
    Fibre Arts
    Finding Quiet
    Flooded
    Free Crochet Pattern
    Freedom
    From Hurting To Healing
    Fruit Of The Spirit
    Garbage In Garbage Out
    Gentle And Quiet Spirit
    Gratitude
    Hair-brush-story
    Healing
    Healing From Being Hurt By The Church
    Heart
    Hebrews 12
    Help
    Heroes
    His Mercies Are New Every Morning
    How To
    How To Heal From Church Hurt
    How To Journal Your Life
    Hurt By The Church
    Hurting Women
    Illustrated Faith
    Intentional
    Jennie Allen
    Jesus
    Joanna Gaines
    Jonah
    Journal
    Journaling
    Journaling For Mental Health
    Journaling For Mental Wellness
    Journaling Workshop
    Journal Workshop
    Journal Your Journey
    Journey
    Joy
    KnitCrate
    Kristin Schell
    Lamentations
    Legacy
    Lent
    Life Lessons
    Lifestyle Mentoring
    Light
    Listening To God
    Live Everyday
    Living Skies Crochet
    Living Skies Fibre Studio
    Looking For Lovely
    Love Hug
    Marriage
    Mean Christians
    Mental Health
    Mentoring
    Motherhood
    My Journey
    My Journey Journal
    NetGalley
    Nicki Koziarz
    Nisbet Throw Crochet Pattern
    Nothing Changes If Nothing Changes
    Obedience
    Online Workshop
    Parenting
    Parenting Teen Girls
    Party
    Path
    Paul
    Peace
    Perimenopause
    Perimenopause Support
    Philippians 4:13
    Podcast
    Potential
    Praise
    Prayer
    Prince Albert National Park
    Progessence
    Purpose
    Questions
    Quiet
    Quiet Place
    Relationships
    Respect
    Rest
    Romans 15:13
    Sabbath
    Samaritan-woman
    Saskatchewan
    Scripture
    Searching For Truth
    Setting Goals
    She Reads Truth
    Smile
    Social Media Cleanse
    Social Media Help
    Stop Going To Church
    Strength
    Stress
    Students
    Study
    Suicide
    Survey
    Teenager
    Teen Girls
    Teens
    Testimony
    Thankful
    Thankful-thursday
    The Magnolia Story
    The Turquoise Table
    Think
    Titus 2
    Tween
    Use Your Brain
    Weaving Into Wellness
    Weekly Journal
    Wellness
    Wellness Wednesday
    What Makes You Unique?
    Where To Start
    Why
    Why Is Journaling Good For You
    Women
    Workshop
    Write Your Life
    Writing
    Yarn Box
    Year End Review
    Young Living
    Young Living Canada
    Youth
    Youth Leaving The Church


Home
About
Blog
Living Skies Fibre Studio
Journal
Contact

©2007- 2022 CAROLYN CARLETON . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
website proudly designed by Living Skies Consulting
  • About
    • media
    • Contact >
      • Subscribe
  • Blog
  • My Journey Journal
  • Living Skies Fibre Studio
    • Living Skies Fibre Studio podcast
    • Prairie Fibre Festivals