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Book Review: “The Proximity Principle” by Ken Coleman
I love a good, quick read that offers insightful information or reminders of how we often complicate the simple things. As a person that has read and completed many of Dave Ramsey’s books, and courses and is a listener of his show, I have been able to see Ken Coleman become the person he is today. In The Proximity Principle, Ken offers three parts to focus on to get you to the career you love. They are people, places, and practices. He breaks down each aspect and gives simple steps to help an individual master the concept. I didn’t necessarily get this book to find the career I love. I…
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Summer
My kids got out of school last week and now it’s summer vacation. I anticipate every year when school will end and my kids will be home for the summer. I enjoy the warmer weather and seeing them play outside. I enjoy the moments in between farming when they will talk my husband and me into playing a game of badminton. Rainy days get to be spent in the house with all of us catching up on things like watching our favorite show with some popcorn, reading, or maybe just resting so we will be ready for the next phase of farming when the weather allows. The kiddos spend a…
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The Unexpected
Yesterday was a day when I thought I was going to the field to sit in the tractor to prepare the ground for the air seeder to plant. We knew there was a small chance of rain, but we did get enough that prevented me from going to the field. However, the day was not a total loss. I got some house cleaning and paperwork done. I also found some time in the morning to put a 100-piece puzzle together with my youngest daughter. There are days when the unexpected happens (rain in my situation) that prevents us from doing what we initially planned. But we should look back at…
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Farewell sugar. Hello, green smoothies!
So, my most recent health diagnosis is drumroll please, Lyme disease. Yep, chronic Lyme seems to be the underlying cause of my past and continued health issues. COVID just happened to have pushed my immune system over the top and the underlying Lyme made itself very known. In some ways, I’m happy about the diagnosis. It explains a lot. In other ways, I am disappointed. From what I understand, Lyme never goes away. The best hope is to get it under control and the immune system working at peak performance to keep the symptoms at bay. Supporting the immune system involves optimizing sleep, reducing stress, supporting detoxification, and feeding the…
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Saturday Morning Cartoons Replacement: Time with Jesus
I grew up in the 80s, the heyday of Saturday morning cartoons. Bugs Bunny, Road Runner, and Elmer Fudd, to name a few. I’ll be honest in saying I’m not even sure if kids watch Saturday morning cartoons anymore. Cable TV is a thing of the past, and on demand, television provides access to their favorites at all times. They don’t need to wait for Saturday morning to come. In the years I raised my kids, Saturday morning cartoons were still a thing. I remember using their distraction as a time to catch up on household chores, sit a read a book, or plan for the week. Now, my kids…
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Finding Me–As a Homeschool Mom
A few days ago, I wrote about our decision to homeschool and the blessings that we have found. Today I want to touch on how in some ways I have found myself. Sounds strange that at almost 50, I am proclaiming to have found myself, as you may ask, what I have been doing for my whole life. However, I am reminded that we are always a work in progress and sometimes it just takes a little longer. I have had days in the past year that, between work fatigue, homeschool fatigue, mom fatigue, and wife fatigue, I just shed a few tears. I wonder why God laid it on…
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Journey of a New Homeschool Mom
I thought writing this post seemed appropriate as we are nearing the end of a school year. I took the plunge to be a homeschool mom this year! What a decision, what a blessing and what a life changer for me. In this post, I will touch on how I got here and some of the blessings; and in our next post, I will share how it has changed me. The decision to homeschool actually was a long time in the making and a one I wish we would have done sooner. If I was true to myself, it is something that I have always wanted to do. There is…
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Patience
Patience is defined as the ability to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting upset. I think we all have different amounts of patience. Some of us have a lot, and some of us, not so much. It also may depend on the situation at hand and the degree of patience. As a farmer, we need to have a lot of patience. We rely on the weather constantly and many other things as well. For instance, the weather we have had this April and into the first part of May has been extremely challenging, especially for those calving. The verse I like to think of is James 5:7…
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Life isn’t Fair!
How many times have we heard that, or we have said that to our children? I have often thought that in various situations, life isn’t fair, and that’s not quite the way life should be viewed. Remember our Bible stories about how God created each and every one of us uniquely. So our situations in life are different from one another and unique. All of us have different approaches to how we do and process life. God has a unique and different journey for each of our lives. God is merciful and has given us all a chance for eternity in heaven if we just believe and accept him. So…
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When you can’t finish well. Crashing into the end zone.
Last year about this time, I wrote a post on finishing well. As a college professor, the dawning of May always brings thoughts of finishing well. I must admit that I am unable to finish well this year. Trust me, I have every desire to finish well. Unfortunately, my body isn’t letting me. I mentioned in an earlier post about my post COVID struggle. We are still investigating its roots, but one truth remains: I cannot function at 100%. I am attempting to complete the semester requirements as best I can, letting much of the household tasks wait, and have completely abandoned all my extras. My post from last year…
