April. Such a full month in so many ways.
Building Spiritual Life
I read Colossians, Galatians and Ephesians this month and began the book of Luke. We had revival services at our church, and I learned a lot. It felt like the songs and sermons were just for me. I feel like I grew spiritually through the influence of the evangelists.
Building Relationships
We are slowly perfecting the art of all of us being home together. We are enjoying it in impromptu walks to the park, eating most meals together and switching off with schooling when Dad and Mom are home at the same time. We were even able to have my parents over for breakfast one weekday morning!
April is a big birthday month in our family. My daughter turned 14 this month! We also had 4 other family birthdays in April, complete with parties for most of them. We were able to visit Jeff’s family for a cookout as well.
I was honored to attend the wedding of a couple from our church and play for the ceremony. Weddings are always so special, and newlyweds make me smile!
Building Health
I made some baby steps towards better nutrition and exercise this month. I hope to do more once school is over and summer is upon us. It’s so much more fun to exercise outside!
Building Soul and Spirit
With all of our schedule changes lately, I’ve done more scanning than reading. I did read a few books I enjoyed and found helpful this month:
Money Making Mom (Crystal Paine)
This book was very inspiring, particularly in our current situation. It got my creative juices going, and I’ve been slowly venturing out. I love how Crystal places an emphasis on our duty to our family first without negating the influence women can have on the family income at the same time. If you are interested in starting your own business or working from home, this would be one of the first books I would recommend.
Daily Rituals:How Artists Work (compiled by Mason Currey)
I love making schedules even more than I do implementing them! So, this book was right down my alley. It is a compilation of some of the best writers, composers, artists and film makers of the last 400 years and their daily schedules and rituals. They range from the mediocre to the bizarre.
I felt a little better about my struggle with implementing my schedules when I read this quote about Benjamin Franklin: “the demands of his printing business meant he couldn’t always follow the exacting daily timetable that he set for himself.”
One of the more inspiring ones was Frances Trollope (mother of Anthony Trollope): “She did not begin to write until the age of fifty-three, and then only because she desperately needed money to support her six children and ailing husband. In order to squeeze the necessary writing time out of her day while still acting as the primary caregiver to her family, Mrs. Trollope sat down at her desk each day at 4:00 A.M. and completed her writing in time to serve breakfast.”
My children do not want me to take up the habit of Jane Austen although I thought it was a grand idea (pun intended): “Austen rose early, before the other women were up, and played the piano.”
Healthy at Home (Tieranona Low Dog, M.D.)
This is the book I’ve always wanted when it comes to health care for my family. Dr. Low Dog grew up with a Native American grandmother who taught her herbal remedies. She is also a medical doctor, so she has a balanced view of medicine. The book is a collection of herbal remedies and basic how-tos for the average mother like me. It tells when things can be taken care of at home and when a doctor’s care is necessary. It is so practical and would have saved me a lot of trial and error over the last 14 years with my kids!
I spent time practicing piano this month as well as writing. I tried to redesign the blog a little bit with the excellent help of a new friend.
Building Home/Career/Ministry
We are almost two month in to what I’ve dubbed Our Great Adventure. For the first time in 17 years, our whole family is working from home! We are having the time of our lives, but in a roller coaster kind of way. This is something we’ve dreamed about, but we would never have been brave enough to try if we hadn’t been forced into finding new income streams.
I’ve branched out in my writing and finally organized a piano class I planned back in 2011. I’m enjoying doing virtual assistant work for my old boss, all while homeschooling and helping my husband as I can in building our family business again.
We are on the home stretch for finishing school for the year. The beautiful weather finds us doing school at the park and in other unusual places:
Unexpected Building Blocks
Each day is a little unexpected right now. Our schedule feels a bit like a Yahtzee game—we shake it every morning and we’re not sure what is going to come out. However, we know that God is good and He’s taking excellent care of us!
How did your April go? I’m ready for building new things in May!