Amy Scott's Thoughts

Sharing the thoughts that bounce around in my brain!

Random Snapshots of Life September 3, 2015

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Family Time — Amy Scott @ 8:43 pm

I love to blog. Writing is something I enjoy and it keeps me sane… Or maybe it helps me get out my insanity? I don’t know. I love it. I’ve been itching to blog this week, but haven’t had the energy to do so. Plus, I don’t really have a cohesive theme of which to write on. This leads me to the post that you are about to read. Random. It will be very random. A little of this and a little of that. I used a lot of brain cells to write a post all about my second pregnancy, but I won’t be sharing that post until this weekend, so until then let me tide you over with the random musings of Amy Scott.

Fall is here in the PNW. We went from hot, hot, hot to cloudy, rainy and cool. Can I say, praise the Lord! I was over the heat. I know it might come back, but I am grateful for the break from hot weather. Tuesday was the first day of September and I woke up to clouds and the school bus driving past my house. I went to church and worked on my classroom bulletin board and then went to our MOPS registration social. It really felt like the first day of school (waking up with a new pimple really added to that feeling as well). MOPS is now back in full swing and I had my first class of the 2015-2016 school year last night at church. I love the transition of September. Mostly because I love the fall and in just a few weeks the calendar will officially concur that autumn is here!

Note the pumpkins from Jeremy's garden!

Note the pumpkins from Jeremy’s garden!

This last month was a good month for book releases. I discovered that the parent’s of Jon & Tim Foreman (members of my favorite band, Switchfoot) released a book on parenting. I was so intrigued to see what the parents of these rock’n’roll stars had to say about raising their boys. I also knew that their dad was a pastor, so I assumed that part of it would include raising your kids in the context of ministry. The book is called Never Say No by Mark & Jan Foreman. The title had me a bit worried because I say no a lot and honestly, I believe that your kids can’t do whatever they want – like walking off a cliff. Sometimes no is an important word – for safety purposes and what not. However, the book is much more about saying yes to your kids and raising big picture kids. It’s about creativity and letting your kids discover who they are and who God is and helping them transition through each season so they can be healthy adults. It’s a very good read and it was fun for me as Switchfoot fan to picture little Jon and Tim as I read about them from their parent’s perspective.

The other book that I read this last month was For the Love by Jen Hatmaker. I love Jen Hatmaker. Her book 7 changed my perspective in a ton of ways. I follow her on Facebook where she regularly makes me laugh out loud. Her new book is a combination of so many things. It’s thought provoking, encouraging, inspirational and down right funny. I frequently laugh out loud while reading her work which is silly because I am often alone in a room just laughing to myself. One night this last week, I was reading in bed with Jeremy beside me and the chapter was so hilarious that I was unable to talk and share what was funny with Jeremy. I was crying and trying to talk and I couldn’t catch my breath. I felt like a total dork, but a good laugh is important every now and again. Plus I provided my husband with some great entertainment.

Enjoying the plastic "neigh neigh" at Lattin's Cider Mill & Farm

Enjoying the plastic “neigh neigh” at Lattin’s Cider Mill & Farm

Last Friday, we went on a family outing to local farm. Owen enjoyed all the fake animals at the farm more than the real animals. He kept saying “neigh neigh” and I thought he was looking for horse because he assumed that a farm would have horses. It turns out that the farm had a collection of mechanical horse that he had seen and he wanted to ride those. We picked up some yummy baked goods and then let Owen play on the rides. Of course, we had a no quarters so none of the rides actually did anything, but he enjoyed sitting them. One of them was a rocking horse and Jeremy was able to give Owen a decent ride on that one since it moved without money being required. After our morning at the farm, we went to get Owen a haircut. Owen seems to dislike getting his hair cut more and more each time we go. This resulted in Jeremy having to hold Owen in his lap like a human straight jacket. It might be time that we watch some YouTube videos and learn to cut Owen’s hair at home – for the sake of the poor lady that has to cut our toddler’s hair and for all the people in the salon with us. It was quite the experience (interchange with the word exhausting).  However, now our little boy has big boy clothes and another big boy haircut. He is looking so old these days. It’s mind boggling.

Below are photos that depict the end of August and beginning of September in the Scott house. Nothing too epic, but this is our everyday, real life. It’s good and fun and crazy.

Owen is obsessed with this shark shirt from our vacation. He requests to wear it and cries when we take it off. He has the same reaction to any clothes that have trucks on them.

Owen is obsessed with this shark shirt from our vacation. He requests to wear it and cries when we take it off. He has the same reaction to any clothes that have trucks on them.

Owen has been sleeping in this week and Toby doesn't seem to mind the extra down time. This was Sunday morning while I was waiting for Owen to get up.

