Loving The Boys, Choosing Some Life, and Book Review

I've been intentionally living. Lately and I call it Choosing Life. Its been about 3 weeks I think since I've really taken a step back and really looked at how my days were going. I was in a rut and I couldn't seem to shake it. I searched and really prayed about how to live.How to live the life God had intended for me to live in the first place. I'm pretty sure He didn't want me "stuck" at home with 3 boys,  "just"home schooling, "dealing" with autism, "getting through" the cleaning and cooking, and then feeling so run down and on the edge of a break down every evening...and then to get up and do it again in the morning.

So after praying, I felt led to take it slow. Make a plan, and go with it. God spoke to me about not being so hard on myself about NEVER getting anything right. It's okay if I don't get the dishes done tonight after dinner if I would like to spend extra time with my hubby and don't mind doing them in the morning. It's also ok to buy a few frozen pizzas to have in the fridge for those soccer days when we're to busy lazy to cook if it helps us to not go grab a bite to eat and spend $25.


I have finished reading The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Shaeffer (from my reading list). I have to tell you, it was not what I expected and I appreciate that so much more than I ever thought I would. It gave me so much to think about and actually gave me a whole new way of looking at being home.

I have never really thought that we such a creative God who made us in His own image, and THAT gives us the freedom to be creative just like our Maker, no matter where we are.

Her simple, yet remarkable approach to creative living opened up a whole new door for me. From setting the table with the beauty God gives from our own flower garden (EVEN if my husband is away for and it's just the boys and me) to treasure hunts to find a watermelon in the yard to eat, a new bedtime book, or a new bottle of bubble bath before bath time.

She also gives wonderful inspiration on creating and finding beauty in your home, outside, gardening, clothing, and even writing your "to do" list. 

As I read the book I was thinking how so much thought goes in to this woman's day. The time she spends with God, the time she spends with children, with others, and alone. Pretty much intentional. She sees God's beauty and makes it glorified through the way she lives, serves, and loves.

I highly recommend that book!

So taking that book and choosing to live, I have intentionally done things to make our days beautiful. While our 5 yr old was taking a bath one evening, I told him when he gets out we'll all have a bed time snack in bed. A different night I suprised them with dinner served on colorful  handmade placemats my in-laws brought from the islands, along with island music playing in the background. We have also purchased a little bowling set and let them find it and had a mini bowling tournament. We had muffin tin lunches out on the trampoline, shaving cream painting in the bath tub, camping in tents in the living room,  and ice cream treats after soccer practice.

We've been taking our days slowly, with no real agenda in mind, just to live and enjoy God's creation around us. So, when our 5 yr old took his 45 min bath and got to play with shaving cream by running his cars through it pretending it was snow, finally getting out  as wrinkeled as a raisin. That was okay. We had nothing else really to do those 45 min, and he got a break away from his brothers and got to play until his little heart was content.  Now that's LIVING!