The Big White Farmhouse

I’d been struggling for weeks.  I would start the day strong, but without fail, the cloud would envelope me by day’s end.  I felt frustrated, unsettled and generally overwhelmed with life.   As someone who chose “thrive” as her word for 2015, I couldn’t get past the thought that I was living a life so far from that goal.  The failure felt debilitating.

Sunday rolled around and we enjoyed a relatively painless Mass with the kids.  Mark, who can sometimes read me better than I read myself, suggested a two-fold surprise: I would drop him and the four oldest at the movies (which is usually a twice a year event in our house because…$$$) and I could take TJ for two hours of leisurely browsing at Target.  


Mark saw what I desperately needed and pushed me in that direction.  And let me tell you: those two hours alone were a game changer for me.  As I strolled aisle to aisle, picking up unexciting items like paper towels and crayons, I found myself calming down.  With my baby asleep in the stroller, my mind turned over and over the question: “What would a calm, thriving life look like?”

Feeling inspired, I bought myself an inexpensive pink spiral notebook from the school supply section. TJ and I went drove over to the movie theater and while he enjoyed a snack of puffs, I started writing.  It was like the floodgates had opened.  The answers came even faster than I could write.  By the time Mark and the kids returned to the van, I felt more like myself and ready to tackle my life in order to get closer to that goal.  Who knew two hours in Target would give me so much clarity?  


I’ve added my bullet list below. 

What does a calm, thriving life look like?

• A strong marriage – Mark and I on the same page
• Kids who generally get along and really play and use their energy
• Significantly less screen time for everyone
• Less clutter and more respect for what we already have
• Spending money wisely and living within (or below) our means
• Work that is meaningful and fires us up vs. drags us down
• Prioritizing family and time together
• Being outdoors, exercising, being active
• Prioritizing learning, discovering, curiosity
• Time for me to recharge with alone time
• Using our individual gifts (What is my gift?)
• Prioritizing experiences, not “stuff”
• Creating a welcoming home to open to others
• Having a firm commitment to growing in holiness  

I still don’t have all of the answers, but this is a step in the right direction.  What would a calm, thriving life look like to you?

 A collection of our ordinary days, recorded every week.  At the end of the year, I’ll publish them into a keepsake to treasure.

Around here, I have been:

flying solo as Mark has been gone on a business trip for an entire week.  I was nervous about handling five kids on my own, but am happy to say that the week has gone better than I expected!  We kept our days full of fun things, made lots of crafts, watched a few new movies and even survived Mass on Sunday!  

eating tomatoes pulled fresh from “the garden” (not sure you can call my two containers a garden, but I’m going with it).  Does this excitement ever get old?  We look forward to watering them every morning and seeing what has ripened the night before.

reading Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives

loving J’s help in the kitchen as he unloads the dishwasher for me.  He can’t reach the upper cabinets so instead makes sculpture-like creations on the counter with all of our dishes and glassware.  Hilarious and a little nerve-wracking, but nothing broken yet!

feeling honored to be a contributor for a beautiful new community: Nourish Motherhood.  I wrote “Running Makes Me a Better Mom” and can’t wait to create another article for them soon!

purging my closet on a whim.  I’m still very much in the “getting back to normal” phase of post-pregnancy and looking in my closet always leaves me frustrated.  So like a mad woman on a mission, I took every single item out and started over.  All the smallest sized items I’ve been holding onto for about seven years?  Gone.  All those clothes I’ve been keeping because I’m just not sure?  Gone.  I even went so far as to box up all of the clothing one size down from what I currently am.  If and when I reach that goal, I’ll return them to their hangers.  But for now, I am relieved to go into my closet and only see things that I know will fit and I feel comfortable in.


baking all things peach.  We had a case to use up this week, so Pinterest has been in heavy use as we found recipes that matched with ingredients we had in the house.  

visiting family on a quick overnight trip.  The kids loved swimming in the pool and I laughed until I cried with my parents and my siblings.  So thankful for them.

celebrating a successful Summer Sale for Big White Farmhouse.  We also had a successful giveaway on our Instagram account.  Now to gear up and start preparing for fall and Christmas!  
(P.S. In case you’re interested, our sale ends tonight at midnight!  Save 20% on the entire shop with the coupon code: SUMMERSALE20)