January Books

Here's the reading I did in January!  A few of these I started in December but finished them this month.  It's not uncommon for me to be reading about 3 to 4 different books at once.  Since I love to read, I read during my morning quiet time (usually this will be a devotion type book that I read in addition to scripture reading), I also read during our afternoon quiet time and sometimes before bed in the evening.  And I've learned the art of speed reading which helps me get through books more quickly that are not super deep.

Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food by Lysa Terkeurst- I've seen a lot about this book because I'm a fan of the author but never really had a desire to read it.  I know the Lord had me read it at just the right time!  I think the entire book was written for me!  Even though it's about using food as a substitute for the Lord, I found I could relate with other areas of my life I put in place of the Lord.  If food addiction and weight loss are not part of your struggles (the journey of the author), you can still hear from the Lord in Lysa's struggles.  I related her food struggle to my need for approval from others and any other hang ups that keep me from being who the Lord created me to be.  This book was so very powerful for me.  Helped me to open my eyes to lies of the enemy.  I would definitely recommend to a friend. 

Longing by Karen Kingsbury - Even though I have been a fan of Karen's writings, this series is not my favorite. I have read nearly all her books I can get my hands on at the library.  I won't tell you my thoughts on this because I don't want to spoil the storyline!  This is part of a series.  If you've not read any of her books I would start at the VERY beginning with the Redemption series and move your way forward.


Never Check Email in the Morning by Julie Morgenstern - I found this quite helpful despite Amazon's mixed reviews.  Since it is my personal copy, I will refer to it quite often.  I find this a great resource for me because of my business and lifestyle.  I am always looking for ways to get a lot of work done in a short amount of time.



Every Day A Friday by Joel Osteen - I passed this book up several times.  I had read a book of his several years ago but then realized there was a lot of controversy in his writings so I didn't care to read anymore.  However, I felt compelled to finally pick this up.  Even though I don't agree with everything about him and sometimes felt his writing to be quite arrogant, I did agree with a lot of he says in regards to how we view others.  The Lord did work on my heart while reading this book in areas such as viewing others positively and how I need to stop worrying about what others think about me.  I needed to hear these things (and I'm sure I'll need to hear them again!)



Unafraid by Francine Rivers - I personally would not want to be responsible for writing books such as this when you take scripture and add fiction to it.  I'm not sure how I feel about books like this because I don't want to be led astray.  However, what I did appreciate about this book is the realistic look at what Mary probably dealt with.  I found myself agreeing with the author's perception of Mary but have never thought about what Mary's journey was like.  I've never put Mary on a pedestal because the Lord chooses regular sinful men and women to do His work.  I found all the negative reviews of this book were due to people wanting to think Mary would have been perfect like Jesus.  I did enjoy reading this book for the new perspective.  

January Habits & Project Update

I didn't realize that I pretty much set myself up for failure this month with this new habit and project.  "Normal" really didn't start until the middle of the month due to a business trip to Atlanta.  With the holiday schedule, it was hard to just get back into normal, let alone tack a new habit onto it.  In addition, I did find that my idea of how to use technology in my day was really off.  Even though we follow a routine each day, it doesn't always land at the same time.  Some days school lasts forever and some days really quick.  So, I've changed my guidelines.  I'm trying to either check email way early in the morning or after school is finished.  If I have caught up on other things, I may do a quick check on one of the boys' 15 min breaks.  However, I will not try to multi-task as much during school hours.  I was going back and forth so much that I was completely exhausted by noon.  I, instead, find light multi-tasking that doesn't use my brain to work better....fold laundry, pick up a cluttered area on the counter, etc when I'm in between activities with boys.

So, I will continue working this habit out into the month of February.  Another habit I've started working on the last few months but trying to be even more intentional about is....spend 1 hour of alone time each week with the boys (30 min minimum).  Thanks to a great mentor for this suggestion in our Homeschool Moms Bible Study.  I try to take 2 days each week and give the boys 30 min of uninterrupted time.  They will either choose a game, book to read or just snuggle.  One little guy gets to be with me alone in my bedroom while the other one gets to play a computer game and then they switch.  It's a win/win.  They love the mom time AND the time alone playing a game without a brother hanging around.  It's such a sweet time for me too.

