Happy New Year everyone, I hope you are all having a good fresh start to the near year ahead!  Things at our house are snowy and we are busy getting ready for a wedding show in a week and prepping to rip out and re-do three bathrooms, which I am sure will be quite the process!

  I have always enjoyed watching 'favourite things' youtube videos, and reading peoples blogs about their favourite things, so I thought a great way to start off the new year of blogging would be sharing some of the things and products I used the most and loved the most in 2017!  I tried to narrow it down and choose a good variety of different things, as well as share the links to the 'things' so you can find them easily too!  I hope you enjoy seeing a little insight into some of my fave things...

1) My Letter Board!

I've been wanting a letter board for quite some time, and I may have hinted (about 10 times) to Chris that it would be the perfect little Christmas gift for me this year :) so though I've only had my letter board since Christmas, it's easily one of my fave things already!  Not only can you write fun and encouraging quotes on it, but you can write bible verses on it, 'happy birthday to...!' or the to-do list for the day.  I think it's super versatile and I got a smaller one so that it wouldn't take up too much space, I also decided not to hang it anywhere but to just keep it free to move about the house.  We got our letterboard from Retroboards on Amazon !

2) Burts Bee's Hand Salve

Living up north where we have long, very cold and snowy winters, I need something to protect my hands from the harsh temps, and I have been loving my teeny tin of Burts Bee's hand salve.  You only need a bit, and it works SO well to moisturize and repair any dry areas on your hands, it also smells really good and is full of essential oils, which is always a selling point for me.  I've also tried some different burts bee's lip products and cream's this year too, and I generally really love their stuff, it's good quality, good ingredients and it works! Click for soft hands :)

3) Aerie Leggings

As a stay at home/homeschooling Mom, I tend to live in 'comfy' clothes, and clothes I can be active in being outside with the kids so much in all different temps.  Leggings are always a go-to and this year I finally found the best ones, which I can order online (big perk because we have no malls where we live!) The Aerie leggings, are GOOD quality, comfy, cute styles, fit really well and they go on sale a lot and have free shipping on any order over $50.  They even have fleece lined ones that are perfect for cold days, and more breathable ones for yoga or working out.  I only ever buy them on sale, and use coupon codes, but honestly I'd probably pay full price they are so good.  They also hit at a good point on the waist which is important, but don't cut off your circulation, which is also important, haha.  Here are some of my faves styles that I own, the warmer ones , and the thinner active ones.

4) Shea Butter Body Mist

Smelling pretty has always been one of my fave things since I was really young, I'd always ask to steal a spritz of my Mom's perfume, but after having kids I realized perfumes were too strong for me.  I then started to lean more towards body mist, and for years I have used the mists' from The Body Shop, which has ethical products and are open about the ingredients they use.  A bottle also lasts a long time, and this year when I replenished my bottle I chose the scent 'shea butter' and I am loving it!  I can smell nice and pretty all day without an overbearing smell. Another fave is the 'white musk' and they also come in a nice glass bottle which I like! Mist away :)

5) Succulents 

This year as we moved and did big reno's on our new home, I found my favourite decorating secret weapon, the succulent LOL I know this sounds funny, but a succulent (real OR fake) in a simple pot can immediately change a window ledge, desk or a shelf into instant cuteness (yes instant cuteness is a thing).  I also love how they are low maintenance and they add a pop of green life to a space.  The best place I have found to get fake succulents in the colder months when the garden center's don't have them is Home Sense, they literally have a whole wall full of succulents in cute pots, and most all of them are all under $12.  So when decorating just think of the phrase 'put a succulent on it!' and you'll never fail ;) here is an option on Amazon in case you don't live near a Home Sense.

6) Starry Lights

Since we are on the decorating train, I also discovered these strands of  mini 'starry lights'.  You can get them in single strand or multiple strands together, and they bring so much cozy to a living space. I got mine at a local lighting store where we live, but you can also find them pretty much anywhere now (home sense, winners, walmart, amazon) and they have battery and plug in versions, I prefer plug in because that is the easiest for me.  We put ours in our bay window all year (twinkly lights aren't just for Christmas time!) and it's easily one of my fave spots in our house.  Amazon strikes again with a lot of different options.

