Davonne Parks

Your Role At Home Is Valuable

FREE and Frugal Hurricane Learning Resources

Special Note: This is a little different than what I normally write about, but since it’s something that’s been on my family’s hearts – and probably yours too – I want to share these resources with you.

Has your family been discussing and learning about hurricanes right now? I know mine has – especially since my husband used to live in Texas, and my brother and sister-in-law are currently living in Florida.

We quickly realized that, just like anything else, we can get pulled into a vast sea of information and spend hours reading similar articles on various websites. To help prevent endless searching, I’ve compiled a list of resources that my family has personally benefited from, broken down by subject, to help you quickly find what you’re looking for.

Science

Hurricane Irma sucked water away from the Bahama shorelines – you can watch the video and read about why that happened on Nola.com.

Track the storm locations at Noaa.gov.

Visit Kids Discover to see how a Hurricane Develops.

The Homeschool Scientist has an excellent roundup of additional Hurricane Lesson Resources and Activities if you want to dig even deeper into the science behind hurricanes.

Current Events

Older kids and adults can get a behind-the-scenes look at how rescues are being dispatched over at Houston Chronicle.

Tonia Goodman shared a video about one boatman who transported his boat from Kentucky to Texas to join the volunteer rescue team.

Live updates about Hurricane Irma are available at CBS News.

Wired.com shows an astounding before and after photo of Houston.

Books

Over in the Wetlands: A Hurricane-on-the-Bayou Story by Caroline Starr Rose looks like a beautiful picture book that talks about how animals prepare for storms – I plan to request this the next time we’re at the library!

Our Weather and Water by Debbie and Richard Lawrence has been a valuable resource for my family as we’ve learned more about weather, storms, and hurricanes together. Your church may be willing to buy this for their library, so check with the church librarian about putting in a request!

Simple Ways You Can Help

1) Pray for storm victims and the rescue team.

2) Donate new underwear.

3) Ask the elders at your church if they’d be willing to take up a special collection for the hurricane victims.

4) Offer your house to any loved ones who have been displaced because of the storms.

5) Keep a positive attitude. Let’s choose to be grateful for what we have and remember that even though we can’t control the weather, we can help to keep emotional storms from raging by loving others well and speaking kindly to each other (Proverbs 15:1).

I’d love to hear: What learning resources have been beneficial to your family as you’ve tracked the hurricanes? Share in the comments!

Don’t forget about the FREE Intentional Home resources

I want to remind you about the FREE resources that are available this fall to help you embrace your role at home. If you missed them, check out the details here!

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Davonne Parks believes that your role at home is valuable and she wants to help you thrive in your environment. Click here to receive immediate access to the FREE printable library she created just for you.

Are You Satisfied with a Quiet Life?

Dishes, laundry, bills, meal prep, continual cleanup. Scraped knees, bad attitudes, giggles, and sticky smiles … are we satisfied with this quiet life? Or are we constantly longing for more?

Book club friends and the words in Sarah Mae’s book The Unwired Mom make me think. Why am I so pulled into Social Media? Why do I mindlessly scroll through feeds? What makes me want to see how many likes I have after posting a photo online?

I often struggle with being satisfied with a quiet life. I’ve privately told my husband many times that, “I feel like everything I do is so invisible.”

Even while I whisper those words, deep down I know the invisible things we do are often the most important works we’ll ever accomplish. Sometimes it’s just hard to move information from my head to my heart.

Nobody watches me clean my house, but they can feel invited and welcomed when they walk into the calmness. Nobody sees how many times I fix scraped up knees and teary eyes, or how many times I’ve helped to heal hurting hearts.

Those works are invisible. But they matter so much.

I want to be satisfied with a quiet life. One that doesn’t have to share every nice looking dinner or bedtime snuggle with the internet. One that can take my kids to the pool or the park without feeling a need to post it online.

I don’t want to live a life that’s spent glued to a glaring screen, addicted to likes and news and emotional emptiness. I want to live free. Embracing where God has placed me. Being present for my children, my home, my husband, my job, my life.

“That you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.” 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,” 2 Timothy 2:1-3

This fall, I want to help you embrace a quiet life, too. I’m sharing some of my journey – not because I want to be loud or noticed, but because I want to encourage you in the quietness.

There are two things going on right now that I think you’ll like:

1) Tame the Chaos Online Summit

The first thing I want to tell you about is a FREE Tame the Chaos online summit that’s happening this month. My friend Jessica Hepburn has interviewed 21 experts in organization, minimalism, simple living, and feng shui. Basically, everything you need to be inspired to turn your home into a relaxing haven!

