All the details on our new morning schedule + Jill Duggar's book (my hesitant review)

Circadian rhythm, sourdough, and a new read aloud! Hi, Friend! This week we started our brand-new schedule because Kierstyn started preschool. It's our first time to ever have to consistently get multiple little kids out the door by 7:20-7:25 a.m. most every morning and it's been so good for us! We spent some time really thinking through a realistic routine and here's what we came up with: Evenings -- Jesse and I take showers and get all backpacks and lunches packed, clothes laid out, breakfast planned/ready. Plus, we try to go to bed early (we're still working on that! But turning shutting off my phone at 8:30 p.m. has made such a difference in helping with this!) Mornings: 5:30 a.m. -- Jesse gets up and starts working out in our basement gym. 5:45 a.m. -- I get up and go out on a walk and then read my Bible/books on the screened in porch and watch the sun rise. (It's still pretty dark, so I've been using [this little amber light](since I'm trying to avoid artificial lights in the morning until after the sun is up and I've spent some time getting some sun in my eyes. See more on this later in the enewsletter.) 6:25 a.m. -- Jesse and I get dressed and ready for the day and get breakfast ready (the kids have been having oatmeal everyday and I've been having a casserole made with eggs and cheese). 6:40 a.m. -- Go back out and look at the sunrise. Get Kierstyn, Micah, and David up and take them out to see the sunrise for a minute. Get everyone dressed and ready for the day. 7:05 a.m. -- Eat breakfast together and read a story from [The Biggest Storybook Bible.]() 7:20 a.m. -- Load up the car and leave. (I do my makeup in the car while Jesse drives.) 7:45 a.m. -- I take Kierstyn into preschool and take her potty and then drop her off at her class. 8:00 a.m. -- Jesse drops me off at the co-working space I work at. 8:30 a.m. -- Jesse drops David off at preschool and has time with Micah before he heads to pick up David at 11:30 a.m., me at 11:55 a.m., and we pick up Kierstyn at 12:10 p.m. We're 5 days into this new schedule and I'm honestly shocked how well it's going! I think the biggest key to success has been prepping the night before, shutting my phone off at 8:30 p.m., and not really being on my phone in the morning until I go to the co-working space! Every year since 2016, I’ve chosen a word for the year. For me, this has been pretty life-transforming as this word serves as sort of my over-arching theme for the goals and hopes for the year. And it also is one that I refer back to again and again throughout the year as I make decisions and think through what to commit to and what to say no to. In [this week's podcast episode](=), Jesse and I explore why I chose the word I did for 2024 and how I am intentionally seeking to live it out with the choices I make daily and the big and small goals I set for the year. We talk about how this word isn’t just about physical choices, but how our physical choices can profoundly impact our mental and emotional state, as well. Jesse and I laugh about some of the weird things I’m trying as I live this word out — including red light, morning sunlight and walks in the cold, limiting screen time, minimizing artificial lights, learning about circadian rhythms, and cold showers (something I never, ever thought I’d try despite Jesse extolling the virtues and benefits of them for the past few years!) In addition to diving into goal-setting and practical steps we’re taking to change our life in positive ways, we talk about the surprising need to child-proof our bath tub and toilet and devices we bought for this, plus a book I am reading. I also announce my brand-new product: [10 Weeks of Money-Saving Menus](! We designed this to not only save you time and money, but also to hopefully help you feed your family some really delicious meals that are easy to make! You’ll get 10 weeks of done-for-you dinner recipes, suggested sides, and grocery lists! (And use coupon code PODCAST to get them for just $9!) [Listen to this week's podcast episode here.]() More About Circadian Rhythms One of the things [we talk about on the podcast this week](), is my deep dive into Circadian Rhythm. I've been learning SO much! I have yet to find a person or resource that I feel totally comfortable recommending. So many of them are trying to sell their resources or are coming from such a non-Christian worldview that I just can't recommend them. But the concept of rhythms and of how the sun impacts our health and our body's systems is really fascinating! For those who are curious what I'm currently doing, you can see the message I shared on Instagram above. For the record, as mentioned in our schedule above, I get up about an hour before the sun rises, so I take my walk in the almost-dark and I'm learning how to get dressed in the (mostly) dark. I use a little amber lamp to see to read my Bible. You might not be able to do what I'm doing, but I challenge to see if there's a way that you can have sunlight before screens or at least see the sunrise for a minute in the