Catholic Style: Planner and Bullet Journal

Have you jumped into the Bullet Journal craze yet? If not, I think you should consider giving it a try. I am a mommy that is responsible for a lot of planning in my household and I am sure many of you can relate whether you are a mom, dad, student or just a busy person.

This post may contain affiliate links that I receive a small commission. It does not change the price for you but it is a small blessing to my family. All opinions are my own.

I am responsible myself for keeping track of my work schedule, which varies since I work in a restaurant, my doctor appointments (I was born with Spina Bifida so they have been pretty frequent lately and can include physical therapy and pain management) and scheduling myself time for myself to enjoy my workouts, hobbies and volunteer commitments. My children are your normal crazy kids that want to be involved in everything: altar serving, football, soccer, Cub Scouts and extra curricular school activities. To make things even more exciting, my youngest son is developmentally delayed and has weekly speech, occupational, behavioral and group therapies. In addition to the craziness I just described, I am also responsible for planning our family meals and running errands because my husband works 60+ hours a week and commutes 90 minutes each way to work. We are also a Catholic family, so that means we set aside time for prayers, devotions, Mass and the Sacraments. Now I am sure that you are probably reading this and thinking that I must be completely crazy to juggle the schedule that I just described but nowadays it is the norm to be extremely busy and feel stretched thin at times

Now, I am not going to convince you that the Bullet Journal is the answer to every families needs but it has certainly made a HUGE difference in mine! Not only has it become essential to my planning routine but it is relaxing and can be a great tool to increase your faith! If you are a little weary, don't be! I will be sharing some of my page layouts and explaining why I have decided to include them in my Bullet Journal. If you are convinced to try this system out, do not feel obligated to include every page layout in your system. The beauty of the bullet journal is that it is something that can be personalized to your unique needs.

I have always been a lover of organization and I have always utilized a planner even before including a Bullet Journal as a supplemental planning tool. To make my system a little easier to understand you first need to know how my planner is put together so I am going to divide this into two sections to make it easier to refer to as a template for your own planning needs.

Schedule Planner:

Some things to consider in your planner and how you need it to be utilized to be the most beneficial to you and your purposes:

1: How do you keep track of your schedule and the schedules of those you are responsible?

2. How detailed do you need your planner?

3. Do you use multiple planners? Print and/or electronic? Both?

I use a planner that has times written down each day and color code the events that are written in the planner. I also make sure to write the corresponding times even though there is spaces between the times to make sure I do not make myself late to something on accident. I do not normally include end times though because as a hospitality worker I know that NOTHING ends on time. You can only estimate which would add additional  planning so start times work best for me.


I also stated that I have recently started utilizing a bullet journal but I also use an online planner called Cozi to have reminders sent to me daily as well. Cozi is a great family app that allows your entire family to access the family schedule through a shared family password. The amazing thing is anyone can add, delete or update an event and you can send a notification so everyone that is attending will be made aware. You also have the option to set reminders before events occur just in case you need to have a warning before you move on through your schedule. There is a place to record your grocery list, find recipes and so much more. I highly suggest checking it out, especially since the basic package is FREE and can be downloaded on to your smart phone! 

Here is my color code system:

Me- Pink

Husband- Light Blue

Kids- Dark Blue

School Event- Orange

Important/ Need to Remember- Red

Church- Liturgical Season Color (Advent/ Lent- Purple, Ordinary Time- Green, etc)

Bill Due Dates- Light Green

Black/Brown: Menu

As I mentioned earlier, I do keep track of Liturgical Calendar events in my planner. It helps me plan our menu and family activities. It is the first thing I write each month when I am getting organized for each new month.

As you can see from this exert from my planner that there is room for me to write "scheduled" events but not much room for writing to-do lists, errands or other important things such as book lists, blog ideas, exercise routines water intake and so much more. What about ways to hold yourself accountable to your prayers? attending Mass? Adoration? Devotions? Fellowship? That is where the Bullet Journal comes in to play.

