Friday Favorites

I hope you've been enjoying my 31 Days Series as much as I have. It's been very helpful for me to focus on positive parenting strategies all month -- I can honestly say I've felt happier as a mother. Truly.

I have had some serious rough patches along the way. But these days, I'm loving my life as a mom. There, I said it. :) I might have a bad day tomorrow, but today -- it's on record. I like my job.

We played in the leaves today. Getting pictures onto my computer is a bit of a job without a functional USB port -- it's a loopy trip from camera to husband's {I never have liked the word "hubby", wonder why?} PC then across to my Mac using The Network {super cool}. It's awesome and all, but it takes a few more minutes. And a bit of brain power.

So leaf pictures will come soon.

I just felt like I needed to TALK to y'all. Ya know? Like I've been speaking all kinds of words lately, but they're not exactly real deal, this-is-what-we-did-today words. And I've been missing that. But there are only so many hours in a day for me and my computer to bond...cause I'm loving being a mom, right? We just can't have it all. And I'm starting to learn to be OK with that. 

So, tonight you get me. Just me -- tired but happy, relaxing in my big blue chair, thankful for my blessings, enjoying the cool night air through open windows, looking forward to the future.

Would you mind too much if I shared a few of my favorite things? I've been collecting them for you for a while -- it's always nicer to share something meaningful with a friend. So...here are tonight's gifts to you: 

Gift #1: Powerful Video About Really Helping


Gift #2: A Weekly Checklist for Homeschoolers {because it's much more realistic, at least for us}
Weekly Checklist from Early Bird Homeschool

Gift #3: A Post by One of My Favorite Bloggers About Embracing Seasons and Little Things and Living Life Half Full
Waning Gibbous by Kelle Hampton at Enjoying the Small Things

Gift #4: A Blog for You to Enjoy Because She Writes the Best Gratitude Lists I've Ever Read
Us Plus Four by Bethany

Gift #5: A Quote About Joy and Embracing Imperfection
"She’ll find this someday, carry it in with her, warmth right there in her hand: you can’t get to joy by making everything perfect. You can only get there by seeing in every imperfection all that’s joy." Ann Voskamp at A Holy Experience

And if you read this tomorrow, you'll understand the title. ;p