The Sanctuary Story

Many of you will have heard me talk about The Sanctuary. I have referred to it many times in my previous blog post but I have finally managed to film a video giving a bit of a background on what it is and how it all began!

Send an email to sanctuaryladies@gmail.com if you would like to receive more about The Sanctuary and our upcoming events.

Until next time,
Cece x

Book Corner at the Sanctuary

I love reading books so this year, I have decided to complete a Goodreads challenge to read 15 books this year.  Last year, I aimed for 10 and read 11 so I'm planning to stretch myself further this year!

In this video I share my thoughts on a video I read last month.

Please take some time to watch the video and let me know if there are any other books that you would like me to review this year!

I look forward to hearing your recommendations!

Until next time,
Cece

January: Highlights, Favourites and Thoughts

I cannot believe that we are already in February!  January has truly flown by - it has been a good month with a few glitches along the way.

Highlights

The month started with a bang with an amazing Watchnight service - it was refreshing and a great starting point for the year.

Watchnight Service 2015

The next highlight was attending the "Discovering Purpose through Goal Setting" seminar.  I did attempt to vlog but failed miserably (lol!).  It was a great forum to clarify and finalise my goals for 2016.  I left feeling energised and focussed.

The next few weeks were busy with work but the month ended with The Sanctuary Brunch which took place on the 23rd.  At this brunch, we had some great food and enjoyed a discussion on our theme for the year, "Pursuing Vision".  (Keep an eye out for a video on this topic on my YouTube channel).  I love Sanctuary brunches, there is nothing I enjoy more than spending quality time with inspiring and intelligent women!

Final highlight was being successful in securing a promotion in my job too!  Not a bad start to the year at all!

Favourites

Ok, so I have been loving the Bible App and it has been great in helping me to get into God's word on a daily basis.  For some reason I have also become mildly obsessed with creating images on the app and posting them to Instagram.  Feel free to follow me on Instagram (@cece280707).

I have rekindled my affair with Netflix and am currently working my way through The Good Wife (Season 6).

My passion for reading has surfaced again with me reading 2 books this month and starting on a third.  I will be posting a video with my thoughts on books sometime next month.

Thoughts

January has been a month where I have been challenged to stick with my new schedule.  It has not been easier to adjust my pace but I am learning to listen to my body and rest when I need to. 

Facebook has been great at triggering some memories with their "memories" feature.  This week it reminded me that it was just 3 years ago that we first met Babygirl.  It seems so much longer but that's because it feels like Babygirl has always been with us.  It warms my heart to know that just 3 years ago our lives were changed forever.  She has brought such joy and delight to our family!

January has been a good start to the year - I have been trying to embed the habits that will sustain me but I am still floundering on the health habit.  Any advice or suggestions?  I'd appreciate your comments below!

Choosing a school for Babygirl

Over the last few months, I have begun the journey of selecting a school for Babygirl.  Yes, I know!  She is going to school next year and time has truly flown.  She has come a long way from the chubby 13 month old that we brought home and has flourished into a loving, eloquent and funny young lady.

As I have started to navigate the school system from the perspective of a parent it has been an interesting experience.

1.  The pressure on parents

I rather naively headed off to my first open day with my mental checklist and in a very relaxed state.  I was heading to one of the local schools that had been awarded the most coveted "Outstanding" category by Ofsted.  I was met by a crowd of anxious and stressed parents whose questions revolved around the likelihood of their child getting into the school rather than what the school would provide for their child.  It was at this point that I suddenly became aware of the pressures that parents are under.  In a world that judges your parenting skills against an extensive list, I had not realised that the ability to fight your child to get into a "good" school was so high on the list!

2.  The myth of "Outstanding"

In my humble opinion, this intense concern about getting their child into an "outstanding" school meant that some parents were missing some of the more important questions like, "what are your values as a school?" and "how do you support less able students?"  As a result, I fear that many parents were blown away by the "outstanding" categorisation and therefore did not scrutinise the school as closely as perhaps they should!  In fact, I was not impressed by this particular school at all.  I found it a cold place and was disappointed by the lack of effort on the part of the headteacher to share their vision for the education of my child.  I got the sense that as they had the "outstanding" label that they felt that they didn't need to make the effort.  Whilst I am a believer in good academic performance in schools, it is my desire to find a school for Babygirl that offers more than that!  Education is not just a process to pass exams but should be a process that helps to prepare every child to thrive in their adult life.

3.  The need to know your own child

As I visited various schools, it became apparent that essentially my choice needed to be based on the needs of my child.  Each school offers slightly different packages and it is well worth taking time to consider what your child needs and whether the school you are visiting will meet those needs.  Some schools spoke of academic rigour and discipline, whilst others emphasised the need to recognise the talents and abilities of each child.  The key message is usually presented by the headteacher which leads nicely into my next and final point:

4.  The importance of the Head

This is crucial and often overlooked.  I am speaking as an ex-teacher and I know the impact that a headteacher can have on the education on each child.  The headteacher sets the tone - their actions can determine what is emphasised in your child's education and how stressed the teachers will be too!  A stressed and overworked teacher is not good for your child's education.  Whilst the education system means that most teachers are stressed and the attitude and work ethic of the headteacher can either reduce or enhance that stress (just a side note!).  Anyway, I found it helpful to listen to what the headteachers said and what their philosophy of education was.

So the decision has been made and the application has been submitted.  Now we wait...... I'll let you know how it goes!

My 2016 goals

So finally I am sharing my 2016 goals.  In a nutshell, they can be summarised as "Habits that will sustain me".

I explain it all in more detail in the video:

So far I've been doing fairly well with my goals - it makes such a difference when the goals have been set prayerfully and honestly rather than a list of things I think would sound good or should be on my list!

How are your goals going?  Leave a comment to let me know how you've been getting on!

What's the plan for 2016?

Welcome to 2016!  How has it been so far?  The way this year started is the complete opposite of how 2015 started.

At the end of 2014, I rather unusually did not have a plan.  I headed out to Watchnight Service with no agenda for 2015.  At the service, God gave me a few pointers and I just focussed on trying to stick to them in 2015.  What followed was an amazing year where I experienced breakthrough, deliverance and a new found direction for my life.

There were some things that I hoped would happen in 2015 (primarily a pregnancy) but it didn't.  Yet 2015 proved to be a life changing year!

2016 has started with a much greater focus.  I headed off to Watchnight service at the end of 2015 with a vague outline of what I would like to see in 2016, and my dear faithful God helped to refine it to a focussed action plan.

There is much for me to do in 2016.  Primarily working towards a big project for 2017 (I'll share more details later), but God has also been challenging me to pour out more of myself into others.  So this year, I will be attempting to start blogging a bit more regularly.  This is quite a challenge as I also hope to be consistent with my YouTube channel as well.

So I am asking for your help! What would you like to see on this blog in the year of 2016?

Write a comment below to let me know what you would like me to write about this year.

God bless,
Cece xxx

The Year That Was .... 2015

2015 has been a whirlwind of a year.  I have experienced heights that I have never encountered before and found a new focus in life.  This year I have pushed out into the world of YouTube and I'm loving it, so it is only natural that I would do my annual review there.

Have a look at the highs and lows of 2015, along with a few favourites of 2015.

I pray that 2016 is an amazing year for you.  May God reveal more of Himself to you and may you be forever transformed for the better as you encounter more of His love in 2016.

God bless,

Cece xxx