Let's shoot for 10 comments this week! :)
This week we're doing Chapters 4 and 5 (But it's tip #3 and tip #4, how's that for confusing!?). You can find the longer list of questions here.
For those just joining us, here's week 1 and week 2 of our discussion of Shopping For Time.
Chapter 4 - The Third Tip: Sit and Plan (Taking a Personal Retreat)
This chapter was my personal favorite. The idea behind this tip is to take a personal retreat, even if just for a few hours to get away, regain perspective and get a game plan. I love how the authors compared it to planning a big shopping trip. It's not smart to head into such a trip without a plan and thus it is vital to head into each season of life with a plan in place. The authors point to Jesus' example in scripture.
I'll go ahead and add my own commentary here instead of waiting to add a comment. Not long after I read this book, my husband gave me an evening away. I went to the coffee shop down the street and got some great planning done. This was when I determined my need for my house notebook that I discussed in this post. I also got my ducks in a row for structuring our days now that I stay home full time. I am totally looking forward to this time every couple of months.
Chapter 5 - The Fourth Tip: Consider People (Evaluating Relationships Carefully)
The authors described this tip as almost a "sit and plan II." It can be done alongside the planning that takes place during a personal retreat. But it is about evaluating friends that should be in our life including ones that lead us to Christ and ones that need Christ. They also exhort readers to evaluate relationship that are ungodly.
What are your thoughts on these two tips? Have you had a personal retreat since reading this book? If so, what did you learn/decide/plan/etc? If not, when are you going? :)
Showing posts with label Book Club. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book Club. Show all posts
Book Club - Week 2 - FINALLY!
Posted by | Monday, October 20, 2008 at 9:15 AM
I promise we did not forget about the book club. Week one did not bring the response we had hoped for! We spent last week thinking about why and what we could do differently. A sweet friend of Hollie emailed us and gave a suggestion that we agreed is RIGHT ON. I had been thinking it myself and her email was exactly the confirmation needed.
The change for week two and beyond is that I am not going to post the entire list of questions. I think for some with limited time (all of us!) that the list may have been overwhelming. It was created for face to face discussions and I know it would work great if we could all meet in person for this study. Instead, I'm simply going to post the link to the questions. Our hope is that this shorter format will bring more discussion on how to become better "shoppers of time."
Speaking of Shopping for Time...here is Week Two (Ch. 2 and 3)!
Click Here for the Discussion Questions (PDF file)
Chapter 2 - The First Tip: Rise Early (Joining the 5am Club)
Excerpt from their blog post about the 5am Club:
The 5:00 club is a Mahaney-family club. Mom is the founder, chairman of the board, and the secretary. Without her, there is no club. This club has very few members (only six); no chapters to speak of. It is extremely unpopular from about 5-6 each morning and very popular every hour after that.
This chapter is the discussion of the idea of rising early. They stress how it doesn't have to be exactly 5am for every woman. (For me, it's 6am.) The idea is that you are making time to spend with the Lord (tip 2, chapter 3 coming up!) before the hurried day begins. You are also serving your family in that you are one step ahead of the chaos of the morning. The chapter also gives tips such as having a friend call you for accountability each morning or preparing yourself to feel miserable for the first few minutes.
Question: What is your wake up time and has reading this chapter given you a new desire to wake up even earlier? If so, gives us some good tips!
Chapter 3 - The Second Tip: Sit Still (Sitting at Jesus' Feet)
The first tip, rising early, is sometimes the only way to allow us to accomplish the second tip. The authors stress how this is THE MOST IMPORTANT tip of all in order for us to become effective shoppers of time. Spending intentional time with Jesus each day is essential. The chapter gives some good tips on how to make the most of your time with the Lord each day, even if it doesn't happen at 5am. The chapter included a story from Emma about how she struggled to find time with the Lord once her son was born. She relied on her own strength to make it through the day. She said that she found herself only reaching for her Bible when it was convenient for her.
Question: How many of you can relate to Emma?? What have you done to find time to spend completely focused on the Lord and in His Word?
The change for week two and beyond is that I am not going to post the entire list of questions. I think for some with limited time (all of us!) that the list may have been overwhelming. It was created for face to face discussions and I know it would work great if we could all meet in person for this study. Instead, I'm simply going to post the link to the questions. Our hope is that this shorter format will bring more discussion on how to become better "shoppers of time."
Speaking of Shopping for Time...here is Week Two (Ch. 2 and 3)!
