Baby Wearing

I love to "wear" my precious Will. And I could easily get addicted to all of the amazing baby carriers out there. I have a Moby Wrap, a Baby Bjorn, this Ergo Carrier (pictured), and am drooling over this Hot Sling which I hope to get before he gets too big! I loved my Moby Wrap for when he was newborn-6 months. He just fit in there all nice and snuggly and it was so comfortable for me. I always used it around the house. I would use my Baby Bjorn when we were out and about town because I could get it on quickly and he always fell asleep in it fast. As he got older and heavier, I wanted something that didn't hurt my shoulders and distributed the weight better. I found the Ergo and it is amazing. I can wear him on the front, back or hip. I use it all the time! Now with Spring approaching I want a Hot Sling to be able to throw on quickly and I just love those gorgeous fabrics!!
Why wear your baby?

• provides warmth and security
• lowers level of stress in mommy and baby
• leaves mom's hands free for work and activities
• develops strong, secure attachment to parents
• allows baby to be at the center of activity rather than being the center of attention
• mom can accomplish daily activities and still be in close contact with baby
• naturally soothing for fussy babies and helps them sleep
• because they are only little once
  
• simple travel...no messing with a jumbo stroller
• frees up hands in order to grab the other kids and to keep up with them!

Babies don't stay babies very long. Let's snuggle them up and hold them close as much as we can!

Why I blog

I was "tagged" by Andrea to share 5 reasons why I blog...so drumroll please!

• It's a cheap hobby...it's free! :) I love to scrapbook and make cards, but just don't have the time or much money right now to invest in those things. Blogging is free and allows me to have a creative outlet with words and photos...and it isn't messy, doesn't take up space, and can be completed quickly!
• I like to encourage others! I have learned some things along the journey that I like to pass on to others for better living. Nothing new under the sun...I learned these things from others but like to give them away with my unique spin.
• I need a place to unload all of the thoughts that are in my head...and believe me, there are lots of them! This helps me to process, simplify my thoughts, and then be able to move on to more interests.
• I like being a part of the bloggin' community...a place to meet like-minded people and to discuss life's unending questions. And it's a place of refreshment in my day of service to children.
• To keep in touch better with family and friends around the country and to let them be a part of our lives...I want to keep them a part of our everyday lives and to be a part of theirs and this is a great way to do that on a consistent basis.

And now I would like to tag my sister Erin, Charity and L.L Barkat!!

Flirty Skirty

God made me uniquely woman. In today's society everything has become so unisex...job roles, homemaking roles, and our choice of clothing. The Gap is such a good example of a store in which most of the clothes are really neither male nor female. I have always loved L.L. Bean and Lands' End and those also have very unisex styles. For many years my husband and I dressed so much alike. Polo shirts and khakis.

I love looking at photos at women of other cultures who wear amazing dresses, robes, scarves, and headpieces. These outfits are usually made of gorgeous fabrics full of brilliant color, interesting textures, and unique design. They look so alive and distinctly female.

As I began to think about it I realized that I wanted to look more womanly at home. I love the 1950's stereotype of the man coming home from work to find his wife looking pretty with a clean dress, fresh apron, and bright RED lipstick. He has been beat-up by the world all day and probably hasn't experienced much in the way of real beauty, and what an encouragement to walk in the door to a beautiful, distinctly female wifey :) And we all know that real beauty comes from within, but it's nice to reflect that on the outside as well. I feel soft, kind and nurturing in a skirt much more than I do in my sweats and ratty t-shirts!

With spring approaching, I have hit my local Goodwill for some fun simple skirts that I can wear with bright colored tops and cute accessories. Nothing fancy, just fresh sparkle. I have found a few cute denim skirts, some peasant skirts, and sarongs. I want to glory in being a woman in my home and offer my unique beauty to those God has placed in my path.

Here's to being fully female and reflecting that in the way we dress!

