Journaling
Christian Momma · Life

Journaling

Deby Ciui (Chewy)1 Comment

In one of my classes there was a section speaking about your Emotional Intelligence. It touched on the topic of being self-aware and of what you can do to learn more about yourself and one of the things it recommends is journaling a little bit every day. Every day you take a moment to productively journal then after doing it for sometime, you can go back and by reading it can learn a little bit about yourself and can identify trends that you may need to improve on.

I’ve been journaling for as long as I can remember. I have journals dating back to my early teenage years (yikes, those are embarrassing). My journals have evolved with times much like everything else. I have gone from keeping a diary record of everything that had happened during that day and I’ve moved passed the days where I did nothing but vent and complain about the stresses of the day. Now a days my journal doubles as a place where I write my thoughts, vent frustrations, plan, and write out my prayers. Sometimes when I’m trying to meditate on God’s plan for my life, or trying to go to Him in prayer it is easier for me to do it by writing in my journal. The best part, is having this written testimony that I can go back and see just how much He has answered my prayers.

I write because I don’t know what I think until I read what I say.

Flannery O’Conner
Quiet and Coffee
Life

Quiet and Coffee

Deby Ciui (Chewy)Leave a comment

Breaking bad habits and changing tactics…

In early 2019 I moved to the second shift because that was the only way I was able to get permission to work 100% remote.

Rain boots and puddles

Then a month later the quarantine started and they moved everyone to work remote (I’m not salty about it or anything). But it worked for us, I was able to spend more time with my two girls and was able to work and not have the 1hr commute eat up my time. Now the girls are older, Anastasia is 4 and Emily is soon to be 3 and life just gets busier and busier. They’re no longer the little babies I could put in the play pen in order to get a few moments to myself, instead its a flurry of arts and craft, toys, mess, and fun.

Now my days run in this never ending cycle: wake up, wake the girls, cook, clean, eat, teach the preschool lesson of the day, work on my own school work, work until 10PM sign off and then I get an hour or two that I actually get to enjoy some time with Josh before we have to go to sleep and then wake up and repeat it all again.

It had gotten to the point where despite the utter exhaustion I’d feel at the end of the day I would purposely stay up late doing whatever, knowing that I would be even more exhausted in the morning, just to have some hours to myself. Sure I got a few hours to myself, the girls were asleep, Josh was asleep, but then come the next day I was just not the same. I would be cranky, tired, and overall unpleasant and then I’d have to go through all the things that needed to get done all over again. I realized that what I was doing was doing more harm than good and have tried to change this bad habit. I try to sleep earlier and instead of taking those hours at night I’ve been working on waking up before my husband leaves for work, while the girls are still asleep, and using that time instead.

Girls joining me for a walk

I use this time to do things that are a benefit to me, reading my Bible and doing school work. I also go for a walk in the neighborhood and take some quiet me-time while getting some fresh air or even spending some time gardening. I am very new at, but it is very rewarding when successful.

But lets not forget, one of the best things about waking up before the girls are awake, is being able to take a seat in a quiet house and enjoy savoring a cup of coffee. I never understood why my mom would just “want some quiet” when I was younger or why I’d find a cup of forgotten coffee in the microwave, but I do now.

It doesn’t matter where you’re from – or how you feel… There’s always peace in a strong cup of coffee.

Gabriel Bá

Revamped and Renewed 2022!
Life

Revamped and Renewed 2022!

Deby Ciui (Chewy)Leave a comment

The date on my last post was 2017 and to be perfectly honest I completely forgot that this blog was still active (I happened to notice the renewal receipt email among my hundreds of unread email). I thought that maybe it is about time to get back into it. If there’s still any followers left from the old days I’m sorry to tell you that I will no longer be focusing primarily on photography anymore. Not because I don’t like taking pictures anymore (because you will still see a lot of them) but because like so many I have grown and I have changed.

So much has changed since 2017.

Emily and Anastasia

I have experienced childbirth, and have been blessed with 2 beautiful daughters. I am their mother, their friend, and their teacher and while I will do my best to not be one of those moms who only talks about their kids, if you don’t like hearing about children then this blog may not be for you because I am sure that they will come up again.

That being said, the road has not been smooth sailing because while there are beginnings there are also ends. I have experienced loss of both a grandparent and a mother and have experienced the sorrow of losing a loved one. I have lived through a pandemic, have gone from working in the office to working from home. Have both gone back to school as well as start to homeschool.

The years have truly flown in a whirlwind of change. I have gained new friends, and have reconnected with old ones. I’ve gotten back to drawing and writing stories, have started painting, and have even learned to crochet.

Mom’s Funeral 2021, Masks still required
Beginning of the Covid Pandemic, 2019

So you see with so much change in the world and in life it only makes sense that it is time for this blog to also change as well. I can’t continue with the blog as I did back in 2017 because I am not the same person that I was back in 2017. My life has changed so much and the times back then are now memories that I look fondly back on.

So without further ado, I will be posting now during my little pieces of quiet moments. The moments where I have a minute to sit down and type. To share in thoughts and life and whatever else may come in between. I honestly don’t have high expectations for this blog because I am not a social influencer and am not striving to be. I can’t really say I have a set theme because it is pretty impossible for me to stick to one. I have so many interests and life gets so busy and hectic sometimes that it feels as if it is stuck on fast-forward. This blog, is instead, a way for me to take a step back from it all and take a moment to breath and if anyone reads this, I encourage you to also take a moment for yourself to just breath. Take a minute to quiet the noise.

There is strength to be found in the solitude of quiet moments.

Harpreet M. Dayal