Fit Journey

Let's be honest, I'm not the most slender person on the planet. I have never been considered as anything else then curvy. But, after marriage and 5 kids I've really "filled out", so at the beginning of last month I read in one of my favorite blogs, Shower of Roses, that she had been using this diet and that it had worked up until she got sick. So I decided to give it a try, after all, it wouldn't hurt. I recruited my husband to get on board and at first he was skeptical and negative about the whole ordeal leading up to the day before, but he went through with it for me (isn't that nice?!). After the first week, we were both down 5-7lbs and my husband got super on board. Me? Not so much! I was craving chocolate and was frustrated that I hadn't lost 100lbs yet. Well here we are almost a full month later and we have both lost 30+ lbs combined.  I'm slowly adding in workouts to my schedule, fitting them in whenever I can, drinking a lot of lemon water and eating pretty much cleanly (I just devoured a homemade breakfast cookie and 6oz. of plain greek yogurt with jam mixed in).  I am loving the fact that I am fitting into jeans that I couldn't wear even before getting pregnant, but I have a LONG road to get to where I want to be. It is sometimes daunting and always a struggle, but was is life without a struggle. It's not the destination, its the journey, so pray that I don't die on the way :)  Cross my fingers it works

Go Get them Ladies!!!

Thankful Thursday

During confession one time, a priest told me the quickest way to get out of my sin (truth bomb: I'm insecure and tend to be jealous) was to start a gratitude journal. Now this wasn't a foreign concept for me, I've heard this said many times and just chucked it to being to "new agey" for me, after all "feelings" was in the same realm as Oprah (or so I've been led to believe). This time it hit me hard and I decided to give it a try, but I didn't do it to the full extent of journaling. I would wake up or go to bed with a list of thankful thoughts to send to the Lord, all while battling feelings of inferiority. "The pen is mightier than the sword" and "The faintest ink is better than the most retentive memory" keep coming to mind. Actually WRITING words of thankfulness and gratitude might actually be the answer (duh!) and what is the most modern way of putting pen to paper.....blogging.  And so here I am ready to embark on an adventure of bearing my soul to y'all...don't worry I'll only start with Thursdays so you can just skip that day of cyber stalking.

For today, I am thankful, dear Lord, for the life that you have given me through to mere mortals who did not know what they were doing :)  I am thankful that You have a purpose for this broken life, that Your purpose for my life is bigger than the scars and broken pieces of my being. I am thankful that You show me Your Will every day in the loud screams of a baby, in the gentle hum of the dishwasher, in the silence of my closet as I hid from those beloved beast You gave me. I am thankful that I was raised in the environment that I was because without it I wouldn't be who I am today, the exact person You needed me to be. I am thankful that You have blessed me with 5 children and 2 in Heaven, who mirror the best and worse of this your humble servant, they are here to help in the purpose that You created me for, without them I would only be half the soldier You needed. I am thankful for my husband, the man that I least expected to become my partner, but who You knew would be the best person to drive this dilapidated ship. I am thankful for the people You have entrusted into my companionship, I will do my best to elevate them to the soldiers that You need them to be, You have put them here for a reason and I am willing to be the reason they turn to You.  THANK YOU for being my Father, always having my back, always being a role model, sounding board, listener and giver. You are my GREAT "I AM"!  Now, back to the work You have entrusted me to do :)

Go Get them Ladies!

3rd grade overview

Oh Kolbe! How I love thee! :)  I was skeptical of enrolling in third grade, but again I needed simplicity. I went onto a Kolbe FB group page and found out that a lot of the people weren't actually using ALL of the books assigned and basically did their own thing. That was great, except that I was looking for pre-packaged at this point. Instead, fighting my urge to re-do everything, I decided to give it a try AS IS, and I'm glad I did. The lesson plans are simple and concise, no recreating the wheel but plenty of "note" space to still make it my own. I feel that with Seton the books are well thought out and developed well, so the need to enrich is almost non-existent (except for science and history).  Even though that's a good thing, I still want to foster a love of learning, not just testing or note taking acumen, so enrichments for my 6th grader is something we add on outside of "school time". Kolbe, I feel, allows me to weave in the love of learning seamlessly with actual test taking skills. The flow of Kolbe is a perfect fit for my third grader, she is the better reader and she does better with conversational learning.