My Sample Monday Schedule

7-8 am Aimee Time

• Coffee/time with the Lord
• Make bed
• Get dressed

8-9 am Kitchen Time

• Unload dishwasher
• start load of laundry
• make/eat breakfast with children

9-10 am Chore Time

• Aimee: laundry, master bedroom, master bathroom
• Sam: make bed, empty trash cans, vacuum kids' bedrooms, help put away laundry
  
• Katie: make bed, sweep under kitchen table, children's bathroom, laundry
  
• John: clear breakfast dishes, laundry

10 am Table Time

• all work on writing together...letters, to-do lists, copying, grocery lists
• read aloud "Wee Gillis" and talk about math concepts related to the book
• Exploration of interests...library books, googling, Enchanted Learning, talking
  

11:30 am LUNCH
12 pm OUTSIDE TIME/Nature Walk
1:30 pm Naps/Quiet Time
2:30 pm Productive Free Time
4:30 pm Common Area Clean-up/Dinner Prep/Mom Walk
6 pm DINNER
6:30 pm Dishes/Family Time/Baths/Daddy Read Aloud (The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe)

Simple Schedules for Self Care

photo courtesy of Vidiot

There are so many scheduling systems out there that it can make my head spin. By nature I am not a scheduled person. I am a very go-with-the-flow, don't-fence-me-in, wide open spaces kinda girl. I live for the moment and love spontaneity. I like to live intuitively and as the wind blows me.

But a few years ago I started some basic routines in my life that gave me a skeleton plan for my day which eased much anxiety. Awakening, drinking my coffee while reading, making my bed, eating breakfast, starting a load of laundry, emptying the dishwasher. Having the never-ending dishes and laundry relegated to a routine kept me freed up to pursue other creative interests so that those chores weren't always haunting me. We also began a "quiet time" for all of us in the afternoons after eating lunch and playing outside. This gives all of us an hour alone to calm our minds, bodies, and spirits by either sleeping, writing, reading, or thinking. I also try to clean up the common living spaces (living room, dining room and kitchen) before dinner so that we can really relax in the evening. And before I go to bed I *try* to make sure the kitchen is clean, look over the calendar, and if I am lucky, program the coffee maker. The nightime routine is not always successful because of having a fussy baby and the exhaustion I feel after dinner. I just want a good book or some great reality TV and just veg :)

Because of my love for simplicity, we don't have a lot of outside activities or rushing around so our lives lend themselves to lots of unstructured time at home. Lately though I have been blue and knew I needed more structure and sensed that the children craved more too. We were feeling aimless and as the Bible says, "without vision the people perish". I had lost vision, and as a result, I felt I was emotionally perishing. This led to an afternoon away at the library all by myself. I pondered. I dreamed. I examined. I wrote. I grieved. And by the end, I received vision. I can see more clearly where I want to go and now needed to figure out how to get there!

I realized that in order to feel good (emotionally, spiritually, physically, and mentally) on a regular basis so that I can fulfill my home vision, I needed the following things in my life daily:

• Plenty of sleep--go to bed by 10:30pm (which is amazing b/c I have always been a nightowl...but with young children I realize I need more sleep)
• Plenty of water--try to drink at the top of every hour
• Eat regularly--I need protein for breakfast, a snack of nuts, and a well-rounded lunch. It is very easy for me to skimp on meals because I want to get stuff done while the baby is happy. I end up not taking care of my body by giving it plenty of fuel.
  
• Exercise--I loathe exercise for physical health but realize that just a short walk alone every day would do much for my emotional health.
• Eat my spiritual daily bread--time reflecting in the Psalms and reading about how Jesus lived gives me hope, perspective, peace, and an anchor for tumultuous times. I need truth to actively replace lies in my life that keep me down.
  
• Journal my feelings--I internalize so much and keep many of my negative emotions inside since I am with the children all of the time. Writing will allow these to come out, be exposed, and healed.
  
• Afternoon rest time--a break to rest, read, reflect, recharge...a siesta!
  
• Plan my days more--"idle hands are the devil's workshop" has much truth in it. Too many unplanned days leads me to unhealthy reflection/navel-gazing which keeps my focus off of the greatness and goodness of God and my role to serve my husband and children. It also keeps me from being productive, creative, and purposeful. I have now come up with a loose schedule that keeps us moving hourly to another goal yet with a heart for flexibilty and interruption. I started this past Tuesday and it has really helped me in all areas and I am much happier (which means my children are much happier too!)
  

