The Daily Grind

This past week has been one of those hectic weeks that never seems to end and nothing seems to  be getting done LOL! And Valentine's day on a Tuesday only enhanced my desire for it to be the weekend already. Anyone else feel that way?

So anyways... Since there was still a full week ahead I decided I needed some intention in my life. This week I'm really trying to focus on learning how to balance my brain. Balancing chores, the kids, running the house amd homeschooling takes a certain mindset. One must have the ability to plan and make things happen whie also being able to relax, enjoy and go with the flow along the way. Be relaxed without being too relaxed. Sounds easy, right?!?! 😂😂😂

During the day the house will get messy, dishes will fill the sink and spills will happen. And it's easy to want to just clean up every little thing as it spills. But that is no way to live.I'm learning the trick isnt to be a neat freak but find a way to be ok with the mess until its time to clean up.

And for me I think that is the secret
If I  straighten up here and there as I go but ultimately wait till the end of the day to straighten up and get my house in order and do it just in time for the kids to go to bed, I feel good about that. This way the kids help clean and I get to sit down and enjoy my organized home once they go to bed! Win win!

But don't let me fool you, as soon as I think I have a routine I noticed the baby was fighting his morning nap this week. So today, with Tripp not feeling well we took the day off of school and I decided to work on cutting out that morning nap.

Reid did well and instead of going down at 10 he went down at one. When he got fussy at 10:30 I put on some music. At 11 I gave him a snack. At noon we went outside and at 12:30 he ate lunch. And at 1 he was ready to go down. It went well. So now we'll see what time he wakes up and see how this affects his sleeping habbits at night (if at all!).

Also this week I have been dealing with living on a super tight budget like $78 to feed us for the week. While that may not seem like a lot it can go far with the right planning. I love having a budget mixed with God's blessing and seeing how far it can go. One way I was able to save money this week was by making homemade pancakes, pizza and crackers.

All three were delicious and of course there is the added benefit of feeling confident about what you are feeding your family. It's amazing how what used to be simple knowedge like making bread and pancakes is something most people don't know how to do. But as a parent it is obvious it's really the most basic skills for survival that keep us alive. It is exciting to bring that knowledge back to life in my own home.

Check out this video to see what a week in my life looks like! I share my favorite warm up, how I healed my swollen wrist using a natural remedy, some clips of the kids, and a 10 minute HIIT workout that will get your blood flowing!!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Be sure to like and subscribe and let me know you were here by dropping a comment below!

God Bless!! Xoxoxo
Enjoy!

Weathering the Storm (Life withOUT power)

Today was a long day. We got hit unexpectedly last night with a pretty bad storm. It knocked out our power and totally threw off my schedule. Sometimes coping with inconveniences can be a struggle!

I'm thankful today is over and that tomorrow is a new day! Thanks for joining me today, I hope you enjoyed!

Are you someone who is prepared for storms? Or are you like me? I would like to be more prepared and organized. So I'm trying to learn. Do you have any tips for preparing? What do you do? I'd love to hear!

A Day in the Life (what happens when I don't open the curriculum)

It's the day after Super Bowl Sunday and while I wasn't out late drinking, I was out

 late and I felt it this morning! And since we all know babies wake up at the same time every morning no matter what time they go to bed at night, which it was about midnight by time we got home and got the kids settled. 7:24 AM came quickly this morning. Needing time to unwind for myself took me longer than anticipated and I didn't get myself to bed until 1:30 AM. With only 6 hours of sleep I didn't feel up to doing our normal school day routine.

                                         

 The kids had a blast last night running and playing with their friends! Who doesn't love a good Superbowl Party






So today was a good day for a laid back learning day and with the grace of God I just went with the flow. We had some reading to catch up on and spent most the day outside. We got some cleaning done. And even built a fire.  All in all we truly enjoyed our laid back day. I think we all needed it after the busy weekend we had!

To keep the kids busy we spent some time building a birdhouse and bird bath! It's always nerve wracking to have your children hammer a small nail so close to your own thumb! LOL check out this video to take a peak into what our day looked like!

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Be sure to subscribe to both my blog and Youtube channel to get updates on my latest post. I hope you are having a wonderful day, no matter how many times the camera falls while you may be trying to record  LOL or wait was that just me?? 😂😂😂

God Bless
Xoxoxo

Fail, Fail and Fail Again! (Can you ever really fail too many times?)

Life is exciting isn't it?? You never really know what is going to happen next, what will work and what won't. So what's the trick to life then? Fail, fail and fail again! Why would I suggest to keep failing? Isn't failing a bad thing? Watch my video below to find put why on earth I would promote failing!!

Thanks for stopping by and watching! Be sure to subscribe to my channel and blog. I would love to hear from you so leave me a comment so I know you stopped by!

God Bless! Xoxoxo

Don't Blink

My baby boy is growing up so fast it is unbelievable. Especially how much he has changed in only a few weeks! I put together this video of some pictures and video clips to capture these last moments of babyland before we fully enter into toddlerhood!