Owen has been sleeping in this week and Toby doesn’t seem to mind the extra down time. This was Sunday morning while I was waiting for Owen to get up.

My new class bulletin has a travel theme. I may have started singing " Come Fly with Me" while putting it together.

My new class bulletin board has a travel theme. I may have started singing ” Come Fly with Me” while putting it together.

At the MOPS social, Owen put Harper's name tag on his forehed and would not let it be taken off. Not a great pic for smiling, but the silly memory was documented!

At the MOPS social, Owen put Harper’s name tag on his forehed and would not let it be taken off. Not a great pic for smiling, but the silly memory was documented!

Helping Daddy shop for stuff to make freezer meals. Another highlight of our weekend was getting a chest freezer for the garage! Now to fill it up!

Helping Daddy shop for stuff to make freezer meals. Another highlight of our weekend was getting a chest freezer for the garage! Now to fill it up!

Hanging with my class on Wednesday night. This yarn game is a September tradition!

Hanging with my class on Wednesday night. This yarn game is a September tradition!

 

Hello 2015 January 8, 2015

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 1:51 pm

Can you guess how this blog will start??? Hmm… By now it’s no shock for me start a blog by saying that we’ve been sick. Our family keeps cycling germs. I’m practically at the point of depression because we cannot stay healthy. I was so glad that I fought off the germs through the holidays, but I didn’t totally make it out unscathed. On New Year’s Eve, Jeremy came down with a tummy bug. Owen and I went out to have a birthday dinner with my sister and then we came home to chill. For the first time in over a decade, I went to bed before midnight on New’s Year Eve. I was asleep when the New Year arrived. On New Year’s Day, I woke up with mounting sinus pressure. It was my turn to go down and boy, did I. I feel like I’m really just now coming out of the haze. This week has been a quiet one, so I’ve been slowly able to reclaim my house and my life. The entire time that I’ve been sick, Owen has been sick as well. There have lots of runny diapers, runny noses and fevers. It’s been a rough go. Owen is not out of the woods yet entirely. Poor boy.

I haven’t given too much thought to 2015 since I’ve been focused on getting well. The good thing about being sick and having my hubby home is that I’ve had lots of down to read. My dad gave us Smart Money Smart Kids by Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze. There was an incentive to read the book. Dad would reward us if we gave him a book report – oral or written. As you can guess, this was the first book I choose to read this year. I went for the written report because I was nervous that an oral report might turn into an oral quiz and I had panic attack flashbacks to Spanish in high school (the only class I had oral quizzes in). Sometimes talking money can feel like speaking for a foreign language. However, Dave and Rachel did a good job of giving common sense principles for raising money smart kids. Even thought Owen is only one, the book gave me lots to think about.  By the way, Dad if you are reading this, I will read more books at your request if with they come with a reward! Just saying… Next on my to-read list was the Divergent series. I had heard good things about it and I really liked The Hunger Games, so I thought this series would be up my alley. Of course, I love getting lost in a good story, so the Divergent series took over my life for three days. Overall, it was a good read and I enjoyed the plot twists. I wasn’t thrilled with the ending, but it was very entertaining. This week I even rented the movie, so the theme so far of 2015 might be Divergent. Now I am on to The Best Yes by Lysa Terkeurst. I’ve never read a book by her, but I’m appreciating her honest writing style. Over the years, I have often struggled with what to say yes to and when to say no. Right now I have scaled back my life a lot so that I can be a stay at home mom and invest in my family. Boundaries have always helped me stay focused on what is the most important thing for me to do. This book is reaffirming a lot of the choices that I’ve made and really encouraging me to stay the course.

Every year I like to do a recap blog post of the following year. I usually pick my favorite post of each month, but I’m not going to do that this year. 2014 sure had it’s ups and downs. In some ways I feel like a totally different person than I was at the start of 2014. I feel like my confidence has grown and I’m really loving where I am at. There is a peace that comes with doing what you are supposed to do and being where you are supposed to be. As I think about 2015, I really have no clue what the year holds. It will be my last year in my 20’s. I am just one year away from a new decade. Because I am about to turn 29, I feel a sense that I need to make this year count. But honestly, I should make every year count. 29 should be no different than 31 in my endeavor to grow and make a difference in the world. I know that in 2015, I want to focus on contentment more. I want to be thankful and joyful. I want to have peace and confidence. It’s been such an honor to watch Owen growing up into this fantastic little boy. My days at home with him are truly a gift. It’s hard to believe all the changes that he has gone through in 2014 and I’m sure my mind will blown by the little boy that emerges by the end of 2015. It’s a good life and I am happy to go forward. I believe the best is yet to come. And hopefully, my next blog post won’t mention sickness! Maybe 2015 will be the year we all stay healthy!!!

