Happy New Year! I know, that was so last week! hahaha I’m a little late for New Years, But, I’m slowly getting into the groove here.
Do you like the New Year? I get super excited about all the New. But, then I get super overwhelmed by it very quickly!
I love setting goals and getting organized, but I also don’t order a new planner or get any calendars until the first week of January, so I sit here waiting for them to arrive and then scramble to get started using them.
And you know what? It’s ok to be late for New years
And why does it feel like no one remembers how to do the school thing, (even mom) after a 2 week Christmas craziness break? We have been struggling to focus, that is for sure.
But, I won’t let any of it stop me from planning, dreaming, setting goals and even getting my calendar in order… even if it’s mid-January when I do.
This steamer basket is my favorite accessory for my instant pot…
it makes it easy to get veggies or small things out of the pot. you can use it for eggs too really anything!!
This post has affiliate links, which means that shopping through them is an easy way for you to support us here at Loveandscribbles without costing you anything! Thanks
This Steamer basket!!
Today only it’s at a great price!!! $8.50 (at time of posting) This deal will not last long so hurry and grab one!
This one fits your 6 or 8 qrt Instant pots
and you don’t need to use a trivet if you use these ones with the feet on it.
One of my hopes with starting this blog was to encourage other moms out there… I had dreams of encouraging and inspiring.. But, then, I found myself hesitating to speak on anything involving the heart of motherhood or family, because I’m here in the middle of it too. I stop myself from saying anything because, “who am I?” How could I help anyone when I’m neck-deep in the trenches.
Truth is
I don’t feel equipped or strong or wise and sometimes (most days) I don’ t feel right for the job in front me.
I see a friend struggling or she tells me she doesn’t know how to keep on going or what to do with a situation.. I want to tell her truth, I want to fill her with life-giving words. Truth is.. I do know the TRUTH!! And it IS exciting, thrilling, and absolutely life-giving!!!
Truth is
The Lord has not turned His face from us, He has appointed you and me to this far-reaching, Intensely important role of MOM!! And you know what? He knew exactly what He was doing. And He doesn’t just shove us into this and leave us (like the hospital does when they send you home with a day old babe and say good luck)
Truth is
He really has equipped us with all that we need and His power is available to us. Hebrews 13:21 says that God will “Equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. ” He is aware that it is daunting and that everyday we feel exhausted, overwhelmed, and unsure….
But that is exactly why he sent his bravest, toughest, soldiers for the job. He knows everyday is a battle, a battle for the hearts of our children, for their protection, their training.
I know these things in my heart. but I still stop before saying them to my friends the majority of the time. I don’really believe them for myself or at least I temporarily forget them. I start to think things like “how dare I speak so boldly when I’m honestly cowering in front of my calling at this very moment.
Even now, you might be tempted to envision me sitting at beautiful desk, in a beautiful peaceful home writing all this to you. Maybe you see my kids playing so quietly with everything in it’s place. Truth is, I’m sitting in the dark, hiding in my room, typing this into my phone because it takes to long to locate my laptop. I can hear chaos in the living room, I left them with sheets and chairs to build forts and ran in here for just a break from the noise. My dishes are piled high in the sink, mostly because I tried to do way to much this morning and didn’t even finish the dishes from last night. I ruined an entire pot of yogurt that my husband was looking forward to and I’m leaving to attend an out of town conference tomorrow and the house is a complete mess. I haven’t packed or even figured out how to get the boys to sitters and all those details.
(updated to say: Turns out I can’t just copy and paste things from my phone notes on to here…. or I don’t know how to, so now you can picture me sitting with my laptop retyping this furiously, while my kids are eating way to many gold fish and watching tv so that I can finish this, before I lose my nerve to share it.)
So, Here’s the thing I’m trying to learn… I cannot wait for my life, and situation and calling to get figured out. My friends can’t wait around for me to perfect all this before helping them. If I do we all drown.
Instead, When a friend so bravely shares her struggles or concerns. I can and should speak love, peace, and truth to her. In doing so, I’m not saying to her, ” see how I’ve figured this all out? ” But I can say I feel you, I hear you.. ” I can “preach” a little truth to myself in the process!
Christ’s truth for us is in fact true… Even when we forget it. Did you know that? He doesn’t change with the winds (Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is (always) the same, yesterday, today, [yes} and forever (to the ages). )
He doesn’t rely on us for his identity or his power. BUT, He sure does long for us to rely on Him for ours!!!
