Organizational
Becoming a Gardener-on my Bucket List Forever
I grew up with a mom, grandma, and auntie who were all amazing gardeners. I thought it would be something that I would naturally inherit. Flower gardens, vegetable gardens and trees of all kinds bring me great JOY. I love being outdoors and I love gardening….BUT my life is VERY FULL of relationships that require my time. I therefore have not been very successful at keeping my garden as beautiful as I would like it to be.
God has graciously given me two friends who are FANTASTIC gardeners-one by training (she is a Master Gardener) and one by experience (she could literally run a nursery business out of her home). So I have been given the gift of consultation and time. Both of these amazing friends have offered to help me repent my borders and help me redesign my backyard. I couldn’t be more excited. I love watching talented people share their expertise and passions especially when they align with my interests and my passions.
We went to a spectacular Nursery to see many varieties of plants that would do well in my yard. We have had a few planning sessions and in a few weeks we will drive back up to a fabulous nursery and buy the plants. I am outrageously excited!!!
So if you have a dream and you have friends who have a gift for something you want to learn about….tap their resources, enjoy the blessing of friendship and you just may be able to have a dream Bucket List item come true!!!!
Here are some of the beautiful plants we plan to buy and plant in my backyard.
Here is my faithful friend who is helping me with my garden…
Here are my new pruning shears. 
Here is the back corner where we will begin our …
Pack Early for a Grand Adventure
One habit that I have tried exceptionally hard to accomplish is packing early before an adventure so that the last few days before I leave can be less stressful. When you pack early, you have time to check, check and double check. I keep a running list of a few things that I need to add to my carry-on right before I leave. I make sure to order the foreign currency I need and get some US dollars as well. I check with the airline I am traveling on to make sure I am within the weight limits. I have a luggage scale that I use throughout the packing process.
I sort my clothes and place in Eagle Creek compression packing sleeves. This helps me stay organized when on the type of vacation where you are moving from one hotel to another. Shorts and capris go in one pouch, swim suits and cover-up in another, shirts go in a separate pouch etc. The hardest part for me is deciding how many of each item. My rule of thumb is if I know I have 3 days at at least one hotel…I can do laundry so I can take less shirts and tops. I also use clear zipper pouches for all my accessories so they are easy to find. I love Stasher bags. Although they are marketed for food storage, they are great for storing things that are in containers that might spill like lotions, face creams, shampoo etc.
The end result of packing early is rest and calmness in the days before the trip.
So for my next trip in less than 2 weeks, I can rest assured that I will not be running around like a chicken with my head cut off the few days before we leave.…
Read More365 Things Every New Mom Should Know-Passion Perspective Introducing Linda Danis
A few years ago, Growing Weisser started a new “tradition” called “Passion Perspective”. “Passion Perspective” is a unique way to share a glimpse into the lives of some intriguing people who are pursuing their passions. In the past, we featured guests that have a true enthusiasm for the work they are doing. Our “Passion Perspective” posts included exclusive interviews to introduce you to many of our favorite friends who are on a journey of taking their passions and turning them into small businesses. We will share insights including the steps they took, the challenges they faced, and the blessings that have come into their lives and the lives of others.
This week we are featuring Linda Danis, an expert on “All things MOM”! She is one of the most devoted moms I know. Not only is she dedicated to her own children and now grandchildren, but she loves mentoring young moms and has a passion for encouraging women in their lives and in their faith. This interview is wonderful and her book, 365 Things Every New Mom Should Know would be a perfect gift for Mother’s Day!
I know you well, Linda, but can you tell our readers a little bit about
yourself?
I love being a mom! I have been married for 33 years and have four
children who are all in their 20’s, my youngest is in college. I have also
entered the wonderful world of being a grandparent with twin 2-year-old
granddaughters and another on the way. Raising my kids has been my main job
and ministry for the past three decades which means I have worn many
different hats over the years… PTA president, Moms in Touch leader, Team
mom, Sunday school teacher, Bible study leader, and Carpool driver
extraordinaire. I wrote this book in my …
Sending Love One Card at a Time
“Sending Love One Card at a Time” quoted from a wonderful friend’s website who has inspired this post. Upon receiving a letter from her last week it opened up a little piece of my heart. When was the last time you received a letter just because? Do you know that feeling of fishing through all that junk mail and finding a real envelope addressed to you and opening an actual real note? There is something so real and authentic about it that feels different than an email. It is like reading a real book. Real, tangible, meaningful, you can feel it and touch it. It connects to your heart and can connect to your soul. Or how about getting all those family Christmas cards during the holiday season? I absolutely love getting Christmas cards and sending Christmas cards. It is like this piece of my heart opens up and feels connected to all those people. Snail mail gets some similar feeling from me. It feels pure and deep. Real and vulnerable.
