Our church is starting a 21 day fast next week. We've been talking about what we can fast as a family. The boys came up with some good ideas. Wii, Angry Birds, eating out on unplanned occasions (since we do have a plan to eat out for Drew's birthday at the end of the month), and drinking soda. We'll be talking about it more this week as we prepare for it. I think I will be fasting diet soda. It's become quite an addiction. I have at least 1 a day, and I know it's not good for me. I know it's an addiction when I'm cranky until I have one!! I was initially tempted to just say "Well, I'll just continue fasting Facebook!" but it won't be much of a sacrifice if I'm already in the midst of doing it. Aaron has suggested that he will fast beer. For my homebrew loving husband, this is a HUGE sacrifice!
Being off Facebook gets easier each day. The boys were stunned to hear that I am voluntarily not logging in. They're intrigued by this new mama, who isn't checking fb as regularly as email. I'm finding I have more time in my day (amazing how 5-10 minutes here and there adds up!!) and I have far more patience because I'm not falling behind on anything else or having to rush because I lost track of time in the pit.
Alas....2 loads of laundry and a messy kitchen are calling my name tonight. It's so much easier to ignore them when I have a good distraction.
Off on my journey to recover socks from the sock monster!!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
63 in January???
Why yes it is!!!
And what do my boys want to do? They want to go to the WARF and swim. Inside. These nuts! I brought them for a while, then we moved on to the playground. How refreshing to be outside and WARM at the beginning of January.
This month is my Facebook fast. It's hard. Beyond hard. I have a cousin due any moment with her first baby that I'd love to hear about. Another friend is having her big ultrasound in just a few days. And I won't see that info for SO long if we don't email or call each other. But it's ok. It's time to break that habit. Our office is next to the kitchen, and completely open, so it's easy to just "take a peek" a few times here and there. The problem comes though, when peeking turns into 15 minutes. A few times in the morning, and again in the afternoon. When I should be starting dinner. When the kids really need to be steered to a new activity. So, I decided to cut it out completely and break the habit cold turkey. My guess is though, at the end of this month, I won't have missed much. I may find myself wondering why I was so into Facebook to begin with and walk away. Sometimes I wonder if I have any messages or notifications, has anyone even noticed that I'm not on there? The strong likelihood is no, there won't be, and no, no one has. And that's ok. The people I am closest too already know that I'm off for the month, and others know how to find me if they really want to talk. It's been nice to just text or call people and even to go back to the antique communication method of email. I have a lot of time on my hands now too. I think things might get accomplished much quicker this month!!
Off to enjoy that warm weather now...can't waste it here blogging!!
And what do my boys want to do? They want to go to the WARF and swim. Inside. These nuts! I brought them for a while, then we moved on to the playground. How refreshing to be outside and WARM at the beginning of January.
This month is my Facebook fast. It's hard. Beyond hard. I have a cousin due any moment with her first baby that I'd love to hear about. Another friend is having her big ultrasound in just a few days. And I won't see that info for SO long if we don't email or call each other. But it's ok. It's time to break that habit. Our office is next to the kitchen, and completely open, so it's easy to just "take a peek" a few times here and there. The problem comes though, when peeking turns into 15 minutes. A few times in the morning, and again in the afternoon. When I should be starting dinner. When the kids really need to be steered to a new activity. So, I decided to cut it out completely and break the habit cold turkey. My guess is though, at the end of this month, I won't have missed much. I may find myself wondering why I was so into Facebook to begin with and walk away. Sometimes I wonder if I have any messages or notifications, has anyone even noticed that I'm not on there? The strong likelihood is no, there won't be, and no, no one has. And that's ok. The people I am closest too already know that I'm off for the month, and others know how to find me if they really want to talk. It's been nice to just text or call people and even to go back to the antique communication method of email. I have a lot of time on my hands now too. I think things might get accomplished much quicker this month!!
Off to enjoy that warm weather now...can't waste it here blogging!!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
From the beginning
Well...I'm starting a new blog because blogger won't let you change your email to a gmail account, and that's what I have now. So, the old one will still be there, but I'm going to post from here.
The Ludwig Journey got it's start with the picture I have up from our wedding. Nearly 10 years ago!! And what a wonderful journey it has been. 10 years, 3 fabulous boys, 1 dog, 3 fish, and a hamster later, we are having a wonderful time as a family.
We're not a perfect family. There is really no such thing. We thrive on love, hugs, forgiveness, and more love. Jesus is the glue holding us together.