There are seasons for everything. This is a season of simple scheduling for simple health which leads to greater peace.

The Joy of Learning

There is nothing like seeing your child light up when exploring what they love. John loves nature and this grasshopper was like finding precious treasure! As long as he sticks with grasshoppers and not snakes, we'll be just fine :)

Deuteronomy 6:5-9 NIV
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates"

I love this Scripture because it implies teaching as we are living our lives. As a mother, my goal for the day is to love the Lord. These verses say that loving Him is to be upon my heart first and then I can pass it on to my children. And I am to share a love for the Lord as we are living...not as a carved out devotional time but as a part of real life.

"Education" doesn't happen from 10am-11:30am each day. Learning happens from the moment our eyes open with the sunrise until our eyes shut at the end of a full day. Educating at home simply is living together and learning in the context of real-life interests, real relationships, and springs from felt needs. Children learn so much from eating breakfast together, reading living books together, doing chores together, cooking, exploring nature, watching movies, imaginative play, traveling, building things, puzzles, games.... Homeschooling gives us the opportunity to live and learn together in a natural way. A "lifestyle of learning" is what our goal is. We want to encourage our family's natural love of learning and create an environment that is experience-rich and resource-rich. To be experience-rich we are seeking to prioritize taking trips, exploring our surroundings, getting to know our community resources, and investing in like-minded relationships with other families. To be resource-rich we invest in wonderful books, excellent games, art supplies, the Internet, the library, and non-consumable tools (microscopes, gardening tools, carpentry tools, sports equipment, etc)

Years ago, I read this wonderful article of a mom's lifestyle of learning and have implemented many of these things in our family. I have also been very influenced by the writing of Marilyn Howshall who encourages us to listen to the Holy Spirit in teaching our children instead of our fears.

Proverbs 22:6 AMP
"Train up a child in the way he should go (and in keeping with his individual gift or bent), and when he is old he will not depart from it."

From this verse, I also believe that learning should be directed by their identity. Who did God create this child to be? What is his gifting and the purpose for which he has been called? What is my role in nurturing his identity instead of forcing my ideas for his future?
This is a great article on the concept of identity-directed learning.

I also wanted to share my favorite homeschooling books with you. Each one on this list has made a wonderful influence in my thinking about what I want our family to be and to experience.

For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay
Educating the Wholehearted Child by Sally Clarkson
The Relaxed Homeschool by Dr. Mary Hood
How to Create Learning Centers in Your Home by Dr. Mary Hood
The Joyful Home Schooler by Dr. Mary Hood
Wisdom's Way of Learning by Marilyn Howshall
The 3 R's by Ruth Beechick
Better Late Than Early by Dr. Raymond Moore
The Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola

I think the Lord gives the gift of homeschooling for mothers as much as for our children. This is the process the Lord is using to show me His love for me, His grace, His easy yoke, and that His plan is not burdensome but life-giving and nurturing. We are not to mimic a worldly system that is rote, boring, and soul-killing. We are to enjoy the freedom of being at home...an organic, living, changing, nurturing place where we experience joy, peace, growth, and above all, real love. What a blessing! What a priceless gift!

Enjoy the journey of living and loving together. It is rich, real and what "the good life" is all about.

Simple Encouragement

It doesn't take much to give encouragment. We all need more courage to face the struggles of our days, our relationships, our doubts, our responsibilities. Who am I seeking to give courage to today?

Encouragment can just be leaving voicemail for a friend. A sandwich cut into a cute shape for a sad child. A hand written letter to another...that conveys you spent the time to think about them, care about them, and want them in your life. "Life words"...telling your husband and children what makes them special. Send an e-card to a faraway friend. Remember someone's birthday. Give a hug. Let another driver in front of you. Tell the downtrodden, "I believe in you". Buy a small gift for another. Volunteer. "You will make it through this!" Run an errand for a friend. Watch their child for an afternoon. Invite a friend out to coffee. And never forget the power of forgiveness...to know another forgives us when we fail brings ease and refreshment to a heart. Share a Psalm. Sing a song. Give a fresh flower. Pray for and with.