Celebrating Andrew's birthday. It's the one day a year where April is 26, Andrew is 27, and I am 28!

Celebrating Andrew’s birthday. It’s the one day a year where April is 26, Andrew is 27, and I am 28!

Celebrating April's birthday on New Year's Eve

Celebrating April’s birthday on New Year’s Eve

First Instagram of 2015 took place on January 5th. We are sick and I was unshowered, but I was going through withdrawals! There is nothing fun to take pictures of when you're sick!

First Instagram of 2015 took place on January 5th. We are sick and I was unshowered, but I was going through withdrawals! There is nothing fun to take pictures of when you’re sick!

This wild boy has some serious bedhead!

This wild boy has some serious bedhead!

 

Going Gray and Other House Projects July 29, 2014

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Getting Creative,Home Improvement — Amy Scott @ 7:36 pm

I mentioned in my book blog that I just finished a book called The Nesting Place by Myguillyn Smith. It’s a book all about how home decorating doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful. I’ve never super interested in home decor. I don’t have a Pinterest account or anything like that. My decorating style is practical, functional and not a lot of frill. I like clean lines for the most part. I’m also partial to the colors blue, brown, cream, gray. And that about sums me as a decorator. However, this book got me thinking about my home. I decided to read it based on the recommendation of some of my favorite authors, but also because I’m spending a lot more time at home these days. It seems like now is the time to take some risks and do projects that I’d been contemplating. Here is what Jeremy and I have been up this last week.

It all started with a trip to Home Depot to pick up some paint swatches to put on the walls. For a long time Jeremy and I have been waiting to change the color of our living space. Back in the day when we had cream carpet, the brown wall in our kitchen/dining space worked for us. But… we added a back splash with blues and grays and the brown didn’t quite go as well. Then we changed our carpets out for laminate floors that are brown and suddenly the space at a lot of dark brown in it. When we first painted our house, we painted everything in the front room Toasted Cashew. It was a tan/cream color, but I’ve always wondered if it had too much yellow it in. I’m not a huge fan of yellow. The tan/cream neutral was marvelous when we had all dark brown furniture. But then… we got cream colored furniture that blended with the wall. We also got a set of cube bookshelves that came with cream colored bins. The cost of replacing the bins with a different color was too much, so the cream bins stayed and added more cream to the room.  Thus, you now understand our decision to repaint. We wanted to paint the walls all one color again and get rid of the two tone we had going with the brown and cream. We also wanted a color that wouldn’t blend with the floors and furniture. This led us to Gray Mist – the new color of walls. After having the samples up on the wall for a week, Jeremy decided to go for it. I didn’t expect to paint this last weekend, it just happened… Jeremy tackled all the painting while I kept Owen out of everything and alive.

The Samples

The Samples

Gray Mist

Gray Mist

Gray Mist

Gray Mist

You’d think painting was enough, but we also did other projects around the house this last weekend. We have started to childproof our cabinets now that Owen is on the move. We added safety latches to the bathrooms because of the chemicals that we store under the sinks. Next will be the kitchen, but because of the hassle, we are waiting just a little while longer. Right now Owen doesn’t know how to open cabinet doors, but we know it’s only a matter of time.

Baby proofing

Baby proofing

I also had a few design changes I wanted to make to our front room. First, the bins I was talking about earlier have a plastic covered pouch on the front of them. I’m assuming it’s so you can label the bin with the contents inside of it. I, however, didn’t want to label my bins. I like to keep the insides a mystery to my guests. I wanted to add some visual interest so inside of using the pouches for labeling, I just filled them with scrapbook paper that matched our walls and rug. I really like the pop of color the bins now add to the room while still maintaining their warm, creamy color.

Making the bins pop

Making the bins pop

We also removed a piece of artwork that has been on a random small wall. We had a picture of the ocean which we loved in our small apartment, but really didn’t have a place in our home.  In it’s place is now a framed white board that is also magnetic. I think we’ll use this board a lot in the future and it gives the wall a sense of purpose.

Our new white board

Our new white board

And for an added cuteness factor, here is a picture of Owen “helping” during the painting project. There was lot of gunk to get off the floor after we moved the furniture around. The Swiffer was Owen’s best friend. He might be like is mama in that regard! Swiffer love!

Helpful boy!

