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Stress Check

How are you doing? How are your stress levels? Take the time to do an honest evaluation of how you’re feeling physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Write about it. Note whether you feel the need to make changes. It’s not too late to take a deep breath and pivot if you need to.

Self Care:

Rest:

Needs of Others

The needs of others are different than the requests of others. Requests look like invitations to dinners, expectations that you show up for certain events, that you participate in a gift exchange, etc. Today isn’t about requests. It’s about the basic needs of others—water, food, shelter, love.

Are there people in your life who are in need? Do you know of anyone who needs meals, extra help, or extra support? This can be someone you know personally or through an organization, church, or charity. Look around to see what basic needs of others need met. Write about what you can do to help and come up with a plan of action.

Self Care:

Rest:

External Appearances

Do you care about what others think of you? Do you decorate for your family or for others? Do you do it out of love and celebration or does it sometimes feel like obligation and drudgery?

Societal pressures encourage us to make our home look like a photo from a home magazine. What can you do keep these types of pressures at bay? How can you bring the focus from what your home LOOKS like to what your home FEELS like? What can you do to stay true to your family’s values and goals instead of picture perfect ideals?

Self Care:

Rest:

Healthy Boundaries

Take a look at yesterday’s list. Knowing that you can’t control others (their actions, opinions, or requests) but you CAN control your own…what can you do to set healthy boundaries with your family around holiday time?

What do you need to do for you and your immediate family to enjoy the holidays? Does that look like staying home? Celebrating on a different day? Switching up traditions to make way for modern needs in the chapter of life you’re in? What do you suspect their reactions will be to changes or new boundaries?

Now take a deep breath. You cannot control the reactions of others, nor do you need to take them on. What steps do you need to take to hold those boundaries and let go of others’ reactions?

Self Care:

Rest:

Extended Family

Oh, family…this is a tricky topic because every family looks different. Some families get along great, others have tension. Some are toxic and others are entertaining. Challenges can arise when a family has the expectation that because we are family, that means we are all the same. The truth is, while traditions are important and bonds can be strong, families are made up of individuals and none of us are 100% alike.

Even if our family is balanced during the rest of the year, major holidays, traditions, and rituals can cause upset if the expectations surrounding them are not met.

What does your extended family expect of you during the holidays? Write it down.

Now write about how you feel about these expectations. Do you feel they are too much? Too little? Do they drive you crazy? Do you wish it looked different? Write it out. Be honest. And if it’s something that needs to be addressed, start to come up with a plan to address it.

* On the flip side, do YOU have expectations of your extended family? What are they? Do they meet them? Are they fair? Give it some thought and write it out.

Self Care:

Rest:

Influence on our Children

Expanding on yesterday, how much of your children’s expectation are influenced by advertisement? Peer pressure? Tradition?
Do these have more effect than your influence as the parent? Do you feel these too influential? Do you see positive effects from advertisements and shows? Do you see negative effects? List specifics, including how you feel about your answers.

Self Care:

Rest:

Training Our Children

We train our children’s expectations for everything—from gifts to get togethers to what breakfast is going to look like.

Today we’re looking at our influence on our children. What expectations are you modeling for your children this month? Take a look at your child’s expectations for this month. What do they expect this month? How much of that is your influence? Are you teaching your children to expect perfection or to let go of perfection? Write about it.

Self Care:

Rest:

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“I’m sorry, the Auldridge Ohana can’t take y “I’m sorry, the Auldridge Ohana can’t take your call right now. Leave a message at the tone if you want, but also know we won’t be available for the next month. Maybe more. We like adventures and we’ve gone to find some.” *beep*
Day 6 of our “official” new homeschool year an Day 6 of our “official” new homeschool year and we pressed pause on everything to start Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park on the front porch while holding cats, petting dogs, and soaking up the last of the summer sunshine. ☀️🍁🥹☕️

This is the life. 🩵 Truly, truly. There is nothing else I’d rather be doing than reading Jane Austen with my kids in the sunshine when the moment strikes them. 

10/10 recommend this Usbourne introduction to Jane Austen. It’s captivating and beautiful!
Is anyone else reading this book right now? 🫁 O Is anyone else reading this book right now? 🫁 Or have you read it? 🤔

There’s a lot to unpack in this book! 👀 Let’s talk about it! Spoiler alerts and stories about how you have applied it to your life are welcome in the comments👇🏼 

This was gifted to me by @birthuprising 🥰 It’s book club worthy for sure!
Our first baby Holland Lops are available 🥰 The Our first baby Holland Lops are available 🥰 They are adorable beyond all reason & ready for their new homes. If you’re in North Idaho and interested in a 4-H project or a snuggly pet, send me a DM! 

