summertime and the livin's easy

we're still adjusting to the summer groove around here.
i slept in until my kids woke up every morning last week.
while it seemed nice at the time, i really missed my quiet mornings with the Lord.

so, this week i'm back to waking up at 5:30 or 6:00, so that i can have that sweet solitude before the chaos ensues.
it does wonders for my attitude.

since both of my big boys are readers now, i decided they needed to have some quiet time with the Lord each day as well.
this morning i read them Jesus Calling at breakfast and then wrote down the verses they needed to go read on their own.
my goal is to do that with them everyday.
i don't want to cheat them of that time that they need just as much as i do.
i am also going to print out some verse cards from Seeds Family Worship for us to memorize together.
it's all about attainable goals, right? :)

also, a friend asked me what i meant by our year of simplicity.

well, i think we are figuring it out along the way.
we know that that a simple family life is our goal.
it is how we will be most happy and at peace.

some things we have discovered and are implementing thus far:

*less electronic entertainment. . . screens.
 this includes tv, wii, d.s.'s.
the month of may was no screens on weekdays.
and limited on the weekends....for example we watch for a family picnic night.
we haven't figured out where we are going from here on out.
but this was so. great. for us this past month.
we loved it.

*less running around.
more staying at home and being together.
this means we're not signing up for a whole slew of summer activities.
we're using our brains and our creativity to come up with more things to do together, at home.

*when we are together, we are making the most of it.
we're looking in our children's eyes and really listening and connecting.
even when we're driving in the car, i'm making a conscious effort to really listen to what they're saying to me.
to engage them.
to make the time and space for them to be themselves and open up.
to not just let time pass us by.
we are choosing to really live each moment and be present in the moment.
this has been huge actually.
in the past we've felt like a weekend would just fly by full of activity and tasks and then monday would roll around and we couldn't even remember what we really did.
this has helped for us to feel like we really made the most of our time when we are all together.
i feel like we are truly starting to live life to the fullest....or at least stepping into it.


we hope to discover more and more about how to live a simple life and not let ourselves get so crowded in again.
i'll keep you posted on that. :)

and now, for some little pics from around the house....because really, what is a post without pictures??

can i get an Amen?

sometimes i cannot believe that this is our backyard.
so very thankful.

sweet, vintage tin tray from my parents.
makes me happy every time i see it.

love this little space on our porch.
aj and i sit here often to grab a few minutes of conversation.

in an effort to be completely real with you, here are my two boys, yesterday afternoon, watching a movie.
fin had cut his finger and wasn't feeling great so we let him lay down and watch a movie.
of course, avery joined him.
it was a lovely quiet moment for me.
just so you know that i am human and i like a tv babysitter just as much as the next mom.
no judgement here! ;)


i'd love you all to go on this quest for simplicity with me.
or maybe you're already there?
or have some great ideas or tips to share?
i'd love to discuss in the comments. :)




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monday morning thoughts

it's 8:30 in the morning and i'm eating a piece of cold pizza and i'm really happy about it. :)

okay, Jesus Calling is SO.GOOD. today.

I have to share, in case you need to hear it too.
{and then go buy yourself a copy, seriously}.

"I, the Creator of the Universe, am with you and for you. What more could you need? When you feel some lack, it is because you are not connecting with Me at a deep level.  I offer abundant Life; your part is to trust Me, refusing to worry about anything. It is not so much adverse events that make you anxious as it is your thoughts about those events.  Your mind engages in efforts to take control of a situation, to bring about the result you desire.  Your thoughts close in on the problem like ravenous wolves.. Determined to make things go your way, you forget that I am in charge of your life.  The only remedy is to switch your focus from the problem to My Presence.  Stop all your striving and watch to see what i will do.  I am the Lord!"


wow. isn't that so good?
exactly what I needed to hear today....as usual.

so, i received this comment/question on friday . . .
"I'm right there with you and wanting to simplify life and be more focused about motherhood and life in general. My biggest dilemma though, is feeling that if I just create a kind of bubble for my family how does that help anyone else unless I have some sort of "outlet" to share that with others? "

yes. i resonate with that.
i am the first one to say that i am crazy-nuts-in-love with my little family and would just love to wrap us up in a little bubble and spend all my time with them in pure, happy bliss.
but what good does that do the world?
we're supposed to share our lives with others and get our hands dirty.

that is why our family is involved with the potter's house ministry.
it is not neat and tidy. it is messy.
we've had the privilege of having our meliyah girl stay with us for the past few days and it is hard and good and overwhelming and sweet.
sometimes this ministry that God has given us feels too hard and too much for us.
but then we are gently reminded that God has gifted us with this one wild and precious life and we want to live it well.
we want to waste our lives on Jesus.
this is the work, Heaven is the rest.

our year of simplicity is not only about simplifying our lives and getting rid of the fluff, it's also about spending our days on what matters.
our sweet pastor Jim always asks, "are you spending your time, talents and money on what matters?"
It's one thing to talk about these things but it is so much more to try to actually live them out.

so here we go, one shaky step in front of the other . . . leaning hard on God's mercy and grace.

