Think Positively!

I'm adopting 2 new habits: daily affirmations and gratitude.

Each day I repeat to myself things such as "I am serving God and loving others as I share natural solutions for health and wellness issues."

I also thank God for 3 new things each day.  Today I am grateful that Erich, River and I have the ability to make changes in our lives to create the future we want, that I can use my gifts and talents every day to shine the light of Jesus in the world, and that I have the ability to decide every day how I care for my body (including how I eat).

What are your affirmations and what 3 things are you thankful for today?  Please leave a comment.

Ahhh, Serenity!

I just love doTERRA essential oils!  Even River is an oily guy.  Cypress to help him move mucus congestion.  On Guard to keep him from getting sick.  DigestZen for gas.  Breathe for improved breathing while he sleeps.

But one of my favorite oils that I use with River is Serenity.  It is a blend of lavender, sweet marjoram, roman chamomile, ylang ylang, and vanilla.  The other day, on a long drive home with River, he was having a hard time falling asleep and was fussy.  I got out my Serenity oil and put some on the car air conditioning vent and held the open oil bottle in front of the air blowing out of the vent so he could smell it.  Then I stopped at a gas station and put some of the oil on River's car seat and clothes.  I did not put it directly on his skin because I didn't have any coconut oil with me to dilute the oil, as you are to do for babies.  Needless to say, he went to sleep promptly.

Again today he was having a hard time napping, so I diffused lavender in his room.  Sleep came easily then. 

My little snuggle bug

Serenity and lavender are great to help anyone sleep, babies, children, and adults alike.  If you would like to enjoy better sleep, please contact me at ambersdoterraessentialoils@gmail.com or at amber.m.albert@facebook.com.  You can also visit my website at http://www.mydoterra.com/amberalbert.

River Visits the Ocean

Last Friday, Erich asked, "So what are we doing this weekend?"  Little did I know that we'd end up in Charleston, SC.

We quickly made plans.  Erich found a hotel on the Ashley River and I packed up River's things.  There are a few extra things to take on trips now that River joined our lives.  Bassinet, water for bottles, bottles, formula, clothes, burp cloth, diapers, wipes, etc.

We made it to Charleston a little before dinner.

 River's first hotel stay

We unpacked then headed downtown to Hyman's for dinner.  All three of us ate while there.

Next we headed for Water Front Park, with a quick stroll through the Market on the way.

The Market

At Water Front Park, we visited the pier where I proposed to Erich.  Erich had proposed to me a few months before I proposed to him.  We both wore our wedding bands on our right ring finger (a German tradition, appropriate for Erich's heritage) before we got married.  He wears his dad's wedding band and I wear my mom's wedding band and diamond.

 Water Front Park Pier

 Watching the flags wave at Water Front Park

The next morning, River let us sleep in until 7 before he was ready for breakfast.  We fed him then went to the lobby for our own breakfast.  Afterward, we came upstairs and got ready for the beach.  It was raining, but we were determined to take River to see the ocean.  The rain had let up by the time we arrived at the shore at Folly Beach.

 Walking to the beach

 River's first time at the ocean

 He had the same reaction as he did to the pool: indifference.

We drove back to the hotel, packed up, checked out and headed out.

 View from our hotel room

On the way home, we ate brunch at The Blue Rose Cafe, an Irish restaurant.  It was very nice and homey. 

We stopped by Drayton Hall Plantation and toured the grounds. It rained for just a moment and I put the umbrella over the stroller.  It was a very pleasant day - not too hot at all.

We made it home in the late afternoon and enjoyed a nice evening at home before starting another week.

Things River Likes To Do

It was a success!  Our River likes the water.  Or at least he doesn't dislike it. He was pretty stoic the whole time he was in the pool.  Erich, Gramma, and I had fun with him though.

When River is not in the pool, he likes to play in his fort which we make with his playmat.

He also likes to watch movies with Dad, but he falls asleep a lot.

Sometimes we just put him in his own La-Z-Boy so he can sleep in peace.

10 Weeks Old Tomorrow!

River will be 10 weeks old tomorrow, June 27.  He is such a sweet little boy.  We are enjoying his coos, which he began in the past few weeks, as well as his heart-melting smile.

After a major time of adjustment during the first 6 weeks, Erich and I are doing well.  River has done well from the beginning.  He is a healthy little guy, who doesn't cry a lot, but sure is noisy! He is a grunter: he grunts to toot, grunts, to stretch, grunts to fight sleep.

River loves his playmat

We think River now weighs about 11 or 12 pounds, but his next pediatrician appointment is next week, so we will find out for sure.  He is about 23 inches long now.  He grew a whole 3 inches!

River has slept in his room now 3 nights in a row.  He sleeps up to 6 hours straight at night, which we are thankful for.  Tonight we will take him to Uncle Cam's and plan on introducing him to the pool.  We are hoping he loves the water, as his name is, well, um, River.  He seems to enjoy his baths well enough, so we think he will enjoy the pool.

Asleep in his bunny rocker

Gramma and Grampa Albert are a little bit crazy about River. He will spend the night with them for the second time this weekend.  They are great with him.

Talking to Grampa Albert

I am very thankful that I am able to stay home with River.  I know that I am fortunate.  I love this little man!

Where the Spirit Is

Today I had a breakthrough.

