The Underlying Peace

It's so crazy that we've surpassed the one month mark of school and are cruising right along into Fall--the holidays will be here before we know it!
 School is going really well and we are all enjoying it immensely. Homeschooling fits our family so well and we couldn't be happier that God has led us down this path. Yes, it's a lot of extra work every day for me as a Mom but the rewards of seeing my children learn, work hard and "get" a new concept far surpasses the moments of feeling overwhelmed.

If you pressed your ear to our front door and listened, it would sound chaotic and crazy--maybe even pure madness--but if you stepped inside you would feel the slow, rhythmic heartbeat of our home; the underlying peace that isn't something you necessarily hear, but something you can always feel. The best part about it is I'm feeling the peace more than ever, despite being busier than I've ever been.

We finally celebrated this one's birthday with family--a fun afternoon of swimming and relaxing on Labor day, soaking up the last day of summer.

These two get along 95% of the time. They are laughing and giggling about something almost constantly and I love watching their brother/sister relationship develop because I only had that with sisters, since my brother and I were farther apart in age. Having an even number of kids (at least for now ;) divides them into "the older two" and "the little ones" which is a fun new stage of life to be in.

I hope that while you're in the thick of Motherhood--the snotty noses, dirty diapers, the pages of homework, cooking, cleaning toilets and crying (maybe from all of you ;)--that you'll stop and feel the peaceful heart of your home that can only come from Jesus. Sometimes it seems nonexistent, but it's there, hidden under the to-do lists and full calendar. You just have to take the time to feel it, acknowledge it and thank the Lord for it!

 Happy Monday, friends! Enjoy your week!

Is your House a Mess or is your Home a Mess?

One of the biggest struggle to me in every day motherhood is finding the balance between the kids and the house. If the house is messy, it's hard to enjoy time with the kids, but when I'm cleaning, I'm missing out on spending time with them. It's an endless circle of needing my sanity and not having stuff piled everywhere, but also feeling guilty about not spending enough time with my babies.

  How do you find the balance? Routines, schedules and planning helps, but I haven't found anything that worked great for me. Our lives are very busy with church, school and activities so schedules don't always work out.

 Here is what I'm learning, thanks to some really wise things my parents said last month when they were here that stuck with me.
 Instead of thinking, "I'm going crazy, the house is a mess,"
 I've been trying to think, "how is my home?"

 Is there a general sense of cheerfulness and joy in our home? Are we treating each other with kindness? Am I being patient and loving to the kids even when I don't want to? If so, the pile of laundry on the couch and the crumbs on the kitchen floor are ok, because we have the important stuff covered.

 When people are coming over and I'm cleaning, I get stressed out very easily. I become snappy with  my husband and the kids because I want everything perfect. I'm working hard to change, to focus on what is really important and realize that people really don't care if our home is immaculate. While I can't say that I won't do that again (because no one is perfect) I'm trying to let go. If it's not immaculately perfect, well, you know what? I have 4 kids that I'm raising, they make messes and people totally understand that.

 My sister in law and the kids came over the other day and, naturally, I was trying to straighten up before she got here. The laundry pile on the couch was neglected and she literally walked in the door, sat down, and started folding my laundry. Not a word spoken about it, just us chatting about life. She's a Mom of 5 and she gets it. Instead of stressing over the mess, I knew I had done the best I could and she picked up the slack, while our 9 children ran around happily.

 Next time you're stressing about the house, ask yourself how your home is. If your home is a mess, take a deep breath, regroup, change your attitude and the kids will follow suit.

 Enjoy these days, Mamas. It's up to us to keep the spirit of our home joyful and looking to Jesus!

Not Keeping my Head Above Water

My busy photography season is evident in my lack of blog posts here. My computer time is spent editing and I'm not left with much time after that... or, I just don't want to stare at a computer screen anymore. ;)
 Some days I feel like I'm totally in over my head trying to keep up with everything. Pulling my hair out, snapping at the kids far to early in the day, totally scatter brained dashing from thing to thing and never quite completing one project. And lest you think a "project" is anything extra, that is far from the truth. Projects these days consist of loading my dishwasher or vacuuming the floor. However, I am reminded that these are the best years of our lives. They are nothing compared to what is to come as our kids get older. I will crave the days of impromptu hugs with a heartfelt, "I love you Mommy" and days filled with totally beautiful chaos, when problems were as simple as who had the toy first or who snuck a drink of Mommy's coffee.

 It's to hard to try and keep my head above water. Instead I'm letting it go and drinking it all in, every giggle and laugh and yell and scream and absolute madness, because I could not be more blessed in this life I live.
 The days are long but the years are short. 
 Enjoy the days.

Raising our Children's Hearts

I’ve been a Mom for almost 8 years now and I still have no idea what I’m doing. I try to do my best but fail multiple times a day. 

 So many worries.  Am I doing enough for their education? Are they getting enough nutrition? Are they drinking enough water? When should we do music lessons? What about sports—we have boys, shouldn’t they be in sports as they grow up? I haven’t gone to the library in months, I’m the worst Mom ever.  What about college? We need to start saving now. I never do crafts with the kids and all the cool Moms  on Pinterest are doing crafts. On and on, comparing and wondering if I’m really cut out for this, if I am doing it all wrong.

But here’s the thing that I’m learning: there’s really only one thing that matters in the long run, and that is how we raise their hearts. All the other stuff will fall into place (Matt. 6:33) if we really focus on raising them to love Jesus with their whole heart, mind, soul and strength.

How do we do this?

 Leading by example. Having the closest, truest walk with God that we can, and letting it show. Listening to the Holy Sprit in everything that we do and communing with our Saviour throughout the day. And prayer. Tons and tons of prayer.  Asking God the wisdom, joy, longsuffering and grace to guide their little moldable hearts day in and day out.

Eventually, our children will have to make the decision to serve God or not and the only thing they can do then is pray that they choose the straight and narrow way. It would be such a blessing to look back and know that despite our failures and mistakes, we did every thing we could to turn their hearts towards Jesus and guide them to the truth, no matter their choice.

The further I get into motherhood, the more terrified I become--this world is a scary, wicked place. But I also grow to rely on God more and more every day, which I believe is exactly where he wants me: fully dependent upon him in every moment of the day. My best on my own is nothing compared to what he can do through me when I allow Him.

The words of a well known hymn have become a repeated prayer of mine: I need thee every hour. We won't make it and our children definitely won't make it if we don't lean on him to raise them, to turn their hearts and eyes upon Jesus. 

Ending with this picture just because... ;) Happy Wednesday, friends!