I’m planning on listening to the interviews while I’m doing simple household tasks like folding laundry and cooking dinner so I can be inspired without it taking extra time out of my day.

The best part? It’s all online and it’s all completely FREE! I do have to admit that I’m a little nervous because Jessica interviewed me too, and this is my first time ever doing voice recording or an online summit! Ack! My interview will air on Sept 22, so make sure to sign up now so you won’t miss it. (When I signed up, my confirmation email went to junk, so check all your folders if you don’t see the email.)

2) 8 Weeks of Intention: Embracing Your Role at Home Blog Series

I am also thrilled to be hosting a FREE series over at my friend Darlene’s blog this fall! For the months of September and October, we’re going to be focusing on embracing our roles at home. Because while many dynamics are different for each family, the fact that every woman’s role at home is valuable remains the same.

We’re going to talk all about that role, and how to embrace it, in the coming weeks. Go here for the details.

Let’s Get Ready

Right now is the perfect timing to be proactive about fall cleaning so we don’t feel overwhelmed and buried under clutter when the holiday season starts in November.

{I know. I said the word holiday even though it’s only September. Don’t hate me! I just get SO MANY emails in December from readers who want to know how to get their house clean now so they can enjoy Christmas. I’ve been in that same place and I do what I can to encourage readers when I answer those emails, but the real secret is this: Start now. We should always strive to start early, before something becomes an emergency.}

Sign up for these FREE events!

Make sure to pin the introduction page or sign up for Time Warp Wife updates so you won’t miss a post in the Intentional Home series.

Sign up here so you can join the FREE Tame the Chaos online summit!

I’d love to hear: What thrills you about living a quiet life? How can you embrace invisible works?

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Davonne Parks believes that your role at home is valuable and she wants to help you thrive in your environment. Click here to receive immediate access to the FREE printable library she created just for you.

Schoolroom Before & After {Plus How You Can Set Up An Awesome Learning Space For Your Kids}

Well, this is embarrassing:

Our classroom – the space where my kids are supposed to actually learn – recently looked like the above photo. Clearly, we needed to do something about this before the upcoming school year.

So my kids and I purged. Normally, I like to rip the bandaid off and just get the job done, but we were so worn out from our gigantic office renovation that just thinking about spending full days decluttering made us want to cry. So we went up to the schoolroom for an hour or two several different times before moving on to something more enjoyable.

It took a few weeks, but slowly and surely, we chose things to get rid of. Anything they’ve grown out of – gone. Beginning reader phonics sets – gone! Fun science supplies that were given to us but we haven’t touched in two years? Also gone!

Within a few weeks, we had a very large pile of items we weren’t keeping. Things on the left are for donation, items on the right are trash:

Whether you’re homeschooling or just need a place for your kids to put their backpacks and do their homework, there are a few things to keep in mind:

1) Get rid of a ton of stuff.

If you’re constantly moving around junk and it takes your kids hours and hours to clean their bedroom or school area, then you probably have too much stuff. Purge, purge, purge!

2) Group like items.

I talk about grouping like items more in this article about conquering kids’ clutter, but basically, if you have crayons in 5 different places and Legos all over the house, it’s difficult for your kids to find what they need and to clean up their own things. Solve this problem by grouping like items, purging the excess, and storing supplies you use often in easily accessible containers.

3) Make sure your system is easy to maintain.

If your kids use something for 10 minutes but it takes 2 hours to clean up, the item probably isn’t worth the hassle. Toss it.

Likewise, a complicated system of color coded beads or craft supplies is likely just going to get mixed up and will take hours to clean. Have a bead box and let the colors be mixed together. If your child really wants an item to be color coded, they’re welcome to color code the items on their own free time 😉

{A basket with school books & supplies all readily available makes schoolwork easy to get out and easy to put away each day. Win!}

4) Take a day off to declutter.

I know the idea of taking a day off just to declutter sounds scary, but hear me out on this one! Whatever time you lose by taking a day off of school, work, or other activities will quickly be gained back when you’re not searching for needed items.

When your kids are studying hard in their freshly organized space, you’ll know it was completely worth your effort.

 

Check these Articles Out for More Organization Tips:

 I’d love to hear: What’s the school or homework system like in your house? Do you have any tips to add to mine?

7 Things You Need to Consider Before Purchasing a Fixer Upper

Remember the fixer upper office building and country home my husband and I recently purchased?