Encouragment lifts our eyes off of our own inadequacies, our insecurites, our own problems and has us look out for others. To know where they are and what they need. And in the process of "one anothering" we are blessed. We are happier. We get perspective. We are encouraged.

I encourage you to encourage another this day!

Simple Love

On Valentine's Day, let us join together to see how the Father is lavishing His love on us. It may be in the beauty of a flower just blooming. It may be in the chubby cheek smile of a little baby. It may be in the way my husband has the coffee brewing as I am waking up. It may be in an unexpected word of encouragement from a friend.

God's love shows up in the most peculiar, unexpected places. It's as if he is always throwing a love "surprise!" party. Sometimes we are too busy to notice. Or just plain blind. Or just so down that all we are doing is looking down. Look up and see His lavish love today!

And when you see all the love surprises being thrown your way, respond. Respond with love to Him. By worship. By showing love to one of His other children. By being a walking, shining example of what a life transformed looks like from encountering that kind of sweet sweet love.

Simple Faith

Matthew 22:37-39 Amp
"And He replied to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.
And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
These two commandments sum up and upon them depend all the Law and the Prophets"

If you are like me you may make your daily walk too difficult. Simplify your faith! The Lord Jesus calls us simply to love Him and love others. Evaluate all that you do during the day in light of this. Is this attitude, thought or action loving Jesus? Is it loving to my husband? To my children? To my friends? To my enemies?

John 15:5 Amp
"I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much fruit. However, apart from Me (cut off from vital union with Me) you can do nothing"

This verse is so encouraging because we must realize that we cannot, absolutely not, love God or love others apart from His enabling grace. That which He call us to do (to love!), He also equips us for by His grace and power. So if you feel that you cannot possibly love God or those around you, you are right! You cannot! Just look to Him for the grace to do that which is impossible in ourselves.

Philippians 2:13 Amp
(Not in your own strength) for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you (energizing and creating in you the power and desire) both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.

No matter how we may feel in our walk with Him, He desires that we walk by faith.
"God, I don't feel like loving. I don't feel particularly drawn towards You or others. But Your Word tells me to and Your Word tells me that You will give me the power to do Your will. I look to you by faith!" And then we continue to walk through our day trusting Him to do in us and through us that which we cannot. What freedom! What grace! What ease!

Simply come to Him!

The Holy Way

"Simplification is ultimately a method, not the goal. It is the path, not the endpoint; the field, and not the treasure. It is meant to free us up from all needless anxiety and distraction, to clear away the clutter of ambition and envy and insecurity, so that we might come as close to God as we can in this life. When we do, we experience love at a depth we never suspected was possible." --Paula Huston

I just finished reading this book that I picked up from the library last week. One of the things that I really loved about it was the encouragement to walk on the path of simplicity but also the call to generosity which moves us to love, have compassion, and give to others that they may know this path as well. "We cannot help but pour ourselves forth in compassion, either through direct service or through a life of contemplative prayer. Most of the great saints have managed to do both:
to pray without ceasing while serving with both hands"

I have always viewed those two things at opposing ends of a continuum. That either I am a hermit always focused on God and far removed from the world or I am busy-driven to serve the needs of masses and longing for some seclusion. To know that we can give our lives wholly to both is a beautiful call and what Jesus was all about. Continual dependence on the Father and listening to His voice while loving and healing the distressed and distracted sheep. It reminds me of that wonderful little book by Brother Lawrence Practicing the Presence of God. As he spent his days washing dishes he always stayed in communion with the Lord and in "conversations" with Him.

Simplify, Simplify, Simplify. His voice will become more clear, more precious, and more intimate. Enjoy the simplicity of a day of conversing with Jesus as you are going in the daily activity of generous, loving service to the ones He puts in your path! And now I am off to bless the little ones that are in the path of my home!

