Tuesday, June 30, 2015

How I Did On My Goals for June

Before I get to my new goals for July, let's take a look back and see how I did on my Goals for June:

1. Spend time each weekday doing Jen Wilkin's Bible study on the book of Judges.


This went really well! I can't say I did it every weekday (sometimes I'd make up for it on the weekend), but the heart of the goal was to get me in the Word, studying, and that goal was met. I am really enjoying this. I would never have ventured a study on the book of Judges by myself, but it has been so helpful in finally understanding what the deal is with that book and what it's message is. I really encourage you to check out Jen Wilkin's studies. She's fantastic. If you want to join me, you can get the workbook and audio for free here.



2. Exercise in some form every day.

Piper and Addie not sure they're awake enough for a walk.

This was a bit of a weak point for the first part of the month, except some family walks and bike rides. Between being busy, having guests, and a bout of sickness that hit our family, exercise got pushed mostly to the back burner for a few weeks, but I was able to finish the month strong the past two weeks. Most mornings I've been trying to get up between 5 and 6 to hit the pavement running, walking, or doing an exercise DVD before the kids wake up and my husband has to leave for work. My entire day is improved when I do this. That time to myself is life-giving! The peaceful quiet as the sun awakes and everything is still and dewy breathes vigour into my soul. I really am fighting to establish this as a habit.



3. Write at least one blog post a week.


Umm... oops! I think I missed an entire week, but then I put up two posts another week. (That makes up for it right?). There are other posts I've written but haven't completed yet. Ideally, I need to improve in this area and get some sort of regular schedule going.



4. Get the guest room ready for guests.


Well, it's not everything I would hope it to be, but I managed to get it functional. The junk pile got sorted through and put away in storage or given away. So far it has a bed, side tables, lamps and a dresser. We loved having my brother and sister-in-law from Alberta and my dad visit this month. I'm grateful to be able to offer them each a private room in this house! I have a girl's weekend coming up in July so I'm hoping to keep working on this, making it even better. I'd still like to at least add art, curtains, and a mirror. I'll have to snap a photo sometime to share.



5. Hang art in the living and dining rooms.


The upstairs living room.

Well, I completed this one! But then I proceeded to undo half of it. I found an awesome, large, old spinning wheel at this great outdoor market in our area and hung it above the couch in the living room. I love it! It was exactly the vision I had for that space and I got a great deal. It adds interest, texture, and dimension to the room. It also happens to be the exact same patina as the rustic wood floor lamp I had there, so it ties in beautifully. 

In the dining room I tried to work with what I had. I tried to channel my inner Joanna Gaines, putting up an old empty frame with a boxwood wreath in the middle of it, but I actually ended up taking it down after a few days. It was too dark and I didn't love it. I decided I'm okay with letting the walls breathe until I find something that I truly love to put there. 

I did hang two other photos in our entrance, so I'm telling myself that makes up for it. The truth is, I really want to be more selective in my home this time around. Many times I'll buy something because it's on sale and hope to find a spot for it. This time I want to have a design plan and wait to find what I know I'll love (and for a good deal, because I'm kind of allergic to paying full price for things). This home will develop over time, and that's fine with me. 





6. Plan a 4th birthday party that Jackson will love (not myself or Pinterest).


Done! It was a blast. We celebrated for four days straight. You can read all about it here.  



7. Do a fun activity with the kids off our Family Summer Bucket List at least once a week.

My boy hand to paw with a white lion at the zoo.

This goal was met and then some! We managed to check a few things off our list, but frankly, it was a month chalk-full of plenty of summer fun, whether it was on our list or not. But here are the ones we crossed off of our Summer Bucket List this month:

* Go fishing

* Go to the zoo
* Visit a new park
* Roast marshmallows
* Water balloon games








8. Take more photos with my "real" camera.


My hope in this goal was to just start taking photos with my Nikon again instead of always using my iPhone, and I really enjoyed this. From Jackson's birthday party, to hikes, time at the park, and little candid moments of our life, I took my camera along and have some precious, good quality snaps to show for it. I'd like to keep this up.



Overall, I'd say the hope of all of my goals were met this month! I found it really beneficial. Writing out my goals helped me remember to focus in on some things I wanted to accomplish (like getting the guest room ready and hanging some art) or areas I generally wanted to develop the habit of regularly including in my life (like Bible study, exercise, and planning special activities with the kids each week). 

As I look toward my goals for July, I'd like to keep up what I began in June when it comes to exercising every day, using my Nikon more often, and Bible study. I've also made some of those goals a bit more specific.


How about you? Did you set any goals you met this month? Do you have some ideas for next month? Share in the comments below if you'd like.