So I have been thinking about the past week of Valentine’s Day and love and relationships. And I think it is time to send a little love to some important people in my life. Tell them that are valuable to me. Show them in a different way I care. Even if the mail doesn’t mean the same thing to them, I love getting the opportunity to send it. Sometimes the things we think we are doing for others actually ends up opening a different piece of our heart and touching us in a different way.
I have a friend that sends letters on birthdays and anniversary. She is amazing and so intentional. And it means so much to me that I get a little blessing from such and incredible …
Read MoreSpringtime Survival Tips for Moms
Summer has begun for many families. Some weeks will be filled with camps, Vacation Bible Schools, swim lessons, other sports teams and tournaments……Regardless of your situation, there are going to be long days when you need some ideas in your pocket to make it to bedtime.
We asked some friends to share their favorite ways to survive long days.
Here is a list of our tips and suggestions:
– Easy Dinner – make sandwiches or pancakes.
– Utilize free events and story times at your local library.
– Create an art show with all your kids art projects from school and invite some friends to come!
– Host a play date. Then you can still have company without leaving your house!
– Join a Mommy Group. This is definitely what saves me most days. You can join shared interest groups, find groups on Facebook or Instagram, or a become a part of a church group like MOPS. I have many virtual friends that support me through our talks and sharing on Facebook.
– Utilize technology: text, FaceTime, Skype. Kids love to see family. Ellie, Hanna and Mikah love to FaceTime with their Aunts and Uncles.
– Do a house project to pass the time and stay focused on a task.
– Plan something for yourself at the end of a long day: a Mom’s Night, wine and a good book, a prerecorded favorite show, or a nice warm bath all to yourself.
– Campout in the living room. I can’t wait for my girls to be old enough for forts and campouts.
– Read a good book or watch those guilty pleasure shows your husband won’t watch with you.
– Go on walks or a nature walk. This is one of my favorites.
– Reward the kids with a frozen …
Read MoreA Sticker Chart for a New Year
My focus for the year is to get more organized. This “organized” is all encompassing, including organizing the things in my home, my scheduling with a better routine, and my mindset as a mom. The “mindset as a mom” is a big one for me as I have often felt recently like I am always catching up instead of being ahead of the kids’ new transitions and phases. As a result, I am wanting to do more intentional parenting this year so that I can feel more on top of what my kids are going through and have a more smooth ride through each phase.
Lately, Sophie has been as curious as ever and testing more and more with each new day. It is sometimes hard to remember that just as I am learning everyday more of how to be a mom, she is learning how to go about life and how to grow and develop through different stages of life. And with that comes a lot of frustration and days filled with “No”. I was tired of having the same day over and over again and not doing anything to make a change.
Sophie has been very into stickers recently! She loves to make cards with stickers to send to her cousins and she loves to put stickers on her shirt. I decided to take this new interest and match it with something to encourage good behavior- A Sticker Chart! It is so simple to make and, so far, quite effective!
Here’s what I did…
- Choose your categories – Find a few tasks that your child can work on where you know they will be able to have some success. This is important for them to understand the concept of the sticker chart and to feel encouraged to continue
Margins for the New Year-Simplifying my Life
Busyness verging on chaos with a schedule so packed I sometimes felt like I had NO TIME for sleeping or breathing. My 2017 was marked by an unexpected remodel of a major portion of our house. This disruption of my regular life was disconcerting and ridiculously frustrating on many levels but in the process, I learned so much about myself. In the end, I LOVE the changes and the openness of the living room, dining room and kitchen area. I love the lightness I feel with so much of the clutter gone and less stuff everywhere. But the process was VERY DIFFICULT for me. I had to face some of the ugly realities of my “too busy” schedule. What could have been fun and enjoyable often felt like a burden and there seemed to be so much wasted time. The experience was stressful for me, since I am the queen of “efficiency”—-someone who really does NOT like wasting time. I spent much of 2017 trying to stay organized in a very disorganized environment.
