Just Planting Daisies

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  • WAIT! WHAT???

    WAIT! WHAT???

    You mean you have a Masters Degree in Elementary Education and a Rank 1 in School Counseling & you homeschool your kids?

    Yes, Yes I do! 

    I hear it a lot, all the time actually. Most people are surprised by my educational background and wonder why I left my job in public education to homeschool my kids. I could answer this question in a million different ways, but the short answer is GOD!

    Yes, It’s another God story. Truth is my life is full of God stories. So, if you’re ready to hear how God flipped my career on its head and told me to walk out, keep reading. 

    I will preface by saying God speaks in many different ways. It could be through a change of heart, a closed door, an open door, a tug or a nagging at your heart, through people that you meet, through someone you’ve never met, or even a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach. Sometimes God speaks subtle change into your life, and other times it is a straight DRAMATIC change. And if you’re willing to listen, you may end up with a life you never saw coming. 

    My education journey started out at CU where I received a bachelors degree in elementary education. It was also there, where I had attended a convocation event and the speaker had vaguely mentioned something about listening to God, and he will direct your path. Of course, that was not really the first time I had heard that, but somehow those words stuck with me that day ~ got me thinking that teaching was not my first choice in career path, but somehow,  here I was. 

    Right out of college, I landed a position in my hometown teaching a 2nd/3rd grade class. It was a really tough year and I cried and prayed everyday when I left the school building. I knew that if I got through that first year, I could get through anything! And well, God got me through it. I taught a total of 4 years at that school and finished my Masters degree at WKU during that time. 

    After 4 years, I started to feel unsettled or that I needed a change (a friend of mine would say it was my 4 year itch) I would say It was God nudging me along. 

    So, I applied for a reading recovery position at O Elementary in B County, I had an interview, but they ultimately choose another candidate. 

    But… GOD!!! 

    About a week later I received a phone call out of the blue from the principal at another  Elementary school in B. County. He had apparently talked to the principal at O. Elementary, and that principal suggested that he call me for his open Reading Recovery position! WAIT! WHAT???

    I got lots of advice as to why I should NOT take that position in B. County. Because why would I leave where I was? It was in my hometown 5 minutes from my house. Why would I drive 50 minutes each way?!?!? So, when I was offered the position (Without an interview), I kindly declined. 

    Immediately, I felt that sick feeling deep down in my gut. It was God telling me I had made the wrong decision and I needed to call them back! 

    YALL God works in the craziest ways! AND HE WILL ACCOMPLISH HIS PLANS, WHETHER WE LISTEN OR NOT! The path is just way easier if we do! 

    ~It reminds me of that story in the Bible of Jonah who ran from God and well he ended up in the belly of a big fish~ Moral of the story… If God tells you to go to Ninevia, then you go to Nineva! (paraphrased from a sermon given by brother Gary at Church) 

    So against the earthly, seemingly good advice, I listened to God and called them back. I taught Reading Intervention in B. County for 8 years. During that time, I went back to college at WKU and got my Rank 1 in School counseling. 

    I was moving right along in my career… But then the next 2 years were a series of life events that would drastically changed my corse. 

    I met my husband (That’s another God Story), got engaged, got married, got pregnant, had a miscarriage, lost my position as a reading intervention teacher (God closed that door), got pregnant again, taught in a 1st grade classroom, had a baby, sold a house, bought a house, sold another house, SHEW! If that isn’t enough, my husband, 2 week old, & I moved in with my Mom & Dad while we got our new house in living condition, I took my full 12 weeks maternity leave and didn’t return to my classroom position, moved into our new house, & applied for several other jobs with no luck! 

    But then… GOD! 

    A person, I had NEVER met (you know who you are) randomly messaged me on facebook one day, and said that they had a counselor position open at her school and she thought I should apply. 

    WAIT!!! WHAT??? 

    Are you all seeing a pattern here? If you’re not within God’s plan, he will use every means he can to get you back on the path that he has laid out for you. That includes using other people to randomly call or message you, people you have never even met!!! It is truly wild! 

    So, I went for the interview and was immediately given the position! DUH! God knew that was gonna happen.

