What I'm Loving, Reading, and Watching Right Now (+ a funny pic of our teens!)

Spirit Week, Field Trip Fridays, and Mission Impossible Hi, Friends! I'm back for a second week in a row with a personal email newsletter!! Maybe I'll be able to make this a consistent thing??! It's Spirit Week at school for Silas and Kaitlynn and I am cracking up at how this sort of thing brings out their personalities so clearly (I'm also so grateful that they are 100% in charge of figuring out what they are wearing and getting themselves dressed up every day!) I've been sharing their outfits each day on Instagram and you will notice a theme. Kaitlynn goes all out and Silas tries to figure out how he can make PJ's or sweatpants go with whatever the day's theme is. :) Today was Character Day, so Kaitlynn was a Minion and Silas was, apparently, Rocky on a Run. I'm laughing at his creativity and thinking I'd probably be approaching it in a similar fashion if it were me! Love is Worth the Risk Silas had an out-of-town football game last night and we had all four little ones (we usually babysit C on Tuesday and Thursdays and every other weekend while his mom works). Sometimes, it feels like it's so much work to get everyone ready and out the door and then so much work to keep them creatively occupied on the sidelines, but it's always worth it! And Silas scored a touchdown as a cornerback AND got to play quarterback last night (he's second string QB). The football field had a park next to it, so we had so much fun playing there and riding on the merry-go-round! Here I am with all four little ones while Jesse is pushing us. Notice how C is holding Kierstyn and David's hands. Their relationship is the sweetest! If you're newer around here, we fostered C for 8 1/2 months in 2020 and then he reunified with his mom. We are so grateful for the privilege of getting to continue to be in his life! It's not been an easy journey, but it has taught us so much and been so good overall. Jesse and I shared more about this journey on [this podcast episode on Love is Worth the Risk.]() We share how recent experiences have challenged us to embrace the vulnerability of loving wholeheartedly. Whether it’s fostering a child and facing the heart-wrenching goodbyes, navigating friendships with the potential for hurt, or parenting in a way that opens our hearts to the unknowns of the future, we’ve discovered that to truly love is to take a risk… but it is worth the risk. We also discuss the importance of living in the moment, savoring each day, and recognizing that the uncertainties of tomorrow shouldn’t deter us from loving fully today. Join us as we explore the significance of opening our hearts, being vulnerable, and choosing to love in a way that echoes the unconditional love we receive from God. It’s a reminder that even though love comes with its challenges, it’s a risk that is absolutely always worth taking! [Listen to the episode here.]() = Wild + Free Conference I got an unexpected gift from a friend: a ticket to Wild + Free -- and they wouldn't let me pay for it! (There were 1500 people on the waiting list from what I'd heard, so I was so humbled that she would gift it to me!) I wasn't super familiar with the conference, but if it meant I got to hang out with people I love and hear from speakers like Sally Clarkson, sign me up! It ended up being such a gift! Not only was it good for my heart to have some time away to be refreshed, but I loved getting to know [Whitney from Brighter Day Press](=) better (and help out a little bit at their booth!) plus be inspired by Sally Clarkson, Ginny Yurich, and others! While I was surprised that the conference wasn't Christian (it was so weird to be at a homeschooling conference that was more secular and didn't have a Gospel element to much of what they did), it was a blessing to be there and I was so grateful for the opportunity! Fieldtrip Fridays! Now that we're getting into a homeschool/life/work rhythm around here, we decided to dub Fridays Fieldtrip Fridays. In addition, to intentional outside/park time a few other times each week, we're planning something fun every Friday for Jesse, Kierstyn, Micah, and I to do while David is at preschool. This past week, we went to Tiny Little Donuts, explored the area around a local river, and visited a farm produce stand! Ginny Yurich I wasn't really familiar with Ginny Yurich from [1000 Hours Outside]() until this past year -- probably mostly because I had told myself for years that I wasn't an outside person! But my commitment to 3 hours outdoors every day over summer certainly changed that for me! I shared more about that on [this episode of the podcast.](=) It was an honor to get to interview Ginny for an upcoming episode of the podcast while she was in town for the Wild + Free conference. And I just fell in love with her! Her new book, [Until the Streetlights Come On](and our conversation (which I can't wait to share with you soon!) really challenged me deeply in such good ways... and wholeheartedly inspired me to continue on with my goal of 3 hours outside every day! Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 Thanks to Kaitlynn and Silas' help, Jesse and I got to go on a movie date for his birthday! We went to see [Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1]() and really enjoyed it. It had the perfect amount of suspense while also having some humor and being quite clean. We'd highly recommend it and I'm excited for our teens to see it to see what they think! What I'm Reading Right Now I just finished [Don't Hold Back](=) by David Platt and highly recommend it. You probably won't agree with everything in it, but it will make you think and examine your life and I think it's a much-needed message in our American culture [The Worry-Free Parent](is a book I'm slowly going through and have already recommended over and over again. If you struggle at all with worry or anxiety in your parenting, it's a must-read. I'm also using the [Amazing Grace devotional](=) and studying the Psalms using the [Amen & Amen study from She Reads Truth.](=) I'd Love to Hear From You! I'd love for you to hit reply and let me know what you'd love for me to share in these personal email newsletters! I'm always looking for great ideas and inspiration for future emails! Have a wonderful rest of your week! -Crystal [Unsubscribe]( Money Saving Mom, LLC 2020 Fieldstone Parkway, Ste. 900 #313 Franklin, Tennessee 37069 United States