The transition to winter has been tough for us. During Spring, Summer, and Fall we fell into an easy rhythm of being outside with friends during the majority of waking our hours. We tried to continue our schedule as the temperature dipped into the 20s. Emily doesn’t seem to mind the cold above single digits,…
Motherhood
Jackson Family Theme 2017
I spent the month of December reflecting on the past year and planning for the year ahead. Each member of our family is working on establishing small but significant habits this coming year. Some we are excited about doing, and others we are more excited about the results of future discipline. On Saturday as we…
Today Tried Hard to Be Bad, But It Was Rather Good
By 8:30pm last night I just knew today would be bad. Nathan had already woken up and begun his screaming routine. Usually we get a couple hours of sleep before spending the second half of the night with him in our arms. At 7am I was already angry and done with all the screaming. But today…
A Really Real Day
As Nathan gets older, it is fascinating to watch his influence on Emily. He has introduced her to a whole to realm of things she never considered. Neither of them wanted the snacks I suggested this afternoon. They went off to play while I talked to the insurance company for at least an hour. There…
A Season to Organize
When I was watching the Mom Conference in October I came across a free webinar on the Power of Moms all about organization. The tagline read, “Are you ready to tame your task list and get things done in a stress-free and efficient way WHILE prioritizing motherhood?”. YES YES YES! I dedicated 50 minutes of…
Nature Fridays
In an attempt to slow down and connect with my kids, we’ve instituted Nature Fridays. We’ve been leaving mid-morning and heading to the celery bog nature area for some adventuring and a picnic lunch. The first week we ate lunch, played a few games (red light, green light; duck duck goose), and then went on…
Gymnastics
One afternoon in a moment of exhaustion, I laid out some scrap pieces of wood to make a balance beam for Emily. “Let’s do gymnastics!” I exclaimed with enthusiasm. Emily insisted that we also needed bars to hang on to do gymnastics. She has grown up seeing Aunt Christine in the gym and has a…
True Love Looks Like Sharing Cereal
Emily and Nathan have figured out quite the morning routine. While I make oatmeal and smoothies, Emily grabs a bowl and two kinds of “daddy’s cereal” to create a “cereal mix”. Nathan knows precisely Emily’s food procedure and quickly scrambles to the table and pulls himself up on the chair. He waits patiently for a…
From Minimalism to Lifegiving and A Fall Dinner Celebration
Growing up I always had this conviction that I didn’t want a lot of stuff. We moved a lot and I viewed my things as a burden to pack and unpack, yet each item was filled with sentiment. After my freshman year in college I decided it was time to lighten my load, so I…
Rebranding Nap Time to Rest and Read Hour
Nap time had turned into quiet exploration time for Emily…of my make-up, bathroom supplies, my closet. The first time I discovered the giant make-up mess I just walked away. The second time I took a picture. The third time it took me hours to realize that she had mascara on because she’s now adept at…