November 1, 2015

Five Things I Do (Almost) Every Day

One of the best things that happened last week was meeting my new bloggy friend Lisa, a.k.a., the Syncopated Mama. I love that blogging gives me a chance to meet fellow bloggers whose posts make me say, "Me, too!" alot. Lisa is one of those writers. To say nothing of the fact that a blog called "Syncopated Mama," whose tag line is "Living a Life That's Just a Little Offbeat,'" holds enormous appeal for someone who's, er, syncopated herself (although no one in their right mind would call me only a little offbeat).

As it turns out, Lisa is the gracious hostess of a weekly link party called Five After Five, which is based on one of my favorite things: lists. (I hear you, dear mama..."yes, we KNOW you love lists.") I learned a lesson with my 31 Things I Love (That You Might Love, Too) list...by the end, I was sitting at my computer yelling, "I DON'T LOVE ANYTHING ANYMORE!" Which is why a nice manageable handful of things sounds like such a better idea.

I'm jumping on board with Lisa's list for this week: 5 Things You Do Every Day. If you're a blogger, put together your own list and join the party. If you're not, hop over to Lisa's blog and add your list in the comments. Or add them here...I'd love to see what you've got.



1. Pray. I start my "official" daily prayer first thing while I'm making the bed and finish it during my walk. To keep my mind from wandering to my grocery list or the subject of yet another blog post, I follow a prayer P.A.T.H.--praise God; admit what I've done wrong; give thanks; and ask for help for others and for myself. 

2. Walk. I do 8 loops of a power combo in front of my house for a total of about  40 minutes most mornings. The loop started when I did this with babies in the house while my husband got ready for work. I stayed close to home, and if someone needed me, he only had to flick on the front porch light, and I'd go in. This freed me from worrying something was wrong: if the light wasn't on, there wasn't. The "power" part of the deal comes from the combination I do: fast walking alternated with jogging spurts (during which I, a non-runner, pray for the spurt to be over), covered by the rest of the prayer I started earlier (see #1) and Scripture memory (if you're interested, the memory method I use is here).

3. Listen to music. Music, both vocal and instrumental, has been a core part of my life since I was about 3 years old, sitting and singing on the front porch in a little rocking chair that used to belong to my paternal grandmother. I started in choir when I was four and was a full-on choir geek all through high school. These days, I still sing every day (mostly in the car, learning songs to do in church) and am also now, happily, a full-on band mom to my clarinetist teen and percussionist tween. And I have that tween to thank for telling me, "Mom. You've GOT to hear this song." Yes--and so do you.




4. Write. I nearly gave up writing, which I've also been doing most of my life, about 6 months ago. But a conversation with my sister and a little list that came out of that conversation and an article based on that list and a wonderful and gracious editor who was wiling to put up the article based on that list based on that conversation brought me back. I'll always be indebted to Jenny at For Every Mom for saying yes to these three things I wanted to say. 

5. Eat chocolate. Because, hello, Guilty Chocoholic Mama. My whole family, whom I've dragged into my chocolate addiction quite nicely, is crazy about these Brownie Batter Cupcakes. Just beat up your favorite brownie mix with melted butter equivalent to the oil called for, along with however much water the box specifies. Form this into 1-inch balls and freeze until firm. Then make your favorite chocolate cake batter and fill lined cupcake tins about 1/3 full. Drop in a brownie ball, cover with more batter, and bake until the edge tests done. Cool and lavish with chocolate frosting. 

Now, speaking of chocolate frosting, it's almost 4 p.m the day I'm writing this, and I have not done #5 on this list. This is a problem that needs solving ASAP, so I'll leave you to work up your own "5 After 5" list. Don't forget to share it in a comment here or as a link at Lisa's party! I'll be licking the frosting bowl and waiting to see what you come up with.


17 comments:

  1. What a fun post. I really enjoyed you sense of humor or being a little "offbeat". Made for a quick fun read. I don't eat chocolate everyday but I am glad you confirmed that it would be okay if I did.

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    1. Thanks, Jaime! I'm glad I could spread the gospel (e.g., "good news) of daily chocolate consumption! ;) Thank you for taking time to stop by!

