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twelve more weeks.

10/16/2021

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We have twelve more weeks of 2021.

We're over 3/4 the way through this year.

Let me be really frank with you tonight, readers: 2020 was ROUGH, but for me...2021 hasn't been much easier.

As a public school administrator, the pandemic has been difficult to navigate. 
Virtual or in-person? 
Masks or no masks? 
Visitors in the school or no visitors allowed?

So. Many. Decisions.

Some students stayed home for several months and came back in the building with wider learning gaps that they had left us with.

Some students came back to school with anxiety that they had not had before.

Some students have quarantined two, three, or four times (or six -- like our oldest daughter).

This summer, it almost felt like things were getting "back to normal" and I think I breathed a sigh of relief a little prematurely.

The other school district leaders and myself started talking about the school year as if we were going to open normally.  We had hopes that things would go on like they have always gone on.  

And then...the virus ramped up again in early-August and we were back in the boat we were in over the last 18 months.

Here's the truth:
I have felt like I was treading water since school started on August 23rd.


I have not been able to keep up with anything at home and due to some changes in my responsibilities at work, I'm barely able to keep my head above water there.  My office has been a mess.  My paperwork is getting done just a day or two before the deadline (I really prefer to be EARLY).  I'm not able to give myself to my staff like I like to.

I've been on the struggle bus, folks!

And unfortunately, when one area of our lives is chaotic, it throws the rest of our lives off-balance.

What other areas? 

Home organization (don't even get me started on LAUNDRY),
Staying physically healthy,
Sticking to a budget, 
Focusing on spiritual growth,
Being a good wife,
Being a good mom.

All. The. Things.

ANYway -- so this weekend, I decided to sit down and make a plan for our next twelve weeks.

I thought it was crazy and neurotic and a little over-the-top, but then I shared it with a few people who actually thought it was kind of helpful.
If you'd like to join the girls and I as we try to get our lives back in order over the next 12 weeks...you can find my plan HERE or click on the image to the right.

​
This is a Google Document that we created together and it's seriously VERY detailed. 

When you click on it, that will take you to a copy of what we created and you can change it however you want to make it work for you and your family.

You may be a naturally organized person who keeps your home immaculate at all times and if so...I am super-jealous and very happy for you at the same time. 
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For those of you that are a little more like me -- grab the document and let's try to get our homes under control over the last quarter of 2021.

Now remember -- tomorrow actually starts WEEK 2, but you should be able to catch up by squeezing Week 1 and Week 2's content into this coming week.

High hopes for a peaceful holiday season from the farmhouse,
Hannah

​❤️🏡❤️
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lessons from the farmhouse: marriage

2/13/2021

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Today I'm going to continue my little series on a few lessons I've learned through life.

Since tomorrow is Valentine's Day, I decided today I would blog about lessons I've learned about marriage.

For a little backstory, Mr. Farmhouse and I were high school sweethearts.  We've been married now for almost 17 years. 

We've owned three homes together, we are raising three daughters, and we are still head over heels in love with each other.

I'm not claiming to be an expert, but I do know that it takes hard work to maintain a healthy marriage and I do feel like we've learned some important lessons through the years.

So here are five pieces of advice for keeping a strong marriage.

1. Communicate, communicate, communicate

This might seem obvious, but trust me...it's not.

Listen first to understand what your spouse is saying and then talk.

Brené Brown talks about how our brains really crave "a closed loop" in situations, so we sometimes make up stories in our heads to fill in the gaps when we don't know all the details. 

You know that moment when someone doesn't acknowledge you in the grocery store and you think, "Oh no...did I do something to offend that person?" or "I wonder why she doesn't like me."?  

This is what Brown is talking about.  We don't like unresolved loops in our brain, so we make up stories to fill them in.  

And it happens in marriages ALL THE TIME.

So when something is bothering you...talk about it.

When you are unsure of the motive for your spouse's actions...talk about it.

Sit down and have real life conversation.

2. Be Present

This one goes hand-in-hand with number 1.

Put the phone away and be with your spouse.

Turn the television off and be with your spouse.

Carve out time in your day to be together.

When you are with your spouse, be fully there...not distracted by outside influences.

3. Find Out Your Spouse's Love Language

Here is a quiz you can take to find out your love language and the love language of your spouse.  TAKE QUIZ HERE
Dr. Gary Chapman has written many books on relationships and one of his books that affected our marriage the most is The Five Love Languages.  

