Home Sanctuary

Back-To-College Prep Time! Are You Ready, Mom?

My son, Grayson, is starting his junior year in college. Each year, it's gotten a little easier to say good-bye, but I do admit to a tiny hole being torn in my heart when I watch his car drive away.

OK, maybe a big hole.

Being ripped right outa there.

Shredded to pieces, really.

{quiet sobs of loneliness and despair}

 

Time to get back to college after a summer of adventures.

I've already started thinking about ways I can help him get settled and ready for a heavy load of engineering classes this fall. Living off campus gives him a lot of flexibility, but it also poses a few challenges, particularly in time planning. There isn't a whole lot I can do for him from far away during the semester, so I'm doing some things that will last throughout the year to make life a little easier for him.

1. Stock up on snacks and easy meals.

I like to make seasoned hamburger patties and freeze them individually, and I also freeze Baked Ziti in small loaf pans for him. He's usually resourcesful when it comes to food, but sometimes it's nice to be able to pull something made by mom from the freezer. Also granola bars and instant coffee packets are always handy.

2. Purchase basic school supplies (paper, ink, notebooks, thumb drives, etc) at office supply stores ahead of time.

That way he doesn't have to pay higher prices at campus stores, and he can get exactly what he needs without waiting in long lines.

3. Buy enough underwear and socks to last between laundry trips.

Two weeks worth? Three weeks' worth? I don't know. I haven't actually had the nerve to ask. Just get lots, and you can't go wrong.

4. Stock up on cleaning items.

Whether or not he and his roommates choose to use them, and at what level of clean they are comfortable with - those are questions only they can answer. But they DO have a toilet brush and cleanser, should they decide to use it. I can rest easy.

5. Don't forget personal items.

My frugal boy hates spending money on personal stuff (shampoo, soap, deodorant, razors) when you can easily spend that money on way funner stuff, like a cup of coffee with friends. But I don't want that to keep him from taking care of business.

Recently, I found out about Gillette's subscription service. It is an easy way to make sure Gray is never out of razors, and only for about $1.00 per week.

Sold!

Fusion ProGlide with Flexball Technology

 

As a junior, he is conscious of looking a little bit more pulled together than those scruffy underclassmen, especially as he takes on projects and has more interactions with professors. But I worry that he might forgo a shave for lack of razors, so this gives me the perfect way to make sure he's ready for that job interview or internship opportunity. Or, for that cute girl in the library.

It's the least I can do. It's how I roll.

I'd like him to get a good job AND find a nice girl.

So I had him try these Fusion ProGlide razors, the ones with Flexball Technology. I received some samples in the mail and figured it would be worth a shot. Gillette calls it "Shaving Rebuilt" because its new handle lets the cartridges move in three directions for a close shave. With the subscription options, I can easily have them delivered right to his door. Nice. Easy.

And that other word: Affordable.

What's not to love?

And though there is a professional disclaimer below, I must also make this personal disclaimer:

I bought a subscription for my husband while researching this product. He is forever running out of razors, making special trips to the store, and coming home disappointed with whatever they had on the shelves. 

I told Tom I was looking into these, so he stole one of Grayson's razors and tried it. His words: "Best shave of my life."

I'm popular with the men of this household right now.

 .

 

Only a couple more years and these college good-byes will be over. I'm trying to savor the planning and prepping by slowing it down, spreading it out, and thinking it through. It doesn't stop the little hole in my heart, but it does make it a tiny bit easier.

 

What are some tips you can share for moms to help their students go back to school?

 

 

You can learn more about the Fusion ProGlide Razors with Flexball Technology subscriptions here.

I only post about products I have used and believe you might value. 

Disclaimer: Compensation was provided by Gillette via MomTrends.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Gillette or MomTrends.

