Then There Were Seven…

Hi, friends!

It’s been so long since I spent time in this space. I’ve missed taking the time to write and share with you what I’m processing or up to around our home. I spent most of 2023 pregnant with our fifth baby, and we welcomed her in November of 2023. My time and energy this year have gone to nurturing and caring for that sweet babe, as well and caring for myself. This postpartum was really challenging for me in a lot of ways. After 2 weeks of intense hives, I lost around 20-30 foods/food categories that I could not eat without intense itching and experiencing inflammation. There was a point where it felt as though I could eat less foods than I couldn’t eat. It was extremely difficult. I feel like the inflammation and exhaustion overflowed into everything, my mental clarity (or lack there of), my hormones, my weight, etc. I am insanely grateful for our sweet girl and thank God daily for her life and the gift that she is, I’m so so grateful. But that year of healing and finding myself again through the fog of postpartum was really difficult and exhausting at times. Very thankful for AIP though and how God made our bodies to heal! Thinking back on the year makes me so grateful to be here in this moment…writing. (While those 5 precious kids play incredibly loud in the background!!)

I also spent a lot of time homeschooling the 4 kids that are old enough to do school. (It should just be three, but I’ve learned that little girls are strong willed and ambitious… and if big brothers are doing school, so will little sister.) This year of homeschool has been really, really sweet. This is our 3rd year homeschooling and I feel like I know myself as a teacher better, my kids as students better, and I have a better grasp on what’s most important, allowing me to filter out the tempting thoughts of what else I could/should be doing. We’re enjoying a really nice rhythm and I’m just soaking it in, knowing that as the oldest progresses (he’s currently in 5th grade), those dynamics will shift a bit.

Part of why it’s been such a sweet year is because my husband transitioned to working from home full time (mostly) in January of 2024. I’m not going to lie, that took a lot of adjusting for the both of us, since the home during the day has been my domain for the last 10 years. It was uncomfortable sharing the leadership and atmosphere setting during the day with someone else, even my husband and best friend. There’s also the fact that while I am capable of doing a lot, I do them slowly and methodically, and I most enjoy doing them on my on time. Seth is a see it, do it kind of person. And since there’s tons to do around the house during the day, it was a struggle for him to actually sit down to work because there was always something to do or a kid to help. This caused him to feel like he couldn’t work like he needed to and me to feel like I was being replaced because things were getting done before I got around to them (even on occasion school, which I LOVE doing with the kids). Things aren’t perfect, but they’re much better now, and while we want to keep working on getting him more time in the “office”, as a whole we’ve finally settled in and really love being home together.

Oh, and I also decided it would be a good idea to do a complete decluttering and organizing overhaul of the entire house… every closet, every drawer, and every cabinet. I gained 10+ pounds from the extremely late nights and poor eating habits throughout the process, so I do recommend you pace yourself more than I did, but it was absolutely life changing. Does my house still get messy and dirty? YES. But every single thing has a home and it is like balm for my mind. It’s brought so much peace and rest. And the reset of our spaces is so easy and dare I say, enjoyable. It’s also saved us money. We are more accountable now to what we actually own and what we bring into our home. I can’t wait to share our spaces with you and all that I’ve learned along the way. I’ve always enjoyed decluttering and having a tidy space, but this year took things to a completely different level, and I never want to go back.

So, if you want a glimpse into the life of a homeschooling family with 5 kids, who live, work, and do school in a 3bd 2ba home, and are passionate about loving Jesus and each other throughout the entire process, stick around. My heart is that you would be encouraged and inspired. I’m so excited your here.