Our Family– June Update
*I had alluded to one more giveaway today, but that has now been postponed until next Monday, so look for it then!*
It’s been a long time since I gave you an update on our family and all that is happening around our home!
First of all, we’re in the midst of moving. We are surrounded by boxes and it feels like the more we pack, the more we realize how much more we need to pack! Our oven is also broken, so between that and having half of my kitchen packed up, I feel a bit like I’m doing camping-style cooking. It’s actually sort of fun (yes, I’m one of those people who truly likes camping cooking!).
Our move date is June 27th, which is less than a week away! We are so excited to get settled into our new place. It’s near where we currently live, but the house is larger, the backyard is better fenced for the kids, and my husband will be able to set up a music studio (more on that in a moment).
The one difficulty with moving this summer is my garden. I began preparing and planting up our garden here shortly before we made the decision to move. I planted it up quite heavily, so I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to get back and harvest it even after we move.
At the same time, I began the garden at our new home, so now I have TWO gardens to care for! The new garden is not in a great location, and it is not as large. I will post later in the summer about my garden and how I’m trying to adapt and work with what I have the best I can!
My garden is definitely suffering this year. Partly because we’ve been having lousy wet and cool weather so far this summer, and partly because I’ve been so busy that the extra time required to care for two gardens has just been a real struggle. I will do my best to redeem the rest of the summer, and I’ll make an effort to share more with you how my garden is growing!
Speaking of growing, our kids are growing up so quickly! Sweet little Johanna is a definite go-getter and even though she just turned 10 months, she’s already walking with furniture and starting to stand on her own. She’s a busy girl and she just motors around the house, following her beloved siblings! She has recently learned to clap her hands, and use sign language to ask for more milkies. She’s such a doll. Can I just tell you that the love you have for your children only grows and expands with each new baby?
Caden had his 3rd birthday recently. It was a very Thomas birthday, as he has recently decided that he is in love with trains! He is such a darling boy, and his health has definitely improved a lot since we did the GAPS diet this spring!
Abbie at 5 1/2 has just “finished” her first year of kindergarten (although we still do some homeschooling in the summer time), and we’re preparing now for getting a bit more serious for next fall. We’ll start studying History (Story of the World), Geography (Leagues & Legends), studying Biblical character qualities, developing her reading and writing skills further (First Language Lessons, A Reasons for Handwriting, Explode the Code, Rod & Staff Readers), continuing with piano lessons, etc.
It’s wonderful to see her truly reading simple books now, and doing a lot of independent writing and spelling and trying to sound words out on her own. She is so creative and constantly coming up with elaborate pretend play, writing letters and cards for people, and has become frightening adept at maneuvering all over the swing set out back!
We’ve also had some special visitors… Kimi of The Nourishing Gourmet and her precious family came to visit us! We had such a wonderful time getting to know them in person (though Kimi and I have been blogging friends for over 2 years!). If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out her amazing ecourse that will teach you to cook delicious, nourishing food on a budget!
In business news, I’ve started my new blog, Saving Naturally! Between finishing up and self-publishing my book, Real Food on a Real Budget this spring, and now the new site, work has been very, very busy for me.
I’ve actually ended up taking on far more blog work that I intended to back in the winter, when I was considering taking a step back. That is certainly still my heart’s desire, but my husband and I have made the difficult decision that this is a season where my business is important to our overall vision as a family. We don’t “need” for me to work, but it helps us to meet some of the goals that we have set and we feel that this is the right thing for us, right now.
Though this has been one of the most personally challenging seasons I have ever walked through, the Lord has been so kind and gracious to me through it. He has given me the opportunity to serve my husband and our family as I run a business that I love (writing for women that I love!). I could stop at any time if I truly wanted to, but difficult or not, it is my joy to work as a partner with my husband in this way!
As for his business, it is going well! He has just signed an important 1 year contract that we feel is a very big step for his music school, Resound School of Music. He also continues to oversee other music teachers who teach in student’s homes, as well as doing a lot of teaching himself. He has discovered just how passionate he is about teaching music (not just running the business), and so we have been investing in his ability to do more and more teaching. In fact, our upcoming move will allow him to create a music studio where he will teach from our home, which is so exciting!
And lest you think I do this all by myself (run two blogs, publish and market a book, while caring for 3 young children and a home!), my husband has joined forces with me significantly! He helps me with marketing, with our advertisers, with emails, with technical details and so much more. I now have a wonderful mother’s helper who comes one morning a week so that my children can be well-cared for while I get in some concentrated writing time.
I also now have an administrative assistant, Abby, who helps me with emails, book sales and marketing, deal posts at Saving Naturally and many other things. What would I do without her? She may answer one of your emails one day… be sure to say hi!
Lastly, I will be taking a short hiatus starting tomorrow. We have our move coming up in less than a week. A week after we move, I am headed to the Savvy Blogging Summit in Beckinridge, Colorado! I am so excited to spend some time learning how to be a more effective blogger, and to get together again with some of the fantastic ladies I met at Blissdom and to connect with bloggers I have never met as well!
For the next 3 weeks or so, I have put together an incredible schedule of guest posters, in addition to my regular contributing writers who will be writing a little bit more often. I’m pretty sure you won’t miss me at all. 🙂
I’d love to hear how you are all doing! What has been going on in your homes and families lately?
