Wrapping Up the Year and I Can't Even!

 

Logged into my blog to make sure I'm ready to start blogging in the new year. Found many random images from my posts suddenly missing (showing as broken images in the edit mode) from the posts themselves, the blog view, and from the archive. Uggggggh this is so frustrating! Looked up a bunch of helps that didn't work, and the screen shot feature is not working in Blogger help. So, I have no idea what to do. For now, I think I'm just going to say oh, well, even though it was a lot of time and effort transferring them over here from my now deleted other blog. I may just leave them and continue on "fresh," or maybe in my slow clean-up I will find and add new images or the few archived images that appear to be left. I have some on my laptop, but most of them are on the old one that is no longer in service. Anyway. For me, this is just the cherry on top to 2021.

There, I've had my vent and I will now let it go. (I think.) Going into 2022 doesn't feel like a clean slate, just like going into 2021. But, I still like to try. So I will (hopefully) relax this evening, have a fun day tomorrow, and get back to it on Monday while trying to conjure a fresh start. OK, maybe not so much conjuring, but I have a feeling this next year is going to need a lot of prayer from the Lord's saints.

Besides being in the Word every day, my first mini-goal for 2022 will be getting back to menu planning. 2 weeks at a time, and maybe I'll work my way up to a month. I would love to see any goals you have in the comments!

Have a fun, safe night everyone! Happy New Year!

Cleaning Up the Blog

Now that I have all my posts here in one place, it's time to putter around the blog and clean up! Not going to stress about this. I'm just starting at the beginning and "polish up" my older posts, fixing broken emojis, and labeling everything. That way, everything looks nicer and the label section in the sidebar will be a little easier to navigate. Plus, it's a wonderful trip down memory lane! I started blogging in December 2005 WAY back on a site that was called Homeschool Blogger. Eventually, I went to Xanga, then a free Wordpress blog, then here. Then, 3 years ago for my birthday, Hubby bought me a hosting service and domain name because there was a great deal I had found. At that time, it was hard to find a free site where there wasn't a limit on pictures and media, and so that was the trouble I was running into and was willing to open up a site I had to pay for. Now, the 3 years is up and the deal? Not so great anymore. Couldn't justify it. Thankfully, this site has improved so that I've been able to transfer all my posts, pictures, media, and all, and it's no problem! Sure, the format is more simple and not as "pretty," but I'm more than okay with that now that I've experienced the other side of it. I like simple.

Anyway, all the different blogs I've had over the years are all here, and that makes me happy! It's fun to go back and not only relive those memories, but also to see how my writing and blogging style has evolved over the years. And I'm excited to write more now that the process is simplified once again.

In the meantime, there's plenty of content to explore if you feel like looking around a bit. I know I will be. 😉 Thanks for reading, and I hope you all are having a healthy, wonderful weekend!

Feeling Lighter

 

Hello and welcome to MamaWit Haven! If you are here from my old blog, it is so good to see you again! If you are new, welcome! Either way, if you like the content I would love for you to follow me. Just scroll down the sidebar a bit and hit the Follow button.

I know it may seem insignificant to some, but I am feeling a lot lighter now that I have all my posts from the other blog transferred here. It was a lot more work than I thought it would be, with the different block formats, and making sure all the links to posts within the blog were re-linked correctly. It was a lot of work that I had put into many of those posts, and I didn't want to lose them! I was worried I wasn't going to have time to get them all before I lost access, but I have finally made it with a little over a week to spare! I am celebrating with an extra cup of coffee.

With the other blog, I think it's a tad obvious, I got burnt out big time. I started feeling too obligated to keep it up, and that's never good. I had started out just wanting it to be what it was...a way to share my life a little bit with anyone who could be inspired by what I wrote. I love writing. I also love Jesus, homemaking, homeschooling, being a wife and a mother. So why not tie it all together in a little corner of my own? Then I suddenly found myself in a few groups with collabs and deadlines. Now don't get me wrong! There is nothing wrong with those groups, and I really got to love some of the ladies I came to know through them. Those groups are really good for those who have a focus on where they want their site to go and want it to grow. And I got caught up in that for awhile. But, that wasn't really the intended purpose of my blog. I just wanted to write from the heart how and when I felt like it. To share my thoughts and share the little bit that I know. And definitely have fun doing it. Now that I'm back to a more "basic" blog, all those things are exactly what I intend to get back to.

