Okay, so I'm not the best blogger out there. I get too caught up in everything else we have going on. It is with the encouragement of a friend's post on facebook that I downloaded a blogging planner. I'm encouraged but I don't know how well it will go. I plan on posting 2-3 blogs a month. Yes, a month. For the month of May, we are looking at Mother's Day and Memorial Day. We'll also discuss our summer plans. In June, we'll talk about fathers and post our prayer for a daddy/husband. In July, we'll discuss relying on others for our independence and our freedom. We'll also post our Christmas inventory for the Etsy store. In August, we'll discuss that oh-so-favorite topic: Back to School! In September we'll talk about how hard we all work and some ways to take care of ourselves. In October we'll discuss fall harvest/festival and decorating for the crisp season. November will be our 30 Days of Thanksgiving. And December is our 25 Days of Christmas - our Christmas Advent posts.
For now, I leave you with this: get out there and have fun. Go DO stuff. Be creative. Be fun. Give all the glory to God and be His instruments of love and grace to others today.
What are your upcoming plans for the rest of the year? Do you like to plan so far ahead?
Monday, April 29, 2013
Thursday, April 18, 2013
The Real Us?
Have y'all read the blogs and articles about the "masks" we wear? We don these veneers to hide our true selves, building walls and hedges to keep people out - to keep them from discovering our depths. We can have lifelong friendships and still hide parts of our selves from everyone.
So I was talking with an individual about my children and our love for sci-fi and fantasy. My girls absolutely have crushes on Captain America, Thor, the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Superman...They love Star Trek and the newer Trekkie movie...they haven't yet made it through Star Wars with me, though. We enjoy Stargate, Firefly & Serenity, Farscape was our late-night escape, and of course, Doctor Who.
My girls' favorite Doctor Who "thing" is "Are you my mummy?" I recently bought the Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary edition of Monopoly. LB calls it "Mono poly". We've played it 1x through and 2 tries today. Oh, and it's David Tenant's birthday. LB awakened singing "Happy Birthday to you" for him. CoM is baking a cake (her very first attempt on her own) and we're decorating it with blue icing to represent the TARDIS.
So how are we being more real? Well, I'm admitting to my faults and failings. I don't drive. My brother moved here with us to drive for us - especially with LB having seizures...CoM's asthma is under better control. I'm looking for a church family, one that preaches Christ and not "feel-good" or "pick-and-choose your religion". I'm learning more and more about myself as an individual and as to what type of counselor I will be. I'm labeling myself a "personal cheerleader", LOL.
I'm moving away from LU towards Capella; I truly think their program will better suit my learning needs and they are CACREP - and the school my dad attends as he pursues his doctorate. I will miss LU, the spiritual application to the theories of counseling and psychotherapy. I will appreciate the increase in accountability and interaction. I hope that I will be able to keep my friends made at/through LU.
I'm being myself with my FB friends - I'm also admitting that I am a Neek. Yes, a neek. My middle name on FB is now Neek.
I'm learning to prioritize: my God first, my self-care, my children: my family, their spiritual and intellectual well-being, their emotional balance, even our house has to take priority over my selfishness. Mostly it's been hit-and-miss. But I got my butt kicked into gear yesterday so it no longer looks like a tornado ripped through here. I'm looking forward to cooking this weekend. Clean kitchen, thanks to CoM, ground chuck, and I'm not sure what I'm throwing together, but I LOVE to cook and truly enjoy creating a mess in the kitchen. It's the clean-up that gets me down. But eventually I'll learn to do it with a joyful heart, right?
One of the many ways I want to be more in relationship with God is to spend more time in His Word. We have a fairly large backyard/patio area. A little table out there, some hot tea, my Bible close-at-hand...it sounds divine. Now if I can only get out of bed before the b-rats do ;)
I'm so glad we live within walking distance to several stores. I haven't made it to Michael's yet - though that was one of the first stores I scoped out for location. Sam's Club is just down the road, so my brother and I have come to an arrangement. I get to walk BY MYSELF to the store. He gets the girls ready when I call for a pick-up and I get that 30 minutes or so to myself so that I can recharge and take a small break from being mommy 24-7.
