All in life
And then it was January!
I took a little unintentional break from writing. Totally didn’t mean to. In fact, I had completely planned on using our Christmas and New Year break to write and prepare articles. But alas, I did not. And then just like that we jumped right back in to our homeschool days, which I was not ready (and still am not) 100% to be back in the groove. But alas, we are back at it!
And so the holidays begin.
The holidays can bring about a lot of mixed emotions. They can be filled with happiness and sadness. Even at the same exact time.
I sat down to write a blog post on being thankful, of which this absolutely is. But it’s more than just being thankful in the good times, in times of celebration... It is about being thankful in EVERY circumstance. Good and bad.
We ALL know that words have power. They have the power to give life or tear it down. They can bring joy, comfort, encouragement, or they can sting like the pouring of salt water on an open wound. They can build others up, or they can bring death literally and figuratively. We ALL know this. Why? Because we have been affected by the power of words.
5th grade. How are we here already?
I mentioned this on an Instagram post, but I never knew how much I truly wanted a daughter until the Dr. told me we were having a girl.
One of my favorite things about spring, summer, and fall is sitting out on my front porch, especially in the mornings. It is quiet. There isn’t a lot of movement other than the humming birds flying to the nearby feeder or rustling of the leaves from the wind. It’s my quiet place. And it’s needed.
Tents vs Trailers.
Okay - Here’s the deal. I grew up camping. Every Labor Day weekend my family would join a huge group of other families from our church and we would all go camping. It was a blast and I love the memories.
But now I’m that parent with this one kid who keeps asking me (obviously it’s Brooklynn) to go camping and “how much fun it would be” to go camping.
We may be gathering together with friends and loved ones kicking off the summer season around a BBQ. But let this day and the reason we gather not be lost. Let our gatherings remember those who fought and protected the ground we freely stand on.
I had a goal in life as a parent: NEVER ENTER CHUCK E. CHEESE’S.
Okay - maybe it wasn’t a goal. But in all honesty, I have never had a strong desire to take my kids to Chuck E. Cheese. I envisioned it to be SUPER chaotic, tiny humans running all over the place, and the environment to both smell of child sweat and sugar. Not to mention, Chuck is a large rat, which I understand he was rebranded in the 90’s to be a mouse, but come on, he’s straight up creepy looking.
Wow!
It’s been a hot minute since I last wrote! Hoping to put more dedicated time into writing and sharing all the goings on.
I can’t believe that May is half way gone and summer is just around the corner!
In college I chose to get my B.A. Degree in Organizational Communication. Essentially, it is a business leadership degree, that I really truly enjoyed. Although, when I graduated, the “now what?” came on strong. I had NO clue what to do with this degree. I floundered and was frustrated and felt a tad lost. Okay, maybe not a tad lost, I was totally lost on “what I wanted to do with my life.” A place I think many graduates feel.
I didn’t have a specific vocation in mind. Unlike someone graduating with a nursing degree or teaching degree, my beloved Organizational Communication degree left me pathless.
I had my first mama-bear moment when something was said about Tristan. My claws came out, the hackles went up, and I had to retract them and walk away.
I have heard of people saying stupid things about adoptees, but so far, have only experienced it once in our year home with him.
2018 was a big milestone year for us. It was our first year home with Tristan, which meant a lot of shifting, change, and letting go of what I always knew.
New beginnings can be wonderful, but sometimes they can be a tad painful too. Okay fine, maybe a LOT painful.
I am a bit of a DIY junkie. Things have calmed down a tad since bringing Tristan home, but now that we are getting more into normal groove, I am feeling the creative juices (and time) once again!
I have noticed now, more than ever, that our conversations and my time with her are and must be filled with intentional investment. She is watching, gleaning, and mimicking my every move. She is watching how I communicate, respond, interact with, and treat the world and relationships around me.
It has been almost a year that Tristan has been home. I can’t believe how quickly the time has gone by and how much has changed over this past year for Tristan as well as our family. God has richly blessed us beyond our imaginations over this last year that only He can receive all the glory.
One of the many "lies" I have heard said by stay-at-home moms, is that their life, dreams, desires, goals, fitness, travel, passions, etc. have to be placed on hold because kids are in the picture. That their life has to stop to raise children. Their place is on the floor playing pat-a-cake and engaging with their children every waking moment and that their passions need to be placed on hold "for a season" to solely raise their children. Even in the 21st century I have heard this said. And I HAVE to debunk that and say: THAT IS NOT TRUE.
I have heard it said from parents that they don't know where to start when it comes to teaching their children about God at home. I get it. There's a lot of information out there, a lot of devotionals that, honestly, cheapen the Gospel or over simplify the awesomeness of God.
I thought I would share a few things that we have really loved and have and currently are using
For the last 10 years I have been a business entrepreneur. I worked hard to build something out of nothing and was blessed to see all of my goals for my business come to light. Every single one of those goals have been accomplished, which is huge for me. And I am so forever grateful.
There is no such thing as balance. All of the things we juggle collide in a thing called 'life' and life is messy. Absolutely and beautifully messy. [And I'm learning to] EMBRACE IT."
Anyone else miss summer or even spring? I sure do. Although, I really am trying to enjoy the quiet winter days...
![Mama Bear Came Out [Inside]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/595bcb6ae3df281b3a9b03e7/1547136889872-RPEB7UT31MCSL0RDD4XL/794A0302.jpg)
![The [Un] Balanced Life](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/595bcb6ae3df281b3a9b03e7/1516314118171-E0SG2T2BAZV378TNGYPX/Winter.jpg)