:)






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friday stuff

hi there.
i have a thousand thoughts rolling around in my head right now.

and honestly, i am exhausted and hoping for a nap soon.
but my brain will not quit until i write some stuff down so here goes.

1. our pool is the color of algae. awesome. we're having some difficulties getting it opened for summer. trying to be patient! pool guys are coming on monday.
glass half full: the kiwi colored water discourages certain children from getting in before it's ready.

2. AJ and I are calling this our year of simplicity. 
remember me telling you that we are seeking to simplify our lives?
well, wow.
God is bringing that into focus big time right now.
there are things that we have been praying about and wondering about for months, that are finally becoming so simple and obvious.
hard things but good things.
sorry, that is so vague . . . for now.

the no tv thing has been seriously wonderful.
again, harder, more work to think of creative things for the boys to do.
but really, they are mostly figuring it out on their own.
it's been really good for us all.

3. this post: how to miss a childhood, is a must-read.
it is so worth the 5 minutes of your time to read.
it has been very challenging to me and i have re-read it a couple of times to get it to soak it in.

4. have you entered my dayspring giveaway to win the I am His jewelry set?
click here. do it. do it now. do it.

5. and now for some instafriday moments . . .

"look mom! i'm larry boy!"

ha ha ha! that boy is so stinkin' cute.

do you love the plethora of bandaids? 

mercy, he is adorbs.

mama carmen's espresso cafe'.
every wednesday morning at 6 am.
a power hour.
memorizing scripture. praying.  getting filled up by women who love Jesus.

this girl.
she has stolen our hearts fully and completely.
i am trying to suck up every last second with this sweet child.
she is growing so fast.
i love everything about her.

especially when she passes out in my arms and i get to watch her sleep.
i don't deserve this bliss.

potter's house thrift came through for me once again.
ruby and i did a little shopping there yesterday.
this fun find is and 8X10, i'd say.
it has an urban outfitters price tag on the back for $38.
i paid $2.95. blam.
stickin' it to the man.


have you joined instagram yet?
it's my fave.
wayyyy better than facebook or twitter. they are dead to me now.
simpler and prettier, i think. :)

join the instafriday fun at life rearranged....




happy friday . . .  enjoy your weekend.

here's hoping for a nap!



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on a wednesday afternoon

happy wednesday to you.

a little update on our goals to simplify out life.

we decided to do no tv/screens for the month of may.

okay it's not as simple as that.
aj and i use our computer and phones...email, work, tasks, blog, etc.

the boys are on no screens at all . . . because they don't have any work they need to be doing. :)

and you know there's always an exception to every rule, so we decided there would be some tv on the weekends.

i.e. aj and i watch some show or movie after the boys are in bed for a date-ish time on the weekends.
and we will probably do a movie & picnic night in the living room with the boys on some weekends.

it is going so great!
the boys are on board and haven't even asked about tv or wii or computer games!
that is crazy to me.
i have one certain child who asks to do a screen any time he has a free moment.

last weekend was our first weekend in May and the boys didn't watch one moment of television.
it wasn't that we said, no.
they just didn't even ask.
which is awesome after only a few days of being on no screens.
they actually seemed excited about it.

now, i will say, we don't watch a lot of tv in this house, anyway.
heck, we don't even have cable.
but i realized that the boys were asking more and more to do screens . . . like it was starting to be their go-to activity.
which annoys me because i think they need to use their mind and think of something fun to do.

so as you often have to do in life and especially in parenting, we needed to take a step back.

it has been fun to see them come up with creative activities.
finley has been listening to adventures in odyssey tapes, reading books, and making plays with avery.
avery has been drawing, reading & playing with finley.
sawyer has been (when he's not whining at me) coloring with markers, cutting papers, playing legos & playing with ruby.

and aj and i . . . well we always have a million things to do but it does really make us look forward to our weekends when we can cuddle together and eat a snack with a fun show (downton abbey, anyone?)

tv is one of those things that we are always re-evaluating.
i don't mind a little of it . . . as long as it supports what we are trying to teach our children.
but i don't ever want us to be dependent on it to entertain our children.
i want them to look out the window and see the world when we're driving down the road.
i want them to play outside and use their imagination.
i don't want them to be dependent on a tv or computer screen to keep them entertained.
you miss so much of actual living when you do.
but honestly, sometimes you just get tired and you go against your better judgement because it's easier.
and then you have to have a no-screens month to detox. :)


so far, i'm liking May just fine. :) Pin It

one wild and precious life

we had a wonderful weekend.
we had great time as a family and great time as a couple.
we talked a lot.

Source: etsy.com via Kasi on Pinterest

we've been talking a lot about what we want for our lives.
we don't want to just go with the flow and watch our lives pass us by.
we talked about longing for a simple life.
with our family.
without so many distractions.
we talked about what life we want to make for ourselves and our children. . . and how to get there.

a lot of deep thinking going on over here lately.
pondering, questioning, praying.
i think we have let busyness and distractions consume so much of our life that we are just kind of along for the ride . . . not really making it what we want it to be.

we are taking a step back and looking at how we are living.
i am excited and nervous and hopeful about the future. :)


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