    For the next 2 years, I was happy to be the school counselor at LES and it was 30 minutes from home. I had taken several trainings, was the NTI coordinator, and was making plans to go back to college to get a Rank II principalship. It was a good plan and seemed to be the next likely step up the ladder in my career. 

    By that time, I had had my 2nd child, and was struggling over the decision of where my oldest daughter would go to kindergarten. My options ~ Our hometown public school, our local small Catholic school, or I could bring her to the school in which I worked. There was SOOOO much that weighed on me with that decision. I prayed about it, prayed about it, and prayed about it.

    As another full year rolled around, I found out I was pregnant with our 3rd, I was still struggling with the kindergarten question looming above me, continuing to pray about it day after day. But then, my heart began to shift~I can’t really explain the shift or a certain thing that caused the shift, it was just a nagging on my heart. A nagging or longing maybe; That I should be home with my kids. WAIT! WHAT???

    Being a stay at home mom had never even crossed my mind, not to mention homeschooling, and here I was with a sudden longing to keep my child at home instead of sending her to kindergarten at a school. What a CRAZY idea coming from a someone who had put 18 years of heart and soul into teaching others children in a public school setting! And if it were crazy to me, Imagine what others would think!!! I would be NUTS to walk away from my career and besides, it was financially impossible! 

    BUT GOD…

    God knows the plan before the plan is revealed to us. If we knew the plan upfront,  God knows we would not be willing, So he has to spoon feed us in little bites and nudge us forward little by little. 

    I prayed day after day for several months for God to either take that nagging from my heart or make a way for it to happen. 

    That’s when Norwex was basically dropped in my lap. Something that I loved and had been using for years. Could that really be the answer… No way that could bridge the huge financial gap. Maybe not the whole gap, but maybe it was a start. 

    By the end of that school year, a School Counseling position opened up at the school in my hometown, where I got my start so many years ago, so it just made sense for me to apply. I Got the Job, enrolled my daughter in that same school for Kindergarten, and continued to IGNORE that nagging at my heart.  But guess what????

    Yep, you got it! GOD had other plans! 

    I went to work and my daughter went to kindergarten that August, but I barely even got the school year started in my new position before the baby girl I was carrying had stoped growing in my womb and it became a high risk pregnancy. I was making trips to louisville for ultrasounds multiple times a week. Long story short, she was born a few weeks early and I went out on maternity leave just 3 weeks after the school year started. 

    Upon returning to my position after my maternity leave, THE NAGGING BECAME OVERWHELMING. It was so loud, I could hardly function on a daily basis. It’s AMAZING how God changes the desires of your heart, when it doesn’t line up with his plan. 

    Meanwhile, My husband’s business was growing and he could no longer keep up with paperwork and so, one day he said, “I think I need to hire a secretary.” Now mind you, I helped as much as I could, but there was only so much I could do with a full time job and 3 small girls. 

    I immediately started calculating the cost of paying a secretary & the cost of childcare for 2 children and well I’m sure you can already guess where I am going…

    Yep! Home! God answered the prayers I had been praying for. Definitely not in the way I had expected. I had expected that nagging in my heart to go away, and I would continue climbing that ladder in my career, but he didn’t. Instead, he made a way by growing my husband’s business! WOW! 

    So, I resigned from my School counselor position at the end of the 2017/2018 school year. Again, all the earthly advice was given as to why this was a really bad decision. SO much money was spent on my college degree! I often think about that and why God would send me down that path, and then turn around & send me back home? 

    Many of our journeys are learning experiences to prepare us for where God is ultimately leading us. There is a saying I’ve heard many times that God doesn’t call the equipped, he equips the call. But, I believe that God does both. Our experiences, & failures are God equipping us and preparing us for what he has in store for our future. And the nagging & nudging is him calling us forward to what is next in our journey. 

    I must have looked totally insane to most people, like I had lost my mind. But when it is God, It somehow eases your mind and calms your spirit when you are doing what he has called you to do. 

    So, if you ever wonder why someone suddenly has a dramatic life change where they drop their life to move to another country for missions, or for a job, or totally change directions in their career, or leave that career for something else, maybe just maybe it is God’s call on their life. 

