Category: Inspiration

Wow! It’s been a bit since I’ve sat down and written one of these little updates. I hope you are all doing well! Life here has been so busy lately. I just sat down for a moment to catch up on updating a few things on the blog while the kids are occupied in the playroom.

The kids have finished up their ‘school’ for the past year and do a little bit of review work in the mornings but then they are pretty much free to play and explore afterwards. We have also had a few outings and special activities to do while we are on break. I still keep a ‘loose’ schedule as DS14 really needs routines and such. The other kids benefit from it as well. (Truth be told, I really benefit from it too as it keeps me in check and holds me accountable to make sure that the house keeps running  smoothly.)

My house is a bit messier than I like but that’s ok. When I walked in the house last night the kitchen was a bit of a wreck but I was just too tired to really care. This morning I was feeling a bit overwhelmed when I started on my normal routine. I have been keeping up with the basics like laundry, cooking, and keeping the bathroom and kitchen clean but things like mopping, vacuuming, dusting, and just straightening up have been a bit lacking. That’s when my routines come in so handy. Instead of focusing on everything I need to get done I can just get to work on my usual stuff and start checking off the tasks. Each check mark means progress is being made and helps me to stay motivated.

When life is as busy as it has been here lately things do get put to the side. For me, that usually means housework and/or school paperwork. Well, this morning I have been catching up on the first part of that and I plan to try to finish up the grading and paperwork for school this week and next week. I am so ready to have that all finished up so I can start planning our adventure’s for next year!

I have not been spending as much time in my ‘War Room‘ as I should and it has become a little bit cluttered but I did work on it a bit this morning and I am going to set it in my mind and heart to make it in there more often. I also need to make it a point to start writing in my journal more often.

I was super excited to receive a Blogger Recognition Award! Sometimes I’ve wondered if I should continue or if I should just change things up a bit as my blog as expanded so much since I first began. I think for now I will just continue on as I have been and just see where it leads me. I really do like being able to share the things that  I have learned over the years and maybe, just maybe, others can find them helpful in their own lives. I really enjoy reading everyone’s comments and ideas. Of course, there are sometimes ones that are not so nice but that is to be expected.

When everything’s said and done I am so super happy to have had these experiences that I’ve had and I will cherish the memories that are being made right now. My youngest (4) has really taken an interest in cooking. He loves to be right by my side when I am whipping up something in the kitchen. One of his favorite things to make lately is ‘Bikini Bottom Bread’ aka Zucchini Bread. Then another child loves my ‘crabby patties’ which are simply breaded chicken patty sandwiches. These kids don’t watch SpongeBob but apparently they have heard these phrases somewhere… lol.

Then there are other nice surprise that the kids do. They are always bringing me flowers, and I mean always. I might send two kids out to carry scraps to the chicken and they bring in a handful of flowers. I’ll send another to carry out a bag of trash and she’ll bring in a handful of flowers. If I send someone to feed the cat they will return with a handful of flowers. Then when I try to replace the old flowers with the new ones they get upset and I end up with several flower displays. I always try to be very appreciative of everything they bring me even when it’s just a handful of weeds. (This reminds me that I need to get some more allergy medicine.)

We have taken the kids, one at a time, to square dances. We hope to continue to take them on a regular basis and eventually get them all in a class. They have been conducting their own ‘class’ here at home and we do guide them along so they practice the calls correctly. It is amazing how much they pick up on their own without being formally taught.

Square dancing has been such a blessing in our lives. This whole experience has been so much more amazing than I ever expected. I am just amazed at how God works in our lives. I definitely feel like God has led me down this path for a reason and I am trusting in His plan.

There is also so much more to square dancing than I ever imagined. We have so many things in the works for our clubs and I am so excited to see what the next few months hold. This also means a lot of work so I am working on adjusting my schedules and routines to make life simpler all around. I have also been working on creating forms, templates, and check lists to help keep me organized and on task with everything I do for the clubs and the callers. This will also help when we are able to delegate out some of the work that needs to get finished up.

Well, the kids are getting hungry and asking about lunch so I better finish this up and warm up some of the pot roast from last night. I think I see the sun coming out a bit so I may need to try to tackle some of the yard work that needs taken care of too.  It has been raining a lot and the grass has grown so FAST my yard is a bit overgrown… which reminds me that I need to check on getting a weed eater too… and the flower beds never got completely weeded yet either… but first is LUNCH!

Have a blessed day!