7) 'Different' By Sally Clarkson and Nathan Clarkson

I love to read, and I wish I had read more books this past year (it was a busy one for us) but if I only read through one book all the way (true confession! I am a big 'book starter' lately which means I start books then don't finish forever, eek) I am so glad I took the time tor read through this book. WHAT A GOOD ONE!  I can't sing it's praises enough.  If you are a mom to a 'different' child, or even if not ANY parent or person who works with kids would benefit greatly from reading this book.  It resonated deeply with me, and encouraged me so much, and it's one of those ones I will go back and re-read again soon.  

8) Berkey water filter

If you've never heard of a Berkey before, I am so happy to be the one to introduce them to you!  A Berkey is a gravity fed water filter and purifier.  This is not even in the same classification as filters like the 'Brita' but it actually removes... well here I'll just copy and paste from the internet 'Berkey water filters provide the ultimate in waterborne contamination removal' they actually use them in disaster relief situations to provide safe water to volunteer workers, they require no electricity and we could actually pour lake water straight into it, and have crystal clear safe water to drink on the other side.  We researched them for a while before taking the plunge (they aren't cheap) but they are worth every penny, also the filters if properly taken care of can last 5 to 10 years!  Living in a lake house, our water source is the lake, and it goes through a UV filter before it comes out of our taps, so it's definitely safe, but after seeing what the Berkey removes AFTER it's already filtered is amazing!  Anyhow, I sound like a crazy water lady, but if you think about it, water is REALLY important, and it's super worth the investment to me to know my family is drinking really good water daily.  Highly recommend and they come in different sizes for your water needs :)

9) Essential Oils

If you come in my home or come near me you've probably been exposed to essential oils ;) I've been using essential oils for a few years, but this year I decided to research and purchase some GOOD quality medicinal grade essential oils, and the company I went with is 'DoTerra'.  I liked them because they have a Canadian branch (woot woot, gotta support my country) and my friend sells them, so some of the profits goes directly to her which I also love.  I wont go on and on about oils, but my two top oils of this year that I hadn't used before are 'Frankincence' not just for bringing to baby Jesus :) which is amazing for headaches, migraines and muscle tension as well as so much more and it smells like trees.  And 'Vetiver' oil which has been an amazing tool in keeping my anxiety at bay.  I don't go a day without my oils :)

10) Slippers/Moccasins

In our new home our whole main level has hard flooring and no carpet, so daily slipper wearing is something I definitely picked up this year, even in the summer I usually wear slippers on my feet while inside.  I found a great and cozy pair of Moccs on Amazon and they didn't disappoint,  they are good quality and warm and cute too.  I also like that they have an actual sole on the bottom, because then I can keep them on to run the recycling out to the shed, or chase a dog down ;)  The only problem I have with them, is that sometimes I realize I am wearing them out to the grocery store, lol....it's a joke with my husband now that he always checks to make sure I am wearing actual shoes before I go out to run errands since I got these slippers.  

11) Myers Cleaning Spray

I thought I'd throw a cleaning product in the mix too, so this is the new all purpose spray I use in the kitchen and around the house this past year.  I get it at Canadian Tire, and it lasts quite a while,  it smells amazing and doesn't leave a  yucky film on anything.  I have tried the Basil, Lavender and Lemon scents and my fave so far is the Basil!  It leaves such a nice refreshing smell in the kitchen, and they all have essential oils in them (do you see a trend with me and oils?) It was also great to have on hand with training a new puppy as there is no ammonia or chlorine in it which is perfect for cleaning up those puppy accidents that inevitably happened.  Their website explains about all their products!

12) Himalayan Salt Lamp

This was also something I had been eyeing for a long time, and asked for as a birthday gift.  Not only do I think they are beautiful aesthetically , but they actually have positive health affects too!  When I was telling my Mom about them, she called me a hippie (in a loving way :)) and as I started to go on about 'negative ions' and all the cool things they can do, no one believed me!  But after we got it and used it for a while, it even started to grow on Chris.  You'll have to research it, but in a nutshell, they basically give off negative ions (that which is given out in nature) which cancels out the positive ions that are given off off computers, smart phones and tv's. Do you think I am a hippie now too? ;)  I keep mine in my room, and put it on in the hours before bed when I am reading, or doing devotions or watching a show.  We got ours on Amazon.

