Easter tradition

Easter has always been a toned down holiday when I grew up. We didn't do big meals, but we did have chocolate, egg hunts, and often times new clothes.  We would wake up early, hunt eggs around our house (that we had spent the weekend dying), and then go to church in our new clothes and have a good family day!

Every year I get all the boys matching suits and shirts and we dress up fancy for Easter.  This year, however, I was excited to add the fun if matching me and my daughter for her first Easter and coordinating the boys!  We didn't go as formal as the past with the boys, but with the help of my mother in-law, we found great family outfits!

We also got to enjoy traditional dying if eggs with my mother and have a candy hunt at church!

The boys also like that after church we always watch the Resurrection movie (from Nest entertainment for children) and it helps them hear that story of Christ in a way they fully understand.


We are So thankful for a good church that preaches the Gospel, has good fun for the children, and encourages our family so much!  It brings even more special-ness to these holidays when you have church family to spend it with.

As the boys get older it's fun to see how we have created our own traditions and fun for them to remember and experience every year!

After the Easter, we had our random fun adventure by going to the zoo for bat day (so if course super hero costumes happened) and we even saw some Easter eggs in their aquarium!

The days happen fast, but the memories last forever.  It doesn't have to be expensive or over the top, but find something memorable to experience or plan with your family and make each holiday special.

Rainy Day Adventures!!

Point of the day: Remember to take a step back from the busy-ness of life!

Yes, I really like to do "adventures" every day!  Yesterday was filled with play-dough, museums, outside fort building and so much fun!!  All that epic fun from yesterday gave us the perfect plan for today: Pajamas and Movies! (with a strong possibility of board games later)

I rarely do Pajama Days or Movie days!  When I don't get up, dressed, chores done, school done, etc, then I feel depressed and unmotivated.  This becomes so much worse during the rainy days.  This week I looked ahead at the weather, so yesterday we went out had a ton of fun, so that today was a planned "Pajama and Movie day."

What I love about these rare but relaxing days is that it becomes special.  The kids were excited to watch a movie this morning, have a late breakfast, and just spend a dreary day snuggled up and having fun.  We worked hard yesterday cleaning and planning, so today is just a fun family day.

These days make for fun memories, special times, and good quality family time!  I am all about being productive and feeling good, but I also want to slow down when we can and enjoy those "nothing" days.

Also doing these days gives us a quiet home, happy memories, and I got the chance to clean up as I need to without being a whirlwind!

So to all my friends and family I saw enjoy the rain, snuggle up when you can, and embrace these small happy moments with your family!  Slow down, enjoy the moment, and don't let the rain get you down and dreary!!

Our Getaway and our Takeaway!

Every year our church host a Marriage Retreat!  The last three years we have lived here we have gone, and it has done wonders for us as a couple.  The first year our marriage (and our personal lives) desperately needed the preaching.  The second year, it was very reaffirming for us to look and see how far we had come that year.  This year was our third year and it was once again, wonderful!

Now, for some the retreat may be about sight seeing, amazing dinners, good fellowship, and yes, those are all valid reasons for needing a getaway; but, for us, it is a way for us to get time "unplugged' from our normal life to reevaluate and see what we need to work on as a couple.  This year, due to health needs, we almost did not attend, but I am so thankful that we were able to come and came out refreshed.

These are the main reasons we do and love the marriage retreats every year!

1) ALONE time unplugged from normal life.

With four small children, it can be so easy to get wrapped up in the every day worries and issues of life.  We talk more about what we did with the children that day than we do about what we do as a couple.  Our focus at home, more often than not, is things we want and plan for our family and children.  Although that is not a bad thing, every couple needs time to focus on them.

This year we were able to spend our afternoons alone learning and discussing and catching up on OUR relationship and what WE needed and like and improved in our marriage.

2) Reevaluate goals and life.

Our first marriage retreat, we felt our marriage was falling apart and major life stress.  By the second retreat, we looked back on the previous year on what had changed, how we improved, and what we wanted to continue.

This was our third retreat.  This year we had big discussions on our new phase of child rearing (those "school age" years, versus the "toddler" years) and what we wanted to implement as parents.  It also gave us a good check point on what were we slacking on, and what areas we wanted to improve in our relationship!

3) Getaway!

This part is fun for me because I love to see new places, and try new restaurants, and visit new things!  Even though the preaching and learning is amazing, and the sitting back and resting is great, we also love that we get a chance to sight see!

Last year we spent a fun weekend in San Antonio and saw so much as a couple with amazing memories.  This year we have good memories of watching sun set over the lake, good food on the river, and the scenery of hills, tress, and a quieter place in Texas.  We also now have good plans to come back as a family another time.

4) Takeaway!

Now, you don't ever "know it all" so there is always a take away from each retreat.  First year it was SO much concerning how we treated and expected things from each other.  Last year we felt finances were a struggle, and we worked hard on it.  This year we got a lot out of the child classes for starters.  As a parent of young children your days can get caught up in the "am I really doing this right?" "am I messing up these kids for the future?"  It was good for us to talk and listen to older couples who have already been through this and reassure us (and give us good pointers) that we are doing well and how we can improve.

