One Little Step At A Time {Including God in our Day}

So in the need to be completely honest … I want to share with you one thing that I am struggling with right now.

It really isn't easy to say but I am sure I am not the only who struggles with this.

So here goes …

We are a Christian family who believes in God but … I struggle with showing my kids what it looks like to live in a Christian home.

We don't pray out loud.

My kids don't see me reading the Bible.

Since Hudson was born, I have struggled going to church.

My husband and I don't pray together.

And the reason this is all really bothering me now is that I just came to the realization that the Bigs only have about 5 more years at home before they go to college and are probably out of the house.

I don't want them to start their own lives and their own families without God at the center of it all and unfortunately I haven't been a good example to them.

 

 So to gain a little help and a little perspective I reached out to Heather MacFadyan from the God Centered Mom {godcenteredmom.com}. Heather has an awesome podcast and I figured if I wanted to be a God Centered Mom she was the woman I wanted to talk to. So I sent her an email of what I wanted to work on and she actually emailed me back. And really quickly. She sent me some practical advice and we are going to get started right away. {I actually offered to share this with her community and be on her "That's Me" podcast. I am not sure if that will happen or not. But wouldn't it be lovely if it did!}

So even though it would have been better if I started when they were young … I am going to start now.

Now … I am not going to change everything. But I am going to start slowly. I am going to start praying with my kids at dinner time. I am going to pray out loud when I am struggling with something in my day to day. We are going to start going to church on Sunday. I am going to ask my Bigs if I can pray for them when they are struggling.

And for the Littles … we are going to start by reading the Jesus Storybook Bible together at night before bed.

Nothing too crazy … just some intentional acts we can do on a daily basis. I look forward to seeing how this changes my house. Maybe it will change some attitudes. Maybe this will lead us down a path of better things.

Young Living Tip #2

A photo posted by Mindy Waters - Nowack (@mindymay) on Feb 12, 2016 at 11:13am PST

I am not sure what is "going" around … but whatever it is  … It's bad!!

2 out of my 3 kids have had this horrible cold.

I was awake for almost 4 days straight, only sleeping a few hours a night.

They had high fevers, rashes, coughs, runny noses, and extreme congestion.

I don't know what I would have done without my oils.

We used RC, Rutavala, Ravinsara, and peppermint.

We diffused Thieves as well.

We drank Ningxia Red.

I coated my kids in all of these amazing Young Living Oils.

By day 2, I started seeing results. They no longer had high fevers. The rashes were gone. The horrible congestion had dissipated.

By day 3, The kids were much better. Just coughing. Which kept them up at night. So I applied oils when they woke up and it helped them get back to sleep quicker.

By day 4, You could barely tell they had a cold.

This was the worst cold I have seen in a long time.

I am so grateful for my Young Living Oils.

Today is a Gift

What a rough week we have had.

Last week, my mother-in-law passed out while getting ready for her day. She was rushed to the hospital and my husband drove the 7 hours quickly to get to her. He stayed with her for 3 days. He came home not knowing what was going to happen but he knew a lot of tests were being done on his mom.

On Wednesday, I received a text from my husband to pack us up and pick Jacob up from school ... we had to go to Kentucky. We got in the car and got there as quickly as I could.

On Thursday night, my mother-in-law went to be with the Lord.

We had her funeral on Saturday and are now back home.

I know that this will be a long journey.

We honestly cannot believe that this even happened.

We know that she loved the Lord and we know that she is in a better place but that doesn't make us miss her any less here.

My husband was a momma's boy in the best possible way and he is really going to miss her during this holiday season.

I would love prayers for our family and for my father-in-law.

They were married for 53 years and have been together since high school. They even went to prom together. They are such a great example of love.

My husband says he remembers them dancing in the kitchen after they were supposed to be in bed.

What an amazing memory to have.

I posted this last night on Instagram and I hope it resonates with you. As a mother, the days are long but I am grateful for each and every day. 

It is late and this sweet little boy is wide awake. We have had a rough couple of days and his schedule has been completely thrown off track. But instead of being frustrated, I am grateful. I am grateful to be his mother. I am grateful to spend a little extra time snuggling with him. Life is too short and tomorrow isn't promised to us. I refuse to take moments like this for granted. I am thankful for all the love I am surrounded by each and every day. I am thankful for my husband. I am thankful for my children. I am thankful for all of my family. I am beyond lucky. So I am just going to cuddle my youngest son tonight until he falls asleep. No matter how long it takes. #hudsonthomas #tomorrowisagift #sograteful

I am hoping to get back into blogging and to start my Periscope book club in the next week. I haven't decided if I am going to start the book club in January or just start now. I promise to let you know. 

Until later.

Mindy May 

I am just going to write

So here is the deal ...

1) I wanted to write about money because I love reading about and talking about money with everyone I know. We don't have a lot or most months enough. I try to save and be frugal. I try to live within our means but at the end of the day my husband and I are just not on the same page. I am finding it near to impossible to show what we are doing if I am constantly seeing extra purchases or spending. I cannot be authentic with you and I just won't do that. I am going to continue to do my part but I am going to leave my money series alone for right now. I am hoping to get into a new rhythm with my husband in the new year.

