The Ambitious Life

At the end of 2013 my family accepted a ministry position that moved us from our fairly small home into a house at least twice the size of what we were in.  We also gained two live in teenagers and have had at various times anywhere between 1-4 extra people living in our home for months to years at a time.  (See: Harvest House ) I was not a great house cleaner when we lived in a small house and now that we are here I've had to REALLY step up my game to make sure our house is clean.  We like to be 15-20 minutes away from "company ready" at any given time so I try really hard to stay on top of things to meet that goal.  The reason for that goal of course is because we want our house to be comfortable for the people in it, but because we also want to be available for hospitality.  We also never know when someone new will move in so it's nice to be prepared. The trick?  Checklists.  :)  Right, you were expecting something amazing.  I used to ...

It's been awhile but I miss writing Thankful Thursdays.  So here goes! 1. I'm thankful for homeschooling and the flexibility it gives me to be involved in the kids lives. 2. I'm thankful for some recent conversations with friends giving me permission to "ignore" the kids and let them be creative and explore and play without me. 3. I'm thankful for my husband who listens to my heart and helps me to figure out what is really going on in my head. 4. I am SO thankful for date nights.  I'm glad that this is a priority in our lives.  Last month we didn't have as many due to a lot of things going on, but we still spent time together intentionally and I so appreciate that we have set that as a priority. 5. I am thankful for answered prayer.  I'm always praying that God would be so real in peoples' lives that they can't deny Him and I'm always so thankful when He shows Himself that way in mine. 6. I am thankful seven hours of unrushe...

We are almost done with our first quarter of school and I have to say, it is going really well!  I'm surprised by how much I'm enjoying doing the lessons and watching Grace grow!  I'd say the same thing about Abi but apparently Grace has replaced me as her teacher :)  Just kidding, I check in with them too and Abi is really working on all the letter names and sounds.  She'll be ready to learn to read next year I think! Grace started off the year using AllInOneHomeschool.com with the Math Mammoth program instead of the one on the website.  Right now we are using "5 Minute Devotionals for Kids" instead of the Bible program and I also added some extra spelling, grammar and English practice worksheets.  Our History and Science is a "group" set up so we have been working through that to whatever level she is able to do.  For the most part she completes all the assignments.  I love my little nerd.  I have had a great time re-learning some of thes...

Laundry is one of those dirty words to most people.  I think the frustration stems from the fact that unless laundry is done while everyone in the house is naked, it is never REALLY finished!  So, since I do laundry full clothed I understand that frustration.  I also have a husband who likes his shirts to not be completely wrinkled so leaving everything in a pile just isn't an option.  (I mean, seriously, when his ONE request is that I at least hang up his shirts when they come out of the dryer you can't really deny that). So on laundry day I make a list (because I like lists).  My laundry & kid laundry are always on the list.  Then I add in the other things that need to get done - towels, sheets, table cloths, the laundry chute, whatever it may be.  Laundry is done on Mondays and Fridays so twice a week everyone has a chance to get everything IN THE BASKET clean.  If it is on the floor it may or may not get washed. On laundry day my best ...

Jake, I love you kid.  You have the best giggle/smile combo around.  I LOVE when you laugh so hard you can't catch your breath.  You live life completely in every moment and feel all sorts of emotions.  You take in everything you see it seems like.  You take awhile to warm up to people but when you do, you are very loyal.  You love going to Grandma and Papa's house and usually tell me "Papa papa papa" all the way there.  You have SO many words and get so excited when I repeat back what you are trying to tell me.  You are very gentle but aren't afraid to shout "mine!" when the situation needs it.  I'm so proud of you!  You, my little man, have figured out that if you push real hard against Levi's bed you can get close enough to the light switch to turn it on.  Stinker.  You know what you want and when you want it.  I pray you use that stubbornness to serve the Lord when you get bigger.  I'm thankful for you little bo...

Levi, Please buddy - just stay little!  You my love are a heart breaker with those blue eyes and dimples.  You have such a sweet little smile people let you get away with all sorts of stuff.  You are mischievous and into everything.  You explore and create.  You are obsessed with bags and putting things in and out of them.  You, my little one, if you continue like this will be an innovator.  You won't be afraid to try new things and fear of failure won't stop you - people telling you no won't stop you either ;)  You're a daredevil and love to taunt me from the top of very tall slides.  Fortunately, you haven't gone down by yourself yet but my boy, that day is coming and I hope you fly down it and land on your feet.  You adore your little brother and are so sweet with him.  You give me hugs and kisses every day and are a loving little man.  You LOVE to scream BYE when daddy leaves for the day and you get very excited about ban...

(Disclaimer: This is slightly melodramatic) Two weeks ago we had a fun week.  Monday was our first meeting of our home school co-op group.  (Read cooperative learning...we each take turns teaching things/caring for kids).  This meant a rushed morning, late nap times and lots of new faces.  Tuesday we did a field trip to Carillon park...which was awesome.  I want to go back without the kids so I can soak more of it up.  It was just really neat and the weather was beautiful.  Wednesday we were home during the day but had a date that night.  Thursday I had scheduled a play date - meaning I took my kids to the park to play with some other kids while I spent some needed time talking to a woman who encourages me to grow my soul.  I needed that soul food.  Friday night, I lost my mind. Seriously.  Ya'll, I spent most of Friday fighting tears.  The kids were acting up, I was lost as how to get them back to normal.  I felt comp...