The work load does take a lot out of me, mostly because my daughter is easily distracted and can't do things on her own. Also, all testing (at this point) is on paper and parent graded, which is a pain, but for this grade it's ok. I do tweak the work in the lesson plans occassionally, especially if what's called for seems rote and unnecessary. I'm planning of sticking with it for next year with minor adjustments: we aren't too keen on the reading book they use, I'd rather just have her read books out of the library, we might stick with spelling but might do Seton's spelling, we will be doing a different religion book since our parishes CCD already uses the same religion book, with those few exceptions I'm excited to keep on our Kolbe voyage.

6th grade overview

I love homeschooling! My favorite part? Curriculum shopping! So I've decided to write a couple of posts going over what we are currently using, pros and cons, and maybe some posts on my journey to finding a "perfect" school schedule (ha!). So here goes nothing......

My oldest is in the 6th grade and up until this point, I've been putting together my own schedule and curriculum. This year I decided to enroll her into Seton Home Study, I just needed to have less stress with having a new baby (ha!). At first I was wary of Seton, I've heard some horror stories about how long everything takes, how hard it is, and that really was a big worry for me. In my heart, I'm a Charlotte Mason girl, but I know that my daughter would do better with just clear concise instruction and workbook type learning. So we dove in.....and boy am I pleasantly surprised!!!! She is doing remarkably well and she is getting her work done in less than 2 hrs on a good day. I still am using some living books and other sources to help with enrichment, especially in science and history, but overall I'm happy with our choice and I'm going to stick with it for next year and beyond if it keeps working this way. My biggest reason why I love it, is because grades can be submisubmitted electronically! That makes it so much easier on me and she can take some tests online which also cuts down on grading time for me.

Scheduling has been a learning process, as I'm trying to foster more independence in learning.  She wakes up at 7 and then has an hour of chores before she starts school. I let her pick the order in which she does her work and I also let her pick her time frame, she gets started at 8 but I know that she is not me so if she needs breaks and doesn't finish until dinner, then that's OK as long as it gets done. I think it's more of about me letting go than anything else :)  Second quarter in and we are happy with where we are at and that has never happened in our homeschool. I'm excited to see where this year will tare us, stay tuned.....

Go get them ladies!

Know Thyself

   There was a recent conversation about personality styles and the different characteristics that are associated with these personality styles.  I am a firm believer that everyone should know all the characteristics of different personalities, as well as discern their own and then associate it to the different love languages, in order to have effective communication (I was a Communications major, it's all about the communication). There are different tests and acronyms to tell you where you fall in the personality spectrum but I am going to share a simple one that I learned through my business.  It's called DISC:

• Dominance:  results oriented, makes quick decisions, controls people, power of authority
• Influential: people oriented, love to talk, motivational, enthusiastic
• Steadiness: family oriented, loyal, slow to change, security
• Compliance: detail oriented, perfectionist, critical of self, analytical

     My favorite way to showcase these four personalities is with a little analogy. Think about 4 people going on a road trip: D will be driving because they want to be in charge and they probably were the ones that suggested (or demanded) to go to the certain location. I will be calling shotgun, they want to be close enough to the action to control the music, they'll gab the whole way and keep the car entertained. S will be the one bringing snacks for everyone, reminding you to pack a sweater and making sure that everyone is comfortable on the ride. C will have the trip mapped out with all the pit stops highlighted and they will probably be timing the trip (no potty breaks!). Most people have a dominant and a secondary, no one is all four. I am and ID personality (raise the roof!) and my love language is praise and affirmation (tell me I'm pretty). So you are like great, but how does this knowledge help me?

