The Great Kaysby

What Are You Doing This Evening?

What are you doing this evening?

Daily prompts are interesting. The questions are often simultaneously simple and thought provoking. Someone’s answer might simply be a single word like “sleep”; someone’s answer might be items from their daily to do list. Another person may have something fun planned with friends, family, church, or a civic group. I definitely first thought of all the things on my to do list, but then I started to realize that each of those things is teaching a bigger lesson to LilKsby. What do I mean?

Wash the dishes – shows that we place value on a clean home and taking care of our things.
Promote our businesses – shows dedication to our respective crafts while also showing that we understand work is necessary to make our dreams come true
Responding to business and personal messages – shows that we value the relationships we are building and value positive communication
Follow up to an event today – shows the importance of following up on your new contacts to begin building relationships
Looking over lessons and resetting for the next school day – shows that we value learning while also wanting to be organized and prepared

Likewise, Mr Kisby will be doing schoolwork this evening. This shows our little one the value of pursuing educational opportunities to further your career and improve your skills. All of this goes to show that when it comes to those around us often what is caught has a bigger impact that what is taught. But for now…I’m having some wings this evening!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Knock, Knock! The 90s and 00s Are Calling

As you may or may not know, one of my gigs is that of Professional Image Consultant. Part of that job means researching and trying the upcoming trends (aka reading magazines online and playing in makeup). During today’s research and try on, I completely felt like a teeanager again. Why? Because the Fall 2025 trends are straight out of the 90s and 00s! Forget Jerry Maguire and having me at hello, these trends had me at “Grunge is back!”

So what am I going to be rocking this fall besides blue, black, and gray (because are there other colors for a wardrobe)??? First things first, I’m laying the foundation using the Velvet Foundation trend! This is a take on the matte look that was so big, but instead of just leaving it matte, you add a serum and some facial oil under the foundation. This softens it just a bit without going full on luminous. Next up, break out the black eyeliner and a smudger brush because smudged smokey eyes are back! Think Avril Lavigne circa Sk8ter Boi! Match it with a single color on the lid like grey or maroon to bring the 00s to 2025! To make it extra trendy, use a grey or maroon that sparkles to make you look like the shining star that you are! Then accent those eyes with the BIGGEST lashes you can create. I like to layer two different mascaras to get this effect. Finally, somebody call Drew Barrymore because her 90s trademark lip is back! Get the dark liner and a light brown lipstick or gloss out because that’s what is on trend for 2025. I am so here for this look!!! Eighth grade me is BEYOND excited for this to return for Fall 2025!!!! Seriously, there aren’t enough exclamation points. If semi-goth isn’t your thing, then the wine stained look is worth checking out. FYI…I’m sorry to report that it doesn’t involve actual wine just wine colored lip shades.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. The Great Kaysby doesn’t usually dole out glam advice. BUT…I am too excited for the 90s/00s looks coming back to keep this info to myself! That’s MY ERA! Call it THE LIFE OF A MILLENIAL if you will! Want the full scoop? Google 2025 trends (ha ha we would not have said that in 90s!) and checkout the complete articles from the Trend Trio: Glamour, Allure, and Cosmo.

Which 90s/00s trend are you excited is back?

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Words of Wisdom From a “Cool Aunt”

At this point in my life, I have had nearly twenty years of experience as an aunt either from being a chosen aunt to my friend’s kids or to those I am actually related because of Mr. Kisby. I’ve always fancied myself a “Cool Aunt” with my fake nose ring (one day it will be real), tendency to draw on myself, hobbies that many consider to be “teenage things,” love of a variety of music from multiple decades including today, and willingness to take the kids to do cool stuff. As someone who had a “Cool Aunt,” I always wanted to be one, so I’ve tried to do my best! However, now that some of my nieces and nephews are becoming young adults, I also want to be the aunt that shares some life advice that isn’t typically learned as part of a diploma pathway in high school or as part of a degree program in college. So here goes…

It is okay to not know what you want to do at 18, 21, 29, 39, or older. Yes, there are some people who know what they want to do from the time they are small, and their dream never changes. However, some of us are still learning even in are 40s. At one time, I wanted to be an actress. I even spent two years of college pursuing that dream before realizing that starving artist really doesn’t sound like a fun career choice to me. Then I wanted to be a business something that required not one but two business degrees. Then I ended up getting a Masters in Teaching. A long the way I also thought it would be cool to be a bar tender, writer, yoga instructor, barista, blogger, and life coach. Of those I only ever pursued writing and blogging, but sometimes I think others would be cool. I kind of just want to have a bar tending licence much like I’ve always wanted a motorcycle license even though I don’t actually want to drive a motorcycle. Guess what I currently do that I never would have dreamed about it my teens or 20s? I want to – and thank the good Lord I get to – be a homeschooling mama who works a few flexible contractor jobs for a little extra moo-lah. The point? It’s 100% okay if what your dream is changes!

