Test Test Test!

Fall Read-Alongs

With M. and Jilly becoming amazing readers, and the other two being such good listeners we've entered the exciting new world of children's novel bed time reading. At the end of our bedtime routine, we give one last kiss, turn out the lights, and then I read in the hall between the rooms while everyone listens. (When everyone listens) It is MAGICAL!

Some of the books we've read are Laura Engles Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods, Little House on the Prairie, My Father's dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett, and The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DeCamillo.

Please join us for our next Family story. We are reading The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

We are excited to hear how your family likes it. Please comment below if you've already read this one together or when you finish. What is your favorite part? Which characters do you love? What themes did your kiddos identify with? What touched you as you read?

I've also picked up a children's book series that I love and would love to read with you all. The first book is Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge. The characters are spunky, the writing is clever, and I can't wait to talk to you about it.

Happy Fall Reading!!!

Signs of Spring

Have you heard that saying about March: "In like a lion; out like a lamb"? I'm convinced a New Englander made that up (probably Benjamin Franklin) because it is an accurate assessment of the weather right now. This is the view out my front window this weekend. We had a foot and a half of snow last week and now things are warming up and melting away.

Before that massive snow storm there were signs of spring popping up in the flower beds. I was afraid all that snow had crushed and killed all the baby flowers, but look . . . aren't crocuses the most amazing spring flower. They just pop right up out of the snow and give us hope of warmer days to come.

Ahhh Spring, the calendar told me you had come, but I didn't really believe until now. But now that I'm sure, I've noticed other signs of Spring:

My children have cabin fever like I've never seen. This is the week to dawn galoshes and kick everyone out side to splash and scream.

I keep adding things to my "new skills to learn" list, like tap dancing, and photography.

And the colors I'm choosing to wear are getting more and more Easter-ish.

I'm just so happy those little flowers made it. I will never doubt again.

The Happiness Project

Have you ever read a book that left you feeling like you were having a conversation with an old friend, or a new friend, someone you connected with so well and could talk to ALL DAY LONG? Well, I'm a bit behind the times since this particular book came out in 2009 and then was followed by another equally great book and a sequel, AND a 107 (and counting) episode podcast, not to mention a website and more.

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the memoir-esque tale of a woman who searches for happiness within her already good life by working on being a better person through personal goal setting. I wouldn't call myself a highly motivated person, but I am a goal setting person. I'm a person who sets goals, works on them for a week or two, tells everyone how well I'm doing, and then quits, just to start up the same goals a couple months later. I'm also the type of person who sets many little tiny goals to work on all at once instead of one huge goal, so Gretchen's approach of working on 4 or 5 goals a month that accumulate over the course of a year seems very natural to me.

My sister suggested I read Gretchen's books. I suggested all my friends read it too, because I love having people to talk to about things like books. During our after reading discussions many of my said things like, "Let's do Happiness Project." and "When are you starting your Happiness Project." and I thought I should at least write down my goals, maybe even set up some kind of monitoring system (because I also read Better Than Before and stocked up on sweet goal setting tips). When wrote down my 32n't goal I stopped to breath.

IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE for a person to be working on 32 goals at the same time? I'm banking on my goals being small enough that they are more like practice steps to a more awesome life; like I'm learning a little dance that will help me be my best self and if I don't get all the steps right one day, it's alright, the recital is a ways off. I have time for more practice.

Here are some of my goals. Promise not to laugh! I broke them into categories so that I didn't just have an unending list.

Daily Habits:

Drink more water / Eat more veggies

Workout at least 20 minutes a day

Shower

Hobbies:

Practice music regularly

Set up a book club

Make time for crafts

Home Improvement:

Organize / give everything a home

Create a laundry system

Stick to the meal plan

Build a minimal wardrobe

Relationships:

Call my family

Make time for friends

Plan date night

Plan play-dates for my girls

Personal Development:

Look for needs to fill for others

Stick to my task organization system

Rounding it off:

Finish the kitchen chores at night

Floss

Plug in my phone and check my calendar every night

So there it is. A little sample of my mini habits. I've never considered myself a gold star person, but I'm thinking a little chart for gold stars would be a nice way to see how I'm doing. Look for an update, and please let me know what some of your goals are.

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."

Melody Beattie

Isn't that the most beautiful thing you've ever read. Maybe not ever. But it is beautiful. 

Happy Thanksgiving. We have a hundred leaves on our thankful tree that say "friends & family" on them. That is you! (In case you forgot.)

Big Kisses for all of you!

We recently took a trip to Chocolate World in Hershey, PA. We wanted to send you all BIG KISSES!!!

 

Grey is hugging this Hershey's bar because it's the closest thing we could get to hugging something as sweet as you.

Boy do we miss you guys.

Our Valentine's Adventure

This year for Valentine's Day we and our friends took a trip to Boston. We went to dinner Friday night at Five Guys because my kids LOVE burgers, and then we babysat for our friend at the hotel while they went to the Boston LDS temple. M. wasn't feeling well, so she and I stayed in with Grey while Matt took Jill, Hannah, and our friend Sam swimming. The girls had so much fun bouncing around and having a late night party with their friend.

Saturday morning we had a lovely, HOT, complimentary breakfast. Then our friends watched the girls and Grey while we went to the temple. A big storm was rolling in, so we didn't stay in town long. To round out the day we took the girls to see the temple for themselves. What a fabulous time we had. And what beautiful children we have. They are so very excited to go inside someday.