A Heart Check

As this stack of books on my kitchen counter grew taller this weekend, I found myself getting more and more frustrated. ⁣

⁣ Each book and each page is a small gathering of the work we have accomplished in our homeschool this year.

Because we partner with a charter school we have to be in compliance with the paperwork required by the State. So six times a year I page through each of my kids’ books and select a sample of their work. I add their name and date to the top right corner. I give them a grade. Then I scan and upload the files for our teacher.

And then I repeat for each subject.

And each child.

I was frustrated because every year it feels like the requirements only grow. This year I’ve had to provide weekly attendance records as well as a digital grade book in addition to samples of work. ⁣ My resentment grew with the size of the stack of books on my kitchen counter. They were a physical reminder of how many hours of administrative work were ahead of me. ⁣ I was about halfway through scanning pages when I paused to check my heart.

Here I was grumbling about something that should be a loving act of service - brushing dangerously close to “I have to do,” instead of “I get to do.” ⁣ How many times do I view something that should be a blessing as a burden instead? A sink full of dirty dishes means everyone was home for a meal together. A basket full of laundry to put away means I have kids who have time to play outside and get dirty. A loud minivan on the way home from the beach means we have freedom and flexibility to spend our days how we like.

Heart check and mindset shift: “I get to do.”

Even on the days I feel like I’m drowning in paperwork, or on the days when I feel like I’m a taxi driver shuttling kids from here to there, or on the nights I’m interrupted long after bedtime.

Heart check.This is what “I get to do”. I get to be the one who is the hands and feet of Jesus. serving my family in love. This was my heart check and mindset shift this week.⁣ ⁣ What is one thing you “get to do” for your family today?

April Mix

Something else that brings peace to my home? My diffuser. I know I sound like a broken record, but smell is our only sense that activates the limbic system, which is the part of our brain that controls our emotions. When it comes to picking what to diffuse, I tend to find a combination that I love and then shamelessly fill my diffuser with the same thing for basically the entire month. Kind of like a good playlist. You too? Then this is the only recipe mix (see what I did there?) you need this month. It smells just like the Blue Volcano Candle from Anthropologie.

If you find yourself using this one multiple times this month (because it is so good), you may want to make a diffuser refill.

Diffuser Refills are so easy to make. To make your own, take your current favorite diffuser blend recipe - and then quadruple it into a 1oz dropper bottle. Then, when you are filling up your diffuser, you don’t have to combine multiple oils - you just put in your desired number of drops.

Snippet of my week

I decided to switch math curriculums for first grade because both of my youngest ones had finished the first grade curriculum. Deciding which curriculum to use is overwhelming to me, so I was proud of myself for tackling it head on and picking something that was better suited to both of my first graders. I decided to switch to Singapore Primary 2022 and I also decided to place the two of them in different levels. It’s been going really well so far, and even though it gives them more “homework”, they have both really been proud that they are able to do engaging math work alone. It’s been a good switch for us!

Thanks for reading! What is one thing you “get to do” for your family today? I would love to read about it! (When you hit reply, your message goes directly to my email. It’s a private conversation between just us.) I read all your messages and try to respond, but not always in a timely manner. Sorry! And if you enjoyed this email, you’d be doing me a favor by forwarding it to someone else who might like it.