There is never a perfect time for anything. If you spend your life waiting for the time to be right, then you are going to either (a) miss out on a lot of cool things while you’re waiting for perfection or (b) never do what you wanted to do. I first heard this lesson from a former co-worker who said “If you wait for the perfect time to have kids, then you’ll never have kids.” I think this sentiment is applicable to a lot of things, and I loved it because we spend so much time hearing “wait for the right time” or “it’s not the right time.” In practice this means try not to say things like “I’ll do X, Y, Z when I finish school” or “I’ll do X, Y, Z when I have a house.” Instead consider if you really want to do the thing in question, or if you know you want the thing, start planning how you can make it happen. Obviously, there are some things that have to wait for some timing. For example, “When I have been at a job for one year and saved money, I will buy a car” and “When I have $5,000, I will be able to rent an apartment, turn on utilities, and buy the basic necessities for a first apartment.” These are logical because one helps get the other. Just keep in mind there is a difference in things taking time and planning and waiting for the perfect moment.

It’s okay if your first big love isn’t your forever romance, and it’s okay if your first big love is your forever romance. Some people are lucky enough to meet the one they are meant to be with at a young age and have it all work out. Some of us don’t meet and date the one we are meant to be with until the second, third, or more relationship. It is okay to be one of these people too. The important part is finding a partner who you have common interests with that you will love just as much in your 70s as you did in your 20s or 30s. I’ve now loved Mr Kisby through three different age decades, and I can tell you with him I hit the jackpot! It took a broken road to get there, but as Rascal Flatts once said, “God blessed the broken road, that led me straight to you.” Along with common interests, it helps abundantly to find someone with similar religious/spiritual beliefs, a similar moral compass, and life goals. It also helps if your partner is someone you like along with loving them. Also, if your grandma doesn’t like your partner, take it has a hint and dump them. Grandmas are smart.

Have fun in life! Yes, being an “adult” is stressful, hard work, and involves a lot of boring things like paying bills, cleaning house, and having to make smart decisions liking eating at home versus going to fast food every night (which could lead to stomach issues so make sure your “adult” job as health insurance). However, you still have to find time to play. If you quit doing things that you find fun, then you’re missing out on a lot of good times. I’m an “adult” with several years of experience, but I still play video games, do stuff outside, chase my kid around, read books, color, paint, go on dates with my hubby, watch TV, sew, and hangout with friends occassionally. Doing those fun things are what keep you sane. Some of my best advice is to do one fun thing a day even if it’s just for five minutes. If you’ve got a lot of shit going on, set a timer on your phone for five minutes and until it goes off do something just for fun even if it’s just jamming out at max volume. Your mental and emotional health will thank you for having fun!

Last but not least, who you are as a person is 100% unique to you. As a kid you are often told what is right and wrong, what you should believe, etc. I can tell you from experience that it is okay if those things change for you as you grow. There are things that I thought were black and white issues. Now I can tell you that a lot of times there are gray areas, but that is because I have made a point of educating myself or have personally experienced the gray areas. You should do the same. Likewise, it is okay to recognize that something that was once commonplace is now offensive and to opt to change your perspective. I can also tell you for me personally, my faith in the Holy Trinity is a lot stronger now because of an almost decade long span where I didn’t attend church, pray, or really think about Jesus. But in the end, I found my way back, and having all those life experiences has made my faith stronger. It’s okay if the same has to happen with you. Likewise, it is okay to have been brought up with no spiritual/religious background and want to learn more about your options. It’s also okay to be steadfast in what you believe and never stray. No matter your story, you will end up where you’re supposed to be as long as you keep moving forward.