Mommas in the trenches. Let’s do this hard thing! We aren’t alone in any stretch of the imagination.
YOU are loved, and Amazing, even (and maybe especially) when you don’t feel like it!!!!
~ In the trenches with you, Deanna Grace
Know any Mamas in the trenches? Would you share this with them? Maybe add an encouraging “we can do this” word for her!
Hey even if all you can do is cry together.. it sure it better than crying alone! 🙂
Preparing for overnight babysitters can be a daunting task but, although we don’t get to do so very often, I find that it helps if I’m as prepared and organized as I can be. Maybe some of the things I did this week will help you too!
If you know me even a little, then you know that I love food!
So, when you are reading what I’m about to tell you, and you think to yourself… this chick is a bit to excited about this… You would be right! haha but, you should still read on…
Everyday, at some point in the day, I find myself shaking my head and wondering how I can keep going.
There are three of you after all. And you need so much, seemingly all of the time.
Sometimes I just wish I understood you all just even a little bit.
For example: Why is everything better with a sound effect? Why does noise not bother you and in fact the louder the better seems to be your motto? Are bodily functions really that funny to you?
But, when I’m not frozen by my confusion I am overwhelmingly amazed by you!
All ready you have shown me more strength and courage than I think I’ve been able to muster up my entire life. Your boldness to embrace the unknown adventure which to you is in fact every day life. The curious way you are discovering every little thing around you in this great big world.
The strength you find inside of yourself to notice when you just need a cuddle from me in the midst of your conquering. HINT: I’ll take those cuddles anytime you need! I need them too! Already, inside your small bodies is an enormous heart and a tenacious spirit.
God has created you with a warrior bravery and it’s incredible.
So, I guess at the end of the day, what I’m trying to say is.. Thanks!
Thanks for letting me learn right along side you! Thanks for protecting me from the bad guys and keeping me on my toes.
I promise to keep praying us through this whole journey and even when I’m frustrated and confused I’m loving every bit of you!
Today I wanted to share with you all a fun addition to our day for our homeschooling schedule. If you are like me then this end of winter almost spring time is a hard season to keep our momentum for school work going… so we have been needing to shake things up a bit!
Enter a Youtube channel we quickly fell in love with! SideNote: We are very careful with our use of Youtube with the kids, in fact at this point this new channel is the only one the kids are allowed to watch right now, because it is way to easy to stumble upon unhealthy things on youtube! But, with some wisdom and a lot of parental control Youtube can be a great resource!
Our charter school teacher told us about this channel.
It’s called Art for Kids Hub!
You guys, this family has a lot of fun on this website/channel!!! It’s a Dad who has a blast teaching his kids art! On the website you’ll find drawing, painting, sculpting, origami, cutout projects. And if this is something your little artist really gets into you can buy a membership for lessons that seem even more detailed and learning based then the videos we’ve already watched.
So far William has only followed some of the drawing videos.. “mr hubs” draws an object or character one step at a time and one of his kids follows along. It’s easy to following along too! And they just have so much fun together, I’ve found myself stopping to watch and laugh along with them!
AND so important for this momma… most of the lesson require NO PREP and are self-contained, so you can watch them in any order… or like William has been doing, search for ones that interests your little artist most!
And don’t forget to subscribe to our new friends channel for lots of artistic fun!
Do you feel like your momentum is lacking this time of year? I know I’m having to get pretty creative to keep us going these days… hope this helps you as much as it has us!
Here’s another fun art activity we did with a salad spinner!
Isn’t it the craziest, coolest thing ever? I mean, you get to pick this person (and they pick you!!!) to spend the rest of life with, all the adventures, all the troubles, all the joys.. together!! I’m so thankful for marriage.
I think there comes a time in every marriage (ok, more than once) where you have to look at your life partner and say, ” I chose you! And I made a good choice.” Seems simple right? But sometimes it isn’t, sometimes you have to remember why…. why you were/are attracted to that person, how it felt to first place your future dreams in them. And then continue on confidently in the choice you made.
Sure, maybe there are things you would change. Maybe you misunderstand each other more than you ever imagined you would. Or maybe it feels like you’ve had to set those early dreaming days aside for awhile.
But you know who’s really good at changing things? Here’s a hint: It’s not you or me 😉 Jesus knows. He sees. He hasn’t finished writing your story!
I mean, I’m looking at my love and saying, if I had to be deserted on an island, I’d pick you to be stranded with and I know we could make it all right… some of you may be thinking well of course that’s the obvious answer.
