Don't Go Away!!!!

You are reading the right blog!

I decided to change things up.  I can't even remember when I last changed the layout of my blog....it's been years for sure.

I checked and this is my 639th post (give or take a couple of unfinished or non posted posts).

Several things led me to revamp the blog.  The biggest one being that I feel that I am a completely different person from when I started blogging. My first post was in August 2007.  Over five years ago.  I was 26 years old. I had a 5 year old and a 3 three old.  We were getting in the groove of homeschooling. We had been married six years. Wow...we were babies! ha  ha!

  My life has had a makeover.  The past three years, especially, have refined and produced a stronger, more faith-filled, spirit led, and submissive individual.  When we began the journey to create a family of five, almost exactly three years ago, we had no idea what kind of journey we would be taking as a result of that decision.  And every step in our lives from that point on has urged us to a place of complete surrender. Surrender of our plans.  Surrender of our goals and means.

It is a wonderful place to be.  And it has taught me the meaning of time.  Time is fleeting.  As the mom of a ten year old, three years seems like one night's sleep.  As the mom of a very energetic 18 month old, every day feels a lifetime long.

There are things I want to do! Take the kids to hear an orchestra. Hike to a waterfall. Get a passport. Make homemade pasta!

So often the day, week, month, or year, goes by, and I realize that so many things I intended to do were never done.  Sometimes it's because it wasn't the right thing for me to do.  More often, it's because I never planned and actually took a step in order to actually get those things done.


I never intended to become a stay at home housewife.  My "plan" was to do the whole working thing, and "maybe"  adopt "one day." But....God had other plans and when the reality of leaving them every day to spend hours,days,weeks.... with a bunch of other kids sank in...well, my heart changed.
I felt freedom like no other as I loaded my classroom into my car during post planning that last year. It's the job I never knew I always wanted.  Being a mom is easy to fall in love with.  Being a housewife...eh..not so much.  For me anyway.  All the rest that comes with the package (housework, meal planning, housework, laundry, budgeting, organizing, did I mention housework?)  is hard for a scatter brained, unorganized, easily discouraged person like myself.

I want to embrace the role and see what happens when good intentions meet good planning!

We have a fresh start in our lives right now. It's the perfect time to develop better habits, try our hand at a simpler life, and hopefully become more intentional with every single day. To look back in a year and be able to not regret all the things we  never got around to doing, because the list of things we DID accomplish is so bright! :)

Now I know what it means to plan and things not turn out the way you want.  I've learned that lesson!  But,I am convinced that being intentional with your actions, the days and weeks that turn into years, with some standards and goals, is a totally different thing than having a "blueprint" for how your life is going to turn out.

Perhaps I can (un)intentionally turn into Donna Reed?  Someone who has it together and not just looking from the outside in.

Stranger things have happened!