My boys love Jesus, fun, Legos, and each other. I couldn't ask for more.
I'm too conservative for some, too liberal for others. I say, if it's ok with my husband and falls in line with the Bible, then it's good for me. I love my husband, and I love that I'm home with my kids. No, I don't want a job outside the home. No, I don't need that to feel like I have defined my life or that I have an "identity". No, I don't need to "get away from these kids for the day" every day. Sometimes I just need a few hours to recharge. But I am called to my home, to being with them. My job is to raise them in the fear and admonition of the Lord, to be respectful and Godly men. One day they will be some lovely woman's husband, and I want them to treat her the way their dad treats me. My identity is secure in being their mom, Aaron's wife, and never the least, a follower of Jesus.
Want to journey with us?
The Ludwig Journey got it's start with the picture I have up from our wedding. Nearly 10 years ago!! And what a wonderful journey it has been. 10 years, 3 fabulous boys, 1 dog, 3 fish, and a hamster later, we are having a wonderful time as a family.
We're not a perfect family. There is really no such thing. We thrive on love, hugs, forgiveness, and more love. Jesus is the glue holding us together.
My boys love Jesus, fun, Legos, and each other. I couldn't ask for more.
I'm too conservative for some, too liberal for others. I say, if it's ok with my husband and falls in line with the Bible, then it's good for me. I love my husband, and I love that I'm home with my kids. No, I don't want a job outside the home. No, I don't need that to feel like I have defined my life or that I have an "identity". No, I don't need to "get away from these kids for the day" every day. Sometimes I just need a few hours to recharge. But I am called to my home, to being with them. My job is to raise them in the fear and admonition of the Lord, to be respectful and Godly men. One day they will be some lovely woman's husband, and I want them to treat her the way their dad treats me. My identity is secure in being their mom, Aaron's wife, and never the least, a follower of Jesus.
Want to journey with us?
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
School year ended for who??
Our school year finished nearly a month ago, but I haven't stopped thinking school. New curriculum planning was in full swing and I really wanted to be prepared for the HEAV convention. I don't think anything could have prepared me for that!!
The number 1 thing I walked away from convention with is the need to simplify my life. More than I already think has been done. Being busy is getting us nowhere. I want the kids to remember more than just "We ran this errand, cleaned this, worked on that." I want them to love homeschooling so much they want it for their own kids.
We found great curriculum options there. The best part about having my husband there with me was feeling so empowered to say NO. I get excited about books. I can't help it. He was able to bring my focus back to "Will you really use this? If yes, let's buy it. If not, or if you're doubting, then skip it. The boys won't lack in their education if you don't get it." I can't even imagine how much I would have spent without him there to make me really think about it.
We walked away from a great history curriculum because after mulling it over for hours, it just didn't make sense. It's cyclical, so we thought it'd be perfect. But, with the age differences in the boys and wanting to keep them all studying the same thing (so I'm only teaching it once), it wouldn't work. Maybe in the future in might be better for us, but right now, it is not the one.
We bought a Bible curriculum from Positive Action. It looks great, and I think the boys will really grow from it. We've decided to stay with Abeka for Language Arts and Math, so we bought all we needed there to get free shipping! We're going to do American History this year, just based on library reading. It will be a challenge for me, to be sure I plan it all well, but I have a good vision for what I want to do. Now to follow through!
We were so excited about The Fun Clase Spanish language curriculum. I was certain though that we were out of money. I think by the time we got there, we had just $50 left for book spending, and level 1 was $110. We hadn't bought the Bible curriculum yet either. So, we decided to just save up for a while longer and get the Spanish stuff later in the year. How awesome is God that just as soon as we got home, He showed me how I'd made a $100 error in my convention budget, and we had $27 left over from other budgeted areas for the weekend! I was able to order it right away!!
This summer, we'll have field trips and visits with family. The boys have started in "summer review" mode already, but it's pretty leisurely at this point. I'm considering shifting our school schedule a bit to make our months off more late April through mid-June instead of summer. Not one of us really likes being outside in the summer, and if we're inside anyhow, we may as well do school. We'd much rather be outside when the temperatures are more bearable and it's not humid!
Starting in August, I'll have a kindergartener and a 2nd grader. Who told my babies to grow up? I better slow Sam down. He already counts to 12 and tries to say parts of the alphabet. We just can't have him growing to fast, right??