So, yes, I am SO HAPPY that I have that final obligation behind me. And I can't wait to get back to blogging MY WAY. But, for this week, I am going to enjoy my family and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I pray you are all well and doing the same. Merry Christmas!

Book of Mottoes for June 2019

 

Hey, everyone! I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend! Being that it's just about the end of June, I thought I would start a new monthly share.

This past month, I had my boys each start a Book of Mottoes as a part of their Language Arts. I first read about this from the Simply Charlotte Mason website, as something that Charlotte Mason herself had her students keep. I have also seen this called a Commonplace Book. Basically, it's a notebook where you write down quotes or sayings as you hear or read them, that speak to you. I really love this idea, so I decided to start my own Book of Mottoes!

As I have added to my own book, I realized that you could really get to know a person by looking at what they choose to keep in this book. So, I thought I'd share some of the sayings I collected throughout the month.

Mom's Book of Mottoes-taken throughout June 2019

"Duty makes us do things well;
love makes us do them beautifully."
~Zig Ziglar

"I am. I can. I ought. I will."
~Charlotte Mason

"Never back down! Never gonna quit!"
~Lanco (a country music band, from their song "Rival." Hubby and I love this song!)

"We need to take our mission, but not ourselves, seriously."
~Unknown

"One settles down into a sort of selfish seriousness, but one has to rise to a gay self-forgetfulness. Seriousness is not a virtue, seriousness is a vice. It is really a natural trend, or lapse, into taking oneself gravely, because it is the easiest thing to do. Solemnity flows out of men naturally, but laughter is a leap. It's easy to be heavy, hard to be light. And Satan fell by the force of gravity."
~G.K. Chesterton

"Cease endlessly striving for what you would like to do, and learn to love what must be done."
~Goethe

Readjustment and Light School Days

This week has been a period of transition and readjustment for our family, as my husband temporarily goes back to working afternoons/evenings instead of days.  He's had a chaotic schedule this week, so we've had a little less time of school at the table, and a little more time than usual of life school.  There are still days that I struggle with feeling like we're behind.  Days that I need to remind myself that worrying about those things defeats the purpose of our decision to homeschool.  The only schedule we really have to worry about is God's.  ;-)

It seems that Spring has finally sprung here in Minnesota, and I think it might be finally safe to say we won't have to worry about snow anytime soon.  But, please don't fling any tomatoes my way if it turns out I'm wrong.  This IS Minnesota, after all, and I think I will give it another week before putting the winter gear away for the season!

I did want to share a resource I learned about from a fellow blogger.  These videos from Summit Curriculum are excellent.  They are aimed at the middle school level, but I also think they would be very good for for those at the high school level as well.  I'm even enjoying them as an adult!  Per Angel's suggestion, the first one I watched was "Guard Your Heart."  It is excellent, and I highly recommend it.  On one of the hectic days this week, I watched it with my oldest and we discussed it.  That was our school for the day!  I have also watched "Six Great Questions," "Dear Uncle," "The Case for Abortion," and "Marriage and Family."  All excellent, and I'm looking forward to when I can carve out some time to watch some more.  :-)

Shall we continue?

So, it seems I've been gone from the blogosphere for a little while.  Back in June 2011 my husband and I made the decision to get the internet and cable out of our home for a period indefinite.  We just needed a break from all the hoopla.  And a break we got!  Sure, there were occasional trips to the library to check in, and I would get on when my phone would pick up a wi-fi signal, but other than that, it was completely out of our home.  It was definitely nice...sometimes.  We all really enjoyed not having the distraction, but every once in awhile situations popped up that definitely made us think that life would be a whole lot easier if we could hop online and find the info instantly.  Now, don't get me wrong...we survived without the internet just fine (just like people did before the internet was around), and we could continue to survive without the internet just fine if we had to or desired to.  However, because it's there and because right now we can, we have made the decision to bring it back into our home.

There weren't a whole lot of things I missed, but of the few, blogging was a pretty big one.  I realize I'm not the world's greatest writer and that my blog has no "official" following at the moment (and I wasn't exactly "big time" before we went offline, either!), but blogging has been something that I've always enjoyed, even if I wasn't always consistent with it.