    I have been at home, homeschooling my girls for 8 years now! It still blows me away, to see how this all played out in my life. My home is my mission field right now. That is where God has called me to be, and that is where I am serving. And God has truly blessed me and been faithful through it all!!

    Does that mean I will always be here, no. But I am here until God calls me out.

    ~TRUST THE PROCESS~ 

    With Love💚

    ~Mandy Anderson

  • The Silent Struggle

    “Mommy…”

    “What baby…”

    “I love you…”

    It’s what she says when she’s hungry, but doesn’t want to say so because she knows that if she does she will have to eat something. 

    It’s heartbreaking and it’s the silent struggle that brings me to my knees more days than not. Having a child that struggles with an eating disorder is something I never imagined I would ever have to go through as a mom. 

    The backstory…

    My daughter, currently 8 years old, never transferred from breast/bottle feeding to solid foods as a baby/toddler. She NEVER ate baby cereal or baby food like the normal baby. Every time I put her in her highchair, it was a complete meltdown and food would fly everywhere. Absolute refusal of any type of solid food. 

    Pediatricians repeatedly dismissed my concerns. Stating that “she was growing” despite the fact that she was at the very bottom percentile on their growth chart, drinking two PediaSures, and nearly a half gallon of chocolate milk a day with ZERO solid food. 

    “She will eat when she is hungry,” They would say. And well she didn’t! 

    “She’s just picky, she will grow out of it.” And well she hasn’t! 

    I had to listen to my momma intuition and advocate for my baby girl on this one! Despite everything the doctors said, I knew from my deepest core that this was not normal. 

    Eventually, I was able to get her into Therapy. From age 4-6 we did ALL the therapies (occupational, speech, feeding therapy, feeding clinic) with very little progress. At the age of 6, our then therapist was concerned about her lack of progress with the number of “Safe Foods” she was eating and was even more concerned about her “Relationship with food” So she referred us to a psychologist who specializes in childhood eating disorders. After an evaluation, she was diagnosed with ARFID (Avoidant Restricted Food Intake Disorder)

    I had never heard of it and the psychologist explained that it was a relatively new diagnosis only recognized in the medical field since 2014, and that many Drs., especially in rural areas, have never heard of it. 

    After years of therapy, behavior charts, & reward systems, she has made some progress. However, the things that she eats are still very minimal, variety wise and portion wise. And ARFID is still very much a part of our everyday life. 

    It is exhausting, stressful, heartbreaking, and frustrating all at the same time knowing your child is hungry, but refuses to eat or will only eat a few specific things. 

    THIS IS NOT JUST PICKY EATING! We have heard all the parenting tips and tricks from those who mean well. 

    “Make her sit there until she eats” She would literally sit there all night and starve!

    “Negative Consequences” It doesn’t matter! 

    “Reward Systems.” Believe me we’ve offered her the MOON, but NOTHING is worth eating for her. 

    “A behavior chart…” Yep we did that!

    What about the normal things kids eat?

    Cheese pizza? Nope.

    Chicken nuggets? Nope

    Grilled cheese? Nope.

    Hotdog? Nope

    bread? Nope

    Even now at age 8, our days are often filled with extreme anxiety and stress over food. It’s a struggle each day to get her to consume just enough to get by. Even the foods she has or will eat, she doesn’t really want to eat them. 

    The stress load I carry as her mom, is often overwhelming. 

    Will she ever be able to spend the night with a friend without having to carry a bag of snacks with her or worse, just not eating at all?

    When she is older, will this turn into other eating disorders?

    If I stopped offering food would she just stop eating?

    Will she still struggle with this into her adult life?

    What happens if we are not able to get enough calories in to make up for all of the calories that she uses for the sports that she loves? (This is where we are currently) 

    It brings to mind a story that I saw. A tiny college girl who was caught on a campus camera with a backpack that weighed more than her being blown away by the wind. There were so many comments on that story that broke my heart. Many of them revolved around the fact that she was so tiny and comments that stated she needed to eat. I can’t help but worry that this could be my baby girls reality…a life long struggle with food. 