13) YouVersion App

Last but definitely not least I wanted to add my favourite and daily used app called 'YouVersion' I am sure you've all heard of it before, but it's basically like carrying the bible around with you in your phone, in any version you would like to read it in!  The first thing I open on my phone everyday is youversion, and I love to read the 'verse of the day' first.  It's also a great tool to look up verses for bible studies, or devotions, and you can highlight verses and share them with others.  It also keeps track of how many days in a row you have connected with God's word, which I love!  Thank you youversion for always being there when I need the word.

and I just need to add ONE more...

14) Sunrises

Enjoying sunrises is a new thing for me this year, as where we lived before the sunrise would typically be covered by houses, and I didn't always get to see the true beauty of it, plus I slept in later then ;) now I've become more of a morning bird, and one of my favourite things each day is seeing the sun rise up over the trees and lake.  I didn't realize how beautiful a sunrise could be until I moved here, I was mostly into sunsets, but now I get the privilege of seeing and enjoying their beauty every day the sky is clear enough to see one.  Here are some of my 'big camera' pics from one of the most memorable sunrises I was able to capture this past fall.  This is always the best way to start my days!

As I was writing this post, I asked my family for some ideas on what they thought were my favourite things just to see what they would say, and they yelled out at least half of these things,  so you know they are actually the stuff I use and love on a daily basis.  Comment below what some of your favourite things and products of 2017 are, I would love to hear some of your faves.  And do you use any of the same ones as me? I'd love to know!  

Fall has arrived very quickly up here, last week I was reading a book by the water in my flip flops watching the kids swim, and this week we are trying to find shoes and socks and sweaters and wondering if we will be warm enough without the heat on at night.  I love living where the seasons change and Autumn has always been one of my favorites!  The leaves have already started changing to vibrant colours, and there is a crisp smell in the air that hasn't been there since the spring time when all the snow thawed.  We are spending time as a family this week, just catching up after a busy summer.  My reverse bucket list summer was a bit busier then I had anticipated with all the guests we hosted, but though busy it was at the same time so lovely to share our lake with so many friends and family and that brought so much joy!  So we are winding down from summer this week, just our family of 5, and doing things like taking walks, long hikes and canoes, getting the homeschool room ready, and running errands to Costco to stock up for the next few months.  Chris has had time to work on some projects in his workshop, and I love seeing him have the time to be creative and do something he loves.  The kids have been playing outdoors as much as possible and just roaming and enjoying the last of the 'warm' weather.  It's been really good to have this week to get grounded before starting school.

At the start of this new school year, I have some personal goals and habits that I'd like to stick to, and so I thought by writing them down and sharing them I'd be more apt to really do them!  They are simple goals but ones that I hope will bring some good balance to this busy Mama life of raising children.  Maybe some of you will even try to do them with me ;)

-Take a long walk every day!  When we first moved here, I was taking Ruby for a long brisk walk every evening after I tidied up after dinner, then the bugs arrived and summer got busier and I got out of the habit.  It was the perfect way to unwind after the day and get in a good exercise and fresh air. Oftentimes I put in my headphones (only in 1 ear so I can still hear cars coming as we don't have sidewalks up here!)  And I play worship music and just be quiet and recharge.

-Have a 'quiet time' in the word every day!  This is always something I strive for, and it is always on my list of goals.  Sometimes depending on the day it can only be 5 minutes and sometimes if the day allows it can be 45 minutes, but taking that time is essential to my walk with God, to pray and read his word and humble myself as I learn from Him.

-Write in my 1000 Gifts journal 3 times per week!  I absolutely love my 1000 gifts journal, where I write down and number the things I am thankful for.  I go through phases with it, but I want to be sure to write in it at least 3 times per week!  Still doing my best to get to that goal of 1000 numbered blessings!  Being thankful is an amazing way to bring us closer to Christ.

-Get back to practicing Yoga a few times per week!  This is something I also go through phases with, but I am always feel better when I do it, Yoga is my favourite way to exercise, and even though it can be hard to find quiet time during the day with having the kids home, it usually only takes 20 minutes and I am always glad I do it!  The goal is to do it at least a few times a week this fall and see where it goes!

