Finding Joy in Your Home

It was my birthday last week and I've seen a few of these fun lists going around lately so I figured it was the perfect time to take a pause in the podcast and share a fun little chatting episode. Here are 29 very interested (AKA random things I think about) things about me on my 29th birthday! 

Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. 

Links & Resources: 

 Get your own personalized vitamin packets from TakeCareOf.com and get 25% OFF with coupon code: HOME

During 2018, our family had a huge emphasis on healthy eating (in fact, I think it's one of the areas that I actually did really well in - and a large part of that was out of pure necessity)! You can read about my health struggles from 2017-2018 here. I always thought of myself as a healthy cook but we've taken a lot of steps in 2018 to cut out processed food and take care of my entire family better. 

So today we are going to chat about what some of those changes have been and we want to invite you to join us for a healthy eating 30 day challenge!! 

Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. 

Links & Resources: 

My struggle with Chronic Fatigue

Find me on Instagram - I'll be sharing our Whole30 journey

Find me on YouTube - Where I'll be sharing lots of Whole30 cooking and update videos! 

Find the Whole30 menu plan we are doing this month (it includes all breakfasts, lunches, dinners, grocery shopping lists, and prep ahead instructions!!)

This is my fifth year picking a word for my year and I am just as excited as that first time to pick a word and a general direction for my year. In today's episode I am going to share my word for the year, what goals and ideas this will entail, and then I'll cover a little bit about how you can pick your own word for 2019! 

Here are my past words: 

2012: Intentional

2016: Joy

2017: Create

2018: Refresh

Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

What has gone into choosing this word:  

The past two years have brought with them a lot of exciting things and several really hard things! In the beginning of 2017, we welcomed baby #5. Magnolia was born when our oldest set of twins (yes we have TWO sets of twin boys) had only turned 4 years old 3 weeks before. 

So we were very excited to meet our first little girl and she has since proved to be the very perfect addition to our male heavy family. But having 5 kids in 4 years really takes a tole on one's body (um...DUH)! So as I weaned Magnolia throughout 2017 and she was sleeping through the night but I was still so exhausted I could barely get out of bed many days...I finally admitted that this was way more than normal baby exhaustion (even for having 5 kids 4 and under)! You can listen about my journey this year with chronic fatigue. 

It took me until a good way into 2018 to finally start to figure out my issues and make progress. It boils down to this: I probably have an auto-immune disease that has been triggered by all these babies and tiring 4 years mixed with a hyperactive thyroid, very imbalanced hormones (testosterone and progesterone) and adrenal fatigue. 

All of this means NO ENERGY for Mama!! Seriously, I couldn't believe it by my exhaustion had hit new levels of low, even for a mama who birthed two sets of twins. So after alllll the blood tests and results, we start working on supplements and hormones that have finally been helping. It's a slow road to recovery with these types of issues and I still have to be hyper aware of taking care of myself, but I am happy to report that I am finally doing so much better! 

It's been about 9 months now of all my new stuff and for the last 3 months or so I've really been feeling back to my normal self. The first 6 months saw a dramatic 80% increase in my energy and health, but more recently it's been incredible once again. 

So my focus for 2018 has been Refresh. I wanted to hit a reset button on our life from a hard 2017 and work on refreshing my health, our family life, and my spiritual disciplines! 

Now that I've been feeling better and I am looking forward to a new year with new goals, one word clearly came to mind for me: Discipline. 

But discipline didn't quite have the right connotation for me. It felt too negative for some reason (even though I know it's not and it's a great word)! But there are still so many variables in my day that I can't control (hello: I have 5 very young kids)! So after a lot of thought and prayer, I landed on my 2019 Word of the Year and I'm very excited....

Faithfulness.

Faithfulness is giving me that same idea that I wanted with discipline, but with a very firm reminder that God is in control of it all!! I can strive and strive and strive...and nothing will come of all my striving. Or I can rest in the Lord, show up and be faithful to what we has called me to that day...and God can make everything happen (all for His Glory)! 

So as I work diligently this year, as I discipline myself to get back into better routines in my spiritual disciplines, homeschooling, homemaking, and my work....I am doing it all in faithfulness knowing that everything I do is NOT in my own strength but rather...

I'm so excited to have Jason taking over my blog today. I shared my own 2019 Christian Reading Challenge for Women earlier this week. If you're a man, feel free to follow along with this challenge by yourself OR wrangle your wife into the women's companion challenge to do it with you.

If you are a woman reading this, send over the link to your husband and you can then go through this challenge together! It's a great way to have a built in accountability partner. Many of the books are the same but Jason changed the feminine and homemaking categories to male equivalents. - Jami

I have a lot of hobbies. I enjoying playing video games. Board games are my love language. I'm a Netflix junkie. I sometimes dabble with MTG deck-building.

But one hobby stands head and shoulders over all the rest, for me. I LOVE to read. You probably already know that about me if you've been hanging around this blog or podcast for any amount of time. But it's worth stating again. Books are my favorite thing.

Listen to the Podcast:

Jami and I hopped on a podcast episode to share all about the challenge, my tricks for finding the time to read in a busy schedule, a little bit about the books I picked and more! Listen below or keep scrolling down to read all about the challenge. 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Two years ago,  Jami and I came up with a year-long reading challenge. Most times, the biggest obstacle to reading as much as I'd like is lack of time. I'm a father, husband, small-business owner, and dabbler in many hobbies as previously established. Needless to say, I don't have a lot of free time. Well, I am happy to report that implementing the reading challenge has SIGNIFICANTLY helped me to increase the number of books I've read in the last 2 years. Something about setting a goal, and having a list of books I want to read, has been very effective for me. So this year, we're doing it again! Welcome to the 2019 Men's Reading Challenge.

