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Baby Ready Coming in October!

on August 28, 2018

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One Year of Counting Hours

Well, one whole year of counting our outside hours has come and gone. I can't believe it's been a year. The whole idea behind "1,000 Hours Outside" is to spend as much time as possible outside. Studies have found the average American child spends 1,200 hours a year on screens. One study that the CDC looked at found kids 8-18 years old spend 7.5 hours a DAY on screens. So to counter that, a challenge that has now become a worldwide movement, was established- get 1,000 hours of outside time in a year. Surely, if a child can spend that much time in front of a screen, they can spend a little bit of that time outside. The founder of 1,000 Hours, Ginny Yurich, has done some great things. Here is her website for more info: https://www.1000hoursoutside.com/ So on one random day last November, I decided to start tracking our hours. I initially wrote about the challenge and our goals here (with an update here ). A whole year later and I can honestly say it was one of the best...

2025: A Great Year Ahead

A new year has arrived. I can't believe 2025 is here already. I have some big goals for the new year- less/more goals: Less stagnancy, more action - I want to move my body more, take more trips, go on adventures, say yes to spontaneity, get outside, play more. Less negativity, more joy- Spend time with people that breathe life rather than toxicity, truly and thoroughly enjoy my children, spend more time in prayer, surround myself with people and places that spark joy. Less Consuming, more creating- Learn a new hobby/art, plant a bigger garden, can more and buy less, get off social media and into more books, bake and create. I don't always like setting new goals in the middle of winter, but this year it felt like a good time for a reset. 2025 is going to be great :) And speaking of resets, Michael and I were able to have a major reset both for our marriage and our own mental healths. For the first time since having kids, we took a trip away, just the two of us. For the past 6.5...

December 2024

Another Christmas has come and gone. It saddens me a little bit more each year because the time goes quicker and the season is fleeting. I even make an effort to extend the season by decorating in early November and being intentional about doing all the Christmasy things, but still it flies by. I am so grateful I stay home with the kids, though, because it does help us to savor all the Christmas we possibly can. And this year was another good one. Let's start at the beginning. A highlight for us is our special little advent books/activities that we do every day. The kids have a book and coordinating activity waiting for them in the kitchen every morning. We always start out on day 1 with making countdown to Christmas chains. A new thing I also introduced was a family puzzle, set up in the corner, to be worked on all season long by anyone that walks by. Isla and I had a lot of fun putting it together over several days! We also ushered in the season with a big snow and warm cookies,...

A Day in the Life: Winter Edition

It's time for another "day in the life" post. These are my favorite kinds of blog posts because it highlights our day to day moments that mostly feel mundane. But over time these little moments add up to the memories of my motherhood and their childhood. All the wiping of booties, counters, and dishes can be monotonous and sometimes exhausting, but those are the things that matter when I think back on the memories of our days. So, recording a mediocre "day in the life" every couple of months is like taking a snapshot in a time that goes by all too quickly. Our days lately have been slow. In the winter we spend a lot of time at home, which feels right for us. Since getting back from Florida I have started a new routine for myself. I actually get up before the kids now. I feel like someone out there should be proud of me :) I've been getting up at 5:30 to exercise. I spend about half an hour doing that and another half an hour showering and getting ready. The...

January Recap

Well, we did it. We survived the worst sickness to ever go through our family. While it doesn't take the prize for the longest worst sickness (that placement goes to covid of 2020), the norovirus of 2025 will forever go down as the worst sickness in our family. I'll spare you the details, but let's just say running between rooms all night dealing with vomit while also holding down your own stomach is not for the faint of heart. Fortunately it only lasted about 24 hours for each person, so there was a quick end in sight. I am thankful that tv is used as a tool in our house rather than a babysitter because letting the kids sit on the couch and watch 6 hours straight of tv didn't make me feel one bit of guilty. Their tired, feverish bodies needed rest and tv was the best way to get that. Unfortunately, that means we are slowly detoxing from that enjoyment and I'm sure there will only be a few more days of begging to "watch something" left. Right before the e...