{The front of our office building, June 2016}

We did our homework in advance by researching online, talking to business owners, bank agents, and realtors who have experience with fixer uppers, and asking friends who have walked this path before us for advice.

Between their expertise and my family’s limited experience, I want to share with you some things you should consider before purchasing a fixer upper.

If you’re not planning on buying one anytime soon but know someone who is, forward this list to them so they’ll know what to expect, too! And if you have no desire to renovate a home, but are curious about the process, read on for a little peek at what goes on behind the scenes.

7 Things You Need to Consider Before Purchasing a Fixer Upper

1) The project will cost more than you think – count that cost.

Renovating a piece of property isn’t cheap. And even if you have the world’s best renovators helping you, something unforeseen will arise. So make sure you get quotes and bids from construction workers before you close on the property, then have additional money – at least 30% more than the overall projected cost – set aside to help cover those unexpected expenses.

“For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’” Luke 14:28-30

2) Renovating a fixer upper is not glamorous.

From late nights and sweaty projects, to having no AC in summer and no heat in winter, renovating a fixer upper is anything but glamorous. The photos you often see online only show the beginning and end – they don’t tell the story of the messy middle. They don’t show the stress, the exhaustion, the hard work and bruises that took place in-between the photos.

For example, pictured above is a small section of the commercial property we spent a year renovating. You only see these photos.

I still see framed up walls that weren’t insulated, a Saturday crew of family and friends in old clothes, late nights of moving a shop light from room to room before lights were installed, and two little girls who learned how to paint woodwork, lay flooring, and do their schoolwork in a dusty corner with a construction crew bustling around them.

3) Renovations will take more time than you’d planned.

Even if you hire contractors to oversee the entire project, there are going to still be decisions to make and things to do yourself. Renovating a fixer upper will consume more of your time than you think it will.

4) Your entire family will be affected.

Whether they’re actively helping you with your fixer upper or taking care of things at home while you’re working on renovations, everyone living in your house will be affected by this project.

5) Plans will need to be changed mid-stream.

Due to unexpected issues that are practically guaranteed to occur, you’ll likely either need to go over budget, pause your project, take on additional renovation tasks yourself, or change desired materials and plans to less expensive options.

Sometimes, you’ll need to do all of the above.

6) You will grow as a person.

I’ve mentioned before that challenges strengthen and refine us. Renovating a fixer upper is one very large, self-induced challenge. To complete the renovations, you will have to persevere through exhaustion, budgeting constraints, project setbacks, and a thousand more unforeseen issues.

These issues will cause you to either grow bitter or grow more mature as a person. You choose which one.

7) The outcome is unpredictable.

Plans will change and problems will occur. Things will cost more, take longer, and look differently than originally expected. While we can visualize the end result, there is no way to guarantee the final product.

{Our new building, June 2017}

It’s possible that reading these points made you realize renovating a fixer upper isn’t for you. But, if after reading this article, you still want to renovate a house or business, you are probably a visionary person who isn’t afraid to get your hands dirty.

If you can look at what appears to be a dump to everyone else and see incredible potential, if you (and your loved ones) don’t mind taking risks and doing hard things, and if you’re excited about the possibility of doing something that improves your local community, then a fixer upper may be the perfect project for your family!

I’d love to hear: If you have experience with renovating a home or business, what do you think others should know about what to expect?

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7 {Simple And Realistic} Ways You Can Take Care Of Yourself When Life Feels Chaotic

You know those times when life feels like a whirlwind and you’re just trying to keep your head above water? So the house gets neglected, everything feels rushed, and bedtime can’t come soon enough? I have those seasons, too. Right now, in fact, is one of them!

I mentioned that my husband and I bought a fixer-upper and are moving to the country. What I neglected to share is just a few months before we purchased our new home, we’d purchased an office building to move our computer service company into.

And that new office building needed completely renovated. As-in, walls needed torn down, awkward additions were bulldozed, the roof had to be replaced, and the entire layout of the inside was completely changed to fit our business needs.

{Our new office, June 2016}

But just like our new house, the location was perfect and the price was amazing.

So we went for it, and as we simultaneously neared the completion of commercial property renovations and wrapped up our eighth homeschool year, my family was worn out and weary, and I felt like we barely limped across the finish line.

But limping across the finish line is still finishing.

{That’s me in the pink shirt, a few minutes after limping across the finish line with a mild injury during my first 5k back in 2010.}

While I am a firm believer that extreme busyness shouldn’t be the continual long term beat of our lives, I also believe there are God-ordained seasons of busyness when we need to persevere through a difficult schedule so we can grow, stretch, and be refined.

