Adventure 1: Family Meal Time

I am a big fan of podcasts.  I love when the host interviews a person about something they have done or been through.  I just recently found a podcast in its early stages.  It only has a few episodes released, but already I am loving it.  On my quest to find 'me', I think I have found my next project through this podcast.  The Joycast hosted by Margaret Feinberg is using this inaugural year to look at joy around the table.  I will not get into what the podcast says except to say GO LISTEN! My family has gotten into quite a habit of eating on the couch and separated into several rooms because of the TVs.  At first, it was because we are so busy that we sometimes eat in shifts according to who was home at the time.  It has morphed into a way of watching the TV program that we want.  We are letting the TV and crazy schedules rule our home life.  We used to eat at the table all the time.  It was a time to laugh with each other and catch up on our day.  With my time of having kids in the house getting shorter, I need to act now if I want to go back to the old ways. So my new found goal, Family Meal Time.  Now, how do I start?  Well, first I need to clean off the table!  I know I can't be the only one who uses the table for everything except eating.  Right now it seems to be my husband's workbench.  It is covered with boxes and stuff for a project he is working on with the kids at church.  There are boxes of wooden race cars and paper designs all over the table.  The races for these cars are in a few days, so maybe this weekend I can get the table cleaned off.  It is hard to clean when nothing is mine and I know he will not be happy if I start cleaning his stuff so I will wait semi-patiently.  My next goal will be to choose some days that are less busy and more people are available to eat together.  With my son at college, I want to pick a day or two that he is home on the weekends.  He has been enjoying cooking on Sunday night, so that will be one of the days.  I'm not going to jump into this full body.  Sink or swim.  Because I would definitely sink! I will ease my family into this.  This should be so simple, but it won't be.  I think I will also choose Wednesday after church.  We are all there (except college kid) and there are no ballgames.  Why is it so hard to get a family of 4 to eat together?  I really believe that society has made it more important to DO MORE and BE MORE than be content.  The family used to be where you learned who you are and what kind of person you wanted to be.  It used to be an example of how to live.  Now, it is not that way.  My family has fallen into the trap of DO MORE and it is so hard to dig out of that trap.  March is going to be our turning point.  We may not be able to eat every night together, but my goal is 3 times a week.  At our kitchen table with no TV on.  No phones!  Just us around the table.  Check out my Instagram to see a picture of my table now. @front_porch_books     I'll let you know later how this goes.  Wish me luck!!!

ME!!!

I am nobody special.  I am a 45 yr old Kindergarten teacher.  I am a wife of 21 years and a mother of 2 great kids.  I can't even be called a 'boymom' or 'girlmom' (if that's a thing).  I have one of each, which is exactly what I prayed for.  Wait, maybe I am special.  I wanted to tell you a little of my back story so you understand where this blog is going.  I am a wife and a mother of an 18 yr old and a 15 yr old.  This will be my 21st year in teaching, with 19 years of that being in Kindergarten.  My oldest started college this year and my youngest started high school.  I have been asked several times if I am sad about my son starting college and moving out.  Actually, no.  I love the place we are in.  I love the conversations we have. I love the stories he tells about college  (he comes home every weekend). I love seeing him grow up to be a wonderful young man.  Yes, I miss him and worry about him.  But I know God is in control of his life and he is following God's lead.  Life has changed a lot since he left for college and yet it hasn't.  Our family started being involved in jr. high and high school sports a couple of years ago when my youngest was in 7th grade and my oldest was in 9th.  Now with only 1 child at home, I'm still doing both groups of sports.  In our small school, 9th graders play jr high and high school sports and academic teams.  That means basketball games 4 nights a week on a regular week and some weekends.  Double the softball,, academic team. Add on student council.  We don't add extra traveling teams to our lives because most play on Sunday.  Sunday is still our worship day.  We attend both services at Church, eat with family and rest.  I have spent most of my week day time after work, attending sporting events, academic meets, chauffeuring to activities and practices.  While I love my kids more than anything and want to go to every event they are in, I have lost 'me' in the last several years.  With my son going off to college, I have realized that in a few years my life will be completely different.  My time will be my own.  What will I do with it?  What is my passion?  Do I have any hobbies?  I have a few things that I have enjoyed in the past, but nothing I stuck with.  This blog will be about my journey to find out who I am.  I have a few years to work through this before my youngest graduates.  I will still be at every event, every game.  But maybe in the downtime, I can find me again.