Gina has some of the best link-ups! Today I'm joining her with a post that was harder to write than it should have been...
Why was it so hard to come up with 14 things I learned this year? It's a fact of life, my life in particular, that two or three days after I publish this, all the really significant things I learned will come flooding back to me, so I reserve the right to edit this post at any time (or at least up until the end of the week ;) )
But for now, my 14 Things, in no particular order...
(1) you can cook bacon in the oven!!! and ground beef in the crock-pot!!! (both revolutionary discoveries have saved me a lot of un-fun time over the skillet :) )
(2) how to make my own chicken stock (even if it was using chicken parts that I don't think I could name...)
(3) family vacations aren't always the scary ordeal I imagine them to be. we took two this year :) that's more than, like, ever.
(4) a happy side effect of homeschooling has been that I am learning new things too :) (finally, after all these years, I don't feel so stupid at math!!)
(4) a happy side effect of homeschooling has been that I am learning new things too :) (finally, after all these years, I don't feel so stupid at math!!)
(5) don't cancel next weekend's plans just because you're exhausted tonight. (actually, this past year I learned quite a bit about managing and working through exhaustion :) )
(6) host dinner guests... even if your home is less than perfect- like dusty, or cramped. they don't care and you can still have lots of fun!
(7) just because something doesn't go according to plan doesn't mean it's totally spoiled.
(8) having five children is hard. carrying one of them on my back makes it a little easier :)
(9) the lasting peace I feel after having held my tongue is so much more fulfilling than the fleeting gratification of spouting it off in a frustrated moment. (requires less apologies too!)
(10) our marriage is better when I let my husband test out his ideas, theories, and experiments instead of pointing out all the holes in his scheme before he's even begun.
(11) homeschooling is very rewarding when the lessons for the day go well and we end when they are completed, as opposed to my old method of "things are going really well so let's squeeze more in!"
(12) it's overwhelmingly romantic (and kinda sexy) to see your man proudly walking through the grocery store parking lot like this :) (kids suit this guy and I love him more than ever for it!)
(13) God has truly blessed my efforts to be a more peaceful, joyful, and patient wife and mother this year. He is the source and giver of peace, joy, and patience, but he often asks a mother to be the conduit of those gifts to her husband, children, extended family, and friends. I pray he continues to nurture those virtues in me in 2015 :)
(14) my days are better when I eat egg whites for breakfast
(15/bonus) internet friendships are for real :)
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And speaking of 2014, check out some of the goings on at Ordinary Lovely
this past year...
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What did you learn in 2014? Anything's legit, from the mundane to the earth shattering.
Share it in the comments here or link up with Gina at Someday (hopefully) They'll Be Saints!
on the importance of true rest and sanctifying our "down time." God calls us to sanctify our rest just as sure as he calls us to sanctify our work. True rest isn't wasted time, because it isn't idleness, it isn't useless, and it isn't selfish. True rest, an intentional change from our daily routines and responsibilities, allows us to connect with God in a refreshed way. Just as we grow in virtue if we work with purpose, if we rest with purpose it can also be an essential part in our growth in holiness. God rejoices when we know peace, because then we can know Him better. It delights him when we appreciate the good things he's given us to enjoy - an afternoon walk, a cup of steamy hot chocolate, a conversation with a friend. The things we experience and encounter in times of rest can edify and sanctify us in ways our work cannot. Allowing ourselves to rest, change our pace, and shift our focus off of our normal habits and routines gives us the opportunity to encounter God in unique, out-of-the-ordinary ways.