I could keep going, but man that’s a lot! And I know from experience that too much advice just goes in one ear and out the year because most of us don’t believe things until we experience them. Plus, a lot of us have the attention span of a goldfish, so some people may not have even read this far. This is a long post for me! Take it or leave it, those are all my words of wisdom as a “cool aunt.”

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

The Truth About Happiness

A couple months ago, someone told me that they think happiness is a scam. However, even after enduring some MEGA unhappiness in May and June, I still don’t think happiness is a scam. I also believe that happiness is more than a mat that sits in a doorway (if you were a teen in the 90s, I hope you get that reference)! However, I will agree that we are taught a lot of false things about happiness. One of the biggest is that happy people are happy all the time. As a generally happy/excitable person, I can assure that this is not true. Happy people also feel a full gamut of other emotions. Trust me, I can be all kinds of angry, sad, jealous, mad, irritated, and anxious too! Another false thing about happiness? A smile equals happiness. Yes, I smile when I’m happy. I also smile when I am nervous, not sure of what to say in a situation, or trying to mask an emotion. Plus, some people just don’t smile. That doesn’t mean they aren’t happy. It just means they have less wrinkles and don’t show their happiness with facial expressions. Finally, I think people confuse happiness and joy. Happiness is very fleeting and tied to specific events. The things that bring me joy are more enduring and fill my cup. That said things that bring me joy can also make me happy, but things that make me happy don’t always bring lots of joy. For example, volunteering brings me joy and usually makes me happy. However, a $1 winning lottery ticket makes me happy for a moment, but it doesn’t bring immense joy.

What do you think is the truth about happiness?

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

9:09…Mission Accomplished

Like my turtle? To most people it is simply a cute turtle made from a cute craft kit. For me, this turtle symbolizes the last of my “missions” aka fun goals while I was 41. Every year, I set out to complete a number of fun things equivalent to my age for the year. Looking back on when I started with “33 While 33” I laugh to myself. In the 8 years of doing this little self fun project, I’ve learned a lot of things (in fact, I probably talked about some of these last May 7). Ready for some life lessons 8 years in the making???

Lesson 1: If you continually set goals that you are never actually willing to work towards, then you probably don’t actually want to achieve those goals, or you have not yet had the right motivation for setting said goals. In my 30s, I frequently put, “I want to lose 20 pounds as one of my goals.” Did it happen? Nope. It was one of those goals that I kept regurgitating on paper because “I thought I should.” There was never an actual purpose attached. Now that I’m older and wiser (HA HA), I realize that losing weight is a great goal, but you have to be willing to make the life changes to do so. It wasn’t until three years ago that I actually began taking steps towards being healthier (giving up soda, working to cut out artificial sweetners, increasing activity). Is the 20 pounds gone? Nope. Do I feel better? Yup! Part of that is the habit changes, and the other part of it is realizing that such a big lifestyle change is a daily process and not an “end goal”.

Lesson 2: If you set a goal on a whim, it is okay to make changes if the goal no longer fits your life’s purpose or current situation. A great example of this is one of my original goals was to do yoga on a beach. Sounds great, right? While I love yoga, and I love the beach, taking a beach vacation was not a family priority for us this year. Thus, I changed the goal to be something more in line with our priorities. By allowing myself to change the goal, I was able to achieve something fun and not feel let down for not accomplishing a fun goal!

Lesson 3: Fun goals for yourself do not have to take a lot of time. Some of my goals for this past year took 15 minutes or less to accomplish. When I do this sort of goal making, it isn’t about things that are difficult or take a long time. These goals are all about making time to do things that I enjoy. Side note, if you didn’t do 41 fun things in the last year, take some to add in some fun. Seriously, one of my goals was doing yoga in the backyard. Anyone, can take time to do yoga in the backyard! Highly recommend doing it during the full moon!

Lesson 4: Your fun goals don’t have to make sense to anyone but you. Mine covered a variety of areas from going to a Broadway show (touring of course!), creating art projects, publishing books, doing some family travel, and hiking. There were other things, but I can’t think of them right now, and my journal is in the other room. The point of this exercise is to let yourself have fun by doing things you enjoy!! No one else will ever enjoy the exact same things you do!

Lesson 5: Write about the fun things you’ve done and take pictures if you’re a visual person! It’s a lot of fun to look back at a journal or a photo album at all the fun things you accomplished in a year!

