I just might need a blue bike now. (and a giveaway!)

This post is part of the Blue Bike Blog Tour, which I’m thrilled to be part of. To learn more and join us, head here.

Several years ago, I chose the word "purposeful" as my word for the year. Living with purpose or intention is something I desire...but it does demand discipline. 

So when I heard Tsh Oxenreider begin to mention her new book (via her website and podcast), I grew quite excited about it. The Art of Living Intentionally in a Chaotic World? Count me in. When an opportunity arose to be a part of her blog tour, I jumped at the chance to read this book. I had a feeling it would resonate with me. 

And it did.

I have loved reading each short chapter, as Tsh focuses in on living intentionally memoir-style in these five areas: Food, Work, Education, Travel, and Entertainment.  I've loved it all. But in reading through the book, Part IV: Education really caught hold of me. 

We began our homeschooling journey before our oldest could even talk...I pored over homeschool catalogs and got excited about this high school curriculum or that one. Seriously. We knew we wanted to homeschool. One child at a time, one year at a time. That's what we said.

My homeschool ideals and vision for what our days would look like were lofty and beautiful.

To name just a few...I knew that homeschooling would provide a consistency in our life of military moving. I longed to spend quality and quantity time with my children. I looked forward to the ease we would have to travel anytime we chose to go.  I saw gaps in my own education and desired to fill those in that of my children. I wanted them to see how all of learning was integrated...a part of the whole and not compartmentalized by subjects and separate classrooms. I wanted them to learn about their world in the context of our faith. 

We are now five years and three children into this homeschooling journey.

Sometimes, there are moments when I look around our homeschool table as we work on grammar or while we're snuggled up on the couch reading a really good book and it's a perfectly dreamy instagram filtered moment. But those moments are still a part of the jumble of everyday real life.

In the midst of daily word problems and errands to the store and language delays and history timelines and dishes and laundry and cobwebs and meals and story time and pick-up football, all of a sudden those ideals and reasons seem lost or at least very far away.

I find that in the hard moments, quite often I'm trying to make our schooling choices match the beat of other drums. That, and I lose sight of the forest for the trees. 

Reading Tsh's book was a good reminder to me to not let go of the details but to keep my larger hopes and goals in better focus. I'm trying to journal more about school...and to be mindful of the "seasons" of schooling at home that can be heavy ones where I'm prone to feeling burned out. (Funny, those seasons are quite similar to the ones I experienced when teaching in the public schools!)

I'm also trying to keep in mind the freedoms for living intentionally that homeschool provides us. The other sections Tsh writes on only encouraged me more because of this!

Here are a few passages from Notes From a Blue Bike that I loved...that reminded me of why we began this journey and appealed to me not to forget it:

Ultimately, there was a magnetic appeal to having the freedom in my day to really listen to my kids instead of rushing them out the door to school. We'd have the time and space to learn together, talk together, and listen to each other. It was pretty ideal, in fact.

I'm convinced that parents are the most essential key to unlocking the next generation's curiousity, creativity, and innovation. So much can be said for porviding a home full of books, art supplies, open-ended toys, and freedom to wander outdoors. Being stingy with screen time and generous with our attention to a child's natural interests can translate the message to him or her that learning matters better than any standardized test.

Our home will be the most significant place during out kids' childhood. I can't ignore its influence.

I think that this book will be one that I read often. Tsh has such a great voice...when I read, I feel like I'm sharing a cup of coffee and chatting with an old friend. I hope you might enjoy it too! I'd like to give away a copy, so leave a comment, letting me know which of the five sections of the book you're most excited about! I'll draw a winner next Tuesday!

Notes From a Blue Bike is written by Tsh Oxenreider, founder and main voice of The Art of Simple. It doesn't always feel like it, but we DO have the freedom to creatively change the everyday little things in our lives so that our path better aligns with our values and passions. Grab your copy here.

I received a review copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers. This review reflects my own opinion. 
I am providing the giveaway copy because I really think you'll love Tsh's book too!

Looking forward

Twenty Fourteen dawned for us after a whirlwind of a fall and holiday season.

It's been a whole week now.

I've been soaking in the slow days. Enjoying the post-Christmas and pre-back to school ease of last week. Finding our first week of 2014 homeschool a cold and cozy and treasured collection of hours so far. Going slowly, day by day and space by space in organizing our home.

I let this place go quietly, despite my plans for blogging while we traveled. Best laid plans and such.

But the quiet has been so welcome. It provided space for thought and space for just being in the moment with my family.

I'm looking forward to making more quiet places and spaces in life this year. Looking forward to chasing some dreams. Looking forward to making fruitful hours instead of busy ones. Looking forward to spending more time in this space with you, too.

