PJ Jonas – Page 113 – Teaching Families to Work Hard Together

National Museum of the Air Force

My brother recently got stationed at Wright Patterson Airforce base near Dayton, Ohio. While we were there visiting him last Fall, we made a trip to the museum located at the base. We had so many of us going, that we had to take several vehicles. To my daughters’ enthusiasm and delight, we got to…

April 23, 2012

Such a Sweet Little Thing

Our first baby was a little girl – Brett. Then we had five boys in a row, which was fine with Jim and me. But not Brett. With the birth of each of them, she would cry because none of them was the little sister she longed for. Until 2006, when Indigo was born. Finally, Brett had a…

April 22, 2012

Getting Rid of Clutter II

Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 007. A couple of years ago, Jim and some of the boys went to a home in Louisville. The family was living amongst garbage and debris that literally was piled everywhere. The mom was single and had been injured and suffered from diabetes. The boys should have been old…

April 18, 2012

Getting Rid of Clutter I

Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 006. Clutter is out of control in most American homes, and I believe it is a major factor in why so many women are overwhelmed by their lives. The mountains of clutter residing in your home can weigh you down and cause you stress without you even realizing it.…

April 11, 2012

Get Off Your Backside and Move!

Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 005. Most of us hear the term fitness and we immediately think of exercise. But there’s a lot more to fitness than that. Being fit affects our mood, our energy level, our health, and our decision making. It allows us to be the person we want to be and…

April 4, 2012

One Month Ago

It has been one month. One month since the tornadoes came. One month since our friends lost their house, but kept their faith in God. One month since another friend lost her legs, but kept her children. One month. It’s amazing what a month can bring. It has brought people across the country together, as…

April 2, 2012

Debt Free

In 1997, I began listening on the radio to Larry Burkett speak about living debt free. Knowing that we were starting our family (Brett was a baby) and that I wanted to stay at home, a lot of what he said resonated very strongly with me. I knew that if we lived above our means…

April 1, 2012

Drink Your Water… or Else!

Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 004. We’re told over and over again to drink enough water. And I admit, that I usually do, but I didn’t really understand why it was so important. But now I do! There is a reason that you can live for several months without food, but only a couple…

March 28, 2012

Crazy Cats

Recently, we changed the sleeping arrangements around here. I have the old boy’s room, (which still smells funny from 7 years of boys living in it). The little girls are still in the purple room, and all the boys are upstairs. Ginger and Gypsy have decided that my room is now the best room in…

March 24, 2012

How to Eat Enough Fruits and Veggies

Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 003. In order to be the best wife and mother you can be, you need to take care of yourself. That means getting enough sleep, exercising, maintaining a healthy weight, and eating right. Most of us fall short on most of those things not because we don’t think that…

March 21, 2012

My Herb Garden

I love my herb garden. Right now, it’s not in the best shape and needs a lot of dead stuff from last year removed. Some fresh mulch would make it look really nice too. Here is a photo of one of my lavender plants (notice the lemon balm creeping in and the dead stuff to…

March 19, 2012

Best Laid Plans…

Two days ago, I recorded a podcast about the importance of sleep. I’ve been paying extra attention to make sure that I follow my own advice by getting to bed early and getting quality sleep so I can have a great day. So… Last night I turned the lights off at 9:00, lit some candles,…

March 15, 2012

It’s Garden Time Again!

I am so excited that Spring is here. Our cherry trees have blossoms on them and so do lots of other trees. Emery’s daffodils and hyacinths are up and blooming. It’s wonderful! My asparagus isn’t up yet, but it should be poking through any time now. And that means it is time to weed the…

March 14, 2012

The Importance of Sleep

Busy Mom’s Survival Guide Podcast Episode 002. This week, I’m addressing the issue of sleep. As moms and homemakers, most of us know what it is like to feel sleep deprived. But do you truly know how that impacts your health? Over the past couple of months I personally discovered that it isn’t always enough…

March 14, 2012

Who Taught Her That?!?

The story of how too much milk led to a funny shopping incident… In 2005, I got dairy goats because I wanted to be able to feed my family healthy, raw milk. We had never tasted goat milk before, but we quickly fell in love with it and began consuming it in great quantities. When…

March 8, 2012