The Promise of Spring

It started a few weeks ago, the promise of spring.  Everyday now I look for new signs.  At first it was a couple of birds.  Since then I've seen new shoots of grass, buds on trees, frogs, spiders, more birds, and yesterday there was even a rainbow!  My favorite is the large clump of daffodils randomly left around a tree stump out back.  With an increase of rain the last two weeks much of our yard has become mud.  The children find great fun in this as they use it to build all sorts of things.  They love puddle jumping, catching frogs and just letting the mud run through their little fingers.  It's a bit tricky to keep cleaned up inside, but worth those few precious moments when we can get out of the house.   Looking everyday for new signs of spring is an addiction for me. 

 What are your favorite signs of spring?

Minimizing

I recently checked a book out from our library titled Living with Less by Joshua Becker.  As I skimmed through it I was introduced to a term called minimalist.  This author described what being a minimalist meant to him. Only owning what was necessary. He talked about how he wanted to play ball with his son, but was stuck cleaning the garage instead.  Owning more than what he needed caused him to spend more time and money on unnecessary items.  Keeping him from what he wanted most.  This idea intrigued both DH and I.  We have been trying for the last couple years to simplify and scale back.  Moving twice in one year and not having a place for everything has really been frustrating as our possessions seem to be taking a lot of our time away from what we wish we were doing.  And so our journey to simplify has been given new meaning.  A new word and a new reason to keep going.  I am excited to minimize our "stuff".  Freeing up time and money to be spend on things that matter most.  When I bring something into my home I would like to ask myself  "what is this giving to me and what is it taking?"  I have been on a quest to make my life more meaningful.  I think that should include the things I surround myself with as well.  Isn't life suppose to be simple and sweet?

F.Y.I.

I have been wanting to update our blog for sometime now.  I've gone through and changed all the names in our family.  I really want to blog more and have this available to share with others without having our identities on here.  It's still a work in progress and I am excited for what the future holds.  I hope you enjoy getting to know us!

Kids just won't stop growing!

Most of these pictures are from September, but hey it's something:)

Enjoy!

Encourage, Encourage, Encourage!

 I have a dear friend who lives by this motto.  I am learning what a great motto it is!

   We live in a world of discouragement.  Everywhere we turn we see and hear things that discourage.  What would it be like if the opposite were true?  If our children, our parents, our spouses, our friends, ourselves, only heard encouragement.  You can do it!   That's a great idea!  Go for it!  How much easier it would be to do hard things.  To move through trials.  To overcome obstacles.  LIFE IS HARD.  That's why we are here.  It's to learn how to be happy, to encourage each other as we move through our journey here.  I love reading the Book of Mormon and being encouraged by the prophets that wrote in it so long ago.  They long for us to have joy.  Our Heavenly Father longs for us to have joy.  If only we could help each other by believing in and encouraging one another.  It's hard to watch people make mistakes.  As parents it's especially hard to watch our children make mistakes.  Sometimes though we know it's how they learn and grow.  We allow mistakes to be made.  We allow choices and consequences.  And then we love them.  We ENCOURAGE them and allow them to move on.  I hope I can be more encouraging to those I know.  I am so thankful for those who encourage and uplift me.  Even when it seems like I don't have a clue what I'm doing.  Thank you my family and friends!

I Love My Friends!

I have been struggling to homeschool this year as our very busy Boy is into everything! I voiced this frustration to a dear friend of mine, she then told me about a book she uses and shared this example from it.

1. Grab an egg carton.

2. Punch holes in the bottom of each egg.

3. Give it to the child along with a pile of spoons or sticks,

(for us spoons were the safer choice).

4. Enjoy your 5-10 minutes!

Yeah! Now I need 100 more activities just like this. Maybe I ought to get that book:)

I Can Do Hard Things.

This summer has been full of trying new things. There has been a lot of adjustment and a lot of learning on my part. I am so happy when something turns out beautiful or I finish something I never thought I could do. A few things I've done this summer are...

Learned how to cook without using sugar, gluten, dairy and yeast. That pizza you see pictured is made with Chickpea (bean) flour, water, oil and salt. Top with whatever you want. The kids have been kind with my experimenting with foods.

Yesterday I ran a 5K. A goal I've always dreamed of but never put the effort into. I trained for 3 maybe 4 weeks, the last week I ran with my sisters. On race day my darling sisters ran with me the whole way. We had planed on the run being flat and on a road, but it was far from that! Through the woods and up and down hills we went. It was a beautiful day and the scenery was lovely. I have adrenaline just remembering that I did it! Thank goodness for awesome sisters to cheer you on!

Last but not least I made this toy/puzzle. I saw it on the Internet and wanted it, but felt the price was a bit high. It only took an hour or so to cut and sand it. Then I worked on painting and waxing it for a few hours and viola! I just saved myself a handful of money and my children get something made by Mom. This puzzle is really a story about a Giant Turnip. It's an old Russian story and I can't wait to share it with the kids this week as we continue to talk about the harvest.