bits and pieces: sunshine, sleep deprivation, saying goodbye to survival mode, + a winner

Sunshine is apparently necessary for my soul. I am so, so thankful for the gorgeousness God granted our part of the country this weekend.

Sweet, sweet sunshine.

We took advantage of it all weekend long- we drove around with the windows down, and even stopped to play at Sonic:

Thankfully, the playground is still very much loved by all of our children... :) Even Zane had a little fun in the car after he ate:

That munchkin is getting so active. Feeding him is like wrestling a bear, and he's officially to the "I don't want the nursing cover on me in any way" stage, so we've started exclusively car feeding... :) The no-cover stage has also coincided with the "I have to pull away to see what's going on every 15 seconds" stage.  I'm not sure he'll ever be able to nurse in public again. Or sleep through the night for that matter. :P

I'm hoping that bringing solid foods on board soon will help him sleep through the night. Mamas, did it help your little one sleep longer? I can't remember anything from the last 10 years thanks to this latest round of sleep deprivation. :P

Going without sleep makes you do very strange things. 

Like washing a hammer.

I've washed disposable diapers, toys, crayons even... but a hammer??

I might have to have my homemaking card taken away for that one.

I have no idea how it got in the hamper. I heard the washer banging but didn't think twice about it. I have a theory on how the hammer got in the washer, but at least now I know- the next time I hear my new washer making ridiculous amounts of banging noises, I should probably go check on it and not just think it's overloaded. {obviously, right? :P}

Luckily, this book^ came in the mail just in time:

 

One of my favorite bloggers, Crystal from Money Saving Mom, was so kind to send it to me earlier this month, and oh my goodness, I loved it so much I read it in a weekend. Seriously. I had a feeling I would love it, and I did. Her advice in this book is so practical and spot-on {as usual!}, and like she does on her blog, she includes many ideas and ways to implement the strategies she's writing about. 

She makes your action steps doable, and she does a great job of breaking everything down so that you can make a plan that will work for your own life. And sometimes, it's just so good to know someone else has been in survival mode too. :) And it's especially interesting as a blogger to hear how other bloggers do life with a blog.

I'm implementing her advice this week- I'm working on getting up earlier, and hopefully putting Zane on a routine so that we can all function a little better now that he's getting older.

Oh, and before I forget to tell you, the Build-a-Menu giveaway winner was Kristen:

looks like a great time saver...low carb 4-6 for our family! Thanks! Kristen 

But the coupon code for BAM is still active if you didn't win and wanted to try it: use the code SaveMeMoney to make it only $4 to try it for a month! :)

Speaking of menu planning, we finally hit the grocery store again after taking a week off, so today I'm trying to do some meal and goal planning for the week before it's time to teach my combat class this afternoon. I'm also hoping to get a bit more sunshine in this week! :)

Thank you Lord, for the seasons. I would totally take sunshine for granted if it weren't for the gray winter. :)

How was your weekend? Did you feel any sunshine?

What's the craziest thing you've ever washed?? 

Favorite Sonic drink?
Mine: Route 44 Diet Cherry Limeade with no ice. Every time, baby.

Mamas: how do you keep your older little ones covered when in public without a scene? {ahem}
I'd love to hear your ideas! I'm working on a designing nursing cover that REALLY covers in the next few weeks.



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Women Living Well: the book study

Have you heard of Women Living Well? It's a brand new book about "finding your joy in God, your man, your kids, and your home," and it just came out yesterday! 

I had the chance to read Courtney's new book early this summer {her amazing blog here: if you don't already read it- you will love her!}, and I thought it was one of the most practical, God-centered books I've ever read on being a homemaker, wife, and mom. I love the way she gives Titus 2 advice in the most gracious way- she isn't legalistic or harsh, but she tells you the truth and gives you real-life examples. It's full of ideas you can take away and use right now, which I love!

It is a fabulous book, and I really enjoyed reading it- so much so that it just wouldn't do it justice to simply review it here. I want to really mull over it and implement her ideas slowly over time, you know?

So I had an idea: what if we do a Women Living Well book study together? Wouldn't it be perfect for getting in good habits right before the holidays and the new year starts? 

8 weeks? Short readings- about 35 pages a week, and we can talk about how we can implement the ideas here, and then how it all worked out in real life each week? We'll introduce the book and the reading plan next week, and starting October 16th, I will go in details about each section and a "homework" assignment for each week based on the book, so you will have plenty of time to find the book and get started if you want to come along with me.  I am soooo excited to put some of WLW's ideas into action! 

What do you think? Wanna join me on this journey? :D