Stay tuned for my Goals for July tomorrow.

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Jackson's Birthday Festivities

We celebrated Jackson's 4th birthday two weekends ago! I know everyone says it, but, boy, does time ever fly! I can't believe my baby is four years old. I wrote my sweet boy a letter for his birthday which you can read here, if you like. 

We had my brother and sister-in-law from Alberta stay with us for five days and my dad for three, so it was a lot of fun around here. The kids soaked up all the extra love and attention. We packed a lot into those five days. We had Jackson's birthday party on Saturday and celebrated again on his actual birthday on Monday. That meant two cakes, people, and I was not complaining! 

Uncle Jon and Aunt Chantal with Addilyn and Jackson at the top of the "mountain" near our house

The day of his party Jackson woke up and proceeded to run around the house in his underwear, squealing about all of the balloons. I have photos of it to embarrass him at his wedding some day, but I'll spare him blogosphere humiliation. Needless to say, it was pretty cute (and reassuring to me as an emotional momma that turning four does not mean he's ready to start shaving, get a job and move out of the house just yet. 

One of my goals for this month was to throw a birthday party that Jackson would love, not myself or Pinterest (for his 1st birthday I had a lot of fun with a full-out Cat in the Hat theme and about a million DIY projects - very cool, but would lead to a stressed out momma rather than a present one with how full our life is now). He's old enough now to know what he wants (and apparently too young to appreciate how awesome Pinterest stuff is), so I wanted his input on his celebration and I left Pinterest out of it this time. He wanted his family, swimming, to go fishing, and a chocolate cake with chocolate icing and mint chip ice cream. Simple and sweet. So that's what we did!

We had family over on a beautiful, summery Saturday. We swam, chatted, BBQ'd, played, opened presents, ate cake, and Jackson was a happy new 4 year old. On his actual birthday my dad and brother took him fishing and he caught 4 fish! It was a great weekend of celebrating our growing boy and making precious memories. I'm so grateful for our family, near and far, young and old, who came to love on my boy. 

Papa, Jackson, and Great Grammie

Addie munching her 1,000,000th piece of watermelon and snuggling with Aunt Chantal & Uncle Jon

Dad helping him open his gifts!

Blowing out his 4 candles with Great Grandpa cheering him on!

Grandpa giving Jackson his first fishing rod

Time to catch some fish!

I helped him get his fourth fish for the day. (I was way more excited than he was!)

The sun going down on a great day. My baby is four years old!


Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Summer Bucket List (for Preschoolers)

I posted my goals for the month of June here. Some of them are going well and getting checked off, but others (*ahem* exercise and blogging) have taken a hit the past few days as I was busy having a wonderful time with family I don't get to see often enough who stayed with us for five days and as we celebrated Jackson's birthday with lots of cake over the weekend. (A post will be coming up in the next few days about his birthday festivities.) We were very sad to see my brother, sister-in-law, and dad go home yesterday. The kids are still asking where they went. They are dearly missed already - it was so nice to have so much life in this house. But now it is back to routine for us and getting on track with these goals again!

One of my goals was to do at least one item off of our family's Summer Bucket List every week this summer. So I figured I should go ahead and post the list that we have come up with of things we would like to do this summer in hopes it might inspire you. I know I'm often searching blogs for inspiration and ideas of fun things to do with my kiddos. I have a four-year-old and a one-and-a-half year old so our list is aimed at preschool aged kids.



1. GO CAMPING (EVEN IF IT'S JUST IN THE BACKYARD)

2. SIDEWALK CHALK OUR DRIVEWAY



3. GO FISHING



4. FLY A KITE

5. VISIT THE ZOO

6. WATER BALLOON GAMES

7. MAKE OUR OWN POPSICLES

8. CHOOSE SOME NEW BOOKS FROM THE LIBRARY

9. SWIM AT THE BEACH

10. PAINT ROCKS

11. WATCH FIREWORKS

12. ATTEND VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL AT CHURCH

13. MAKE HOMEMADE LEMONADE

14. HAVE A BONFIRE AND ROAST MARSHMALLOWS

15. COTTAGE WEEKEND ON THE LAKE WITH FAMILY

16. VISIT A NEW PARK

17. BUILD A SAND CASTLE

18. MAKE OUR OWN BUBBLES

19. GO TO A CHILDREN'S MUSEUM

20. HIT UP A SPLASH PAD




I don't know if we will be able to cross them all off this summer. Even if we are only able to check off a few, sweet memories will have been made and it will have been worth it. I find having a list helps remind me to be intentional to try to make each summer special. It gives us options for the days we are looking for something special to do. The next thing I need to do is plan particular dates that will work for some of those items that require a bit of arrangement ahead of time (like the camping and cottage weekend).

