My Perfect Day?

When a new year begins, I start to go over my days with a little more thought, trying to figure out how I could best spend my time.  What has worked over the last year?  What needs to be changed?  How can I live my life better?  Take care of my kids and husband and home better?  Can I squeeze in some time for me?  Or maybe not spend so much time on the computer? 

Yesterday, while soaking in a bubble bath during naptime, I decided to daydream a little about what my perfect day would be like.  Here's what I came up with: 

Keep in mind, this is the perfect "normal" day for me...my real "perfect" day would involve the beach, a Mocha Latte, and Matthew McConaughy!  (hee hee)

6:00 am:  Wake up just before hubby, make coffee and breakfast, make his lunch, sit down with the Bible before he comes downstairs.

6:30:  Drink coffee and visit with hubby while he eats his breakfast, see him off to work

6:50:  Spend a little more time in the Bible and pray for the day

7:15:  Put a loaf of banana bread in the oven

7:30:  Make my bed, get dressed, brush my hair, put a little makeup on; kids wake up and make their beds, get dressed, and straighten their rooms

7:45:  Check kids' chores, change/dress babies, morning Bible time with kids

8:15:  Make scrambled eggs and fruit salad

8:30:  Slice that delicious freshly baked banana bread and eat breakfast with the kids

9:00:  Clean up breakfast and unload dishwasher from last night, re-load dishwasher, wipe down table and counters; kid's brush teeth, wash faces, and do their one special morning chore

9:30:  My 7th grader has started his independent schoolwork; Guided educational activities with the little ones

10:00:  Morning nap for the babies; continue schooling

11:00:  Snack time/short educational video; clean up morning school mess

11:30:  Play time for little ones, free time for 7th grader, computer time for Mom

12:30:  Change babies, prepare lunch, set table, dinner prep

1:00:  Eat/clean up lunch

1:30:  Read aloud (whatever book we are currently reading)

2:00:  Naptime for kids; 7th grader works on family newsletter or art project; I delve into a creative project (knitting, sewing, organizing, scrapbooking, etc.)

And then this is where my daydream ended because the kids were literally trying to climb under the door to interrupt my quiet bubble bath...sigh...

It's fun to think about what the "perfect" homeschool day would look like with 5 kids...but in reality, most days are "fly by the wind". And I don't think that's so bad most of the time...

I saw a quote on Facebook today that said this: "Being a mother means knowing that regardless of whatever else you did or didn't do, you gave the world something beautiful."

So, my dream for this new year is to relish the moment...to not worry about creating the perfect day, but to focus on creating perfect relationships with my husband, my kids and other special people in my life.

So, what are your goals and dreams for 2013?

Squidoo Lenses by Me

I would say that I haven't been blogging much because we just made a giant move to another state (new, home, new job, new homeschool laws to figure out...).  More about that in another post...

But, to be perfectly honest, the main reason I've been absent is my recent discovery (and subsequent obsession) with Squidoo. 

Graphic courtesy of Greekgeek

Do you know about Squidoo?  It's kind of like blogging, but you create a single page on a topic and you can continue to build it over time.  You can also create several detailed pages about a broader topic and link them together.

It's fun and totally addicting!  Check out some of my lenses if you have time!

My Lensmaster Page

Healthy Homemade Granola Bars

Totally Free Recipe Books

Bigfoot Halloween Costumes

Best Baby Costumes

Stroller Costumes for Halloween

Bigfoot For Kids

Lilla Rose Videos

Christmas Countdown Planner

10 Funniest Songs For Kids

Lullaby Lyrics

Patriotic Lenses on Squidoo

Cutest Baby Shoes

If you love blogging, give Squidoo a try!  It's a great way to promote your blog, your business, and to create backlinks to improve your Google ranking.

ENJOY!

A Rich Man

"A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty."

-- Unknown

Blessings!

Brandi

Shouting Out

Here are a few of my favorite things that are happening online this week!

The Better Mom is a brand new blog that just launched today by an awesome mom of 4 named Ruth.  Head over to check out the long list of amazing contributors and enter the launch week giveaways!  Today's giveaway:  Ruth's Favorite Things!

Today on Mine For The Making, Kara featured me in her Sponsor Spotlight!  Head over and check it out!  And keep your eye out for a Lilla Rose giveaway on Kara's blog this week!

