Home | Charis Buckland

It’s my favorite month of the year! I hear it’s National Pumpkin Spice Day today – I suppose it is, so I’m here for it! I checked my coffee gift card and I had just enough with a few cents to spare, so I went for the iced pumpkin spice and got a few (four) pup cups to go!

I usually make banana bread or pumpkin bread beginning in September, but for some reason, we had not put it together this season. Yesterday, being the last day of September, we spontaneously made pumpkin muffins before lunch time. We were sooooo low on ingredients because I pick up groceries for the week on Fridays, but we had just enough. Whew!

It looks like we had such a good time, and we did. The muffins were yummy, but that was after the arguing, shoving, and crying. Someone is determined to get to use the can opener to open the canned pumpkin and someone decides to take that over…Grabby hands almost knock over the bowl of dry ingredients, and one is off doing ballet in the middle of the floor…Life.

Yesterday felt a little off. Sometimes the days flow, the atmosphere is calm and quiet, and I am early for everything. Love that. Other days, like yesterday, I feel like I’m catching up the whole day, people are in terrible moods, including me, and I just can’t get it together. Even when I try to do fun things, the fun gets snuffed out by crying, bad attitudes, and teething.

Little kids, no kids, grown kids, everyone has those weird off days. And we can all use a reset no matter what part of the day it is. My favorite things for helping reset are as follows:

Take five to 10 minutes to pick up clutter somewhere. I like the kitchen. It’s pretty much the center of everything, so if it is clutter-free, it makes life feel better. Clear the counters, wipe the crumbs, and throw dirty dishes in the dishwasher to get the out of sight. We put dishes in the dishwasher after every meal because I refuse to look at dirty dishes all day. It might work to pick up the pillows off the living room floor. For some reason, my decorative pumpkin pillows are always on the floor! Pick up any toys, throw away any trash. 

Light a candle. I love a candle flickering on the stove. It’s out of reach so it will not get knocked over, it feels happy and homey in there, and it smells up the entire downstairs. Yes! Currently, the smell I have is pumpkin pecan waffles.

Take a few minutes outside. Breathe in the fresh air. God created nature and science proves it is healing mentally and physically. Simply sitting outside has been proven to improve mental health in 15 minutes. We often take a school subject outside, like when I read with the littler ones in school. I also open the front room windows to let fresh air circulate for the students in there all morning.

Create a list to keep you focused. Even if it’s 3 p.m., write out a few tasks you need to finish and go after them. Feels so good.

Make some tea or coffee. I’m not a barista, but I can put a pod in the iced coffee machine and throw in some liquid creamer. I can also make some tea. If I feel really fancy,  I can use loose leaf tea and make tea that way. Put it in a pretty mug. 

Take a quick trip. Sometimes I take a drive with the little ones to McDonald’s in the midmorning when it’s almost lunch, but not quite, yet preschoolers are getting squirrely. We go down the street, look for garbage trucks and see if the fire trucks are parked in the garage. I get a $.99 iced caramel coffee and it is such a treat. 

Change the tone and volume of voice. I can help turn the atmosphere simply by talking as if I would on a smooth, easy-going day. It helps me calm down and everyone else can feel it too.

Take a walk. If you work from home or have flexibility in the ages of your homeschool kids, take some time to walk, bike, or skate for a little bit of time outside. Many people will take work calls outside and get some sunshine and fresh air. Some of my homeschool kids need to spend the majority of the morning on school work because they are older and have a little more work to do than the littler ones, but we can all take 15 minutes and go outside. 

I love that God hears me. Even when nothing seems to change or go as planned, I can still talk to Him openly. I can tell Him everything and He understands.

In the morning, Lord, You hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you and watch expectantly. Psalm 5:3

Everyday is redeemable. Some days feel like there is nothing to be done to correct all the wacky out-of-sorts feelings, attitudes, and events, but each day is still a gift from God. Take a few minutes, ask God for help, and reset the day. Let God handle the rest. And at the end of the day, put on your pajamas, take a breath, and sit on the couch. God was with you today and He will be with you in your tomorrow. Get plenty of rest!

Love,
Charis 

Pic(k) of the day: This morning, I walked downstairs to this after someone yelled that Krew was eating cereal in the bathroom…I have never witnessed this…now I have…