This books talks about the fact that every human has his or her own love language.  When you figure out the language your spouse speaks, it gives you the ability to really pour love into that person in a way that he or she understands.

The five love languages are:
  • acts of service
  • words of affirmation
  • physical touch
  • quality time, and 
  • gifts
When Mr. Farmhouse and I found out that his love language is quality time and mine is acts of service, this was a game-changer for us.

I learned that I needed to stop multi-tasking and trying to "get stuff done" and just sit down and BE with him.

He learned that doing the dishes or filling my car up with gas before I realize it's empty really fills my cup.

With that said -- I would encourage everybody to take the love language quiz because it is great for ALL relationships -- friendships, parent/child relationships, work relationships, and others!

4. Focus on intimacy

I'll make this short and sweet because I'm pretty sure my parents read my blog.

Ladies, even if your husband's primary love language is not "physical touch", he still craves physical touch.

Wives, commit to initiating an intimate encounter with your husband twice this week and see what happens. I promise, you'll be pleasantly surprised at what it does for your relationship OUTside of the bedroom.

Okay, moving on...

This next piece of advice might step on a few toes and I don't mean to do that, but I think it's a very important point to discuss.

5. Do not elevate your relationship with your children "above" your relationship with your spouse.

I know this is difficult to consider because, my goodness, those sweet babies are just our WORLD!  

But there will come a time in 18-20 years, when those babies will grow up and move out.  

During this season of the "empty nest", I've known so many couples who feel as if they don't know their spouses without the kids in the house.

Serve your spouse in front of your kids. 

Put his or her needs in front of your own needs. 

Schedule monthly date nights...just the two of you! 

Take trips (after COVID)!

Sit on the porch together after the kids are in bed.

Love your kids well WITH your spouse.

Back each other up!  Our kids have known from a very young age that if one of us says "no", the other parent will say "no".  There's no reason to even ask.  This is not to say they haven't tried!  

Your relationship with your spouse will serve as a model for them as they build relationships when they get older.  Give them a healthy marriage to watch & model in their formative years.

I hope these five pieces of advice were helpful for you.

What would you add to my list?

Spending this cold, cold day inside with the family here at the farmhouse,
Hannah

​❤️?❤️
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zone work.

1/8/2019

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This week, as part of the Farmhouse654 12-week Challenge, we are looking at our habits and routines.

We have chosen a few areas of our lives where it would be helpful to have a routine written down so we can follow it for the next month and make it a habit.  

I finally feel like I am to that point with my Morning Routine.

I wake up and start my favorite coffee in the Keurig.

I make my bed,
do my quiet time,
start a load of laundry,
shower,
& get ready for my day...
A morning routine...without even thinking about it!  ​Wow!

I'm currently working to get my bedtime routine just as automatic.

Two of the big pieces of my bedtime routine include laying everything out for the next day AND doing a "quick pickup" of the house, where all five of us set a 15-minute timer and do just what it sounds like...PICK UP! 

This really has helped the house to not get too out of control lately.
 
Farmhouse654 12-Week Challenge
Public group · 45 members
Join Group
This is a group to track our progress over the first twelve weeks of 2019 and share our successes for the Farmhouse654 12-Week Challenge!
 
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These daily routines are so important to help keep the house manageable.

And when I started following the FlyLady 10-15 years ago, I learned how important cleaning zones in our homes can be too for those "deep-cleaning" tasks.

The basic concept is for you to divide your home into various zones. 

I used to try and make sure I was getting through every single zone every single month.

However, starting this next week, I think I'll put my house on an eight-week zone rotation.
  1. Front Porch, Living Room, Deck
  2. Kitchen & Mud Room
  3. Dining Room & Laundry Room
  4. Downstairs Bathroom & Mattie's Room
  5. Our Bedroom & Office
  6. Older Girls' Bedrooms Upstairs
  7. Upstairs Bathroom & Playroom
  8. Outside the House & Basement

Today, and for the rest of this week, I'll be focusing on deep-cleaning the front porch, the living room, and our deck.

I make a list of tasks to get these three areas "all spiffied up" and I work on that list for 15-30 minutes a day (depending on each night's activities).
Picture
​Here is my list for this week. ⬆️
As I am working through my list for this week, I'm thinking about my zone for next week (kitchen & mud room) and things that need to be finished in those rooms.