   My second daughter is and IS personality, which means that I know that she can be easily distracted in school  (because she wants to party) and she freaks out over any type of change. I also know that her love language is gifts (the 5 love languages are:affirmation, quality time, gifts, touch, acts of service).  So my game plan for her is to make school into a game (timed with prizes at the end) and I have a calendar with everything we are going to eat or do in the month, so she doesn't freak out.  Because I know these things, I am better equipped to help her throughout the day.  My oldest daughter is and DC personality, which is why there is so much conflict between the two. Her love language is affirmation, she likes to know that someone has seen that she is the best at something and pointed it out. So for her, schoolwork can be done on her own, she likes to take charge, but because of that I need to reign her in and remind her that she really isn't the boss. Testing is important to her, because that gauges her awesomeness and those tests need to be prominently displayed or talked about over dinner (she is somewhat of an introvert so she isn't as obnoxious about it as me) But, again knowing these things has helped in how I approach raising my children and how I communicate with them.

   Knowing these things can help in all facets of child rearing from potty training, schooling (picking the right curriculum), structuring the day, handing out chores and on and on. The list is endless! So take some time to really examine your child, it might be the catalyst that will help you move forward in your home and create true balance that we all crave.

Go get them ladies!

This, just this

 We have just completed our first full quarter as "enrolled" students and by "we" I mean, I'm exhausted :)  The stress of "performing" is worse on me and I definitely deserve this week long break before we start quarter two.  I am so proud of my students and even though some people *ahem* (a certain 3rd grader) is not working to her fullest potential, this is just a starting point.  To be a homeschool mother is to be there to see your child's growth in all aspects of life and revel in the knowledge that I DID THAT! (cause it's all about me!)  What a beautiful sight!!!!!

How to keep it neat

        I've been laid up with a head cold the past couple of days, which gave me time to think about more blog posts and possible how to's :)  Today, I want to share my journey to cleanliness. I'm not a clean freak by any means, but as I've gotten older and the more kids I have and the more square footage I've acquired, the more obsessed with cleanliness I've become. I've gone through many different cleaning schedules and ideas and finally found something I could stick with and modify easily for my family. I will tell you that my family is LAZY and need a lot of help and motivation to get anything done. So, I think that this has been a life saver for me. The schedule is pretty self explanatory and she goes through what she does herself but here is my take, you can also check out my board on Organization on Pinterest if you need more ideas:

       We take an hour a day to do the different chores, except for laundry which is an all day thing. We usually have an hour break after lunch and then we start the hour of cleaning after that, with this schedule I ensure that my kids aren't burned out and neither am I. Again you need to create the schedule that works for you. My husband helps by finishing whatever didn't get done in that hour after dinner and post-dinner cleanup is done.

       She mentions to alternate floors in your house, which I find very helpful as well. We cleanup the first floor twice in a 4 week period, then alternating the other weeks from upstairs and basement levels. This keeps it from being overwhelming and it makes sure that not one level takes all my attention.

       I always make it point to STOP at the hour, knowing my limits and sticking to something keeps it from becoming an overwhelming priority. Let me make this clear, cleaning is NOT my priority and if you are homeschooling and have multiple kids and activities to get to, it shouldn't be yours either. Cleaning is something we do to take care of the house that God has provided for us, but I try not to get wrapped up in what didn't get done.  Cleaning should not take precedence over time with God, time with kids and time with your husband. So when the timer goes off, put the sponges DOWN! :)

I hope this helps with your quest for cleanliness in your home and as always.....

Go get them ladies!

All you need is love

I have this friend, she is the best friend a girl could ask for. I just spent a great evening with K, having dinner and conversation. I am always astonished by how well we get along, we compliment each other even though we both are type A personalities.  She is a true friend and I'm truly blessed.  Take a moment tomorrow to reach out to "that friend", the person that inspires you, motivates you and is calm when you are hysterical. Write her a letter, send her a text, tell that person how much they mean to you in your life, you won't regret it. God put them in your life for a reason, don't take them for granted. I feel loved tonight! And that's all anybody needs


Go get them ladies!

I Want to Pump You Up

I work out almost every day and I was asked recently, "how do you do that?"  Like everything else in life, you need to know yourself and what works best for you. I have tried several gyms and workout videos and fads but I found something that I can finally stick with.  Here are my top tips to help you get energy and take care of that temple of the Holy Spirit:

1.Time: we all have time to workout but making it a priority is up to us. I'm a morning person, so in order to keep working out consistently I have to do it first thing in the morning. It might be different for you, but making the decision to not let yourself off the hook with the excuse that you don't have time, is pivotal.