    I was hoping it would go away or that she would eventually grow out of it, but after much research and being in groups with other Momma’s with children who struggle with ARFID, I have come to the realization that it is a lifelong struggle and I should no longer be silent. By telling our story, I am hoping to bring more awareness. 

    So here is all the Education for you! 

    ~The following information was written using AI~

    Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is often misunderstood or mistaken as “Extreme Picky Eating” but It’s often driven by sensory processing differences, fear of negative consequences (like vomiting or choking), or a genuine lack of interest in eating.

    If a child with ARFID could articulate the complexities of their disorder, this is what they would say:

    1. It’s not about being “bad” or stubborn. My brain processes food signals differently. I’m not trying to be difficult or ruin dinner; I’m trying to stay safe.
    2. Safe foods are my lifeline. When I have a “safe food,” it’s the only thing that feels predictable. If the brand or packaging changes, it might not be safe anymore because I can’t trust it will taste the same.
    3. The smell alone can be overwhelming. Sometimes just the scent of a certain food feels like a physical assault on my senses. It can make me feel nauseous before I even see the plate.
    4. I’m afraid of what food might do to me. For some of us, eating feels dangerous. I might be terrified that I’ll gag, vomit, or choke, even if I’ve swallowed that food a thousand times before.
    5. Texture is a dealbreaker. A “slimy” or “crunchy” surprise in a soft food can feel like finding a rock in a sandwich. It creates a sensory “short circuit” in my brain.
    6. I’m actually really hungry. It’s a myth that I’m just “not hungry.” My stomach might be growling, but if there’s no safe food available, my brain tells me that starving is better than eating something “unsafe.”
    7. Pressure makes it worse. When people stare at me, bribe me, or force me to take “just one bite,” my anxiety spikes. When I’m anxious, my throat feels tight, making it even harder to swallow.
    8. I feel guilty for being “different.” I see how stressed you get at restaurants or during holidays. I wish I could just eat like everyone else, but I don’t know how to turn this off.
    9. Social events are exhausting. Birthday parties and school lunches are scary because they revolve around food. I spend the whole time worrying someone will comment on my plate.
    10. I’m not trying to “manipulate” you. My refusal is a survival instinct, not a power struggle. It’s a “no” coming from my nervous system, not my ego.
    11. Believe me when I say I can’t. When I say a food is “gross,” I often mean it feels physically impossible to put it in my mouth. Please don’t tell me I’m exaggerating.
    12. Small steps are huge wins. If I just touch a new food or let it sit on my plate without panicking, that’s a massive victory for me. Please notice those tiny bits of progress.
    13. Keep the “Food Talk” to a minimum. Sometimes the best way to help me eat is to talk about anything except the food. Distraction helps lower my guard.
    14. I need you to be my advocate. When other adults or kids tease me or try to force me to eat, I need you to step in and tell them that my eating habits aren’t up for discussion.
    15. I need to know you still love me. I worry that you’re disappointed in me because of how I eat. I need to know that my value to you isn’t tied to what’s on my fork.

    Just reading these is very difficult for me. I have put it all in God’s hands and I pray about it often, but the living it out every single day is an uphill battle. But it’s a hill worth climbing for my baby girl! 

    We will not let this defeat us. When we pray together at night we pray that God helps her with her eating. 

    Jeremiah 29:11

    “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

    God Bless,

    ~Mandy Anderson

  • When facebook doesn’t show your struggles

    “People like me”… ??? It was a comment on a facebook post! It got me thinking; Who are people like me? What did they mean by that? What is it about me that would make someone say that? Are they judging me and others by our Facebook pages?

    I have to admit, It angered me a bit, as it was a comment that was essentially saying that “People Like Me” wouldn’t understand the struggle, because somehow our lives are “better” because our Facebook page says it is!

    Have you ever heard don’t judge a book by its cover? Perhaps this can be said as well about a person’s Facebook page. Don’t judge a person by their Facebook profile.

    Facebook has been coined “Fakebook” Meaning we only want others to see the “Best” part of our lives, and want others to think that our lives are somehow “Better” than they really are, almost as though we are boasting. 

    But, what if the opposite is true? What if we are not trying to be boastful at all? What if we just choose not to broadcast our entire lives on facebook? What if we choose to keep our personal or family struggles more private? What if we choose to struggle in private because we are not looking for others sympathy or approval? 