I feel like I could go and on about this year and my fun goals, but I’d really like to drink the rest of my decaf coffee and finish my bowl of watermelon. My challenge to you is this. Think about some fun goals for yourself and begin working on them before your next birthday! You’ll love the result!!!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

And Then There Were Five…

A little over a year ago, I began collaborating with Letters & Lore – a small husband and wife owned publishing company – on a little project called Matthew & Me. The idea was to create a devotional over the Gospel of Matthew that looked at the scriptures from a different point of view. The desired POV was from that of a sinner, someone who has lapsed in faith, and someone who had a lot of questions about the Gospels that maybe…just maybe…they were afraid to ask anyone they knew. From there the project spawned four more publications: Making Your Mark, Life Lessons with Luke, A Second Act with Acts, and Journeying with John. It was never intended for there to be five different publications, but you know how it is when God opens a window…sometimes you just jump through it without knowing what might happen!

During the publishing process, one of my favorite parts was creating the covers. I didn’t realize it until the third publication, but I had unintentionally given each cover and the pictures inside a theme that matches one of the four elements. When I got to thinking about what each cover represented, I realized that these matches were no accident. They were divine intention for what each Gospel means to me. Let me break it down:

Matthew – Air – the predominant feature of the cover is the sky. Much like the air we breathe, the Gospel of Matthew is poetic with a story telling nature similar to life giving breath.
Mark – Nature – the predominant feature of this cover is a meadow with trees on the edge. Like many things in nature, the Gospel of Mark is simplistic in word, but said words provide strong roots for the foundation of faith in a way that anyone can find theirselves in them.
Luke – Water – the Gospel of Luke is expansive and flowy in its words. This Gospel tells the narrative in a calm and peaceful way much like the daily flow of tides in the sea. Since it is a direct companion, A Second Act with Acts utilizes this same theme.
John – Fire – the Gospel of John makes you run a marathon of emotions, and it doesn’t hold back any punches. With John you get a raw Gospel that isn’t flowery and serene. It is impactul and motivating and lights a fire from the Holy Spirit within you! The call to action is the strongest in this Gospel!

Going into the project, I thought that the Gospel of Matthew was my favorite. However, after this intense deep dive through all four, I have found that all of them have a different purpose for different seasons of my life while all reminding of the same basics of my faith. This journey has had a lasting impact on me, and I am thankful to Letters & Lore for the opportunity to have this collaboration. You can checkout the devotionals and all of their other publications here. Side note, as a mama, I’m proud that LilKsby has also helped them with a couple of publications! Five year olds are super fun!!!

Now that this journey is complete, I can’t see what is next for me!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Face Your Giants

I have always loved to sing. As a child, my parents could locate me out in public because they would hear me singing. I didn’t care who heard me. Moving into teenage and young adult years, I sang a lot of karaoke even one time on stage at Kings Island! But somewhere along the way, I began to believe that I couldn’t sing solo in front of people. I believe it began with auditions for musicals. There was always something terrifying to me about singing a song you barely knew in front of a bunch of other people. Over time the fear became a giant.

Fast forward to becoming a parent. One thing I have noticed is that our children will take on our fears if we aren’t careful. From this I decided that I didn’t want LilKsby to ever feel like he shouldn’t try something fun because it feels a little scary. So I decided that I need to sing a solo and face my giant.

Tonight I did just that! For the first time, I sang two solos as part of our church choir’s Easter Vigil numbers. When I volunteered, I thought the lights would be off when I sang, and that I would only have to go up on stage for one of them. Well, it turned out that the lights were on, and I had to go on stage twice. But guess what? Even with my heart racing, it was great!!! I could picture myself doing it again in the future. 🙂

So how did I face my giant? One, I spent time practicing outside of rehearsals. I practiced with my keyboard and videos. Two, I shared videos of my practicing with those who could provide constructive feedback. Three, I spent a lot of time visualizing how singing in front of everyone would look. Four, I prayed over it…a lot! Was it work? Yes. Was it worth it? YES!

What giant do you need to face?

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

A Ray of Sonlight – Updated April 2025

Photo from Our First Sonlight Unboxing Day

Twas the night before Homeschool Semester two, and I could have panicked about planning but had nothing to do.

How could I be so relaxed for the next day? Because the Sonlight curriculum outlined much of the way!

Based mostly around books and reading to my son, it didn’t matter that ice and snow threatened to make the power not on!

