encouragement

Plan, Persevere, and Pursue Your Passion

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myhappyhomestead
This week I shared our family’s complete “No Gluten, No Dairy, No Corn, Nightshade Intolerance, Dye Free” story with allof you. I also shared my dream of welding our two stories together, and my passion to make a difference- through education, life experiences, leadership, perseverance, hard work, and plenty of prayer. We truly are only limited by the the things we fail to pursue ourselves. 

Plan, Persevere, and Pursue Your Passion

A while back I also discussed the importance of having a schedule. Not the kind of schedule that you plan every minute of your day, but rather a basic outline of– 24 hours “living in the life of ______”.

My days are typically filled with screaming kids, school, snacks, more snacks, a barking dog, plenty of noiseand yet more snacks! Ironically, it is not out of the ordinary that I might receive the following statement –“I don’t know how you do it”. Ha, ear plugs [I’m kiddingalthough, not a bad idea]. The truth is, whether it’s cooking for my small army of food intolerant children, my lack of sleep, homeschooling, or blogging– I think deep down what we all want to know is how everyone makes things work. We are curious as to how someone does something so we ourselves can in turn do the same or do better– who doesn’t want to be more productive, be healthier, make more money and just “do” better over all. 
 

How to Persevere and not measure up.

The part of the story everyone struggles to tell is – the part where they experience failure and struggle. Funny, how we do that. We quickly embrace the compliments ignoring that we fell down the mountain 100xto get where we are today. We all want to know what someone’s day looks like to see if we are “doing it right“.  

 
Here’s the thing although I wear many “hats” as a mother [and I know you do too], never be intimidated by someone who appears to “have it all together” because chances are pretty, good they are just climbing a different mountain than yourself. They are falling, seeking strength and persevering just the same as you and I. There is no “right” way. 


When I homeschool my kids I get flustered, aggravated and short tempered just the same as you do –your day might just look like 2 hours of homework at the end of the day. When I plan meals, cook and clean, there are days quite frankly I don’t want to do it– and I wish ordering out was an option.  

myhappyhomestead

We all want the picket fence with the kids that play hard  for hours but don’t track a small mud pie in behind them. We all set out for that perfect marriage– and no sooner do we realize “whew, this is work“.

Pursue Your Passion 

All things that take hard work are worth fighting for. Having a plan will only take us so far it’s putting one foot in front of the other that creates the path to achieving greatness. That same greatness shouldn’t be measured by dollar signs, rubies, or diamonds – but rather, at the end of your day knowing your purpose has been fulfilled. One unique step in front of the other. 

Big Changes, Big Dreams, Big Challenges

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This space I pour my heart and soul into weekly is the same space I dream of making the world a healthier place one reader at a time. I share the stories of my life experiences and offer up encouragement to see you through your days. 

My homestead is yours. If you lived next door to me my kids would scream your name with joy, color you countless pictures, and my family would undoubtedly greet you with a smile. That is what I want you to feel when you come to this space; a warm welcome shared over coffee or tea.  If we were sitting face to face chances are there would be days we laugh, dream, make plans to achieve the unthinkable, and sometimes we may even shed a tear or two together along the way. 

I love to laugh and there truly isn’t much I don’t say without smiling. I had a good friend once say to me “Jen, I’m pretty sure you could tell me the saddest story, but with a smile all the while“. I’m not so sure this is a good thing as I’ve become quite good at hiding behind that genuine smile over the years. The truth is we all break sometimes and experience pain- that’s life, right? 

I’m learning to accept help when needed and give what I can’t control up in prayer. It’s a process- a long one at that. If you were sitting across from me chances are pretty good now days that we would laugh until are belly’s hurt and sometimes we might let out a good cry. You know that cry of complete frustration, anger, confusion, and lack of control. That ugly cry, we all hold back to only share with those closest to us. 

Sharing my story here, in this place, isn’t always easy but I think it’s important; it’s the place I get to show my kids the only thing scary is not taking action, and the only thing to be ashamed of is the failure from not trying. It is this same place I get to encourage you to do great things and raise great leaders for tomorrows future. 

I am seeking; 

Big Changes, Big Dreams, and Big Challenges

If you missed my post yesterday “Learn How to Read a Label” , the piece of my homestead you would be missing is my love hate relationship with food. I love to eat it. I hate how it has literally controlled controlled my life at times.  

The part of the story I have never told until this week is 3/4 th’s of my children have varying degrees of food intolerance’s. I share this with you not as a desperate mom looking for pity upon her situation, but rather as a mom determined to make this world a healthier place for her her kids. We all have been given a passion, purpose, or calling; what is yours? What makes you tick? What is the story that you are suppose to share?

What if in an instant you couldn’t buy your child a doughnut at the nearest drive thru? 

What if your preschooler couldn’t use the sensory bin at school because the play-doh contained gluten.  

What if holidays became more of a stress than a joy? 

What if your child were to wake you out of a dead sleep crying that her feet were burning from a food she ate hours before; a food which was clearly handled improperly, yet, promised to be gluten free. 

What if your family could never go out to eat together? 

What if you had to bring your children’s food to every birthday party, graduation, and public gathering? 

You would be desperate too, right? Desperate for change? Desperate to educate others on the importance of reading labels, food handling, and the seriousness of food reactions. That is my passion; now, what is yours? Leave me a comment or drop me an email I love hearing from you.

This space I’ve encouraged you to write, share, and tell your story is the same space I dream of welding our stories together. Lets learn together, live life to its fullest, and lead others to do the same. 

I’m super excited and have a number of projects going on behind the scenes. If you haven’t already signed up for my email list do so now; for discounts on upcoming offers and all the latest behind the scenes information. 



How To Crochet Your Life Story

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It was once said to me; “the story you are suppose to write is the one that brings tears to your eyes” and moves your soul into action. We can fight it all day long but in the end the words just keep coming. The mangled pieces of the puzzle all begin to make perfect sense.


We all have a story the one that starts off as a sweet baby girl or boy in his/her mothers arms, and eventually becomes a pile of threads waiting to be woven into something beautiful. 

We go through life experiencing joy and making memories. We raise our kids with nothing but the best of intentions. However, at the end of the day we are all sinners. We fail, make mistakes, and ask for forgiveness. We are sinners raising little imperfect sinners; no wonder life gets so frustrating sometimes. No one has it together. I repeat, no one! 

Our days whirl and twirl about. We live our life and at the end of each day we have added another thread to our life story. A story that waits to be shared. 

I am busy working behind the scenes to launch something new and exciting; a piece of my story. Don’t miss a thing sign up below to find out all the latest details! 

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