Archive for Holidays
Spotlight Saturday: The Vintage Pearl
Posted by: | CommentsFor those of you looking for a last minute Mother’s Day gift (you would have to create some sort of IOU coupon or go with a gift certificate), check out the Vintage Pearl website. They create beautiful personalized jewelry that can suit many different styles. I recently ordered a piece for a friend’s upcoming birthday and also one for myself that you can see pictures below. Their service was fast and high quality! I picked out the Circle of Love necklace, but there are lots of really cute options!
Earth Day 2010
Posted by: | CommentsI thought March flew by, and it seems April is doing just the same. I can’t believe that tomorrow is already Earth Day. I kept thinking I had another week until it came around!
To be honest, last year was really the first time I seriously thought about Earth Day and the way my life was impacting our planet. In the past, I had randomly thought about ways I could improve my stewardship of the Earth, but last year was the first time I actually set some goals on Earth Day. Next year I hope to include environmental stewardship as a category in my New Years Goals, which I review at the beginning of every month, in order to keep them more fresh in my mind.
So how did I do with some of the goals that I set last year?
1. I definitely switched to using more natural cleaning products. Although I am not fully converted, I used a lot more baking soda and white vinegar (even when my kids complained about the smell!) I made some small changes using a reusable microfiber cloth on my Swiffer sticker, in lieu of buying the disposable wet cloths. I also cut way back on my paper towel usage. When we got to Italy in September, Joe had purchased a big pack of rolls, and I never purchased any more in the time we were there. Once again, not a huge change, but a good small step for me.
2. I did a bit better at using my cloth shopping bags. I really love the Baggu bags and really just need to purchase some more to have on hand.
3. On the other hand, I don’t know how clear our sockets have stayed. I wanted to keep less things plugged in, but that habit has not kicked in too well yet.
One change I had not planned on making, but did during the year was the switch to cutting back on the personal products I use and the amount of chemicals in each product. This really kicked in when I found out I was pregnant with our 4th child and was really convicted about how I had always been careful about what I ate, drank and breathed while pregnant, but not so much about what went on my skin. I am still a product junkie and am in search of my perfect product combination, but I am using much less now and have definitely noticed a beneficial difference.
I also made the switch to using reusable dryer sheets, whcih I really love. I purchased the Static Eliminator Re-Usable Dryer Sheets and they will be coming with me overseas from now on as well! I always missed having dryer sheets due to the static our clothes would retain, and now I can save space by just packing reusable ones.
One other way we are celebrating Earth Day this year is by taking a pledge to go fast food free for 2 weeks. Honestly, this isn’t a huge step for us as we don’t eat out very often, but the pledge was started by a student in the Connections Academy system of schools that Abby attends. So it was a neat way to see what other kids are doing for Earth Day and for her and I to talk about the impact even our eating has on the Earth. Check it out and join the pledge!
And if you are interested, my friend Maria is once again running a contest for Earth Day on her blog. Go check her out and enter!
Unexpected Week Break
Posted by: | CommentsI wasn’t planning on taking a week break from blogging, but it looks like I have! We got to spend 5 weeks of time at home over the holidays this year and the time is about to come to a close. The last week we have been trying to squeeze in as much time with others as we can, while still getting Abby’s school done and getting packed up.
You never know what to expect on trips home with the kids, especially around the holiday times. It is really exciting for them, and with good reason. But I have to say I was really pleasantly surprised with their behavior over our trip and the holiday season. Even with seeing so many people, having a fuss made about them, receiving more gifts than necessary, and being out of our normal rhythm, God granted some grace in their hearts. Here are a few things that helped me along the way.
1. Preparation. I know I have said it a thousand times, but I feel like so often my kids’ failures are due to my lack of preparation for them. They often don’t know what is coming and a little preview can be a big help. And not only to tell them what we are going to be doing, but what I expect of them as well. When the expectations are kept clear, it is much easier to deal with discipline.
2. Stick with family time. Although I did not as well as I would have liked at this, one thing we did do semi-consistently while at home was to still continue doing our family worship time. This is definitely an area where Joe is the leader, so it was tougher for me, but it was huge to remind ourselves each day what the reason for our day was (consequently, keeping a private time with the Lord myself was huge too!).
3. Roll with the punches. It was a holiday break and so there were bound to be extra activities, later bed times and less of a routine. If you go in knowing that and are flexible with some things, it makes things a lot easier!
4. Take time to rest. One habit from Italy that I didn’t leave behind was the afternoon siesta. Even though I am was in the second trimester during our break (weeks 18-23), I still needed a mid-day refresher on a lot of days. Slowing down occasionally was big for me. And nap times were not missed too often for the kids either.
5. Say “no” when needed. At some point, you have to say “no” to good activities. You can’t do every single thing while home or you will end up exhausted, and so will the kids. I can tell when the kids are getting to the end of their “activity threshold”. To be able to discern that and to then take some time at home to re-group kept the weeks at home enjoyable.
Hope everyone is off to a great start tot he new year and hopefully I will get back to some regular blogging once we are settled back in Brindisi!