Having said that, it has been 3 days since we've been back online here and I am just now writing this post.  Why, when I'm so excited to get blogging?  Well, I wanted to get all the re-exploring out of my system first.  Catching up on Facebook with a real keyboard instead of using the hunt-and-peck method on a phone, re-visiting old favorite sites and making sure favorite recipe sites were still up and running, and cleaning out my e-mail account, groups, and reader account.  Now that those things are for the most part taken care of, I can sit down, relax, pray over, and think about what I really want to write about.

To me, this is kind of like a fresh start, a clean slate.  A time to really think about where I want this blog to go.  Or more like, a time to pray about where God wants to take this and ask Him to use my writing and this blog to glorify Him.  And may it be so.

Thoughts to Ponder

I'm currently reading a book called Plain Living: A Quaker Path to Simplicity, and found this quote interesting:

Boredom with the ongoing grind of the real world leads to predictable responses: "Let's rent a video/go shopping/surf the Internet."  Spiritual seeking leads to a bunch of uncomfortable questions: "Why am I bored?  What void is this boredom telling me I need to fill?  What will I discover if I just try to sit through my boredom?"  Most days, most of us would rather rent a video than wrestle with our soul's hunger for meaning...     Henry Sessions, 1999

Finally Friday!

Weekend plans, anyone?  I think this is the first weekend this year that is both A) supposed to be nice (weather-wise, anyway), and B) is a weekend that my hubby has off at the same time.  :)

Number one priority for me is getting my 2 1/2-year-old boy potty trained.  We just started today, and so far, we've had 2 accidents and NOTHING in the potty so far.  This time, I'm not worried or stressed in any way like I was with the first two.  I'm just going to keep on with the training, and it will happen in God's good time.  :)

Another big happening this weekend is the spring cleaning of our shed.  Hubby and sons will be going through the shed, sorting, getting rid of things, and making room.  Then, we can finally put away the Christmas bins that are taking up precious space in my laundry room.  LOL!  Yes, I am very excited.  We had meant to do this for the last few weekends now, but the weather just did not want to cooperate.  Now the chilly, gloomy part of the week has come to a close and has made way for blue skies and sunshine!

What are your plans for the weekend?

Almost there

Obviously, I've been away from the blogging world for awhile.  For Lent this year, I decided to give up being on the internet when my 2 youngest sons were awake.  :)  So the only time I've been on lately is nap and bed times.  That time has been mostly given to Facebook, posting an occasional update and keeping up with family and friends.

It's been nice, and I know I'll probably keep a good habit of not being online as much as I used to, I gotta say, it will be nice to be back to a not-so-restrictive schedule.  I have found during this time, that I REALLY like using the boys' nap time to either take a nap myself or to curl up with a book and just read...no internet and no TV.  And of course, by bed time, who cares what we had for dinner?  ;)  That's one of my favorite things to post on Facebook, as it somewhat keeps me on my toes in making sure I'm not slacking on menu planning.

So, there's only a couple of days left of my self-imposed internet restriction, so today for nap time as well as a bit last night at bed time, I've been preparing my Twitter account.  I've had an account there for awhile, but it's been dormant for some time, so I decided to spruce it up a bit and start using it.  :)  I've also connected it to my Facebook and connected both to my blog feed, so this blog post is also sort of a test to make sure it works.

Plans for my blog?  Yes, I know I keep saying I want to write more regularly, but what I'm thinking I'll do is write some posts ahead of time and schedule them to come out on certain days.  That way, when I know I'm going to have a chunk of time, I can dedicate it to writing and stop flying by the seat of my pants so much.  ;)  I also have plans to get my food blog back out of dormancy as well.

No Resolutions Here, Just Renewed Goals

While I have come to view New Year's Resolutions with slight distain, I can't help but think about changes that need to be made and a renewed sense of purpose as the year comes to a close and a new year approaches.  In my head, resolutions are easily broken, too "set in stone."  It's either do it or don't, with no gray area in between.  However, I do recognize changes that need to be made, especially since the chaos of the holiday season usually throws many good habits to the wayside in our home.

When I set a goal or purpose to do something, I tend to pursue it full hilt, until I crash and burn.  With the list of changes I want to make floating around in my head, it seems as if that may be the case again, so I want to make sure and do this right.  No pressure.  :)

One of my goals for the upcoming year (although certainly not the first priority!) is to blog more regularly.  So with that, I intend to blog each of my goals in detail over the coming weeks.  Not only will that give me writing material, it will also help me really work out these goals in my mind, solidifying a good plan to actually carry them out and see them through to accomplishment.

