A peak into my life

This is the face of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Everyday I wake up. And pain has already started it's work. I speak positive truths and get myself out of bed. Every step hurts. Every step. It hurts to move. But I do it. I don't even give pain a chance for attention. I have two kids who need me to super mom. So I tend to them. Pain is still waiting for me. Still testing it's boundaries. I pause while making breakfast. You can do this, you got this. Positive self talk to keep myself going. I feed the kids, homeschool and some crafts. I give myself permission to sit for a little bit because the pain is really wanting to rear it's ugly face. I take meds to knock out the pain. I win for the moment. Life as usual. Dinner time. Pain found its way back and is hugging my spine and hips. Get off me. There is no place for you in my body. Smile Kari you got this. You are choosing joy. Thoughts of how unfair it is that other people can enjoy normal fun, lives, sneak in. No way. Step behind me satan. I will NOT buy into those lies. I get to experience God's strength more than most, because God promised that He is made perfect in my weakness. I win again. Finish the night with my family. Husband is home and momma can rest. Whew.
Everyday is a battle, and everyday I choose victory. Life is so good!

Life Changing Magic of Tidying up Section 2

I have read through section 2 and want to share some of my thoughts.
In this section,  Marie covers, in detail, how to discard. You must finish this step completely before moving on. She starts off talking about how important it is to do things in the right order. Even more, she says you need to visualize your destination before you even begin to discard. What does this look like? She had one client, who wanted to her space to allow her to come home from work, have a clean floor, have a clean room. She wanted to be able to have a nice bath, listen to music, and fall asleep with a feeling of unhurried spaciousness.
I wondered what I wanted. I want to be able to wake up and have coffee. Be able to home school, and do crafts and fun projects, and not have to focus on cleaning all day. Just feel at peace and feel joy in my home. Once you have decided what you want, then you start the discarding process.
The biggest thing to remember when entering this phase,  you are not choosing what to throw away, you are choosing what to KEEP. She says, keep what items spark joy. When you start, it is important to start on the easiest catagory so you can develop your skills when it comes to the harder things. She suggests that clothing is the easiest place to start.
When starting this process, she suggested that family not be there. This is not really possible for me, but I definitely see where she is coming from. Grace sees a toy she hasn't played with for months, and it is all the sudden her favorite. So this would be a good time for a sleep over with grandma and grandpa's! She says this whole process can take up to 6 months. That is the longest she thinks it should take. I think that is do able. The second section is mostly focusing on the WHY and the importance of the PROCESS. I am anxious to read the next section and get into the guts. I was going to attempt to start this process before finishing the book, but I decided after one drawer, I need to read more. So stay tuned for section 3!! Until next time♡

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up Section 1

I have often wondered what I was doing wrong with housekeeping  I feel like, no matter how much I organize, pick up, clean, there is always more. So I am going into this book as somewhat a skeptic.
In the first section, Marie Kondo, introduces her self, and covers Why we have a hard time keeping our homes in order.  

You can not Tidy if you have never learned how.

She goes on to explain how,  many times we were told to tidy our room, we also tell our kids this, but has anyone ever been taught?  In school the focus is more on Cooking, not as much on Tidying.  I want to note, In Japan "Tidy" is more of a huge cleaning than what I think of when I say Tidy.  This book is going to offer a chance to finally learn how to Tidy.

A Tidying Marathon Does Not Cause a Rebound.

She claims that you should only have to Tidy Once in a lifetime. I can not wrap my mind around this yet. She says that if you put your room in order properly, you should be able to keep your home tidy even if you are messy by nature.  Marie also claims to be a messy person.  I am pretty certain she is not.  She was reading organization magazines in kindergarten.  She states that Tidying needs to be an event.  If you tidy every day, you will never keep a clean home.  I, again, can not imagine how this will work.  Will I really be able to get my home to a point where I can not have to clean every day?  The method she is using, is supposed to have such an impact on you, once the tidying is done, that you will never have to Tidy again.  She encourages you to aim for perfection. She says you will never get your home where you want it if you do it half halfheartedly.  In my mind, this makes sense.  All you need to do is look at each item, decided if you want to keep it, and where you want to put it.  She says, you only need to aim for perfection one time, and you won't rebound.  

Sort by Category, not by location.

Marie gives an example from her child hood.  She is telling us that, if you start sorting clothes in one room, you will have to repeat the process in the next room.  Rather, she encourages taking all from one category and going through it.  She would set goals like "books today, clothes tomorrow."  Again, this makes sense, however, I have no idea if I would have the stamina, or the time, to do ALL the clothes in my house.  I feel like this is something I would need to do room by room.  I am not sure how I will go about this yet.  I know that sometimes you need to look at your situation and adjust. (she actually encourages you not to do this...but she isn't my boss right?!)  I do want to attempt to do this as much as I can.  Maybe like "Kids toys one day?"  

In the last section she talks about making Tidying an event, which I covered above.  She has said that it can even be over a period of months.  But it needs to be a short period.  The one quote that hit my heart the most was this, "the space I live in is graced only with things that speak to my heart.  My life style brings me joy"  I love this, because many days I dream of being able to sit at the table and be able to just enjoy what I am doing, rather than looking around making a list of more cleaning.  Just to be able to truly enjoy your home.  I am hoping to get exactly there.  To the point where I can sit, sip my coffee, look around, and feel joy.  

Thanks for coming along on this journey.  Feel free to leave any questions or comment below.

More Adventures!