 

Homeschool Library Builder is my favorite stop for stocking up my homeschool shelves!  The site owners are so sweet and always include a personal note on my invoice...I love that!  Their bin sale, going on right now, is a must-see.  I always raid the $1 and $2 bins and come away with some real treasures!  If you link to them from your website, you receive 75 book points (worth $3) in your account.  If you head over, would you kindly put my name (Brandi Bush) in the referral section so I can get some points toward my book purchase?  Thanks!

 I am a new sponsor over at Key Lime Digital Designs.  Kendra has some great tips for blogging and does gorgeous custom blog design.  Check out her Blog in a Box ~ cute idea!  Kendra will be doing a complete overhaul on my blog in the very near future.

 

The New Home Ec is another blog that just launched today on Babble that I am really looking forward to!  One of the contributors is my favorite blogger, Ashley over at LilBlueBoo.  Her clothing designs are so adorable and her patterns are easy to follow...great for a beginning sewer like me!  Click here to see a dress I made from one of her tutorials (my daughter is the one in pink and green!).

Have fun browsing!

Blessings!
Brandi

CNN Hero: "Mother Robin"

Did you see this week's CNN Hero?

"Mother Robin" is a midwife in Indonesia, providing prenatal and postpartum care to some of the most impoverished women in the world.  A lot of these women would be unable to receive care if not for this midwife and her team. 

Did you know that in some hospitals in Indonesia a woman cannot take her baby home until her hospital bill is paid?  Sometimes, they wait outside for hours and hours until they can get in to feed or diaper their own baby.  This is heartbreaking!

It is an inspiring story of how one woman is making a difference...in a big way!  If you get a chance, head over and read it!

Blessings!

Brandi

Coming Home

It's been way too long, but I am returning to this blog.  I considered starting a new one, and even typed away somewhere else for a few months, but decided that I'm more comfortable coming back "home".  I am so excited to be back in writing mode.

I had a beautiful home birth (actually, it turned into a hotel birth...long story coming soon!) in April, adding a baby girl to our family.  I will have to update my sidebar soon with new pictures of the kids.  I can't believe how they have grown since I left!

I am looking forward to catching up on all the blogs I used to read and re-connecting with old friends.  I hope you haven't all given up on me!

It's so nice to be "home"!

Blessings!

Brandi

Seasons

I am finally coming out of a season of hibernation. I tend to "disappear" from this blog from time to time. I used to be embarrassed about that. I wish that I could be like those other bloggers who write interesting, witty posts every single day for months, or even years. But I've come to terms with the fact that I'm not like those bloggers and that's okay. I often suffer from "blogging burnout" and I have to separate from it for awhile.

For now, I'm back...although I don't know for sure how long that will last! My goal is to update at least once a week with things we are doing out here on the ridge and pictures of the kids for our families. We are quite busy and I have so many things to post about and so many pictures to show...

I'll never get caught up, but I'll just start fresh from where we are.

Jack turned 2 yesterday! Oh my...I remember posting about his birth and it seems like yesterday. Addy will be 4 in a week and a half and Benjamin will be 10 in a month. The baby is almost 5 months old already! Where does the time go?

We haven't sold our house yet. It was a very difficult winter out here and we didn't have many showings. They are starting to pick up now and I think it will happen sometime soon. We get tons of great feedback about the house. It's built with these beautiful hand-hewn beams that were salvaged from a 200+ year old barn in Virginia. But the property seems to be a bit "rustic" for most people. Our water comes from a spring and our road is dirt for a mile off the black top. We don't have air conditioning and we heat solely with a wood stove. We can't get high-speed internet and only one cell phone company works out here. It's actually quite amusing to watch "city folk" view our property. Even those that think they want a simpler lifestyle aren't quite ready when they see it in action. We keep praying for the right buyers to come along, but we know that God's timing is impeccable.

I'd still like to post my homebirth story, but just haven't had the time to write it all out. It was pretty amazing and I remember every detail. When the time comes, I'll get it on paper.

Speaking of selling the house, I have a showing at 5:30. I should be cleaning...

Blessings!

Brandi

Alive and Well...

Just wanted to let you all know that I am alive and well! I've had a bit of writer's block, but I'll start posting again soon...guess I just needed a bit of a break! I've been in blog-reading mode and have kept up with many of you, but I just haven't felt the "pull" to write. I do have many pictures to post and stories to tell, so stay tuned!