Yesterday, Jami posted her reading list, which is geared primarily toward women. So she asked me to put together a companion list to hers that would be more male-oriented. Many of the categories and book recommendations are the same, as there are LOTS of books out there that are great reading for both men and women. But I've tweaked the list to add some books on things like fatherhood, being a husband, etc. 

Also, like Jami's list, I have not included any fiction suggestions in the list. I personally love to read fiction, and would encourage others to as well, but, at least for me, picking up a novel is much easier than digging into a history text or book on theology, and so I tailored the list to non-fiction only. I highly recommend reading some fiction as well, though. Go ahead and add a few novels you've been wanting to read, or, if the 13 or 26 books on the list is already the maximum you want to commit to this year, swap out a few of the categories for fiction, keeping the total count the same. Bottom line, this list and challenge is for you, so don't hesitate to customize it to your liking. As long as it gets you reading, I've done my job.

Also, if you're not already familiar, I highly recommend using Goodreads on your reading adventure. It's a great way to track what you're reading, what you want to read, and what you've already read. You can get book recommendations, and even see reviews on books you're not sure about. Plus, you can follow me on there if you'd like to see what I'm reading. You can also see my fiction selections on there, if you want some inspiration in that department.

On more note before we get to the challenge. Back in November, I started a new podcast called Hurry Up and Read, on which I read and discuss classic works of Christian literature. It's been an absolute blast so far! We just finished up our first book on the podcast,

If you are looking for the MEN'S companion reading challenge for 2019, you can find it here! Happy reading!! 

Welcome to the 2019 reading challenge! This is our 3rd year in a row running our reading challenge and it's been a blast. Jason and I have always been big readers, but having 5 kids in 4 years and running our own business started to squeeze the love (or the time) out of our reading life. 

So in 2017 we decided to run a little challenge for ourselves (and invited you to join in) and the result has been two fabulous years of reading! We have both read more in the past 2 years then we could have thought possible with this busy season of life we are in. 

So we are back in 2019 with our 3rd reading challenge...and it's our best one yet! Below you will find out 2019 reading challenge, lots and lots of amazing book recommendations, as well as a podcast episode all about the reading challenge this year that you can listen in to!

Listen to the Podcast:

Listen in to my podcast episode from this week to find out more about why I developed this reading plan, tips for following along, and the reasoning behind the books and categories I chose. Or skip the podcast and head down below for all the info ?

And don’t forget to subscribe to my podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

While this is our 3rd reading challenge, all of the books in the actual challenge below are all new! That means if you've been following along these past 2 years, you won't have any repeats!! However, we do have categories down below if you want to pick other books to read – or feel free to swap out and put your own books in the categories. 

I’m ALL for broadening my reading horizon, which is why I was so excited about this new reading challenge. I think we often reach for the same kinds of books over and over again. But I want to stretch you and challenge you to reach out and pick up books you wouldn’t normally. 

Plus, doing a challenge like this will make you read more throughout the year. So wanna join us?!?

Grab the Toolkit: 

The very best and easiest way to follow along is to grab my toolkit right here! The toolkit includes the full reading challenge for 2019 (for both men and women) as well as tips for finding more time to read (even when you are super busy) and how to find more books for free or cheap. 

2019 Christian Reading Challenge for Women

Here’s how it works: 

I have given you category suggestions for each book as well as my book recommendation. I personally recommend all of these books and tried to think about the very best books I recommend all women read. If you’ve already read that book or simply want a different suggestion, scroll down and you will find more book recommendations for each category (OR feel free to choose any of your own books). 

Then download and/or print off the reading list to follow along. 

A note about fiction: This list does not include any fiction. I LOVE reading fiction and read many fiction books throughout the year. However, since this is for entertainment and relaxation for me, I don’t need to add these in as reading goals. When we are on vacation, or I have more down time (like during Christmas), I read a lot more fiction. But I’m already prone to being lazy and reaching for a fiction book more than a book to help my spiritual growth or draw closer to the Lord, so I don’t need any extra reading goals to re-inforce that habit ? But I know several of you requested fiction options worked in, so feel free to replace some of the categories below with fiction if you would prefer. 

Pick Your Level:

I know each of us has different reading levels and time for reading, so I created two different tracks you can follow. 

13 Books a Year – This works out to 1 book every 4 weeks. If you have no habit of reading right now or have no idea you will fit reading time into your busy schedule,

Today we are wrapping up our November and December read aloud: The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. Listen along to if you finished the book or you just want to listen to us chat about the lesson's we've been learning about contentment in our lives. Listen in here: 

Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all of the links and resources mentioned today down below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links & Resources: 

Listen to the book and the podcast here: Hurry Up and Read

Or subscribe to the podcast here in iTunes

Follow Jami on Goodreads

Follow Jason on Goodreads

Our 2018 Reading Challenge for Women

Our 2018 Reading Challenge for Men

2019 editions coming NEXT WEEK!!! 

Meal Planning Help for Eating Healthy:  

I am really excited to share with you the sponsor of today’s podcast episode: PrepDish! If you ever feel like you wish you had a little help in your meal planning, then I highly encourage you to check out PrepDish. They offer gluten-free meal plans and paleo meal plans. 

But you don’t have to eat a gluten-free or paleo diet in order to take advantage of all that PrepDish has to offer! In fact, almost half of their customers don’t eat those diets. The meals are healthy and non-processed and work well for anyone who is trying to eat a healthy diet. And PrepDish is offering a super special TWO week free trail when you sign up through this link (how awesome!!)

When you sign up, you’ll receive an email every week with a grocery list and instructions for prepping your meals ahead of time. After only 1-3 hours of prepping on the weekend, you’ll have all of your meals ready for the entire week. I absolutely love how easy they make it. 

Free TWO week trial of PrepDish