Finding Joy in Your Home

I love setting goals for the new year! For 2021, my goals are based off of my word for this year and the focus I want to have. Listen in to my 12 goals I'll be working on this year! Listen to the Podcast: And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. My word for 2021 took a little while to settle on. But in praying about it and really thinking through what Jason and I both want our household to capture this next year, I landed on: Kingdom. It's shaping a lot about how I approach this next year in my thought process and practically through my goals. As I dig into what we will be working towards in 2021, I've broken my goals down into 3 categories: The Kingdom and my personal goals The Kingdom and my family The Kingdom and my business/ministry The Kingdom and My Personal Goals: I'm a big planner and goal setter. It helps to motivate me and I know that by setting personal goals for myself, I accomplish far more than if I didn't set any goals at all. I've got 4 goals for this category: Read 130 books in 2021 Read the entire Bible cover to cover Keep a gratitude journal for 365 days Do 6 craft projects in the year The Kingdom and My Family Goals: Jason and I have developed these goals together. Memorize 40 Bible verses this year (I would like to shoot for 52, one a week, but I know 40 is more realistic). Play more board games (as a family and Jason and I) Invest in solidifying our homeschooling routines. We started a new curriculum 6 months ago that's working so well for us. The next step is really solidifying those routines and habits. Better family worship routine (5 times a week) The Kingdom and My Business/Ministry Goals Write a book Launch rebrand of Finding Joy in Your Home (from Young Wife's Guide) Hire 3-4 people over the course of the year Launch 4 new big products and 4 small products Secret goal: Work on a huge secret project we have set to launch quarter one 2022. We need to be working on this project each week but it's hard to stay on track with a project that huge when it's so far away!

This is my 7th year picking a word for my year. Last year I expressed that I always love picking my word for the year but I had difficulty in picking one for 2020. Well that's true again this year. I thought and prayed about it a lot but I think I landed on the perfect word for my year. So today I'm sharing my new word for the year as well as some tips for picking your own word for this year. Here are my past words: 2012: Intentional 2016: Joy 2017: Create 2018: Refresh 2019: Faithfulness 2020: Cultivate 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: When picking my word for 2020, I was looking ahead to what looked like an extremely full and weird year. We were looking ahead to selling our house, having baby #6, and buying an RV and starting to travel around the U.S. full time. And now we are almost 7 months into that travel journey. But of course, we had no idea what else 2020 would have in store. So I've been praying a lot these past months on what 2021 will have in store for us. I know now more than ever that I can't control what the future holds. But I can hold fiercely to joy and peace this year for my own life and family. More than ever, I need to make sure that MY priorities are crystal clear. I need to make sure that when things in the world get crazy and the days might be hard, that I am standing fiercely in the hope of God's Kingdom. I need to make sure that God's priorities are my true priorities. For my own personal goals, for my family, and for our business. It's something that Jason and I have been discussing a LOT and praying about a LOT. And so all of this has led me to my word for 2021... Kingdom. I want more than anything for 2021 to be Kingdom focused. I want Kingdom focus in my personal goals, my parenting, my marriage, and my business. I want to make choices, pray about decisions, and walk boldly into 2021 with this Kingdom focus. So what does this mean? Got Questions explains that God's Kingdom is: "Broadly speaking, the kingdom of God is the rule of an eternal, sovereign God over all the universe. Several passages of Scripture show that God is the undeniable Monarch of all creation: "The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all" (Psalm 103:19). And, as King Nebuchadnezzar declared, "His kingdom is an eternal kingdom" (Daniel 4:3). Every authority that exists has been established by God (Romans 13:1). So, in one sense, the kingdom of God incorporates everything that is. More narrowly, the kingdom of God is a spiritual rule over the hearts and lives of those who willingly submit to God's authority. Those who defy God's authority and refuse to submit to Him are not part of the kingdom of God; in contrast, those who acknowledge the lordship of Christ and gladly surrender to God's rule in their hearts are part of the kingdom of God. In this sense, the kingdom of God is spiritual—Jesus said His kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36), and He preached that repentance is necessary to be a part of the kingdom of God (Matthew 4:17). That the kingdom of God can be equated with the sphere of salvation is evident in John 3:5–7, where Jesus says the kingdom of God must be entered into by being born again. See also 1 Corinthians 6:9." So to me, what this brings to mind is twofold: Christ is reigning over the cosmos. He is in control of all things. He is not afraid for what tomorrow will bring. He knows and he sees it. His Kingdom reigns over everything. From the small everyday concerns we deal with to the overarching global pandemic that seems to make the world crazy. Because Christ is reigning over the cosmos,