We're trying to stay ahead of the bills, especially since LB needs medical care and we're trying to get insurance for her but will end up paying out-of-pocket until we get that settled.
I keep glancing in the kitchen to see the girls covered in red velvet cake mix. CoM ran in here with her hands drenched in it..."Hey, mommy! I kinda made a mess. What does it look like to you?" Ummm, blood? Yup.
How can you be more real with yourself and with others? What are some healthy steps you can take to be more open and aware of your masks?
So I was talking with an individual about my children and our love for sci-fi and fantasy. My girls absolutely have crushes on Captain America, Thor, the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Superman...They love Star Trek and the newer Trekkie movie...they haven't yet made it through Star Wars with me, though. We enjoy Stargate, Firefly & Serenity, Farscape was our late-night escape, and of course, Doctor Who.
My girls' favorite Doctor Who "thing" is "Are you my mummy?" I recently bought the Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary edition of Monopoly. LB calls it "Mono poly". We've played it 1x through and 2 tries today. Oh, and it's David Tenant's birthday. LB awakened singing "Happy Birthday to you" for him. CoM is baking a cake (her very first attempt on her own) and we're decorating it with blue icing to represent the TARDIS.
So how are we being more real? Well, I'm admitting to my faults and failings. I don't drive. My brother moved here with us to drive for us - especially with LB having seizures...CoM's asthma is under better control. I'm looking for a church family, one that preaches Christ and not "feel-good" or "pick-and-choose your religion". I'm learning more and more about myself as an individual and as to what type of counselor I will be. I'm labeling myself a "personal cheerleader", LOL.
I'm moving away from LU towards Capella; I truly think their program will better suit my learning needs and they are CACREP - and the school my dad attends as he pursues his doctorate. I will miss LU, the spiritual application to the theories of counseling and psychotherapy. I will appreciate the increase in accountability and interaction. I hope that I will be able to keep my friends made at/through LU.
I'm being myself with my FB friends - I'm also admitting that I am a Neek. Yes, a neek. My middle name on FB is now Neek.
I'm learning to prioritize: my God first, my self-care, my children: my family, their spiritual and intellectual well-being, their emotional balance, even our house has to take priority over my selfishness. Mostly it's been hit-and-miss. But I got my butt kicked into gear yesterday so it no longer looks like a tornado ripped through here. I'm looking forward to cooking this weekend. Clean kitchen, thanks to CoM, ground chuck, and I'm not sure what I'm throwing together, but I LOVE to cook and truly enjoy creating a mess in the kitchen. It's the clean-up that gets me down. But eventually I'll learn to do it with a joyful heart, right?
One of the many ways I want to be more in relationship with God is to spend more time in His Word. We have a fairly large backyard/patio area. A little table out there, some hot tea, my Bible close-at-hand...it sounds divine. Now if I can only get out of bed before the b-rats do ;)
I'm so glad we live within walking distance to several stores. I haven't made it to Michael's yet - though that was one of the first stores I scoped out for location. Sam's Club is just down the road, so my brother and I have come to an arrangement. I get to walk BY MYSELF to the store. He gets the girls ready when I call for a pick-up and I get that 30 minutes or so to myself so that I can recharge and take a small break from being mommy 24-7.
We're trying to stay ahead of the bills, especially since LB needs medical care and we're trying to get insurance for her but will end up paying out-of-pocket until we get that settled.
I keep glancing in the kitchen to see the girls covered in red velvet cake mix. CoM ran in here with her hands drenched in it..."Hey, mommy! I kinda made a mess. What does it look like to you?" Ummm, blood? Yup.
How can you be more real with yourself and with others? What are some healthy steps you can take to be more open and aware of your masks?
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
A New Year
A new year, a new life?
No, not necessarily. However, we do have a praise: we moved! We moved from Georgia to New Mexico. We left behind the old and are putting on the new.
What does that mean for our family? Well, it means that we are more dependent on one another; we have to learn to work together more than we did before...
