Life around here…

These are the days of:

• deciding to go to bed early rather than read a book
• slow sips of creamy, morning coffee (and reminding myself to measure my hard moments in small doses).
• tending my houseplants: wiping the leaves with a damp cloth, pruning leaves, watering the soil.
• noticing the stacks of books in our home, they’re definitely a favorite amongst all of us!
• slowing tearing off links from our debt paper chain. Only 11 months to go! Yeow, the end is in sight!
• waving to Zack from the window as he drives to work in the morning (many tears if the littles forget to wave).
• meal planning to keep the meltdowns away. And these are meltdowns from mama, too ;) Currently making: beef stew, sun-dried tomato chicken with zucchini noodles, meat balls, cobb salad, BBQ chicken/baked beans/coleslaw, and zuppa toscana. (I told you this was a favorite at our house!)
• “baby” snuggles on the couch (the girls have a favorite stuffed animal, they might as well be physically attached to their bodies).
• preparing for birthday parties! Maxwell turns 4 next week, Marigold turns 1 next month. #weep
• measuring “a great day” based on how full our love tanks are. Note: lots of rest, lots of quality time, and very little time on social media.
• the smell of lavender soap on my hands.
• celebrating many baby bumps. So many of my friends are pregnant, hooray hooray!
• thinking simplistically: what are our priorities? What is the easiest solution? (Don’t overcomplicate, Maggie!)
• training myself to remember what is most important. This doesn’t come easy for me, I learn this lesson every day/week/month. Truly, if my journal could talk… ;) But you know what, that’s A-OK! I don’t beat myself up over this, instead of remind myself I’m perfectly and wonderfully made and then I think of ways my struggles can become learning opportunities for others, specifically my kids. How can I encourage them as they grow? That’s my focus right now.