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  2. LOVE it, and love learning even MORE things that we have in common! Also, totally stealing your walking around the block before hubby goes to work idea because although I often wake up quite early in the mornings, I remain hidden in my bed's blanket fort until I hear the click of my husband's key in the lock because he is NOT a morning person and as much as he SAYS he wants my company in the wee hours before he leaves for work, the reality is that it's just better for everyone if I pretend to be asleep and then emerge only after his headlights fly off down the road, after which he and I enjoy a wonderful, day-long text-a-thon and thus marital peace is preserved. BUT, your idea of walking in the morning has made me wonder if I could just slip out the door and get my daily exercise out of the way like that, instead. Hmmmm....

    So glad you were able to join in with this week's list and can't wait to read more!

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    1. Well, my dear Lisa, I am all for the preservation of marital peace. Also, blanket forts. But feel free to borrow my little method and give it a go. Who knows? Maybe it will change your life! ;) Please, please, do check back in and tell me what happens...I can hardly stand the suspense. Fortunately, I have mini Snickers left from the Halloween "assortment" bag to help pass the time. Which will check of #5 on my list...

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    2. Okay, so as excited as I was to go out and walk in the mornings, I have decided instead to remain under my blanket fort and read your back posts on my Nook, instead!

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    3. Aw, Lisa, you are better than Xanax for my mental health. (I mean, I guess. Have never tried it. But you know what I mean. Right?) I wholly support an extended stay under the blanket fort and am honored you used that precious time to read my "stuff." But now that you've done that, you can move onto something more interesting...War and Peace, maybe? (I mean, I guess. Never read it.) As for me, I'm thinking of making a blanket fort myself right now to avoid cleaning up the kitchen. ;)

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  3. What a FUN list! I love that eating chocolate is a regular part of your daily plan! Awesome!

    I was "parked" by you today on Soul Survivor, and I'm glad to find your post.

    I shared it here: https://www.pinterest.com/melredd/blogs-encouraging-blogs-and-websites/

    Hope you have a blessed day today~
    Melanie

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    1. Thank you so much, Melanie! I LOVE the concept of that Pinterest group! Thanks so much for taking time to stop by from Mondays @ Soul Survival and for your sweet encouragement. You deserve some chocolate! ;)

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  4. Hello,

    I found your blog through Making My Home Sing linkup.

    Oh how good that chocolate is!

    I always try to have my first thoughts of the morning be in pray. God is so good and has blessed us so richly!

    My husband and I walk/run at the local track weekdays. However, today we did not because God has blessed us with a beautiful rainy morning!

    :) Hope

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    1. Welcome, Hope! You are so wise to direct your mind in prayer toward God at the start of the day. My brain starts racing about so much other "stuff" on its own, but I do try to wrestle it back to the Center! Thank you so much for taking time to visit from Making My Home Sing!

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  5. I love this list, especially the chocolate. I Do not eat chocolate everyday but when someone says to, you must! Right? Enjoyed the post:) God bless!

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    1. Yes, Lisa, absolutely. With all the flavonoids and antioxidants and phytochemicals in chocolate, I consider it a health food...mental health, among other benefits! ;) Thanks for taking time to stop by!

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  6. The Piano Guys are so much fun to listen to and watch. You can tell they are passionate about their music. My daily 5 are similar to yours. It isn't always chocolate, but I usually have some sort of sweet treat each day. My husband brought home a bag of clearance chocolate Halloween candy just for me today. We'll see how long it lasts :)

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    1. Well, hello, Emily! It's always lovely to hear from you...especially now that I know you are a fellow Piano Guys fan! I say you cue up some of their music and listen to it while you dig into that very thoughtful gift from your husband! :) Thank you for taking time out of your busy mama day to stop by!

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  7. #5 - yes yes YES. Love it! Thanks for sharing! This is a good list!

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    1. Thank you, Jenn. Clearly, we can be friends. ;) Thanks for reading...so nice to "meet" you!

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  8. Interesting List, with #5 chocolate loving...I think I do the first two followed by the fourth!
    Blessings to you Elisabeth

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I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to tell me what you really think. Years ago, I explained to my then-two-year-old that my appointment with a counselor was "sort of like going to a doctor who will help me be a better mommy." Without blinking, she replied, "You'd better go every day." All of which is just to say I've spent some time in the school of brutal honesty!