“I will bring the one–third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.'” Zechariah 13:9, NKJV

During seasons of growth and refinement, it’s important to keep our hearts and minds open to what we can learn throughout the experience. We can choose to become bitter when we feel like our lot is harder than everyone else’s, or we can grow closer to God throughout the process.

“3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 NKJV (emphasis mine)

When you feel the storms of life threatening to make you bitter, remember what 2 Corinthians 10 tells us – the battle we’re fighting is not a physical battle, but a spiritual one. Take your thoughts captive, and trust that God has a good plan for your life.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11, NKJV

In addition to keeping our focus on positive, worthwhile things when we’re going through a busy season, there are a few other things we can do to take care of ourselves as we learn and grow:

7 {Simple & Realistic} Ways You Can Take Care Of Yourself… Even When Life Feels Chaotic

1) Schedule time off

Nobody’s going to force you to take time off – you’re going to have to put it on the calendar and make it happen! It may feel like the worst thing to do, but taking a day – or even just an hour – off to intentionally rest, refresh, and spend time with the little people often makes all the difference in attitudes and productivity after we get back to work.

2) Get enough sleep

I know, I know! You’re too busy to sleep more than a few hours per night… But usually when we don’t get enough sleep, we move slower, we’re more easily annoyed, and even if we have caffeine, we’re generally not as productive and don’t think as clearly as when we’ve had enough rest.

You will accomplish more each day if you give yourself the extra rest you need instead of forcing yourself to stay up late and get up early on a regular basis.

3) Do something that relaxes you

I included a list of relaxing activities that only take 15 minutes or less in this post about how to care for yourself without being selfish.

Your ways to relax may differ from mine, but try not to waste your precious few minutes of free time simply browsing social media, scarfing down comfort food, or watching television shows that you don’t really care about. Instead, do something you’ll enjoy in the moment and feel good about after.

{Related Post: 9 Ways to Relax When You Have 15 Minutes or Less}

4) Cook simple, healthy meals

I recently spent a month following the Whole30 eating plan. While it seemed like the worst time to try out a food experiment, doing so has actually been a blessing. Removing processed foods from my diet had a huge positive impact on my energy levels and mood, which has helped me feel surprisingly good throughout our very long days.

Even if you don’t want to try something like Whole30 to help you jump start a healthy eating plan, just cooking very simple, healthy meals will go a long way in giving your body the nourishment and fuel it needs to be able to power through a chaotic season.

5) Drink enough water and take your vitamins

This is absolutely the easiest, and most easily overlooked, item on the list. I started taking multi-vitamins and drinking at least 64 ounces of water per day several months ago, and my migraines and exhaustion have significantly decreased because of it. Migraines or sluggishness from lack of vitamins and water = less productivity and more mood swings.

Even if you don’t suffer from headaches or tiredness, staying hydrated and taking your vitamins will likely help boost your moods and energy. It’s a frugal, easy experiment, so try it for a month and see how you feel!

6) Minimize unnecessary things in your schedule {Also known as “Get Over FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)”}

We can likely all benefit from service projects and activities that cultivate close friendships with others. But a busy, chaotic season isn’t the time to over commit or have every spare moment crammed full of activities.

Instead, carefully choose just 1-3 things per month that don’t take much extra planning on your part and ignore everything else.

7) Choose your mood

I alluded to this in the introduction (go ahead – scroll up and read it now if you skimmed over that part!), but basically we can be mad about all the craziness going on in our lives, or we can choose to accept where we are and embrace things as much as possible.

We’re told in Ecclesiastes that the end of a thing is better than its beginning. Finish well, friend.

“The end of a thing is better than its beginning; The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” Ecclesiastes 7:8, NKJV

{Our new office, June 2017.}

I’d love to hear: How do you take care of yourself when you’re going through a busy season?

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My Horribly Embarrassing Hostessing Moments {And Why I Still Invite People Over}

Game night with friends is wrapping up and nearly everyone else has gone upstairs. Noticing food remnants on the carpet, I drag the vacuum cleaner from its spot in the closet and plug it in. When I glance up, I notice one guest is still lingering nearby, seemingly unsure of what he should be doing. Always the problem solver, I decide to help out so I hand the vacuum cleaner to him then skip off to throw away the paper plates.

After his family is on their way home and my children are snug in their beds, it occurs to me that I probably shouldn’t have given the vacuum cleaner to company. I text my friend and apologize for my painfully embarrassing lack of etiquette towards her husband. They’re gracious to me and get a good laugh out of it but I desperately want to erase the event from our memories.