But stop a minute and really think about it… What if everything is gone… community, extended family, church, friends, work.. whatever your outside support system looks like… what if one day none of those things are there or what they use to be.
As life goes on and things change it can some times feel like you really have been dropped onto a deserted Island. Loneliness can cause you to feel like there’s no one on your side.. except wait!! There’s my husband!
In fact it wouldn’t hurt to let your partner know that you are glad you chose them. That you don’t feel “Stuck” in marriage with them but you would choose them all over again today! Maybe sitting and dreaming like you did in the early days would be a nice way to show each other that you are excited to jump into the future whatever it looks like with each other!
In the beginning of everything, we were full of plans and dreams, we would sit at my parents house and just think about it all.. our wedding, where we would live, trips we would take, things we could do together. Just being together!!
Life has a way of getting more and more complicated and busy, and it’s easy to put the dreaming aside while you’re living out some of them!! But, I don’t think we should stop!
As 2018 has quickly began and you are looking ahead to the new year, perhaps take your beloved aside and dream about what’s coming! What do you want 2018 to look like? How can you invest in your marriage? What goals do you have for the two of you, how about for your family as a whole? the house? Will you save for something specific this year? Are there any big birthdays to plan for ? I’m sure there will be lots of adventures… why not just sit for a bit and talk about them?! My husband may roll his eyes a bit ( I see you :)) when I exclaim with excitement, ” Let’s make a list!!!” ( I do love my lists!!) BUT, the other day I found my list from last year about what our goals were heading into 2017.
I had listed something for each of our boys to accomplish as well as goals for us and our home.. etc. It was so much fun to look back and see what we had actually done! And yep, we are making a new one for 2018!!
I guess what I really wanted to say in this post today is.. If you have a partner in this life, and you are thankful to walk through it all with your hand in theirs.. then stop and tell them. And if maybe thankfulness and partnership aren’t the first words you think of about your marriage relationship…. Then stop right now and think about the things that are still true about what and who God has blessed you with! Say a powerful prayer for them and you and dream together again!
well, That’s all for now, Got to go kiss my Man! 🙂
I thought I’d share some of my favorite ways I get my planner, household binder ready for the New Year since 2018 is coming up quick!
Also, I’d love to share how I prepare my heart and our family’s goals for the coming year, so read on if you are already thinking on into January! 🙂
I know EVERYTHING is turning to technology and it really is amazing.
We use a calendar app on our phones that links my husband and I together, which is so helpful when we aren’t at home. But I am still very old school when it comes to how much I LOVE binders and to do lists and such.
I’ve had a master house hold binder for a few years and every year it changes a bit. You really want to personalize it the way you need it to work for you. And those needs change as your family grows and changes.
A couple years ago I had a section dedicated to pre-school and what I wanted to accomplish with the boys. That isn’t really necessary now that we are in a charter school and it is all kept either online or included in our curriculum.
There are lot of beautiful planners out there, ready-made and some customization if you are wanting to just order something. But building my own with printables here at home has really worked for me!
You really need to think about what you want to use your binder for.. what are some of the goals you want it to help you reach… and what areas do you need to stay organized in?
Designerblogs.com is seriously the best of both worlds in that you can get a complete and pretty extensive planner BUT you still print at home for the best customization possible, you only print what you want to use, so you aren’t left with a binder that doesn’t work for you! Isn’t that great? and just look at how beautiful these pages are??!!!
Here’s the description for the ultimate life planner:
“Using the My Life Planner is the best way to declutter your mind, develop rock solid habits, and crush your goals! The planner includes everything you need to stay organized throughout the entire year! Mix and match these planner pages with the pages in The Ultimate Blog Planner and you’ll be nothing but unstoppable this year! “
Look at what all is included in the advanced package of the ultimate Life Planner:
The planner includes 50 meticulously designed pages of organizational goodness! Here’s a look at what you’ll receive:
GOALS & PLANNING
2018 Calendar
Monthly Calendar
Yearly Vision & Goals
Daily Planner
Goal Tracker
TO DO LISTS
Master To Do List
Weekly To Do List
Bucket List
Books to Read
Movies & Shows to Watch
CELEBRATIONS
Birthday
Important Dates
Gift Ideas
Wish List
PREPAREDNESS
Death Checklist
PERSONAL/SPIRITUAL
Favorite Quotes
Gratitude Journal
Prayer Journal
HEALTH, NUTRITION & FITNESS
Workout Calendar
Weekly Meal Planner
Weekly Breakfast Menu
Weekly Lunch Menu
Weekly Dinner Menu
Grocery List
Grocery List (Vegan)
Prescription Tracker
Hospital Stays
Doctor Visits
FINANCE
Bill Payment Tracker
Monthly Budget
Monthly Expenses
Monthly Income
Yearly Finance Tracker
INFORMATION KEEPERS
Password Keeper
Contacts
CLEANING
Deep Cleaning Schedule
Weekly Cleaning Schedule
ADDITIONAL MONDAY START WEEK OPTIONS
Weekly Breakfast Menu
Weekly Lunch Menu
Weekly Dinner Menu
Workout Calendar
Monthly Calendar
Weekly Meal Planner
OTHER PAGES
Cover Page
Blank Planner Page
Notes
Printing Guide
Copyright & Terms
Return Policy
Printing Instructions
This really has everything and more that I’m looking for in a planner.