2) I am going to start a book club on Periscope!! This one I am so excited about. I have been a long time follower of Crystal Paine from Money Saving Mom and the first book we are going to read through is Say Goodbye To Survival Mode! I was a part of her launch team for Money Making Mom the book and I just loved it so much. After reading that book I knew I just had to read her first book and I am loving it so far. Next week we will start. I am sure this isn't such a great time because of the holidays but I cannot wait to jump into this book with you.

 

Say Goodbye to Survival Mode: 9 strategies to stress less, sleep more, and restore your passion for life by Crystal Paine

So come find me on Periscope here  and join in.

3) I want you to get to know me more and I want to get to know you! My next post will be a bunch of random Mindy May facts. My every intention is to blog and connect more. So please reach out to me!

This post contains affiliate links.

What I am NOT Going To Do On Our Financial Journey

Before I start with the "what we are going to do", I felt like it was only fair to tell you what we are not going to do on our financial journey.

Obviously, I am saying this without the knowledge of how our days, weeks, and months are going to look like. I really don't know how this journey is going to play out. I do know that we will have to be making very hard decisions. Decisions that not everyone in our family is going to love or even like for that matter.

And to be honest, I am ok with that.

I guess I keep going back to the realization that we only get to live once. And while this life can feel overwhelming and hard at certain times it flashes by in just a blink. It seems like just yesterday I was a single 21 year old girl with a new baby boy and now I am married with 3 kids and a step-son. That baby is now 12 and a 7th grader.

Wow, talk about a reality check.

So what do we want with our life ... freedom! Freedom from bills over our head. Freedom to visit family members out of state. Freedom to take a vacation once a year. Free to give to those less fortunate. Free to take dinners to families with new babies.

Seriously, we just want to feel free.

So here is a list of things we are not going to do ... at least I don't think that we will.

1) We are not going to sell one of our cars.
Here is the deal with our vehicles. Since the birth of our son, Hudson, we had to buy a minivan in order to only take one vehicle when everyone is together. With buying a minivan we also inherited a car payment. Boo. A $406.46 car payment. But our other vehicle is an older Chevy Equinox which has been paid off. Since one vehicle is paid off we won't be getting rid of it. Also, my husband works about 30 minutes away. And Jacob has soccer practice almost daily. So I need to have a vehicle to get him back and forth to practice. Also, since my husband's job is commission based he can chose to work late to make more money.

2) Jacob is not giving up travel soccer.
Yes, travel soccer is a huge expense. Think a $1200 a season expense along with the uniform fee, the tournament fees, new cleats, and travel expenses. Let me just tell you ... I am one lucky lady. Jacob's dad pays for his soccer expenses. He even shares the travel expenses with me. He is still a single guy and his money isn't as tied up as ours is. Also, he loves his son and wants to provide things for him. So our particular situation I pay the school expenses and his dad pays for soccer. Also, we are hoping that soccer will provide Jacob with college scholarship opportunities in the future.

3) We are not moving.
Ok as I say this one and then hold my breath. I honestly have no problem moving as long as it is out of state. We can't really move out of state. With two of our four kids having other parents, we would have to  get special permission from each of them to move and we would risk not seeing one of our children for most of the year. I love where we live. Well ... kinda. We live in a suburb of Chicago. It gets cold. Really cold. I hate the cold. My kids go crazy in the winter since they cannot play outside. But I love my neighbors. There are 4 little boys that are the same age as Maysie Grace and 2 little ones the same age as Hudson. We are all in the same stage of life. Jacob can go around the neighborhood on his bike and meet up with his friends. The schools are amazing!! I went to the same schools. I love Jacob's teachers and they are willing to work with us. So I don't really see us moving.

4) My grocery shopping won't really change.
Just because we need to get out of debt and save money doesn't mean that our diet has to suffer. Maysie Grace has food allergies. She is allergic to gluten, corn and all corn products, strawberries, bananas, oranges, apples, and vinegar. We will not be eating processed food. So you won't find mac & cheese or ramen noodles in our cabinets. I try to make things from scratch as much as possible. I do purchase organic as much as possible. I follow the dirty dozen for the most part. Also, I make my husband and Jacob lunch every day and I make a pot of coffee for all of us. We don't buy crappy coffee. Nope. Nope. Nope.

5) I will not be getting a traditional full-time job.
The cost of daycare is way too expensive and my husband and I both want me to stay home with them. That doesn't mean I won't be trying other alternatives in order to make money while I am home. Currently, I work one night a week at a restaurant making about $70 a night and I watch a little boy one day a week for $80. I will be looking into different avenues to make money but my husband will continue to be the main bread winner.

Stay tuned for what I "think" we are going to do.
Are there any "not gonna happen" rules on your financial list?

Monday Blues

Just another Monday over here ... and me and the two littles are sick.

So instead of getting this accomplished and being productive. We are just going to lay around and try to get better.

Oh and probably snack a lot. Maysie has already had a peach and grapes.

Hello essential oils! Hello Melaleuca (tea tree) oil. Thank you for making our throats feel better. Hello Thieves for making us feel better. 