@honeybunnyfarm 🐇
This is absolutely, without a doubt, my favorite t This is absolutely, without a doubt, my favorite thrift store find ever. 😍 Our entire family is obsessed with books. Our house is designed around our books. And one thing we need more of (other than bookshelves 😂) are book ends!

Wait until you see the thrift treasures my homemaker friends are posting about today, too. 🤩 (See tags below) 

What is the best thing you ever thrifted? 

For more fave second-hand items, check out my friends along with our hashtag #homemakerscircle 

@lifeonhomegrownhaven
@crazyw8farm
@allyson.boop
@homestead_education
@foremeandmyhouse
@iamkristib
@loribethauldridge
@theprairiewife
What a summer of simple joys and beautiful days wi What a summer of simple joys and beautiful days with my children! 🥰 

Lord, open my eyes so that I can take in the joy that is meant for me in this beautiful life. Help me and my family to continue to keep our eyes open as we enter into the new homeschool year. Draw us closer to each other and closer to you. Amen. 

Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. Psalm 119:18

Blessings on your new homeschool year! 🙏🏼😘
A rainy summer day at home Sleeping in, not sure A rainy summer day at home

Sleeping in, not sure if by accident or on purpose
Coffee with my best friend
Our toddler requested banana bread
So I made some
The rain became more steady
So we made tea
And opened our poetry book
One poem was so beautiful, I cried
Wide eyes asking questions 
Then laughing at the next poem
I love these days, my children, and poetry
A little school
And a lot of home
I treasure our time together
I stare wide eyed back at them
The seasons are shifting
And so are we. 

#homeschoollife #homeschooldreams #homeschoolpoetry #teachingpoetry #rainydays #elevatingmotherhood
There’s only two things that money can’t buy a There’s only two things that money can’t buy and that’s true love and homegrown tomatoes! 🍅 

Those three humble cherry tomatoes are from my garden and the heirloom tomatoes are from the store 😂 (But my tiny tomatoes definitely tasted better than store-bought ones! Motivation to grow more next year!) I didn’t have enough for my caprese sourdough bread so I combined the two 🙂

👩🏻‍🍳LB Style Recipe:

Sourdough pizza crust can just be a regular sourdough bread recipe but add garlic, oregano, basil, and olive oil. 1 loaf is 2 crusts. 

Put your halved dough in a pan and cook it hot (450-500) for about 8 minutes to cook the crust partway. 

Take it out, add your toppings, & put it back in the oven until it’s done enough for you and your family. 😂

For this dish, I loosely followed @halfbakedharvest recipe for caprese garlic bread with crispy prosciutto. I subbed salami for prosciutto because that’s what I had on hand and I cooked everything instead of keeping it cold on top. 

That’s my favorite way to cook…read other recipes for reference, see what I have on hand, and make adjustments. The only thing I actually follow a written recipe for is baking 😉 

Now’s a great time to dive into your garden and grab basil and tomatoes! For more great tomato recipes (and recipes with details 😂) check out my friends along with our hashtag #homemakerscircle

@lifeonhomegrownhaven
@iamkristib
@homestead_education
@allyson.boop
@loribethauldridge
Today was a ✨perfect✨ homeschool day Not bec Today was a ✨perfect✨ homeschool day 

Not because I was the perfect teacher or they sat perfectly still in their seats and got 100% in their workbooks…

It was perfect because we were together and learning and enjoying one another. Comfortable and content at home. 🥰

It was perfect because I got to be the one they ran to when they found a giant peacock moth caterpillar, the little one shouting, “Mom! Come here! It’s a calerpitter emergency! Tell us what it is!” 🥹

It was perfectly natural and relaxed, despite poopy diapers, ill-timed giggles, misplaced supplies, squirming in seats, daydreaming, chatting about everything, and any other occurrence I could have called “annoying” or an “interruption.” It was perfect all the same. 🥹

#hereforit #elevatingmotherhood #elevatinghomeschool #homeschooldays #homeschoolday #perfecthomeschoolday #adjustedexpectations

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