Who doesn’t love a good list? Especially ones that inspire, make us laugh, or even cry(in a good kinda way). I love them….I love that they force a person to be creative while getting to the point, whatever it may be.
Enter “The Bullet List”
A list from an inspiring person that we hand pick. We will give them up to twenty bullets to do with as they choose. They can tell a story, give advice, tell some jokes, offer encouragement, or simply tell you their favorite traditions. That will be the fun part, you will never quite know what to expect, neither will we! It will be completely unpredictable, and we can’t wait to see who we can bring to the table for this.
So with out further ado,
Davina Fear
Image by Millie Holloman
A lot of you may be asking “who’s Davina?”. After a visit to her blog, her list for that fact, you’ll consider yourself friends….trust me. I read a quote somewhere a while back that said :
“You are the sum of the five people you spend the most time with”
After reading it over a few times, I realized I was a lot younger, because I spend most of my time with a one and two year old. Then after really thinking I tried to think who I would like those five people to be, five people I would like to be a sum of. Davina came to mind. I love that she is humble, real, and has found a new zest for life-and I haven’t even met her. This is the first post I read of hers, I hope you take time to read it, I promise it will be worth your time. I have had a major blog crush ever since. She taught me how to do my laundry, inspired me to give my husband fifteen minutes every night, and to embrace every.single.moment. I love her, and I think you will to.
She gave me two lists, and I couldn’t pick just one. So in the spirit of the launch giveaway, I will give you both….
20 Things My Children Have Taught Me
- Forgiving quickly makes life better
- Laughing should happen everyday
- A hug makes a lot of troubles not feel like troubles anymore
- Holding a little hand doesn’t last very long, enjoy it when it happens
- To take ‘just a minute’ out of my vocabulary
- A drawing on the wall means that someone in my house is a Picasso waiting to happen
- A tantruming child in Target doesn’t mean that parent is a bad parent
- Glee when I walk in the door…there are few things that make me smile bigger
- Chocolate doesn’t come out of anything…it still tastes really good
- There is no book that can prepare you for a child
- Every child is different…there is no one right answer for everyone
- Kids fight…a lot…and even still…you can find them in a corner blissfully reading a book together
- Camping with a skunk makes a pretty great family memory
- You can never quote “Nacho Libre” enough
- That hearing a 5 year old belly laugh can make the moment wayyyy better
- Christmas is much more fun than I remember it…and I thought Christmas was pretty darn fun growing up
- “Notme” lives at my house. I have yet to meet “notme”. I wish they would show up. “Notme” has done a lot of stuff I’m not happy about around here.
- Ranch dressing doesn’t come out of carpet…or couches…EVER.
- Kids talk a lot once the lights go out at bedtime
- I don’t remember life before kids…and I don’t really want to.
Sixteen ways I’ve simplified my life
- Stopped folding laundry
- Stopped being a perfectionist about cleaning my house
- My kids do chores…not the way I would do them…but good enough…and that’s good enough for me
- Making dinner with my kids instead of by myself
- Dinner at the table almost every night together
- One lesson/sport per child each week
- Journaling and reading scripture every morning
- Walking at least 20 minutes every day
- No email before I read, journal, and walk
- Accomplish the one project I want to get done today before answering email
- Move my studio out of my family room and made my studio space beautiful
- Stopped worrying about what everyone thinks my life should look like
- Listen first, count to 10 before giving my opinion or reaction
- Don’t hit ‘send’ when I’m angry, frustrated, bugged
- Keep an “I love…” book that I write in before I go to bed
- Simple vacations
- Laugh over spilled milk
- I smile more, laugh more
I’m not 100% at these all of the time…and some of them I’ve learned only recently. I’m always finding new ways to simplify and live more fully…a work in progress. That’s totally me.
Happiness,
Davina
Many thanks to Davina for sharing her time and thoughts with us. I forgot to mention in the intro if you are a working mom, her site is a great resource for finding balance in work and family, particularly if you are in photography.
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
I had to laugh at the “just a minute” comment— my 2 year old says that to me all the time, so I need to cut it from my vocabulary too! LOL! Love it!
I also love the “just a minute comment” and it made me think of another phrase I say to often…”you’re okay.” Seriously, when I was watching Funniest Home Videos, they had a “Youre Okay” segment. It was terrible because painful things were happening to their kids and all the parent could say was “you’re okay.” So, now I want to adopt a more sympathetic attitude and phrase.
Davina gave some great insightful bullets, many of which I can identify with. Thank you.
I am a young (24) mother of two, and I am always looking for new ways to keep my life simple, organized, clean and still have fun and not miss one second with my family. When I have read what Davina wrote, I LOVE it!!! Thanks for your inspiration and for helping me simplify my days!
Cute lists! The “you’re ok” in my house has been replaced with “are you bleeding?” I use it under a lot of different circumstances. When my 6 year old doesn’t get her way and is flopping on the floor like a fish out of water and there’s much wailing and gnashing of the teeth…I calmly look at her and say “Are you bleeding?” she always screams “NO!” and so I walk away. When my husband is standing at the door mad and impatient because it took him 5 minutes to get ready to go somewhere and I have yet to get me and 2 little girls ready in the alotted time and he threatens to leave us, I pull out the “Are you bleeding? Are we headed to the hospital?”….I recommend it. It gets the point across.
