I’m in Nunnelly, TN this weekend at a retreat with another women from our church. We’re going by a 9-month intensive discipleship program collectively. That is my fifth time by this program and every year I’m going by it, it continues to deeply impression my life!

Right here’s a peek into the final week at our home…

Kierstyn was engaged on her homework this morning and the boys came visiting to watch. Watching David intently take note of every part she was doing and the way affected person she was in telling her brothers about what she was engaged on was simply so lovely!

David brings such a relaxed to our house and to Micah and Kierstyn’s life. I nervous after we mentioned sure the way it may impression their lives. And it has undoubtedly impacted them — however in the perfect of how I couldn’t have dreamed or imagined.

Micah is SOO excited as a result of he’s now taller than David and, in response to him, he’s now formally “David’s Large Brother.” He was so pumped up about this as a result of it means he can shield David. He got here up with this all on his personal.

Earlier this week, they went to drop-in daycare whereas Jesse and I had a gathering. The entire time main as much as dropoff, he saved saying issues like, “I’ll shield David. If anybody tries to harm him, I’ll inform them no and cease them.”

He additionally informed me this week that he has to eat plenty of meals so he can develop large and robust to be David’s protector.

I feel again to once I discovered I used to be pregnant with him and the way overwhelmed I felt at having a brand-new child whereas additionally caring for a tiny boy who had such vital wants. However God knew higher.

God knew precisely what I wanted within the present of Micah (he’s such a valuable mama’s boy who’s all the time taking good care of me) and that David would even be getting a fierce advocate and protector in Micah.

After faculty on Wednesday Kierstyn and I went to Goodwill! We discovered a bunch of nice stuff for under $28 – click on right here to see the complete procuring journey! Pictured right here is her Twinkle Toes sneakers that she has been wanting and she or he LOVES them!

We went to Sam’s Membership collectively for enjoyable this morning as a part of our Friday morning Sabbath time collectively. (Does that make us bizarre that we love grocery procuring collectively and 100% qualify it as a date??)

Found their Chobani yogurts that David loves (and are one of many few issues he loves being fed) are round $0.25 cheaper per cup!!

Should you’ve been contemplating a Sam’s Membership membership, you may get a one-year membership proper now for simply $25!

That is one thing I did for years within the identify of productiveness. Listening to a podcast whereas driving. Turning on an audiobook whereas I fold laundry. Scrolling on Instagram whereas I eat lunch. All the time consuming, by no means simply… being.

After which questioning why I felt drained and scattered.

This 12 months, I’m practising the misplaced artwork of stillness. Of driving with out listening to something. Of sitting and consuming lunch with out scrolling on my telephone. Of ready in quietness with no need to fill the area with doing one thing.

It’s uncomfortable at first. However I’m realizing how a lot I really discover my environment extra and breathe extra deeply once I don’t attempt to fill each second with noise and consuming and doing.

There’s nothing unsuitable with consuming — it will possibly carry plenty of inspiration, enjoyable, conviction, and encouragement to our lives. However after we are utilizing it to keep away from stillness or after we can’t simply sit in quiet, that’s possible a sign we could must problem ourselves to apply extra stillness and being current proper the place we’re.

In any case, it’s not simply our our bodies that want common relaxation; our brains do, too. I share extra about it on this Instagram submit right here.

My #1 parenting tip as a 44-year-old mother of 6: cease attempting to repair your youngsters and begin loving them and strolling with them proper the place they’re.

I get it. We wish to elevate youngsters of character who love Jesus and exit on the earth and make a distinction. However the largest method to construct a wedge in your relationship is to mission all of your expectations on them and always level out what they’re doing unsuitable.

There’s a time and place for correction, however let or not it’s constructed on a strong basis of connection.

Give it some thought, if somebody in your life is simply always nit-picking every part you do and telling you the place you had been falling brief, would you wish to cling round that individual and spend time with them? Most likely not. Actually, there’s an excellent probability you may exit of your method to keep away from them — lest you be reminded, but once more, of every part you might be doing unsuitable and the way you don’t measure as much as their requirements and are disappointing them.

Every single day — by our phrases and expressions and angle — we have now a possibility to construct slightly bit extra of a bridge or burn slightly bit extra of a bridge. It’s our selection.

Let’s select to ask the Holy Spirit to flood us with love and kindness for our children.

Let’s catch them doing issues proper and name it out.

Let’s reward 10 occasions greater than we right.

Let’s speak effectively of them to others.

Let’s get pleasure from our children and have enjoyable with them.

Let’s lean in and love.

Let’s ask curious questions as a substitute of leaping to conclusions or criticism.

Let’s lay down our pleasure over our repute and our worry over the longer term, and let’s simply concentrate on lavishly loving these presents that God has entrusted to us — as He has so cherished us! 💕

If you would like extra concepts and sensible encouragement to construct a stronger relationship together with your youngsters and love motherhood extra, I’ve a free 10-day course I’d like to ship you! It shares my very own journey to studying to let go and fall in love with motherhood in a complete new approach! Join right here!

I made one among our favourite dinners this week — Rooster Broccoli Rice Casserole. It’s really easy to make and I doubled it so we may have it for 2 dinners (plus, we used the leftovers for lunches someday!)