Keeping Grocery Shopping Simple

I always thought that shopping at a "supercenter" would make my life simpler because after all, it is supposed to be a "one stop shopping place". Instead of simple though, I feel as if it made my life more chaotic.

Why do we shop at those places? We Americans definitely want to get the most bang for our buck so I think the "cheapness" of it all lures us in. But I do believe that you get what you pay for and much of what we get in turn are cheap clothes, cheap shoes, cheap toys, cheap homewares, cheap food...and by "cheap" I am referring to quality. You pay little and you receive little.

And even though you may pay little financially, how much are you paying emotionally? Whenever I leave Walmart, I feel terrible. The parking lot is a nightmare. Listening to yelling mothers at young children makes my blood pressure boil. The lighting makes my head hurt. The endless choices raises my anxiety. The checkout lines irritate my nerves. The lack of customer service heightens my "aloneness". And it fuels a consumeristic mindset in myself and my children who see so many things they want in there. I leave with a little more money in my wallet than I would have if I had shopped down the street but I feel bankrupt emotionally because of all that stress.

There are other reasons to switch your shopping venue. The way these supercenters treat their workers, support overseas sweatshops, mow down beautiful land for just one more building and put local businesses out of business. These reasons added to the emotional strain of shopping there gave me the impetus I needed to stop the addiction to what seemed like "a really good deal".

I now shop at Publix...our local grocery store. I know the manager now and he helps me with finding things when I need help (he has kids too and knows how hard it is to bring 4 children to the grocery store). One day he helped load things in the van and found a can of food that I had missed paying for. I felt terrible and he very quickly said "you are in a hurry, go ahead with it, and have a great day!" You will NEVER experience that at Walmart.

Publix has a wonderful organic section and now offers organic milk and meats. They care about the environment and carry organic cleaners and recycled paper goods. Their prices are higher but I save money because I am only there to buy groceries and not bombarded by lots of other stuff not on my list. I don't go into supercenters anymore therefore I don't buy a bunch of stuff that I think I need.

It's so clean in there. No screaming people. The music is soothing. The shelves are stocked nicely, and the selection can't be beat. They encourage using cloth shopping bags and have a spot to recycle plastic bags and egg cartons. They load my van while I am able to get the kids in their car seats.

Is my grocery budget higher now? Yes. But the savings I am making emotionally are huge. I actually enjoy grocery shopping now and taking my children there is a delightful experience.

Enjoy simple grocery shopping locally today!

Looking Pretty in the Kitchen

I remember when I first heard of Flylady 6 years ago and she introduced the concept to me of wearing shoes at home all day. Putting on shoes made me get up and go and view working at home as a job. She would say that it's hard to get back in bed once those shoes are on!

That concept has spilled over into my work in the kitchen. I view my meal preparation completely differently when I have donned a pretty apron.

First, I feel very professional and tend to take more care and time preparing my ingredients. Wearing an apron often causes me to even choose to cook something "special" and to present it more beautifully. I enjoy garnishing my meals (my philosophy has always been that food tastes better when it looks pretty!) and I tend to do that more when I have an apron on.

Aprons also give my children a sense that what I am doing in the kitchen is important and what I am preparing for them must be special! My daughter Katie has always loved when I have an apron on and immediately wants to help and puts her little apron on too. When I was growing up, there was always a wonderful feeling I had when I saw my mother in the kitchen with her apron on...there was a sense of nurture, care, and creativity that I associated with that simple act. And to me aprons are so very feminine and I think it's a wonderful thing for women to feel pretty in their own home when they are working hard for their family.

The picture above is my sassy sparkly apron my mom helped me sew. You can search online for all kinds of cute new and vintage aprons. Also check your local thrift and keep an eye out for them. I want to start collecting them and particularly love little vintage waist aprons.

Here's to feeling pretty, girly and inspired in your kitchen! Grab an apron!

Hope for Depression

January can be such a sad time. Christmas is over. The bills march in. The weather is cold. The sky is gray. Sunlight is short. Darkness is long. And the darkness can enter our souls and feel as if we will never feel light, life and joy again.