And I add, “Do not hand a vacuum cleaner to your guests unless they specifically ask to vacuum the carpet” to my mental hostess check-list.

Along with, “Make sure the hand towel does not smell like wet dog.” And, “If you invite someone over, make sure you’re actually home when they arrive.”

Some people can learn through others’ mistakes. I, on the other hand, usually have to embarrass myself or get into a huge bind before things finally click. The good news? The more any of us practice something, the better we’ll get!

So I want to encourage you – invite your friends over. Be willing to laugh at yourself when you do something horribly in-etiquette. Rest in knowing that a true friend will overlook your faux pas. Take comfort in knowing that Jesus always loves you anyways – every imperfect, quirky part.

Is your house clean? Invite the guests! Is your house messy? Invite them anyways! Yes, make sure there’s room at the table to eat. Go ahead and Clorox the grossness off the toilet or shove the toys in a corner, but don’t worry about every tiny detail. People live in your home. It’s okay to not be perfect.

But whatever you do, please don’t hand your guests a vacuum cleaner unless they ask for one 😉

I’d love to hear: What embarrassing hostess things have you done? Let’s laugh together in the comments!

Related:

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How to Maintain the Progress You’ve Made in Your Home

Do you ever work really hard to clean your house and feel absolutely amazing about how great it looks, then wake up to a complete disaster zone the next morning and immediately become discouraged?

You are far from alone! I think we’ve all been there – the laundry, dishes, and clutter piles sometimes feel like they form out of nowhere! And while my house won’t clean itself, I have learned a few tricks about keeping it manageable and nice looking most of the time, and I want to share those tips with you.

10 Ways to Keep Your House Clean, After You Clean

1) Give your home 15 minutes a day.

You may not be able to clean the entire house every day, but you can still spend 15 minutes doing something. Whether you unload or reload the dishwasher, tidy the living room, or fold one load of laundry, you’re making forward progress.

Many days, you’ll be able to do more than one of those but even on days you can’t dedicate a lot of time to cleaning, accomplishing just a little bit will help keep your house in decent condition until you can get to the rest.

2) Have a cleaning day (or 3) every week.

Regularly give your home a little extra time to take care of anything the fifteen minutes couldn’t do. The more cleaning sessions you have planned each week, the better, because a few day’s worth of stuff is easier to clean up than a full week’s. And, if you have multiple cleaning sessions scheduled each week and need to skip one, you know you’ll have another coming up soon.

3) Skip playing catch-up.

Is vacuuming supposed to happen on Mondays but now it’s Tuesday? Don’t vacuum – simply move on to the next chore and wait until vacuuming day rolls back around! The same goes for scrubbing bathrooms, mowing grass, cleaning out the fridge, etc. Just move on and catch those chores the next time around. This will allow you to take needed breaks and enjoy your loved ones instead of becoming a slave to your schedule.

{Related Post: How to push the “Reset” button on your home.}

4) Focus on blessing – not impressing – visitors.

When we try to impress people, our entire mindset changes. Instead of putting things away and considering it good enough, we start shoving clutter into corners and closets so we can dust or mop or shine things up to a higher standard than what we’d normally do.

Focus instead on blessing your visitors with a welcoming attitude. This way, you’re cleaning in a way that is beneficial to your family, not just potentially impressive to company.

5) Simplify your routine.

Do you really need to dust the top of the fridge or sweep your sidewalk on a regular basis? Some things can wait for longer in-between.

{Related post: How to Keep a Clean-Enough Home When You’re Really Busy}

6) Forget about perfection.

The Pareto principle states that it takes 20% of the time to complete 80% of the job, and the other 80% of the time to finish 20% of the work. Most of the time, it’s perfectly wonderful and freeing to quickly complete your 80% of the housekeeping, and not worry about the final, more time-consuming 20%.

7) Think positively.

If you think you can accomplish something, then you can likely accomplish it! On the other hand, if you tell yourself that homemaking isn’t important or you don’t have time, you’ll end up living in a constant mess. Believe that you can succeed, and make sure your actions validate that belief!

{Related Post: How to Manage Your Laundry in Just 15 Minutes a Day}

8 ) Hit your clutter hot-spot.

Think about the one room you really love to have clean – for me, it’s the kitchen. If the rest of the house is a mess but my kitchen is clean, I feel like my house is under control. On the other hand, if the rest of the house is tidy but the kitchen is a mess, I feel overwhelmed and stressed out.

