Currently

It's been a while since I've posted, and I feel like a lot of things (including myself!) have changed over the past few months. I was inspired by this post and thought we could catch up with a little game of "Currently."

LOVING Board games! We always love board games at our house, but we got some ahh-mazing ones for Christmas. Not only are they fun, but they're really different from your same ol', same ol' games. Some current family favorites are:

• Richard Scarry's Busytown Eye Found It! Game - You guys! I wish I had this one in our game cupboard years ago. It is seriously the BEST preschool game. It keeps my five-year-old engaged, and the whole family enjoys playing it. I mean, is there anything worse than having to sit through a (never-ending) round of Chutes and Ladders? I will happily play this one anytime! My older boys and Dan like it too, and it's cooperative play (you all win or lose), so there's teamwork and (almost) no fighting!
• Rat-A-Tat-Cat - This is a fun strategy card game that is quick to play and gives my eight-year-old practice with his addition facts. Score!
• Sushi Go Party! - My sushi-loving ten-year-old received this game for Christmas, and it's so much fun to play! The only downside is that I'm always craving a Philly Roll when we're done playing.

READING I'm committing to reading two books at all times--one fiction and one non-fiction. My current non-fiction read is The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers: Reclaiming Our Passion, Purpose, and Sanity by Meg Meeker, M.D. I haven't stumbled across anything earth-shattering yet (I've only just begun), but Meeker's anecdotes are incredibly moving! For my fiction pick, I am making use of this gorgeous set of Puffin Classics I bought primarily for decorating purposes. What's the point of having beautiful books that are never read? I'm starting with The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, a classic I've never read before.

EXCITED ABOUT We've recently made some changes to our homeschool, and they've all been great! I began a new strategy aimed at attitude adjustment, embraced a "loop schedule," and began a "Family Reading Hour" in the afternoon.

One of my children has had a tendency to snap, "No!" when I tell him it's time for schoolwork. He also makes a face, slumps his shoulders, and stomps over to his desk when it's time to put pencil to paper. As if that wasn't enough to drive a mama batty, he also darts away any time my attention is diverted for even a second. I finally had enough and told him that every time he responds with a poor attitude, I will put a checkmark on our whiteboard. Three checkmarks = no screentime for the day, which, to this child, is the worst thing ever, ever, EVER! But! I also told him that every time he responds with a positive attitude ("Yes, ma'am!" + smile + quickly getting to work), he will get a smiley face on the board that will be converted to an M&M at the end of the day. I'm delighted to report that at the end of this day, there are zero checkmarks on the board and two smiley faces!

This child also takes a while to get his work done (due in part to attitude, but that's also just the way he is!), so I found that, while we were always getting "the most important" subjects done each day, there were lots of rich, high-quality subjects that were being neglected due to lack of hours in the day! I was finally able to tell the "check-the-box" loving side of me to settle down, and I embraced a loop schedule for this child. For those of you who don't know what this means, it means that if I want to accomplish tasks 1-10 with my child, I may only get to do 1-6 with him on Monday. On Tuesday, instead of starting back at task 1, I start with task 7, go all the way up to 10, and then start back at 1. Whatever we get done in a day, great! This way, all the subjects get hit, and we work at a more manageable (happier!) pace. We may have to do a bit more work in the summer as a result of the slower pace, but I'm so thrilled with how much more relaxed my student and I are and that we are actually getting to ALL the subjects, that it's a sacrifice I'll happily make!

Inspired by something Sarah Mackenzie mentioned in a podcast (or was it her book, The Read Aloud Family? I don't quite recall!), we've implemented a Family Reading Hour. Once I get the Littles down for naps/quiet time, my older two children and I settle down to read together in the living room. This way, I can ensure that my children aren't skimping on their reading time, and I can also model my own reading to them. It's quickly becoming one of my favorite parts of the day!

LISTENING TO As long as the boys are awake, our house is LOUD. So when I get the chance to listen to something, I generally DON'T. Silence, my friends. Silence is where it's at. The only podcast I listen to without missing a single episode is Young House Love Has a Podcast. I also love Sarah Mackenzie's Read Aloud Revival podcast. (No surprise there, right?) Is it horrible to admit that I usually skip the end where the children share their favorite read-alouds though?

MAKING We had our parents over for the Super Bowl, and I made this Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie Tart. It came together in minutes, is a THM - S dessert, and is also Keto-friendly if that's your jam. I personally don't avoid gluten, but this happens to be gluten-free, so I could serve it to my gluten-free guest. The tart fell apart more than I would like, but it tasted heavenly. I like to zap it in the microwave for a few seconds before eating it so the chocolate gets all warm and melty. Mmmmm...

DREAMING OF Spring and warm weather! I don't know if you heard of that little thing called THE POLAR VORTEX, but did Wisconsin ever get slammed! I was chilled even with my wool socks, flannel pajamas, and heated mattress pad. Praise God Punxatawney Phil didn't see his shadow. Now, if only that predition had a shred of reliability...

WORKING ON Purging and pricing items for our annual rummage sale. During one of last week's snow days, I tackled the humongous pile of stuff on our rummage sale pile downstairs. With my oldest son's help, I got it all priced and sorted! I reveled in the beauty of a nearly-empty table for a week until my hubby brought down boxes (and boxes!) of MORE stuff from the attic that still needed to be priced. (Noooooooooooo!!!) Sigh. On the bright side, when I'm engulfed in the task of being a "stuff manager," I'm always much less likely to buy stuff I don't need!

NEEDING Jesus, always.

THINKING ABOUT This verse:

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight." 1 Peter 3: 3-4

God doesn't care about our outward appearances. Is that something I should focus on in my blog? Would someone with a quiet spirit share about her Disney vacation or snippets (often edited and idealized) on social media? Does social media take time away from my husband and children and foster an unhealthy competitive spirit with other moms?

I meditated and prayed over all of these questions, and I hope you'll be happy to find that I have not, in fact, been convicted to take down my blog and stop sharing on social media. As long as hair, makeup, and clothes do not become idols, I think it's fun to talk about them on occasion. In another post, I'll explain more about why I've been holding back on the Disney posts I promised. (Mainly, I don't want to bore my readers who aren't interested in Disney, and, much worse, I'm also fearful of coming across as "braggy.") I've trained myself in being better at appreciating other mom's posts for what they are without letting the idealized images ignite a competitive spirit in me. I'm not perfect at it. Which brings me back to what I'm NEEDING: Jesus, always.

What have you been up to CURRENTLY, friends? I'd love for you to play along, even if only with one of the categories!