After a few weeks of Christmas break, traveling, and sickness, we were back to homeschooling and a regular schedule this week. And I was shocked at how well the week went.
Usually, easing back into a routine after a few weeks off is hard. But this week everything felt so smooth and calm.
I really attribute it to the grace of God, giving the kids a clear picture of how our tweaked schedule was going to look, getting them excited about how we had changed things up a little bit, writing out a to-do list for each child every day (they loved this and were highly motivated by it), and instituting Morning Time as part of our homeschooling schedule.
They loved Morning Time so much that they asked if we could please do it on Saturday, too! I am so grateful for this excitement and new life breathed into our homeschooling and am hoping this momentum continues! 
I am loving the She Reads Truth John study this month. Jesse surprised me with the Yearly Membership to She Reads Truth as my Christmas gift and I can’t tell you how thrilled I was!
These studies have challenged me, encouraged me, and inspired me to dig deep into God’s Word. If you are looking for a great Bible study/devotion, definitely check it out. You can get the daily Scripture reading/devotional for free online and just use a notebook to record what you’re learning/studying/praying.
We also started using The Confident Mom Weekly Household Planner this week. I’m divvying up the daily chores amongst myself and the kids and that seems to be working well.
I’m curious to see if this is a good fit for us long-term… we’re committed to try it out for a few months to see how it goes!
I’ve been doing a LOT of reading recently. It’s been so soul-filling for me to get back to making reading a regular part of my every day after a few months of not being so intentional about it. And I’m just loving the variety of books I’m reading.
You can see what I read last week and what I’m reading this week here.
12 years ago today, I married my childhood sweetheart. We were full of big dreams, completely idealistic, and incredibly naive.
We’ve experienced a lot, moved a lot, failed a lot, fought a lot, and grown a lot in these last 12 years. While the years and struggles have made us quite a bit more realistic about life (and maybe a wee bit cynical!), two things haven’t changed: we’re more madly in love than the day we got married and we still want to spend our lives doing all we can to make a difference in this world.
Only God knows what the next 12 years will hold, but we are grateful to be following a God who is always faithful and never changing.
{Thank you, Jesse, for the beautiful anniversary flowers, thank you for 12 amazing (and eventful!) years, and thank you for loving me and believing in me — even on those many days when it’s the last thing I’ve deserved. I love you with all of my heart!}
Today’s frugal fun: Fort-building in the dining room. We don’t have a table in there yet, so I’m happy to see the area be put to good use!
The kids had a blast setting it up with me and then had popcorn and watched a movie in their tent so Jesse and I could enjoy an at-home anniversary date!
How was YOUR week? Anything exciting or interesting happen? Tell us about it in the comments.
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