Since LB has seizures, it also means another round of neurologist appointments and keeping track of her medication. CoM's asthma has greatly improved. She's only had 2 attacks since we moved to the higher elevation.
The air is cleaner, crisper, fresher here and while there is dust everywhere (it is mountainous desert, after all), our allergies are not as bad as they were.
We are so excited to be here!
I am still homeschooling the girls, of course, and recently ordered LB some new curriculum. We're going to try A Beka's phonics program and I bought a year's subscription to ABCmouse for her math. CoM is working on her spelling and her computer skills.
We are renting a house that has a decent-sized kitchen. Yes, I've already made a mess in it. Banana nut bread: check! Indian tea? check. Cookies? not yet, but soon. Scones? No, not yet. I know, I'm slipping! Sugar biscuits, buttermilk biscuits, yummy-yummy-yummy biscuits? check. I took these crescent rolls and stuffed them with strawberry preserves and cream cheese. They were a hit in the house. :) I've also used strawberry cream cheese and just strawberry jam. It's all good. Makes for a fairly quick breakfast or even a nice during-the-day treat.
CoM is learning to cook. She can boil water (don't laugh - my aunt can burn a pot of water!), make instant potatoes, macaroni & cheese, hotdogs, sandwiches, and she can even start the harder dishes or cook rice (with supervision, of course. ***Disclaimer: always supervise your children in the kitchen, around the appliances and the sharp objects or glassware.***). Her all-time favorite, though, is just throwing fruit together and serving a fruit salad or providing a selection of healthy choices. *sniff* I'm so proud! :)
Speaking of...I'm getting hungry! It's almost supper time here - we haven't quite adjusted to the two-hour time difference yet.
So what does that mean for our creative selves? Well, not much has changed. I'll post some new and familiar designs later. CoM actually has someone who will teach her to knit AND dance (thanks, Dee!). LB has children with whom she can play.
And what do I have? My God, my children, my family, a job I love, school studies...
So how is your new year shaping up?
No, not necessarily. However, we do have a praise: we moved! We moved from Georgia to New Mexico. We left behind the old and are putting on the new.
What does that mean for our family? Well, it means that we are more dependent on one another; we have to learn to work together more than we did before...
Since LB has seizures, it also means another round of neurologist appointments and keeping track of her medication. CoM's asthma has greatly improved. She's only had 2 attacks since we moved to the higher elevation.
The air is cleaner, crisper, fresher here and while there is dust everywhere (it is mountainous desert, after all), our allergies are not as bad as they were.
We are so excited to be here!
I am still homeschooling the girls, of course, and recently ordered LB some new curriculum. We're going to try A Beka's phonics program and I bought a year's subscription to ABCmouse for her math. CoM is working on her spelling and her computer skills.
We are renting a house that has a decent-sized kitchen. Yes, I've already made a mess in it. Banana nut bread: check! Indian tea? check. Cookies? not yet, but soon. Scones? No, not yet. I know, I'm slipping! Sugar biscuits, buttermilk biscuits, yummy-yummy-yummy biscuits? check. I took these crescent rolls and stuffed them with strawberry preserves and cream cheese. They were a hit in the house. :) I've also used strawberry cream cheese and just strawberry jam. It's all good. Makes for a fairly quick breakfast or even a nice during-the-day treat.
CoM is learning to cook. She can boil water (don't laugh - my aunt can burn a pot of water!), make instant potatoes, macaroni & cheese, hotdogs, sandwiches, and she can even start the harder dishes or cook rice (with supervision, of course. ***Disclaimer: always supervise your children in the kitchen, around the appliances and the sharp objects or glassware.***). Her all-time favorite, though, is just throwing fruit together and serving a fruit salad or providing a selection of healthy choices. *sniff* I'm so proud! :)
Speaking of...I'm getting hungry! It's almost supper time here - we haven't quite adjusted to the two-hour time difference yet.
So what does that mean for our creative selves? Well, not much has changed. I'll post some new and familiar designs later. CoM actually has someone who will teach her to knit AND dance (thanks, Dee!). LB has children with whom she can play.
And what do I have? My God, my children, my family, a job I love, school studies...
So how is your new year shaping up?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)