Mindy's Non-Adventures

Although I do not read nearly as much as I used to (thanks ADULTHOOD and all your exhaustion), I still love my books and how they have shaped my life. I love a good Netflix binge or movie as much as the next person, but they don't have the same kind of power to change my soul like a good book can. One book that especially shaped my thinking is  Idols of the Heart  by Elyse Fitzpatrick. Basically, it taught me to notice those if/then thoughts. You know, "If I did/had/was ______, then I would feel/be happier/better."  I have filled in those blanks a thousand different ways, but it's really only one thought expressed in different ways depending on my most obvious failure of the moment. These thoughts clue me in to the idols that I've nurtured in my heart. First, as I've already said more than once, February sucks as a month. I can't speak for anyone else, but in the homeschooling world, we all feel the pain. We keep getting sick. The weather is especially s...

Wow. January was rough and the first week of February has not been kind. I was somewhat prepared for this because I've finally learned that October and January/February are my struggle months. I was ready for the dip in morale this time, armed with optimism and wine. I was not prepared for a month of sick people. Sick kids. Sick husband. Sick self. Never at the same time and one of them got hit twice. Then the exhaustion of 3 birthdays hit. School morale dipped a little bit, but I have not resorted to my yearly online school scouting yet.  By the end of the month, the germs were defeated, and I thought I'd made it through the worst. Then January 31 came and had a little conversation with February. I imagine it went something like this.       January: "Hi February! I feel like Mindy has had a rough Me, but not nearly as rough as usual. Care to help me out in crushing her for a few weeks?"        February: "You know what? I can do that !" ...