Maybe your hot-spot is the laundry, or the living room, or the toy room. Whatever that one place is (and don’t say it’s your entire house!) clean that first. Every time. I promise it will make the biggest positive difference in your home, which will likely help your stress levels and mental health, too.

9) Speak kindly to those around you.

A clean home isn’t worth a damaged relationship. If you have a Martha Stewart type home but your family members are harshly criticized every time they leave something out, they’ll remember the criticism, not the clean home. On the other hand, if a messy house is full of love, hospitality, and encouragement, the love will be cherished and the mess will likely become a faded memory.

But there’s no really need to choose – you can work on both your attitude and your house to provide a clean home as well as a loving environment.

{Related Post: This is Why I Decluttered}

10) Declutter annually

I know the idea of decluttering annually sounds crazy at first, but just hear me out on this! We live in our homes. And especially if there are children in the house, there’s a steady stream of Christmas presents, birthday gifts, Easter baskets, school projects, and everyday clutter that comes with it.

So, once a year, take a few days (or weeks!) and really focus on thoroughly decluttering your entire house from top to bottom. Out of all the things on this list, decluttering my own home annually has by far had the biggest, most positive impact for my family.

{Related Post: How I Decluttered My Entire Home in Six Days}

Bonus Tip: Spend tons of time outside! 

Completing chores first thing in the morning, then spending the rest of the day outside is a little trick I learned when I was a teenager and earning babysitting money. The kids had a blast, the adults were happy because the kids were happy and worn out plus their house was clean, and I was happy because someone was actually paying me money to play outside all day!

Doing this with my own kids keeps everyone smiling, the house in great shape, and bedtime a breeze because they’re so tired they fall asleep in about 2 seconds. Win!

If you’d love some fresh cleaning encouragement and guidance, sign up for the FREE 10 day email course about Making Your Home a Haven! This email course provides tips and practical assignments that will motivate and encourage you to freshen your entire home in just 10 Days.

I’d love to hear – what tips do you have for maintaining progress in your own home?

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12 Books for Your Summer Reading List

Some affiliate links are used in this post.

Does anyone else love peeking at people’s reading lists? I personally eagerly anticipate the “best books of (enter year here)” that abound on the internet in December & January. I also love the summer book lists that fill my Pinterest feed in May & June. Basically, I just love book lists in general 🙂

And since it’s been awhile since I’ve given you some of my own book recommendations, I want to let you know which books I believe are absolutely worth adding to your own summer reading list.

{This list contains my 12 favorite books I read in 2016. To see all the books I read in 2016, go here.}

Top 5 Non-Fiction Choices

1) Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds by Jen Wilkin

I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect from this book, but I was absolutely blown away. It is interesting, well written, thought-provoking, Biblically sound, and full of practical application tips. Women of the Word isn’t a difficult read, yet it contains so much wisdom that it leaves the reader with a hungering for God’s Word as well as a better understanding of how to obtain Biblical knowledge. Highly recommend!

2) Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely by Lysa TerKeurst

I read four books by Lysa TerKeurst in 2016 (The Best Yes, Unglued, Made to Crave, and Uninvited), and really, any one of them could have made this list. But Uninvited met me where I was, in the moment. A few of my favorite quotes from the book:

“Rejection steals the best of who I am by reinforcing the worst of what’s been said to me.”

“The voices of condemnation, shame, and rejection can come at you, but they don’t have to reside in you.”

“Heartbreaking seasons can certainly grow me but were never meant to define me. I let go of the hurt and embrace the growth the minute I’m able to say, ‘Yet not what I will, but what You will.'”

Uninvited is a game-changer. If you’ve ever felt unwanted, left out, or lonely, or if you’ve ever let past rejections creep into present relationships, then you NEED to read this book!

3) Teaching from Rest by Sarah Mackenzie

When I was first introduced to the concept of teaching from rest, I literally laughed out loud and exclaimed, “Teaching from rest?! What does that even mean?!” The book sounded too good to be true – like one of those get rich quick schemes or a fad diet that’s guaranteed to give you abs of steel in 14 days or less. But I was intrigued, so I snagged a copy anyways, thinking it couldn’t hurt.

I am so glad I gave this book a try!

From considering whose “well done” we’re working for, to making sure our curriculum serves us (instead of the other way around), to bringing our own skills and interests to the table, I was so challenged by the eye-opening concepts offered in this book that my own homeschool has been transformed in huge ways.