Full disclosure, when we started looking at curriculums for homeschool Kindergarten, Sonlight was not on my radar whatsoever. In fact, when Mr Kisby and I attended a homeschool convention last April, we didn’t stop at their booth. We left with no Sonlight material sure that we wouldn’t be using them. However, fast forward to June, and I still was uncertain about what we were going to use. Somehow I got an ad from Sonlight about a FREE (my favorite price) virtual homeschool summit they were doing, and all attendees would get a coupon plus one lucky attendee (it wasn’t me) would win a full curriculum package! Free and winning are two of my favs plus the days of the summit we were traveling, and I needed something to pass the time, so I signed up!

Going into the summit, I wasn’t expecting to be blown away. I thought I would hear some of the same information that I’d heard at other free homeschool summits. Boy was I wrong! I was immediately impressed by the concept of using read alouds as a way of teaching! Essentially fiction and non-fiction books are used to teach concepts across various curricula areas. Secondly, I loved that people who worked for, but mote importantly used, Sonlight were answering my questions immediately. I assure you I had a lot of questions, and they were on the ball! As a parent, one of the things I was most impressed by was their free instructor guide sample which included a delightful chapter book. Additionally, I was impressed that they had free assessments to see what materials were most appropriate for your child. This had been a concern as I had no idea of where to begin for sure. After our free sample came, a few assessments, and several more questions with an advisor, we became a Sonlight family!

Now that we’re a semester in, how do I know that Sonlight is working for LilKsby? My readers know I love a good Top Ten list, so drum roll please!!!

For Christmas LilKsby asked for additional books from two series that were started as part of our read alouds: Heartwood Hotel and Humphrey. He even insisted we start reading the second Heartwood Hotel book during our break!
He brings up things from our read alouds in conversation. For example, he tells people about how the Ancient Greeks and Egyptians would eat lying down. He talks about the Vikings and what it would be like to live in a longhouse!
A couple months after reading some of the books, he recalls things that happened in them and can recall the names of characters.
He enjoys learning a scripture each week and discussing what it means. To go with this, we’ve started keeping a journal where we write the verse and our thoughts about it. This has been a fun way to bond over the Word!
He loves the big map and looking at where locations from our read alouds are. We’ve also used the map to make comparisons to where we are relative to book locations!
LilKsby likes the timeline book (though sometimes he just wants to play with the stickers instead of putting them in) and seeing how far apart events are. He’s always especially curious to see how far things are from Noah. He also likes that we’ve included notes from things we’ve learned from our field trips, music appreciation, art history, and poetry studies in our timeline book!
LilKsby likes that the curriculum doesn’t force him to do a lot of his least favorite thing: handwriting. It has him do just enough to show that he’s learning the basics without it feeling like a chore.
LilKsby enjoys the narration days in the Language Arts curriculum. We’ve started a notebook just of our narrations, and he’s even willing to do extra narrations as he enjoys storytelling. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed hearing things from his perspective!
LilKsby loves the Book of Living Long Ago and has been fascinated by ancient civilizations. He’s intrigued by the differences and similarities to today, and he enjoyed some of the hands on activities!
He looks forward to school (though he will say he doesn’t), and I believe it has a lot to do with the books! He’s loved reading since he was a baby, so the fact that our curriculum is centered around reading is kind of magical!

Bonus to LilKsby’s Top Ten? As a parent, I’ve enjoyed the support of the Sonlight app. I can ask questions any time, and I get answers from other parents as well as Sonlight advisors!

So as you can see, thanks to Sonlight, I’m relaxed and excited to continue our homeschool year. In fact, as I lay in bed typing this and listening to the ice storm, I’m giddy about tomorrow even if we have to do our readlouds by candlelight!

Since first writing this blog, I have become a Sonlight affiliate. To learn more about all of the great things that Sonlight has to offer click here. This is an affiliate link, and I may be compensated for any purchases made.

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Heart School

When we began homeschooling, I knew that I wanted to teach our child a variety of topics: reading, math, music, art, writing, drama, poetry, history, science, Catholic life, etc. What I didn’t know at the time is how much I would love teaching LilKsby lessons of the heart. Throughout our Kindergarten year, we have had the opportunity to dig into different emotions and life lessons using literature (side note…I love our Literature Based Curriculum with Sonlight), field trips, and friendships. It’s like instead of homeschool, we have heart school.