At church this morning a pastor spoke on the topic of dealing with depression from Psalm 42 and it was very encouraging and helpful. Many Christians carry great guilt and shame when they experience varying degrees of depression and their fellow Christians can often sound like Job's friends. Advice of repentance, spiritual warfare, or a new book to read and also attitudes of condescension, pity (not compassion), or assumptions about our spiritual walks can hurt more deeply the believer that is deeply hurting.

I wanted to share some of the wonderful, hope-filled truth that was taught to me this morning and my prayer is that it will encourage you that you are not alone!

Here are some Biblical Precedents of those who dealt with depression:

• Moses (Numbers 11:11-5)
• David (Psalm 31:9-12)
• Elijah (I Kings 19:4)
• Jeremiah (Lamentations 3:1-20, GNB)
• John the Baptist (Matthew 11:1-6)
• Paul (2 Corinthians 7:5-6, NAS)
• Our Lord Himself (Mark 14:32-34, Phillips)

So here you can see that those in the Word that we so deeply respect and view as spiritual superheroes dealt with the same feelings of depression that many of us today do. Even Jesus who was PERFECT and GOD experienced these same feelings which then shows us that depression is not a sin and not something we need to confess as such. Some people are more prone to it by temperament (like Eeyore!) where the automatic default spin cycle is to go downward. However it can happen to any personality and it is crucial to remember that it can lead to isolation which perpetuates the problem. We NEED people...so don't stay isolated!

Read Psalm 42

I. Understand the CAUSE of your depression

Such as....

A. DESIRE for God

(missing the times when you felt the Lord's nearness, everything was spiritual bliss, and now those feelings are not around and you don't sense Him near you)

Psalm 42:1-2 As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

B. DEPTH of the human soul

(can strike ANY area...mentally, emotionally, spiritually, volitionally, financially, etc....we are very complex beings with complex emotions, etc)

verses 5,11 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me?

C. DELAY in expectations

(where we would be spiritually right now, our health, our finances, our careers, relationships)
When shall I come and appear before God?

Prov. 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.

D. DISDAIN from men

(can sit like a cloud swirling around our heads when we are rejected by familyand friends for our faith, etc)

v. 3, 9-10 My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say to me, "where is your God?"...I will say to God my Rock, "why have You forgotten me? why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?" As with a breaking of my bones, my enemies reproach me, while they say to me all day long "where is Your God?"

E. DISAPPOINTMENT with circumstances

(depression isolates and is a tool of the enemy to keep us trapped to it...we need the body of Christ)

v.4,6 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, with voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast...O my God, my soul is cast down within me; therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, and from the heights of HErmon, for the Hill Mizar (that location meant the "boondocks"!!)

F. DESPAIR over trials

(all hope is lost because trial after trial keeps coming like health and financial issues)

v.7 Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterspouts; all Your waves and breakers have gone over me

II. Understand the Cure for your Depression

**gave an example of sheep how they can get "cast"...sheep get cast when they get on their backs...they cannot move or flip themselves back over. They get terrified. Their extremities go numb, their digestive system even starts to shut down and if they are not rescued quickly, they die. When the shepherd finds a sheep like this, he begins to restore the sheep by calling its name. Then he gently massages the extremities to get the blood moving there again and to bring comfort. He then moves it to its side very gently and continues to massage. After time of tender care, he can move the sheep back up onto its feet and the sheep goes merrily on its way!
This is what the Great Shepherd does when he sees us, his frail sheep...we cannot save ourselves or break free of the situation....He comes calling our name, tends us, saves us, and sets us free.

A. EXPRESS your heart to God

v. 6 O my God, my soul is cast down within me
We must cry out to Him and tell Him how we feel. Journaling is wonderful for this...He is not surprised or shocked by any of our emotions. He already knows and loves us.
(Lord, BAAA I'm cast like a sheep! Restore my soul!)

B. EXAMINE Yourself to Find the Reason

v. 5,11 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me?

(is it physical? a new baby? world turned upside down? relational? trial after trial? rejection?
The Holy Spirit, our Wonderful Counselor, can show you!)