 

Book Report July 25, 2014

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf — Amy Scott @ 3:27 pm

It’s been a while since I posted anything about the books I have been reading. I’ve certainly been reading a diverse mix these days. Some books are by beloved and favorite authors and some are new finds. I’m really enjoying downloading eBooks from the library, but sometimes that means hunting down the right book and waiting for it to be available. Overall, I’m trying to spend less money on books so the library is a great option. Also, in a day of instant gratification, eBooks get me what I want, when I want it. I do miss making my bookshelf look impressive as I fill it up, but lately Owen has taken to pulling my books off the shelf. Maybe eBooks are safer for a while!

  • Surprised by Motherhood by Lisa-Jo Baker – This book started off really funny. My favorite quote was one she wrote about looking back on mothering and saying she wishes she would have eaten more chocolate cake. This deeply resonated with me because I was in an intense chocolate phase at the time. However, the book took on a more serious tone as it went on. It’s about a woman who lost her mom and in turn decided she never wanted to be a mother. However, three kids later, she is learning and growing in motherhood despite the pain of her past. It was a good read, but more serious than I expected.
  • Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin – I found this book on the library website. I knew that some of my favorite authors really liked Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project, so of course, I started with the squeal. Makes sense? The book is all about investing in home because it’s an important place and it greatly affects our happiness. Rubin did various things to improve how she felt about her home. It’s more of a philosophy and mind set take on home. It’s not a DIY and spend money kind of book. It was interesting, but didn’t move me to do much around my house. I figured that now that I’m a stay at home mom, I might want to invest more in the environment I’m in most of the time. Turns out my house is pretty functional for me.
  • Bridge to Haven by Francine Rivers – I like Francine Rivers as an author because she knows how to write a love story. It’s a romance novel and I liked it a lot because I like romance. It’s not my favorite book by her, but it is still pretty good. Worth the read for those who like her work.
  • Help. Thanks. Wow. by Anne Lamott – A lot of people have mentioned Anne Lamott as a favorite author. This book probably wasn’t the best one to start with. I’m currently reading Traveling Mercies by her and it’s much better. Help.Thanks. Wow. is a book about prayer. I almost skim read it because I didn’t find it super moving. But reading about prayer always sounds like a good and holy endeavor so I did finish it.
  • Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery-  I loved it! Every book by L.M. Montgomery makes me want to read more by her. I really should make it a personal goal to read all her works. I’ve yet to be disappointed.
  • The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin – Since I read the squeal, I thought I should go back and read the original.  Gretchen Rubin spent a year improving and investing in her happiness. I loved insights like “Be Gretchen” and “What makes other people happy, doesn’t make me happy.” It was empowering to focus on being yourself and do what makes you happy without shame. So often we try to fit into other people’s boxes, I am grateful for authors who embrace who they are and encourage you to be yourself as well. I can see why this book became so popular.
  • Forever with You by Robin Jones Gunn – I grew up reading about Todd and Christy through the many books of Robin Jones Gunn. After a decade of only glimpses of  Todd and Christy through her other stories, Robin Jones Gunn has started another series dedicated to my two favorite characters of all time. I felt like a teenage girl when I heard she was writing about them again. This book as an excellent addition to the love story I have loved since middle school!
  • The Nesting Place by Myquilyn Smith – Again, my interest was peaked by a book about home. The premise of this book is that home doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful. I don’t have a huge interest in home decor, but lately, I’ve been thinking more about the home I am creating.  This is a great book about creating a space that works for you and showcases what is important to your family. I’m thinking a lot about not just having a functional home, but a warm and inviting home. This house will be the place that Owen remembers his childhood. This will be the place that he invites friends over to. What kind of home am I creating? As a result of this book, I have the strong desire to paint and buy new throw pillows.
 

Mommy Lit May 19, 2014

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf — Amy Scott @ 11:32 am

I’ve been reading a new genre these days – mommy lit. I’m not really interested in parenting how-to books because every kid is different. There are no formulas in relationships and that includes babies. Or so I have observed. I have a small group of authors that I love and trust. I found a new book this week through Sarah Bessey’s newsletter. The forward to the book was written by Ann Voskamp and the there was a short review in the first few pages by Shauna Niequist. If Sarah, Ann, and Shauna liked it, I assumed it must be a good read. The book that I am referring to is Found: Questions, Grace & Everyday Prayer by Micha Boyett. I love reading books like this because I am reminded that I am not alone and I am not the only person who thinks these things. Micha used to be in full-time ministry before she became a stay at home mom. Motherhood interrupted her flow of spirituality. Suddenly she wasn’t praying the way she used and she felt like it was her fault. She thought that the life of a stay at home mom wasn’t impressive enough to God. She felt like she was disappointing him by no longer doing the “holy” work of ministry. Micha wrestles with the holiness of mothering and the worthiness of this calling. She validates that eternal significance of investing in your family. She is honest about the raw, hard moments that motherhood can bring.  Micha leans towards the liturgical church calendar and she loves the monastic order of Benedict. She likes the flow, the purpose and the stability of their prayer lifestyle. I have not been drawn this particular way, but I love getting the perspective of another frame work of faith. It was very calming and purposeful.