Click Here for the Discussion Questions (PDF file)
Chapter 2 - The First Tip: Rise Early (Joining the 5am Club)
Excerpt from their blog post about the 5am Club:
The 5:00 club is a Mahaney-family club. Mom is the founder, chairman of the board, and the secretary. Without her, there is no club. This club has very few members (only six); no chapters to speak of. It is extremely unpopular from about 5-6 each morning and very popular every hour after that.
This chapter is the discussion of the idea of rising early. They stress how it doesn't have to be exactly 5am for every woman. (For me, it's 6am.) The idea is that you are making time to spend with the Lord (tip 2, chapter 3 coming up!) before the hurried day begins. You are also serving your family in that you are one step ahead of the chaos of the morning. The chapter also gives tips such as having a friend call you for accountability each morning or preparing yourself to feel miserable for the first few minutes.
Question: What is your wake up time and has reading this chapter given you a new desire to wake up even earlier? If so, gives us some good tips!
Chapter 3 - The Second Tip: Sit Still (Sitting at Jesus' Feet)
The first tip, rising early, is sometimes the only way to allow us to accomplish the second tip. The authors stress how this is THE MOST IMPORTANT tip of all in order for us to become effective shoppers of time. Spending intentional time with Jesus each day is essential. The chapter gives some good tips on how to make the most of your time with the Lord each day, even if it doesn't happen at 5am. The chapter included a story from Emma about how she struggled to find time with the Lord once her son was born. She relied on her own strength to make it through the day. She said that she found herself only reaching for her Bible when it was convenient for her.
Question: How many of you can relate to Emma?? What have you done to find time to spend completely focused on the Lord and in His Word?
Shopping for Time - Week One
Posted by | Monday, October 6, 2008 at 12:00 AM
It's here! Our first book study. We are so excited to try this idea out. Here's the plan:
At the beginning of each week in October, We'll post a very brief summary of the chapter (to refresh your memory) and some questions for discussion. The discussion questions are provided by the authors of the book and can be found on their blog, Girl Talk. I've asked permission to share them here with our readers. We want you guys to post a comment with your answers to some or all of the questions!
The book is super short and a very easy read. If you haven't started, there's still plenty of time to catch up! Here's the schedule:
Week of October 6 - Chapter 1
Week of October 13 - Chapters 2 and 3
Week of October 20 - Chapters 4 and 5
Week of October 27 - Chapter 6 and Conclusion
Without further ado, here is Chapter One - Shopping for Time!
Chapter 1 - Summary
In this chapter, the concept behind the book is introduced. The authors talk about how we could all become better "shoppers of time" and introduce their five steps to doing so. Rise early, sit still, sit and plan, consider people and plan to depend are the steps that will be discussed in more detail in subsequent chapters.
Chapter 1 Questions
o Fun Question: What is your favorite store to shop at and why?
o What is the best bargain you’ve ever found?
o The foundational verse for this book is Ephesians 5:15-16 which says, “Look
carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use
of the time, because the days are evil.” From your reading, why is this verse
so important for us as women?
o What significant changes have occurred in your life in the last few years?
What unique challenges and opportunities are you aware of in this season?
o How were you comforted by the reminder that God has ordered your current
season and the changes you’ve experienced?
o Do you remember the inspiring story of Cindy (pages 22-23)? What biblical
conviction(s) did she cultivate to experience such joy?
o When you read the list of five tips (pages 25-26) in what one area do you
think God may be calling you to live more carefully? Briefly, how so?
Shopping For Time - BOOK CLUB!
Posted by | Monday, August 18, 2008 at 11:16 AM
This week's topic is "Balancing Life as a Mom." This is an area that I have been desperately trying to figure out for the past two months since I became a full-time stay at home Mom. I felt pulled in a hundred different directions between taking care of my home and my family. (How in the world did I ever find time to work before?) First I went back to some POH posts on "housekeeping tips." I prayed about how to best manage my house and for some practical ways to do it.
I finally decided that I needed to implement the same organizational strategies that I used in my classroom - just in my home. I am a very visual person and need the accountability of having things written down and scheduled. Otherwise, they just don't get done! I keep a notebook (think lesson plan book for all you teachers out there) for managing our house. Here are the sections that I have:
Schedule: Includes a copy of our (very general) daily schedule and a copy of Adeline's more detailed schedule. These are helpful for when others take care of the kids.