C. EXHORT yourself to hope in God v.5,11

(Not in people, circumstances...shift the expectation off of yourself and onto God...be lost in His immensity and all that He is.) I have heard it said that depression is the difference between our unrealistic expectations and reality.

D. EXPECT God to come through for you

v. 5,11 ...For I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance...For I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.

v. 8 The Lord WILL command His loving-kindness in the daytime, and in the night His song SHALL be with me--a prayer to the God of my life...(these are PROMISES to cling to...this requires a FAITH response to stop trying and to start trusting. I put my hand of hope on Him and He gives me a hand of POWER. Faith is the trigger of the indwelling Christ. Tie a line to a doctrine in the Bible like your identity in Christ in Ephesians to help you cling. Remember the story of Pilgrim's Progress...he goes into the slough of despond, to the doubting castle, and yet finds the key of PROMISE)

E. EXPERIENCE God's power....get up and GO!

I Kings 19 is "Occupational therapy"...Elijah is in a dark place yet God calls him to go. It will help to get moving and do something. Stop sitting on the premises and stand on the promises :) Just take a baby step even if that just means getting out of bed.

He also suggested books from Dr. Peter Breggin, MD...a Jewish doctor who has much to say about not staying on anti-depressants for a lifetime.

I really hope something in here will encourage you as it has encouraged me. I had really seen in the past few weeks that because of my counseling background, I can tend to navel-gaze and unhealthily focus on myself. The only way to freedom is to lift up your eyes to the hills...from where does your help come from? The Lord is our Help! We cannot find the help we ultimately need from within ourselves...we are cast sheep. Look up and cry out to the tender Shepherd and He will tend your wounds gently and compassionately and allow you to rise once again to feel, embrace, and prance in the warm light of the Sun!

The Thrill of the Thrift Hunt!

We love going to thrift stores on one Saturday each month to see what we can discover. We have stumbled upon all kinds of neat kitchenware, furniture, clothing, books, home decor and on and on! You just never know what will show up since the selection is always changing. Most of my favorite home items have come from second-hand stores. It is the most wonderful kind of recycling because you are giving life again to something tossed away and keeping it from our landfills. The uniqueness and individuality keeps me going back because so many things happen to be vintage, interesting, and one-of-a-kind. Click here to so many of my finds over the past few years!

ONE MAN'S JUNK IS ANOTHER MAN'S TREASURE

Simple Cleaning

When I was pregnant with Will, I became aware of what my body was being exposed to. I started looking at all of the chemicals I was using to clean my home and thinking "this just can't be good for me or for him". As I thought about it further, I realized that if I didn't want Will exposed to those things in utero, why would I want my other little children to be exposed to them day in and day out in our home? So what's good for the goose is good for the gander!

I started exploring more natural ways of cleaning my home and now I can't even stand the smell of all of those toxic cleaners and can't believe how addicted I was to them! I thought that the chemical scent equaled "clean" and had to retrain my nose!

The simplest way to clean is to simply buy an empty spray bottle and fill it with half water and half white vinegar. This is SO inexpensive, safe, and makes everything sparkle! I never allowed my kids to clean the bathroom before because I didn't want them exposed to chemicals. Now I can give Sam or Katie the vinegar/water bottle and they clean their bathroom top to bottom!! The vinegar smell dissipates in just a few minutes. Vinegar is also great to use as a liquid fabric softener when washing clothes. It softens so well, strips detergent out, and there is no smell at all when they come out of the wash.

As I mentioned yesterday, microfiber towels are amazing and you can buy a big batch of them at Sam's club for about $10. You can clean glass by getting them a bit damp and all the spots disappear. They are also great for dusting and swiffering.

Baking soda is wonderful to scour with. Sprinkle in your sink or tubs and then scrub away!
I have also bought "Method" brand cleaners which are all natural, smell delicious, and can be found at Target. You will never go back to those awful chemical smelling cleaners after you have tried Method! Their laundry detergent is a concentrate which works wonderfully and reduces environmental waste (and uses up less space in your laundry room as well!).