The number 1 thing I walked away from convention with is the need to simplify my life. More than I already think has been done. Being busy is getting us nowhere. I want the kids to remember more than just "We ran this errand, cleaned this, worked on that." I want them to love homeschooling so much they want it for their own kids.
We found great curriculum options there. The best part about having my husband there with me was feeling so empowered to say NO. I get excited about books. I can't help it. He was able to bring my focus back to "Will you really use this? If yes, let's buy it. If not, or if you're doubting, then skip it. The boys won't lack in their education if you don't get it." I can't even imagine how much I would have spent without him there to make me really think about it.
We walked away from a great history curriculum because after mulling it over for hours, it just didn't make sense. It's cyclical, so we thought it'd be perfect. But, with the age differences in the boys and wanting to keep them all studying the same thing (so I'm only teaching it once), it wouldn't work. Maybe in the future in might be better for us, but right now, it is not the one.
We bought a Bible curriculum from Positive Action. It looks great, and I think the boys will really grow from it. We've decided to stay with Abeka for Language Arts and Math, so we bought all we needed there to get free shipping! We're going to do American History this year, just based on library reading. It will be a challenge for me, to be sure I plan it all well, but I have a good vision for what I want to do. Now to follow through!
We were so excited about The Fun Clase Spanish language curriculum. I was certain though that we were out of money. I think by the time we got there, we had just $50 left for book spending, and level 1 was $110. We hadn't bought the Bible curriculum yet either. So, we decided to just save up for a while longer and get the Spanish stuff later in the year. How awesome is God that just as soon as we got home, He showed me how I'd made a $100 error in my convention budget, and we had $27 left over from other budgeted areas for the weekend! I was able to order it right away!!
This summer, we'll have field trips and visits with family. The boys have started in "summer review" mode already, but it's pretty leisurely at this point. I'm considering shifting our school schedule a bit to make our months off more late April through mid-June instead of summer. Not one of us really likes being outside in the summer, and if we're inside anyhow, we may as well do school. We'd much rather be outside when the temperatures are more bearable and it's not humid!
Starting in August, I'll have a kindergartener and a 2nd grader. Who told my babies to grow up? I better slow Sam down. He already counts to 12 and tries to say parts of the alphabet. We just can't have him growing to fast, right??
Saturday, January 22, 2011
When less is less, and less is better
It's another episode of "What they don't have, they won't miss" around here. I packed away a TON of stuff. I left their Imaginext toys and castles, as well as their Christmas presents. Everything else that was not neatly stowed in containers in the closet in the family room got put away. And you know what?
They don't care. Not one little bit.
And in fact, they aren't even searching for the boxes I used like they normally do.
I'm going to hit the playroom soon too. That stuff is far more organized, but it's still alot. Trucks, cars, trains, dinosaurs, loads of action figures....Time to thin it all out a bit more. They are happier with LESS.
I remember as a kid, I never felt like I lacked anything. (Or, at least, that's how I remember it. My mom may beg to differ.) I had a big wooden toy box at the end of my bed that was pretty full, and around Christmas it'd get weeded out to make room for Santa's gifts. That was it. I didn't have all the space my kids do now. They have SO MUCH SPACE to have toys. We have play space upstairs in the family room. They have a basement playroom. They keep a couple of small toys in their rooms (but they have to fit on the shelf of their bed, no more than that). But with the little space we had in our 4 room apartment growing up, I felt satisfied. I didn't feel like mom & dad were holding out on me by not getting me the next best thing. Except for that one fit I still clearly remember throwing in KMart because I was certain my dad had promised me a toy and I wasn't getting it for some reason. As if that fit was going to convince him to buy it for me, right?
Sorry guys. :-) I'm sure glad you still loved me after that.
And so, this is a new year. I can see clearly that my kids don't NEED stuff for entertainment. The fact that they run around the house constantly with a blanket tied around them and waving my wooden spoons at each other tells me that what we have is sufficient. More than sufficient really.
I'm starting to look forward to consignment season.
They don't care. Not one little bit.
And in fact, they aren't even searching for the boxes I used like they normally do.
I'm going to hit the playroom soon too. That stuff is far more organized, but it's still alot. Trucks, cars, trains, dinosaurs, loads of action figures....Time to thin it all out a bit more. They are happier with LESS.