BE EXCEPTIONAL!!  I cannot stress this enough!!  It is not "hard" to be married when you are a good Christian.  When we have an exceptional relationship with Christ, it makes our relationship with our spouse Exceptional too!!  When we have an exceptional relationship with our spouses, it makes our relationship with our children EXCEPTIONAL!  We only have ONE chance at being married to our spouse.  We only have ONE chance to raise our children right.  We only have ONE life to live for God!!  Focus on how to improve spiritually, emotionally, and physically, and you will end up with an exceptional life!

When I focused hard on what God wanted, and how much God loved me, it was so much easier to believe and accept that same love from my husband.  When I felt secure with my marriage, it made me feel more confident as a mother.  When I felt confident as a mother, it made me open up more and be happier with my friends.  Every relationship rolls into the next.  Start at the top with God, and focus on them as they roll down to spouse, children, friends, etc.

Definitely and strongly recommend always going to these retreats.  Even when we "know everything" who doesn't love a quiet and relaxing weekend to just unplug, rest, and recharge!

How I get my mornings on track!

As someone with chronic health issues, and often sleep issues, getting up and going in the morning is a struggle.  I can do it for some days, but consistently getting up and being productive is hard!!  The days I'm able to get up and moving and everything done always starts off our days on a good, productive note.  Over the last few months, I've had a few things I do every morning to "kick off" our mornings the right way. Some days I struggle, but overall doing these steps has boosted my morning routine!

Most days, I can get this list done by 9 A.M., and then the rest of my day feels like it's on a good start!  Other days, this list takes me until lunch, but it gives a set organization to our day.  I am also not a mom that does well before 7 A.M., so this is my "between 7 and 9" get done list :)  Every family works differently, and every person works differently, so this is how we get things done!

1) Get in the Bible.

Some days I do this around breakfast, but often times I get the kids fed so I can do my five minutes of Bible journaling in the morning.  I save my intense devotions for nap times or evenings, where my focus is ideal.  At least getting my five minutes in every morning gets a big boost to my mornings!

2) Zeal up!

For me I do not focus well without a health boost.  Zeal gives me focus and energy.  My body does not handle coffee well, so instead I found a good healthy "energy" boost that works for me!  It helps my eyes quit burning on those sleep deprived nights, and it lets me get a good healthy boost when my stomach doesn't handle food first thing.

3) Do one load of dishes.  

Oftentimes, just emptying and rerunning my dishwasher makes the entire kitchen feel better.  Just 10 minutes cleaning the kitchen gets most of the declutter and mess gone so I can focus.

4) Spend 30 minutes cleaning.

The children have their chores, while I work on mine.  This keeps us working as a family to get something cleaned up and worked on before we start our school, shopping, or whatever else we have that day.

5) Make a Daily Goal!

The days I wake up going "we have nothing to do today" inevitably end up with us watching T.V., feeling bored, and ends up very angtsy and grumpy.

Most days my list may be as easy as: Clean kitchen, do three loads of laundry, play at the park.
Other days, my list may be more detailed like: Finish lesson 86 of homeschooling, do the Dr appt, do our monthly grocery run, reorganize the cupboards in the bathroom, etc.

Even on our "do nothing" days, I try to make a list!  Even if my list is just do the dishes, and play a board game, making a list adds focus and goals to our day so as a family we know what we need to accomplish.  Does everything get done every day??  Nope.  Do plans change??  Absolutely!!  The point of this is that we don't spend half the day bored and lazy!  The days I need a lazy day we add it to our list :)  Yes, we have had days of: Watch a movie, stay in PJ's, and make homemade cookies!

6) Know your meals!

I usually add this to our Daily Goal list, but it has been a life saver!  I truly hate meal planning, but sitting down every two weeks and having my lunch meals planned takes the stress of "oh no, it's lunch what do we do now??"  And doing my freezer meals keeps dinners more streamlined!

However it works for your family, at least have a plan of what is going on with your meals.  This keeps the stress down, and the days runs smoother with a good meal plan!

7) Get showered and dressed!

Okay, I know this may seem obvious to some of you, BUT if you have a home with four small children, and babies, and pets... some days this is a challenge!!  We have our pajama days on occasion, but we all operate better when the kids are all up and dressed, and mommy has had a shower and I'm ready to take on the day!

There are days I get this done right at 7 am, but between the baby, the kids, and the morning, this sometimes is getting done right at 9 am.  It sounds weird to some, I know, but getting this done first thing definitely helps!!  Also giving the kids a task (so I don't worry they are destroying my house while I shower) makes a big difference too.

Balance.

Overall my mornings go best when I have taken care of myself spiritually, emotionally, and physically!  This list helps keep the main things the main things.

We still have our bad days, our sick days, and our "why did we get nothing done days??", but overall those days are far less and our home is much happier when we get at least these 7 things done in the morning.

How are some ways that YOU get everything done in your home??  What helps make your mornings become more streamlined?