Bullet Journal:

A Bullet Journal has no defined order. No necessary inclusions. It is completely your creation used in any way that you deem important. For me, creating healthy habits is vitally important.

Habit Tracker: A Habit Tracker is one of my favorite ways to increase my good habit making decisions and have a physical copy of things that I can visually look at, to see my strengths and weaknesses. You could also utilize this to help with Natural Family Planning as well. This habit tracker is a monthly one that I really did like but I decided that things I am unable to do everyday, such as, Confession, Adoration and attending Mass should be included on my weekly spreads since it is something I tend to do weekly versus daily. Praying the Rosary and other daily prayers could easily be included in a Monthly Habit Tracker like the one above.

Reading Challenge: Reading is one of my hobbies and an essential aspect of growing my faith. Included in my Reading Challenge for this year is A Walk in Her Sandals and Rediscover Jesus. Many of the books that I have been pulled to read are devotionals or are inspirational. This Reading Challenge layout is suppose to look like a library and I am coloring in each book as I finish reading them. You could modify this layout to contain the devotionals and bible studies you would like to complete throughout the year.

Rosary Tracker: I'll admit that this tracker I actually found online and just printed it small enough to fit on the inside cover of my bujo. If you follow the link it will take you to a PDF that you could also utilize in the same fashion or you could go ahead and draw a similar copy if you prefer. With this being the 100 year celebration of Fatima, there is no better time to get on your daily family rosaries.

Weekly Layout: My weekly layouts are used to create to-do lists and keep track of when I attend my Sacraments. I keep things simple and try to utilize the same color code I mentioned is in my regular planner so my organization flows more easily but sometimes I have to jot down an errand or idea with whatever writing utensil is readily available.

Adoration Intentions: It is so easy to create a list of intentions to bring with you to Adoration and to know you have a location to jot down a friend or family members special prayer requests. If you ever see my posts asking for your requests, you can guarantee I write them out so that they are with me. I also revisit these requests each time I attend the Sacrament of Adoration. This layout is similar to the ones I've already shared but because several of the intentions I have written on my list are personal for myself and several others I decided not to share.

Obviously, the layouts that can be included in a Bullet Journal are infinite. Anything you dream up can be included in your unique journal. I would also like to point out that my Bullet Journal pages are not works of art. I have seen some absolutely beautiful pages on Pinterest and in Bullet Journal Groups I participate. If you are not artsy, do not allow that to push you away from trying out this great organizational tool. The purpose of these tools is to make yourself more accountable and organized. I would love to see some of the beautiful Catholic style layouts you design in your bullet journals and feel free to share how you use your planners. Are there designs you would like to to create? Just ask and I'll do my best to help find or create something that can help you.

God Bless!

My Experience: A Walk in Her Sandals

I was blessed to receive a copy of A Walk in Her Sandals: Experiencing Christ's Passion through the Eyes of Women in exchange for my honest reaction and review.

As the month of January comes to a close, I have been contemplating some resolutions I made for myself this year. Reading more, creating fellowship through my parish and striving to improve my relationship with God were among these resolutions. I came across a book that touched all areas that were important to me and I am happy and honored to share what I have learned in hopes that you will take the chance of reading and sharing your experience as well. This book is a special devotion created especially for women to follow through the Lenten season.

Christ's Passion has always been an emotional topic for me. In high school I participated in a Youth Group that hosted the Stations of the Cross during Lent and no matter what I did, I would weep as I read the station I was assigned to share. As a women, I often hear the words empathetic, loving and emotional as a description of my experiences in life. Sometimes it can seem as if these words are thrown at us in a negative manner but I am here to tell you that they are special qualities that we, as women, have been blessed with by God. A Walk in Her Sandals not only explains these amazing gifts in descriptive detail but will make you proud to embrace these qualities while opening your eyes to a new perception of our Savior's Passion that will touch your heart in a very unique way.