Chores: Includes a copy of my cleaning schedule (chores for each day), checklist of items to clean in each room of the house - otherwise we get dust hanging from ceiling fans and covering our vents...gross.
To do: I write a weekly to do list instead of daily. This way if I have a busy day - I can postpone some of the items to the next day. By the end of the week, I've usually found time to get them all done. I also keep a running list of "projects" I want to try with the kids. Currently includes making crayon shapes from melting old crayons! I also put any paper or forms needed to complete a to do list item (ie. insurance papers that need to be filled out TODAY!)
Grocery: This is where I keep a copy of my grocery list, the sale fliers from the paper, my grocery game lists and my shopping plan for Harris Teeter and CVS.
Forms: This is where I keep extra copies of Will's sticker charts (for potty training and staying in the bed), blank grocery lists, etc. These are files on the computer - but it is nice to have some already printed and ready.
Budget: Our entire budget, plus individual sheets to keep a tally of the categories I spend in. (Grocery, clothes, etc.) I'm considering making this section entirely on my computer. A friend gave me a spreadsheet that she uses to manage their finances. My husband is the one who pays the bills and balances the checkbook, but it is my job to be sure we stay within budget on categores from which I spend!
Info: This includes a copy of our important phone numbers, copies of insurance cards, credit cards, account numbers, social security numbers, etc. We keep copies of all this in a safe as well, but this is for me to have. How many times have I needed an insurance number, but couldn't find my wallet to get the card? Obviously, this information should be kept pretty secure. But since this notebook doesn't leave our house - I'm ok with it.
Addresses: A paper copy of our spreadsheet of addresses.
Gifts: A list of who we plan to buy Christmas/Birthday gifts for. The birthday list also includes their actual birthday - something I am terrible at remembering! I write on it as I find things throughout the year (on sale!) so I don't have to wait until the last minute or wonder what I need to buy. This prevents me from storing (or hiding if its for my family!) something I've bought for a gift and forgetting about it! I also keep lists from years past so we don't gift the same things!!
By keeping these things organized and staying ahead of the game - I feel like I have more time to just spend with my family not worrying about how much is left to get done.
Around the same time I was praying about how to balance my life as a Mom, I read about this book, Shopping For Time. It is written by the authors of the Girl Talk blog - the wife and daughters of CJ Mahaney. When my sister-in-law also mentioned this book to me as one of her favorites, I decided it must be time for me to read it! I was so encouraged by this book and gained so much practical advice. This book is so relevant to balancing life as a Mom and getting our priorities straight! It is based around five tips and to whet your appetite a bit, here are the chapters (it is a very short book - which I need!):
Chapter 1 - Shopping For Time
Chapter 2 - The First Tip: Rise Early (Joining the 5am club)
Chapter 3 - The Second Tip: Sit Still (Sitting at Jesus' Feet)
Chapter 4 - The Third Tip: Sit and Plan (Taking a personal retreat)
Chapter 5 - The Fourth Tip: Consider People (Evaluating Relationships Carefully)
Chapter 6 - The Fifth Tip: Plan to Depend (Being Productive in Daily Life)
It is for these reasons that we are going to use this book for our first ever POH Book Club!
We will spend the month of October discussing the book - in addition to other scheduled topics as normal. To get prepared, go ahead and get a copy of the book and read it! It is such a short (seriously, 90 pages), easy and FUN read - so no reason to procrastinate! Towards the end of September, we'll post more details about how we'll format the book club discussion.
Where to get the book:
You can check your local library - although our library here in Wake County does not have it. They may order it if you ask, but it might take several weeks!
The cheapest and easiest way to get the book is Amazon.com. It costs about $10. Tip to get free shipping: If you purchase $25 of eligible items you can get free shipping. You can also get free shipping if you temporarily upgrade your Amazon account to prime. The free shipping has no minimum purchase! When you check out - select the option for upgrade to Amazon Prime and your shipping will be free on this book! (Be sure to go into your Amazon account and cancel the upgrade immediately - or at least before the one month trial is up - otherwise it will charge your credit card the $79 annual fee for the prime service.)
We are really looking forward to trying this out on POH. We hope that you will get excited too and join as we use this book to become better "shoppers of time." Let us know if you plan on participating in the book club!
I finally decided that I needed to implement the same organizational strategies that I used in my classroom - just in my home. I am a very visual person and need the accountability of having things written down and scheduled. Otherwise, they just don't get done! I keep a notebook (think lesson plan book for all you teachers out there) for managing our house. Here are the sections that I have:
Schedule: Includes a copy of our (very general) daily schedule and a copy of Adeline's more detailed schedule. These are helpful for when others take care of the kids.