morning with your naked eyes. Get creative with what you can do! I've already seen major health benefits in just a few weeks of doing this! I'll share more about this once I've done this for a few months. It's honestly shocked me! After we come home from preschool pick-ups (see schedule at the beginning of this enewsletter!), we have lunch, homeschool preschool and reading aloud time. We set the goal to read through the [first 4 Little House on the Praise books Little House books]() and we're loving Little House in the Big Woods so far! We just read 4-5 pages every day but Kierstyn is really getting into the story! Links You Might Be Interested In: - [What We Ate Last Week + What We Bought at the Grocery Store]( -- instead of posting my menu plan and grocery purchases, since [I often reverse meal plan](, I thought I’d share with you what we ate this past week and then what we bought for this coming week. I don’t do a rigid meal plan most weeks; I usually just make sure we have enough on hand for 8-10 different dinners and then [I plan that day what we’re having based upon the time I have and what sounds good.]( See what we ate and what bought. - [How to Cloth Diaper on the Cheap](=) -- Considering cloth diapering? Here are some really great tricks and tips! - Jesse and I celebrating our 21st anniversary this week! In honor of our anniversary, [I shared 21 things I love about Jesse.]() One of my goals for 2024 was to learn how to make sourdough bread. I bought the [rehydrated starter from Acts of Sourdough]( and am following [her detailed instructions on Instagram this week]( teaching you how to rehydrate starter. I'm so excited because my starter is really starting to take off! I can't wait to learn how to bake bread and use the discard to make different recipes! My Hesitant Review of Jill Duggar's Book So many of you have asked me to review [Jill Duggar's book](=), like [I reviewed Jinger's book](. Honestly, I struggled with this one. And I know that what I'm going to say will probably be met with frustration from many -- because I know so many people loved Jill's book. Here's the thing: Jill's book was more engaging and easier to read than Jinger's. It felt more authentic and it told a lot more details. (That said: I felt like it skipped around a lot and was rushed to print without a thorough editing. Which it was; the publisher bumped up the publication date... I believe due to the success of the Shiny Happy People documentary.) But it left me feeling kind of icky after I read it. Yes, Jill did very much acknowledge that her Dad was at fault (she never once really said anything about her mom; it made me wonder if she feels like her mom is being fully controlled by her dad?), but the book left me with a weird feeling. And I had a hard time pinpointing it. After sitting with it for a while I think it was because I wondered what the purpose of the book was? Did Jill just need to share her side of story and it was healing for her? If so, was this the appropriate venue. Was she hoping to help her younger siblings break free or maybe trying to protect them? If so, I would have loved for her to make that more clear. As it stood, it just felt like she is really hurt, really upset, and feels like she got really used by her dad. Which are valid feelings and I agree that it appears she was treated very unfairly by her dad. But I didn't leave the book feeling encouraged or inspired; just frustrated with her dad (and honestly, her mom, too). Maybe that's what her goal was? I really don't know. I would have loved for her to talk much more about her personal journey of building a relationship with Jesus, of learning to walk in freedom, of breaking free from the chains of legalism, and of learning to forgive and walk in that forgiveness when you've been really wronged. I do think there was value in bringing some of the events to light and sharing some of her story, but I just felt like the book had so much potential to really be life-changing and make a difference and it missed the mark. Personally, it just felt like the book read like a gossipy, somewhat-hastily-written memoir rather than a thoughtful commentary on what it was like growing up Duggar, what we can learn from that, and how God redeemed a really difficult background and living in the spotlight for good. And you are free to disagree with me if you read the book and loved it! (Note: If you've not listened to my podcast on [My Honest Thoughts on Shiny Happy People](=), I'd recommend it for more on this topic and my personal experience with IBLP and ATI and how God has shaped my heart and brought me out of legalism.) Have a wonderful weekend! -Crystal P.S. I'm in Kansas this weekend visiting my parents with Micah. We were supposed to go in November for my mom's 70th birthday but had to reschedule due to sickness. It's supposed to be a high of 16 degrees, so my sunlight before screens commitment might be a bit more challenging. [Follow along on Instagram stories to see how my trip goes!]( [Unsubscribe]( Money Saving Mom, LLC 2020 Fieldstone Parkway, Ste. 900 #313 Franklin, Tennessee 37069 United States