42 Weeks

Just a quick note to update you! Meghan is very close to having this baby, but so far no baby yet. We think it will be in the next day or two so I am with her while she waits. She's been such a trooper...walking, positioning, doing reflexology and chiropractic. An appointment yesterday (Mon) with her midwife made us feel hopeful that labor would start, and she had several hours of contractions afterward. Please keep her in your prayers, as the 42 week mark requires lots of monitoring and decision making. Life seems to be "on hold" while we wait for Baby Heidi to arrive. Love you, Rachel

41 Weeks, 2 Days and Counting....

We are still waiting on Heidi Joy to make her appearance, my friends! At forty-one weeks and two days, our daughter Meghan (and husband Nathan) is really ready for this thing to happen! (Isn't that a perfectly round-and-big-and-wonderful belly??)

Will you please pray for a safe and easy delivery? It could be any moment...and we can hardly wait. My bags are packed and I'm ready to kiss this little one all over.

Blessings....and I'll keep y'all posted!

How to Keep Your Dream Alive When Real Life Threatens to Kill It

What do you do when the laundry, dishes, carpool and work all threaten to kill that little dream that's in your heart? I'm over at the Declare Conference blog today, sharing my thoughts. 

Hop on over and visit me there!

Have a great day, Rachel

Waiting for Heidi Joy, and Catching Up

Today is my daughter Meghan's due date! Heidi Joy will be arriving any day now and we can't wait to meet her.

Will she have her mama's red hair? Or will she be dark, like her daddy? We figure this little girl's gene pool will make for a beautiful surprise.

So all this waiting has made me feel a little distracted. My phone is fully charged at all times, and never far from my person....just in case I get The Call.

And meanwhile, I'm enjoying this little thing: (a little blurry, but still). Ivy Grace turned one in May, and is now officially a toddler. She is a heart-stealer!

 

I love these girls so, so much. I can't even stand it. That's Ivy's mama, Lauren. She's my oldest red-head, and this has been such a special year for us. I love talking with her on the phone every day. I also love FaceTime with Ivy!

Grayson just returned from Colorado, where he guided groups up mountains with TEAM Ascend. I wasn't sure he'd want to leave the Rockies, and I have a feeling he will end up living there someday. For now, I get to enjoy him as much as I can.

 

Also, Gray teases me constantly. Which I secretly love.

Boys....

 

 And I'm in the editing phase of my book about Flash, and how God is full of surprises. As I write, I'm reminded of His faithfulness through difficult times, and how when you least expect it, He shows up with a reminder of His love and care.

So that's what going on around here. What's happening in your lives?? Shoot me a comment, email or tweet!

Rachel

PS I will keep you posted on Meghan's baby...I just can't wait to hold that little one!

Canvas Print Winner!

Good Monday Morning! I hope you had a great weekend. Just a quick note today to announce the winner of the "You Make Me Happy" canvas print:

The winner is Shirley, who wrote,

I found your blog today from a search jumped in around 2009 I think it was, reading this made me smile for two reasons one because I know the dread of under the kitchen sink plus `you are my sunshine` is something my husband tells me regularly we have the words up in our bedroom which I look at each day and it always makes me smile. As for the kitchen sink I threw out old bottles of cleaners under there which I will never use, don't even know why I buy them because I go back to my normal cleaner, then hold onto the bottles just in case.

 

Wow, I love that Shirley has been part of this blog since 2009! Thank you so much...that means a whole lot to me!

Tomorrow, I'll share pictures of what's been going on in my life over the past few weeks. A little scan through my phone photos made me smile, and I'd like to share them with you!

 

PS Shirley, email your address to me and I'll get the print to you!

What Lurks Beneath

 

Back when I was posting Small Things, (daily tips and challenges to help you get your house in order, which I desperately miss because they mostly helped ME get my house in order), I had one about "What Lurks Beneath" the kitchen cabinets. I thought of it this week, because I had forced myself to *start* cleaning under there again. A cherry, if you will, atop the recent deep-cleaning and purging Assault on Spiders and Various Vermin.

 

Here is what I wrote back in 2009. It all came flooding back so vividly.

 

The plumbers were here yesterday to fix the showers. I was ecstatic! Finally, a shower that doesn't shoot boiling hot water out the lower spigot while ice cold water dribbles out of the showerhead! Oh, heavenly delight.

