• How to enjoy winter days at home

    ByKristin family, winter
    God has made each season beautiful and appropriate in its own time. - Kristin Hill Taylor, Bringing Home More Than Groceries #morethangroceries

    Yโ€™all know Iโ€™m a summer girl, but cozy, slow mornings or evenings at home are one of the perks of winter. Yes, days are short and temperatures colder than Iโ€™d prefer, but letโ€™s look on the bright side of these colder times of the year. Even though Iโ€™m not sure about the single-digit weather coming our way later this week, Iโ€™ll have to take advantage of my warm house and some cozy activities!

    Pajama mornings

    I just told someone today Iโ€™m craving a slow morning in my pajamas. We have some plans during Christmas Break, but I purposefully didnโ€™t make any early morning appointments. To wake up without an alarm and be able to stay in comfy clothes for a few hours will be a treat for us all in my house. My son will make hot chocolate, my oldest daughter will sleep in the longest, and my youngest will sneak into my bed to snuggle with me. I love making pancakes (especially this Cracker Barrel copycat recipe) or French toast on our griddle. 

    Game nights

    Game nights are our favorite winter social activities! Inviting people over in the summer comes more naturally with our pool and porch, but there are fun winter opportunities too. We have friends over to watch our favorite Murray State Racers basketball team or play board games. There are many new board games out there, and I even bought my kids some for Christmas! (Here are some of our other favorites!) 

    Prepare meals

    I like to cook more in the winter too. Warm casseroles and soups hit the spot and provide good meals. Sometimes itโ€™s just as easy to cook for more people, so we will invite friends over to share Taco Soup with us. I have a couple of meat lovers in my house, so maybe I need to learn new ways to make the best tomahawk steak at Jerkyholic.com or embrace baking a little more! I do love baked goods, but Iโ€™d rather cook the main courses.ย 

    Get outside 

    Of course, Iโ€™m tempted not to leave my house in the winter, but getting outside โ€“ even in the cold โ€“ is always good for my soul. Thankfully, we live where we have lots of wide-open spaces to roam, so walking through our woods, down the logging road, or even down the street is always a welcome break from the indoors. My kids like when it snows โ€“ and then theyโ€™re most definitely interested in getting outside! Yes, and then Ben will make more hot chocolate to warm himself right up! 

    How do you like to spend your winter days?

    *****

    Hospitality matters in every season, and I share some ways to connect with others even in winter in the free printable that goes with my book, “Bringing Home More Than Groceries: Stories About Gathering & Nourishing People.”

  • Five Things I Learned in January

    ByKristin adoption, Ben, diabetes, food, technology, Things I Learned, winter

    January and I have a history. 

    It’s the month I decided to follow Jesus two decades ago, we met Cate’s birth mom nine years ago, Greg proposed 14 years ago, Ben’s adoption was finalized six years ago, and I was diagnosed with diabetes 12 years ago. In 2012, it was January when decided to adopt a third time, and while we waited more than three years for that to happen, I remember the day God freed me from those fears. Last January, we decided to go on a mission trip to Guatemala, a trip that’s still rocking my world.

    So, yeah, January. 

    Honestly, this January hasn’t had big moments. Rather it’s been the kind of month where I’ve felt settled with where I am and who I am. I see God working in the everyday moments. I get teary thinking about all that God has done for us, in Januarys and all the other months of our lives.

    In no particular order, here some things I’ve learned this month … 

    1. Snow days are the best.

    Okay, so, really, I’m a summer girl. But if we’re going to do winter, let’s have some snow days! And then when the snow days are over, let the sun come out and the snow melt. Clearly, I’m an all-or-nothing girl too.

    And, yes, I’ve had snow days before, but we had a couple in one week (the same week the kids already had that Monday off in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.) and having everybody home FOR TWO DAYS PLUS THE WEEKEND was so great.