Take more pictures for myself!  You read that right, not take pictures OF myself, but for myself :) As a photographer sometimes I save the 'big camera' for only my clients, but I want to make a point to take more pictures just for me, and more photos of the kids just doing what they are doing and not posing.  I've grown to really love taking photos of nature and I want to continue to do that at least once a week going forward.  When you have your phone camera readily available all the time to easily snap pics, it can make it hard to find the motivation to take out the real camera, but I am always so glad I do it!

And lastly, I want to write more!  Writing is something I have always loved since I was quite young and something that brings me great joy, so going into the cooler weather, I want to try and write every week, wether on my blog or a letter or just in a journal.  Maybe even get a bit better at that grammar thing ;)

These are just some personal goals for myself and I hope I can keep up with them this fall, being a homeschool mama I don't have much "me time", but if I give realistic expectations and do my best to keep up, I think these will be really positive things!  Let me know if you are doing any of these things too,  also I would love to hear of your favourite ways to take some re-charge time for yourself,  I always love hearing from you.  Thanks so much for reading ;)

xo,

Shelley

UPDATE: I wrote this last week, then never posted it until today!  We started homeschooling again this week,  and I have definitely been keeping up with taking a long brisk walk every night (I call it 'walking with a purpose') :) more quiet time in the word, and taking pictures for pleasure!  Just need to get on the yoga train now ;) #babysteps 

We have had such a lovely summer here on the lake and now we are nearly half way through August, which means the beginning of school is on our minds lately!  Every year about this time, I start to make sure I have all the curriculum we need for the upcoming year ordered, school supplies refreshed and organized, and we start to work on a rough schedule for the school year.  This will be our 5th year homeschooling, and I am just now starting to feel like we have a good philosophy for our family when it comes to learning and how we learn best,  as well as a good understanding on this amazing journey of homeschooling.  I learn something new every single day, and I am definitely not an expert but I thought it would be fun and interesting to share a bit about the 'pro's & con's of homeschooling' for others that are curious as to what we homeschool mama's do on a daily basis!  While I write this from an obvious place of being 'pro homeschool' I want to be completely honest with the hard parts too, because we all know that there is no way of schooling that is perfect and not every day will be sunshine and rainbows no matter what kind of school you go to ;)  Homeschooling works for our family right now, and we truly love and enjoy it, but as you read on know that we are totally open to other ways of schooling also and we know that every family has their own journey to follow!

Here are some of the Pro's:

Flexibility,  This is by far one of my most favourite things about homeschooling,  Not only can you do 'school' anywhere, in a school room, at the kitchen table, in the backyard or at the beach to name a few examples.  You can do it any day of the week you want also!  If you have a husband that works weekends and has his time off during the weekdays, you can switch around when you do school to have the most amount of family time.  You can do longer days of school and have longer weekends, or do shorter days of school more often.  You can school on a road trip, and take family vacations any time of year and travel during non peak times.  If someone is sick you can take the day off and make it up another day.  You can start early if you have a family of early birds and be done way before lunch, or start late if you all like to sleep in, the possibilities are endless!

Family Bonding,  Another one of my favourite things about homeschooling is how much time the kids and I get to spend together.  They are young for such a short time, and all the concentrated time we spend each day is an absolute blessing!  To learn to love each other and be together during every good day and every hard day is building our family bond through every up and down, and I couldn't be more thankful that I have the option to stay home with my kids!  Of course the kids bicker or get frustrated with one another but they have no choice but to get along and make it work, because they are each others classmates and friends as well as siblings.  Seeing them play and laugh together and share jokes warms my heart, and seeing an older child help a younger child with some school is also an awesome way for them to learn to teach and be a helper.

Freedom,  Along with the flexibility also comes freedom, educational freedom!  Being homeschoolers in Ontario at the present time we can teach what we want to teach!  I count this as a real blessing because it allows us to do individualized lessons for each child and their personalities and the way they learn best. They don't need to fit into a box, and they don't need to sit at a desk for a certain amount each day.  If they have got a concept down, we can move on, and if they need more time we can take all the time we need!  This is a beautiful thing, especially for families with children who have any learning or behaviour challenges, as we do.  We also love that we can do character building with a focus on the morals that matter to us as a family, including spending time talking about our faith every day.  We can do as much art, music, or nature studies as well want, and if we need to stand up and have a dance party to get those wiggles out, (which happens frequently) we can easily take the time to do that.