Suffering is a part of life. It will touch every person on this earth at some point, multiple times throughout their life. Men and women experience and deal with pain and suffering in different ways, it is how God created us. The Passion of Jesus is an experience of suffering and pain that is so deeply touching that it can reach anyone receptive to its true message on some level. It reveals itself to us in our own sufferings as daughters, mothers and women. It is time for us to come together in a fellowship of womanhood and embrace each other as we grow in faith by sharing our stories of suffering, love and enlightenment. 

This book is not just a book, it is an adventure. An adventure that you can chose to take alone or in the sweet embrace of a group.On this adventure, you will be introduced to Anah, Huldah, Miriam, Veronica, and Zilpah and experience these special women and their encounters with Jesus. There are special, intimate stories shared from the author and a deep look into the scripture. As if these inspiring factors weren't enough, there are Questions for Group Discussion that you could discuss with a group or answer within your prayer journal.

I honestly felt a change within me while I read this book each evening and I am looking forward to opening this book again during the Lenten Season. I was amazed by the perception and detail and of the stories and I am not afraid to admit that I cried through every chapter. I cried tears of love, joy and understanding and loved every minute of it.

I am often guilty of losing focus of myself, as most women are, and focusing on my children and husband most of the time. Use this Lenten season to grow your faith with this truly amazing book. I would love to hear about your experience as you start your adventure too.

Interested in learning more? I am working with some extraordinary women that took on this book and all the touching stories are being shared at the CWBN Blog Hop. Make sure to hop over and see what other women learned during their reflections.

Start planning how to host your own Lenten Book Club or join Between the Wines: Lenten Book Club hosted on WINE (Women in the New Evangelization) online featuring Walk in Her Sandals. Since I completed this book alone the first time, I am looking forward to starting a book club or joining one for my second experience.

Introducing The Zelie Group and Just Enough Info

As my friend Alicia from Sweeping Up Joy says best," St. Zelie was the mother of St. Therese the Little Flower. Somehow, simple Zelie Martin raised a Doctor of the Church. It wasn't because she was extraordinary-- quite the contrary. She seems especially ordinary from what I've read. But she had faith. She did her motherly duties with great love even in times of frustration.

Does that speak to you the way it does to me? I can't tame dragons or found a new religious order. But I can kiss boo-boos, peel oranges, and read stories. I can pray with my kids and take them to Mass. I can cultivate my garden with patience, trusting that God will help my little flowers bloom in His time.

The Zelie Group is a place to share this journey of Catholic motherhood with others who are trying to raise saints in the modern world."

I'd love to introduce you to the other members of The Zelie Group:

Kerry from Fishbowl Fortune

Alicia from Sweeping Up Joy

Kirby from Under Thy Roof

Amy from Prayer Wine Chocolate

Alicia has a way with words so I borrowed this little intro from her too! "In order to get to know one another, we in the Zelie Group are beginning a weekly link up called "Just Enough Info." It's an interesting paradox that in a time when people overshare on social media (TMI!), many are struggling to fit in and connect. Perhaps it's time to start sharing JEI: Just Enough Info."

 This week we are focusing on the topic of Books. 

This post may contain affiliate links. I would make a small commission if you click the link and chose to purchase something. I greatly appreciate your support!

1. What are you reading right now?

I am participating in a Reading Challenge so I am reading an assortment of books right now. Currently on my night stand I have The Happiness Project and the Fringe Hours. The Happiness Project is one of those books that I have started and stopped several times. I added it to my reading list because in the Reading Challenge, one of the books I am suppose to read is a book I have started but not finished before. I have not finished this book not because it is not a good read, I just get side tracked and feel like once I pick it back up I should start over because it is full of great information. The Fringe Hours is more like a self evaluating journal and book rolled into one. There is writing and places to self evaluate yourself and your relationships. I really need to learn how to organize my time a little better and create time for me and my husband. This book is meant to help you see your time in a different perspective and teach you how to find time for yourself.

