motherhood
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my favorite podcasts.
I’m having so much fun with podcasts these days! I sort of dabbled in listening to them last year, then took a break for awhile, and now I’m back full-force. I think it just took me some time to find out what I do and don’t enjoy. Your tastes may be completely different from mine, but I thought I’d take a few minutes to share the podcasts I’m listening to these days in case you want to check them out. Or, better yet, in case just the idea of listening to podcasts inspires you to go out and find some that you love. But a couple of things before I…
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spring semester.
We’re ten days into our spring semester of school! I always try to take some time in between to sit and evaluate our previous semester, and then make a plan for the next one. The last month or so of school dragged, friends. It felt like pulling teeth to get our work finished. There are just so.many.distractions with four kids. Day after day of not feeling like I could finish a complete sentence, much less a reading lesson in one sitting, made me feel frazzled and very tired. I’m so glad I planned to start school at the beginning of August expressly so that we could have a three-week break…
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what worked and what didn’t in 2015.
As I sat down last week to reflect on the last year, I used an idea from Modern Mrs. Darcy, and came up with a list of things that worked for me in 2015 and things that didn’t. It’s been such a helpful exercise that I thought I’d post my list for you. Not only does it give me some direction for 2016, but it’s allowed me to realize that I’m actually on the right track in several areas of personal habits. Rather than feel the overwhelming need to switch everything up, I just need to grow in a couple areas and then keep on with what’s working. And that’s…
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the sort-of-getaway.
I’m going to tell you up front; this is a story about being disappointed. This weekend I was headed to the Wild & Free homeschool conference in Williamsburg, Virginia, and I was really, really excited. I choose this particular conference in order to hear two of my favorite homeschool voices, Susan Wise Bauer and Sarah Mackenzie, speak, and because I like the encouraging ethos of the Wild & Free community. But there were so many other fun things about the trip, namely, a weekend away, all by myself. Two six-hour road trips alone! (you know you’re in a desperate place when you get excited about those car rides). A cozy…
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five months.
Our boys have now been with us five months, and we have wonderful moments and other moments that can only be described as desperate. I took Gabriel and Noah to our pediatrician soon after they came home in April, and she told me, “Expect a good six months’ adjustment period for every member of your family.” I so appreciated her wisdom. I was worried about many things. But she said she didn’t want to consider any kind of next steps until we reached that six month mark. She said, “The very most healing thing for all of you is to be home together as a family. Just be patient.” That…
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2 months.
Our little boys have been home for two months now. Here are 20 ways that my life has changed since April: 1. One word: laundry. 2. Another word: dishes. 3. I forgot how physical life with small children is, with all the carrying and dressing and wrestling into carseats and putting to bed. Consequently, I feel wrinkled and dirty all the time. I now see why many moms look frumpy. And I’m too tired to care. 4. Our family can easily put away a 9X13 casserole in one sitting. 5. I’m hard-pressed to be able to finish a complete thought, much less a sentence. 6. I forget things. A lot.…
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sunday.
It’s Sunday. The re-set day. The day I look forward to all week. Of all the challenges right now, God has preserved Sunday morning as a joyful time for me. Each of my four children loves church so much and I don’t take that for granted. Not one bit. It’s nothing short of a blessing, because I need to be there so badly. My soul is hungry. I’m neck-deep in my own sin these days, folks. I can’t tell you about any one thing that’s so dreadful. Everyone is sleeping through the night. Friends and family are helpful. I’m getting time out by myself on Friday afternoons. None of our…
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it’s the best of mother’s days.
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waiting.
I’ve been trying to think up this blog post in my head for a couple weeks now. But I’m struggling to find words for this season of my life. We’ve been officially waiting for a baby for two months, and the hard-ness of these two months has caught me by surprise. I honestly did not expect to find it difficult. I think I worked so hard just to get through our process, to do absolutely everything I could: fill out every paper, meet every deadline, answer every question. I figured the actual wait would be restful in comparison. Life is busy and Christmas is coming and I thought I’d just…
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day 17: a letter to baby #3.
Dear sweet baby, Today we got approved for adoption; we’re now officially a Waiting Family. You have no idea what this means to me. You’ve been in my heart for such a long time. Did you know that we tried to start the adoption process to meet you when Judah was just a year old? But God closed the door then, and He gave us sweet Amelie. Then we moved to another country and we thought surely you would be waiting for us there. Once again, God’s answer was, “No.” We had to move back home and my heart was so sad. I was really sick. I missed the place…