    One snow day was a Wednesday, and then the roads were fine enough for a delayed-start school on Thursday, which worked out well because I needed to go to the grocery. And then more snow came so the kids were off school again Friday. Hello, long weekend! And Greg stayed home Wednesday and Friday too, which is a definite perks of owning his own business.

    We played games, ate warm foods, drank hot chocolate, made snow cream, and hung out with neighbor friends. One day our best friends were even here for eight hours. We managed to play five games of various versions of Settlers of Catan while the kids enjoyed each other’s company.

    The whole third week of January was a sweet balance of each of doing our own things and hanging out together as a family.

    2. Swiss Miss Simply Cocoa (Milk Chocolate) is the best packaged hot coca.

    I don’t drink hot drinks. Not coffee. Not tea. And I used to only want real hot chocolate, like the kind my mother-in-law makes or the kind that comes from a coffee shop. But I bought this on a whim in January. And we liked it so much I bought it again. And, well, those snow days I mentioned gave us ample opportunity to heat some milk to mix with these packets.

    3. Strep throat can still happen even when someone doesn’t have tonsils. 

    Ben, who is 6 years old, and strep throat are not strangers. Since he was 11 months old, he’s had it 16 times. But only two of those have been since his tonsils and adenoids were removed nine months ago. So, basically, we’ve had a good stretch lately.

    Ironically, Ben was at the allergist the day before his latest strep diagnosis and the nurse practitioner even looked in his throat, which was red and irritated by the time the pediatrician looked at it. Within hours of leaving the allergist, Ben started running a fever. The pediatrician did say the way the winter weather has been back and forth around here is hard on kids with allergies.

    4. Technology makes managing a chronic condition more efficient and fun. 

    Medtronic Diabetes has the best customer service of any company I’ve ever used for anything. When I called to order some glucose sensors (a little piece of technology that is inserts near where my pump is inserted and monitors my blood sugar levels) and the lady told me I could get a free Connect , which is a small Bluetooth device that lets my pump and sensor communicate send data to an app on my phone.

    {Read more here about my diabetes diagnosis 12 years ago and what living with a pancreas that doesn’t produce insulin in like.}

    5. Those DVR shows will have to wait. 

    Greg and I started watching “The West Wing” when all our regular shows took a holiday break. Now there are multiple episodes of “Madam Secretary,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Blacklist” on the DVR just waiting for us. We can’t stop watching Josiah Bartlet and company.

    {Speaking of President Bartlet, why is Jed a nickname for Josiah?}

    _____________________

    I’m linking up with Emily Freeman, like I do at the end of every month. 

    {2013} June. July. August. September. October. November. 
    {2014} January. February. March. April. May. June. 


    Want more insights? “Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family” is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin’, or subscribe to receive “Insights in Your Inbox.”

  • Ten Things I Learned in March

    ByKristin books, motherhood, music, Racers, Things I Learned, winter
    14 Comments

    1. Being sick as a mom may mean enduring more than laying on the couch.

    I woke up with a stomach bug when we were in Nashville, Tenn., the second weekend of the month. Puking in hotel and mall bathrooms is no fun. I know, the mall. I was only at the mall because that’s where Rainforest Cafe is and my son had been talking about going there for AN ENTIRE YEAR. Seriously, since last time we went. So I couldn’t back out on him … or our table of 18. Really. One table of seven kids 10 to 2 years old and another table of 10 adults and a baby.

    No worries, the tables were right next to each other and other adults paid attention to my two kids while I laid my head on the table between gulps of Sprite Zero and water. My brother-in-law told me wanting to drink anything was progress. Maybe he was right because I didn’t throw up any more that day, of course, I didn’t eat anything either.

    We then avoided the Lego, Disney, Build-a-Bear and Bass Pro Shop stores so I could return home to my couch, where a sick momma truly belongs. Thank God for my husband and my friend Holly who was visiting from Texas who picked up my parenting slack.