    Just because we are not posting every detail of our struggles for all to see, doesn’t mean we are not struggling. Regardless of what our Facebook Profiles suggest, we ALL have struggles and sometimes we may have no idea what someone else’s daily life may entail. We can search their facebook profile for clues, but it may never reveal the “silent” struggles others are going through. 

    Some choose to post about their struggles and that is also not a bad thing. It can be a source of encouragement for others struggling with the same thing, letting them know that they are not alone. So, if you are one that posts about your struggles, by all means keep doing what you are doing. Others see your story and glean from it. 

    Remember Facebook don’t always show the struggle, so when looking at someone’s Facebook profile, don’t look at it with the eyes of judgment, rather with a Soft Gaze.

    Whether they choose to show us their struggles, their children’s accomplishments, their milestones, or their beautiful family pictures, remember, it’s not their whole story. It’s only the part that they choose to show.

    ~Mandy Anderson

  • The Great Declutter 2026

    The Great Declutter 2026

    I have to admit, I have always been one to hold onto things. “I might need this” or “I can reuse that for something” or “I can fix this.”

    It might be an inherited trait, as I love old things, antiques, things that have meaning, or things that belonged to past family members.

    But, In the past, I have also collected other, possibly unuseful, random things. Although I have decluttered my life and home quite a bit over the past several years, I still struggle with a few needless things such as jars, plastic containers, or cute boxes. My husband calls me the plastic horder.

    Anyhow, decluttering doesn’t mean you have to get rid of things that you love, bring you joy, that have meaning, or hold a memory for you. It means getting rid of the things that clutter your life and do not bring you joy. 

    My motto is “If it doesn’t hold a place in your HEART, it doesn’t hold a place in your HOME” ~Mandy Anderson

    Truth is, it’s never gonna get fixed, I will never need it, and I’m never going to reuse it. UNTIL I get rid of it, then is when I need it!!!!

    BUT, what I have learned is the money it takes to replace it if I ever do need it, is minimal compared to the amount of physical space and mental peace it takes up when I hang on to it. I have also learned how FREEING it feels to get rid of a box of stuff or take out a trash bag of broken, torn, or unusable things. 

    Now, I am not perfect at decluttering at all! There are still times when I will put something back in a drawer or a closet and think “I might wear this” or “they might wear this” but because I do this every year, sometimes multiple times a year, and I find myself doing it random times throughout the year, it has gotten much easier to let things go. 

    Some advantages of decluttering…

    • Reduces Stress: Clutter causes stress, but an organized home has a calming effect.
    • Improves Focus: Clutter is a visual distraction, an organized space allows better concentration and mental clarity. 
    • Boosts Self-Esteem: An organized home can promote feelings of control, competence, and pride.
    • Saves Time & Energy: Less clutter makes cleaning faster & finding things easier. Also, you have more time for family or things you enjoy instead of managing stuff. 
    • Healthier Environment: Decluttering reduces dust, mold, and pests, improving the air quality in your home and potentially reducing allergies.
    • Encourages Better Spending Habits: Decluttering causes you to be more thoughtful of your purchases & conscientious about what you bring into your home. 

    How to get started…

    1. Get the trashcan and 1 or 2 boxes. Label the boxes donate or consign. 
    1. Just start. It is easy to get overwhelmed and not really know where to begin. Just pick a room, a corner, a single spot or surface in your home and just start.

    CAUTION ⚠️ Sometimes the mess gets bigger before it gets better. Don’t bite off more than you can chew, and be sure that you can finish the task you started within the amount of time that you have allotted.

    1. I have created a 30 day calendar that may help. See attached calendar. 

    Let’s fill our year and home with things we love, bring us joy, and peace and declutter that which don’t. HAPPY NEW YEAR 🎉

    💚Mandy Anderson

  • Resolve to be better!

    Resolve to be better!

    It is that time of year when we reflect on the year pasted and look forward to what the New Year will bring. We make ALL the goals and resolutions with good intentions to make the coming year, THE YEAR we SUCCEED! 