What do I mean? Instead of just learning the academics (which he is), he is learning things like how to help the hungry, ways to give to those who may not have necessities, and how to interact with ALL (capitalized for emphasis) people. He’s learning how to make people feel important; he’s learning to show love to everyone (always doing it is a different work in progress). He also understands why things like putting someone in a hole because of their beliefs is wrong, and he likes to have conversations about why people would do this or other bad things. Sometimes when we are having these heart school moments, I forget that I’m talking to someone in Kindergarten! It’s also these moments that remind of why exactly we are on our heart school journey!

I know that everyone begins a homeschool journey for different reasons. Some of them are positive, some of them are negative, and some are in between. However, no matter the journey, most have one thing in common: parents wanting what is best for their children. This is a very personalized answer that also has to come from the heart. For us, we wanted to raise a child by our priorities and what we feel to be the most important aspects of personal growth. If you know us, then you know that means a lot of heart lessons (and caffiene)!

If you have ever considered homeschooling, or you have questions about it, I encourage you to reachout to someone in your community who is doing it. Questions about curriculum? I highly recommend checking out Sonlight by clicking here (this is an affiliate link, and I may receive compensation for purchases made using it) and trying their literacy based curriculum. I wouldn’t recommend it if we didn’t love it! I hope that you are able to have the heart school your family needs!

XOXO,
The Great Kaysby

I Love to Travel, But…

As you may recall this blog started as being focused on travel and food. Though I’ve gotten away from that in recent years, today I’m returning to my roots albeit with a different spin. Upon returning from a recent trip, I found myself thinking “I love to travel, but…” with a list of a few of things after the but. The thought was finished with some of these:

…but I miss Mr Kisby and LilKsby when they are not with me.
…but I miss my pets.
…but I miss MY bed. It seriously does not matter how comfy a hotel bed is, it is not the same as your bed.
…but I miss MY shower. There is nothing like coming home to my shower with my usual water temp and spray settings! Plus, hotel water tends to wreak havoc with my skin.
…but I miss MY comfy chair. My six year old recliner covered in a fuzzy blanket is my most relaxing place to sit. I’m in it now! LilKsby and one of the pets are sharing it with me!

I’m sure I’m not the only one who can relate to the “I love to travel, but…” sentiment. What are the things that would follow your “but…”?

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Daily Prompt – 2/24

What is the biggest challenge you will face in the next six months?

Six months from now will be the end of August. Summer will be winding down (take the hint winter, it’s time for you to start winding down), and our school year will be about to begin. Though with homeschool do we ever really stop learning? Based on our current lack of big plans, I suppose the biggest challenge will be self-discipline and remaining committed to the goals I have set for myself, our family, and our businesses. A key component to staying disciplined and committed will be remembering what I can and cannot control while also not getting distracted by things like doom scrolling that cause emotional shutdown and keep from my goals. How am I going to conquer the challenge? By keeping the vision in front of me, checking on benchmarks for goals frequently, prayer, and reflection. Time to get the job done!

What is your biggest challenge?

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Daily Prompt – February 21

What is your favorite drink?

For YEARS Diet Coke was my favorite drink. I was 100% addicted to them, and I couldn’t have just one. Diet Mt Dew was a close second. Then, I started learning just how bad diet soft drinks are for you. Like, does anyone really know what half of those ingredients are? On January 29, 2022, I had my last soda. It was Mr Kisby’s virtual college graduation, and I had a 44 ounce Diet Coke that left me feeling bloated and uncomfortable. After that I said to myself, no more and quit cold turkey. My gut health thanks me immensely!

So what is my favorite drink now? I drink A LOT of water. It’s become the typical daily drink. I also enjoy coffee and hot tea most days. Coffee is usually after breakfast, and hot tea is typically in the evening. For an indulgent treat I will allow myself unsweet tea (my fav treat drink), lemonade, and juice on a a rare occasion. My favorite juice is the cranberry that the Drury Inn & Suites serves at breakfast!

What is your favorite drink?

