The Big White Farmhouse | intentional living, little by little

January 20, 2016

{five favorites} Vol.09: Five (kind-of crazy) Ways I’m Trying to Get in 10,000 Steps

Welcome to the Five Favorites linkup!

A reminder about a new twist I’m adding to the linkup this year: At the end of each month, I’ll be giving away a prize pack to one #5Faves participant! Here’s how it works: every time you link up a blog post, it counts as one entry. So if you link up a post every week, you’d get four entries. I’ll keep track throughout the month and then randomly pick a winner on February 1.

Like almost everyone, I’ve been trying to get back to healthy habits this month. And like most everyone, I’ve been struggling. It’s cold outside and all I want to do is stay on the couch with copious amounts of coffee and books! I’ve decided that for long-term success, I need to start with the basics: less sugar, more water and movement. I’ve been working back up to 10,000 steps a day and since we don’t leave the house much, I’ve been coming up with some crazy ways to get it in. Here are five things that are working for me right now:

1 // Dance Parties. The kids always want to be in the kitchen with me. On a typical evening, you’ll find at least two chairs pulled up the counter, with curious little people asking questions and touching ingredients. To avoid all the “help”, I’ve started playing music while I make dinner and encouraging them to show me their moves instead. It gets everyone moving (me included!) and also lets me cook in peace!

2 // Be Inefficient. As someone who prides herself in efficiency, this one took a little practice. Instead of carrying huge armfuls of clothes to put away, I take one small pile at a time. As I unload the dishwasher, I put dishes away one by one instead of grouping like items. It’s seems ridiculous, but it doesn’t take that much more time.

3 // Pace & Pray. I’ve been trying to devote more time to prayer, but my brain always seems to be going nonstop and I’m easily distracted. Pacing seems to be beneficial in two ways: I’m getting more steps and the movement seems to help me concentrate. Who knew?

4 // 5 Minute Power Pickup. About three times a day, I rally the kids and we set the timer for a 5 Minute Power Pickup. We run around the house, picking up toys and putting things back in place. It’s a great way to get your heart pumping and have a semi-picked up house in the process.

5 // Use the Stairs. I’m guilty of asking the kids or Mark to get me an item, just so I don’t have to go up or down the stairs. Lately, I’ve been sucking it up for the sake of the steps. Just got into bed, but need a glass of water? Down I go. Need more diapers for TJ? Up the stairs I run.

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I’d love to hear about five of your favorite things too! Need some ideas? Here are a few to get you started:

+ Share five things you are thankful for this month.

+ Show us five of your favorite corners in your home.

+ What are five of your new baby must-haves?

An InLinkz Link-up

January 15, 2016

{around here} Week 2/52: Week of 1.11.16

A collection of our ordinary days, recorded every week.

Around here, I have been:

taking care of sick kids. The little three have gone down one after the other with high fevers and barking coughs. We’ve been spending a lot of time on the couch reading and watching Octonauts (Sophie’s favorite) and Wild Kratts (J’s favorite).

celebrating Big White Farmhouse’s second birthday!

remembering a little date Sophie and I had last weekend. We went, just the two of us, to Home Goods and she was just the sweetest thing. She never stopped talking: “This is cute, mama…Look! A pink basket, mama….Daddy would like that coffee mug, mama…” and on and on. We shared a candy treat on the way home. It was so special to have that time with her.

reading The Temperament God Gave You and Big Magic for book club.

wanting to remember how the kids wrap themselves in blankets and then lay over the floor grates as the heat turns on in the mornings.

finding Sophia in my makeup: “It’s okay, Mama. I look beautiful. I like this makeup.”

watching Making a Murderer after bedtime while putting together a puzzle.

bringing dinner to a family from church after the birth of their first baby. We made them a Mexican fajita bar with all the fixin’s. We also gifted them one of Laura’s gorgeous blankets!

working on a few home projects: sprucing up the parlor (a WMP post to come!), a DIY coat rack for the laundry room and art for the master bedroom. Decorating always goes so slowly around here, as my BIG visions wait for my small budget to catch up. So satisfying to see a few of my ideas finally come to life.

starting homeschool co-op again after a month off for break. The big boys are excited to get back to their friends and classes.

homeschool notes:
+ D flew through Level 1 of his reading curriculum, so we ordered and started Level 2. He often doubts his ability, so I love to see the surprise and pride in his eyes when something proves easier than he thought.
+ In history, we are starting a new unit on Vikings. The kids have been acting out the stories and pretending to be Leif Erikson. Hoping to add a few crafts to the mix next week.

January 14, 2016

{BWF} Celebrating our Second Birthday at Big White Farmhouse

Today Big White Farmhouse turned two. Two!

What a whirlwind. Starting from a little bitty dream between cousins, we’re ever so slowly finding our footing in this online small business world and are so proud of what we’ve created so far! I can’t wait to see where 2016 takes us. For the past two weeks, I’ve been doing a lot of work behind the scenes, attempting to make your shopping experience even better. Here are just a few new additions to the site:

One of the complaints we had about our site was the amount of clicks it took to get to the actual shopping pages. No more! Everything you need is right at the top, with pull-downs and sub-categories to boot! Now you can either browse through the rooms at your leisure or click to the exact page you need.

At the bottom of the page, we’ve now included our social media handles (we’d love to connect with you!) as well as a search bar. Our less important pages (Our Story, Policies and Blog) are all located down here too.

We are celebrating our big day with five days of birthday deals! See the graphic below and be sure to follow us on Facebook or Instagram, where we’ll be sharing the day’s specific information and/or coupon codes.

Thank you so much for following along and supporting this big dream of ours!

January 13, 2016

{five favorites} Vol.08: Baby Blankets, Temperaments & Apple Pie Shortbread

Welcome to the Five Favorites linkup!

On to the favorites this week:

{1}

Dancing Deer Baking Co. Apple Pie Rounds

Sophia and I took a special trip to Home Goods last weekend and both got a treat for the drive home. This was my pick and I thought they were delicious. Yummy with a cup of coffee too.

{2}

The Temperament God Gave You
My friend recommended this book while at her house for a playdate and even let me borrow her copy. I’m flying through it and find it fascinating! I’m still trying to figure out what I am: I’m definitely driven and a goal-setter like a choleric, but also reserved, dependable and conflict-avoiding like a phlegmatic. Is that even possible?

{3}
Amazon’s 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime
You know how much I love a list! I’ve only read 19, how about you? Any favorites or recommendations?

{4}

Baby Blankets from Cotton & May
Do you read Laura’s blog, A Spoonful of Joy? She just started an etsy shop, making baby blankets. Aren’t her fabric choices awesome? I snagged the top blanket with the boats for a friend from Mark’s men’s group who just had their first baby. I’m sure it will be a blanket they’ll be able to use for years and years.

{5}