So, for this, my first post in this "series," I really want to get a general idea of what I (and my family) want to accomplish this year.  Most of my goals have to do with habits.

1.  Godly/Bible habits
2.  Wifely habits
3.  Mommy habits/schooling habits
4.  Eating habits
5.  Exercise habits/health goals
6.  Internet habits
7.  TV habits
8.  Clutter-collecting habits
9.  Cleaning/homekeeping habits
10. Having fun habits :)

So, right there, it looks like I have ten posts coming up.  ;)  But, as someone who really doesn't like most things being absolutely resolute, they will be written as I have time.  And who knows, I may decide to do a few sub-posts on one habit, while skimming over another.  LOL!  But, it will be mine, and it will come from my heart, with guidance from the Lord.

Today, I have my son's birthday party to get ready for tomorrow (which is also my birthday, although his was earlier this week).  So, I will be busy with preparations for that as I hope for the family to be able to relax later.  :)  So, I wish you all a wonderful and blessed New Year's!

Restructuring the family routine, and a few new rules

It all started with sewing patches.  My oldest son is in his first year of the Boy Scouts, so I found myself sewing a lot of patches onto his new shirt a few days ago.  I'm a pretty amateur sewer on the machine, but especially with hand stitching.  I definitely improved my skills and patience, though!  :)  Hubby and I were talking about improving my sewing capabilities, and he said he was thinking of getting me a new sewing machine.  The machine I have now was his grandmother's, who passed away before he and I met.  She got it in the 60's, I believe.  When I first got it, I couldn't get it to sew without breaking thread, so he took it in for a tune-up, after which it worked pretty well.  That was about 3 years ago.  Shortly after we moved into this house, not quite 2 years ago, it started acting up again and I haven't been able to use it.  I've been wanting to get it in for another tune-up, but hubby said with what it costs for a tune-up every year or two, we'd be better off getting a new one.

That long story to say, I knew the first thing I wanted to make once I get my new machine and get a little more proficient at sewing:  a cover for the TV.  We have a LCD mounted on our living room wall, and I'm thinking something with elastic around the edge, kind of like those plastic wrap bowl covers that you just slip over the top.  But bigger and made of fabric.  And for the TV.  :)  We had gotten in the habit of having the TV on A LOT lately...even if we weren't watching, it was background.  The day after my TV cover idea, hubby came to me and said he wants the TV off from now on.  The only time we will have it on is as a treat or for special occasions, like football.  ;)  Hubby and I do have kind of a nightly "date" thing going where we watch an episode or two of CSI: NY on the blue-ray player before we go to bed, but it's always after the kids are all in bed and sleeping.  Yesterday was our first full day with no TV, and it didn't go quite as bad as I thought.  In fact, I swear the kids were in a better mood.  We're doing more fun things now, like playing board games or Go Fish, or reading together.  And doing more not-so-fun things, but things that really need to get done, like getting the house clean and organized, and thinking about getting ready for the upcoming holidays (okay, that last part is fun, at least for me!).

Another bad habit we had gotten ourselves into (and I think this one just naturally goes with having the TV on all the time) is not eating at the dinner table.  So, we re-instituted that rule yesterday as well.  And it has been nothing but wonderful.  :)  I really thought there would be protesting about this one, but the kids were actually excited.  And we're not just doing dinner, or just when Daddy's home.  EVERY meal is eaten together at the table.  I can't even describe to you what a wonderful time of fellowship and bonding this has been for us as a family already.  Not to mention, eating meals at the table forces me to make sure that I have meals planned out.  Yikes, I have let myself slip into these bad habits around the house lately, and meal planning (or lack thereof) has probably been the most disastrous.  It becomes too much of a free-for-all and it's too costly!

It's only been a day, but I am absolutely loving the changes that are already taking place because of these new "rules."  I'm already thinking about other things I can do to minister to my family and make this a more joyful household.  The next thing to work on is definitely my computer time.  I'm not constantly on the computer, but it's always ON (with the internet always up), and so easy to slip on for "just a few minutes."  It doesn't help that the chair at the computer desk has sort of become "my chair," either.  Even if I'm not on the computer, it's where I gravitate to when we're relaxing, or when I'm knitting, or reading, etc.  So, of course, that makes it even easier to slip on and see what's going on around the internet world.  So, I'm trying to change that.  I'm not there yet, but my goal is to have the computer logged off the internet and on sleep mode unless it's nap time or the kids are sleeping for the night.  Or, unless I need a recipe or something else pertinent that I need to look up while we're homeschooling.  The good thing is, is that when I AM on the computer, my time will be more focused and purposeful (such as planned blog posts, as I've been wanting to do!), as opposed to the "mindless wandering" I sometimes do.