I would love to hear any more suggestions you may have. What are you looking forward to this summer? Let me know in the comments below.

Monday, June 15, 2015

Jackson's 4th Birthday Letter

My sweet Jackson,

It’s your 4th birthday! Somehow you've up and turned 4 on us. Already it's hard to believe you're the same person as the little baby we see in your baby pictures. I can barely remember you being so helpless and small (but thank you for being the sweetest baby a mother could ask for - you were an absolute delight and went easy on me!)

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My son, you have grown leaps and bounds this year. Physically, you shed your baby face, ditched diapers, and lost any last remnants of sweet baby rolls. You’ve shot up tall and most people think you are older than you really are. But the biggest growth this year has been inside yourself. This year we’ve watched you go from a crying toddler in the church nursery who clung to mom and dad, refusing to go to the front of the church for kid’s connection, to this confident little man who strolls up to the front and shoots the breeze with the pastor in front of the whole congregation (which actually terrifies me every time, wondering what embarrassing tidbit you might feel like sharing). You started Sunday School and AWANA this year and you have flourished. You’ve made friends and learned so much - from planes, trains, and automobiles, to the power of honesty, trust, and the fact that God is always with us.

I love discovering your personality and the unique person God has made you to be. 

You are careful. You are so young, but I can completely trust that once I’ve explained why  something is dangerous that you will not try to do it and you will watch out that your sister stays safe as well. I’ve been able to give you much more independence due to this. I never knew a four year old could be so trustworthy!

You are such an encourager. You are so generous with your praise and quick to say, “Wow! You look so beautiful, mommy!” “Addie, you did it all by yourself! Great job!” “You’re the best daddy in the whole wide world!” 

You have the most amazing memory. You know every book we read to you by heart, and you’ve been doing this since you could talk! This made remembering your memory verses for AWANA a breeze for you. I think you’d memorized your entire book by the second month.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7_ZtGw3b79fKKQSWsvuSkuIer9sFqdRM6VEXwZomKKHFy63sxhvjXH0LGjoVF6KLXrehgzgrZlR9BiPrF-a2G1dwiN9FiITZfBkPnzFW58551pPae9RoUPgXKwGH7dKZ3Dms7HF5Ftmqm/s320/IMG_3553.JPGYou started helping out around the house this year - emptying the dishwasher, putting the garbage bags in and taking the recycling out. We pay you for emptying the dishwasher (10 whole cents!) and a whole new world has opened up to you as you are learning to save your money, give your money, and spend your money. You pretty much always choose to buy the same thing - a box of Smarties. 

You are a classic boy. To your daddy’s delight, you love motorcycles, cars and any big trucks. Now that you make a bit of money, you are determined to save up enough to buy a real motorcycle. Let’s just say, I’m thankful we pay you a pitifully low amount (and I may keep it that way as long as that’s what you desire to buy with your money).

You are sensitive. You cry quite easily, sometimes you don’t even know why. Watching you brings me back to my childhood sometimes - I remember feeling the same way at times. You are so alike me in some ways. 

You can be quite shy. You tend to not like games in big groups or loud crowds. You just get quiet, sit on the side and watch, happy to be a spectator instead of entering in. You’ve been like this since you were a baby. I remember when you were about a year old your daddy tried to take you to a big fair for kids with bouncy castles and games for little ones and you had absolutely no interest. Now in AWANA during games time sometimes the leaders try to prod you, but you stand firm that you don’t want to. We’ve had a few people tell me that you’re too shy, but I don’t mind that you are shy. I am almost 30 years old and I’m still the same way. It’s just how you’re made, darling. It’s still hard for me as well sometimes, but I’ve learned I need to embrace that I’m made the way I am. You may not be the life of every party, but you sure bring fun and life to this house, and you will have so many other deep and great things to offer this world. Find what you do well, and do it with all your heart. Challenge yourself to grow where you are weak, but it’s okay that all things are not naturally comfortable to you. We will love you for exactly who you are.


We had your birthday party Saturday, although your official birthday is today. At the end of it your dad played the video I’d made for your first birthday documenting your first year of life. I (and your Aunt Chantal and Papa) couldn’t hold back the tears. It seems so long ago now since you were that soft, tiny, helpless, sweet little baby. You’ve come so far since then. And the greatest thing I felt watching it, was how far I’ve come since then too. You made me a mommy, Jackson. You started this amazing, crazy, difficult, wonderful journey that has stretched me and changed me in ways I didn’t know existed. You taught me there is something far more fulfilling than living for myself. You helped me learn to lay down my wants and love another. It’s been a hard thing to do at times, and I certainly do not always do it well, but it’s getting easier each year that goes by. You’ve helped make me into a mom - one that is always learning, adapting, transforming - and for that I am forever grateful to God and to you. You are a delight and I am so very proud of you, my sweet boy. Happy birthday!

