i’m always worrying over whether or not i’m giving each of my little ones enough direct, focused, interactive attention every day… constantly concerned over the balance of productivity and quality time… and i pretty much always end up torn and frazzled and terrified that i’m failing at it all! haha.aaand then it hits me… time out! do i do this over my time with God? do i prioritize that enough? do i even pause in my day to seek His guidance, or do i go straight to pinterest?! when i’m overwhelmed, it’s easy to just keep moving and checking off tasks. i don’t have a set “quiet time.” and lawdy mercy, i tried just yesterday to go sit in church and really soak it in, but my rocco baby cried the whole time in the nursery, and i just can’t go that route every sunday during nap time!
ahhhh… are you there, God? it’s me, brittany. 😉
[…oh, hey, judy! please tell me you read that book, too!]
so, there’s always a lot to figure out… but i have figured out a few things that help me day to day to get some quick but actually meaningful soul food in! thought i’d share a few!
5 Minutes with Jesus: Peace for Today – apparently this is the second one in sheila walsh’s 5 minutes series, and i have not read the first… yet! but oh. my. gosh. i LOVE this little book!!! i received it c/o thomas nelson after getting an email about it and thinking, “5 minutes? I NEED THAT!!!” and truly, i do. the little chapters are hardly 3 pages long, and each ends with applicable scripture… but i’ve been absolutely shocked at what it has done for me in just 5 minutes. there have been times now where i have opened it up and the chapter that i was on was so specifically what i needed that i straight up cried! it’s soooo perfect for moms, or really, anyone who is scattered and busy and pulled at all ends! or anyone who just wants 5 quality minutes with jesus. 😉
She Reads Truth – i’ve been following their plans online for some time now [added them to my bloglovin’ feed and there they are, daily!], and i love them! that way i can read them in bed on my iphone and that’s pretty easy for me to keep up with. you can also pick from a whole bunch of plans they have available online, and that’s awesome, too. aaand i actually purchased the proverbs study book a couple of months ago [i love proverbs!] and i enjoyed reading through it that way! not to mention, their books are absolutely gorgeous.
journaling Bible – i was totally and completely the student in class who had just as many doodles in the margins of their paper as actual notes. i could. not. help. it! i finally got this beauuuutiful journaling bible with space to be creative in the margins and i so wish i’d had one like this years ago!
ABC verses for the little ones – yes yes yes, i’ve posted on this before, but this pre-school age is soooooo absorbent and there is no better time to start verse memorization!! they are so good at it and it’s just the sweetest thing to hear those little voices reciting the bible. 🙂 and you do it with them without even realizing!
YouVersion Bible app – we have used this on our iphones for years now! it’s the best to have on hand whenever you need it! i love searching for specific topics and highlighting verses i want to save. they have study plans, too… and they have a kids app! for all these sweet, screen-savvy youngens we have on our hands, of course. 🙂
Oh my goodness! That Judy Blume book was my favorite! Love all these tips and can't wait to check out more! 🙂
Love all of these! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Love the recommendations! She Reads Truth has great devotionals! So true about prioritizing time with God, it definitely helps everything else fall into place!
I LOVE She Reads Truth…and I use the bible app pretty much every day! It is great and so convenient when on the go!
Thanks for sharing these lovely!
Hey it's me catching up! 🙂 This is such a great list! It's so hard being a mom and finding balance in a hundred different ways and if I dwell on it too much it just becomes overwhelming! So overwhelming. We are trying the best we can you know? That's enough I think.