    Some of us strive on goals and rock out those resolutions, but a large % of us give up on resolutions within a few months, weeks or even just a few days. And then, well, we feel like complete failures for the rest of the year, falling back into old, comfortable patterns. Our days filled with regret and disappointment. 

    I  have been there many times! Many goals and resolutions fails more times than I can count. But a couple years back, I quit making those overachieving goals and out of reach resolutions. Not because I was afraid of failure, but because I was tired of failure. 

    I was so tired  of having difficulty sticking with those strict absolutes, trying to be the imperfect perfectionist and failing miserably EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. 

    So the past couple of years, my goal was to RESOLVE TO BE BETTER! That’s it!!! Just be better!!! A better version of myself than I was the prior year! 

    I start by reflecting upon the past year and think about how I could improve or would like to improve. Then I write those things down (Be sure to write them down, because if you don’t, they don’t exist or will quickly be forgotten) I write mine in my planner, so that I see it everyday.

    To help I ask myself questions like…

    *How can I improve my health? 

    *How can I improve my family life? 

    *How can I improve my relationship with my kids and husband? 

    *How can I improve as a Christian?

    Here are my 2026 RESOLVE TO BE BETTER goals! 

    1. Drink more water
    2. Yell less, pray more
    3. Lose some weight
    4. Cook at home more
    5. Be in God’s word more
    6. Pay down debt
    7. Get up earlier
    8. Spend less, save more

    Notice there are NO absolutes. It doesn’t say drink 64 ounces of water a day, stop yelling, lose 20 pounds, cook at home 4 to 5 nights a week, read God’s word every day, Pay off house, get up at 6:00 am. Why? Because if it did, I know that I would fail miserably, probably within the first day😆 

    The goal is to be BETTER than the year before, not perfection!!  When we set absolutes and strive for perfection and fail, we feel like we let ourselves down and are more likely to just give up and fall back into old patterns. Don’t give up! Keep Going! 

    RESOLVE TO BE BETTER IN 2026! 

    HAPPY NEW YEAR 🎉

    💚Mandy Anderson

  • The Great Pre-Christmas Declutter Party

    The Great Pre-Christmas Declutter Party

    Every year about this time, my anxiety starts to rise, because I know what’s coming…A Christmas gift explosion in the living room! With multiple children, it can seem like a daunting task the day after Christmas, trying to get everything back in its place and creating new space for all the new things. 

    For years I would experience a complete mental break down around this time of year. It was almost debilitating. I hated to decorate because it just created more clutter amongst the other clutter and I hated to shop, because bringing more bags in sent my anxiety through the roof. Christmas just seemed more like a burden rather than a joy. For this reason, I knew I had to get a handle on my home or at the very least my kids rooms before Christmas …

    So several years back, when my girls were 9, 7, & 4, I started having, what I call “The Great Pre-Christmas Declutter Party” 

    The first couple of years were grueling, because my children had difficulty letting go of stuff, But upon the explanation that their things would be going to less fortunate children, they eventually got on board, and now look forward to “The Great Pre-Christmas Declutter Party” 

    Just a few days ago, my middle daughter, who likes to keep her things organized, and sometimes spends all day trying to get her room so so, threw her hands up as if it were no use. She had too many things and not enough space in her room. She was completely overwhelmed, and could no longer manage it all. This is when I knew it was time! Right on cue for “The Great Pre-Christmas Declutter Party 2025”

    Here is what we do…

    ✅ Stuffed animals – we get two large boxes. One is labeled GIVEAWAY, the other is labeled KEEP. Everyone puts all their stuffed animals in a big pile (NO STUFFED ANIMAL IS EXEMPT-we’ve had some try to hide in the dirty clothes hamper and under the beds) We sit around the pile like it’s a campfire. Each child chooses one stuffed animal to put in the giveaway box (if another child objects, they have to choose a different stuffed animal) Then each child gets to choose a stuffed animal to keep. We keep going until all the stuffed animals are in a box. The idea is for them to choose the stuffed animals they really love first! WARNING! If there is a stuffed animal that ends up in the giveaway box that they just can stand to part with, I allow them to rescue it. It just isn’t worth the heartache and headache. After all we just reduced the number if stuffed animal by half, so it’s a win!!!! When we are finished, the box labeled “GIVEAWAY” is immediately removed, so that no stuffed animals can sneak out of the box back into their rooms. Then everyone takes their “KEEP” stuffed animals back to their rooms where they find a good spot to keep them, whether it be on their bed, in a corner, or in a stuffed animal net or bean bag. 

