What's on your plate?

We still have over 30% of summer left but the 

stores have already put out all the school supplies.....

....so, we are tempted to begin to think about fall.....

....school, sports, activities, back to routines....

So, what's going to be on your plate this fall?

I challenge you before you start adding stuff

 to take a look at what is currently on your plate....

I've started drawing out "my plate of the season" 

because I was getting overwhelmed

 with all the stuff there seemed to be going on....

What I didn't realize was how helpful drawing it out would be.... 

I suddenly realized my plate was not  "well balanced"....

Most of us know the well-balanced meal image to 

round off your plate but this concept  

works great with time management as well.

Since I am a woman, a wife, a mother and a US citizen,

my plate can be divided into four different sections. 

Yours might have different partitions. If you work outside 

the home, you are also an employee or you may 

not have children or a spouse.

I wrote down all the things our family had planned to do that 

season and put them in the correct section on my plate.....

Then I asked myself a few tough questions....

Was I taking time for myself? 

Was I taking time with my husband?

How many activities fell into the kid section of my plate? 

Were all these activities beneficial to improve the 

character and well-being of my child?

Was I taking time to serve others locally and globally?

Next, it was time to decide if I needed to "clean my plate" a bit....

The first plate I made this past spring had way too many kid 

things on it and not enough wife things. 

I also noticed too many things "for others" that 

made it difficult to take time for "self".

So I adjusted my plate....

I stepped out of some ministry things and set 

aside time to have monthly dates with my husband. 

I only allowed one activity per child per season 

so we weren't running around all the time.

If you feel like doing a seasonal "plate check", here are 

some questions to ask yourself as you "fill your plate" with 

what your fall might look like this year....

For me, there is another part of my plate that influences 

all the other sections.....it is my princess portion 

because I am a child of the Most High King.

Taking time to grow closer to God has helped me 

balance and enjoy the rest of my plate.

Spending time with someone that loves me no matter what 

and cherishes time spent with me has transformed 

me into a more loving, patient person.

I am now someone that takes a few extra seconds to react or even 

takes a day to decide if the activity really fits on my plate.

This world is full of activities and things to keep you "BUSY"....

Take a moment before fall is here to ask yourself.....

WHAT'S ON MY PLATE?

and then ask yourself:

Do I need to adjust my "portions" or perhaps "clean my plate" a bit? 

What am I missing to better balance my plate and my time?

Taking time to do a "plate check" may be the 

most helpful "activity" you do to prepare for fall!