Daffodils and Robins

"Springtime is the land awakening. The March winds are the morning yawn." -Lewis Grizzard I don't know this author, but I do like this quote. What a perfect representation of Spring. And March really does feel like the very, very beginning. Little glimpses of the warm days ahead. The thawing earth with the slightly warm breezes that can turn crisp in a second. I have stepped outside this March and felt like the doom and gloom of winter is slowly leaching from my body. There are robins singing and searching while little daffodils are poking their heads out of the ground. It's hopeful and refreshing! The kids have felt it too as we collapse every night with tired bodies from running outside and dirty feet from stomping through mud. And we love it. We have had hotdogs over the fire, picnics under the tree, and school in the sunshine. We are garden-planning, sunshine-chasing, dirt-digging, barefoot-running, kite-flying, freckles-peaking, worm-hunting, spring-loving enthu...

Michigan Trip and Summer Adventures

Michigan... the place that will always have my heart. We spent a few days on the west side of Michigan with Mimi and Bupa and had a really special time. It's a simple vacation with endless beach hours, but it's everyone's favorite. The kids LOVE the beach and there's just something about those white caps and seagull cries that you just can't beat. We had a little time before our rental was available, so we spent the day in St. Joseph. We explored a new (to us) beach, walked the shops, and enjoyed some icecream :) The kids were excited when we got to the rental. They always love a new place to stay. We were 3 houses from our own private beach. And because it was still just a little early, before the official "summer season" for Lake Michigan, and because it was chilly, we had the entire beach to ourselves most of the time. Miles and miles of sand, all for us :) The next day was hours and hours of beach time. The kids loved digging in the sand, burying thems...

November 2024

Well, I blinked and November was over. It was quite the month with some fun highs and some really sad lows. We started the month celebrating friendsgiving with our co-op. We enjoyed stories, games, crafts, and yummy food! Our school time mostly consisted of learning about the first Thanksgiving with books, videos, crafts, baking, and even a trip to the local history museum to play in the pilgrim/pioneer room. We even sprinkled in a couple pre-Thanksgiving dinners just for practice ;) The big turkey day was spent in Michigan this year. We spent Wednesday making the 6 hour drive. We stopped halfway to stretch our legs and play at a children's museum. And that was a game changer for us. The kids were able to tire themselves out just in time to nap for the tail end of the trip. And then Thanksgiving was spent at my parent's house. Of course, we watched the parade, ate lots of food, played outside, and spent time with family. It was a lovely day. (yes, she fell asleep watch...

This Full Life

May has arrived! And with it has come my favorite hobby- gardening! I didn't grow up gardening and I've only been doing it for the last decade or so, but I sure do love it. It feels like I'm in my granny era when I go out and talk to my plants and spend my free time canning and preserving. I think the lessons that come with gardening are valuable for our whole family too. I also recently learned that there is a specific bacteria found in soil (mycobacterium vaccae) which literally stimulates seratonin production and acts like an anti-depressant and immune booster. By inhaling the microbes or having them find a way into your body, it's like giving yourself a happy-boost. I guess that's why so many people get so much joy out of their garden. And I would agree that my garden does in fact make me happy. So for the time being, you can find us barefoot and covered in dirt as much as possible, trying to get those microbes :) Another chance to get dirty was at the nature ...

Gray and Gloomy Can Be Life-giving Too

Winter has never been trouble for me, but this year it has been a struggle. I have found myself lost in the doom and gloom of the dark, cold days. I have no motivation, I am constantly cold, and I'm anxious to just get out of this season. I realize that's no way to live and so I've been trying to lean into winter rather than feel despair towards it. I've been trying to fill my days with hygge activities- reading, napping, baking, handcrafting, snuggling. It doesn't help that we have barely gotten outside (it's been so cold) and we've had so much sickness. But in the midst of gray and monotony, there is joy. We are finding it, even if it means hodge-podging it together with what we can find. Sometimes the little moments of joy- a good book, a new favorite recipe, a small trip away, a big pizzle, a heating blanket followed by a good long bath, a phone call with my mom- are what we need to enjoy the darkness. Homeschooling author and speaker, Julie Bogart, sa...

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Baby Ready Coming in October!

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