    Then I take a day or evening for each child to go through each of these areas of their rooms.

    ✅Cubbies: We go through each cubby one by one, throwing away trash & broken toys, removing unwanted or no longer played with toys to donate or sell. We then put like toys back in cubbies (you can label them if you like, but we typically don’t) barbies in one, horses in another, fidgets in another, and so on.

    ✅Drawers: We get 3 totes or boxes. One labeled “PASS DOWN” with the next child’s name and size. One labeled “SELL” and one labeled “DONATE”. We go through each drawer one by one, getting rid of clothes with holes, rips, or stains and putting the clothes that are still good but too small, in the labeled totes. Then we sort the clothes back into specific drawers. One for pants, one for shirts, one for socks and panties, one for sports, or you can sort by season.

    ✅Closets: We remove all clothes that are too small or they no longer wear and put in their respective totes labeled as above. We then organize the closet based on season. 

    This is the important part!!! 

    After the clothes cleaned out, I turn all the hangers around so they face the wrong direction (after they wear the clothes, they hang them back up with the hanger facing the right way) That way when we do this the next time, we know which clothes they didn’t wear and so that helps the process go quicker the next time.

    ✅Shoes: We go through the shoes and toss the ones that are too worn and put the ones that are too small in their respective totes from above. 

    ✅ Flat Surfaces: We declutter all flat surfaces in their rooms using the same method as above. Trash, Pass Down, Donate, Sell. 

    ✅Large toys/furniture: We look around the room and decide how we can make it less cluttered. Sometimes we move furniture around (It made my middle daughter’s heart happy to move her bed last night) Let’s face it, we all need a change sometimes. Sometimes we decide to get rid of larger items or toys that they no longer use or play with, or have grown out of.

    During this process, I have always tried to teach my girls the organizational skills it takes to keep a neat and tidy room. These are skills that I am still learning myself and we work through them together. I purposely do not clean their rooms myself nor do this process on my own. I think it is important to involve them in the process, as it teaches them the skill. I also teach them “If it doesn’t have a place in your room it doesn’t have a place in your heart” ♥️ 

    ✅Lastly, Each child always gets some sort of organizational tool for their rooms for Christmas. Here are links for some we have gotten in the past, some I’ve mentioned above, and some they are getting this year

    lego table https://amzn.to/4pTXZVl

    over the door stuffed animal storage https://amzn.to/4rNWnyb

    beanbag stuffed animal storage  https://amzn.to/4pYfLHa

    Vanity organizer  https://amzn.to/4iJ5cVQ

    jewelry organizer  https://amzn.to/4q2FjTG

    Earring organizer  https://amzn.to/4oFF8wb

    hair bow organizer https://amzn.to/4oIW8lc

    ***Stay tuned for “THE GREAT DECLUTTER CHALLENGE 2026” 

  • Shepherd On The Shelf

    Shepherd On The Shelf

    The leader asked for praises in kids church this morning…

    The smallest boy raised his hand “My elf came!” He said proudly.

    The other children piped up “My elf came too” , “Mine too” said another. 

    “Raise your hand if your elf has come”  Said the leader. Little hands raised high about the room and waved with excitement, but the one little girl in pink sat quietly with her hand not raised… 

    After all the elf commotion calmed, she quietly raised her hand and waited to be called on. I stood in the back of the room holding my breath.

    My “SHEPHERD” hasn’t came yet because he got stuck somewhere” she said happily as if she had “faith” that he was coming, he was just running late! 

    Shew! I was relieved that I hadn’t let my youngest daughter down and I was so proud of her. She didn’t skip a beat, when saying ” My SHEPHERD” not ” My Elf”

    Back several years ago, When my girls were at that age and all the Elves on the Shelves were coming to visit their respective families, I struggled whether or not I was going to embrace that tradition or steer clear of it.