I've always struggled with how to keep my daily schedule and to do list.  I remember this struggle beginning as far back as middle school, at least.  I'm always trying to figure out how to best run my day and stay on top of things, all while pleasing everyone and not dropping any of the balls that I'm juggling.

It runs me ragged.  The past year or two have been especially frustrating.

God uses books a lot to speak to me and lead me in change.  One He put in my hands recently is First Things First by Stephen R. Covey.  What I've learned so far while reading this book is that I focus so much on the relatively unimportant, seemingly urgent tasks.  I now see that I've done this for years, both in my personal and professional life.

So I'm learning to focus more on the things that are actually important, like spending time with my husband Erich and getting to know him better, making time to write on this blog, and taking the time to invest in my essential oil business.

I'm still really frustrated, though.  And the past two weeks or so I've been really in a bad place mentally because of my frustration with keeping everything going.

During all of this, the Lord has helped me to see how I am overly responsible.  Sounds funny, right?  Shouldn't we all strive to be responsible?  I guess what God means is I major on the minor and focus on the relatively unimportant tasks; how so much of my time is spent on things like making sure I respond to an email or make sure all the bathrooms have toilet paper.

This word "responsibility" has been stuck in my head.  Words are another way the Lord speaks to me (words and books).  Just like He puts books in my hands when He wants me to learn something, He also puts words in my head.  "Responsibility" is the latest word He's impressed on me.

This morning I was remembering how a few months ago the Lord put 2 Corinthians 3:17 in my head.  It says, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."  That's another way the Lord speaks to me: by putting verses in my head.  When this verse came to me, I remember specifically sensing that He was speaking to me about how I keep my schedule.  This morning I was wondering what this verse, and the surrounding verses, had to do with my schedule.

The Lord quickly reminded me of the word "responsibility."  He helped me to see that I've made being responsible into a law for myself.  He showed me that He is Spirit, and where the Spirit is, there is freedom.  I focus such much on my law of being responsible and making sure to keep everything going that I miss His Spirit and the freedom that comes along with the Spirit.  The freedom to not respond to an email and to still be loved.  The freedom to change my schedule around to fit in more important things.  The freedom to disappoint people by not fulling all of their demands.

I'm not saying that I have given up my responsibilities or that being responsible is bad.  However, what I have been doing for so long is focusing on doing everything, doing it right, and not letting any of the balls I'm juggling drop.  I've focused on self effort instead of on grace.  I've focused on what I think needs to be done instead of what the Spirit is doing.

So today, I've thrown caution to the wind and haven't gone by a specific schedule.  I took a chance and decided to not try to be responsible.  I haven't determined to do anything at any set time today.  And you know what?  I've been productive and have connected with the Lord and have gotten some work done with my business and have been responsible in a much better way -- in the flow of the Spirit.

(After I wrote this I read my post from January 2. Take a look at it.  Seems God's been trying to get this message through to me for a while now.  I'm sure He's been trying since way before January.)

Frustrations With Housekeeping

I get really frustrated with how I keep our house.  I clean and straighten, but there's always cleaning and straightening that doesn't get done.  This leads to a lot of frustration -- frustration because I'm afraid that we'll have guests over and they'll judge me for not keeping our home cleaner and frustration that I don't have the house clean enough and pretty enough to suit myself.

Yesterday I felt that maybe the Lord was pointing me toward Matthew 6:33 as a verse to explore to help me get to the root of what's causing my angst.  This verse says, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."  The surrounding verses tell us not to worry about the physical needs of this world, not to focus on the treasures in this world, but to focus on what God focuses on (His kingdom business) and to focus on living in a manner that pleases Him.  Thus I was thinking that maybe the Lord was telling me that the root of my frustration was that my focus has been wrong -- on cleaning my house instead of on His kingdom and living to please Him.  Then I think I began thinking too hard or something.  I was talking through my thoughts and feelings with God and began thinking that my frustrations were caused by my not trying hard enough - not being diligent enough to accomplish what I want to accomplish around the house.  It made a lot of sense to me and I could see how I could definitely make better use of my time and accomplish more. 

Thinking I had figured out what my problem was, I began journaling about it.  I titled my entry "Actually Doing," and began writing about my "revelation" that my frustration is a result of my not doing enough each day.  My thoughts on what the root of my problem was had moved away from Matthew 6:33 -- seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness.  In the middle of writing, I felt the urge to read the verse at the bottom of the page in my journal to see if it might pertain to what I was journaling about.  (The journal I'm using has verses printed at the bottom of each page.)  I stared in stunned silence at the words of Matthew 6:33, printed right there before my eyes.  Obviously God was saying, "Wait, you missed what I was trying to tell you."  As I went back and reconsidered what relevance this verse might have to my frustrations, I came to this conclusion:

Yes, I do need to be diligent in accomplishing my tasks each day, 

but I must have the right focus, making sure I've selected 

the right tasks for my to-do list for the day.  

Cleaning windows has its time and place, 

but people and God's kingdom are more important.  

I also see this lesson: To know God's will and His voice,

we must read His Word and be aware of the verses

that He puts on our hearts, in our minds, and

at the bottom of journal pages (or wherever He 

may choose for you to come across it).

I must also note that Matthew 6:33 turned up the other day in a book I'm reading and in a friend's Facebook post.  God's willing to speak to us, but we must be willing to listen and respond.