Welcome to my weekly Sunday post where we take a break from money-related posts and I share about what I'm loving right now and give you a little peek into our life from the past week.
What I’m Celebrating
You guys. Something clicked this past week and — after years of trying — this boy learned how to ride his bike without training wheels!!!
He was beaming and laughing and I stood out in the street squealing and screaming like a fool because I was so proud. And I could care less what the neighbors might have thought because MY BOY LEARNED HOW TO RIDE HIS BIKE!!!
(Read more about this journey & why it’s such a big milestone for Silas here.)
What I’m Laughing About
I came downstairs to find these two girls doing this after breakfast on Monday. I was like, “What are you doing?”
“Oh, we’re just studying the Periodic Table and making up funny phrases with it.”
“Is that a school assignment?” I inquired.
“No, we’re just doing it for fun,” they said.
I responded positively — because, hello, I’m all about supporting this type of fun. (It’s quiet. It’s studious. It doesn’t result in paint spilled all over the kitchen table. No one is fighting. You get my drift.)
But inwardly I’m thinking, “Studying the Periodic Table for FUN?!?! Whose children are you anyway?!?!”
What I’m Loving
I got to go to an overnight retreat with my Discipleship Group on Friday night and Saturday morning (I was so engaged in out time together that I failed to take one single picture!!) Jesse picked me up from the retreat early and dropped me and Silas off at the airport to fly to Kansas for the weekend.
And, because apparently no one flies to Wichita on a Saturday, we both got upgraded to first class on one of our flights!! Silas maybe have been just a wee bit excited, ya think??
He took such good care of me on the flights — making sure we got to the correct gate, making sure we boarded on time and in the right group, making sure we got to the right seats, making sure we had what we needed before we got on the flight… I could basically chill and just let him tell me where we needed to be and when we needed to be there!
What I’m Reading This Week
I mentioned last week that I was looking for a new fiction book to read. I ended up posting a stack of books on Instagram and asking for input on which one I should read.
A LOT of you said I had to read Wonder. And oh my word! You guys weren’t kidding. This book is such a worthwhile read!
I read it in two days and can’t recommend it highly enough — especially if you have kids around ages 9-12 like mine are. I think it’s a book that can really impact your thinking on what compassion and empathy look like and the importance of being a true friend.
I’m having my girls read it now and I’m excited about getting to discuss it with them!
I also finished No More Faking Fine this week and found it to be a very good read and one that deeply impacted me in this season of life I’m in.
What I’m Trying
I'm so excited because my friend, Stacy, from Humorous Homemaking just launched a brand-new course called Home Management How To.
Here's what you need to know about Stacy: she's basically a home management rockstar to me. Also, she's funny and real and incredibly down-to-earth.
I've long admired how she has such great systems in place for running her home and family. I also love how she keeps things so simple and manageable.
I had the opportunity to start going through her course early, and I have to tell you, it’s fantastic! Stacy is funny and real in her videos, but she also inspires you that you can do this. She gives you tools, strategies, practical step-by-step help, AND cheerleading.
She shows you how having a clean and organized home and life is really and truly possible — if you’re willing to put in the effort and set up systems that work for you and your family!
As I was going through her course, I found myself saying, “I really want to set up better systems instead of my current fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants and take-one-day-at-a-time method. But the only way that is going to happen is if I have some accountability to actually follow through with it!”
So that’s when I came up with the idea of setting up a private Facebook Group and inviting you all to join me in going through this course together. Because not only would that make it more fun, it would also mean there’s a much better chance I’d actually follow through with creating and implementing good systems in our home.
I’m so excited that over 400 of you have signed up to join me over in the Homemaking Course Participants Facebook Group. We are going to have a GREAT time encouraging one another, sharing what we are learning together, and inspiring one another with ideas and input.
DON’T MISS OUT!!
We will be starting going through the course together on Tuesday, March 7th, and I’d LOVE for you to join us! Here’s how to participate:
1. Go sign up for Stacy’s course here.
2. Then, ask to join my private Facebook Group here.
We’re going to be checking in every day on Facebook (beginning on Tuesday), and I’ll be sharing what I’m learning from the course, how it’s challenging me to try new things, the systems I’m setting up and trying in my home, and how I’m tailoring what Stacy shares to what I think will work in our home.
What I’m Pondering
This is my life. These are my people.
It’s often messy.
It’s sometimes exhausting.
It’s rarely quiet.
But it’s my life. And I love it and would choose it all over again.
I envisioned I would have a bunch of kids. Instead, God gave us three beautiful babies to love and raise.
I always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. Instead, I own my own business, work (mostly) full-time hours, and am our family’s breadwinner.
I pictured that I would always live in Kansas. Instead, we live in Tennessee.
I thought I’d always live close to family. Instead, we are about 12 hours away from family.
I always wanted to homeschool. Instead, God made it clear we were supposed to send our kids to a little classical school this year.
In so many ways, this isn’t the life I ever pictured for myself. But it’s the life I’ve been called to and I love it, embrace it, and choose it. Because why waste time pining over what you thought would be, could be, or should be?
I want to choose this life, today. It’s a beautifully messy, lovely, loud, exhausting, exhilarating, amazing life. And I choose it!
What are you celebrating, laughing about, reading, loving, trying, and/or pondering this week?
(I’m skipping posting a giveaway winner + another book stack giveaway because I’m in Kansas this weekend and running short on time to get this post done. But look for the winner + another giveaway next Sunday!)