You can purchase the eBook, buy a complete bundle, or watch Sarah’s FREE online book club videos. I gained so much insight from working through the companion journal so I recommend treating yourself to a bundle, which is on sale right now.

4) Undone: A Story of Making Peace with an Unexpected Life by Michele Cushatt

WOW!! I absolutely could not put this book down! So captivating. Some of her doctrinal beliefs are not based in scripture, which is the only thing that holds me back from giving her a five-star review. Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who’s ever been thrown a curve-ball in life.

5) Rest Assured: A Recovery Plan for Weary Souls by Vicki Courtney

I hoped for balm for a weary soul when I picked up Rest Assured and this book did not disappoint – I felt great relief in my soul from the first page and began implementing Vicki Courtney’s simple tips from day 1. With the author’s help, I’m learning to stop feeling guilty for allowing my soul time to breathe, and instead view rest as a vital part of my routine. Highly recommend for anyone who’s too busy or running on empty!

Top 7 Fiction Books

6) The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

It’s been a long, long time since I’ve read fiction that is so good I felt as if I was in another world and was startled to look up and notice everything familiar right in front of me. Narnia, the faun, Aslan… I could feel winter melting to spring, see the stone statues springing back to life, and cry with sorrow and joy when the sins of one were atoned by the innocent. I highly recommend this entire series.

7) The Magician’s Nephew by C. S. Lewis

Book 1 of the Chronicles of Narnia. WOW, this book was amazing! My entire family loved it at least as much as The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Incredible allegory and personifications of good verses evil. If you read this series, read the books in this order: 2, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Trust me on this 😉

8 ) The Help by Kathryn Stockett

This audio rendition of The Help is absolutely brilliant. I read the book on Kindle years ago, but the depth and beauty and emotion in the readers’ voices really bring the book to life. Highly recommend (not for young ears, as there are some difficult themes and some language throughout, so wear earbuds or listen when young children aren’t present).

9 ) Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maude Montgomery

My children & I listen to this recording every single summer. We never tire of Anne or of Liza’s voice washing over us as we lie on the porch, the fan cooling our faces while we listen. We’re all captivated by Anne and her longings to find her place in a world that’s always changing when sometimes, we just want some things to stay the same.

{Note: I didn’t realize I was listening to the abridged version until last summer, and I was absolutely horrified when I found out! But alas, the unabridged version is only $1.99 on Audible, so all is right with the world again.}

10) Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maude Montgomery

My daughters & I also listen to this audio book every summer. We never tire of Anne, Gilbert, or Marilla. And Matthew holds a tender place in our hearts, not as a fictional character but as our own wonderful grandfathers in storybook form. Highly recommend if you want to read about fiction characters who feel so real that you’re jolted with surprise when someone suggests otherwise.

If you love Anne as much as my family, get the complete box set here.

11) Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay

This was the first book I read in 2016 and it was the best fiction novel I’d read in a very long time – I was completely enraptured by the story & read it from cover to cover in 2 (very late) nights. If you enjoyed reading Daddy Long Legs back in the day, then you’ll love Dear Mr. Knightley.

12) For One More Day by Mitch Albom

From the publisher: “For One More Day is the story of a mother and a son, and a relationship that covers a lifetime and beyond. It explores the question: What would you do if you could spend one more day with a lost loved one?” Thought-provoking and riveting, but not too heavy to read outside on a breezy summer day. I give this book five stars!

Looking for more good book recommendations? Try these on for size:

{Linking up with Keri Lynn Snyder’s What We’re Reading Wednesday}

I’d love to hear: What books should I add to my own summer reading list?

I Moved Back Home! {My Blog Home, That is}

Those of you who have been readers for awhile may remember that I used to blog over here at DavonneParks.com on a regular basis. I tried out a lot of topics in this cozy corner of the internet, just trying to find one that fit, that felt like me, while at the same time resonating with other women. Motherhood? Written about it! Marriage? Absolutely. Intentional living and spirituality? Check, check.

And for nearly three years, all of my attempts to build relationships with potential readers fell flat.

Then one day, I slapped up a post about organization. It was one of the easiest articles I’d ever written, because the topic came so naturally to me. I was sure nobody would read it.

But I was wrong. People read my organization article and actually left comments, emailed me, and brought their friends to my site! So right there, in the midst of writing about marriage, motherhood, and spirituality, I continued to toss in an occasional homemaking post.

And I noticed a pattern. My organization articles received comments, re-pins, shares, and subscribers. All of my other posts? Crickets.