2. Style: there are many different forms of exercise, so you need to find one that suits you. I love anything dance related or anything were I can physically hurt someone if I wanted to :)  So, I lean more towards Kickboxing or Crossfit, Zumba or Pure Barre.  Try things out and if you fall in love with it then you are more likely to do it.

3. Gym vs. Home: I don't have a gym membership anymore, it ended up being a waste of money. I now use Daily Burn, I can do it at home and they customize the workouts for me. I sometimes walk or jog, and I've tossed the idea around of going to a Pure Barre class. Again, you need to know what will motivate you and what your budget allows, but budget should not be an excuse. You can always get videos of off Netflix, Hulu or the library.

Working out with your kids is fun too, it helps them start to emulate good habits for when they are older. So, break free of excuses and turn up the energy.

Go get them ladies!

Epiphanies of Beauty: Movin' on Up

Growing up I lived in pretty crappy areas of the United States, in ghettos, slums and graduate housing.  When I got married it was the first time I had ever lived in my own house, when we moved to our newest home 2 years ago, I felt like I was finally able to set down roots. I am thankful for my husband and all he does to give me and our children a stable, loving home. I am thankful for our home, where my kids can go outside and play and feel safe. I am thankful that ,this child of the projects, could give something better for her children and future generations. I am thankful for the mess, the projects that we have in mind and never ending weeds, because this is MY home.

Epiphanies of Beauty Photo Link Up

Go get them ladies!

Cheaper by the Dozen

When you have a large-ish family, the subject of cost always seems to come up. It is one of those annoying things that are culture does, which is put a price tag on children. My family has struggled with keeping our budget for food decent, my husband and I went from being able to eat out all the time to slowly cringing at the bill when it hit our table. So after some trial and error and tips from friends, we've come across a happy balance. We can't give up eating out all together, we like it too much, but we have pared it down.

First thing we did to help curb the grocery bill was come up with an eating schedule. I found that when my kids didn't have a set food schedule that they'd eat everything and anything we had, which had us running to the grocery store multiple times a week. So, I print out a paper calendar every month (at first I was doing once a week and that got to be a pain) and I write out what people can eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It makes grocery shopping easy and cuts down on snacking. For example: my kids migh have a muffin, yogurt or applesauce and a protein drink for breakfast. For lunch: gluten free chicken nuggets, potato chips and blueberries and for dinner we could have enchiladas. There is no guessing on what to eat and it curbs the incessant question of, "what are we eating?", they can see it on the calendar. A great place to get recipes, by the way, is www.thecountrycook.net , she has awesome recipes that are quick and easy. Her site has been a life saver!

Secondly, we've changed where we go to buy groceries and how we buy. We have a Costco membership and we go once a month at the beginning of the month. Our list usually consists of items that we can spread out for two weeks to a month, meats are usually top on that list. Next we take Saturday afternoon and we go to Aldi for a weekly shopping. We love Aldi! My husband fought me on switching but I finally convinced him to try it and now we are hooked :). We spend literally half our old budget there and we can get everything we need for the week. This gives us money left over to.....go out! :)

To keep costs down for eating out and so we don't splurge too much, we've started using a debit card for restaurants instead of a credit card (I know...yikes...bad habit). My husband transfers money every week for me so that I can go shopping for whatever is needed. We plan our outings, like everything else, so we can a. look forward to it and b. because then we can save up for it. This gives us leeway so when there is a day we are running crazy, we can still eat together.

I hope this helps all of you!

Go get them ladies!

A Day in the Life

This face is the reason why I need to PIVOT so much and why this week has been so crappy. Don't let the cuteness fool you, this baby is a wild thing.

Instead of working out in the sweet quiet of the morning, I was forced to workout with these imps, who tried to show me that Tabata 1 was not as hard as I was making it out to be (I think I died a little bit)

It is Friday so that means, dance and piano day. Here are the girls doing there spelling tests at dance and Sofia did a History test too. While Sebastian plays with Sebastian, as we wait the hour for our ballerina to be done.