The spare bedroom project was a good idea but realistically needs to wait until the weather warms up.  We have so much junk to haul away that it would be a better project for spring when the weather isn't so cold.  Plus I have no desire to pull down that wallpaper yet!  However, my wonderful husband did get it looking a lot better.  Things are in nicer piles now.

Winter Blahs

Is anyone else out there feeling the winter blahs?

Lately I've had to really ask the Lord for energy and desire to get out of bed.  I have been asking for lots of joy.  I don't want to live for every fun thing in my schedule but have peace and joy among the everyday life stuff.  For a few weeks I've been asking the Lord to reveal what the deal with my attitude is.  Last night I was thinking about something we did last fall and I remembered it was a sunny day.  I really liked the memory and it hit me!  I am dealing with the blahs of winter.  I want more sun!  I want warm weather!!

Every winter I sleep a lot!  I will be ready for bed as soon as the sun goes down unless I am out of the house doing something else.  I feel like I'm wasting an entire evening with my husband because I'm so sleepy!

What do you do to enjoy this time of year?  Welcoming all ideas!!

Homeschooling Update

I cannot believe we have completed half our year!!  It has gone so fast and I've learned so much.  In fact, I'm still learning.  I've wanted to post a typical day blog post but I don't even know what a typical day looks like yet.  For the most part we have a routine, just minor changes here and there I'm still making.

Even though we aren't set in a likeable routine just quite yet, I absolutely love seeing my kids learn.  I'm learning so much about them.  My kids are pretty smart!  (Isn't that what all moms think???)

I've learned that some things just don't get done now that we homeschool and that's folding the laundry.  I'm truly not joking when I tell you that my closet is nearly empty of clothes because they are still in laundry baskets!  That is normally something I catch up on the weekend.

I am totally having to take back so many things I've said about homeschooling!  I'll save that for another post.  :)

I'm incredibly grateful I FINALLY allowed the Lord to change my heart.  I would have missed out on an incredible gift.  

Dressed Up and No Where To Go

Today I have no where to go but you won't find me in sweats or jammies.  Positive Parenting explains it great here in her blog post Get Completely Ready for the Day.

Since I live in the middle of no where, I don't normally have guests that drop by unannounced and all my trips to the store are planned ahead (unless someone gets sick) so I can get away with crawling out of bed and beginning my day when I have no where to go.  And I did just that as a new mom on a lot of days.  But I was also watching a lot of TV, not keeping up on important jobs at home, and quite frankly not caring for my baby as I knew the Lord desired.  I always took care of his needs, but I knew I could do better.  The Lord began to teach me that there was so much more to staying at home than waiting for the next TV show to get me through the day.

As I began to grow my business about 3 or 4 years ago,  I had a mentor suggest that I get ready for the day as if I were going out.  It would help me stay on top of some simple tasks to keep my business running smoothly. That meant a cute outfit, full makeup and hair done.  I probably had to even buy another pair of jeans or two but it became a priority for me to get completely dressed in jeans and full make up on.  Some days the outfit was cute with accessories and other days it was jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt which was much better than pj-like clothes.  As my business continued to grow more and the demands of getting into my office every day was necessary I even started dressing up in executive-like clothes so I would be in the mind set of work from home mom.  I have these awesome dress pants that are so comfortable but make me feel professional at home, yet comfortable enough to get on the floor and play a game with the boys.

The change??  Not only did this help my business, it made an even bigger impact in our home.  I feel better and realize that even though I don't leave my house to go to an office, the house is my office and I need to treat it like a full time job.  I am more on top of things and my home is more organized and more efficient.  I now enjoy my day  (sweats make me lazy).  I'm also more likely to be on top of discipline and the boys' behavior with a calmer attitude.  I know, it sounds crazy, doesn't it?  Plus, I love it when Jeff comes home and tells me I look nice.  In the meantime I've realized that if I'm willing to get dressed up for someone else, I need to be willing to be dressed up for my family and especially my husband when he gets home since he is the most important person in my life.  We pull out the comfy clothes on the weekend!  