We have a long list of plumbing issues, and I thought we were going to be chipping away at the fixes, with the showers being the only things on the list for the day. I'd scrubbed the tiles and cleaned up the tubs beforehand. You know, so the plumbers would know what a great housekeeper I am.

Suddenly, I heard one plumber say to the other, "Go ahead and pull the stuff out from under the kitchen sink, and follow the line to the refrigerator through all the lower cabinets."

Everything became blurry and I felt the blood rush out of my head.

"NOOOOOOOO!" The scene went to slow motion as I sprinted to the kitchen, leaped over the counter and shoved the poor man out of the way. He didn't realize, as he opened that cabinet door, that his life was in danger! 

You can't just spring, "Let's have a look-see under the kitchen sink," on a woman! You gotta give advance warning! There is no telling what perils lurk in the depths of the deep, dark space that houses the very trash of our existence. A person might dive in and never come out alive.

I saved. that man's life.

And you should have seen how fast I worked! As the plumber nursed his whiplash from being tackled, I filled an entire garbage bag of stuff that was toxic, and another with appliances (like an old coffee maker that didn't work) and miscellaneous things that took me 2 seconds to decide I would never use again.

The terror of having a perfect stranger digging through my lower cabinets was greater than my terror of dealing with the menacing spaces that I'd long ignored.

 

And then I issued this challenge in my post:

 

Today's Small Thing is to summon your courage and plumb the depths of the cabinet under your kitchen sink.

You will need to set a timer for yourself and work quickly, because any longer than, say, 10 minutes, will cause your flesh to disintegrate into chum and you will be eaten alive by horrible creatures that have been morphing off the cleaning products under there. 

You might consider tying a rope around your waist and having someone ready to yank you out when the timer goes off, just for your own safety.

This is not a big, heavy duty cleaning session. Simply pull out what shouldn't be under there, maybe straighten up the containers and cleaners, if you have them, and tidy it up. It feels great to know that the jaws of death have been defeated with a small amount of courage!I

You can do it. Oh, yes you can!

 

I even gave 75 points toward the monthly total, which gave you, my dear readers, a chance to compete for an awesome prize.

But we aren't doing "points" anymore. Boo. And even bigger Boo is that most of us need some tangible motivation to do such a dreaded task.

So how about THIS instead? Play along with me today!

Leave me a comment, letting me know you spent several dangerous, but productive, minutes cleaning under your sink. I will randomly choose a winner to give this print to:

  (Canvas Print is available for sale here)

I Love This Gratitude Quote

 

 "Gratitude turns what you have into enough."

I don't know who said it, but it's true, isn't it? I've been consciously grateful in recent weeks - even in the midst of a brown recluse spider crisis - and it's amazing what a difference it makes.

I am calmer. I feel peaceful. I am more generous.

I washed dishes last night and found myself wishing for a nicer faucet fixture. The faucet we have is one that was going to be "temporary" until a better one would be installed. Well, that was five years ago. Because we knew it was going to be temporary, we bought the cheapest fixture we could find - hey, in a few months we'll replace it, right?

I sighed. This crappy old thing.

And then I remembered.

Running water.

Running water - HOT AND COLD - water comes out of this tap. Any time I want it to. I can even have it WARM.

How many millions of people in this world wish they had a cheap, aluminum fixture that produced clean water whenever they wish? No hauling buckets, no walking a mile to a pump, no limit on how much you can consume.

And I was overcome with gratitude for the simple blessing of a faucet in my kitchen.

I love that faucet. That cheap, aluminum fixture that brings me water.

This is how I want to live. Focused on the abundance, the blessing, the provision, and the gifts that fill my life. I have so much.

Clothes to wear.

A job.

Food in the pantry.

People I love.

Blue Bell Ice Cream.

Gratitude takes what I have and makes it enough. MORE than enough. 

Will you take a moment and say a prayer of thanks, today? Simply stop where you are and offer gratitude for the simple abundance that is around you. And those things you're lacking? Find a way to offer thanksgiving in the midst of it. In just the right time, and in just the right way, you'll find that God is looking out for you and will provide enough for your needs. He is the God of enough - and we experience Him when we live in gratitude.

What are you grateful for today?