I am also reading two Kindle books. One is called Just Breathe and the other is Invisible Wounds: Hope While you are Hurting. I promised to read and review Just Breathe for the author. Sorry it has taken me awhile Elle! I am really enjoying the story of Just Breathe and can't wait to share my thoughts more when I have finished. The other I chose because I struggle with PTSD, anxiety and depression. I have a complicated story that I won't discuss here but you can check out My Cross: Surviving Domestic Violence. Invisible Wounds are things that we all deal with but sometimes reading about how other people overcome and deal with these wounds is highly motivational and empowering to me.

2. Which of your kids books do you wish would magically disappear?

Oh man! My boys have a never ending collection of books, it's crazy! I think my least favorite book that they own is called It's Hard to be Five. The story within the book is actually quite catchy and I actually do love the illustrations. I love children books with the flowing rhyming sentences like this one. The reason I wish I could make this book disappear is because Goalie likes to use this catchy phrase when being told to complete activities. For example:

I asked Goalie to put away his clothes last night and I received a great big pouty face and a long "Oohhhh moooommm.... Why?" I explained that everyone has chores and they might not always be fun but we still need to complete them. In return, Goalie violently grabbed his clean "under-roos" as he calls them knocking down his brother's pile of clean clothes as he marched away proclaiming "It's hard to be five!" This is one of many fun tales that I could share, because according to the book and my son, "It is the HARDEST to be five."He will only be five until October, maybe I can suggest the book no longer has a purpose in the house at that point? Maybe.. we will see but I won't hold my breath! I am sure you all have a similar book in your household that causes havoc. 

3. What was your favorite book when you were little?

Even as a child, I had a great love for reading. I don't think I can narrow down one particular book but I can definitely chose a series! The Boxcar Children! I read every book in the Boxcar Children series. All the stories in the series are mystery based and allows young readers to be introduced to a family of children that are orphaned. One of my favorite aspects of the books was that the children had such close relationships and each mystery that they solved was a missing piece to figuring out about their family and each other.

I was blessed to have parents that wanted to encourage me to continue reading so they signed me up for one of of the Boxcar Children Book Clubs. I would receive a book or two each month along with little trinkets. I would beg my parents to check the mail at the beginning of each month so I could rip open my Book Club packages. I don't think they offer book clubs like that anymore unfortunately, but there are many resources for parents, teachers and homeschoolers who love this series too.

Please Join us and Link Up with your answers to this week's questions all about books:

1. What are you reading right now?

2. Which of your kids books do you wish would magically disappear?

or Which of your kids books have you made magically disappear?

3. What was your favorite book when you were little

or If you wrote a book what would the title or genre be?

Next Week's Just Enough Information questions all about back-to-school:

1. What is your best school memory from your childhood?

2. Do you have any back-to-school family traditions?

3. Markers or colored pencils?

Linkup Party Rules:

1. Please follow each of the party hosts in at least one way.

2. The blog that you are linking must be Family Friendly.

3. Link the individual post, not the main page of the blog.

4. The post that you are submitting must be on topic.

5. You are welcome to link up to 3 posts, old or new. Do not link the same post more than once.

6. Please Visit at least two other bloggers and leave a comment on their posts for each link that you share with our link up.

7. Please put a link to the party and/or link up button that you are participating in somewhere in your post so that other people can find the party, too.

8. By submitting a link to the party you acknowledge that the images in your post are either your original work or licensed as free for whatever you want. You give me and the other party hosts permission to use an image from your post on Pinterest and/or to link to your blog.

Ghost: Book Review {Free My Catholic Faith Kindle Download}

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through the links I will receive a small commission.

For my Mid Year Book Challenge I added the book Ghost: A Novel by Alan Lightman to my list. I have to admit that this is not the typical style of book that I normally read but I was pleasantly surprised.

This intriguing story really grabs you from the very start of the book. Alan Lightman does not waste any time presenting what the premise of the entire book is about.

"I saw something. I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It's been a week, but I still have that awful image in my mind. It burns. I close my eyes, and I see it. I open my eyes and I see it."

