Moving
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An Uninvited Visitor
Our apartment has three bedrooms. Because Ben works from home, that means the rooms are divided as follows- our bedroom, Ben’s office, and one bedroom for the girls to share. Five girls in one room was a tall order- literally. To give them all their own sleeping space, going vertical was our best option; we decided to build a three story, tiered bunk bed. We didn’t have a lot of spare money to invest in a store-bought, several hundred dollar bunk, and Ben had wanted to build a custom bed for a long time anyway. He had the design already in mind, but lumber prices were crazy; building from scratch…
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Consider the Lilies of the Field
A few years ago, as I was first starting to embrace being minimalist, I decided to go through our storage boxes one at a time- keeping what was essential and getting rid of the rest. As I got to our boxes of baby clothes and gear, I began to question why we had them. We had three or four huge bins of clothes that Adrie had grown out of, keeping them because we might need them again someday. We knew in our hearts that there were more babies waiting to come into our lives, but I couldn’t fathom it happening while we lived in the current situation. I imagined that…
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Shutting Down and Getting Out
I wasn’t doing well. In fact, I felt so broken I couldn’t even talk about it… or write about it. There were things that were happening in my mind, my soul, and my body that weren’t right or normal. I was trying as hard as I could to “take care of myself,” but I knew I needed help. There were things that I couldn’t control no matter how hard I worked or prayed. In fact, here I am… finally writing this all down, a year and a half later, crying my eyes out because I can’t accurately portray how truly broken I felt. But, it’s part of the story and…
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Our Decision to Homeschool
You read that right. We’re homeschooling. This past week Jess and Liz had their last day of public school. It feels like it should have been bitter sweet… but to be honest, it was just sweet. We have always made it a focus to have a stable home for our children. Once we made the decision to move to California to pursue acting, we realized that we’d have to change how we defined stability. Moving is often difficult; and moving in with my parents, we knew that, sooner or later, we would have to move again. But we figured we decided that wherever we are, as long as we’re together,…
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A New Addition to the Family
We’d like to announce a new addition to the family! Before we get to that, though, here’s a quick recap of our story for those who are new. I am a wife and mother to four beautiful girls. Yes, four. I left a beautiful home that I love, and moved in with my parents so my wonderful husband, Ben, could pursue a career in acting. Since moving out to California last February, my hubby has been in TV shows, films, and even a few commercials. In addition, he also writes and produces his own shows. Recently, we produced our very first short film (for the posts on our short film…
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Whither Thou Goest…
Going into this new adventure we’ve embarked on, I never really realized what I would be willing to give up. Honestly, I probably still don’t know. Uprooting our own family, leaving other family and friends behind, sacrificing stability and financial expectations, and so on. I know that God wants us to be where we are. I know He wants me to be an actor’s wife. But each new experience shows me that I am just beginning to learn all of what that really means. I guess I thought we’d just go to California and live with my parents for five to ten years (hopefully closer to five); after the first…
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A Show for the Waiting Room
Soon after we arrived, I needed to take Adrie to the doctor’s office for her 12-month checkup. All we had to do first was find a doctor, and make an appointment. A cinch, right? The entire process only took us three months, and turned the 12-month into a 15-month checkup. Honestly though… it was a huge process. The insurance company sent me a huge booklet (kind of an ironic name, right?) with all of the available doctors, hospitals, and clinics in the state. And it had all the information available in no less than 16 languages. Talk about a waste of paper! Maybe they could try asking what language people…
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The Dilemma: Shop With Children… or Starve?
I recently read “Marley and Me” by John Grogan. It was a great book! Definite must read. It’s about a family raising a very unruly and hyper yellow labrador. The dog, Marley, is nicknamed “The World’s Worst Dog.” The book follows the Grogan family as they balance their lives as journalists, spouses and parents, and dog owners. Throughout the story, Marley gets kicked out of obedience school, tears apart the house due to fear of lightning, eats the baby’s dirty diapers, and still manages to become a vital and endearing member of the Grogan family. At one point in the story, the Grogans needed a dog sitter for Marley while…