I love the “notme” person!!! Ha ha. I laughed so hard when I saw that post. My dad as we were growing up called that person the “Clark ghost”. Now, I always tell my 4 girls that if no one did it, it must have been the “Holsman ghost”!! I never really care that no one wants to fess up to whatever it was that was done, because I can always start laughing, and get them too, when we talk about the “ghost” that lives at our house, and does naughty things. The best is when I asked “who did this?” and one of my 4 girls says, “must of been the ghost mom!!!” Such priceless times of laughter for us!! And nothing gets a bigger smile, than to hear me come out of their mouths!!!
2nd for sharing with friends !
I love your lists so much! They have so many great ways to make a smile every day. My personal favorite is “stopped folding laundry” that is definately something I have to start doing! I’m sure my life would be so much richer if I did.
I love the comment about not remember life before kids. I have said that to my husband several times and asked him “What did we do for fun before we had kids? Because I don’t remember ever having as much fun as we do now.”
What a beautiful idea! Made me appreciate the simple things in life. I love the stopped being a perfectionist about cleaning my house. I remember the days of a clean house, oh how I loved those day’s and yet I would never wish them to return, because the chaos is the beauty in my life now!
I shared the welcome page on facebook. I couldn’t get it to share via blogger, but I posted about it there to. Thanks so much!
I needed these lists today.
Destri, Thank you so much for all of the absolutely beautiful things you said about me! Wow!
And a huge congrats on this super awesome new blog! I love it! Wohoo! You have put so much work into this ginormous project and it totally shows!
Thanks Davina,
Your lists were fabulous.
As for the things I said, I meant every word.
Your list is great! Wow – makes me realize maybe I need to slow down and appreciate the little things in life a bit more and not stress about everything that really doesnt matter in the end…
I loved both lists and love Davina. She has so much wisdom to share! Thanks for letting us all in on it
No email before I read, journal, and walk
that is a huge one for me…. just recently have been creating some boundaries and such for myself and having my quiet time in God’s word before getting on the computer is huge. i am not 100% but doing better each week at putting first things first.
It made me smile to hear “dont worry about what other people think your life should look like”. I was over 30 yrs old when I finally hacked that leech off! My folks stopped by to drive with us on our way to dinner with our 6 children. My then 3 year old was wearing his Spiderman pajama shirt with his jeans and tennies. My dad looked at him, then at me and bluttered out, “He can’t wear that!” “Why?” I asked. “Because, what will people think?” he answered. All this emotion started building up from years of hearing that comment and I began shouting, ” I DON’T CARE WHAT PEOPLE THINK! WHO ARE “PEOPLE” ANYWAY AND HOW DO I KNOW WHAT THEY ARE ALL THINKING? ARE THEY ALL THINKING THE SAME THING? THE ONLY ONES I CARE ABOUT ARE THE ONES WHO ARE THINKING ” HOW CUTE THAT THAT THREE YEAR OLD IS ENJOYING HIS SHIRT!” I think that the thought “What will they think?” is the on the top of my self distruct list. I want a shirt that says, ” I am THEY!” LOL!
Thanks Davina! Your list is so true and thoughtful! I love your simplified list–it has inspired me to work on my own list to implement. Thanks!
I love life with kids! I love the bullet list because it helps me remember that this time is really the BEST and enjoying to the fullest is the only way to go! Having a happy positive attitude is such a blessing because you rarely have regrets! I don’t remember life without kids either, and I sure never want to! My kids are my greatest blessing!
I love to read lists, though I hardly ever write my own down on paper- because when I do, I promptly lose them! The best lists remind us of important things, and things that make us laugh and touch our hearts are surely the most important things in my book! These lists sure made me laugh, and that’s what we all need to get us through life, isn’t it? So, from Davina, I’ll take the ‘stopped folding laundry’ to heart and apply it to my own life. Thanks for that! Love your site to pieces!! My blog site is evansfarm6.blogspot.com, though my email gets checked more!
I LOVE Davina! I too have a blog crush on her. I have been reading her blog for a whole year now. Since Love Affair 2008. I am still waiting for her to write a book. Over the last year she has continued to inspire me to live a fuller-richer life with my son then my business(notice my son was listed first, davina!) A year ago, I didn’t know how to put my son first, then my business second. I was living with guilt and regret everyday. I felt like if I wasn’t the MOST successful photographer, I wasn’t providing for my family. She has taught me how to turn it all around! “Thank you” will never be enough Davina!
Please continue to inspire “lost business moms”
Love it. The joys of motherhood. I think I need to adopt all of Davina’s ways to simplify life as rules of my house. What an awesome person. Thanks Davina!!!
I’ve stopped folding laundry too…but I just make my kids fold it ; )
I love lists…I write a lot of them, but they are always more of the “to-do” variety. Yours are much more fun!
I am a mom of 5 and LOVE ideas to simplify and SLOW DOWN…looking forward to reading your segments in the future!
Another fabulous post – just as you say you have a crush on her blog – I know have a crush on yours! I am starting my list as soon as I finish reading your entire blog!
http://thekendalcompanies.blogspot.com/
Hello Ladies! It was so fun to make these lists…and I’m sure all of you have some fantastic ones of your own.
Krystal, you make me proud, girl! Way to make your life sing your own song! I love it!
Giving up folding laundry is just one small step to giving up things that really don’t make a lasting difference…that’s what it’s about. Giving up the things we’ve somehow locked ourselves into a tradition of doing that don’t matter. Now, if your family sits around and talks about the day and tells stories and laughs while you all fold laundry together…that’s a tradition that’s worth keeping….