This book got me thinking about my prayer life and spiritual life. Motherhood has definitely changed how I do things. I used to keep a prayer journal. Writing my thoughts helped me get them out of my head. But now sitting down to journal isn’t as easy was a it once was. I find though that in each new season of my life I need Jesus just as much as before. There is no walking this life alone. My prayer life has changed and it has deepened as a mother. I talk to God a lot. Staying home with a baby takes prayer! I’ve never been a list person. I don’t go down a sheet paper with a list of requests that I daily take to the Lord. I do think about my friends and loved ones. In those moments when they come to my mind, I say a prayer for them. If I know someone has a job interview or a doctor’s appointment, I try to say a prayer for them. I know those things are important. Even if someone randomly comes to mind, I try to say a prayer of blessing over them.  My prayer life feels like a relationship. I chat with God often. I tell him how I really feel. I ask that he act on behalf of others. It’s never been rigid thing. I love to pray. However, I would not label myself as great prayer warrior or an intercessor. I don’t spend hours on my knees petitioning heaven. I just don’t have hours at my disposal these days. I believe that you should the best you can with that you got. I believe that talking to God shouldn’t be formal and something you check off your list of things to do.

I’ve also been thinking about the discipline of Bible reading. I love reading my Bible. It’s a really good book! I don’t read my Bible everyday. I do use a Bible reading plan, but I’m the kind of person that gets ahead so I don’t fall behind. Right now I am one month ahead in my reading. If I miss a day or two, it’s no big deal. If I have time and I’m engaged then I will read more than one day at a time. I’m getting to that place where I’ve read the Bible in a year for a few years now and I think that it’s time to challenge myself in a new way. Once I finish this current plan, I think I’m going to camp out in a certain book of the Bible for a year. I’m not quite sure what book that will be yet. Instead of reading all of my Bible, I want to go deep with a part of it. I want to live in that book for a while and really get to know. I want to move into it and make it my neighborhood. I’ll keep you posted as I figure this out more. I’m ready for something different. I’m great at checking boxes and following plans. I’m curious to see how I do getting off the marked path. I think experimenting is always eye opening.

Sooo… Anyway, back to mommy literature, I’m grateful for the discovery of a new author and a book that made me think about my own mothering and my own faith. Motherhood and faith are so linked. It really is important work and my faith keeps me going through it. Next on my list of mommy books is Surprised by Motherhood by Lisa-Jo Baker. Can’t wait!

 

7th Months! May 9, 2014

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 7:03 pm
7 months old!

7 months old!

This last month has gone by faster than any other month of Owen’s life so far. We had our biggest outreach event of the year, a conference, and a bad cold bug. That about sums the month up. Owen has had a particularly rough time with his cold over the last week or so. The loose and messy diapers have been abundant. I’ve used a lot of stain remover, changed a lot of sheets, washed the seat in his jumper multiple times and applied a lot of Desitin to Owen’s diaper rashed booty. Good times. Good times… I would love to say that we’re out of the woods, but Owen is still pooping more than usual and his nose is still runny. Both Jeremy and I have bugs of our own that are holding on as well. After 5 tissues boxes, I will be grateful for the day that I don’t have to blow my nose. I’m so done with snot.

I’ve been wracking my brain trying to think of things to share in this 7 month update, but there isn’t too much new to report. Owen loves to “walk” (with his hands being held, of course). He is quite the explorer and wants to touch everything he can get his hands on. He is not crawling yet so our house is still safe. Owen also continues to be a massive talker. This baby loves to chat. It’s fun because I can say some baby talk sounds to him and he’ll respond and then pause. I’ll talk and then he’ll talk. We’re having conversations, but I have no clue what we’re talking about. Owen and Toby have spent more time being aware of each other. Owen will scream at Toby and Toby will respond by barking at Owen. This interaction gets really loud, really fast. We’ve been trying more food options now that Owen is on to stage 2 baby foods. I will admit that I’m disappointed he didn’t take an instant likely to his meal of mac & cheese. Owen seems to be partial to fruits and orange veggies. So far green veggies have not been met with much success (in this regard, he is more like me). Tonight he tried a meat puree of apples and chicken and ate the whole container. Go Owen! One last thing, we purchased a new baby carrier so now we have a backpack option. Owen and Jeremy put it to good use this week so that way Owen could go do outdoor chores with Jeremy. Our hope is to use it on a beach outing in the near(ish) future.