Church with littles in tow can be tough. Worth it, but tough. In this episode we are going to chat about the importance of being in Church as a family and some tips for making it easier. Listen to the Podcast: You can find important links & info 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. Ever since our first set of twins started making all those loud noises that babies do when they "talk", it's been hard. I remember one Sunday, pulling into Church, already exhausted from the Sunday morning scramble. We had hurried around getting 3 year old twins dressed and fed, wrangled 14 month old twins into their outfits, and got my pregnant self semi-put together...and I glimpsed a mom of 6 with older kids...just walking into church. She was holding her coffee and her Bible. And each kid was walking across the parking lot by themselves (NOT in constant danger of being run over). And I know she had her own struggles that day... But man I was so overwhelmed at the moment that I couldn't imagine a day like that coming. I had spent SO many Sunday's feeling so defeated and wondering what the point was anyway. I'm still in the tenches with 6 kids 7 and under, but not nearly as deep as a when we had 5 kids 4 and under ? But I've started seeing the pay off (STARTING to see ?). Moms (and dads), it's worth it. Show up. Model the discipline it takes to get there. Lay out clothes the night before, put oatmeal on the crockpot to be ready, have a snack ready for in between services...make it easier! But.show.up. Bring them to Church so they hear God's Word preached. Let them see believers of all ages worshipping together. And don't sweat the small stuff (preaching to myself here). It'll get easier. It'll get sweeter. But show up. God will take care of the rest ? Training littles: Some days are awful. They just are. Some days are good. Don't let this discourage you. Make sure no one goes hungry. Start off with a calm morning (and make sure they got enough sleep) If you go to tow services, bring a snack in between! Set the expectation: Make it so they are not happy if they have to be taken out of service. (chocolate chips example) Bring things to occupy little hands. We have special coloring bags, they can draw, take notes, ect. Don't sweat the noise: You are training them. It's good work. Don't give up, even if it feels awkward and hard. And it's probably much louder to you than it is to others. Watch other moms: Many of them are awesome and know what they are doing!! Train outside of church: Go out to eat and talk about expectations. Do quiet reading time at home, ect. And don't give up. It gets easier. I think sometimes we get this idea that if we don't perfectly train them at 2, then they will be hopeless cases by the time they are 8. It's not true. Keep training them. All kids are different and will respond differently. Now that the oldest are 8 and 5, it's so much easier to train them then when we had 4 and 2 year olds. Links: Follow me over on Instagram Our Sponsor: Get 2 weeks of FREE meal planning from PrepDish.com/Homemaking

This week we are chatting about DATING your husband. Having more fun together as a couple and how to bring the laughter (and the fun!) back into your marriage. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast: You can find important links & info 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. I love this advice from my friend Lisa over at Club 31 Women (you can listen to her full episode) How to be best friends: By spending time together By being nice to him By being interested in his stuff By having fun together By praying for him What Jason and I love doing together: READING Board games Video games Watching movies/tv shows OUR BUSINESS Date nights out: Coffee and reading date ? Bowling - our fav fun activity! Going to movies Dinner and shopping What do you and your hubby do together for fun? (responses from Instagram!) Beekeeping Going for drives looking for things to photograph Bike riding "I have an eBay store so we love driving around to thrift stores looking for things to resell." Air hockey Kettlebell workouts Going to antique stores "We plan and cook meals based on different world cuisines" 3D archery He is the soccer coach and me a soccer mom! Many outdoor things: hiking, kayaking, camping, and day trips to things like state park Dog training Watching funny and goofey youtube videos together "We enjoy a nightly routine of good conversations over coffee. When his schedule allows we enjoy sitting in our living room and just being with each other. It's one of my favorite times!" "You can find us on our back deck almost year round...heater for the cold nights! We love listening to a plethora of music genres while playing games or each doing our own activities...together! We cherish OUR TIME!' Links & Resources: 100 Ways to Love Your Husband - Lisa Jacobson 100 Ways to Love Your Wife - Matt Jacobson Sweethearts for a Lifetime by Wayne Mack Phylicia Masonheimer also has a lot of stuff on marriage Our sponsor: Get $80 off plus free shipping at HelloFresh.com/Homemaking80 Our sponsor: Get 50% off your first month go to TakeCareOf.com/home50 and code Home50 at checkout

This month we are going to be chatting a lot about reading, how to read more, and WHY we would want to read more. Today I'm giving some reasons for investing in reading and some tips for reading more...no matter what that means for YOU! Listen in! Listen to the Podcast: You can find the notes for this episode 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. Why I read and invest in reading: As a Christian, I think it's important to be learning and growing. As a mother, I want to model to my kids what it means to be a life long learner. And reading is very relaxing to me. It fills up my cup so that I can in turn fill up the cups around me. So when considering reading more, keep those in mind! But also keep in mind that we all derive different levels of enjoyment out of reading. For me, it's ALSO my entertainment and what Jason and I choose for leisure. You might not enjoy it that much, and that's okay! Reading will mean different things to each of us. If you don't think you enjoy reading that much, I do encourage you to try some new types of books and see if you don't fall in love. Try new genres, try audiobooks, or different times of day for reading. When setting a goal can help: It can help incentivize you to pick up books. It helps develop a routine. When we do 2 books a week, it naturally helps us pace those. It can help you choose things OVER television or social media. Which is almost always the right thing ;) It helps me FINISH books. Which has greatly paid off because some of my most impactful reading moments have been in the last chapter or so. Links & Resources: Follow me over on Instagram to follow along with everything in real time Follow me on Goodreads to see all my latest reads and challenge Our Sponsor: Visit HomeschookMagnet.com to find some better homeschooling support! Our Sponsor: Get the best custom Christmas gifts and cards at Vistaprint.com/HF

My kitchen has changed dramatically over the past few years as I've gotten into good habits of batch booking. In this episode, I'll share how I use batch cooking in a busy schedule and some terrific resources for doing it in your kitchen as well. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast: You can find the notes for this episode 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: Jamerrill Stewart's Large Family Table Prep Dish does the work for you - get 2 weeks FREE! Follow me over on Instagram where we've been chatting about all things kitchen! Our sponsor: Vistaprint.com/HF Our sponsor: Homeschoolmagnet.com