I just work to get what I can finished each evening and try to finish up on Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon.

Zone work isn't meant to be stressful. 

It's just a way to get some of those deep-cleaning tasks  (that we often neglect) finished every eight weeks.  If you get to the end of the week and a few tasks aren't complete, just move on and get those tasks finished on the next round.
So...your task for today is to divide your home into zones.

You can decide how many.

You can decide what types of tasks to put on your zone lists.

​The important part is to start to develop some habits for deep-cleaning a little at a time, instead of just constantly being stuck in the cycle of having a BIG cleaning day every few weeks.

Working my zones at the farmhouse this morning!

​❤️?❤️
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biggest loser.

1/5/2019

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Let's be real.

I know what I need to do.

When I want to make healthy choices, I can.

I am completely capable of making the right call when various food choices are in front of me.

I've studied and implemented the Whole30 program.

I've eaten using a Keto lifestyle for weeks (sometimes months) at a time.

I did Weight Watchers for over a year and lost between 15-20 pounds.

And then, one day, I'll feel so good in my own skin that I'll make the choice to eat something that isn't a healthy choice.

Something like a donut from Koehn's Bakery...
A pumpkin pie blizzard from Dairy Queen...
Or a blueberry scone from Starbucks.

And you know what?

If I had consciously made a choice to have a scone and a caramel macchiato and get right back on track, that would be great!
But instead, I eat that scone and drink that caramel macchiato and then I decide that since I did that, I might just grab myself a pretzel twist on the way home.

The next morning, maybe I'll have some french toast that Mr. Farmhouse has made for the family and some homemade banana bread that the Claire Bear has baked.
Picture
And slowly, my weight creeps up and my pants feel a little tighter and that Stephens double-chin becomes a triple-chin.  

And before I know it, I'm throwing a kid on my lap or in moving them in front of me every time we take a picture. 

I'm wearing flowy layers because I don't feel comfortable in my more fitted clothing.

And I'm digging out my jeans that are a size bigger because I feel better in them. 
But the thing is...it's never about how I look.

It's about how I feel.

When I'm making good food choices, my joints are less achy.
My face is clearer.
I'm less irritable.
I have more energy.

So that's why when I got the email announcing the "Biggest Loser" competition at school starting this Monday...I knew this was a great opportunity to start again.

Through the Farmhouse654 12-Week Challenge that several of us are going through this year, I'm working towards making my dream life a reality...with goals related to our home, relationships, finances, personal growth, and of course, health.
The competition at school will be an added incentive to all the non-scale benefits that I feel when I am eating right and exercising.

Wish me luck!

❤️?❤️  


​
P.S.  You can still join our 12-Week Challenge Facebook group! ➡️➡️➡️➡️
 
Farmhouse654 12-Week Challenge
Public group · 27 members
Join Group
This is a group to track our progress over the first twelve weeks of 2019 and share our successes for the Farmhouse654 12-Week Challenge!
 
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twelve week challenge.

12/31/2018

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We've made it.

The very last day of 2018.

New Year's Eve.

Tomorrow is a fresh chapter.

A brand new notebook with fancy colored pens.

A chance to experience that feeling of "starting over" in a small way.

In 2018, I read a few books that really changed my perspective on productivity, setting goals and sticking to them, and making small gains daily in various areas of life.

The 12-Week Year by Brian Moran and Getting Things Done by David Allen were two of the most influential.
Picture
Using the insight I gleaned from these authors, I have set up a 12-week challenge to set goals for the first twelve weeks of 2019, to keep myself accountable, and to check my progress throughout the next three months.

After setting up my goals and weekly challenges, I thought to myself that maybe you all would want to join me!
Farmhouse654 12-Week Challenge
⬇️Subscribe Below ⬇️
    Powered By ConvertKit
    If you sign up to do the 12-week challenge with me, you'll get an email each Sunday night that lays out some of my goals for the week and that may include videos, various checklists or organizational documents, and a healthy dose of motivation that comes from knowing someone else is trying to stick to the same "to do" list!

    Let's make the first twelve weeks of 2019 amazing together!
    Excited for the new year here at the farmhouse,
    Hannah

    ​❤️?❤️
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