December was hard; each morning I woke up tip-toeing into the day thinking maybe we were past the worst. Each day I was wrong. Just to be clear, when I say hard, I am talking about inconvenient, frustrating, exhausting. I’m talking about ear infections, a child puking on the bus, multiple calls from the school nurse, 7 trips to the doctor, 24 covid tests, 12 bottles of medicine on the counter, intense tantrums, spoiled Christmas traditions, grumpiness from all members of the family, a lame wedding anniversary, a newborn sleep schedule, big emotions, all while preparing for 4 days of out-of-town family to visit over Christmas.
We crawled through Christmas, and I was ready to toss that holly jolly season to the curb along with the tree we hadn’t watered since December 4. I mistakenly thought I might be able to now catch my breath—then Covid hit our family. The details of those weeks still feel too raw to write about, but I will share this because my God is worthy of some boasting. Those ugly weeks were the start of an intensive healing in our family that we desperately needed.
Stephen, the first man down, tested positive on December 31. I would never have believed that one month later—January 31, my birthday, we would be in such a sweet spot. Rock bottom turned out to also be a fresh start.
I am still learning to praise God on my worst days—to declare his goodness and faithfulness when I’m angry and exhausted and sick and crying on the bathroom floor.
But today I’m not dragging along, depleted and weak. Today I feel refreshed and whole. I feel amazed that somehow this month turned around and became a time of heart and soul healing for me and our family.
God is worthy of my praise all the time, but what a gift that today, on my birthday, I get to praise Him from an abundance of joy and peace. I never would have guessed that a month ago.
It was a simple but lovely day, filled with a giant omelet, precious cards, good food, a great cocktail, my favorite cake (see below for the recipe!), and lots of hugs. And please take note of the journal next to my dinner plate. Charlotte gave me to permission to journal while I waited for my food. It’s good to be known.
Reading
The year is already off to great start when it comes to reading! Covid provide 5 days of quarantine with plenty of time to read, so I was able to read more this month than usual. Click on each book to see my Goodreads review. They are listed in order of my favorites.
5/5 Stars
5/5 Stars
5/5 Stars
4/5 Stars
4/5 Stars
3/5 Stars
Reading with the Darlings
This month we finished Cricket in Time Square and The Lemonade War. Click on each chapter book to see our Goodreads review—The Lemonade War review is written by Charlotte. The Circus Ship is a delightful picture book that we read together probably ten times this month! I’ve caught each child paging through the book alone and camping out on the two-page spread with all the hidden animals. I think you’ll love it!
Listening To
If you are a girl who grew up in the church, I can just about gaurentee your small group leader recommended the book Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers somewhere around the age 18. You read it. Loved it. Cried yourself to sleep and only halfway understood that this book is about God’s love for His people and not the lie that you will one day meet a man who will a save you. Can all the youth group girls say amen? Annie F. Downs interviewed Francine Rivers this month as the movie Redeeming Love hit theaters. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but this interview further cemented my love for Francine.
I was once a steady user of the She Reads Truth Bible reading plans but stepped away to use other resources this past year. I didn’t even realized they had started a podcast. This month I jumped back into one of their reading plans, the Gospel of John and have really enjoyed the weekly podcasts that go along with the reading plan.
Eating
Our family was hit with Covid starting on December 31, so I cooked nothing the first two weeks of January, living off the life-saving meals delivered to my door by friends and those blessed Door Dash heroes. We re-entered life these past two weeks, just in time to cheer on our beloved Cincinnati Bengals and eat our favorite pulled pork sandwiches.
My children are also obsessed with Trader Joe’s Orange Chicken. I wasn’t sure how this Vegan Orange Chicken version would go down. The key is to NEVER call it chicken, and do not audibly compare it to Trader Joe’s Orange Chicken. I called them Crispy Orange Cauliflower Bites, and everyone ate them. No complaints. P.S. Always make extra sauce.
I like to make my own birthday cake, and I’m pretty sure this Chocolate Coconut Cake has secured its place as my forever birthday cake.
Making Me Smile
Despite the rough start, there were plenty of moments this month that made me smile: A Citizenship Award celebration, sledding in our front yard, rollerskating with the big kids, a dance competition, Milo’s unending adoration for Leo, AND of course, our Cincinnati Bengals going to the Superbowl!
Because One Day You Won’t: A Shortened Version of This Series
Because one day you won’t wear a pirate bandana, three ties, and hedgehog slippers.
