Happy Homemaker Monday - 5/18/20

Good morning!  Another week of joining in with HHM.  If you want to join in to please visit Sandra's blog at Diary Of A Stay At Home Mom.  She has a place to share your link on her HHM and she's the creator of this.  But she requests that you only share the HHM post and nothing else.  

For those of you who commented on my last HHM post, I wanted to say THANK YOU.  It was nice to read the encouraging and sweet words.  It was appreciated greatly!  I welcome anyone to read/comment on any of my posts.  This is a more recent blog of mine, my other one Little Bit of Sunshine I don't post in too often anymore.

♥♥The Weather♥♥
Originally, they forecasted rain every day this week and now they took it away for most days.  It keeps changing, but here are the temps.
Monday - 68
Tuesday - 69
Wednesday - 65
Thursday - 69
Friday - 72
Saturday -  77
Sunday - 76
♥♥How I am feeling this morning♥♥
I woke up throughout the night with tummy troubles and then woke up early, before everyone else.  I'm getting better.  I love when I start the day alone with quiet time.
♥♥On my mind♥♥
Today my husband and I celebrate 18 years of marriage.  How did 18 years go by so quickly?  I can't believe we've made it this far, to be honest.  Last week I talked about some trouble we were having and I can happily say we've moved past that.  There's been a lot of mountains and valleys in our marriage and we've gotten through many tests.  We've experienced things that could have destroyed our marriage but here we are, almost two decades later.  

We're in the last week of school and this isn't how we imaged it would be for the last few months.  My kids got the niche for online learning but it's not effective enough to work for an entire school year, in my opinion.  If they continue with online learning many changes will need to be made but I'm hoping school can return as normal in the fall.  This is getting ridiculous, if you ask me.  There was no need for school to close, again my opinion.  I love having my kids home, don't get me wrong, but they didn't receive much learning.  I loved helping them and my husband and I both add our own teaching to the mix (like cursive writing and what is in The Constitution and why).  For years I've understood why some parents choose the homeschooling route and I'm all for it.  I've defended homeschool parents, especially when people say "but they don't develop social skills ..."  False!  They can.  I've been told that if school does start in the fall there will be some changes made.  If my kids are required to wear face masks for all 7 hours this mama will be making other plans, for sure.

The county I live in goes in YELLOW phase on Friday.  That's not much of a difference from RED.  Baby steps.  As much as I understand how difficult this virus is, I don't believe in hiding.  Life is something we should enjoy while we still have it.  I'm ready to see friends again and that's what I'm going to do.  I'm upset that the Boy Scouts decided to cancel the camping trip for this July.  That was one piece of normalcy I was hoping my son could have.  It's been one disappointment after another and I insist on giving my kids a fun summer.  I will also support any small business that decides to open.  They have to put food on the table for their own families in order to survive, why isn't anyone understanding that?

But I don't mean to complain.  I still truly believe God is in control and will see us all through.  I'm thankful for the blessings !

♥♥On the breakfast plate♥♥
Nothing yet, but maybe a bowl of honeynut cheerios and a banana.  I still need to start a pot of coffee.                    
♥♥On my reading pile♥♥
Starting my day with the Bible and a devotional book.  That's all I've been reading lately but I'd love to pick up another book to read.
♥♥On my tv♥♥
I'm not sure.  My kids hog up the tv most of the time and I've been so busy with projects to even sit and watch.  When I do watch I usually just skim through the channels or my streaming services to see what looks good.  All of my regular shows that I watch are on break.  
I started watching Youtube vlogs from a writer named Kim Chance.  She gives great advice on becoming a writer.
(I'm not sure why my font automatically changes on me.  It does that a lot and nothing I do works to fix it)
♥♥On the menu♥♥
Tonight we are having Olive Garden take-out.   Anniversary dinner!  The rest of the week remains to be a day to day decision.  Since we'll be high in carbs today I'll be sure to add much healthier meals for the rest of the week.
♥♥From the camera♥♥
I took the kids to a nearby park last week so they could ride their bike and scooter.  I just walked behind them and it was great exercise.

 

♥♥Looking around the house♥♥
It's quiet.  Everyone is still in bed.  My kids are usually awake before me so this is nice.  My dog is still asleep, snorning.  The living room is a bit of a mess and could use some attention.  Looking out the window I can see the trees rustling in the wind and it looks cloudy.  
♥♥Chore I'm not looking forward to today, or this week♥♥
It's hard to pinpoint one specific chore that I don't look forward to, because there really aren't any chores that I enjoy.  I've been working on the flower beds outside and doing some indoor cleaning/reorganizing inside.  My goal is to become a minimalist but with all the stuff in our house it's so hard to do.  Keeping everything tidy and organized is a chore all in itself and that's one that becomes so frustrating.  I like a clean house and the mess gives me anxiety.  
♥♥To relax this week, I will♥♥
Hopefully I can find a good book to read.  Go for walks.  Hopefully start back up with running again.                  
♥♥On my prayer list♥♥
The country, President Trump and all elected officials 
This virus, and life to go back to normal 
Business owners who are suffering because of the shut down
The spouses and children who have been stuck at home with abusive spouses/parents (that one has been on my mind since this all started).  


♥♥Devotional/Bible Verse♥♥

In honor of my anniversary.  These verses were read on our wedding day and are special to us.  This is on the wall above our bed.