    2. An entire week of snow days is welcomed, but then that next Monday morning that comes right after the time change is hard. 

    On March 10, I had to wake my 4-year-old Ben up for preschool for the first time ever, I think. Of course, that was also the first day in March school had been in session, thanks to two weekends and a snow week.

    Oh, and, hey, did I mention that Monday reached 65 degrees and the kids got to play outside after school? Yes. And all the mommas rejoiced.

    3. A friend who gives my daughter the gift of words blesses me. 

     Speaking of Holly visiting from Texas, she brought my girl some books from her childhood. Those were in addition to the ones she mailed the week before she came. And then she taught her how to play Words with Friends. What sweet gifts of encouraging a love of words, which Holly and I share and are happy to pass along to Cate.

    4. I really like to read non-fiction, but fiction is a good way to let my mind relax.

    I recently finished “Love Idol” by Jennifer Dukes Lee. It’s a book that allowed me to see some truths God has been trying to teach me in recent years in a new way. It’s truly been a life-changing journey and that book has been a valuable resource. I finished the book several days ago and I’m still thinking about it. Meanwhile, I started reading Harlan Coben’s new book, “Missing You.” Nothing like a little suspense to balance all the internal processing.

    I also recommend another book I read this month: “Surprised by Motherhood” by Lisa-Jo Baker. It officially releases on April 1. You can read my review here.

    5. Dads have good parenting stories too.

    In a momma-dominated blogging world, it was refreshing to have dads guest post on my blog earlier this month. In an continuing effort to embrace imperfection, I’ve loved digesting “No More Perfect Kids” by Jill Savage and Dr. Kathy Koch. In conjunction with their book release week, I had some dads come share their own stories of realizing their kids aren’t perfect and never will be. {Oh, yes, consider that another book recommendation for you!}

    6. Those postseason college basketball tournaments that aren’t the NCAA Tournament can be fun if my favorite team is playing. 

    Murray State is in the semi-final round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. Yeah, the CIT. I’ve made fun of all these acronymed tournaments that aren’t the NCAA too. But, hey, my Racers are still playing. And the games have been the kind that make the arena loud. That’s March Madness … at least on some level.

    7. “House of Cards” is a good show. 

    Who knew Netflix original productions would hook me like that? Kevin Spacey is so good as Frank Underwood. I like the behind-the-scenes drama of journalism and politics colliding and I enjoy the suspense of the story unfolding. Speaking of drama, “The Good Wife” has been rocking this season and “Scandal” is nuts in a way that keeps me watching.

    8. Winning a local trivia night fund-raiser is fun.

    Along with our two best other couple friends, we came in first out of 14 teams. The TV Theme Songs category really helped us. We brought home enormous Hershey’s bars, trophies and gift certificates. {See picture at the top of the post!}

    9. My kids have never been into a movie like they are Frozen.

    The music. The characters. The story. They love it all. Yes, they, my 4-year-old boy is into almost as much as his 6-year-old sister. We had March 18 on the countdown app on my phone and they literally waited by the door for the UPS man to deliver the package from Amazon. He showed up about 4:30 p.m. that afternoon and they started watching it at 4:31 with much rejoicing. They watched it three other times that week and haven’t stopped talking or singing about it.

    I don’t usually care about animated movies, but I like “Frozen” as much as any animated movie I’ve ever seen. That’s not hyperbole; that’s the truth. It’s right up there with “The Lion King” for me.

    10. When I find songs I like, I listen to them over and over. 

    My most played songs this month are Ellie Holcomb’s new album “As Sure As the Sun,” NeedtoBreathe’s “The Heart,” and MercyMe’s “You Are I Am.”

     Tell me about your March. What have you seen and heard and read and experienced?

    ________

    I’m loving documenting life with these monthly along with Emily Freeman. Here are previous month’s recaps from 2013: June. July. August. September. October. November. And 2014: January. February.

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