Blessings!

Brandi

Still around...

Well, I took a much longer hiatus from blogging than I planned! How fast the time flies! I just wanted to quickly let you all know that I'm still alive and will be posting regularly again in the next couple of days. I have a lot of catching up to do! Hope your 2009 has started out as wonderful as mine!

Blessings!
Brandi

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my blogger friends!

I pray that you will have a relaxing and wonder-filled day tomorrow, giving thanks to God for the endless blessings in your life. There is always something to be thankful for! May you always remember that every blessing in your life comes from the Almighty One!

Love to you all in Christs' name...

Brandi

Isn't this pretty?

I just received a Current catalog in the mail. I usually toss all the catalogs directly into the burn box because when I look through them I find all sort of unnecessary things that I want! It's better for me to not even know what's out there. But for some reason, I opened this one up and I found this:

Click on the picture for details.

This is the most beautiful nativity I've ever seen. Mary and Joseph alone with the baby Jesus...and Mary holding him in her arms. To me, this looks so much more "real" to me than seeing the baby Jesus laying in the manger with all of the shepherds and wise men surrounding him. Mary is a nurturing, loving mother who just can't bear to put her new baby down!

I want this, but it's a bit pricey. See? I knew I shouldn't have opened that catalog.

Blessings!
Brandi

Go Vote!

I try to stay away from politics on my blog. We get bombarded with it everywhere else, so I like to keep this a "politics-free" zone.

That being said, I won't impose my preferences on anyone. But I do want to encourage you to just go vote!

I just returned from my polling location. I'm lucky, I guess. I live in a very rural area and when I arrived at the elementary school at 10:00am, I was the only one there! I was in and out in 5 minutes. No problems with the machine, either. It was quite painless.

I know most of you are not in a situation like this. You might have to stand in line for awhile, get someone to watch your kids, or even take your kids with you! But this is such an important election for our country! Please, do whatever it takes to get your vote out there.

Stand on your beliefs, stand on the issues, pray for the outcome, and know that God is still in control! He, and He alone, will be placing the "chosen ones" in power today...no matter who they may be. The election may not turn out the way you think it "should", but God has a plan...whether we understand it or not.

GO VOTE!!!

A Big Makeover

I will soon be getting a new look! My blog, that is...

I am very excited as I have never liked the current header. It has just been filling space until I could figure out what I wanted and how to get it! I look forward to unveiling the new one sometime next week.

In the meantime, check out the artist who is designing it for me. She does beautiful watercolor "doodles" ~ although I'm sure you'll find that they are so much more than that! You can find her blog here and her Etsy store here.

She is also designing a button for me for Silent Sundays. It will be nice to have one that all of you can "steal" and add to your posts and maybe it will draw a little more participation! I want more blogs to visit on quiet Sunday afternoons! (Yes, I gave up on designing my own...I'm still a little too technologically-challenged for that!)

Thanks, Heather! Looking forward to seeing the finished products!

Back?

We are back home after a week at my in-laws home in PA. It was a nice, relaxing trip but I am happy to be back in my own domain! Our water is back up and running. We initially thought that we were dry because of a lack of rain, but when my husband inspected the problem further, he discovered a large crack in the concrete around the pipe that brings water into our cistern. The water was seeping back into the ground instead of collecting in the cistern. So, he patched it and it's so wonderful to have water again!

Although I'm thrilled to be back, I'm sad to say that my two little ones are now developing fevers and coughs. I know they have finally caught the same pneumonia virus that my oldest son and I battled for the last 6 weeks. I thought we were past the point of having to worry about them, but apparently I was wrong.

I'm taking them both to the doctor this morning. Please pray that the doctor will be able to give them something that will take care of this quickly and without complications. I'm so concerned about the baby especially...pneumonia is never good in such a little body.

I will update here when I get a chance. Thank you for continuing to visit me, even though I haven't been here much. I really love hearing from you and I crave your prayers for my family!

'Til next time...
Brandi

Going out of town...

Just when I was getting back to my blog, I now have to go out of town for a week. The underground spring that we use to pump water up to our house has run dry, something we didn't think would ever happen. So, I have no water...a dishwasher full of dirty dishes, a double sink full of dirty dishes, 2 loads of dirty laundry, and me and the kids haven't had showers in 48 hours...