I'm really excited about these changes, and, as always, I can't wait to see the plans that the Lord has for my family!

Getting back in shape!

Even with year-round homeschooling, a lot of the structure I had previously established has fallen to the wayside in these late summer months.  And I am definitely beginning to feel the effects.  So, in the next few days, I will be working on getting back into shape, and I'm not just talking physically.  Three main things I want to focus on getting into shape are myself (both spiritually and physically), my family, and my home.

I had a good thing going with weight-loss, but that has come to a standstill as of late, and I fear that if I don't get active regularly again very soon, things may take a turn in a direction I'm not willing to go again.  I am really feeling the effects of my lack of activity lately, and I know I need to make being active a top priority right now.  Because if I'm not feeling good physically, it will do me no good to attempt the other things I want to do.  So first and foremost, I will be working on stricter menu plans that are healthy for myself and my family.  Coming in an extremely close second, will be making sure I have time carved out every day for getting a workout in, as well as making sure I get the kids out for a daily walk as long as it's nice outside.

The other aspect of getting myself into shape (and the most important one!) is making sure I am in the Word every day.  I finished reading through the bible a couple of weeks ago, and have decided to start a chronological bible reading plan this go around that I found here.  I've been reading every night before I turn in, so that aspect has been going well.  Now, I just want to make sure that I'm reading daily, and then I will hopefully be able to increase the time I spend doing that.  The one thing that I'm really working on is LISTENING, and not just reading.  I hate to admit it, but sometimes I get so caught up in reading a certain amount every day, that I forget to really absorb what God is trying to say to me.  So I am really praying that the Lord will give me a calm and peaceful heart, and a quiet mind, so that I can hear Him.  :)

As for getting the family into shape, I have a wonderful relationship with my husband...but I really want to make sure I'm reinforcing that, and I plan to pick up the Proverbs 31 study again very soon.  I have a pretty good relationship with my kids, too, but I am really working on my patience (or more like, God is working on it!) and having a meek and quiet spirit.  I really need to learn to "stop and smell the roses," so to speak...to just slow down and enjoy the time God has given me with these precious blessings, and teach them to enjoy and serve each other, as well!

As far as the house goes, I'm really split on how high up on the priority list I want to put it.  Right now, because of the de-cluttering and the fact that our yard sale has gotten postponed until a couple of weeks from now, certain areas of the house are a disaster.  The laundry room has become our "holding area" for yard sale things, and it's really decreased the functionality of that room.  This is one of those areas that comes around full circle back to working on me, because I really have a hard time functioning with a lot of clutter around.  So, I think I will pray that God will either help me to let go of that mental block or give me the energy to get it done without taking time away from the other priorities.  ;)

This post was basically me thinking and planning "out loud."  I also am hoping to put together a list of blog topics and blogging schedule soon, so that I have a more regular stream of posts here.  So, stay tuned and join me on my journey to get back into shape!

Get Excited!

Major progress has been made recently in my de-cluttering quest.  The gradual process spoken of in my last post was not needed.    My hubby got a hankering to de-clutter, and that's when you know it's going to be a DEEP clean.  :)  Now, it's all fine and good when I de-clutter by myself, but there's only so much I can do, not only physically, but also in the way of WHAT I can get rid of.  I know my hubby doesn't appreciate the "Honey, do you want to keep this, or get rid of it?" every 5 minutes, so I don't do it.  :) Not to mention, my husband can get done in a day, what usually takes me a week.  LOL!

So, yes, I was VERY excited when my hubby told me he wanted to get rid of clutter.  And then what happened?  The KIDS got excited and wanted to get rid of some of their stuff, too!  Yay!  :)  They did a very good job of going through their toys, and actually got rid of quite a bit, and were very willing to part with what Mom and Dad suggested, too.  They were also so nice about passing some things down to their little brother.

We now have some things to list on ebay and craig's list, as well as enough for a yard sale!  We love having yard sales, and so do the kids!  They get to help out and be outside all day, plus, we let them keep the money on anything of theirs that they sell.

