Five Things Friday, Vol. 5

Happy Friday! I hope and pray that you are all doing well in the midst of this strange and unsettling time. At times, I can feel the anxiety looking for cracks to seep into. Reading the Bible, talking to Jesus about my fears, and getting in a good sweat sesh every other day have been helpful to me. But perhaps the greatest balm to my soul has been the moments spent in nature. When I see how the sun continues to rise and set (in glorious, outrageous colors that only God could splash across the sky) and hear the birds trill, I feel can really feel His presence. He is in control, and He loves us. Always.

I'm seeking the beauty in all of this. (Yes, there is some!) There is a silver lining to be found every day. I'm sharing some things that have brought me joy (and sanity) lately, and it is my hope that I can share some of it with you.

1. My new (to me) Bible. I haven't been reading much fiction or non-fiction this year, but I'm not disappointed. Why? This year, I set a goal to read the Bible cover-to-cover (something I've never done before), and I'm still on-pace. Cue the "praise hands!" Much of the credit goes to the actual Bible I'm reading--the Homeschool Mom's Bible. I don't have to refer to a separate page or plan to figure out what I need to read each day; it's all built-in! Every day, I read the Bible until I hit a devotional written especially for homeschool moms. (Which suddenly there are a lot more of, right?!) I know to stop for the day when I've read and prayed over the devotional. Rinse and repeat. It's so foolproof, it's brilliant! Right now, I am in 1 Samuel. (Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy were kind of hard to slog through, but I'm glad I read them. Also, a few pages a day are certainly manageable!)
   
2. Americans are coming together to help slow the spread of COVID-19. It is so inspiring and encouraging to see all of the ways people are working together during this strange and challenging time. If you can sew (I wish I could!), please check out @masksforheroes on Instagram. They offer tutorials for making face masks as well as help in getting them in the hands of the medical personnel who are on the frontlines.
   
3. An amazing dupe for a spendy overnight hair mask. Kate at The Small Things Blog recommended the CAVIAR Anti-Aging Restructuring Bond Repair Leave-In Overnight Serum. (Phfew! Say that five times fast!) Her recommendations have served me well, and this mask did not disappoint. But who can afford to regularly purchase a $40 hair product? Not me! Later, Kate recommended this dupe by Pantene, and let me tell you I am here for it! It is pretty much identical to the CAVIAR version, except it doesn't offer heat protection. (But who cares? You shampoo it out anyway, so I don't really understand how it would have heat protection anyway.)
   Overnight hair mask:
   Splurge
   Save
   
4. Emily Ley's Simplified Planner cover reveal brought so much joy to my week! These planners, which combine minimalism, organization, and beauty, are my absolute favorite. I look forward to the spring launch every year! You can bet I'll be ordering my planner on launch day on April 1, and I've got my eye on the "Blue Trellis" design. (To stay organized, I plug everything into my Google Calendar. Then, each week, I write in all the activities, meal-plan, to-dos, etc. in my Simplified Planner. This forces me to actually consider all the events I've committed to and prioritize a week at a time vs. constantly winging it, which is what I did when I used Google Calendar alone.) The Simplified Planner has lots of fun stickers, work pages for plotting out an intentional year, a guide for decluttering, a spot to journal a happy memory for the week, and it also comes with monthly coaching from Emily delivered to your inbox. Love, love, love.
   
5. This super-fun science show on Amazon Prime. Shout-out to my friend Sarah for letting me know about DIY SCI! I watched the first couple of episodes with the boys earlier this week, and I love how a lot of the concepts match the science we've been doing in this cycle of Classical Conversations. "An object at rest tends to remain at rest..." They've been asking for it during their screentime, and I pretend to be reluctant (you know, just to keep up the appeal), but I'm really doing the cha-cha inside.