Still Making Changes

I know that most of my posts are centered around being eco-friendly, healthy, and/or parenting, but not all of the changes I am making are centered around those things. When I started this blog, I knew that I needed to turn my life around because I was just not where I wanted to be or where I ever expected to be in my life. Some changes have been intentional and sometimes things change as a result of those intentional changes. 

At the root of all of this is the decision to change into the person that I want to be. That meant a change in the way I make other decisions. With every new situation, I now have a new way to look at that situation and decide how to proceed. My former self would often look at the neighbors and see what they were doing, think about what my family and friends would expect me to do, and contemplate how my husband or children would react to my decision. It doesn't take a genius to see the flaw in that line of thinking. I had left out those that should have been the two biggest influences in my decision-making: God and myself. 

I made an intentional change to base my decisions on what I think, what I know, what I believe, and what the Bible says, what God would want for me.

A small example: When I wanted a garden, I took into account the best way to keep my pets out of it, make it easily accessible for me and the kids, have it blocked off from the rest of the yard, etc. Turns out the best spot was in the front yard, just off the porch. What did the neighbors think? I don't know. I didn't ask. 

A big example: When my husband left me, I took into account the way I felt about his leaving, the way our relationship had been from beginning to present, the probable future if he came back and if he didn't, and what would make me happy. Should I plead with him to keep trying or let him go? If he asked to come back should I let him or refuse? I looked to my Bible and my Church family for guidance and I prayed and prayed. Everyone had their opinions. I listened quietly and knew that I would make my own decision. I am now a single mother. And quite happy.

My amazing daughter and I

I was reminded this morning in Church that I am God's daughter and he wants me to be happy and to be successful in my endeavors. I won't always make the right decisions, and we don't all live happily ever after. There will be bumps in the road. But if I admit my mistakes when I realize them and I ask forgiveness, I can start over and try again. At least now I am setting myself up for a better success rate by making better decisions in my life. 

Summer Blog Challenge: Day 4

Today's Challenge: Explain the meaning behind your blog's name.

I can do that! Woohoo!

When I started this blog I was very frustrated with the way my family and I were living. We had succumbed to the life of the proverbial Jones'. We were so busy trying to do what everyone around us was doing that we lost track of who we are and what we believe. I was sick of it. So my husband and I made a decision to change our lifestyles and get back to the way we used to live, back when we lived by our own standards and to heck with the Jones'. Even better, we wanted to do more than we had ever done before. We wanted to slowly but surely convert our lifestyle to the one we both dreamed of.

And Mama started Making some Changes around here.

Today, just a few months into our changes, we are recycling nearly everything that can't be composted. Our garbage is only a fraction of what it was pre-blog. We are driving one car instead of two and hoping to trade it sometime in the near future for something more fuel efficient. We have our biggest garden ever and plans to expand it until our front yard is a grassy lawn no more. The kids are on board and my daughter has planted her own herbs and sunflowers. We have learned to eat healthier and eat whole foods. We've embraced local sustainable agriculture and businesses, and we've gotten more active.

And don't worry. Mama ain't done Making Changes yet.

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