The existence of ghosts, the afterlife and God are very controversial topics. Throughout Ghost you are able to experience these controversies through a man named David. David is a simple man. He was comfortable in his lifestyle of being a banker and had no real ambitions to name. His entire life starts spinning after he loses his comfortable job and can only obtain a job working in a mortuary. After settling into a new routine with his job while dealing with his interesting relationships with his girlfriend, mother and ex-wife, David experiences something that he cannot put into words. David considered himself an intelligent person with a great understanding of things and is forced to question his sanity. In an effort to discover the truth, David starts researching what he can about religion, science and faith. As you can imagine these open questions cause a great deal of problems for David, his co-workers and his personal relationships. I promise you will be fascinated with the book until the very end.

Alan Lightman is an internationally known best selling novelist and his accomplishments in Ghost illustrates his ability to pull the reader into the story. I would suggest that everyone should read this book because every reader will have a different experience based on their own faith and experiences with these provocative questions about life, death and what happens after.

I am linking this to Booknificent Thursday and The Book Nook At Create With Joy. Here is a list of several award winning novels by Alan Lightman:

Einstein's Dream

The Diagnosis

Ancient Light

I also came across a free kindle download of My Catholic Faith! this week

Rising Strong: Book Review

I have to thank my friend Amber, who suggested reading this book several months ago. I decided to include this book as part of my Mid Year 2016 Reading Challenge. I love to read and I especially love books that find a way to touch me in my life, experiences or heart. Rising Strong did all of this and more. I have shared my thoughts on this book as I read it with my husband and he is eager to read it, as I hope you will be too. Please be aware This post contains sponsored links from Amazon.

Rising Strong by Brené Brown is an amazing book that will make you question every significant event in your life. Her understanding of emotion is astounding and her ability to communicate her research to readers is direct and easy to comprehend. There is an exploration of shame, anger and fear that is prominent in our failings through life and her rising strong teaching and process can help you study and understand more thoroughly how to grow and recover from failing more quickly. Failing is something that every person can relate to and makes the topics discussed within this book more important to understand how to be better productive within our relationships and our daily lives.

I will warn you that the colorful Brené Brown does sometimes use strong language to get her point across. I did not find the language to be vulgar though, rather she used it as an exclamation point to highlight her important research. I also find that her presentation made her feel more relatable. I love that there is a direct conversation between Brené Brown and the reader. She does not hide her true ideals or intentions.

Another aspect that makes this book unique is that although Brené Brown is a researcher, she allows the discussion of faith and spirituality to be important in her research. She includes research and quotes from religious people. One of my favorite moments within the book is during a discussion where Brené Brown states, "I experienced a collection of holy and unholy moments that would eventually bring me face-to-face with one of my greatest fears and, in the process, teach me exactly what Saint Teresa of Avila meant when she said,"There are more tears shed over answered prayers than over unanswered prayers."" If only we could all have revelations that bring us to a closer connection to God.

I have not had the pleasure to read her book Daring Greatly yet but I can promise it is now on my book list. There are several references to it within Rising Strong and I think that the best understanding of both books would come from reading both. Daring Greatly discusses concepts of vulnerability and scarcity and pairs well with the overall topic of overcoming adversity in Rising Strong.

I will end this with another one of the great topics that is discussed throughout the entire book; "The irony is that we attempt to disown our difficult stories to appear more whole or more acceptable, but our wholeness, even our wholeheartedness, actually depends on the integration of all of our experiences, including the falls." This particular quote is written on the back cover of the book. Rising Strong is truly an amazing book and I hope you take the opportunity to read it.

I know I have several friends reading this book right now and I would love your opinions as well! I am sharing this at The Book Nook At Create With Joy. 