I would have never thought about tracking things like my workouts in a designated area.. how motivating will it be to see it all filling up!??!
First thing in my binder is always the monthly calendar pages!
I find that even though I have a calendar updated on my phone all the time.. it is nice to just see a whole month in front of me!
There’s also some weekly reminder pages, to do lists.. etc.
Usually every year I will print a couple of something new like a to do list or weekly schedule or something and give it a test run before I print very many of them.
Cleaning schedules are helpful too and you can have an entire section dedicated to it. Things like those chores that need only to be done once a month or twice a year…
This year I’m adding a blog planner section to my binder ( I tried a seperate binder last year but I think it will work better to have it all in one) I am really trying to make 2018 be a great year for Loveandscribbles and I know I need to be more organized and scheduled. I love how the pages on designblogs.com fit right in with the Life Planner!
Then the full package comes with all of these too:
ADVERTISING
Advertising Tracker
Facebook Advertising
STATS & ANALYTICS
Yearly Stats & Analytics
Blank Yearly Stats & Analytics – new!
Monthly Stat Tracker
GOAL SETTING
Monthly Blogging Goals
Yearly Blogging Goals
SOCIAL MEDIA
Social Media Planner
Weekly Facebook Post Planner – new!
Weekly Instagram Post Planner – new!
Pinterest Post Planner – new!
EMAIL CAMPAIGNS
Email Campaign Tracker – new!
Automated Email Planner – new!
Email Campaign Planner – new!
FINANCE
Monthly Finance Tracker
Yearly Finance Tracker
OTHER
Affiliate Programs
Giveaway Tracker
Sale Tracker
Sponsors
Change Record – new!
Printing Guide
Printing Instructions
Copyright & Terms
Binders, printables, and accessories are the simple things that help me feel like I can tackle the New Year! And in complete nerd fashion.. Office supplies are some of my favorite things!
It’s funny how a nice pen or pretty binder can motivate me to stay organzed or at least try!
planner stickers
If you are still with me in this long blog post, thanks for sticking around! I hope some of these ideas and resources can be helpful for you as you head into 2018!
Remember I said there was one more thing that I hoped to share about coming into the New Year.
I love to journal and I really love looking back at what we were doing on any given day a year, two, or even three years ago.
One thing I’ve found to be super fun and motivating is to list our goals of the new year.. Both individually for each of us and as a whole family!
I just found last years and really enjoyed looking at how much of the list we had actually accomplished.
Sometimes indivually goals are pretty practical (coming of age) sort of things. Like a boy needs to be potty trained or we need to say goodbye to pacifiers or something similar. I also like to try to think of fun goals too.. like maybe investing in an interest that we’ve noticed etc.
Ryan and I might set goals regarding our budget or a goal to go on more dates,
For family goals they tend to be mostly practical as well.. items we want to do to our home or adventures/trips we hope to have,
Writing it all down on one sheet of paper, can really be fun to look at throughout the year to remind yourself of the big pictures. And if your kids are old enough you could even set these goals during a family meeting! And don’t worry if 2018 has already started when you are reading this.. It’s not to late to have a great year!
Thanks for sticking with me on this long post.. I hope you have an awesome New Year and that 2018 is full of Hope, Joy, Love, and Peace,
The curious way you are discovering every little thing around you in this great big world.
Already, inside your small bodies is an enormous heart and a tenacious spirit.
then stop and tell them. And if maybe thankfulness and partnership aren’t the first words you think of about your marriage relationship…. Then stop right now and think about the things that are still true about what and who God has blessed you with! Say a powerful prayer for them and you and dream together again!
Photo cred for our beautiful wedding photos goes to 