P.S. - Yes, I do cheat some days.  If I've been working hard all week and Thursday rolls around with no where to go, I'll cheat and dress down or put just a tad of make-up on.  

I was so thankful for the suggestion of my friend and wanted to pass along my journey with you!

Our December

Here's what life looked life for us in December.  Despite 4 sicknesses (about one each week), we still were able to squeeze in some fun.  The month did not go as planned (but does it ever really??).  We took the down time to rest, watch movies and stay in together as a family.  It was nice to have Jeff home more during the last few weeks.

Making some chocolate!

The beginning stages of the Lego Police Station from Grandma and Grandpa.

The next morning they got up really early to work on it some more.  Took them (with the help of Dad) about 3 hours. 

It was rainy on my 31st birthday but this guy who has taken me out for about 12 of my birthdays (takes the day off work) is really what this day is all about.  We loved the time away together.  

A fun gift!  I love it!

A somewhat of a surprise birthday party.  I knew Jeff had put together a very small party with some of our family, I just didn't know a couple very good friends would spend the evening celebrating with me too.

New Recipes in December

Both of these recipes we used to take to holiday gatherings (the ones we actually made it to).  Out of 4 gatherings we only made it to 2 due to sickness.  :(  However, the down time at home together doing nothing was enjoyable as a plan B.



Buckeye Bark - So easy and yummy if you are a chocolate and peanut butter fan.




Oreo Truffles - My new favorite fast and easy recipe!  Love these!!

January Project- Guest Bedroom

Each month my goal is to work on one project around the house.  For January, I'd like to get our spare bedroom ready for guests.

Here are before pics......(scary, I know!).  It has become the catch all room!

The To Do list...
Week 1 - eliminate all junk we do not use or plan to use in the future.
Week 2 - Get wallpaper border off (a job that was a nightmare in the boys' room and one I've been dreading)
Week 3 - paint
Week 4 - decorate and organize (only plan to purchase new bedding and it will be simple and inexpensive).  I will use stuff I already have but not currently using to decorate with.

December Book List & Review

It's my goal to share what books I've read the month prior and what I gained from them.  I have all kinds in this list...I hope you find a book that you enjoy from this list!

Give Them Grace:Dazzling your Kids with the Love of Jesus
I have so many mixed feelings about this book.  It's hard for me to process my thoughts but I'll do my best.  I will say that I took some great pieces of wisdom from this book and threw out what I don't believe to be truth. I personally discerned some theology I did not agree with that I won't get into for this purpose but feel free to ask me about it if you'd like.  If you read this book, read with a trusted group of women you can gain insight from or even better yet, a mentor who already has grown children.  I sought out three other mentors to help me discern this book.  The concept of the book is great but the action/practical application is very lacking and was hard for me to understand how to implement realistically.  I believe we should remind our children of the sacrifice of Jesus' death but realistically to do it every time your child misbehaves would be too much to be effective.  Kids will start to turn a deaf ear.  I have at least observed something similar in another family.  Again, just a portion of my thoughts without going into too much depth for a blog review.  :)

Sacred Sex
This book took me a long time to get through.  It may have even taken a year!  It's an interesting read and some good info.  I especially liked the section on how we view our bodies and how our culture damages that view.  That really spoke to me.

Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry
This was a quick and easy leisure read for me.  I found it interesting and full of many things the Lord has revealed to me as a mom as well.  I am always hesitant to suggest a book when I don't know the spirituality of the author for fear of leading someone astray.  There were some new age references in this book so read with caution in those areas.  Most tips matched to my beliefs in the Lord so I found it an interesting read.