The only option for us right now is to go spend at least the next week with my in-laws who live 4 hours north of us and pray for rain!

I will be running to the library a few times this week and will post as I get time. But, this means another delay for the "Going Organic" series...oh well, I'm not putting pressure on myself...I'll get it posted here eventually!

I hope you are all having a wonderful week and I'm looking forward to being here on a more regular basis again!

'Til next time...
Brandi

Tidbits

A big thank you to all of you who commented on my "Exhaustion" post this past week. I am feeling a little better after taking a few days off from some things I need to back off on. It was refreshing to know that I am not the only one and that we all feel this way at times!

For those of you who enjoyed my Free Homeschool Friday post last week, I've moved it over to Homeschool Hollow and you can find this week's here.

I found the most hilarious blog yesterday called: It's Lovely! I'll Take It! This blog is nothing but poorly chosen real estate listing pictures. I don't know why, but I love to keep up with the local real estate market and my hubby and I are always shaking our heads and laughing at some of the photos that agents choose to put in their listings. This blog highlights those and it's just downright funny!

I also found two excellent websites that I really enjoyed browsing: Homestead Originals and Vintage Remedies. Check them out if you get a chance. I added them both to my sidebar.

I'm working on a picture post about changes around our homeplace...hoping to have that up sometime this weekend. Can you believe that autumn is right around the corner? Didn't summer just begin? Wow, how did it fly by so fast?

School didn't start out so well for us this week. Benjamin has been "sick as a dog" (not sure why people say that) all week and is just now feeling better today. So, we're just scratching this week and starting fresh on Monday. No big deal when you homeschool! I like that kind of freedom...

And, I hope you'll join me Monday for another great book giveaway. I've really missed not having a giveaway this week and I'm excited about having a new one! I think you'll all like the book I've chosen!

Thanks for stopping by...I always enjoy seeing you here!

Heirloom Quilt

About 3 years ago, my mother-in-law came across a quilt pattern online. Each of the 12 blocks had a house decorated to represent one of the months. She said she was going to make it for me and I was so excited! It took her 2 1/2 years! She moved a couple of times which held her up a little. A lot of the stitching is by hand and she came up with a lot of the details herself. Amazingly, this was the first quilt she'd ever done! She didn't start with an easy one, that's for sure!

Here's the finished work of art:

Isn't it amazing? I have to say, though, that the photo does not do it justice.

I have it hanging beside my TV cabinet, so I look at it all the time. It's one of those things that you can look at a hundred times and still see details you hadn't seen before. The July block even has our last name stitched onto the mailbox!

This will be an heirloom that I pass down to my children and will hopefully remain in our family for generations to come!

'Til next time...

Brandi

Where are the pics?

I love posting photos on my blog and my last one was full of them! So why are there not many here? Well...

We have not been able to locate our digital camera in months. There is a chance that my 2 year old daughter hid it very well or threw it in the trash. In fact, this is a very high probability! I have been searching and searching but to no avail. Unfortunately, that means I now have to take pics with my ancient 35mm camera, have them developed, scan them into my computer, and then load them into my posts. This takes quite a bit more time, money, and gas than digital pics! Therefore, until I get a new digital camera...which will hopefully be soon...there will be few pics on here. However, there will be some from time to time to liven things up a bit. In fact, I hope to have some on here tomorrow of the two new additions to our family, so stay tuned!

In the mean time, here is a sample of my son's artwork. He wanted me to post it for his grandparents to see...

'Til next time...

Brandi

New Beginnings!

It's great to be back in blogland! It's been a year since we left, so we decided to begin a whole new blog as a reflection of our whole new life!

Welcome to any of you who found us through our old blog at HomeschoolBlogger! We had some great friends there and we're looking forward to getting back in touch with some of you! There have been a lot of changes in our life over the past year and we will write about them here.

It is hard to believe that Benjamin will be starting 3rd grade next month! I have been busy reviewing and organizing curriculum and I'm excited about the materials we will be using this year! I'll tell you a little more about them in a future post.

In my next post, I'll tell you about our journey over the last year and how we ended up here in the beautiful, quiet mountains of West Virginia!

'Til next time...

Brandi