Its October!! How did that happen?  It has been a while since I have written.  We have had lots happen.  Our little lady sprained her knee, and has been in a knee brace for the last week.  Keeping a 4yr old off her leg is rough.  However, in her rest time, she became inspired to start her own YouTube show.  She asked me if her and I could make a show like the ones she has been watching.  I love that she has made a goal, and has actually accomplished it at 4yrs old.  So we started our new YouTube Channel, "The Adventures Of K and G"  It's a work in progress, but it sure is a great way to make fun memories with her!  Check out our first episode Here

One of the new products I was able to try in the last few weeks was from a company called "It Works."  I was able to test out a wrap and some firming cream.  I met the most wonderful consultant named Elise.  I met her on Instagram.  I had noticed that she had posted many things about her faith, and I admired that.  She was a mom, and I could relate to that, and she was bold!  So we connected and she had me try a wrap.  I didn't want to post my before and after photos, because I am not that brave yet.  However, what I can tell you is, the wrap really works!  I noticed firming of my skin, and more muscle tone.  It wasn't just water weight.  Now, one wrap is not a treatment.  You need more for that, but the results from one, definitely make you want to try more.  If you want to know more, you can contact Elise at her website Here  She is a wonderful gal and will be more than willing to help you!!

I am making a list of fall adventures, so stay tuned!

Well, that is all for now!  I will be back soon with more products and more adventures!  Thanks for sticking with me and joining me on my journey!

Make the Most of Your Day

September is here and school is starting!  We are homeschooling Grace for Pre-k again this year.  She loved it last year and did so well.  This is a fun time of year. It is a great time for fresh starts.  I have been reading a lot of blogs that are talking about ways to help you make the most out of your days.  I have definitely wanted to get better at being productive, and using my time wisely.  However, almost all that I have read, tells us to get up before the kids to have a great start to your day. At this point in my life, not only is this not possible, it isn't a smart idea.  I needed to find what would work best for me, and for our kids.  Here are a few things that have worked for us:

1.  Have a 1 cup rule.  We all wake up at 5am.  Yes, for real.  So the rule is, read, watch the news, play, but let mommy have her cup of coffee first.  They of course can ask for my help, but they allow me the time it takes to finish coffee, to gather my thoughts for the day.

2.  Get dressed.  This is a common theme that echoed through all the blogs I have read.  Getting dressed simply puts your mind in "awake mode."  I definitely get more done in a day after I am dressed.  I would even add to this, have a pair of indoor only shoes.  Wearing shoes also helps keep me motivated.

3.  The last tip, and the one that is my favorite and most helpful, always keep your kitchen clean.  If my kitchen is clean, I feel like I can tackle anything.  Its weird, but try it! The rest of the house feels less overwhelming when the kitchen is clean.  I have tried to start a habit of straightening the kitchen and dishes before bed.  I don't always do the dishes before bed, but when I do, I am way happier, and more relaxed in the morning.

These are things that worked for me, try them and tell me what you do to make your day easier. i would love to hear what helps other people make the most out of their day!

I have so much to learn about blogging, but thank you for joining me on this journey, and because I have been taught that photo's always help, I will leave you with this.....

A day in the life....

Whew, I needed a breather, so I decided to write.  This has been a long, and very noisy week.  My kids have gotten to a stage where I'm pretty certain they are competing for loudest kid award.  Tonight, they are in bed, and I am soaking up the silence.

This week has brought us some fall like weather, which I don't mind all that much!  We took some long bike rides, and played a few rounds of basket ball. Grace has really taken to cooking and baking.  I find her searching out kids cooking shows.  She also likes to experiment, chop items up and mix them together.  Today she made a chocolate chip cookie cake.

The Pinterest recipe we decided to try today was home made bread.  You can find the recipe here:The Curvy Carrot.  It is an awesome recipe.  It was easy to follow, and the bread tasted great.  The only problem we had, is that the one loaf, probably could have made two.

My product review this week is a new favorite of mine.  This canvas bag, by Tom Clovers, is an essential mommy bag.  It is fashionable, big, and has loads of pockets.  It also zips closed. It is a high quality, beautifully designed bag.  I found that I am able to carry baby stuff on one side, and mommy stuff on the other.   I definitely love this bag. You can find it on amazon Here  

Some new and exciting things coming up for the blog!  I am going to be making a Facebook page to make communication easier.  I would love to know what kind of products everyone is interested in, what kind of recipes and crafts people want to see.  I also will be featuring some of my crochet items that will be for sale.  So stay tuned for giveaways and lots of fun!  Thank you for your support as I step out of my comfort zone and explore the world of blogging!

A picture perfect moment

Summer is nearing it's end, I know, I'm in denial too.  But one of the best parts of Fall is the picture taking!  I mean, you can capture the best pictures outside in the Fall.  If you find yourself wanting family photos, wedding photos, baby photos or just portraits, let me share an amazing Photographer with you.  His name is Tom with CDT Photo.  He was born with this talent.  He captures not only the photo, but the feeling, and love behind the picture.  He gets to know you so he can capture you in your element.  We always do our pictures outdoors because, we are an outdoor kind of family.  He has done all our photos.  He is not only amazing at capturing moments, he is so good with kids. He got our oldest, very shy girl, to smile.  He even got her to smile after falling.  He is genius.  Here are some examples of  his photos:  Here  He is truly one of the best.  Please reach out and like his Facebook page Here and help him grow.  If you are in the market for a photographer in Mn, please contact him.  He is filling up fast, but he still has some sessions left for fall and winter.  He is very reasonable and his quality of photos are beyond your expectations.  You can contact him through his Facebook page for pricing.  Here are a few of my favorite examples: