Steve, I am not creative as you are (so take it from an grinding-it-out accountant, ha ha), but I work nonstop (at age 70, retired accountant who does a lot of accounting "for the family", it's the bookkeeping, baby, all the time, and I have many hobbies as well and a prayer commitment as a Third Order Carmelite). First of all, I will not go on Twitter--will not read or write it. I limit myself to 20 minutes to scan the news online but only after I have "said" my prayer commitment, which I do in its entirety the first thing when I wake up (like a US Marine, ya see). ZERO TV, and I mean zero. I feel I am very well informed (in a superficial sort of way) in 20 minutes by scanning Drudgereport, Breitbart, Realclearpolitcs, ZeroHedge, TheLibertyDaily and TheGatewayPundit, 90% at headline level ONLY (Father Ripperger, whom I admire, also uses the 20 minute rule to catch up on the "news"). I usually then check in with Anthony Stine ("Return to Tradition") to learn what new outrage Pope Francis has unleashed on us while doing weight work in front of the computer (3 lb weights, 5 lb weights). Okay, it may take 1 hour on news or more if we add meal times, since I also read online during meals (which are quick). I refuse to read anything on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook. Why? Too Much Information.
I also made no resolutions (just ask God every day "what do You want?" and be prepared to get an impulse to get up and do something or write a "to do list" on your cell phone when you ask that question of Him), but I find myself automatically trying to get more organized and waste less time, to be kinder, more regular in prayer and exercise, eat better and help myself, family and neighbors in that order, as prompted by the HS. Yes, there is too much to do every day, especially at your age with a large family of happy, healthy kids. Just accept that as a cross ("toomuch to do, not enough time"), offer it up (my favorite cause: I offer everything up for the troops if no other "offer up idea strikes me"--I'm a former Navy brat and know how much the troops suffer.)
Quite regularly there's a crisis of some type out-of-the-blue, and I go into "crisis mode," which God understands completely, He Himself went into crisis mode for instance in the Garden of Gethsamani and during the Passion. If I can't meet my prayer commitment then (which often happens because "it's an emergency") I try to pray "on the hoof" and "on the fly": Hail Mary's, Our Fathers and Gloria's in a type of helter-skelter rosary.
Returning to your search for another place to live from earlier blog entries you wrote: look into NE TN, which seems to have some nice towns and communities, and is a no-tax state, and has a nice town called Johnson City I believe which is attracting people that tried FL and said "no thanks" (due to high taxes and insurance there). Just throwing out ideas. Sure you are getting many suggestion on where to try out.
My latest prayer discovery (I am now ADDICTED to) is "Magnificat" magazine. Wow. A spiritual game changer. I'm hooked.
Steve, I am not creative as you are (so take it from an grinding-it-out accountant, ha ha), but I work nonstop (at age 70, retired accountant who does a lot of accounting "for the family", it's the bookkeeping, baby, all the time, and I have many hobbies as well and a prayer commitment as a Third Order Carmelite). First of all, I will not go on Twitter--will not read or write it. I limit myself to 20 minutes to scan the news online but only after I have "said" my prayer commitment, which I do in its entirety the first thing when I wake up (like a US Marine, ya see). ZERO TV, and I mean zero. I feel I am very well informed (in a superficial sort of way) in 20 minutes by scanning Drudgereport, Breitbart, Realclearpolitcs, ZeroHedge, TheLibertyDaily and TheGatewayPundit, 90% at headline level ONLY (Father Ripperger, whom I admire, also uses the 20 minute rule to catch up on the "news"). I usually then check in with Anthony Stine ("Return to Tradition") to learn what new outrage Pope Francis has unleashed on us while doing weight work in front of the computer (3 lb weights, 5 lb weights). Okay, it may take 1 hour on news or more if we add meal times, since I also read online during meals (which are quick). I refuse to read anything on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook. Why? Too Much Information.
I also made no resolutions (just ask God every day "what do You want?" and be prepared to get an impulse to get up and do something or write a "to do list" on your cell phone when you ask that question of Him), but I find myself automatically trying to get more organized and waste less time, to be kinder, more regular in prayer and exercise, eat better and help myself, family and neighbors in that order, as prompted by the HS. Yes, there is too much to do every day, especially at your age with a large family of happy, healthy kids. Just accept that as a cross ("toomuch to do, not enough time"), offer it up (my favorite cause: I offer everything up for the troops if no other "offer up idea strikes me"--I'm a former Navy brat and know how much the troops suffer.)
Quite regularly there's a crisis of some type out-of-the-blue, and I go into "crisis mode," which God understands completely, He Himself went into crisis mode for instance in the Garden of Gethsamani and during the Passion. If I can't meet my prayer commitment then (which often happens because "it's an emergency") I try to pray "on the hoof" and "on the fly": Hail Mary's, Our Fathers and Gloria's in a type of helter-skelter rosary.
Returning to your search for another place to live from earlier blog entries you wrote: look into NE TN, which seems to have some nice towns and communities, and is a no-tax state, and has a nice town called Johnson City I believe which is attracting people that tried FL and said "no thanks" (due to high taxes and insurance there). Just throwing out ideas. Sure you are getting many suggestion on where to try out.
My latest prayer discovery (I am now ADDICTED to) is "Magnificat" magazine. Wow. A spiritual game changer. I'm hooked.