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FIVE THINGS I LOVED
- putting the garden to bed for the season
- monthly sushi and prayer group dates with my husband
- the beginning of birthday season for our family
- the A/C off and windows open
- slowly starting to feel like myself again
THREE LESSONS I LEARNED
- The older I get, the less I know. // Ahh, remember those teenage years and 20’s where we basked in our confidence and knew just about everything? Fast forward to today: I’m almost to 40 and now can’t get over how vast the world is and how much I still don’t know! So much to learn and research and figure out.
- Too much of a good thing is a bad thing. // At least when we’re talking about cortisol! “There is very good scientific and medical evidence to show that chronically elevated cortisol levels are associated with obesity, hypertension, diabetes, fatigue, depression, moodiness, irregular menstrual periods, decreased sex drive, and Alzheimer’s disease.” – The Cortisol Connection: Why Stress Makes You Fat and Ruins Your Health And What You Can Do About It, p.46
- Teaching children self-control is important. // “These researchers concluded, ‘Childhood of self-control strongly predicts adult success, in people of high or low intelligence, in rich or poor, and does so throughout the entire population, with a step change in health, wealth, and social success at every level of self-control.'” – The Collapse of Parenting: How We Hurt Our Kids When We Treat Them Like Grown-Ups, p.123
TWO “LITTLE PEOPLE” WE SUPPORTED
- Farm goods from a farmer friend
- Books from the local used bookstore
FIVE GOALS FOR SEPTEMBER REVIEWED
- ✔
Try to publish a blog post at least every Monday.// 2023 has been a terrible year for me and consistency. Here’s hoping this routine becomes a regular habit again. I don’t feel like I have anything interesting to write, but I’m trying. - Vacuum out the cars. // I definitely procrastinated with this goal! I’ll probably ask one of my kids to do this for me this week.
- ✔
Transition Sammy to adult dog food.// Done! Thankfully, it was a super easy process. - Prep winter pig paddocks with woodchips and housing. // Oof. This project is nowhere close to being completed! We’ve purchased all of the materials, but need to start construction.
- ✔
Plan out fall birthday presents/plans and start thinking about Christmas.// Done! Feeling a lot more confident and peaceful about what’s coming up.
FIVE GOALS FOR OCTOBER
- Stock up on vitamins, medicines, and tissues for winter.
- Finish building the permanent pig paddocks.
- Return to the habit of making homemade bread.
- Take our own family pictures.
- Create a junk journal.
Help me transition away from “traditional” blogging income streams while still keeping the lights on at the BWF!
I feel the same way! The older I get, the more I realize how much I don’t know.
With age comes wisdom and a good dose of humility, I think!
What is a junk journal?
I’m still really new to this, but I think a “junk journal” is basically a homemade journal created by using things that people would normally throw away: old book pages, paper bags, envelopes from the mail, etc. I just recently learned about them and want to try to make one myself! I’ll be sure to report back.
Monthly sushi + prayer date sounds great. The quote on self-control is interesting and aligned with what I have read from other sources. I hope you keep blogging even if you feel there is nothing to say!
I can’t thank you enough for the encouragement, Laura!
Girl, I am with you! I am loving having the A/C off and our windows open. It’s so fresh and it feels like it brings the outside in.
I am glad to hear you are slowly starting to feel like yourself again. I’m sorry you’ve had a rough season. I identify so much with that.
This:
“The older I get, the less I know.”
Gosh, yes.
I felt so confident as a young mom, but now that I’m the mom of teenagers and am trying to figure out a career, I feel like I am just making it all up as I go! Hah!
So I also find it difficult to clean out/vacuum the car. Because of this, it’s my go-to punishment when my boys are in trouble. Then I don’t have to ground them (and live with them grounded-haha!) and they can help me out!
I am also looking forward to more homemade bread and tortillas this fall and winter. It makes me less sad about summer being over.
I will be looking forward to hearing about the vitamins and medicines you plan to stock up on for winter. With four kids in school and a teacher for a husband, we are constantly drowning in germs.
I may have to steal your punishment idea, ha! Smart.