I have heard that the most toxic place in the home is under the kitchen sink because of all the toxic smells that are leaking into your home environment daily. Evaluate just how much of this stuff that you really need and begin decluttering it! Life gets more simple, your bodies are more healthy, and now your children get help get cleaning! :)

Here is a link for great naturally clean alternatives.

Winter Organization

January can be so dreary that I enjoy using the time to tame my home and civilize it once again. Recently I have been trying to organize closets, cupboards, and my pantry. I still have more to do, but it's getting there! I have always been a major paper towel hog and realized that I wanted to stop wasting so much and begin being more earth-friendly by switching to cloth napkins, cloth towels, and dish cloths. I cleaned out a cupboard and arranged hand towels, handy bar towels to wipe up spills/clean counters, and dishcloths. On the shelf up above it, I now have seasonal cloth napkins and microfiber towels which I use as "swiffer" cloths. They are also fabulous for use on mirrors, TV screens and glass to clean fingerprints without using chemicals.
The middle photo is of some nifty glass jars I found at a thrift store for a dollar. I am on the hunt for more of these in order to store dry goods in an eye-pleasing way. I also want to start frequenting the bulk bins in our local organic grocery store and these jars would be a great way to store those items.
When starting any new system (like using all those cloth things now!), I need to set up a way to handle the new mess. All dirty napkins, tablecloths, towels, etc go in the Shabby Chic basket I keep right off of the kitchen in the laundry room so that they get laundered quickly and easily.
I also organized Sam and John's closet. I didn't want to go pay for a bunch of those square organizational baskets and spend a fortune, so I hunted my local thrift store for colorful small baskets for their closet shelves. I found about 8 of them and tied nifty tags to each basket in order to label each one. So instead of having big baskets with bunches of random stuff in each one, these small baskets hold just enough of all their different things. I'll have to post a picture of them...they turned out so cute, unique and only cost a couple of dollars for all of them!
I have also organized my different teas of mine in a little basket by my coffee maker and sugar dish...now I can easily grab a bag of tea without going through a bunch of boxes in my cupboard.

Organization is definitely an ongoing process...by the time I have one room where "everything has its place", Murphy has decided to come along and take another room apart! I am learning to simply enjoy the process of it all instead of being stressed that I don't have the finished product yet. And all things are more easily organized when we have less in our lives.

The first step to organization is simply DECLUTTER, DECLUTTER, DECLUTTER! We can all breathe easier without so much stuff in our lives and won't spend so much precious time cleaning and keeping it all straight! I am constantly asking myself "do I really need this?" Does it bring beauty to our home? A smile to our faces?

A great way to get rid of all that stuff is to donate to Goodwill, a local thrift or to use Freecycle.
And then try to not bring so much stuff back in your house! I now shop at a local grocery store instead of a supercenter and it saves me so much money because I am not tempted to buy so many other things. For children's birthdays it's nice to ask for memberships to local places of interest like the zoo or Children's museum because it keeps toys under control and allows us to go out and explore the world.

Happy Decluttering and Organizing!

A Breath of Fresh Air

That is what I want my writing to be. A place for me and others to feel encouraged, to breathe deeply of life, and to know freedom in the journey. To not be burdensome. To lift spirits. To offer life. My favorite Scripture is Jesus' invitation to come to Him for rest for our souls. Not to make me weary, heavy laden, or guilty. But He offers gentleness, graciousness, lightness, and ease.
My journey has been one of much burden and guilt and I am learning to lay all of that down at His feet and receive redemption. Instead of trying to offer Him my version of personal holiness, I am asking Him to redeem and set free all of me. And all of me then wants to offer all of Him my worship, love, and life. More and more I come to a place of brokenness, dependence and desperation. Then the mercy and kindness of Jesus has room in my heart to heal, fill, and calm.

I have lots of passions that I look forward to talking about. The journey into natural living. It is affecting all areas of my life and it is so freeing and simple. The journey into being a wife who is a joy and crown to Mike and not a drippy faucet! The journey of motherhood from birthing to nurturing to teaching to empowering these 4 precious lives. The journey of spiritual freedom from religious bondage. The journey of friendships. The journey of homemaking. The journey of being creative. The journey of becoming all that Jesus has made me to be!