I'm not totally done going through the house yet, but we are planning on having our sale this coming weekend, so I have the rest of the week to finish up.  My point is, if you want your kids to get excited about something, YOU need to get excited!  It's catchy.  :)

A new endeavor

Since I love to blog anyway and share my opinions (and really, who couldn't use a few extra dollars here and there?), I have decided to become an Amazon Associate.  Which means occasionally here on my blog, I will be sharing product and book reviews.  Those reviews will include a link to the product on amazon.com, where if the link is clicked through and a purchase is made (on anything, not just the original product), I will get a little commission for the sale.

It's really not much (although there's good potential there!), but my dear hubby has been working so hard lately so we can get ALL of our debt paid off, and I figure it's a good thing if I can do what I'm already doing and contribute just a little to the effort.  :)

Now, back to regularly scheduled programming...

Kicking out the robber

Yesterday, I finished reading Homeschooling With a Meek and Quiet Spirit, by Teri Maxwell.  I thank the Lord for what He showed me while reading that book.  Having a meek and quiet spirit is something I have struggled with for awhile now, and I've finally made the connection to a major robber of a meek and quiet spirit, thanks to this book.

My own mom was a stay-at-home mom until I was in high school.  Being a stay-at-home-mom myself, I have been holding myself to the same housekeeping standard that she kept.  I mean, I'm at home, with no other outside job, so my house should look nice.  Right?  And everything should be done by dinner time, so that when dishes are done, it's time for myself and the family to relax.  Shouldn't it?  I can attest to the fact that being at home is MUCH harder than anything I've done for outside work...although I will say, it's definitely not as stressful.  The only person's schedule you really have to follow is your husband's (or your own, if your husband is not big on sticking to schedules around the home-front), and he's usually a LOT nicer than a boss.  :)  Yes, staying at home IS harder, but I knew that and was prepared for that when I signed up for the job.  What I wasn't prepared for, however, was the whirlwind and utter exhaustion each day brought by it's end.  My husband kept telling me I was doing too much, while not getting the big things done...I'm a very detailed person, so when I take on a project, it can take me forever making sure I have it done just so, much to the detriment of things like meals and school.

Last night's reading brought on a light bulb moment for me.  Teri explained in her book that many stay-at-home, homeschooling moms today had stay-at-home-moms themselves.  These mothers have set these high standards for the homes that many of us try to hold to ourselves.  But here's the kicker:  Most of these moms (including my own) SENT THEIR KIDS OFF TO SCHOOL FOR 6-7 HOURS A DAY.  Did you get that?  I'm not knocking my mom, or any other mom, who sends their kids to school.  What I'm saying is, those moms had 6-7 hours each day kid-free!  That's when most of them did their housework, virtually free of distraction...kid distraction, anyway.  Plus, they didn't have messes being made during that time, and (most of the time) no one was home for lunch, so she just had to worry about herself for that meal.

So, here I am, not only with my kids home all day, but dedicating several hours to homeschooling.  On top of that, I've everyone but hubby here for all three meals (plus snacks, don't forget the snacks!), so more time gets spent on that, as well.  THEN, I am trying to get the same amount of housework done that my mom did, in the same time frame!  As you can guess, many days it hasn't all gotten done, and I drive myself insane with unnecessary pressure, all the while thinking that was just how it was supposed to be.  Duh!

After I read that chapter, I just sat staring at the ceiling for a good five minutes, thinking in amazement and asking God why I never made this connection before.  Seriously, you know it's really bad when *I* actually admit I was doing too much.  But it's true.  The most important things, like school and well-planned meals, had been suffering to let little, less important details take the front seat.  No more.

My way of thinking has done a complete turn-around.  I'm going back to the bare-bones basics around the house and bringing those important things back to where they belong, front and center.  I am working on readjusting my priorities as they should be...God, husband, children, everything else if there's time and I feel like it.  Do I want a super clean house?  Of course, but not more than I want my kids to be well trained and educated, and certainly not more than I want my husband to be happy.  I will keep the basics as far as housework goes...meals, laundry, dishes...and if I want to do anything else, I now realize that instead of cutting into the time it takes to make good meals or homeschool, I will have to find time somewhere else, AFTER those things are taken care of.  And if those extra things don't get done, I'm not going to kick myself about it.  And if I choose to do that work in the evening instead of relaxing, that's my choice, and that's perfectly okay.  As a homeschooling mom, my schedule is going to look very different from a non-homeschooling mom's, and, as I now realize, that's okay, too.  So if you happen to stop by my house and it's NOT clean (gasp!), just know that I had bigger priorities on my plate that day.  :)

Getting back into the swing of things

Oh, boy, there is so much on my plate right now it's not even funny. But the Good Lord has been getting me through. :) Yes, I have obviously taken a blogging break, and for now, I am taking a bit of a break from my Proverbs 31 study.

