Simplify

Another long day! But what day isn't long with a newborn? I'm on the verge of overdoing things again. I need to continue to fight this nature of mine to overwork! An overworked mom isn't good for anyone. Not my husband, my children my community or myself. Easier said than done! I sometimes feel like I just run in circles, cleaning the same messes, making the same mistakes, getting upset about the same things, ect...

 The word that keeps coming to mind is peace. My word of the year. Just simply: peace. Even the word "simple" stands out in my mind. The words "simple" and "peace" are two words that I continue to wrestle with. Living simple and creating a home atmosphere where peace abides sounds like such a deceivingly simple, easy thing.  But it's the opposite! Learning to find repose and rest in a world that screams more and that stays on 24/7 tales so much self control. Self control and planning. 

I could go on and on about this subject, but I think the two biggest things I will focus on is:

#1. Make time to be alone with God and hear His voice!

I'm in the weird, sleepless stage of surviving the newborn weeks while still taking care of my other young children. So I don't think necessarily God expects me to stay up in the mornings to read my bible and journal. ( Gotta catch that sleep when I where I can!) But being mindful of my time is a big deal. So these days although I may not being spending much time reading and studying the word, I can open my bible for a few minutes or simply find a much loved verse and copy it out and let my heart dwell on that; compared to tuning out totally and scrolling through facebook for the 15th time.

#2. Continue to Minimize.

I have been working towards the path of minimalism for years. Although I have come a long way from where I was, I still have much more to learn! 

There are no shortcuts to leading a life of less. Anyone can clean their house or get rid of things, but to truly minimize, truly be happy with less, takes time. Less clutter, less tv, less stress, less stuff. letting go. So far, I have realized the less we own and the less we choose to overburden ourselves with, the more we enjoy. I want to make more time to enjoy life, and less cleaning it! 

So there it is, my two things. Looking to the Lord and seeking His face and keep our home life simple and stress free. 

A Really Good Day

Today, when the alarm went off and I woke up, literally the first thought in my head was "I'm going to write a blog post today." Which is odd, because my first thought is normally something along the lines of: "Lord, please let that not be morning!" Or: "Tonight I'm going to bed so early..."

But instead of lamenting my sleep deprived self, I had this need to write! So here I am, recording today. Today has been a good day. A really good day, actually. Wonder Girl (age 7) Daisy Girl (age 6) and Bat Boy (age 3) have still been reeling in all sorts of emotions since moving to our new home.
This home, our first home, has been one of the most beautiful dreams come true for our family. Praise the Lord, He is so good to His children!

But despite all the new wonderfulness, for young children, adjusting to a new home is often a challenge. We have been in our home for 2 months now. In those 2 months my parents were with us from out of state for a weekend. Then my brother and sister in law were evacuated from their home due to major flooding so they stayed with us for just over a week. ( They stayed in the girl's room) Then our dog passed away. Then my grandma came with her dog and stayed a week. (Also using the girl's room)

So as it was with moving there have been changes, then add in the emotions of losing a family pet and the shuffling around bedrooms and overnight guests over a few weeks. ( We love hosting dear family and friends though, despite the crazy!) and well, you have one tired momma and three emotionally exhausted children. Needless to say, there's been lots of interrupted, sleepless nights and tantrums during the day.

My wellness goals lately have simply been: Make it through a day without crying, yelling or questioning my calling to motherhood. I am happy to announce, today. Has. Been.That. Day!

I actually stayed up this morning and didn't go back to bed after the hubs left. I had coffee, read my bible and was able to have some quite alone time to charge up my batteries for the day ahead.

We had a yummy breakfast, cleaned up the house together. We got done laundry and did dishes and general cleanup while listing to silly kid songs. We walked for the first time to the little park that is .3 miles from our home and played for a bit (despite the 107* feeling temps!)
There was yummy smoothies for lunch, then story time all together.
We played puzzles and dominoes. Made dinner. Laughed. Enjoyed just being together.

I know not everyday will probably be like this from here on out, but I'm thankful for a peaceful day. A day where everyone is at peace. A day that no one talks about how much they miss their old room.

                                        Today was good, and I am so thankful!

I have also had he diffuser going all day. It always just blows my mind the affect that my little diffuser has on the overall mood of our home. Today we have had Bergamont diffused all day. I actually didn't choose it for any specific reason, just that it smelled so fresh and yummy.
Bergamont is known to assist with joint problems and muscle aches. Emotionally it can effect poor sleeping issues and appetite loss. It's lesser known to help with stress.

Bergamont isn't normally what I grab for a feeling of overall peace in the home. But it's now going on the list!

Have a good day everyone and don't forget to savor moments of joy!