Here is my view at piano, as I sit in the car with the three younger ones for an hour and fifteen minutes.....during this time I did some work on my business, watched some tv (on my phone) and planned out some curriculum ideas for the younger two.  After piano we spent a lovely hour or so at a friends house and the ballet for Rose. Came home to some delicious goat cheese and cucumber sandwiches for dinner and now I'm off to bed to watch some more tv while I nurse a baby to sleep and my husband plays on the Xbox with his buddy (man-child).  All in all it was a solidly good day to end this week and start the weekend refreshed and ready to grab life by the horns. Excited to share some fun stuff next week with all of you! Goodnight!

Go get them ladies!

Shake it off

Shaking off the doldrums of a week that has left me exhausted is exactly what I did today.  I don't like to live in my depths of despair for long, I allow myself to visit but it's not a good place to live. I also don't like showing weakness, so writing about it was hard. One of my biggest passions in life is helping other women, especially mothers, come to the realization that they CAN have it all. I sometimes feel like I'm failing in this message, but I'm hoping that as I journal my day's activities, my thoughts and pointers, that I can, at some point make your life better for reading this babble.

Enough....shaking it off....AND....3 ways to make tomorrow better:

1. Brain Dump: as I mentioned in an earlier post, writing out your 6 most important things list is imperative to a good start the next day. It doesn't stop days from falling apart but it gives you better, productive days overall.

2. Time out: when you are working your way back to a good day, a timer is your best friend. Keep yourself accountable by setting a timer and giving yourself only that allotted time to finish the task at hand and then reward yourself.  I like to reward myself with watching a silly show or getting some chocolate milk or sitting down for a minute (can I get an Amen?!). Whatever it is that works for you, do it! It'll keep you motivated!

3. Form habits: I heard a great tip once about using a habit that you do every day to cultivate a new habit. We make it a habit to wash our hands after going to the bathroom or brushing our teeth before going to bed. Why not use those habits to trigger new ones, so that after you wash your hands, you follow it with wiping down the counters. After you brush your teeth, you do 10 sit-ups. Imagine what we can achieve with just implementing a new thought!

I'll be taking pics of my "new" day tomorrow and hopefully sharing them with you. I want to be a good example to follow and I can't wait to share more tips and tricks of the trade that help me everyday.

Go get them ladies!

Depths of Despair

Any Anne of Green Gables fans out there?  Some people say I'm melodramatic (what?! Me?! Never!) so every so often I have a tendency to fall into my childhood idols "depths of despair". Today was one of those days. When you have to yell "PIVOT" several days in a row, it can be trying on my psyche.  I try very hard to not take too much stock in the worlds idea of how much you do is what defines you, but when you have an over achiever personality and a personality that leans to the arrogant side (what?! Me?! No!), its hard to have a day where you are humbled. And when God sees it fit to humble me, He does it a very blatant and in your face way.  I have to fight through my demons, as we all do, but days like these remind of how much further I need to go. It can be challenging, it can be depressing, but I feel like the more I fail at being perfect, the closer I am to being it. Does that make sense? I guess I'm trying to see the silver lining in a horrible, no good day. The more I fall down, the closer I am to the Final destination. I am reminded that Christ fell three times before he was crucified, so being a child of God and an imperfect human, I should definitely have to fall WAY more times in order to reap the rewards that He is offering me.  The gates of Heaven were opened for me at His death, He slipped on the way. Today I fell for the umpteenth time towards those gates that He is holding open for me.

" 'You're not eating anything,' said Marilla eying her as if it were a serious shortcoming.  
Anne sighed. 
'I can't. I'm in the depths of despair. Can you eat when you are in the depths of despair?'
'I've never been in the depths of despair, so I can't say.' responded Marilla
'Weren't you? Well, did you ever try to imagine you were in the depths of despair?'
'No, I didn't.'
'Then I don't think you can understand what it's like. It's a very uncomfortable feeling indeed. When you try to eat a lump comes right up in your throat and you can't swallow anything, not even if it was chocolate caramel.'- Anne of Green Gables pg.33-34

P.S When I'm in the depths of despair, I have no trouble eating

Go get them ladies!

