Welcome to my weekly 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 Read This Week
Kaitlynn and I finished reading this book this week as part of her Sonlight curriculum in homeschool and really enjoyed it! Have you read it before? I’d never heard of it but it was such a fun read-aloud — especially since we’re studying ancient Egypt history right now.
{See my Reading Goals for 2017. Also, see the 62 books I've read so far in 2017 here.}
What We Did This Past Week
On the way to school one morning this past week, I asked the question I try to ask daily: “What are you excited about today?”
“We get to paint our salt dough maps today!” Was his eager reply.
You guys. This boy! I just love how much he loves learning!
He has been studying about ancient Egypt in school the past few weeks. They made salt dough maps last week in Humanities and then painted them today to practically demonstrate their understanding of what they had learned.
My mama heart may have just swelled to bursting when he went over it in great detail with me all about the flood zones, the crops, the Sphinx, the pyramids, the Nile river, and the Delta.
Since Kaitlynn and I are studying the same thing in our curriculum (which I chose to coincide with what Silas would be doing at school), we’re having so much fun comparing notes and sharing fun facts and tidbits with each other!
I love that we are doing this hybrid educational thing this year based upon what we felt would be best for each child. They each seem to be thriving where they are at and I’m so very grateful!
We also enjoyed watching the solar eclipse on Monday. It was incredible — even though we didn’t have complete totality (it was about 99% where we live).
Had I known how cool it was going to be and how awestruck my kids (and I!) were going to be with it, we totally would have driven a little ways to see totality. Now we know for 2024!
While it didn’t get completely dark, we did get to see the sunset for about a minute — which was incredible!
What I’m Learning as a Parent
Lean in. Listen. Love.
These have become my guiding words in my parenting — especially as my kids are getting older, spreading their wings, and attempting to fly a little.
A few days ago, one child failed to follow through and do something they were asked to do. As a result, they lost a privilege of getting to do another thing they were really looking forward to.
This child was very upset and angry. And honestly? I wanted to be all, “I told you if you didn’t do X, you wouldn’t get Y. It’s your own stinkin’ fault.” Which would just anger and shame the child.
But instead, I stopped and resolved to lean in, listen, and love.
So, I sat with them while they cried about losing this privilege. I told them gently how I knew it was hard for them and how I was sad, too. I asked what was the hardest thing about it and let them express their frustration.
Once they stopped crying, I shared with them quietly about why we had made the decision we had. I told them how much we loved them and how much we wanted to spare them pain in the future by teaching them now that following through and doing the right thing is so important.
I then asked, “Do you want me to tell you about a time when I didn’t do the right thing and the consequences that came from that?”
They sat up and excitedly said, “Yes!”
So we snuggled together while I told them the story of a time when I had made a very bad choice and how I’d experienced *six months* of hard consequences as a result of that one choice.
When I got done with my story, this child had a look of deep understanding on their face. I could tell that they felt seen, heard, and loved.
It turned into such a beautiful time together. And it was all because instead of reacting or shaming or being frustrated, I leaned in, listened, and loved.
What I’ve Been Pondering + An Exciting Announcement
I’ve spent the last two years of my life untethering myself from being chained to a worth based on productivity…
I've shut out a lot of noise. I've said "no" probably a few hundred times every single month.
I've slept more. I've laughed more. I've developed a few new deep friendships.
I’ve stopped obsessing so much over things I can't change.
I've tried new foods, new styles, new drinks, and new experiences.
I've started volunteering at church in the children's ministry. I signed up to co-lead a women’s small group.
I've even given myself freedom to spend money on things "just because" — like discounted flowers and new shoes.
I've become a lot more spontaneous. I’ve stopped waking up so early. I’ve started getting 7-8 hours of sleep every night.
I loved deeper. I've trusted more wholeheartedly.
I've given myself space to feel instead of stuffing things. I've ugly cried.
I've let other people see the under-belly of who I really am without pretending. I've welcomed people into my messy.
And I’m happier and healthier and braver and more confident and more fulfilled than I’ve ever been in my life.
Many of you have asked me to share more about this journey and the specifics of how I’ve actually walked it. I wasn’t ready until now. Because I needed to quietly live it first.
But the past two months, I’ve been working on a course where I open up and share really vulnerably about my journey.
It’s called Say Goodbye to Survival Mode: A 7-Day Journey to Break Free from Burnout & it launches this coming week!
Instead of doing a big launch promotion, this time around, I’m offering a free webinar where I’ll share more about my journey, share some of the most important lessons I learned, do a live Q&A, and offer a special discount on the course for those who sign up.
I’m offering the webinar LIVE 3 times this coming week and I’d love for you to join me for it. Go sign up for it here (and look for more details on the webinar tomorrow!)
Links You Should Check Out