One on One learning,  some kids need more of this then others, and in our family the one on one time is crucial to being able to focus, and grasp new concepts.  I am so grateful to have the time each school day to spend some one on one time with each of my kids and work with them on what they are struggling with and cheer them on with the things they are excelling in.  Because of all the one on one time, we don't need to do much testing, as I am able to get a good handle on their strengths and weaknesses on a daily basis and know what we really need to buckle down on.  The one on one time I am able to give each day also serves to give each child the confidence and assurance that we can work through things together and know that I am rooting for them and here for them.

Rewarding, when you put the time and effort into homeschooling your children every day, the little successes you see are so rewarding!  I love teaching them and watching them learn and grasp something and see them grow and succeed.  To watch them enjoy learning something is also a big blessing, when you see them devour a book, or delve into researching more about something you know the love of learning is growing.  We also learn together, if there is something I don't know (aka. had to do a big re-fresh on a long division last year) we work on it together, and I do it along side of them.  We are in this together!  When we complete a productive week at school, that feeling is so rewarding and encourages me to keep putting in the hard work and time!

No Homework!  When you homeschool, all work is homework, which means we don't need to spend hours late at night doing additional homework because we have already done it during the day!  The extra practice we need on certain subjects can happen during our school day, which leaves a lot of time for the kids to be kids.  We love to encourage lots of outdoor time every day, in every season, nature exploring and hikes are some of our favourites.  As well as imaginary play, and our kids love to 'invent' things, these activities are so important, and we are glad to have lots of time to do them.  In addition to this, let's be honest....we can do school in our P.J's and what is not to love about that ;)

Here are some of the Con's:

NO breaks!  As a homeschool Mom I am 'on' 24 hours a day 7 days a week, my kids are always home, no breaks.  This means that even on days when I am not really 'feeling it' I have to rally, because no one but me is going to stay at home and teach my kids.  Where many parents have the option of booking appointments during school hours or running errands while their kids are at school, those are the outings that I am bringing all 3 of my kiddos along to.  My husband often remarks how many 'lunch dates' we could have if our kids were in school.  It's definitely a sacrifice, but one I am willing to make for what God has called me to do.  There are also ways to combat this and make sure we all get much needed breaks, but that is for another post ;)

Financial, homeschooling is not free!  While there are many ways to do it very cost effectively, curriculum can be expensive.  There are also the extra curricular activities and lessons, and most homeschool families are doing this all on one income, as one of the parent needs to be home full time to make it work.  It can definitely be done, but again I feel that this subject could be a whole post in itself!

It's Not Easy!  As I mentioned above, homeschooling is not a walk in the park, it takes a lot of discipline and dedication to keep going every day in a good routine.  A homeschool Mom has to keep organized and keep the positive morale every day, even if she's not feeling it.  Many times we take our free time at night to plan lessons and get things ready for the next day.  It's hard to just 'wing it' if your not prepared.  I always tell people who ask, that you have to REALLY love and want to do homeschooling to make it happen, because if your only 'half in' it's going to be hard to find that motivation every day.

Easy To Compare,  when you are the sole person in charge of your child's education it's easy to look around and compare how far along your kids are to other kids, or how other homeschool mom's teach compared to how you teach.  This is a slippery slope, and so while it's easy to read other blogs and see other peoples pictures on instagram of their seemingly perfect homeschool days, it's so important to remember that like I said above every family has their own journey and you can't spend your days comparing to how other families are doing it.

Effort into socializing, while I do believe with all my heart that homeschool kids can be absolutely awesomely socialized, there is an effort that needs to go into that.  Homeschool Mom's need to seek out opportunities for their kids to be social with people of all ages, and it doesn't just happen by sitting at home. So if your a 'homebody introvert' like me,  a challenge in homeschooling is making sure my kids have enough opportunities to be social.  Luckily my kids are all very social unlike me, and they make it easy to remember to plan things and get out!

Second guessing, I wanted to make sure I have en equal number of pro's and con's, and so I am throwing this last one in here, as a homeschool Mom there is a lot of 'second guessing' going on.  Did I pick the right curriculum?  Am I doing too many hours of school a day? Or not enough?  Do they need extra help in this subject?  Are they learning too much or too little?  I've found over the years that there is a lot of these questions going on, especially with 3 very different children, who learn in very different ways.  Second guessing your choices is something that happens frequently in this homeschool journey.

