{rockstar mom} Leah Cianciola // stay at home mom extraordinaire

Meet rockstar mom Leah!  (You may remember her from that delicious strawberry freezer jam recipe I posted last month).  Leah and I have been good friends since practically birth.  She is a tall drink of water, full of sunshine, beautiful lady, and I'm downright proud to call her a friend.  She is such an inspiration for me personally.  Her love for her family, her thirst for God's written word, and don't let me forget she is one modern Betty Crocker (or maybe I should say Martha Stewart?).  The lady does it all from homeschooling, gardening and canning to cloth diapering, sewing, and home renovations. Somehow she still finds a little time for herself, her relationship with her husband, and her relationship with Jesus Christ.  Alright enough from me... go ahead and say hi to Leah.

Hello my name is Leah and I am a stay at home mom to three adorable children. Jude- 4 years old, Ruth or Ruthie as we call her-2 years old, and Simon- 1 year old.  I feel  honored that Lauren asked me to write, 'How do I do it all? Through family, faith, self and everyday living'

 

Let me rewind a little bit. I met my husband on e-harmony about 6 1/2 years ago. We will be married for six years in September. No he was not the one who still lived with his mom and was secretly on e-harmony and no he was not the one who only believed in King James version Bible only and he was also not the one who worked on "gage' doors for a living (yes the man spelled garage as gage, ha!). Basically, he wasn't the stereotypical creep chatting it up all day online. He was the funny man with the nice smile and was totally on fire for the Lord! We met in January, were engaged in May and married in September. Yes, a very short dating and engagement period! :)  He is my best friend and I love him very much!

We bought our first home 2 years ago on a 2 acre lot with a beautiful fenced in yard for the kiddos. We have 18 chickens, 1 Pyrenees puppy named Madeline, apple trees, raspberry bushes, strawberry patch, raised garden beds and tons of flower beds. Yes, it is a lot of work to maintain but I really try to get the kids involved with me. They help feed the dog, water the garden when in season, pull weeds and help with whatever I ask of them to do. I enjoy picking strawberries from our yard and making freezer jam. (check out Leah's quick and delicious recipe!)  

How do I get the kids to help me with chores? Ha, well I sometimes give them candy, some money or allow them to watch a little show. (I don't allow the kids to watch very much T.V. and when I do it is very limited as to what they can watch. I want my kids to have a passion for reading books, playing outside or learning something new.) But I usually tell them that they are old enough to help out with mommy and that I am getting them ready for when they get older and are on their own. I was raised with having responsibilities and I want to pass that on to my children. 

I absolutely LOVE flowers, the brighter they are the better! When I see a unique colored flower or a different named flower, I buy it and put it in one of the flower beds.  The previous owners did a great job with the flower beds, but all the colors they had were green, dark green, and light green. I have been adding color when I can. I guess you could say my creative side comes out in my flower beds and the inside of my house. I prefer bold and daring colors in the house. The colors consist of bright yellow, red, blue, purple, jadeite green and sherbet orange.  With the two acre lot my favorite time of the week during the season is mowing the grass! I anticipate getting on our zero turn so I can have mommy time. Ha, I laugh when I think that mowing the grass is mommy time :) 

 

 How do I find quality quiet time with the Lord as a mother of three? I get up around 6 am, before anyone else is awake. I would also recommend a book to read on having a quiet time with the Lord in the morning, called 'Shopping for Time, How to do it all and not be overwhelmed' by Carolyn Mahaney,Nicole Whitacre,Kristen Chesemore, Janelle Bradshaw. This book is a great motivator to get up early before the family does and spend time with the Lord!!  When I have a quiet time with the Lord it is so beneficial in my relationship with my husband and with my children. As I seek the Lord out in the morning I pray that he will remind me of what I read in God's Word and help me to show my children the love of Christ. When I get frustrated or upset, because things are not going my way, so selfish I know, I realize this is not about me, but about how I can show the love of Christ to my husband and raise my children to love Christ someday as I do.

 

 

 

{mommyhood} and living up to perfection: 40 days to Proverbs 31

I didn't post anything last week because honestly I'm still trying to get my ducks in a row here.  It is a lifelong battle.  I'm sure I won't become the lady in Proverbs 31 overnight (or in 40 days) but I'm making the conscious effort.  Boy have I made some changes!  I'm not sure they are groundbreaking.  My husband might not even notice, but I have!  While getting my ducks in a row I've been working on two giant steps, clutter and organizing.  They do go hand in hand nicely, don't they?

She gets up while it is still night;
OK I haven't done this yet.  I told my husband I was going to start getting up with him at 5am and he laughed.  I think I woke up one day and rolled over.  I do want to implement this but oh man is it a hard.  Maybe this week?  Maybe I'll have some amazing life changing post next week on waking up at 5am.
(don't hold your breath)

She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks. 

She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.

