Thankful and Determined

Order in the House!

Well, it’s about time for a family update, coming into the new year I find myself thankful and determined. I’m thankful to God for his loving kindness towards us everyday, and I’m also determined to make the most out of the time He’s given me. I’m always trying to find ways to improve my and my family’s life. Occasionally, however, there are seasons where I go a step beyond the thinking, list making, and daydreaming and I apply more action to my thoughts. This is that sort of season. It demands it of me.

After Christmas, I usually start thinking about goals to set for the New Year. This year I started off with the goal of cleaning and decluttering nearly every part of my house. My dislike for clutter has grown significantly in recent years. I began in my basement since we are trying to use every area of our house efficiently. I’m honestly so busy taking care of our home and children that to accomplish anything extra, especially large tasks like this, takes amazing determination and effort on my part and usually some help from my kiddos.

In January, I was determined to clean and organize all of my storage areas. Trust me, if I can do it, you can too! Minimalizing and organizing brings rest to the mind, at least it does mine. There is such a freedom that comes from simplifying your life in this way. Of course, this is a continuous process, especially when you have a large family.

Looking to do some organizing yourself? Here is a simple guide to help you get a start. “How to Declutter Your Home: 6 Room by Room Methods.”

Family Time

While I have been determined to declutter and organize, I’ve also been determined to enjoy some needed family time. We have been working really hard physically lately, and though that can be satisfying in it’s own right, we also want to work smart. Finding ways to better manage our time and overall efficiency in our lives enables us to focus more on things that matter most to us.

So January seemed like a lot of work, and February (though work also) was a lot of fun. Besides all this organizing, thinking, and planning, we’ve also had a couple more birthdays to celebrate. If you’ve been reading my previous posts, this comes as no surprise. Birthdays are plentiful in our family.

I’m so thankful for each life God has brought into our hearts and home.

Our 3rd oldest son recently turned 12! This kid is pretty amazing. He has always kept us on our toes. He’s been a take charge kind of guy since he learned to walk.

This guy is a dreamer, inventor, problem solver, story teller, and much more. He’s also a big help in the kitchen, and with our babies as well!

There’s a real fire in his eyes, and I mean literally, he loves fire and is attracted to all things dangerous just like his dad.

We love this guy!

We also decided to travel south and celebrate our daughter’s birthday with her. This would have been her first birthday away from us, had we not made it. My initial plan was to surprise her, but as the time drew closer to our departure, I found out about changes in her schedule. She had to travel out of state on her birthday! So I rearranged our plans and had to tell her the surprise over the phone that we would be coming just to make sure she would be around, lest we drive hundreds of miles for nothing.

So after many trials at home, including a huge storm that rolled in and
took down trees on and around our property (which we are still cleaning
up), we made the trip south. Though it’s always a little challenging traveling with littles, it turned out to be a great trip.

We stayed on a hundred acre farm not far from where our daughter is going to school. I figured that should be enough room to entertain my boys. I was right, it worked out perfectly. My husband even found a new favorite fishing spot, and we all made a new friend (pictured on the right).

Privacy is always important to me when we go on trips. I have to chuckle at the fact that I share parts of my life on the internet. If you only knew what a stretch that is for me, you would chuckle too. Anyway, we had plenty of privacy here, if you don’t include the livestock that is.

We celebrated our daughter’s birthday the first night we got in with our crew and some of her friends. I always love hosting, it’s even better when someone else cleans the house and has it ready for you! We made lots of food, and I made cake and cupcakes in advance to save time. We may not always be together for future birthdays, but we’ll try! I was thankful to still be able to be with her and make her dinner and her choice of cake. Besides, I love celebrating the day I became a mom, so really it’s about me, right? Just kidding, kind of.

We decided to stay a day longer right before we came, and I’m really glad we did. We had a much needed time of relaxation together. Before heading out I found a place to do a very easy hike and was blessed to find some rocks, sand, and water for the boys. Our 2 year old got wore out, which is what’s needed right before a long travel in a car.

Getting Back to Work

I have to say, it’s never easy getting back to work after any trip, long or short. If you’ve ever traveled with small children or a large group, than you know how much determination it takes just to get out of the house. However, I’m really thankful to God for the time we’ve had together.

Back home, life demands our full attention right now. There have been long overdue changes that need to take place in our lives, some small, some bigger, but all necessary. This is partly because we have changed and grown as a family, and partly because our work in the next season of our lives demands it.

Life has a way of moving along, even if we don’t always want to move with it. However, it’s important to be sensitive to the season of life you’re in. When we yield to it, it has a way to prepare us for what’s to come. We can know the direction of our lives to some degree, but we seldom know all the routes. Keeping a thankful spirit is key to enjoying the ride, and a little determination is often needed to arrive at our next destination.

Proverbs 3:6 “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.”