The Ambitious Life

I get asked all the time how I manage to get places on time.  It cracks me up because people seem to think I am super organized or have this method of getting out the door on time since we are generally on time people.  Not the case! It starts with mindset.  I don't think my time is more valuable than yours, so I don't want to keep you waiting.  I also don't like missing out or feeling rushed so being on time is a priority...more than those extra 15 minutes of sleep!  I also give myself the grace to know that sometimes we just aren't going to be on time, but that should be the exception not the norm. So how do I do it?  Simple really!  I start by studying my people and knowing how long it takes me to get from point A to point Z getting out the door.  And as a side note, breaking it down into little chunks helps because I can estimate better when I can get places that spring up based on where we are at in our getting ready process.  So l...

Even before I had my own big family I wanted to watch and see how it worked.  Preferably with ear plugs because big families are loud.  :)   Now I have my own big family and it is fairly normal to me but people ask me all the time how I do certain things.  I need to hit some of these topics in upcoming posts. Things like... How do you get places on time? How do you handle all the laundry? How do you handle all the cooking? How do you get everyone dressed for the day? (I've got lots of littles!) How do you homeschool? What does a normal day look like? What kind of car do you drive? (Is it bad I don't know specifically?  I should check!) How do you work? How do you handle ministry requirements? Ya know, those sorts of things!  So that is what I'm going to start working on.  Partially because I think it's fun to share.  Partially because I want to remember.  Partially because I need some sort of topic list or I am never going t...

Jacob - You are one serious little man.  You seem to think deeply and thoroughly about things.  And like it or not, we know your opinions!  I think you are starting to realize that you are bigger than your brothers which seems to be fun for you.  But even though you can push them around you don't too much outside of play.  You love when the girls pull you aside for a special activity - coloring, building a fort, working on a project. You built a lego house this morning that was AWESOME.  You are getting to big and so good at doing some of those things on your own without help.  You were the one who told me you could get yourself dressed now and didn't need my help (most days).  You are also super sweet and give me about 20 kisses and at least two hugs before I leave you at school or if I leave the house. You still warm up to people slowly and don't like to be told you "have" to give hugs...or talk to anyone for that matter.  But people...

Levi - You are one hilarious little man.  Seriously.  All day long.  You have these sneaky smiles and side eyes that you do.  Especially when you know you shouldn't and then you flash that grin and think you can get away with anything.  You're nuts and I love you.  You recently retired your Paw Patrol hat that you have been wearing for the better part of the last year.  We replaced it with a Spider Man hat.  It was going to be for your birthday, but we decided that just because was better. You like to say "MOM - talk to me.  I need you to talk to me please." when you feel ignored.  It cracks me up...and occasionally makes me feel bad :)  You think your brother Timothy is awesome.  You love playing with your sisters - doing crafts and building forts with them.  Jacob you just seem to like to beat up but I'm sure that phase will pass. You love all things Super Hero.  You seem to be in a big Iron Man phase right n...

Grace, Grace Louise, you are me.  I'm so sorry! :)  You have so many of the same mannerisms and behaviors that I do, it is crazy.  I watch you and I see me.  It is honestly a great reminder that you are watching who I am and that I need to do my best.  You are 8 years old.  I can't handle it.  I have been your Momma for 8 years!  You are in that awkward (one of your favorite words) stage of not being grown up but not being little.  You want to be treated like an adult most of the time but you love playing superheroes with your brothers too.  This is a hard age and I hope I help you walk through it well. You are sweet and loving.  You adore Timothy and your other brothers.  You and Abi are best friends - even though you pick on each other a lot.  You need me less and less for the "do stuff for me" things but more and more for the heart things.  I love it.  You are a wonderful young lady and I am so blesse...

Timothy, Tim Tim, Timmy, we call you so many things!  You have MASTERED "So big!" and throw your hands up on command.  You also throw your hands up and look at us expectantly for approval and for us to say "So big!" then you squeal with delight.  You wave bye bye and say Mama and Dada...although mostly Dada when you're being cute and Mama in the wee small hours of the nights. You just started walking a few days ago.  None of your brothers figured out how to walk before they were one.  You're ahead of the game!  You have the best bright smile and big blue eyes.  You often look surprised.  You like to bite my legs when I'm sitting on a chair - particularly if I'm not paying enough attention to you.  You also LOVE to pull hair.  Any one's hair.  And the more the squirm the funnier you think it is.  (Just a note, we don't think it's funny! :) ) You are the "best baby" at church most of the time...although they probably say th...

