I hear that question from at least one of my kiddos on the drive home from school. Sometimes my answer is met with an excited YES, while other days the response is a moan, groan or sigh. Even when it was just the two of us, Aaron and myself, I still tried to meal plan as much as possible. One, because I loath grocery shopping and only wanted to go as minimally as possible. Back then I could stretch it out to once every two weeks. And two, I was always so hungry when I got off of work and needed to have a game plan. Needless to say grocery shopping happens weekly now with sometimes an extra milk or produce run, ... view the post
Surviving Winter
These winter months are difficult no doubt, long, dark and cold. By the time February rolls around everyone in my house is ready for Spring, but here in the Midwest we still have almost two months of winter left. Caden has been asking almost daily how many more sleeps until Spring and Summer. Being a stay at home mom can make winter even more isolating. Feeling like we are locked in, living in a cave and cabin fever times ten. After the "bug" hitting our house in January everyone at home, quarantining and at home learning left the reality hit even a little harder. So here we are into February and I am trying ... view the post
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Wishing you all a joyous Christmas season and a blessed New Year from our family!! Sneaking this in on the Twelfth Day of Christmas! Still celebrating in our house, even if it means we are the only ones left on our block with our Christmas lights still on. The Christmas octave was a bit of a whirlwind and I feel like we just need a recovery day of sleep, which is currently happening this week as everyone is taking turns being sick. Nonetheless, it was all so incredibly joyful and beautiful! We traveled out of state to visit my family, celebrated my birthday and Kolbe and Ethan's adoption day, attended a nephew's ... view the post
A Half Dozen
Well, there it is. The big news! Baby number six is coming in May! Six kids in seven years! Never did I imagine this is how the story would write after eight years of infertility and loss. I guess we are living proof that nothing is impossible with God, absolutely nothing. His plan is perfect, His providence is generous and His grace is always enough. We are all very excited and as soon as we told our kids the next day the entire school knew. They were bursting at the seams to share the gift of new life. So much, that Baby has its own placement, an ultrasound picture on the 5th grade bulletin board right next to ... view the post
Letting Go of Their Hand
As we are about to embark on a new school year, I am sitting here wishing summer would stay around just a little longer. With a blink, these golden months are gone and now three of my children will be starting school and a piece of my heart will be leaving with them. To be honest, at the beginning of summer I was nervous about how I would manage with the transition of all five kids home and now I am wondering how I will manage without them. Yes, there were moments of chaos during the summer. Times when all five kiddos needed me at once and times I felt like pulling my hair out. The reality of motherhood. But those ... view the post