What are you looking forward to in 2014?

slow, slow, quick, quick, slow

I remember chanting those words at a similar time of year in a very different season of life.

Eighth grade cotillion.

You could see the boys nod their heads and mouth the words. A few of the girls were seamless in their execution of the steps. A few, you could tell, were counting their steps silently.

Slow. Slow.
Quick, quick, slow.

That's how I feel about the last few weeks...a combination of quick and slow.

A slow onset of autumn weather...followed by a few summer-like days.

A quick November (I was traveling over three of the five weekends.)

A slow drive to Virginia for Thanksgiving...and a wonderfully slow five day visit with Brent's brother's family...lots of time spent watching eight cousins enjoy time together.

A quick onset of the advent season, as we returned home December 1.

A quick trip to cut down our Georgia tree (some type of lacy Cypress...a first for us!) And a quickly decorated tree...all in the same evening!

Quick shipping of gifts (Lots of love for Amazon Prime.)

A slow and gradual approach to decorating. It always seems to take me a little longer to decorate the first year in a new home...and this year was no different!

Quick mornings and days...trying to find rhythm and balance for Christmas activities and homeschooling and wrapping gifts and the next stage of paperwork for our adoption and the usual upkeep of a home at Christmas.

A slowing down to enjoy time together...to read our advent devotions and light the candles.

A slowing (to almost a stop!) of blog posts...as there's been much to say but not many moments to say it.

Quick weeks, full of good and fun activities with friends and our church family...

And quick nights; I am definitely putting in my night owl hours.

I'm looking forward to this next week...with a slower pace of school beginning Monday (just math & reading)...no evening plans scheduled at all...and time to enjoy the days leading up to Christmas.

I hope that in the midst of the "quick, quick" this season, you also find slow moments, to rest and reflect on the Hope and Joy and Peace that advent recalls.

To love is to serve.

Evie, over at Life in Grace, is writing once a month on living with intention. I'm joining her. 

And this month the focus is love.

I feel extremely blessed in that love has never been something I have not known.

For my thirty-three years, I have watched an amazing love between my parents. I have seen that their love is strong not because of each other but because of their own love for the Lord and His grace in their lives.

I have experienced their love for me and my brothers and sister...and now their love of the men and woman who love their own children. And their grandchildren.

In the years when many girls wanted as much distance from their mothers as possible, I did not.  She gained my love and my trust and my confidence. And as I grew older, I gained hers. I remember as I grew that my hope was to be MORE like my mother. Not less.

And in entering motherhood, this desire only strengthened.

I love this picture of my Mom and my firstborn, taken the morning after Hadleigh was born.

I found those early years of motherhood to be sweet ones. The balance of life was a learning curve, but oh, to have a day that was just me and one little baby and a small home. It was a blissful time...and in hindsight, I'd even say easy.

But babies grow and new ones are added and life continues. And I would find myself weary. Wondering how to do it all and still love well. Love my Lord. Love my husband. Love my children. Love my friends and neighbors.

In those young years, I think I spoke daily with my Mom. Asking her advice. Seeking her wisdom. Soaking in her encouragement.

One thing she said long ago (and more than once) has stuck with me these years.

She told me that she desired to be more like Jesus. And He was a Servant. So she would imitate Him, the Servant.

My mom, she isn't perfect. None are. But she is a servant.

A servant considers the needs of others to be more important than his own. A servant lays down his life for another. His time. His own pursuits.

Every night while I was growing up, Mom would say goodnight to each of us, beginning with the youngest and ending with me. She would tickle our backs, sing to us, talk with us, answer our questions, and quite often fall asleep while doing so. I don't ever remember this time being rushed...I never thought there was somewhere else she would rather be.

I have three who call me Mommy. And I also tuck them in each night. The days are long...and in all honesty, I look anxiously to the moment my three have been tucked in and the house is the stillest it's been all day. I admit that I am prone to accomplish "tuck in time" as quickly as possible.

I imagine that years ago there were also dishes and papers and bills and time with Dad and conversations with friends that were on her mind. I imagine she looked forward to putting her feet up after a day running after four kiddos. I now realize that all those evening moments Mom spent beside each of our beds were such a gift. A gift of her time. Her gift of service to us.

And I've realized that I want to mimic her attitude in that evening time. I want my children to remember and know that there was no movie or website or craft or household task that was more important at that time than those few moments alone together at the close of the day. I want to love like she loved. Serve like she served.

All those years, I have wanted to be like her. And she was just following His example, all the while, leading by example.

Desiring that we, too, would desire to be more like Jesus.

The Servant.