I remember as a kid, I never felt like I lacked anything. (Or, at least, that's how I remember it. My mom may beg to differ.) I had a big wooden toy box at the end of my bed that was pretty full, and around Christmas it'd get weeded out to make room for Santa's gifts. That was it. I didn't have all the space my kids do now. They have SO MUCH SPACE to have toys. We have play space upstairs in the family room. They have a basement playroom. They keep a couple of small toys in their rooms (but they have to fit on the shelf of their bed, no more than that). But with the little space we had in our 4 room apartment growing up, I felt satisfied. I didn't feel like mom & dad were holding out on me by not getting me the next best thing. Except for that one fit I still clearly remember throwing in KMart because I was certain my dad had promised me a toy and I wasn't getting it for some reason. As if that fit was going to convince him to buy it for me, right?
Sorry guys. :-) I'm sure glad you still loved me after that.
And so, this is a new year. I can see clearly that my kids don't NEED stuff for entertainment. The fact that they run around the house constantly with a blanket tied around them and waving my wooden spoons at each other tells me that what we have is sufficient. More than sufficient really.
I'm starting to look forward to consignment season.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
And it's January...
We're half-way through our school year now!! It's amazing. Drew is still flying through the material. I'm just aching to teach him something he hasn't already figured out!! He picked up a 2nd grade math book over our vacation and started answering questions. Umm...someone tell that kid he's in 1st grade! It's great though. I'm looking forward to opportunities to challenge him. We're moving into the "experiments" part of our science book, so he's defnitely getting more interested there. AND...we signed up for a chick-hatching project! We'll borrow an incubator from the local extension office, care for the eggs until they hatch, and then for the chicks for 4 weeks after. At that point, we will bring them back to the farm to do what chickens do best. Drew and Ben are really excited for this. I just hope our dog behaves!
Drew's going through a funk these past few weeks. He's decided he is scared of the pitching machine and doesn't want to play baseball this year. He really dislikes Cub Scouts. I told him he should really do something, and he said he'd like to start swimming lessons regularly. I think that's very ok. I'm going to see what we can do to get that going again. He's a natural in the pool and really enjoys it. Swim team could be in our future?? He's super competitive though (read: hates to lose), so he may struggle with that. He's got to learn somehow though.
Ben is flourishing even though we aren't formally doing school with him yet. We do a lot of reading together, and just tonight he started sounding out some simple words with me. He can write all his uppercase letters and numbers. He's so quick to pick things up it makes me feel bad that we aren't doing something more regularly with him. It has to be on his terms though right now, because when I ask him to do it, he fights against me. I told him that in the fall he'll have to do a bit more with me every day instead and he said "Well, of course mama. That's what kindergarteners do!" So, he'll be ready soon enough.
Sam is finally talking. It's so nice that he is truly communicating with us now!! Short sentences, clear words most of the time, and the rest of the time we can figure out what he's trying to tell us. All this from a child who was just grunting 4 months ago.
Well, I'm off to put a ton of toys into storage. All I've seen is toys strewn all over the floor for the past several days and no one playing with them. For the first time in ages, when I gave the boys a heads up that my plans were to do that tonight, they said "Yeah, that's probably a good idea mom." Yep, they've got far too much and they know it.
Drew's going through a funk these past few weeks. He's decided he is scared of the pitching machine and doesn't want to play baseball this year. He really dislikes Cub Scouts. I told him he should really do something, and he said he'd like to start swimming lessons regularly. I think that's very ok. I'm going to see what we can do to get that going again. He's a natural in the pool and really enjoys it. Swim team could be in our future?? He's super competitive though (read: hates to lose), so he may struggle with that. He's got to learn somehow though.
Ben is flourishing even though we aren't formally doing school with him yet. We do a lot of reading together, and just tonight he started sounding out some simple words with me. He can write all his uppercase letters and numbers. He's so quick to pick things up it makes me feel bad that we aren't doing something more regularly with him. It has to be on his terms though right now, because when I ask him to do it, he fights against me. I told him that in the fall he'll have to do a bit more with me every day instead and he said "Well, of course mama. That's what kindergarteners do!" So, he'll be ready soon enough.
Sam is finally talking. It's so nice that he is truly communicating with us now!! Short sentences, clear words most of the time, and the rest of the time we can figure out what he's trying to tell us. All this from a child who was just grunting 4 months ago.
Well, I'm off to put a ton of toys into storage. All I've seen is toys strewn all over the floor for the past several days and no one playing with them. For the first time in ages, when I gave the boys a heads up that my plans were to do that tonight, they said "Yeah, that's probably a good idea mom." Yep, they've got far too much and they know it.
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