Chores: Includes a copy of my cleaning schedule (chores for each day), checklist of items to clean in each room of the house - otherwise we get dust hanging from ceiling fans and covering our vents...gross.
To do: I write a weekly to do list instead of daily. This way if I have a busy day - I can postpone some of the items to the next day. By the end of the week, I've usually found time to get them all done. I also keep a running list of "projects" I want to try with the kids. Currently includes making crayon shapes from melting old crayons! I also put any paper or forms needed to complete a to do list item (ie. insurance papers that need to be filled out TODAY!)
Grocery: This is where I keep a copy of my grocery list, the sale fliers from the paper, my grocery game lists and my shopping plan for Harris Teeter and CVS.
Forms: This is where I keep extra copies of Will's sticker charts (for potty training and staying in the bed), blank grocery lists, etc. These are files on the computer - but it is nice to have some already printed and ready.
Budget: Our entire budget, plus individual sheets to keep a tally of the categories I spend in. (Grocery, clothes, etc.) I'm considering making this section entirely on my computer. A friend gave me a spreadsheet that she uses to manage their finances. My husband is the one who pays the bills and balances the checkbook, but it is my job to be sure we stay within budget on categores from which I spend!
Info: This includes a copy of our important phone numbers, copies of insurance cards, credit cards, account numbers, social security numbers, etc. We keep copies of all this in a safe as well, but this is for me to have. How many times have I needed an insurance number, but couldn't find my wallet to get the card? Obviously, this information should be kept pretty secure. But since this notebook doesn't leave our house - I'm ok with it.
Addresses: A paper copy of our spreadsheet of addresses.
Gifts: A list of who we plan to buy Christmas/Birthday gifts for. The birthday list also includes their actual birthday - something I am terrible at remembering! I write on it as I find things throughout the year (on sale!) so I don't have to wait until the last minute or wonder what I need to buy. This prevents me from storing (or hiding if its for my family!) something I've bought for a gift and forgetting about it! I also keep lists from years past so we don't gift the same things!!
By keeping these things organized and staying ahead of the game - I feel like I have more time to just spend with my family not worrying about how much is left to get done.
Around the same time I was praying about how to balance my life as a Mom, I read about this book, Shopping For Time. It is written by the authors of the Girl Talk blog - the wife and daughters of CJ Mahaney. When my sister-in-law also mentioned this book to me as one of her favorites, I decided it must be time for me to read it! I was so encouraged by this book and gained so much practical advice. This book is so relevant to balancing life as a Mom and getting our priorities straight! It is based around five tips and to whet your appetite a bit, here are the chapters (it is a very short book - which I need!):
Chapter 1 - Shopping For Time
Chapter 2 - The First Tip: Rise Early (Joining the 5am club)
Chapter 3 - The Second Tip: Sit Still (Sitting at Jesus' Feet)
Chapter 4 - The Third Tip: Sit and Plan (Taking a personal retreat)
Chapter 5 - The Fourth Tip: Consider People (Evaluating Relationships Carefully)
Chapter 6 - The Fifth Tip: Plan to Depend (Being Productive in Daily Life)
It is for these reasons that we are going to use this book for our first ever POH Book Club!
We will spend the month of October discussing the book - in addition to other scheduled topics as normal. To get prepared, go ahead and get a copy of the book and read it! It is such a short (seriously, 90 pages), easy and FUN read - so no reason to procrastinate! Towards the end of September, we'll post more details about how we'll format the book club discussion.
Where to get the book:
You can check your local library - although our library here in Wake County does not have it. They may order it if you ask, but it might take several weeks!
The cheapest and easiest way to get the book is Amazon.com. It costs about $10. Tip to get free shipping: If you purchase $25 of eligible items you can get free shipping. You can also get free shipping if you temporarily upgrade your Amazon account to prime. The free shipping has no minimum purchase! When you check out - select the option for upgrade to Amazon Prime and your shipping will be free on this book! (Be sure to go into your Amazon account and cancel the upgrade immediately - or at least before the one month trial is up - otherwise it will charge your credit card the $79 annual fee for the prime service.)
We are really looking forward to trying this out on POH. We hope that you will get excited too and join as we use this book to become better "shoppers of time." Let us know if you plan on participating in the book club!
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