Q&A’s From This Week

I posted a query field on Instagram tales a couple of days in the past and obtained plenty of questions. I wished to share a couple of of my responses right here…

Query: Do you do well being sharing or medical health insurance? Which firm, we’re dealing with job loss

Reply: Now we have personal insurance coverage that we pay out of pocket for. We’ve chosen this for a wide range of causes (one among which is that almost all don’t cowl these with disabilities and I really feel like it’s hypocritical to be all about being prolife in identify, however not in precise enterprise apply), however it’s undoubtedly extra $$. I do know a number of buddies who’ve well being sharing plans and love them. We select a excessive deductible plan with full protection after you hit the deductible and put aside the deductible quantity in a separate financial savings class. We get our quotes by Zander.

Query: Who’s dealing with the enterprise facet of issues? You appear so much less confused.

Reply: Oh! I really like this query! The most important factor is that I’m not launching something or beginning something or constructing something new this 12 months (aside from my guide launch within the fall). I often launch/begin/construct a number of issues in a 12 months so it feels actually calm and quiet and bizarre. I’m additionally saying no to nearly all ongoing alternatives and enterprise commitments outdoors of the fundamental issues required to run the enterprise. This has additionally made an enormous distinction.

As well as, final 12 months we introduced on 8 new group members and so we have now a extremely implausible group and nice techniques and nobody is stretched too skinny or having to juggle an excessive amount of without delay. We additionally labored exhausting to arrange good techniques because of having some smart enterprise mentors who helped communicate into this and my unimaginable enterprise coach Alli Worthington! And better of all, I employed an unimaginable govt assistant by Belay and she or he has taken SO a lot off of my plate so I can concentrate on the issues solely I can do and people issues I really like doing! Thanks, Jessica!

Query: How are you current with one child/ Jesse at a time? I all the time really feel like one other child wants one thing from me.

Reply: My purpose – irrespective of the place I’m – is to be the place my ft are planted. So I attempt to concentrate on precisely proper the place I’m and be absolutely current there as a substitute of pondering of all the opposite locations I could possibly be or “ought to” be. I give every day to God and ask Him to assist me be current and out there the place He has positioned me. After which I attempt to profit from the alternatives and moments I gave with Jesse and every of our children. I’ve discovered that even 5 or quarter-hour may be tremendous significant once you give your full consideration to the dialog or to being absolutely current.

Response from Follower: Simply wished to say thanks for sharing Nourish. I began utilizing it yesterday!

Reply: This makes me SO thrilled for you!!! Hiring a dietitian by Nourish has really modified my life – and I nonetheless can’t consider it’s coated by insurance coverage!

It’s like half remedy, half accountability to prioritize my well being and vitamin in a extremely liberating method, and half cheerleading to assist me keep in mind to deal with myself as a complete individual! (See in case your insurance coverage covers it right here!)

In Case You Missed It — Posts From This Week

My Do-it-yourself Vanilla Extract Experiment — I by no means realized how ridiculously EASY it’s to make selfmade vanilla extract; an official recipe isn’t even actually wanted! I adopted some very primary instructions, and I’m so enthusiastic about how they turned out! The consequence was scrumptious and frugal — however much-loved — Christmas presents!

Baked Rooster Chimichangas and Cilantro Rice — Should you love Mexican meals, however don’t love the worth of consuming out, this week’s $10 Household Dinner submit is for you! You’ll be able to have this whole meal on the desk in round half-hour (in case your hen is already cooked — it is a wonderful means to make use of up leftover hen!) –– and your complete household will love these baked hen chimichangas!

From Instagram — a narrative about my follow-up name from the nurse after my colonoscopy. I hope it encourages you. On a unique be aware, when you want amusing as we speak, watch this.

Brigette’s $55 Grocery Purchasing Journey & Weekly Menu Plan for 4 – Take a look at what my sister is feeding her household this week!

This Week’s Podcast Episode

Simply as a forewarning, this week’s episode could be slightly bit TMI — it’s all about my current colonoscopy! Whereas I don’t get into the particularly gritty particulars, I speak brazenly with Jesse about my expertise as a result of I actually wished to share the complete story. I saved listening to from individuals who had been frightened of the process or prevented it due to what they’d heard in regards to the prep, and I used to be nervous too, particularly after studying all of the horror tales on-line, however I discovered that preparation and good steering made a much bigger distinction than I had anticipated!

Hear in as I stroll you thru why I had the procedures within the first place, together with my lengthy historical past with continual anemia and the way my docs wished to search for potential root causes slightly than simply deal with signs. A giant a part of the episode is the prep expertise as a result of truthfully, that’s what individuals are inclined to dread essentially the most. Nevertheless, I discuss beginning a low-residue food regimen days early, sticking to very bland meals, and what it really felt like to maneuver into the clear-liquids part. I share how starvation, mind fog, and low vitality confirmed up for me and the way surprisingly manageable the laxative course of was in comparison with what I feared. I additionally point out small sensible issues that helped reminiscent of selecting sure drinks and realizing that some flavors rapidly grew to become unappealing as soon as prep began.

I then stroll you thru the process day itself – checking in, getting an IV, anesthesia, and what it felt like waking up after sedation. The sedation was so sturdy and peaceable that I can perceive why individuals describe it as a extremely good nap. Actually, I type of didn’t wish to get up! I additionally mirror on how disorienting that it felt attempting to speak afterward when my mind wasn’t placing phrases collectively accurately.

We additionally contact on restoration, what my outcomes regarded like to this point, and why I really consider that these screenings are price it, so when you’ve got been afraid of getting a colonoscopy, I actually hope that this episode with Jesse makes it really feel much more approachable!

Take heed to the episode right here.