I emotionally wrestled with this for months: Organization? Cleaning? Really?! But I want to blog about important things! This website is supposed to be my mission field!

I finally came to terms with the fact that helping women to create a haven-like atmosphere in their home is an important ministry. Because when we can offer a soft place for our families to land and when we can welcome others in without hesitation, we’re uniting together to offer havens – refuges – from a sometimes harsh world.

So, in an attempt to create an easy-to-spell and easy-to-remember website, I found an available domain that reflected my long sought-after blog focus and happily started typing away!

What I didn’t know at the time was someone had already been blogging at a similar website address. My heart sank when I realized my mistake, because it was never my intent to create confusion – in fact, confusion was the opposite of my intent!

So, after a lot of deliberation, thought, and prayer, I am moving back over here to DavonneParks.com and I intend to stay! All of the articles I’ve written on my other website and your comments have been moved along with me. What does all of this mean for you? Hopefully nothing!

My desire is to make this transition as smooth as possible. Subscribers will continue to receive email updates, and I’ll still be writing about homemaking. I’ll update article links in my eBooks and other places, and will send a new subscriber email with updates after those are ready, hopefully within a few weeks, so you can easily download the updated versions.

If you have my website or Social Media sites bookmarked, you’ll definitely want to update those with the new links. To help you out, I’ve included simple buttons below that you can click on to update your saved information.

::New Social Media Links::

In a way, it feels like I was away “visiting” a different website for a couple of years, and now I’m all packed up and moving back home. It’s creating a little extra work, but coming home is also giving me a surprisingly nice, cozy feeling. I think that once you come visit me here after I’m all unpacked, you’ll like it too.

I’d love to hear: What topics are you hoping to read about soon? Leave a comment or hit “reply” and let me know!

How to Manage Your Laundry In Just 15 Minutes A Day

Do you ever have laundry mountains in your home? If so, then you are not alone! This giant pile used to be the story of my basement:

{What was supposed to be a relaxing movie room, was most often used as a dumping grounds for clean clothes.}

For a long time, digging through an enormous laundry pile to find one clean outfit was a near-daily occurrence. But for the past year, our laundry has been under control (!!!). Let me repeat that: for the past year, our laundry situation has been under control.

The method I use is so simple that I haven’t written about it yet because it doesn’t feel revolutionary enough to warrant a full article. But, having a ridiculously simple laundry system is exactly why I cannot, in good conscious, keep this a secret for another minute.

Here’s the super easy way to stay caught up on laundry in just 15 minutes a day:

{While you’re reading about our laundry system, please excuse the fact that we’re wearing clothes instead of PJs like I mention in the instructions – I really wanted to share this article with you right away, so my kids were great sports and did the laundry several hours early to let me take some photos.}

1) In the evening, everyone puts on their PJs. The designated person then gathers all of the dirty laundry into one place.

2) The next designated person immediately carries laundry to the laundry room, dumps it in the washing machine, and starts it up.

3) Immediately before bedtime prayers, the clothes are moved over to the dryer and everything that shouldn’t be put in the dryer is hung on the line.

4) The next morning, laundry comes out of the dryer and off the line, then each person folds their own clothes….

5) … And puts their laundry away.

And that’s it! Like I said earlier, super simple. But it really works!

This method takes a total of about 15 minutes a day, which is less time than we used to spend just digging through piles and piles of laundry every morning, without any of the stress!

A few bonus tips:

1) Unless you’re the only person who wears clothes in your house, you should probably not be doing laundry alone!

2) I highly recommend having designated people for certain jobs. Otherwise, everyone tends to think that someone else is doing the job and it may not get done.

3) If you need to leave for work early in the morning, you could change the folding time to whatever works best for your schedule, like right after dinner or immediately before bed.

4) If you just can’t bear the thought of putting all of your laundry in the same load, you could modify the laundry system to do something like darks on Mondays, towels on Tuesdays, etc.

But really, the simplicity of just throwing everything in together each evening is what has made this a huge success in our house. I do wash things like jeans separately right after we buy them so they won’t bleed onto the lighter items, but other than that, it all goes in together, and my husband’s white undershirts are still white 🙂

Again, this system only takes a total of about 15 minutes a day, and getting ready for the day is so much less stressful because we nearly always have plenty of clean clothes in our drawers and closets.

And when we do fall behind on occasion? I use this method to catch back up again!

{With the laundry under control, our basement movie room is nearly always ready for family movie nights!}

I’d love to hear – what’s the laundry situation like in your house? Do you think this method would work for your family or have you found another system that fits your needs better?