Love,



Mommy

Thursday, June 4, 2015

8 Goals for June (and grace for when I only end up doing 3 of them)

It's almost summer! I know it's four days into June already, but I thought I would get these up and out into the 'ole blogosphere now rather than never. A little public accountability never hurt anybody right? (...That's probably totally not true, the internet's a super nasty place at times.)

First off, I want to make sure to say that the main thing I remind myself when making goals is to sprinkle it all with grace. I have no clue what is in store for us this month. Sometimes life just throws us a curve and unexpected things come up. For me, sometimes out of nowhere in a month I struggle with depressive symptoms and just getting through the day caring for two little ones can be difficult enough to accomplish. So there needs to be grace all over these goals. That being said, I've found, for me, having at least loose routines and some goals in my life can help me to focus and determine what my priorities should be. When making goals I try to cover a variety of different areas. Some to consider are: spiritual, physical, emotional, financial, as well as home, family, work, and hobbies. So here is what I have for this month:

1. Spend time each weekday doing Jen Wilkin's Bible Study in Judges.

In the fall I started a Bible study of the book of Joshua by Jen Wilkin, and after a lengthy hiatus have just now finished it. I cannot recommend her studies enough and am so excited to dig into this next one. I love that she emphasizes doing the hard work of studying the Bible for yourself before you go and hear what others have to say in commentaries. She makes you work, makes you dig, and the experience in the Word is richer for it. So I've started her study of Judges this month and hope to invest some time in it every weekday. I'm very grateful to be in a season of motherhood where I finally feel I have a bit more time to devote to study again. You are more than welcome to join me! All her studies can be found here. The link to the workbook you can print as well as all the audio of her teaching is there for free.


2. Exercise in some form 'erryday. 

There isn't much more to be said about that, except I desire to be moving in the direction of health. And I've been moving a little too much in the (delicious) direction of ice cream lately.


3. Write at least one blog post a week. 

I have a lot in my heart I want to share with others - some things are deeply personal and serious while others are quite lighthearted.  It is a challenging discipline to sit down and find the words to share what God has laid on my heart, but I want to challenge myself in that. I need to just keep trying until I find my voice easier to get out. Thank you for being with me along the journey. And I appreciate any feedback you have, and I love to interact with people's responses to what I write. So don't be shy to leave comments!


4. Get the guest room ready for guests.

We just bought our very first house and actually have a space for guests! I've always wanted to be able to host people "properly" (the 'couch in the family room' approach worked for a while, but I'm glad to upgrade!). I'm so thankful for it, and this month we have quite a few out-of-province guests staying with us. So the pressure is on to get my butt in gear to sort through and clear out the half of the guest room that presently looks like someone built a store with half of the stock from Toys-R-Us and half from HomeSense (and maybe a little from the junk yard) and then set off a bomb in it.



5. Hang photos in the living and dining rooms. 


My family is notorious for never hanging some dang art on the walls! I need to break this generational cycle of naked walls, and just do something with what I have because it can always be changed later. Art really brings a space together.



6. Plan a 4th birthday Jackson will love, not myself or Pinterest. 


This year we want to let Jackson plan what he would like in a birthday party (within reason - "No Jackson, we can't ride flying tractors and fight Scar from the Lion King for your birthday") and I'm not going to worry about perfect decorations. We will have family visiting who he rarely gets to see, so I want it to be about making memories together, resisting my tendency towards desiring a picture-perfect presentation and a million crafting projects which become too much to handle in the end. I want to be happy mommy, celebrating the life of my sweet boy - not stressed-out mommy!








7. Do a fun activity with the kids off of our Family Summer Bucket List at least once a week. 

I'd like it to be more often, but let's start with baby steps, people!



8. Take more photos with my "real" camera. 


I adore photos and enjoy amateur photography. Now that we have our first house, I want to fill our home with our beautiful life. I want to print photos of all the sweet memories we have and hang them upAnd yet, I've found that I have very few pictures that are good enough quality for printing, since I almost always use my iPhone cameraI want to remember every stage of my quickly growing babies, and my Nikon is my best friend for that. 




So those are some of my goals for June! I can certainly think of many more, but these are a few I'm going to try to emphasize this month. We will see how I do. What about you? Do you have any goals or dreams for this month? I'd love to hear about them in the comments below.