Hi friend,
As of this week, it has officially been one year since I sent my very first email newsletter. Well, one year and three days, to be exact.
When I started, I made a commitment to myself: one email every single week to pour into the women on this list. And I'm proud to say I've kept it. Even back when this list was only 20 people.
It's never been about the list size for me. BUT if you've been around since the beginning — thank you. Seriously. If these emails have encouraged you at all, I'd genuinely love to hear how. After a year of doing this, I want to make sure I keep serving you well. Whether that's an email of encouragement, a podcast episode, or a delicious dessert recipe. Whatever would be a blessing to you.
I've said before that intentionality isn't a personality trait. It's a discipline. You become the person who keeps choosing the same small thing again and again. A year of these emails is really just that. Fifty-two small choices that added up to something I'm proud of.
This month, here's what it looked like to Multiply the Five:
(Note: Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I will only ever share things I genuinely use and love.)
FAITH
The fruit comes in season.
I've been reading through the Psalms lately, and Psalm 1:2-3 really stuck with me: "But whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither — whatever they do prospers."
I felt this nudge that I need to focus more on "delighting." And also to remember that the fruit comes in season. I don't hold the key to when harvest season is, you know? My part is simply to stay planted and remain delighted in Him.
MARRIAGE
To love others well, we have to love God more.
A few weeks ago we started reading a book called Marriage and it has been SO good. It's even opened my eyes to how I look at motherhood. One thing the author dives into is the "kingdom of self" and how if we want to love our neighbors well, we have to love God more. I think this applies to all relationships though (children, friends, parents, etc.), not just our spouses.
It's encouraged me to grow my relationship with the Lord so I can truly love Him the way I say and think I do. I think sometimes there's a disconnect, and we don't really see it until we take a step back and look really closely at how we're treating the people in our lives.
FAMILY
Every new season comes with new questions.
We officially start homeschooling Kindergarten in a few weeks, and while I'm excited, I'm kind of nervous. Honestly, I'm less worried about the Kindergartner and more worried about keeping the other two small people entertained during focus time (without a screen). Maybe special activity sheets just for them? Puzzles? Something educational that doesn't require my help?
If you're a homeschooling mom, what's your biggest piece of advice? I'm all ears.
WORK
Consistency starts before the commitment.
I mentioned it's been a full year of never missing a weekly email. I've also never missed a weekly podcast episode. To be clear, the reason isn't that I work 24/7 or stay up late after the kids go to bed. It's honestly because I have a decade of project management experience, and I know what I can reasonably commit to before I ever make the commitment in the first place.
Right now, I'm in the process of adding to my sprint planning workshop before I release it again. If you're working toward a big goal and feel stuck, or if you have a new one on the horizon you need help planning for, reply and let me know what you're up against. I might just have a special discount code for you if the workshop is the right fit for your goal.
SELF
Simple, but not boring.
One thing I'm really trying to prioritize right now is my nutrition. I'd gotten into a bad habit of forgetting to prep food for myself, and I can no longer live off pb&j crusts. I used to think that was a joke or over-exaggeration moms made... until I literally started living that life the last few months.
Now that I'm no longer nursing and my wrist surgery is out of the way, I'm wanting to get back to "myself" and I know that I have to fuel well in order to train well. My strategy is keeping it simple: I eat basically the same breakfasts and lunches with a little variation. A big batch of hard-boiled eggs becomes a stand-alone snack, egg salad, tuna salad, or a salad topper. A protein shake, rotating between two flavors. Simple, but not boring.
What are your favorite healthy breakfast and lunch options?
A small encouragement this month
So tell me — how are you enjoying the last half of summer?
Psalm 1 has me thinking a lot about that word delight. Delighting in the Lord first, and then delighting in the season we're actually in. Literally and figuratively.
The fruit comes in season, and we don't control the harvest. We just stay planted and keep showing up faithfully. If this past year of emails has proven anything to me, it's that small faithfulness really does multiply.
Cheering you on,
P.S. If you have a mom friend who would enjoy these monthly Multiply the Five emails, forward this one to her. It would be the best one-year anniversary gift you could give me. 💌