Winter Blues

My husband says that I should write my posts earlier in the day, but I like doing it after I've lived the day because it gives me content to share with you all (and by all I mean Ana Maria, Nicole and Christine 😊).  So, today there was a conversation online on how to get caught up with school when life happens and it got me thinking that we are entering the twilight zone for homeschoolers. So here are my life hacks for making it through the dreary months ahead:

1. Vitamins: this seems simple but keeping yourself healthy is key to making it through these next couple of months.  Vitamin D and B are important to keep your energy and mood lifted, if you are a fan of essential oils get some to lighten and lift the mood in the house.

2. Start a workout routine: this goes with the vitamins but people tend to stop working out in the fall/winter, it's the inner bear in us, but keep up or start a routine to get those endorphins pumping.

3. Mix it up:  take your curriculum and throw it out the window! No not really, but I'd suggest changing up the schooling routine. In the winter months, routine becomes boring and monotonous, take a day and study Shakespeare, delve deeper into Mesopatamia, read Heidi for the umpteenth time. Do something educational but straying from the norm to keep it fresh!

4. Take a vacation: our family tends to take our vacations in fall or winter just because no one else is and it tends to be cheaper. But even if you can't make it out of the house, let alone the state, you can still use those "snow days" that have accumulated over the years. Again, breaking up the normal grind of schooling and chores, think of baking pies, cuddling on the sofa, going sledding, ice skating, to a friends house for tea, etc., allow yourself some breathing room.

5. Add in God: when all else fails, add in God. Start going to adoration more frequently, attend daily Mass, start praying a daily Rosary, read the Bible, read about a saint....the list is endless! His Light will get you through the upcoming "dark" time.

And remember that if you just keep pushing through the fall/winter months, you'll eventually have more time to play and relax in the spring/summer because of all the steps you took to make the "twilight zone" your best friend!

Go get them ladies!

Monday, Monday

I had an awesome post planned for today, but like they say "we plan, God laughs".  My day started off on time but it slowly went down hill as more things popped up throughout the day to distract me.  All in all things turned out ok (not ideal), but it got me thinking about how to's of handling days that slowly sink into the crapper :)  Here are my tips for you, dear reader, so you can still have an effective day even if it doesn't turn out your way:

PIVOT:  have you ever watched that episode of  "Friends", where Ross is trying to haul this huge couch up to his apartment.  When your day seems to be falling apart around you, remember to PIVOT

Plan: I believe I over use this word, but its important. You need to have a plan of attack to ward off Mondays in general. That way you are armed and ready and feel confident in defeating it. Think of Monday's like a natural disaster, if you lived in Florida you'd always be prepared for that next hurricane. Well, there's always a Monday around the corner.

Inhale:  When the flushing sound starts, take a deep breath and ask the Holy Spirit to help you. You'll feel way calmer when you know that there is a supernatural helper on call.

Vision: have a vision of what you'd like the day to end up like. What you think about you bring about, so think positive thoughts throughout the day. You can't be angry when you are living in your vision and not your reality.

Oust: I threw a lot of things off my to-do list today and just moved it to tomorrow. There is nothing wrong in knowing  your limitations and giving yourself a win when you need it. Remember only to move things that are not a priority for today, but that arrow button was my friend.

Try again: remember that God gave us tomorrow because it's only a day away :)

I hope these help to ease your mind on those frightful Mondays!

Go get them ladies!

Epiphanies of Beauty: Soldiers

Here is my epiphany of beauty for today. A picture of soldiers dressed for battle and wielding their swords. Our Lady of Victory, pray for us! Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!