Hello honey and lemons. I will be drinking you all day today with hot water.

Hello my sleepy littles. I will enjoy all the extra snuggles and cuddles today.





*** I am a Young Living Essential Oils representative. If anyone is interested in essential oils please contact me at thelittlesandthebigsblog {at} gmail {dot} com.  I would love to chat with you about it.

Maysie Grace turned 3 & a Nursing Strike

I cannot believe that it is already Monday.

This weekend went by so incredibly fast.

First of all, Maysie Grace turned 3 years old on Sunday. How did my little 5 lb 13.5 oz baby girl turn into this walking, talking, opinionated 3 year old so quickly?

She was so excited to open her presents this year and really understood what a birthday was.

She wanted Frozen Mini Mystery blind boxes and Peppa Pigs House. And she got both. It was just as fun for us to watch her open her presents as it was for her to receive them.

She had a gluten free and corn free cupcake from Whole Foods. They are the brand Swirlz and are absolutely delicious. The lemon is her favorite but this one was Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake. So yum!!

And of course the night before Maysie's birthday ... Hudson decided he was on a nursing strike. He was miserable and whiny. Totally not typical of his dreamy & wonderful behavior. After almost 18 hours of not eating I was finally able to nurse him again. It was so wonderful I almost started crying tears of joy. 

So ... Hello Monday. I have so much to be thankful for.

Sleep? What's that?

Having the 2 little ones doesn't really allow me to get the best night sleep.

They both sleep in my bed (which I am fine with) but Maysie is a horrible sleeper most of the time.

Since she was born she will wake up multiple times a night just crying.

Sometimes she cries in her sleep while other times she cries because she is thirsty or has to go potty. We have been giving her melatonin to help her calm down but that hasn't been keeping her asleep for the night. And the fact that she has some crazy allergies means that many times she has an upset stomach at night.

Hudson is an amazing sleeper. He likes to cuddle and sleep. He sleeps through Maysie's crying like a boss.

And it seems like everyday I am excited to get some sleep and go to bed at a reasonable hour ... and then I find a new camera app on my phone. And then I am checking my email.

And then I am listening to Hudson breathe.

Then I find something to watch on tv.

And then it is 1 am.

Then I play the counting game. "If I fall asleep right this second ... I will get 5 and a half hours of sleep" (Please tell me I am not the only one to play this game.)

Then I think ... ok this weekend I am going to sleep in.

Then I look at the calendar ... ha ... no sleeping in because soccer practice is bright and early.

One day I will catch up on sleep and miss these days. 

Be Brave? Really?

Recently I have been reading the book Let's All Be Brave: Living Life With Everything You Have by Annie Downs. 

To say it opened my eyes is an understatement.

Honestly, I have always thought that I was made for so much more than being a wife and mother. I thought that I was going to change the world. I thought I was going to go to Haiti. I even read books about what life was like there. I thought I was going to go somewhere. Anywhere.

But instead I am still in the same place I grew up in. It is honestly breaking my heart to even type that. I wanted to be the Mom that took her kids on journeys and adventures.

I really really wanted to change the world.

And then ... I read Annie Downs book.

Don't get me wrong, I still want to change the world. But I am just going to have to change the world around me.

For as long as I can remember I have been holding my breath. Holding it in for anticipation of my real life to start. You know the dreamy life I had pictured in my head.

I held my breath to get married.

I held my breath to have another baby.

I held my breath to be in my own place.

The problem is ... I just keep holding my breath for something better. Something different from the life that I am living.

And here I am ... still living in this town. Jacob even has some teachers that I had when I attended his middle school.

I am struggling with that.

Life right now is a struggle.

We are struggling. We are struggling financially. We are struggling with the fact that we live in this very wealthy area and we can barely make ends meet. When money isn't there, my marriage struggles. Things become chaotic. Life turns into survival mode. Daily activities become difficult. I can honestly feel the tears at the back of my eyes all day. They threaten to fall. I will them to stay put. I struggle with my kids. I take on a part time job and I struggle leaving my babies at home while I am working.

THE STRUGGLE IS REAL!

I want new. I want different. I want to get lost driving to a new grocery store. I want life to be easier. I want my husband to not have to work so hard. I want to say yes to a new friend. I just want a reset button so that I could start over ... fresh.

Instead, I will have to lean on God. (Which for me isn't easy.) We may have to let go of some of the comforts we are used to in order to gain a little breathing room. (Buy buy cable.) I may have to keep going to my job. Hudson may have to cry while I am gone because he doesn't like drinking from a bottle. Maysie Grace may have to cry because she misses me. My husband might have to pick up Jacob from soccer practice and get dinner on the table.

But this is just a season.

And right now this is my brave. I have to be brave to face each day uncertain if we will have enough money. I have to be brave and know that I am doing the best thing for my family by staying home.

I am living a life I never planned. And it has required more courage

than I ever thought could fit in this five-foot-six inch frame. Hold on to hope, love.

You are going to survive this, friend.

God has not forgotten you.

Your life and your desires are important to God.  

~Annie Downs

So do not fear, for I am with you;

do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you;

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

~Isaiah 41:10