Since there isn’t too much news in the Owen department, I thought I would share a few things that have been going on around our house. Jeremy surprised me by upgrading my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. Despite my illness, I’ve managed to use it a few times in the last week and I love it! The bowl is so big compared to my Classic mixer.  When I’ve had down time, I’ve been reading books on my iPad. I got Daring Greatly by Brene Brown from the local library. It’s a well researched book on shame and vulnerability. It encouraged me to be present and engaged with those I love. It’s about not hiding and not keeping yourself guarded and walled off. It’s a very good read. I also downloaded Sarah Bessey’s new ebook called My Practices of Mothering. This book is a compilation of blog posts she wrote a few years ago. I love getting her perspective on parenting and why she does what she does. It gave me some food for thought and reminded me that overall most of us mamas’ are doing pretty good. We care and we are trying and that makes us good moms’. It’s a message that I appreciate hearing. Right now I’m re-reading The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery. It was only a dollar on Amazon, so I couldn’t pass it up. It’s one of my favorite novels by LM Montgomery and I’m excited to have it be a permanent part of my collection!

Kitchen Aids are beautiful!

Kitchen Aids are beautiful!

Chore time

Chore time

Jeremy made a new friend in the backyard

Jeremy made a new friend in the backyard

Checking out some new toys at Grandma's house

Checking out some new toys at Grandma’s house

 

Carry On Warrior: Thoughts on Life Unarmed by Glennon Doyle Melton April 2, 2014

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf — Amy Scott @ 3:04 pm

I’ve become one of those people. Those people who read in bed before turning out the light. I love to read in bed and before Owen, you could find me in bed with a book on any given day, at any given time. Bed and books go together. But now I’ve become a before going to sleep bed reader. I usually have about an hour between putting Owen down and turning off the lights. I read for this hour while my hubby plays Words with Friends on his iPad. He also checks the weather and news. But I read. It’s become my most productive reading time.

I just finished Carry on Warrior: Thoughts on Life Unarmed by Glennon Doyle Melton and I really enjoyed it. I love Glennon’s honesty. The whole book is essays about her life. It’s real and extremely refreshing to see someone put it all out there. The book really addresses that parenting is hard and I love that. She wrote an essay saying that just because parenting is hard doesn’t mean your doing it wrong. Thank you, Glennon, you made my day! She also said that she was going to start telling everyone the whole truth about herself just as her introduction. Her sister discouraged this and told her that she needs to use a filter. By a filter, do you mean lying she asked. In way, yes. I love that she sees using a filter as lying! That’s honestly how I feel! Now I don’t lie on here. I just don’t always include the whole story… which can feel a bit like lying. I know you can’t necessarily trust the whole world with every detail of your life and that filters are necessary, but I love that Glennon has chosen a life where she filters very little. I was relived to see I’m not alone. Her words of truth were freeing to me.

Because it’s a book of essays on parenting, marriage and honesty, I found there was a lot that I could relate to. I also laughed out loud a lot while reading this book. I’ve really needed a good laugh these days and this book provided many. While, I think Glennon and I might differ on a few matters of faith and doctrine (and swearing), I was inspired to see someone living their faith so wide and open, so free. I love that she can’t cook and that she finds hospitality stressful. She meets life’s challenges with a laugh and love. I think that I’m learning a lot about love right now. If I love well, isn’t that enough? If my life isn’t perfect, but I’m investing in and loving others, isn’t that what it’s really supposed to be about? Makes me think about where I spend my energy.

If this wasn’t a library book, there would be highlight marks all over it! I wanted to include a quote from the book in this post, but there are just too many to choose from. I highly recommend this book to any mama, especially those who are doing the hard work right now. Carry on warrior!

 

 

March So Far March 21, 2014

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 10:41 am
Somebody loves to stand!

Somebody loves to stand!

March has been a month for sickness in our household. We had our first cycle of family sharing when it comes to germs. Jeremy got a cold and he gave it to Owen and Owen gave it to me. Being sick was never “fun” before, but now as a parent it’s certainly not. Before I could nap whenever I wanted and just lay around watching TV. Those days are long gone and I missed them this last week. Jeremy came home one day so I could rest and he ended up coming down with a bad flu bug. A very bad flu bug. Later that weekend I got a touch of a tummy bug as well. However, this last week has been pretty good for us health wise. I think we are coming out of the germ filled hazed and we are ready for spring! Jeremy has been out and about in the yard. He’s mowed a couple of a times and have planted flowers again our front beds. The yard seems to be coming to back to life. The tree in our front yard is starting to show it’s pink blossoms. After months of gray, it’s great to see some color popping up.