The reason behind the above... is here.  I'm up until midnight everynight.  Thankful for my little business starting to really blossom. (Have you checked out the shop?)  I am trying desperately to find time for it and my family.  I am actually more of a night owl than a spring chicken.  And I have a scentsy nightlight thats on all night -- does that count? 
Oh, I hear you.  I could start getting up at 5am and getting my work done too. I guess that is what Mrs. Proverbs 31 does now doesn't she.

 

  She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.

I am desperately trying to "finish what I've started".  It is definitely one of my weaknesses.  As my husband said last night, "you are planning so far ahead in the future you can't see today."  So... insert Springpad here. 

 

Have you been introduced to this program yet?  It will change your life.  Goodbye post-it notes all over the place.  Goodbye ridiculous list of bookmarks on your browser of diy projects and recipes to try.  Goodby to the way of thinking "oh I need to write that down" and then never doing so. Everything is now neatly organized in one little space.  You can organize pretty much anything.  From To Do lists and meeting notes, to music and workouts. I can access it via computer, kindle, and phone.  You can even set alarms, put things on your calendar, share notebooks and lists with friends, etc. I'll never forget a thing again (well let's not go that far.)  

 

 I've started looking at it every night before I go to bed.  I review my accomplishments of the day and write down tasks of the day/week ahead.  And guess what?  I'm sleeping better! 

 

 

 

 

 

Did you miss the launch of the 40 day challenge?  Check it out.  Its never too late to start! Join me! 

rockstar mom {jessica simmons}

{a new feature each month} I have so many good friends that are such an inspiration to me.  Some of them juggle a full time job, some work from home, some have 4+ kids, some homeschool.  I think about all the complaining I do and advice I ask from them.  I only have one child and am currently a stay at home housewife. Sometimes I don't know how they do it.  They are all rockstars in my book and I wanted to showcase one a month.  Enjoy meeting my friends!

^ I asked Jessica about this picture and she said, "I think it shows not everything will always be perfect."  However, it looks perfect to me.  Her little girls are the cutest! ^

Jessica and I met at a design firm in Indianapolis, 6 years ago (can you believe its been 6 years?)  We kept in touch all this time and I'm please to introduce you to her! Jessica is one of the most talented people I know.  Her eye for design and graphic concepts is awe-inspiring. For freelance work Jessica has many irons in the fire but currently she is enjoys working on custom birth prints for newborns. 

 Jessica, tell us about all the "hats" you are currently wearing.

Wife to my amazing husband Jake, mom to Reese (4) and Paige (10 months), professor of interior architecture design, freelance graphic designer and communications team leader at our church.

What inspires you to design? 

As a designer, I am a visual person by nature. A beautiful image, interesting texture, stunning typography, great photograph or color palette my mind starts off in a hundred different directions.

How on earth do you find time?

I’m laughing as I read this because I really struggle with time! Lunch breaks, nap times and after bedtime is usually when I work on my design projects. It does take me longer to produce the final product because I work in small time blocks. This is something I clearly tell all of my clients ahead of time and I set realistic deadlines for myself. I have at least ten projects I would like to do in my house but they are on hold until summer break. I value my evenings and weekends with my family so I choose not to take on big projects that can’t be completed in a couple of hours.

What's the single most important advice you would give to a new mom in the workplace?

Take it one day at a time. I get extremely stressed out when I think about everything on my “to do” list for the week/month. If I refocus that on just the day, what I need to accomplish my list becomes more manageable. I find a lot of comfort in Matthew 6:34: Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Amen!

As a busy working mom, how do you stay connected to your children? to your faith?

I try to leave work at work and focus on my family when I am at home. We eat dinner together, read books, sing silly songs and talk to each other about our day. The girls go to bed at 7 and 8 so I try and make those few hours in the evening count. Weekends are left unplanned for the most part so we have time to just be together and enjoy the day.

I try to spend daily time in the word of God. Some days that means in the parking lot before I go into work or reading at my desk before class. It refreshes me and sets the tone for my day. On days where I skip – my day usually doesn’t go so well or I’m constantly stressed out. I struggle with relying more on my strength than on the Lord’s and He working on me in that area. It seems the more I rely on myself, the more stressed I become and I break down but when I FULLY rely on God, I know that He is in control and I am at peace.

Are your personal life and professional life compartmentalized, blended, or a combination of the two?

For the most part my life is compartmentalized. I am always a Believer, wife, mom and designer but I find it easier for me to focus when I separate my professional and personal life. 

Anything else you'd love to share?

I have an amazing husband who is very supportive. He cleans on his days off, cooks dinner, picks up the girls from school, bathes them as needed, sings silly songs, reads to them at night and deals with all of my mood swings. He is a true partner in everything. 

At the center of everything is my faith. God is continually reminding me that I need Him to do all of this. I love this quote from David Platt’s Radical Book.

“Instead of imagining all the things we can accomplish, we ask God to do what only he can accomplish. Yes, we work, we plan, we organize, and we create, but we do it all while we fast, while we pray, and while we constantly confess our need for the provision of God.”

I pray that God will use me to further His kingdom through design, teaching, as a wife and mom. I want exist for His glory not mine. 

If you are interested in ordering custom prints from Jessica please contact her via email, jnsinteriors@hotmail.com