Weekly Wrap-Up: Finding Peace in the Pressure

I’ve been busy! Busy, busy, busy! The pressure is on! There is still a lot of unpacking to do, it’s definitely Holiday Gift Guide time so there has been a lot of sending and receiving of requests, emails are stacked up (I’m trying to get through them!), personal content got pushed aside this week (which is something I did NOT intend to do! It’s already something I’ve been worrying about!), homeschooling has been more demanding lately (or I should say the kids have been needing more attention and hands-on time). My husband isn’t excluded, either. He’s been doing the job hunting thing, and the job they basically said would be his once he left the Army (the one he REALLY wanted) isn’t available anymore. In fact, they filled it while his resume was sitting in their email inbox. It’s frustrating and upsetting.
Plus in the midst of all this I’m trying to figure out how to better connect with our friends and family in the Houston area again. That was the excitement of moving back, but it’s almost as if nobody acknowledges we moved back – or maybe it’s that I’m still so busy in everything else I have failed to make that connection. I’m really lost on how to make that happen. Of course, we’d love to meet new friends as well, but again it’s a crazy, busy time right now.
To be honest, I’ve just been feeling stressed out and a little bummed, too. I’m not even sure I can describe it – the bummed part that is. I feel like I’m falling short over and over again. I get into such a habit of letting things get me down. I mentioned some of the stressors I had been feeling in my One Way Love review.
So what can I do when there is all this pressure? We can’t just take a break from homeschooling right now because we have quite a few review commitments. The unpacking obviously isn’t going to just happen on its own. So, I just have to keep pushing forward. It will all get done – eventually. We had a new dishwasher put in this week, so that will now cut down some of the time I had been spending doing dishes by hand! I’m excited I actually have a goal to reach! I’ve chosen to use it as a positive instead of a stressor! We were chosen to host a LEGO Duplo Party! It will be our housewarming party! The kids are REALLY excited!
Otherwise, I have to keep remembering not to let the stress of “life” get to me or those thoughts of falling short. It’s easy to remind our kids they are special – beautiful and wonderfully made by God, but I forget that I am, too! One Way Love has really been helpful, and I think I need to just read it again! I need to just remind myself that I can’t compare what I’ve accomplished (or didn’t accomplish) to others because I’m not them, and that’s OK. I’m not supposed to be. Wouldn’t it be boring if we were all the same anyway? In fact, I want to celebrate my differences by starting a blog series about what makes Pea of Sweetness unique. I thought “I can’t start a blog series – I still haven’t picked up Grammar 101 again!” but I will when it’s time. There is a time for everything, and right now this is just the season that it is. So, I’m choosing right now to find peace with that.
There is one thing that is always certain, I’m not going to miss out on the beauty that is around me because I let all of it get to me. If it takes me 3-5 days to answer an email or only get one box unpacked all day because we were outside enjoying nature after our lessons, I’m OK with that. I want to be where God wants me to be. That’s where I’ll find peace.

OK, let’s wrap it up! I guess it’s been 2 weeks since my last wrap up!

Highlights in Our Life:

• Despite having much unpacking to do still, we did make major accomplishments this week: the trampoline is together (trust me, this is a big deal because it helps us to get other stuff done! haha), our bed is done, our oldest son’s bed is done, the kitchen is done with the exception of a missing box (we’re still at a loss. It’s actually been “done” for a while, but I still can’t find said box.), we have a light in the office, 2 computers and printer are up and running.
• We started going to a new church! We visited first on Wednesday night, and the boys went to Royal Rangers while Aurora went to MPact. This coming Wednesday is the Hallelujah Festival with a cookout, Trunk or Treat, and the opportunity to reach out and bless others! We’re really excited to start to get to know everyone and get more involved!
• Lizards are the cool thing here! There are a couple different types, and as you can see, the kids love them!
• I think I shared almost everything else in the post! 🙂

Homeschool Highlights:

• Well, it’s been a hard couple of weeks for some reason. The kids have been requiring a lot of attention even during their independent work. I’ve been feeling a little emotionally and physically drained. I really am running from room to room – unpacking, helping one with a question, helping the other with a question, back to unpacking, etc. Their independent time was my unpacking time for the first couple of weeks, but that seems to have gone out the window! I’m not quite sure why they feel they need the extra attention during independent work now. :/
• We’ve been doing a lot more great science projects with the new science curriculum we are reviewing. The kids really seem to take in a lot more information when they can visualize it!
• We started a new math program this week that we had been familiar with as an app! We’ll be sharing our review in a couple of weeks!

Shop Highlights:

• I made and sent out an order for 3 glitter tumblers! I’m excited I was able to pull it together so quickly – particularly since I forgot to put my Etsy shop “on vacation.” Luckily, my Cameo was one of the very first things I had found when I was unpacking! Phew!

Blog Highlights:

• I’m pretty sure I summed it up in my post – I’m busy! LOL
• I started my “Winner’s Circle” album on my Facebook Page this week! If you have won a prize on Pea of Sweetness be sure to share your picture on my Facebook page so I can add it to the Winner’s Circle! You can see my Winner’s Circle here!
• I will be adding at least 4-7 new Blogger Opps this week! I have a lot of great reviews and giveaways coming soon!
• I have started my Holiday Gift Guide – BUT it is not ready to share yet! I hope to unveil it this week! If you’re a business owner, it’s not too late to be included! Contact me for information: emilee.roberts@peaofsweetness.com

Goals This Week:

• Unpack, unpack, unpack.
• Try to better connect with our friends and family here, and make sure everyone knows about our LEGO Duplo Party and housewarming party!
• Make my 2013 Holiday Gift Guide ready for its reveal!
• Implement my website’s new Ad Space direcetory.
• Decide if I’m going to start my “deals blog” soon.
• Get more information on local homeschool groups as well as any other local groups, organizations, etc. of interest.
• Finish address updates!
• Yes, I know some of my goals are still the same! I’m working on it! 🙂

What have you been up to? When you’re under a lot of pressure how do you find peace?