 

Owen continues to grow and change daily. He loves to stand up now (with support, of course). He also enjoys sitting up and playing with this toys. He doesn’t quite have his independence yet in the sitting the department, but he is close. Owen continues to be a mystery in the world of naps. While I was sick, I tired to take a nap while he took a nap numerous times. Without fail, I would lay down and he would wake up in about 10 minutes of me falling asleep. When I couldn’t take a nap or didn’t take a nap for some reason, he would sleep for 2+ hours. Oh the mind games babies can play!

 

Trying to keep the play mat interesting!

Trying to keep the play mat interesting!

Owen continues to be a thrasher in the bathtub. I have decided giving Owen a bath is a like sitting in the splash zone at Sea World. Ponchos might be necessary! In our ever constant quest to keep Owen a happy camper, we have made a couple of exciting purchases this month. First, would be a set of black-out blinds for his room. It seems that Owen wakes with the sun and that will continue to get earlier as we move toward summer. We’ve had two days so far of him sleeping in later than usual and today he was back to a more normal get up time. We also added a new baby contraption to our front room. Owen is now the proud owner of a jumperoo. He was getting bored with his play mat and with his new love of standing, it seemed like time. He really loves the noise and lights on the jumperoo. He can barely touch the floor right so he tilts and stands on one foot. I’m sure once he really can jump around, he’ll love it even more.

 

New toy!

New toy!

In other March news, I’ve been back to reading and I love it. I just finished The Poisonwood Bible. It was an intense read. I’m not sure that I enjoyed it, but I wanted to find out how it ended so I kept reading. Books like this frustrate me because while the family were “missionaries”, I felt like they had no real relationship with Jesus. Their struggles were only intensified by the fact that they really didn’t seem to know the God they were claiming to bring to Africa. The book is very political and goes into great depth on the government changes in the Congo. I like historical fiction for the most part because it opens my eyes to an era gone by.

 

Other than reading, another highlight for me this month, was making my first Pioneer Woman recipe. I made her baked French toast for MOPS and it was super tasty. Jeremy and I were already talking about ways we would tweak the recipe, so I’ll have to make it again for sure. We also purchased Frozen this month and have been singing the songs throughout the day! So much fun stuff going on as you can tell! March isn’t over though and there is still a lot of fun yet to be had. Jeremy is taking a group of kids up an awesome kid’s conference tomorrow. It promises to be quite the event. Jeremy’s birthday is coming up next week and I’m excited to celebrate another year of my amazing husband. March as certainly been full and is certainly flying by!!!

 

Back to the Books March 15, 2014

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf — Amy Scott @ 9:40 am

The Pioneer Woman jump started my desire to read again, so January must have been a fluke. Yay! Over the last month, I’ve hit the books again. It’s been a mix of using my Kindle app and hard copy books. When Owen was first born, hard copy books just seemed to complicated and eBooks came into my life and saved the day. Nowadays, it doesn’t really matter which format I use. If I’m buying a book for myself, I download it so that way I don’t have to wait for it to come in the mail. Anyway, here’s what I’ve been reading lately and what I hope to read soon.

Recent Reads:

  • Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist – This was a reread from my bookshelf. Shauna’s essays about life and food are amazing, plus she includes some of her favorite recipes. I’m not as big of a foodie as Shauna, but it’s still comforting to know that someone else thinks about food as much as I do. I haven’t developed taste buds for fancy food yet. Maybe in my thirties I will… when I’m officially an adult…. maybe. Shauna writes about body image and doing life in community and motherhood. I love her writing style so revisiting her books is like catching up with a good friend.
  • The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins – I am one of those Hunger Games fans. I really love the books and have started reading them about twice a year. They are a good story and I love getting lost in a different world for a while. They are also an easy and exciting read so it’s a nice brain break. My goal was to reread the series before Catching Fire (the movie) came out. I was successful in my goal. I finished Mockingjay the day the movie arrived.
  • Growing Up Duggar By Jana, Jill, Jessa & Jinger Duggar – My fascination with the Duggar family is no secret. I in no way plan on having 19 kids, but I am very interested in how their large family operates. I love that they share their faith in everything they do. I will admit that I was a little disappointed with this book. I’ve read the two books by their mother, Michelle, and really liked them, but this book seemed to lack the same level of voice that Michelle’s books have. The girls shared their own personal stories but a lot of it came across as “This is what our parents have set-up and we agree with it and accept it.” Whereas, Michelle’s books have more depth because of the process involved with making these decisions for their family. The four oldest Duggar girls are exceptional people with a passion to make a difference in the world. I applaud them for writing a book and sharing their heart.
  • Leadership and Self-Deception by the Arbinger Institute – I’m going to be honest and say I’m a little over leadership books these days. Especially ones that take place in a corporate setting. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because I’ve read so many in the last decade or so. Anyway, this book was handed to me on Tuesday as a staff read at work. The upside of this book is that the leadership principle is conveyed through a story. The story format helped it to be a quick read which I was grateful for. The concepts in this book are best explained by just suggesting you read the book, but let me try to break it down a bit. The whole premises is about if you are “in” or “out” of the box. When you are in the box, you see people as objects. There is a lot of blame and self-justification. You are thinking selfishly about your world and what is best for you. When you are outside of the box, you see others as people. You are selfless for the good of the whole group and you have a better self-perception all around. The concept in this book about seeing people as people and breaking the cycle of self-justification were good, but like I said, I’m having a harder time swallowing the corporate America pill these days. As I was reading this book, I thought to myself, I wonder what Jesus would think of this book. What points would he highlight? Would he recommend it? Hmm. Just wondering what his take on the book would be if we were in a book club together. Random, I know.