So in 2018 my theme is simplifying my life-MARGINS for the new year-created by scheduling pockets of unscheduled time in my life on a regular basis. My expectation is to allow more time for God to surprise me with His agenda. Welcoming and having quality time for the unexpected phone call, the spontaneous invitation to go for a walk with a friend, more time to read, send encouraging notes and pray for people I know and love. More time to serve, more time to enjoy each precious moment with my grandchildren. More time to invest in the lives of others. Time to minister to the poor and raise awareness, getting others involved in Gogo Grandmothers where friends and I can be putting our love in action to …
Read MoreA Grand Adventure (Part 1)
Three weeks of my life disappeared in a blink of an eye. Time is such a unique phenomenon. When you have a “to do” list a mile long it seems to hang over your head and creates stress and tension on a day to day basis. But when you have a deadline that includes leaving the country…..you power through that list in a day or two and get everything checked off-DONE!
That sensation of being free from the day to day commitments and obligations is a vacation in and of itself. Adding to that, a long awaited, much anticipated vacation to one of the spots on your bucket list is like a dream come true. Our 40th anniversary trip to Italy last month was all that rolled into one of the best vacations we have ever taken. It was far from “relaxing” but it was a GRAND ADVENTURE!
The planning and preparation was a bit more tricky than I anticipated because in the middle of planning our trip we had the unexpected kitchen disaster that dipped into our finances. But for me-the bargain hunter extraordinaire, it was a challenge that motivated me even more. Armed with my Rick Steve’s books, our Marriott points and our United mileage plus points, I began the process of planning. My goal was to provide the best trip possible on a shoestring budget and be able to see and do all the things we had dreamt about for years. Mission accomplished.
We began our trip in Venice. A very romantic city. Wandering the streets alongside the meandering canals was relaxing and fun. Although we had to navigate around the throngs of people who were there for the Italian Film Festival being held on the island of Lido and this prevented us from seeing the Armenian …
Out with the Old, in with the new
After a blissful free summer, sometimes school and fall can hit you like a slap in the face. School, homework, practice, holidays right around the corner, and the days getting shorter. But… I guess it is good to have a reality check and get back into the swing of things. I think this time of year is the perfect time to set some intentions, try new things, reorganize your priorities, and get after it!
Keep an organized Calendar. Whatever it is, phone, planner, chalkboard, be consistent. And make sure you add new things when they come up.
Choose one new thing that challenges your mind. Try something new. A class, book, hobby, writing, job, side biz… Whatever it is, challenge yourself to broad your horizons, even if its just a little bit. Just don’t be afraid.
Keep the most important things the priority. Set your intentions. Know yourself. Do the most important things first. Life tends to just roll right through if you aren’t intentional with your time.
Choose a time of the week. Chose a time of the week where you are going to get organized, plan out the week, make lists, set goals, and get after life.
Don’t be afraid to try new systems. Don’t get stuck in the old ways. If you want to try something new like meal planning or a new grocery list app or a new online ordering system, do it. If it works for you, great, if not, stop. But you will never know if you don’t try.
It is okay to say no. You do not have to do everything. Say no, and don’t feel guilty about it. You can only handle so much.
Get rid of a few things. Look at your closet or your space, …
Read MoreRemodeling My Heart
Remodeling my heart….
Many of you know that we have been in a renovation/remodeling process for over 6 months. What started as an innocent pool of water in front of our refrigerator in November, has been a time of waiting, wondering, planning, decision making, waiting some more and waiting some more. Now that we are into the renovation process, full swing, a friend asked me how I have been remodeling my heart and my life? So I started to ponder……and one of the things I realized was that I am uncomfortable with uncertainty. Give me a task to do and I am on it! Give me a challenge and I am not afraid to take risks to conquer the hard stuff. Give me a problem to solve and I not only like the end result of solving the problem…I love the process…(probably why I am someone who loves math)….but fill my life with the unknown, time frames that are indefinite and general day to day uncertainty and I go a little nuts! I like to make leadership decisions and I love responsibility but I do not like it when I do not have enough information to make good decisions. I also do not like having too many options to choose from. I usually know what I do not like but sometimes narrowing down the things I DO like to make one final decision is difficult. Part of the problem is that things and stuff do not matter that much to me. I am passionate about people NOT possessions. I love having a home to open up to share with people but the actual stuff in my house is not that important to me. So all of these discoveries have come upon me because of all the uncertainty in a renovation/remodeling …