At Home With Dot

As we enter into 2017 my New Years resolution is to be intentional in my interactions with my children. Since our interactions mostly occur within routines; this will be where I start being the most intentional. When I hear the word routine. I automatically think about performing in a dance recital or playing an instrument in front of an audience. However, in this case I'm talking about the events that occur on a daily basis with my children. When these routines are practiced with intention, its showing my children how to interact with others appropriately and with purpose. This is where learning begins; within routines.  Routines are in almost every moment of the day for children (and really for adults too). According to The Program for Infant and Toddler Care, routines take up 80% of the day! The major routines for young children include events like eating, dressing, diapering and toileting. Sometimes, it can be tempting to rush through these rich activities so we can move o...

This is the 3rd post in my restart series. The first two post were about have a quiet time and finding a hobby you love. Thanks for coming along with me! When I'm feeling sorry for myself, I sometimes blame it on my difficult week, month or even year. However, if I'm honest, most of the time it really stems from self-pity. Pity as defined by Webster states "the feeling or suffering of one person, excited by the distresses of another." So According to this, self-pity means I am just looking at  MYSELF and the struggles  I'M going through. Ouch. Admitting self-pity is so hard. I have the tendency to blame it on something outside of myself. Something like, the kids didn't nap today, my 3 yr. old has many tantrums, my 1 yr. old cries a lot, I had a fight with my husband...again, the lack of time to complete tasks...on and on it goes. Ultimately it's me that decides to feel sorry for myself. There will be times in our life where we face...

This is the 3rd post in my Restart Series. If you want to read more visit my last post here . Last week I was feeling a little trapped. Do you know the feeling? It usually hits me like a brick! I'll be satisfied; feeling really happy with my current situation and then 💥 BAM 💥 !!! The kids feel like heavy shadows, the house walls are closing in, I yell more, I cry more, I feel vulnerable and I just want to sleep. This is when I know I need a restart!  I am human. We are human. There will be times in our lives when we are overcome with sadness, feeling trapped, and restless. Give yourself grace and have it draw you closer to Him. And then know there are great things on this side of heaven for us to enjoy to get us through it. One of those things for me is thrifting! ( Click here for my thrifting tips ) Last week, I gathered up my two toddlers and visited a new thrift store. I had one item on my list; find an old wooden bread box. Th...

As promised I will be writing about how I restart my "system" so I can do my best in the tasks set before me. I'll be doing a few posts on activities that have worked in refreshing my soul! My initial post is titled " New Years Restart ." Take a look and keep on visiting! I love hearing comments and encouraging words from you too!!! So, here is my first restart activity: I'm going to be honest here, in my home with kids "real quiet time" rarely happens...even if I get up early. My kids have this special kid sense that goes like this... "Oh mom is awake, I better start screaming for her now." It doesn't always happen this way, which I'm grateful for. This quiet time for me has molded and changed depending on my stage in life or difficulty of my week. So, let me first explain how this quiet time really becomes a fluid concept for me. When I refer to quiet time I mainly mean my time when I'm reflecting on, reading about...

Find Refreshment Right Where You Are With this year quickly ending and a new one approaching, I thought I would dedicate my next several posts to rebooting! Like a New Years Resolution...but instead a New Years Restart! You know when your computer gets sluggish and it doesn't do what you want? You have to take care of it, right? I'm not a computer genius but I do know you must occasionally delete, refresh, defrag and maybe even call in a professional. Well, its the same with us! We must reboot every so often, so we can do the best at the tasks set before us. That will look differently for everyone and maybe you already do this in some form or another. I'm just now reading up on this, but according to Wikipedia reboot can happen in a few ways (again I'm not an expert): The hard version "where the power to the system is physically turned off and back on again..." or the soft version "where the system restarts without the need to interrupt the power. ...

Me And My Littles When I had just one I tried my hardest to do everything just right. With just one, I planned daily activities, implemented all my child development knowledge and experience, made sure he spent little time in his car seat, no TV, and again planned more activities. No joke, it was hard with one (and I made it harder then it needed to be with all my expectations). I don't think I truly appreciated the time with just one, until #2 came a long, then #3 and then #4 and then guilt sprinkled among each of those arrivals. Wait! What? Guilt? Yup, guilt, big time. Guilt because I thought I wasn't doing enough. Guilt because I looked back on my time with one and I wasn't doing things the same. Guilt because my time was divided. Guilt because I wasn't "practicing" everything I learned during my formal education. Guilt. Guilt. Guilt. It wasn't until recently that I realized this guilt I decided to put on myself was all due to my expectations...

Letting The Dust Settle With the holidays here, I often stress and worry about the condition of my home...especially if we're hosting family and friends. "My house isn't clean enough", "my decorations are old", "I need new towels", "look at all the dust", or "her house is always clean." Do I think about the condition of my heart in the same way? Do you place even more importance on your heart then on your home? This is certainly a struggle for me. I enjoy a clean space, no chaos and an empty sink. Reality check...I live with 5 other people. These 5 individuals are what bring life to my home, not how clean it is. During this time of year and all year, let's look to the individuals in our lives and what they might need. This season is a time of joy and excitement but not for everyone. For some it's a time of pain, remembering a hurtful past, the loss of a loved one or searching for acceptance. These individual...