Not By Default

Welcome to my blog, my name is Chris. I am a homeschooling mama of two and a daycare provider to many. I spend my days working with small people and watching as they learn and make amazing discoveries about their world. I am also a wife, a writer, and a Christian. I am a bird lover with three small but extremely loud parrots in my flock at home. My days are filled with noise and activity but through it all I strive to find calm, find meaning, and be intentional. I learned when I became a mother that it is extremely easy as busy and tired adults to fall into auto pilot. To live our day to day lives by default. Why do we do the things that we do? This is a question that I ask myself every day as I pay closer attention to my habits and my thoughts. I want to come from a place of intentionality. Choosing what I eat because I want to eat it, not because it is a food I am used to eating. I want to maintain belongings that are useful or important, not just maintain things because they are mine. I want to raise my children the way I choose, not the way I am inclined. Not by default. This is the entire point of this blog, to explore default tendencies, evaluate, and adapt new and more empowering habits. I want to apply this effort to all areas of my life. As a wife, as a mom, as a homeschooler, as an educator, as a Christian. I am going to share that journey, and what I learn with you as I discover how to move past the default. I felt challenged by the advice I received from other parents, telling me I absolutely need to let my babies cry it out- but not being able to tell me why. This goes against everything that I stand for. If I am going to do something, then I need to stand firmly on my why. “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” 1 Peter 3:15. This quote refers to having a reason for your faith in Christ as Lord but I like to also keep it as a motto of sorts. I always want to have a reason for my hope, and I always want to have a good reason for my choices and actions.