Abi Ann, Oh my goodness I love you.  You have so much spunk and spirit you delight my soul!  You are quick with a smile, to help, and to love the people around you.  You are a great fort builder and come up with awesome fun things to do with your brothers!  You like to color and create all day long!  Pink is your favorite color.  You are reading like a champ and starting to read harder books.  You are doing first grade school work and I'm so proud of you for trying so hard!  You are still crazy stubborn, but more and more I'm seeing you be stubborn about GOOD things and I'm so thankful for that!  You like to have quiet space as much as you love being around people.  You often put other people ahead of yourself and it delights me to see you serving.  You also LOVE to be with your big sister doing all the big kid things.  Ya'll are best buds and I hope you stay that way! Abi, I could not be more proud of the young lady you ...

Experiencing a major life event often draws me back to the keyboard.  This place to write and think and process.  I get in a mode where I want to remember, document, explain, teach, encourage, feel.  All those things that get stirred up when there is a jolt to the normal.  It makes the normal seem much more significant. Right now?  Right now I am getting through a day at a time.  Grief is hard because it comes and goes in waves and is often quite unexpected.  I know certain songs will move me to tears just with the first few words.  Other times I am able to sing and praise knowing that God is in control.  I walk through the grocery store and have those thoughts of another baby blanket, or bottles will only be packed away for a short time...except neither of those things are needed now.  And I pause. Wednesday I discussed the goodness of God....and wept.  Thursday I got my hair and nails done...knowing I was simply trying outwar...

The best laid plans right?  I labored over lesson planning for WEEKS for the girls for next school year.  I finally had a system I wanted to commit to and wrote out four weeks of plans - what lessons, what days, what schedule we were going to keep.  Then they decided they wanted to start school early.  But not all school, just math and typing.  Seriously. And in that moment when I said yes instead of clutching desperately to my plans, I learned how to let go.  I am not a super great go-with-the-flow-er.  I like structure.  I like to know what is coming.  I like to feel in control of my days and my moments.  But I said yes anyway.  And you know what?  It won't matter.  I know that our 180 school days should be a certain amount of math for them.  I know that by the end of the year we should have finished our history and science lessons.  I know that they will read and write better then and improve from where th...

So I am thinking all things homeschool lately...mainly because my husband gave me an awesome budget for next year that is allowing me to think outside the box a little bit.  We just purchased two Chromebooks for the girls to use with their school work...then I threw out the internet based curriculum I was using.  Right?  Ha!  Fortunately I got a great deal on them and one only works when it is sitting right next to the router so they are going to send me a third one for FREE!  Anyway, enough about that.  This year has been frustrating with History and Science.  The curriculum we are using is good, but it isn't capturing Grace's attention and she is young enough that I want her to really enjoy it, not just get through it.  When she has classes she HAS to take for high school credits she can worry about doing them because she has to.  Right now, we're going to enjoy it.  The curriculum we've been using is pretty dry next year as well fo...

I recently decided I should scrap the blog and create a YouTube channel and do a Vlog instead...but ya'll KNOW my house isn't quiet enough that I could ever make that work.  Really, my problem has been that I write these blog posts in my head that are perfectly executed but never type them up instead of just using this as a journal to remember what my crazy life is like RIGHT NOW. Currently - my life is crazy.  Let's recap.  The kids are 7, 5, 3, 3, 2 and 8 months.  That's a little nuts right?  My 8 month old doesn't like to sleep and is currently a huge grump (he is teething so I don't blame him).  It's just loud and crazy and delightful and sleep deprived and all sorts of good and a little bit of hard.  Ok, sometimes a lot of hard but the good kind of hard you know?   And as another blogger often reminds me, hard is not the same as bad. Right Now: We are still doing Harvest House - in our fourth year! We are still homeschoolin...

Isaac, Kiddo - you are a delight!  You are the happiest, most calm kid I've ever hard.  You are only upset when you have ear infections (which you had pretty frequently in the past year, sorry bud) but otherwise you almost always are smiling.  Right now you really like to bite - you're playing but it hurts!  :)  Fortunately your cute and are usually giggling at the same time.  Your words are developing fast.  It is amazing how much more you say now than just a few months ago.  Your big brothers can't decide if they're going to push you around or let you push them around.  It's pretty funny.  You love Timothy and call him "Baby".  You give him kisses a lot too.  You, my dear boy, are such a sweet kid and I am thankful that you're mine!! Love, Momma For your birthday dinner we are having: Lemon ricotta pancakes that daddy is making with bacon and eggs.  Grandma and Papa will be here for dinner too!  For you...