I kicked off the New Year with my birthday, and then an exacerbation of my MS symptoms. We had hosted Christmas, and with all I had going on, I had missed a few of my shots. The medication I had to take to help with the exacerbation took me on a whirlwind of not-so-fun side effects that lasted longer than usual. But, I'm all better now, and don't plan on missing my shots like that again!

The hubby took on another job as a paid on-call firefighter at our local fire station. As such, he is now going to school again to further his training. I am so proud of him! It has meant even more diligence is needed from me on the homefront, but I thrive on the pressure. ;) I came up with a much better routine for my household tasks, and it has been working great so far! I will try and post more details sometime this week.

Also, both the hubby and I have been losing weight! We are not on any particular diet (I have been sworn off diets for quite awhile now), just watching our calories and making sure we try and get in some exercise everyday. During these winter months, the Wii Fit has been working great for us. I have lost 11 pounds since mid-January, and I feel great and am looking forward to many more pounds lost! :)

Speaking of winter months, I do believe it is officially March and I have a bad case of spring fever! During the day here, it's been beautiful, and the snow is quickly melting away. I cannot wait to throw open all the windows and get some fresh air into this house.

As far as the kids go, I see it's time to get back to training better. Isaac, who's now almost 20 months old, has not been responding to "no" very well and has begun throwing tantrums over everything! Most people say it's because of his red hair, but I know better...it's because of a lack of consistency from Mamma.

I'd like to get back to the Proverbs 31 study soon, especially during this season in my life. It may be busy, but what better time is there to study what the Proverbs 31 woman does? :)

A year with a deep focus on family, health, and home

I refused to do New Year's resolutions this year. I have given up on New Year's resolutions because, well, I always give up on New Year's resolutions. LOL!

However, I do have a vision for how I want this year to go (I know, I know, when we plan, God laughs). My aim (not just for the New Year) is for a closer family, for a home that is a sanctuary, and for good health for my family. I don't have a "start date", or a certain time that I want to accomplish these goals by, but rather, little things I want to start implementing a little at a time. I don't want to set myself or my family up for failure! All I want to see by the end of the year, is that my family has grown in their relationships with each other, that we are at least a little healthier than we are now, and that our home is a little bit cozier.

The first thing I have in mind, that will cover all three of my goals, is to make a habit of eating every meal we can *together* at the table. Over the last year, we have gotten out of the habit of that, and I want it back!

Also this week, as soon as all the pop is gone from the house, that's it, it's not coming back. That has to be the number one diet killer. It will be mostly water for us from now on if we are thirsty (the kids don't drink pop anyway, this one's mostly for Mom and Dad!). If we want a "treat," we do like the Arizona green tea and tend to keep that in our fridge, so we can have that. :) This is how it will be with most things in our diet...I don't like picking a start date for quitting something, only to have to throw whatever it is away and waste hard-earned money. We will just gradually replace our foods with healthier things as we are ready.

I think the only goal for my home this week is to get the Christmas things put away, and to keep it picked up and maintain laundry. There are so many things I have in mind for our home, but I am teaching myself to be content with what I have. I know that I can make our home a sanctuary more by the work of my hands, than by spending money on things that are not necessary. There will come a time for that when we are financially able, but for the moment, I am content to work with what I've got, which is already way more than enough. :)

Lisa

And yet a little while longer...

All I can say is, What a month! I really am going to commence posting soon...as soon as our routine is back to normal. Yikes, we've been going back and forth with illness in this house for about a month now, with it culminating last Thursday (after I had a Wednesday night fever of 106 YIKES!) with a trip to urgent care for our. whole. family. Yes, you heard that right, all five of us waited right on through dinner time for our turn. And then they couldn't take all five at once, so I went in with the baby and hubby went in with the other two boys. We left with hubby having a sinus infection and possible flu, myself having an ear infection (which has since turned double) and possible flu, Vinny our horse being perfectly fine, Andrew with the beginnings of an ear infection and possible flu, and the baby got away with an eye infection and a cold. So we headed on home with our 500 pound bag of prescriptions and are praying for TOTAL healing soon! I wonder how long it will be before we can laugh at this? I guess the fun side was that we were eating dinner when the youngers should have been in bed. Could you call that fun? I think the kids probably could. But I digress...