Like what you see? Please subscribe and follow me here on blogger! Also please leave your comments here on my blog or video so I can see them since I'm still not on Facebook 😆😆😆 I appreciate your love and support!

Explorer at Heart

       I am an explorer at heart.

Hiking and spending time outdoors has always been my happy place. As a mother it is important to me to pass on this joy to my children.

Even if it is just out in our own backyard, God has created a marvelous world for us to explore.

Flowers from our yard.
Only in Florida
will flowers bloom
 in January!

  To help us appreciate nature and fully enjoy our yard we created our own trails. Join us as we go for a walk and show you what we did!

Camp Blanding Museum

They say you get what you pay for so I wasn't sure what to expect when I discovered there was a free musuem on the Military base only 10 mins away from my house. But I figured for very little gas and no money it was worth checking out. So Friday afternoon we packed a picnic lunch and headed towards Camp Blanding Museum.

Tripp was excited about going because he was excited to check out some weapons. We were pleasantly surprised for when we got there outside was already an awesome display of tanks, military vehicles, helicopters and airplanes! This created even more excitement to go check things out. 

As we walked into the museum were greeted by some very nice men who knew their facts! They were eager to share what they knew with the children and I. Which I personally love because it just makes the whole experience more enriching.

The museum was very intriguing. They had a ton of original artifacts from WWII...like a Hershey bar and a military dinner in a box! It was interactive and the kids really enjoyed checking things out!

They had mannequins all over dressed in different uniforms depending on what part of the world they were serving in. We learned about how they handled medical challenges while on the battlefied and why the medic was everybody's friend.

There were tons of weapons, guns, machine, guns and tank replicas. We learned about the woman's role during WWII and they even had a replica of the barracks. 

After spenidng about an hour inside we headed outside to eat and check out the big tanks, trucks and airplanes.

We thoroughly enjoyed our day at the Camp Blanding Musuem. We met vets who shared their stories and taught the kids how they used to have to climb in and out of the tanks because there were no doors. We saw many memorials for the troops that served at Camp Blanding and were humbled by how many people have served to protect our freedoms. 

This was one of those rare occasions where you definitely did not get what you paid for. It was over and above what I was expecting and if you are ever in the area I would recommend stopping by and checking it out! It won't cost you one cent but it will enrich you in a way that is priceless!

Gone Fishin'

This year for Christmas we decdied that we were going to mostly get fishing and camping equipment. We were getting tired of saying we wanted to do these things, but never having the resources to follow through. So the kids got sleeping bags, fishing poles, camo hats, tackle boxes and mud boots so we could be fully prepared.

It is a rare weekend when my husband is home both Saturday and Sunday, and this past weekend was one of those gems! So we decided to take advantage of the opportunity and try out our first family fishing outing!

So we packed up the car and headed to Ronnie Van Zant Park. We heard this was a good place to take the family fishing, so we thought it would be a good place to start!

We got lucky and found a dock all to ourselves. After a few minutes of preparation we were fishing!!

The scenery was beautiful. The weather was perfect. The geese were loud and playful. The mallards swam peacefully around, while the rest of the ducks were praying for food.

Unfortunately though, no one caught any fish. So we tried out a few other spots around the lake, but with no luck. So although we left empty handed, we left satisfied after spending a few hours outdoors and most importantly spending a few hours together as a family! It was a wonderful day! We can't wait to get out and try some other spots and catch our first fish.

What do you and your family do for family time? Do you go fishing? I would love to hear what you are up to ! Be sure to leave me some love! Like and follow my blog to keep up with my latest post! Hope you have a great day!!

Being Present

Oh my it's been a while since I posted! Ever since my lap top broke it has been hard to get into the swing of writing. But now that I have taken a break from Facebook, I have decided to get back into my blog. I think it is the perfect way to share what is going on in our lives with loved ones and friends while maintaining the balance of being present and active as a parent.

Facebook is such a distraction! I did not realize how much time I wasted on Facebook until I actually felt myself bored on Monday afternoon after a full day of schooling, housework, prayer time and exercise...it was a great place to be!!

I have felt so present since I have decided to limit my time browsing my newsfeed. I think many of us tend to forget that  Facebook is not the real world and No matter how much time we spend on it clicking the like button and leaving commemts, it doesn't foster true relationships the way spending time with one another does. Without spending time with people how can we really get to know them?

Now we do live in the modern world and I don't think Facebook is horrible or the root of all evil, I am just in a season where I want to remove the distractions so I can develop and deepen my relationship with God and deepen the relationships God has blessed me with. I want to put down the phone and pray and interact with my husband, my kids, my parents and my friends face to face. I'm  even working on taking less pictures. I don't need 50 shots of the same thing. I need to be present.

And yesterday I was! School went smoothly and was so enjoyable I had to snap a few shots to document God's glory. LOL

Sometimes it is easy to forget how enjoyable life can be. But when we remove the distractions and become intetional and present it can become clear how wonderful life can really be.