This sounds great! I am so glad you explained everything so well. After following your blog for so long I feel like I know you a bit…so its nice to hear how things are going and hear an explanation about how you’re not superwoman (although I knew that, LOL!)
We’re doing well here, this is the busy busy time of year for us. Also, I am finding motheirng to be a job on the run lately. My toddler is into everything…and my 4 year old is into screaming “mine” and “no” so its a constant consistent training effort around here.
My garden has also not had as much attention as I would like due to that. I think that down the road, my kids will help more, so I look forward to that. My oldest planted her own small garden this year. The earwigs are the issue at our house. I’d love to hear if anyone else reading this has a tried and true way to deal with them. I’ve tried many things, but most are time consuming and require diligency…but the kids are my priority of course.
I hope your move goes well!!!
im glad everything is going so well for you 🙂
.-= cassie´s last blog ..Waterfront Festival 2010 =-.
I was hoping to go to the meeting in Colorado this year, but it did not work out. I am hoping to attend the one in October.
Your children are beautiful and having followed you since before Johanna’s birth – it is amazing to see how much they have grown in the past year. Thanks so much for sharing your story – it is always fun (and inspiring) to hear what you are up to! Good Bless You with your move and all of your other ventures!!
Oh my- it is sooo much fun to “hear” about your updates especially on the beautiful children!
We have had the extra rainy and cold season too but I took a small break in gardening as I was due with our third child in June- she was born June 3rd and we’re all in love with her. We have had some setbacks with feeding issues and jaundice/getting her back to her birth weight but steadily and slowly we’re improving. My husband came home from his deployment end of April and took 5 weeks off to work on our house and to be with his family- we have enjoyed that time.
It’ll be a cherry on top should God bless us with lots of sunshiney days to enjoy…
I am relatively new to your blog. I somehow stumbled across it about a month ago and I must tell you how much of a blessing it’s been to my family and me! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and insight with us. It’s helping me to be a better wife, mom and steward of our resources. Thank you!!
I didn’t realize you were going to the Summit. YAY! You must be thrilled!
I bought your Real Food/Budget book. It just arrived on Thursday. I handed it off to my cousin as I knew she’d benefit from reading it first. (She just started her budget last week, 4 days before the book came!) Today she called to say she was baking Katie’s 1 bowl muffins and granola in an effort to stretch her budget. YAY! I’m excited to read the book and share with other family.
Congrats on the new home with a music studio for Hubby. That’s AMAZING! Isn’t God so great?! 🙂
Allie
I am so ready for this weather to change! my garden is begging for some sunshine. Hope your move goes well.
.-= denise´s last blog ..things have changed =-.
Thanks for the update on you and your family. It’s good to hear about the decision you made to really work hard at your business during this season of your life. I was wondering about what you had written about being a pro-mom, not a pro-blogger, and then going and starting a new blog. 🙂 We are kind of in the same position as a family too. I would really like to take my blog to the next level, monetizing it and really seeking to grow my readership and influence, but knowing that it is not going to be a walk in the park. If we decide that that is the direction I am going to go, I know that I will need my hubby’s full support, it’s good to hear how supportive yours is! It’s also good to hear that other bloggers struggle with the balance. Sometimes it is easy to think that bloggers are superwomen who write wonderful posts every day, keep a perfectly clean house, and have perfect children and families. I’m sure we all know that it not the reality, but it’s good to actually hear it – that you can’t do it all by yourself, and that it is hard. I know it sounds kind of weird, but that’s actually really encouraging to me. 🙂 Blessings to you and your family over the next few weeks!
Are those my books? 😛 Haha!
I, too, stumbled across your blog from a quick link from my friend about a month ago and you have taught me SO much already. I finally ordered your book a couple days ago and am super excited for the info in there, too. Thank you for sharing your knowledge – it’s such a blessing 🙂
I hope you’re move goes well and that your gardens (go you!) recover with some well-needed sunshine! Many blessings!
I hope you have a great move and a great conference! Thanks for the update and ALL you do to help of of us out in the blogosphere!!
.-= Amy Lynne´s last blog ..Menu Plan for the Week 6-20-10 =-.
Wow, Stephanie, an administrative assistant, how I dream of being able to hire someone to help me someday, that’s great! Hope your move goes well. 🙂
Kelly
@Kelly the Kitchen Kop, Having an admin assistant is definitely helpful! I chose someone young but reliable, who needs some training and so that makes it more affordable for me, plus it’s only a few hours per week. She’s wonderful and learning fast!
I enjoyed your update Stephanie. It was fun to read about all you are doing. I appreciate you sharing with us!
Like a few others mentioned, it was nice to hear about how you get all your blogging done. I guess you should be flattered that so many of your readers remember what you say! We all remember the pro-mom post 🙂 It is great to see your husband involved too.
I hope you have a wonderful time at the summit. I’m a tiny bit jealous…it looks awesome. Maybe next year I’ll get to go.
Blessings to you.
.-= Stacy @ Delighting in the Days´s last blog ..Balsamic Dressing with Thyme =-.
Happy moving! I had to leave a comment because I see my maiden name scrawled all over the sides of you boxes! How random is that?
.-= Jenny Fish´s last blog .. =-.
Wow, you sound like you are in the midst of quite a busy time in your life! May the Lord be with you as you continue to mother and garden and cook and blog. It’s nice to have found your site. There is so much good stuff going on here 🙂