Make new friends, but keep the old

Today I'm thinking a lot about friendship. It's a tricky subject for me, I blame it on being homeschooled :), but I've always struggled with it. In the book "Walking with Purpose" by Lisa Brenninkmeyer, she dedicates several chapters on developing and cherishing friendships as a way to a balanced life. I'm blessed that I have people in my life that I can talk to and share life with, but I'm always asking myself, "What IS a friend?". I realized that friendship as an adult is different than when we were kids, which I guess is part of my problem. I want to be friends with EVERYONE and I love meeting new people. But, I still haven't mastered deciphering how I can be a good friend and how to know who's my friend and who's my acquaintance.  So dear reader, tell me your how-to tips on how to spot a friend and what friendship means to you....maybe something you say can shed light on one baffling subject!

Go get them ladies!

Goodnight Moon

After surviving another long Friday, I am reminded of something I read in Matthew Kelly's book "Rhythm of Life".  He makes it a point to talk about sleeping as being a key ingredient to a balanced life. You know what this means! More sleep for everyone!!!! Tonight, instead of giving you tips to lead a better life, I want to encourage you to sleep better. I understand having children wandering into bed with you at all hours of the tonight, a husband that snores or a mind full of to-do lists (don't worry I'll teach you how to turn it off on a later post), but you can't be a good mom if you are going through the day like a zombie.  I'll post more of a how-to later on, but for tonight, go to bed at least 15min earlier than usual and tomorrow arise refreshed :)

Go get them ladies!

Scheduling a day off

I'm a organized person and I love a schedule, I am the Energizer bunny, but batteries sometimes need to recharge or else we just keep going until we run out completely. I find it hard to have a day off, but after years of constant stimulation, I learned that to have a happy and productive home you must have some vacation days. I don't schedule them as frequently as I should and some times I'm blessed with random days off. So here is a list of how to's to get you relaxing, because I'm all about giving you guys concrete actions that will help you attain your goal:

1. Check the calendar: in order to schedule something you must know what is already in your schedule. There's nothing more stressful than being double booked in a time slot or finding out last minute that you had something scheduled. So be aware of what you have on the calendar so you can pick days off.  I like to schedule at least 2 days off a month, but you do what is necessary for you.

2. Stick to it: once you've chosen those days off, stick to that schedule and don't be tempted to move it to another day. Inevitably, someone will invite you somewhere or the kids will have some random event pop up on that day off. Stick to your original plan!!! It'll be hard, but you need to keep this appointment with yourself.

3. Plan for it: I love how I use the word "plan" so often in talking about a day off, but nothing happens without one. A day off is wasted without a plan, even if it is to sleep in till noon and binge watch your favorite show on Netflix. If you go into your day off without an idea of how you're going to enjoy it, it will never be enjoyed. You can squeeze the most delight from a day off, when you wake up in the morning and are able to just stay in bed because you already know that's your plan (doesn't that sound dreamy!)

4. Make it fun: imagine yourself at a Hilton, sinking deeper into a soft pillowtop, room service is free (just cause they liked your pretty face) and that whole bread pudding you devoured has no calories. Doesn't that sound divine?  Well, it might never happen, sorry!  But, you can still have fun, on a budget, with your 20 kids, in your messy house :)  What I'm trying to say, in my sarcastic way, is that make your day out fun for you and most importantly, doable.  One of our favorite things is getting a movie from Netflix, popping some popcorn and cuddling up in giant fleece blankets on the sofa to watch the movie. Or the kids love to "campout" in our room, just microwave some s'mores and you're in business.

I hope these tips help you organize your way to a lazy day, full of fun re-energizing memories for the whole family.

Go get them ladies!

He leads me to verdant pastures

Making God the focus of your day and a priority always makes the day go smoothly. Unfortunately, when we get stressed and harried,  instead of turning to the Prince of Peace we completely ignore Him.  I understand that sometimes the Almighty might take a backseat to a pile of household chores, fussy babies, insistent toddlers and challenging teens, but I'm here to tell you that He is waiting to be asked to be your partner in the mundane activities of life.  Many years ago I made it my goal to start praying the Rosary everyday and I find that when this prayer time comes at the beginning of the day, the rest of the day inevitably goes much more smoothly. So how do we start taking those first steps to bringing peace and balance into our lives via the great I AM :)

1. Plan for success: Make it a habit that the first thing out of your mouth in the morning is prayer. For me at times, I'll still be in bed when my alarm goes off and I'll be nursing a baby but my Rosary is always close by.  So make sure that you have everything you need RIGHT THERE....If you have to go find your prayer book, rosary, bible etc., you'll become distracted by the laundry pile or you'll hear the coffee pot call your name. Resist!! God comes first!