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life 

Every Thursday Like Mother Like Daughter ~

I have really come to LOVE this linkup, although today there is no link up I still wanted to share me post. I am one of those mom's that takes pictures of everything! I love having a souvenir to remember all of our family adventures and let's be honest, you never know when something amazing will happen. Having a day set aside that I get to go threw all the pictures I have taken the past week and be thankful for all the blessings, big and small, that I have each and every day.  This week has really been the pinnacle of fun and relaxation and I enjoyed going through all my pictures to share with you. We have an extra exciting week because Feast of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha is today, Saint Bonaventure and Saint Swithin are tomorrow and the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is Saturday! I will be sharing all of those pictures later! You can always get a sneak peak on Instagram too. 

{pretty}

The weather has been amazing this week. Blue skies, bright sun, warm breezes through the trees. I have been making sure my boys have been able to enjoy it with me at the pool and parks. We are still acclimating to the weather here and I am not use to the lack of humidity and the dry heat is very different but I am loving it. As much as I am enjoying the bright, hot sun, I am excited for the cool breezes of autumn to start within the next few months. Hopefully we can get more of our Summer Time Bucket List completed.

{happy)

There are many moments in my life that I am happy with my family but I really have a good time working out with my husband. This past week I started getting back into my workout regimen and today was leg day. My husband is an avid weightlifter and obviously is much stronger than me but we always have a blast together. He makes me giggle because he calls us "swolemates". We get our adult time and are teaching our boys the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. I want my boys to be well rounded. I want them to have a deep and meaningful connection to their faith, always do their best in their studies and know the importance of taking care of their physical bodies with good wellness and nutrition. 

I just joined a new accountability group to share recipes, workouts and fitness information. I am super excited to be apart of a group and it makes me feel much more motivated to complete my workouts and stick to my weekly menus. I share those on Mondays as part of Menu Plan Monday at another fun linkup! You can check out my latest menu here, there will be no link ups the next few weeks but I will still share my menu ideas each week. 

{funny}

Watching my boys run around at a nearby waterpark was the most hilarious thing I saw all week. At first, both boys were upset with me because they wanted to go to our neighborhood pool but I wanted to try something different. When we arrived I was told that "this place will not be as fun as the pool". Five minutes into our visit I received hugs, kisses and apologies because they were having a blast. It was quite amusing because I know as these boys grow older I won't hear about how I was right quite as often.

{real}

I am a lover of books. I have been my entire life. I was introduced to the book I am reading now, Rising Strong: The Reckoning. The Rumble. The Revolution. by Brené Brown, by a good friend I met shortly after moving. There is nothing better than getting to relax poolside and hearing the laughter of my children while I can enjoy a good book. This particular book has really been eye-opening and I highly suggest it to anyone willing to give it a chance. My husband has even shown some interest in the book just because of a few quotes I throw out to him here and there. Here are some quotes that really stood out to me. 

"The most dangerous stories we make up are the narratives that diminish our inherent worthiness. We must reclaim the truth about our lovability, divinity, and creativity."

"Regret is a tough but fair teacher. To live without regret is to believe you have nothing to learn, no amends to make, and no opportunity to be braver with your life."

What do you think? She makes some good points that should make you think and question experiences. I am doing a Mid Year Reading Challenge and I would love for you to join me!

Mid Year 2016 Reading Challenge

I came across this amazing a blog about books called Modern Mrs. Darcy. In one of her posts she shares a Reading Challenge for the year, however, it is not the beginning of the year anymore. However, I believe avid book lovers could finish this challenge in 6 months. I would love to have some friends, family and fellow bloggers join me in this Reading Challenge for the rest of the year. You can download a copy of the Reading Challenge at the link above.

Here are the books I plan to read (listed in order of the Reading Challenge):

This post contains sponsored links from Amazon.

The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee

Ghost by Alan Lightman

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Rising Strong: The Reckoning. The Rumble. The Revolution. by Brené Brown

Illusions of Love by Cynthia Freeman

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I hope you decide to join me and if you do please comment with the books you are reading. I am always looking for good books and I would love to hear about your book suggestions. If you need help creating a list, you are welcome to use some of my suggestions or you can checkout the ones Modern Mrs. Darcy suggests. Cloud Atlas and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in my list came from hers!

I am linking this to Booknificent Thursdays at Mommynificent