Hi, friends! Welcome back to my weekly series about making progress on what matters, little by little—along with a few links I think you might enjoy. In case you missed them, here are week one, week two, week three, week four, and week five!
If you were sitting with me here on my couch, here’s what I’d tell you: This has been a week of heart pruning and choosing slow. I’ve had to call Ari every day at work to have him pray with me about Grace. She’s having a rough time with this transition, being out of her normal routine, and missing her buddy, Rhiannon. And all she sees is me taking care of the babies constantly (we’re without childcare this week and next till Sarah starts—she is wonderful, btw, and I can’t wait for you to meet her!). And I’m having a hard time missing Rhiannon, too. When you spend all day with someone, five days a week—more time than you spend with your husband—you feel an emptiness when the person is gone. Thankfully, she’s coming back to see us after her trip to Greece in a couple weeks before she officially moves!
And getting anything done with two babies has been near-impossible. Writing this post is happening only because my wonderful mother-in-law is here watching the babies and Grace is doing a sticker book : ) Working moms of the world and moms in general… hugs. Big hugs. This job is the hardest.
So, this week, I’m learning to choose slow. And “slow” isn’t bad. Slow is margin. Slow is intentional. Slow is stillness in the storm. Slow means trusting God more than my own imperfect efforts. Slow is simplified. Good things grow slow—little by little, over time.
I turned in my draft of Cultivate last Friday. I am happy with the first few chapters and can’t wait to dig back in when I have someone here to watch the babies! : )
How do you stay motivated? I shared more in this week’s Facebook Live.
Last week, I talked about how it had been a refining week for business decisions, and we decided to surrender to slow. And I’m so grateful for that decision. God’s plan does not look like the rest of the world’s success.
Last Sunday, we enjoyed our Team BBQ.
Thanks to some sweet friends who offered to keep the babies, Ari and I were able to have a date with Grace last weekend, too.
We took her to Fearrington Village to get ice cream for lunch and visit the cows, chickens, and goats. It’s a pretty magical place!
Then, I hosted Grace and her sweet friend Carter for dinosaur cookie decorating…
We used this recipe from Ambitious Kitchen since I still can’t eat eggs, soy, or dairy with Josh’s protein sensitivities—and this mama really wanted a cookie!
We’ve been doing some suburban foraging for breakfast all week long, and it has been so fun! There’s this great fig tree that is loaded with sweet fruit. Josh and Grace eat about 12 on our morning walks. And Ari’s mom is here visiting us this week and has loved them too.
We also visited our friend John’s garden yesterday morning and the little redheads loved munching on his Sweet 100’s! (Hi John!)
My friend Jane has a pretty remarkable story. One big glorious announcement.
What to do when you don’t know where to start.
I love this from my friend Hannah. Stories like this light my heart up!
This journal for kids is a favorite in our house.
Prayers for your husband and marriage from my friend Natalie.
My friend Em is about to launch a great resource for small business owners called Playbook. More here.
My mom writes a cooking column for the local paper, and this recipe for Basil Pistachio cookies is one of my favorites!
Sunday is the very last day to grab the PowerSheets and Gold-Foil Make It Happen Binder bundle for only $30 (Be sure to choose the Bundle with Make It Happen Binder // Gold Foil for the sale price to show up!) I asked on Instagram if any of you would be interested in a Facebook Live class on how to dig into your PowerSheets for the remainder of the year, and you responded with a resounding yes. We’re working through details of that, and we’ll announce it soon. In the meantime, go ahead and order your PowerSheets so you’ll be ready to dive in with us.
My friend Jess wrote a great guide for fall. Get it here! My three words for fall: Word, Clear, and Nurture.
And in case you need a laugh like I did this week, Ari and I were in bed reading the Bible the other night and this is what the Tree of Life translation says in Genesis about when Rebekah saw her future husband for the first time: “Rebekah also lifted up her eyes and saw Isaac. Then she fell off her camel.” (Genesis 24:64 TLV) It makes me giggle every time!
This weekend we’re hosting friends for dinner on Saturday night (which means 4pm in our land with two babies’ bedtimes), and we’re having a pool date with friends on Sunday afternoon. And I’m craving time with Ari. It’s been a crazy week for us trying to keep up with everyone in the house… and laundry. With three kids, laundry is an event. We need some time together to talk about God and just be. What are you looking forward to this weekend? Next week, Ari is off work and we’re having a “staycation.” My prayer is that we use the week together to soak in the Word, and I’m hoping Ari will join me on my Facebook Live on Wednesday!
P.S. Happy birthday weekend to Nicole! (July 31st was also Joshua’s due date last year, but he decided to wait an extra 13 days to make his appearance.) I am SO grateful for you, N!!!
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4 Comments
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on July 29, 2016 at 4:09 pm
Oh, yes, my kids are making me choose slow this summer, too…and even though I have a hard time with slow, I am enjoying making myself just BE, and be WITH them, instead of running around crazy, knocking off the endless to-do list. And that verse! She fell off her camel! How have I never read that version before?! LOVE.
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on August 1, 2016 at 1:02 pm
Isn’t that verse fantastic? Love you sister!
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on July 29, 2016 at 5:49 pm
Through Christ all things are POSSIBLE, nothing is impossible and He gave us children to be present with them, to raise them, it’s an honor. Through His grace, we can get things done and be momma too. I have 4 and run a business, with no nanny, no daycare, and run a full-time business. I know many business moms who balance both work and babies. It is possible and you can find joy in the moments of craziness. I understand that your normal routine is having some else full time with your children, but maybe God wants you to be with them right now. Maybe, slowing down for a season is what they and you need. We all wake up one day and realize our babies, aren’t babies anymore, and those moments have passed us by. Cherish the slow, the present, while they are little. You can’t get it back and honestly, ministry starts at home first, we are called to put our family first, before we minister to others. Everyone else can wait, but our children, well they don’t stop growing to wait on us. I am speaking as a minister’s daughter, I would give anything to have had my parents present when I was little, but they were too busy off ministering to others, I was always with a sitter.
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on July 30, 2016 at 1:16 pm
Thank you for this encouragement! Such great reminders. Yes even with a nanny here I am with my kids 80% of my work days. I’m grateful for that and know it’s unique. The challenge is having two babies this close in age who are so developmentally different. Different nap schedules, needs, feeding schedules that at this point aren’t able to sync because of their ages. : ) So, for one person (at least for me and I am a pretty efficient person) it’s a lot. I’m also nursing Josh full time and pumping for Sarah too. I’m so grateful for our nanny and that she lets me be more present with the kids. I think there’s a false perception that having a nanny means you aren’t with your kids during the day at all. This is definitely true for some but not with us. I hope that makes sense! I’m sure I could learn a lot from you with all you are able to accomplish! Thank you again for these great reminders.
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