Can I be honest for a minute?
Two weeks ago, I had a REALLY tough week. My mom was supposed to come for Halloween and her flight got canceled and she wasn’t able to reschedule. We were having some major behavior issues with the kids. Kinsley got a bad grade on her math test at school, one that she had told me she was ready for and understood everything on, but come to find out she lied because she was tired of reviewing. Kinsley lost one of the custom orthotic inserts for her shoes, and it will be $475 to get it replaced…which stinks money-wise but also because she really can tell a difference with them and would have to go without them for quite a while until new ones came in. I realized I was really stressed about quite a lot and was working on ministry and personal things ALL the time, leaving no time for rest or deep breaths. And I honestly was tired of living here in NYC and having a moment of “This place is not my home yet, and I just want to go home…” It wasn’t one thing, but lots piled up….
This week has been much, much better, and I had a few moments of just being thankful for certain things. This morphed into my thought of “I should write a “5 Things I Am Loving” post”….so here it goes:
1 – Risen Motherhood podcasts
I had quite a few friends post about how much they love these podcasts, but lets be honest, I couldn’t find any time for quiet in my house…much less listening to a podcast. The beautiful thing is that these are only about 30 minutes long. So, I started trying to find time during the day, even if it was during a walk to pick up the girls from school, doing dishes, or a few minutes of quiet during naps, to listen to these. And man…they are awesome. These women have small kids, are very missions-minded, and are so good at infusing the Gospel into everyday life lessons. I highly recommend them!! And I would love to be their friend 🙂
2. Good Books – I love me some good books. I have heard SO many good things about the Enneagram, but to be honest, I was burned out on personality tests. I actually love personality tests and have done MANY (The Call, Meyers-Brigg, EQI, Birkman, Strenth Finders, Animal Personality Test, and many more I can’t list now) – and I will say I learn new things about myself from each of them. So, I was skeptical. But a friend suggested I read the book “The Road Back to You” about the Enneagram.
Ya’ll, this test and book PEGGED ME. Like, spot on. I learned a few things about myself through it (which coincidentally went well with figuring out what I was feeling two weeks ago) and I learned a ton about Ed after figuring out which type he was. I highly recommend.
And, for my fiction book pick of the year, I LOVE Dee Henderson books. I don’t remember how I got hooked on her books, but everyone that I know that reads them loves them. She is a believer and mixes Christian values and lessons with mystery and interesting story lines. I mean, her main characters are combat medics, hostage negotiators, fireman, forensic pathologists, paramedics, FBI agents, and doctors. Interesting, right? She is seriously right up there with Francine Rivers books for me.
3. Having a Laundry Room in Our Building – I have mentioned that one of the things I love about living in an apartment in NYC is having a laundry room downstairs and being able to do all our laundry at one time. Case in point – we haven’t done laundry for a week. Doesn’t seem that bad? 6 people wearing winter clothes for a week equals a lot of clothes.
This is what it looked like after I sorted everything (not including a batch of towels I had already put away). How long did it take to wash and dry all this? 1 hour and 15 minutes! Thats not including time to fold and put it away, but still…..
4. Puzzles – I have always loved to put together puzzles – my dad does so I grew up doing them, and now I love to do them as a way to destress after the kids go to bed. Because I can’t finish them all in one night, this handy dandy puzzle mat is great! I just roll it up at the end of the evening, put it aside, and then roll it out the next time I want to do it. For the most part, it keeps the puzzle in tact and I don’t have to worry about little kid hands destroying it.
And the other good part about living in NYC? I found a great friend who loves puzzles too, and is kind enough to switch puzzles with me so we can do new ones. Score!
5. Black Friday Ads are back!! – I have mentioned before how much I love Black Friday shopping. One of the things I look forward to the most about the end of October/beginning of November is when Black Friday ads start being leaked. Thanks to sites like the ones below, I can view the ads ahead of time, plan out what to buy people, and maybe even buy those things online before Black Friday.
Because it isn’t feasible or fun to do Black Friday shopping here in NYC with no car and stores spread out (or non-existent), I have resorted to doing most of my shopping online. I am so thankful that most stores have the same deals online as in the stores. So, if I take a while to respond to your text or email, or if I stay up way too late one night, chances are I am surfing the ads 🙂
What are you loving this week??