What I Learned in May

Oh my goodness friends, May came and went and I hardly had any time for writing. I mentioned that May is my favorite month and it is however it’s also a pretty busy month. Why is it my favorite? Because it’s my birthday month, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, and end of the school year among other things. So I like to celebrate the whole month!

Anyway I wanted to at least have a quick check in and share just a few things I learned in May:

Yosemite National Park is absolutely beautiful and amazing. It had been years since my husband and I had gone and this was the first time we took our kids and my in-laws who were in town this month. Seriously. Go there when you have a chance.

I learned how to write and self-publish a book. May was Infopreneur book month and I signed up for the InfoBoMo challenge which was super helpful and I highly recommend it for anyone thinking of writing a book.

InfoBoMo is a challenge hosted by a team of writers, publishers, and information entrepreneurs (infopreneurs) who will help you through the full creation process of a book in only one month.

So yes, I started writing a book (more info to come) and would love your input. If you are mom with young children at home and have not already done so, would you take a minute and fill out this survey. Thanks!!

I turned 37 this month and I learned that birthdays are what you make of them. I think this year’s was the best yet because I decided a few years ago that I was going to not depend on my family to plan something but that I would take matters into my own hands and do what I wanted to on my birthday. And this year decided I wanted girl time so I had a mini-retreat with three of my dear friends and it was absolutely fabulous. We talked, went on a mini hike, had dinner, talked some more, had some wine, made a fire, even a little worship session and talked into the wee hours of the night. It was wonderful. I have amazing friends.

And that was just the first part of the birthday, then I still got to go home to my family and have dinner and presents and my favorite cake with my people. I am SO blessed.

I learned that homeschooling is hard but I kind of love it. This is officially my third year teaching children at home and the first year we had to submit a private school affidavit to the state (so we are officially a private “home” school) and I think I can actually say out loud that I enjoy it. It is not always easy but I have found so much joy in teaching and learning with these two that I feel incredibly blessed that the Lord led me down this path. We are constantly learning and not just academics but character lessons and life skills. Next week I’ll share about our year in review.

My life is really more about rhythms than balance. I knew this already but it was definitely confirmed this month. I juggle a lot of things but the reality is that all things do NOT get my equal attention at all times. I really can’t “balance” everything. I had a lot I wanted to do this month but honestly this is a busy month/season for our family. We went to Yosemite, I had to finish up our school year, close out the mom’s ministry I co-lead for the season and my in-laws were in town so we made plans with them. All good things but there is just not enough time to do everything.

Also, this past fall and spring I have been busy with coaching so writing has taken a back seat but now I’m switching gears; taking a little break from coaching over the summer and hopefully will have more time to get back to writing. It’s like music; there are rhythms to our days, months & years.

What I read:

Quiet Power Strategy by Tara Gentile (for work)

The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty (for fun)

What I watched:

Avengers: Age of Ultron (movie date with my teens and MIL)

Mad Men Season 7 (hubby and I finished up the series)

Blue Like Jazz

How was May for you?

Linking up with Emily