So there you have it!  That is just the tip of the ice burg in the pro's and con's of homeschooling, and I definitely learn more every year, and try to shift things to better suit the changing needs of our family.  No matter what kind of schooling you choose, there is always pro's and con's and things that you love and things you wish you could change, so I truly feel you need to pick the kind of schooling God has called you to, and the one you feel is best for your family!  I also believe that whatever kind of schooling God has called your family to He will lead you through it, and be your wisdom and guide.  I know that I could not homeschool every day if it weren't for the strength from the Lord and the support of my family.  I know that my husband and our parents are all on board with homeschooling and that helps immensely!  And though the days can be long, the years really are short and I am so thankful for this time I have at home with my kids, I know I will never regret it.  If you have anymore questions about homeschooling, or if you are a homeschool Mom and you want to add to my list of pro's and con's please leave a comment below!  I am sure I will do more homeschool posts in the future so if there is any subject within homeschooling you are interested please ask, I love to share!

Thanks for reading ;) please share with a friend!

This summer looks a bit different for us then what we are used to, and we are excited to unwind a bit with school done for the summer, and *most* of the big reno's in our lake house complete!  Normally a summer in the suburbs for us consisted of trips to the zoo, traveling around to different splash pads and parks, backyard fun with the sprinkler and trampoline, sidewalk chalk, bike rides to the corner store for ice cream or popcicles, lemonade stands, rollerblading, growing our little backyard garden, a week at our church VBS, and usually one week spent up north at a cottage thanks to a VERY generous family friend who was kind enough to share their little slice of heaven with us every summer.  We loved our summer's in the 'burbs, but they were busy!  Chris worked 6 days a week and usually went on a few missions trips, and I was shooting weddings and portrait sessions all through out the summer months, we were always hustling!  

Naturally one of our favourite things every summer was that week we spent up north at a cottage.  Where we could be outside in nature all week, enjoy the beautiful lake, birds singing every morning, coffee on the dock, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, hikes, bonfires, concentrated family time and of course toasted marshmallows.  We always came away from that week refreshed and counting down until the next time we could go back up north!  

Over the past few summer's I have noticed a movement of families making a 'Summer Bucket List' for their time off school over the summer, it gives them things to look forward to and things to 'tick off' during the warm summer months.  It is such a fun idea and I think it is a great way for families to stay connected, so there was a time when I thought maybe we should do a bucket list too.  Yet, for some reason any time I tried to think of things to add to our 'summer bucket list' I kept coming back to two words in my mind, and those words were... 'Be Still'.   Psalm 46:10 has always been one for my favourite verses. "Be still, and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"  One of the big things I wanted to focus on in moving up north was to listen for and hear God's voice more.  In the hustle and bustle and busyness of our life in the city, I found it harder and harder to 'Be Still'.  Yet I felt the Lord calling me to be less busy and live more simply so that I could hear His voice.  It's not always easy to be still with so many fun things to do and activities to tick off that list, and not to mention all the Mom duties I have, but my list this year has only one thing on it....to Be Still.  I am calling it my reverse bucket list :)  

That doesn't mean we wont be having any fun this summer,  we definitely will be!  I want our family to take the time to enjoy the nature all around us, to listen to the birds, and spot them in the trees,  to read new books, play outdoors a lot and make forts with sticks.  To work together on our gardens and property, to have family and friends visit.  To take long walks, go canoeing, kayaking and sit by the lake, and to just enjoy the simple pleasures.  We have SO many around us, and I don't want to miss them because we are too busy running here and there.  I want to take more time to read God's word and really think on it, to memorize scripture and be able to see more opportunities to share God's love.  Being still isn't necessarily the most simple route, the kids will have to get into a routine of slowing down as well, but having an open summer with not a ton of plans is JUST what the doctor ordered and most importantly what I feel the Lord calling us too.

Thanks as always for reading what is on my heart :) I am looking forward to the next few months and seeing how the Lord speaks to me and our family as I do my best to be still and listen!  What are you up to this summer?

Love Always,

Shelley