2. Pray all day long: have you ever had that split second moment where you feel yourself choosing a bad attitude or allowing anger or envy or any other ugly emotion seep into you?  Pray!  I have many of these moments and I use that opportunity to whisper a prayer to the Holy Spirit or even just say His name. It's a simple thing that can be very powerful.

3. Use your words:  words are powerful, the written word is like a powerful stream cutting through rock. Keep a bible with you or download an app so you can read His word at all times. I will open my app and close my eyes and let the Holy Spirit guide me to the verse selection He'd like me to read :)  Another invaluable tool is a journal. Journal everything! I like to journal while at a Holy Hour, it's my way of speaking to God and then be able to write out any inspiration that I might get from being with Him in the silence.


I hope these three simple tools help you start unto a path where you allow the Shepherd to guide you

GO GET THEM LADIES!

Hit the ground running

One of my best tips on how to organize your day, so that when your feet hit the floor you know EXACTLY  what needs to get done and then you don't waste hours in the morning, is to make your 6 most important things to do list the night BEFORE!

At 9PM I sit down with my smart phone and start entering everything that needs to be done the next day into an app ( I like the "Errands" app on iPhone, it has the same effect as a checklist). I have two 6 most important lists, one for business and one for home, this keeps all projects separate. After I write everything down I assess whether that activity is really a necessary thing to get done the next day or if I can roll over to the following day. I then look at what tasks can be delegated, which tasks can my husband or children help with or someone that I've paid (maid or assistant). Delegate is a hard word for moms, but it will make being a "super mom" a whole lot easier if you have a sidekick. This system has served me well in the last 10 years and it's invaluable to me in running a smooth business and home life. I'm a morning person, so the list gives me a blueprint of what I can get started on first thing in the morning. If you're not a morning person, it does all the thinking for you and you don't have to wonder what you need to get done or where to start. You can be in a morning fog and still get things done, which is a perk, right?  Try it for a week and see, how just simply planning for your day the night before, can add hours to your day and a sense of accomplishment.

Got get them, ladies!'

Getting Started!

Don't you fear Super Mom is here!!!! I've got some suggestions on where to start on "choosing your better path",  these books have been instrumental in turning me from inconspicuous mother of 2 to Super Mom of 5 :)

1. "A Mother's Rule of Life" by Holly Pierlot. The book that started it all! Key things to pay attention in this book is the 5 P's, while reading don't get distracted by the story and stray from the main message of priorities. At the beginning her schedule didn't work for me and as with everything in life, you need to tweak to make it work for you. But I promise you, her ideas are easy to make your own.

2. "The Rhythm of Life: Living Life with Passion and Purpose" by Matthew Kelly. Biggest thing that stood out for me in this book is to focus on SLEEP! Yes, sleep! Without sleep you are not able to function properly throughout the day and trust me I know about having a nursing baby and lack of sleep.  But, it CAN  be done!

3."Balancing it All: My Story of Juggling Priorities and Purpose" by Candace Cameron Bure. Yes, DJ Tanner wrote an awesome book. Not necessarily a to-do book but a great read for motivation. Her style of writing is very soothing and I almost felt like she was just talking to me.

4."Walking with Purpose: Seven Priorities that make Life Work" by Lisa Brenninkmeyer. This is my latest gem, from the very first page it really made me start thinking about who I am as a person and what motivates me.  Very much a "self assessment" book, you'll be slapped across the face several times with this book.

Being Super Mom is not about having it all together and each day going perfectly (trust me! As you read this I'm probably having a mental breakdown), it's about knowing yourself, your limitations and your strength.  Superman knew that Kryptonite was his weakness, but he also knew his strength to do good and he didn't let the fear of Kryptonite stop him from being who he was. Does that make sense? I hope it does! That's where we need to find ourselves, living our lives according to the talents that God has given us and not fearing whatever the devil throws our way.

Go get them ladies!