15 Minutes Outside: 365 ways to get out of the house and connect with your kids. 
LOVE this!  Hands down a great book.  It has inspired me to get outside more and really be intentional about it.  I'd love to eventually get outside each and every day.  However, reading this as winter rolls around kind of dampens my willingness to do this.  I was going to attempt it but realized I was setting myself up for failure.  I would love to begin this spring to get in the habit and hopefully carry it over into next winter.  I borrowed this book from the library but it is on my "to purchase" wish list.  Great, handy guide to have on your shelf.

That's My Son: How Moms can Influence Boys to Become Men of Character
I have also had this book on my shelf for several months, picking it up every now and then.  I finally finished it.  Since this is my personal copy I will keep it on my shelf for future reference.  I found it quite informational and great info.  My mothering instinct doesn't really know how to mother a boy.  I would do just fine with a girl but there's so much about boys and men I do not understand.  Recently I realized that I must begin to research it.  I would definitely recommend this book to a friend who has a son.

Unmeasured Strength.
What a story!  Not typically a book I would pick up and read but it caught my eye at the library and decided to read it.  It's about a woman who was in the twin towers who actually caught on fire on 9/11and survived.  It's a record of her very long and painful journey.  I was quite amazed at the strength this woman had, especially since I did not find that she had a personal relationship with the Lord.  The book was all about her and her desire to be healed.  I had a lot of questions....how would her story have been different had she known the Lord in a personal way?  How far do we push ourselves and then let Christ take over?  Do I sometimes give up too easily thinking the Lord will help me if He desires?  Definitely an interesting read.

Picture Book Activities
MUST HAVE for moms who want a little structure for their preschoolers.  I love this resource.  I had to send it back to the library so I bought a copy on ebay for myself.  It looks as though it's no longer in print so you have to buy it used.  I found ebay to be the cheapest option.  I'm excited to use this for Kaleb's curriculum the rest of the year.  We'll have a lot of fun doing different activities on some great picture books!

There were some other books I browsed through from the library but didn't catch my eye enough to write about.

I'd love to hear what books you read in December.  I have an ongoing list that I keep.  I get suggestions from friends, I look in the Christian Bookstore catalog and online blogs I read.  I love that I can get most anything from our library system and it costs nothing to borrow from another library in the same system.  It has allowed me to read much more than my budget would allow in purchases. I also saw a blogger I follow who made a pinterest category of books she read in 2011.  So, I'm going to do this for 2012 so I can look back at all I read for the year.

January Habit

I set out to take a break from the online world back in December.  I stopped reading facebook and online blogs completely for nearly 2 weeks.  I pretty much stayed away from the online world except a little bit of pinterest and responding to message via FB since I use it like email.  I did still communicate through email.  While I was away I learned a lot about myself...

*I don't really enjoy reading about other people's lives as much as I thought I did.  I was simply doing it to procrastinate.  It was causing me more anxiety than I realized!
*I was making unnecessary judgments of people based upon their writings (status updates, postings, etc) and not even realizing it.
*I felt judged by others, especially if I didn't agree or didn't live the same lifestyle.
*I can get so much more done when I'm not procrastinating online!

So in a continuation of this "experiment" I did, I want to be make it more of a habit.  So this month I'm going to set some boundaries online and see what happens by the end of the month.

Boundaries include...

*Checking email 3 times a day (unless I know something important will be coming through...there are always exceptions) - 8am, 12pm, 5pm.  My goal is to stick to this!!  I'm a little nervous just because I run a business that relies heavily on online communication.  If I find this doesn't work, I'll adjust as needed.  This is my starting point.

*Online leisure reading, blogging, etc during days with down time.  I typically have down time an hour each day and when we have lazy Saturday mornings.  No more using it to procrastinate when I should be doing something else!

*FB - I have unsubscribed to people I don't have a close relationship to and have marked "important only" for nearly all my friends so that when I do get on FB I don't have much news showing up in my feed.  This cuts down on feeling the need to get on as well.

*No online stuff on Sundays.  No email, no Facebook, no pinterest, etc unless necessary.

I'll fill you in on what happens at the end of the month.  Let me know if you want to join me!  When I took a break in December I had a friend doing it with me.  It was so nice to know I wasn't alone when I was tempted.