Stewardship Sunday: Vocal Rest Edition

Happy Sunday!
It was nice to have a weekend at home, not working. It feels like it's been a while...
It was a rainy dreary weekend, and it helped me feel better about not getting out and DOING stuff. Of course, we did actually get out and DO a lot of stuff. But I didn't feel the constant urge to take advantage of the sunshine and comfortable temps we've had lately. I love the calm quiet feeling in the air on drizzly days. And a few times this weekend, I was actually able to pause and enjoy it!

So this week involved working a holiday, having a workday afternoon off, two mornings in the swimming pool with the girls, a massage, a PT appointment (the massage was NOT just for relaxation!), playmates, errands, a trip to the library, preparations for Vacation Bible School, and research on which voracious insects would be best for our garden pests. We came home from Allandale Farms today with a container of Praying Mantis egg sacks. All of the literature on them says they make great pets. I'm content to just let them run wild in our yard. I have no need to domesticate insects in this household...

Anyway, back to the "Vocal Rest Edition" part of the title. I helped lead the music for Vacation Bible School this morning. Across 4 groups of kids, my voice was going strong for 2+ hours. I am not a singer. I do not have a professionally trained voice. I just have a lifetime repertoire of Sunday School songs and the guts to belt out songs in front of saucer-eyed kids all morning long. In other words, I don't know how to use my voice well in endurance situations. But as an SLP, I do know that this is an abnormally significant workout of my vocal cords, one that could lead to phonotrauma if not managed appropriately. So I'm trying to drink a lot. Let me rephrase that. I'm trying to drink a lot of water and herbal tea. The other kind of drinking would be more fun, but would not improve the health of my larynx. Now, if I were my own SLP, I would prescribe myself a bit of vocal rest. My advice would be to try not to talk so much, keep my volume down, and nod and gesture whenever possible. My advice would be ludicrous considering that I have 2 preschoolers...

Anyway, I want to go to bed before midnight, so let's get this stewardship accounting done!

Money:  OUCH. We went to the craft store. I got a massage. And sand toys for the girls. And 2 dresses at the consignment store. (They were a steal! And I need new summer dresses. But still, ouch.)

Exercise:  This week wasn't so great. I think I got in one good workout all week. Sigh.

M&Ms:  Not the worst week for Peanut M&Ms, but less exercise = more self-medicating with chocolate. I finished off a jar of Trader Joe's Cocoa Almond spread. Really dangerous stuff!!! But oh, so good!!!

Patience:  Middle-of the road this week. Again, by the grace of God, I have moments of patience that are beyond what comes from me. I'm thankful that I have awareness in these moments. It makes me feel better to know that God really is there in the mundane moments of life. Especially the ones that I suck at handling on my own...

Time:  Since thinking about it weeks ago, I really think I"m doing better at not frittering away so much time on the computer. That's perhaps helped by the fact that we don't spend so much time at home now that the weather's better.

Food waste:  I threw out half a bunch of basil, and have half a head of lettuce waiting for me in the fridge. I really am bad about letting greens die. I'm like a leafy-green executioner. I'm happy that we have lettuce in the garden that I can pick a little at a time. Because buying it to use for the week just leads to a lot of food waste. Thanks again to BestestHusband for helping to eat some of the more questionable items in the fridge. He is my household savior for food waste.

HeyMama saw these made on a video, and told me what we needed to buy at the craft store.

She did it ALL BY HERSELF! Just from watching it done once. I mean, it's a simple craft, but she's 3! And all I had to do was fetch the googley eyes from the closet and unclog the glue!

Hope you have a great week!