All that to say, I totally miss blogging and will be back soon, but as I'm getting better, my main priority is to make sure our home is CLEAN and that I'm getting back to cooking our meals. :) At least it will be a good time (at least for ME anyway!) to go back over what I've already worked on in Proverbs 31 and have a refresher week, and get myself back on track there. Although, hopefully, I think I can say besides being able to do meals, I haven't really gotten off track. :)

Anyways...

Lisa

Up to my ears in apples

When we moved into our new house last year, it came with an already mature apple tree in the back yard. Yay! While the apples are not necessarily completely ready to harvest, lots of perfectly good apples have fallen on the ground, and the boys are quick to pick them up. ;)

We already have counted over 100 just off the ground alone, so I decided I better get busy finding ways to use them. The other day, I made a big pan of apple crisp, and today I got to work looking for other ways to preserve them. I made a crock pot full of applesauce, which I am in the middle of getting canned right now. After the kids go to sleep, I will also be making apple pie filling to can, using this recipe. I will probably also be making apple butter soon, too.

Here's the way I made the applesauce. I cored and quartered apples until they filled my crock pot. I added a cup of water and turned the crock pot on high until I could hear them boiling when I opened the lid. Then I turned them down to low and cooked them until they were very soft. I then ran the apples through my food mill to get rid of the peels and mush them into sauce. I put the sauce right back into the crock pot and added 1 cup of sugar and cooked it on low for about another hour. It turned out perfect!

Okay, my canner is boiling, so I better go take care of business. :)

Lisa

Proverbs 31 Offshoot 1

And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not. 1 Timothy 5:13

Today I posted on facebook that as of Friday morning, my account would be disabled. Why? I was reading in Created to Be His Helpmeet last night and was convicted. A section having to do with the above verse caught my attention and really convicted me. I may be at home, but by means of the internet, and especially facebook, I had been "wandering about from house to house" and using facebook "breaks" as a means to be a busybody. It had been taking up more and more of my time lately, and preventing me from being a good keeper of my home, mother to my children, and wife to my husband. And the most heartbreaking of all, the enemy had been using it to put more and more distance between myself and my Lord...and I was letting him do it. I was not really aware of it at the time, but still, I let him do it.

So, at that moment, I decided I was going to disable my account on facebook. And you know what? The Lord has already given me incredible peace about this and even excitement and relief. I will miss "being in the loop," but at the same time, it will be a relief not feeling "obligated" to keep up on things, and instead focus more on what I need to be doing in my OWN home. Yes, at the moment, my home is clean and the kids are behaving fairly well...but ever since I started getting more and more involved on facebook, things have ever so slowly been deteriorating around here. More and more I have felt myself struggle to do even the simple tasks I am supposed to be doing. More and more, I have felt myself become annoyed at being "bothered." Oy! Luckily, the Lord spoke to me and I responded before there were too many pieces to pick up, but there are, nonetheless, pieces to pick up. I almost feel like I have to start our routines all over again, and that is going to be HARD, but with the Lord's help, I will do it!

I am still keeping up my blog (I've been loving doing the Proverbs 31 study!), but my going around "visiting house to house" via *reading* blogs is going to be considerably lessened, if not stopped at least for a little while. I've noticed even that stresses me at times with thoughts of, "I wonder if I should be doing it that way, or that way, or that way..." which I have touched on before and have already significantly reduced the number of blogs I read. I have gone through my reader, and I now only have a select few blogs that I will keep on there. From my internet de-clutter before, I still only have one message board that I belong to, and have not joined any more, nor WILL I be joining anymore.

Ladies, PLEASE be careful out there. I strongly encourage you to not only *think* about the time you spend on the internet and how it affects your duties at home, but also to PRAY about it, and listen to what God is telling you! It is so convenient and easy (just a mouse click away!) to slip into the cares and worries of this world and let it take you away from what you are supposed to be doing. Let me leave you with another verse that is good to think on.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8

Lisa