March 2018

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Every so often, I get this nagging feeling in my gut that a change is needed: a change in behavior, a change in opinion, a change in action.  I like to think of it as the Holy Spirit tapping me on the shoulder saying, “Hey, you may want to think about this a little deeper.”  At different points in my life, I push the nagging to the side (I’m looking at you, first year postpartum tunnel!) but the most important ones seem to always return.

So this is a look into my brain right now.  I’ll warn you ahead of time – it’s messy in there, hah!  I’m still very much in “input” mode, reading various sources of information and learning all I can.  Looking down the list, these things feel incredibly overwhelming, but my motto should come in handy here: an intentional life happens little by little.  Baby steps is better than no forward progress at all, right? 

1 // TIME

For the past few weeks, I’ve been lamenting to Mark that I just don’t have enough time in the day for one.more.thing.  Between the house and homeschooling and kids and meals and.and.and… when do I have time to work out? to pray? to do something for myself?  The more I think about this, though, it’s not really an issue of time, but of priorities, procrastination and perfectionism.  

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I blame unpopped kernels for this one.  You know how you always find a handful of kernels at the bottom of the popcorn bowl?  Curious, I picked them out and threw them back into the popper….and they popped!  We had at least half a cup of extra popcorn that I normally would have tossed without a second glance.  It gave me a lot of pause…what else am I carelessly throwing away without a second thought?  

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3 // SLOW FASHION 

I follow a girl on Instagram named Elise who decided that for 2018, she would not purchase any new clothing.  Instead, she decided to make her own.  Watching her process as she knit a sweater – the time and precision needed – had me wondering how clothing could ever be sold so inexpensively!

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4 // EDUCATION

With many school-aged children in my home, topped with the responsibility of educating them, this topic is naturally on my mind a lot.  I’m fascinated with learning as a whole, not necessarily just as it applies to homeschooling.  How do we learn?  How can I help my children remember what they learn?  How do I guide them as they grow closer and closer to the teenage years and adulthood?   

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I am not what you’d call an “outdoorsy” person.  But I want to be.  Moving to our new home in the country was the first step and with spring just around the corner, I’m pumping myself up to get outside with the kids.  We all need that time out there. 

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I was recently having a conversation with someone when, as I talked, I watched their eyes flick to their phone (on the table in front of them, naturally) and start scrolling.  It was awkward and embarrassing for me.  In that instant, I thought about the times I have done the same thing, especially with my husband or my children.  I don’t want to be that way.

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Ahh, parenting.  It’s an area of my life where, just when I think I’m getting the hang of this gig, there’s a life twist and I realize – yet again – that I have no idea what I’m doing.  

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