    I wrestled with the thought of this “ELF” coming into our home causing mischief and chaos. As if I needed another small person in the house causing mischief and chaos. I was quite sure we had enough of that without creating more! It just didn’t make any sense to me. I couldn’t get on board with another fictional character taking up time around the Christmas season that should be spent focusing on the Birth of Jesus. I was convinced we didn’t need an elf! 

    But as mothers often are, I was riddled by guilt, because my children were seeing other children who were talking about the things their elves were doing and they felt left out of the fun. 

    If you have an elf on the shelf, I am not judging you. I am with you. With love from one momma to another. We are all just out here doing our best to make Christmas memories with our kidos. Keep on keeping on ❤️

    Now, I have never been one to follow a trend, I am always the one who goes against the grain! Just ask my Dad.

    But a “SHEPHERD ON THE SHELF” that guided you toward Jesus!!! YES, that was a tradition I could get behind and well my kids have loved it! They ask every year. “When is our Shepherd coming?”

    So, like my little girl in pink said so proudly, and with much faith, in kids church this morning, Our SHEPHERD hasn’t come yet because he is “stuck” somewhere. But knowing she is anxiously awaiting for his return warm’s my heart!

    Is the Shepherd really “stuck” …No, but honestly life happens, and well the Shepherd often gets lost in the shuffle, just like Jesus gets lost in the shuffle of light’s, parade’s, shopping, and gifts!

    Fitting, the whole lesson that I and the other leader taught in kids church this morning was centered around God’s blessings. God’s blessings do not come in a pretty wrapped gift under a tree at Christmas. Those gifts only bring temporary happiness. But trusting in Jesus as our savior, brings eternal happiness in Heaven.

    So, I guess it is time for our Shepherd to make his way back to our home, so that he can help us get back to the true meaning of Christmas.

    See his debut in the picture ⬇️ 

    Do you want to create that lasting tradition in your home, that points to Jesus during the Christmas season? You can find the Shepherd’s Search here https://amzn.to/4iK6P5U

  • Just Planting Daisies!

    My favorite flower has always been the daisy. Although we are totally out of season for that, the point of this post is always in season, because it is about L.I.F.E.

    I had planned it out perfectly… from the dress, to the decor, to the flowers in the bouquets. Daisies of course!

    I had forgone my vegetable garden I had been tending to for several years prior to planting the daisies I would use in the bouquets for my wedding.

    After weeks of tending, weeding, and watering the Daisy garden, they were starting to peek out from the soil and spring up as the sunny and rainy days passed by.

    Growing taller, and starting to give off a familiar look and smell, I was so proud and showed my fiancé. To my dismay, he stated a fact that had somehow escaped me in all my hard work and excitement. “Those look a lot like tomato plants.” He insisted. But, I insisted he was wrong and they would be blooming the most beautiful daisy bloosoms soon enough. Just in time for our June wedding.

    The days and weeks went by and the tending, watering, and weeding continued. But something was odd. Something was off, and the smell of those daisies was a very familiar smell, however, I was unable to put my finger on it. Then it hit me!

    The year before I had a large amount of cherry tomatoes that I shared with the entire neighborhood in my garden. Unbeknownst to me, as I happily tilled up my garden that spring to be planted in daisies, I was somehow broadcasting those cherry tomato seeds all about the garden! My fiancé was right! These were not daisies growing in my garden. I had a garden full of cherry tomato plants!

    I was devastated! All of that work, all of that tending, all of that love, sweat, and then came the tears!

    Isn’t that just like life? When you want daisies, life gives you cherry tomatoes!

    Ever since then, I have been planting daisies (not actual daisies, but the daisies of life) but it seems someone or something is always right behind me digging up that which I am planting.

    Do you ever feel that way? If so, I want to invite you on a journey with me filled with life lessons, God given inspirations, mother hood, wife hood, farm life, homeschool life, brutal honesty, hard truths, practical tips, cleaning tricks, green living, & anything else that comes my way lol. Nothing is off limits! Life has a way of throwing curveballs and well, I’M HERE FOR IT! Are you with me?

    ~Mandy Anderson