Next on the List:

  • The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver – I’ve had this novel recommended to me by a couple people over the years so I decided to go for it. This is also the first book that I have borrowed from the library in eBook format. Very exciting! It’s a story about a missionary family in the Congo. I have no clue what I’m getting into, but I am excited to find out.
  • Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown – This comes at the recommendation of my friend and mentor, Vicki. The title certainly has me intrigued!
  • Carry On, Warrior: Thoughts on Life Unarmed by Glennon Doyle Melton – This book came by the recommendation of my favorite blogger, Sarah Bessey. The book description on Amazon.com has me excited for this one. Sounds freeing!
 

I didn’t finish a book… February 9, 2014

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 10:48 am

I didn’t finish a book in the entire month of January. Insert shock and awe here. It’s hard to believe. I did read during the month of January. I just didn’t finish the book I was reading. I started Little Women and I do like it. I’m just reading it a lot slower than I would like. After feeling a bit let down in the reading department, I decided to try something new.

I find myself now watching the The Pioneer Woman a couple times a week. Usually when I get home from work on Mondays and Thursdays. Occasionally, I’ll sneak another day in there too. It all depends on what is happening at 2:00pm in our house. I’m finding that 2:00pm is right around the time I need to mentally check out for a half hour and watching Ree Drummond cook seems to be just the ticket. I’m pretty sure I want her to adopt me. That woman has a way with food. My sister has been a long time fan of Ree and so has America for that matter. I’m late to the game when it comes to falling in love with The Pioneer Woman, but it has finally happened. I’m hooked.

But what does watching a cooking show have anything to do with reading? Well, Ree has written a book about her relationship with her husband. It’s their love story and wow, it was steamy! I had heard a great deal about her book (also titled The Pioneer Woman) so it really shouldn’t have come as a shock. I remember April telling me how much she likes her husband. Really likes him. Every inch of him. Her writing style made me laugh a lot and it was fun to see their relationship develop through her eyes. I found myself admiring how many details of their dating relationship she actually remembered. I have to admit that I don’t think I could have written a book about Jeremy and I with that much clarity. Another thing that I’m still tickled by is downloading books. After years of ordering books and waiting for them to arrive in the mail, it’s just a weird thing to just buy it and have it instantly on iPad. I would recommend Ree’s book to anyone who wants to get swept up in a real life love story and could use a good laugh.

I’ve contemplated the place reading has in my life a lot this last month. Because I’m a “reader”, I felt like I let myself down by not finishing a book in the span of a month. Truthfully, there is no law that says I have to read obsessively. I just usually do. Adding things like the a half hour of personal television in the day is also a new thing for me. I never turn the TV on when I’m home alone. All sorts of things are happening to me. Reading less, watching TV more. My self-righteous side is telling me I’m heading down a mind numbing hill. Oh well. I still love to read and when I find a good book I will devour it. I don’t think that will change. I’m just not going to freak out if the rate I read at has changed. I will also let myself off the hook and allow myself to watch a little TV now and then. It’s a nice break.

As you can see from the last week of blogs, I’m finding many different things to fill my time theses days. I have discovered the fun of putting Legos together. Who knew? I have been working on a major projects like reorganizing the mother’s room and moving offices at work. I’ve done a bit of reading. Obviously a lot of my time goes into the happiness of a little 4 month old human… I guess if we were to include all the things I’ve been into lately, I should add that I’m obsessed with the new Switchfoot album that came out on my birthday. Below is a link to my favorite song. It seems to fit me on so many levels right now. And it’s catchy. I could listen to it on repeat!