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

A Little Day Musing

Photo by Andrey Grushnikov on Pexels.com

What’s up? What’s on your mind today? I don’t know about you, but I have had a LOT of things on my mind lately. Can anyone else to relate to 2025 feeling like the longest year ever while time has also been flying by? I realize that seems contradictory, but I’m finding it to be very true. Usually, for me this feeling happens when there are a lot of big events happening, but also not a lot in the daily life outside of our normal routine. I like to call it the “hurry up and wait routine.” This is a routine I dislike (it’s like waiting for the other to shoe to drop except the events your waiting for aren’t always negative) because I feel like sometimes it can cause you to miss out on the little things that are happening. One thing I have started doing this year, is recording the little things that bring joy on a piece of paper and putting them in a big vase. At the end of the year when I get retrospective (because don’t we all start doing that for NYE?), I can look back on all the good things that happened. I’m pretty excited about this, and I get excited when I add things to the jar!

Anyway…that’s not exactly what I intended to write, but I guess I needed to let it out. I intended to share some random musings that have been on my mind lately. In my usual fashion, there’s going to be a list! Grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy!

Musing #1 – The number of hex keys you have might be directly related to the number of pieces of IKEA furniture you have assembled. It’s really nice of them to always include the hex key, but my toolbag doesn’t need to be a constant reminder of the amount of money that I’ve spent at IKEA over the years! LOL

Musing #2 – I had a great quote shared with me recently. I don’t where it is from, but it says: “Somebody said, “worrying is like worshipping the problem” and wow.” Can we talk about a mic drop quote? As someone who strives to live faith first, but is also a worrier (usually about things out of my control, and yes I have coping strategies in place) this was a big eye opener. So this week, any time I start to worry, I’ve tried to find positive in the situation.

Musing #3 – Sometimes watching people, pets, etc get old really sucks. However, it is a blessing to realize how lucky you are to have people, pets, etc who love you and you love.

Musing #4 – SNL 50 had some hysterical moments! I never really watched a lot of SNL, but I’m glad I checked out some videos. They brought a lot of laughs! I was team MadTV growing up. I still laugh at those skits too!

Musing #5 – Silence isn’t always complacency; silence can be a means of selfpreservation. This one has been on my mind a lot. Some people like to assume that if you’re silent about hot button topics on social media, then you’re secretly for said topic. However, for some of us not constantly engaging in battle via a keyboard is an important means of keeping our shit together. I’ll take good mental health over arguing with people on the Internet any day!!!

Musing #6 – I hope that people are always able to find joy in something. I know not everyone is going to be like me and get super excited about the littlest things, but I hope everyone in the world has something that brings them joy. If the don’t, then I hope they can find it! In case you’re curious, this morning I was excited by a volcano, and this afternoon I’m excited to spend some quality time with my sewing machine. ❤ The other day I got excited about finding a lampshade on sale! Which reminds me that I need to go find a light bulb since the lamp is for my sewing table.

Musing #7 – It’s okay to have a bad day. I feel like a lot of times we don’t give ourselves permission to have bad days. Even though it has been 14 years since my grandmother passed, January 21 can still be a hard day. However, even the worst days can still have positive outcomes. Yes, I lost my grandma on January 21, and I was deeply saddened and still miss her; however, she was finally out of pain that day and at peace which brings me great joy and relief for her. Likewise, having a miscarriage was extremely sorrowful, but it showed me just how much I wanted to be a mama and that my body was capable of the miracle that is creating life. I really believe that loss made me love our Sweet Boy even more!

Musing #8 – I love snow, and I think it is fun that we’ve had so much this winter. However, we have a lot of events in the next couple of weeks, and I’ve started getting some really cool water park ads. So even though I strongly dislike being hot and sweaty, I’m ready to move forward. Thanks for the snow, Mother Nature. But I’m ready to get outside and start enjoying some sunshine!

Musing #9 – Books are cool! For our schooling, we use A LOT of what are called living books. I love learning right alongside LilKsby, and it is really fun to talk about previous books when we’re reading a new book. I also love that he’s gotten hooked on the sweetest series called Heartwood Hotel (they are not paying me to mention it). Additionally, books teach us, provide entertainment, and allow us to go places we never would be able to see! Books rock!

There are my current musings. What are you musing about today?

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Life Lessons with Luke

Surprise! I’m working on another collaboration with Letters & Lore! As I work on putting together a third devotional for publication, I felt led to share some thoughts with you. Sit, back, relax, and join me for a trip inside my brain!

Luke 4:8 says: “Jesus answered, “It is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” How many people today are worshiping false idols? How many people are serving those with earthly power and their deeds instead of putting their faith in God? How many people are falling for sensationalized media instead of falling into the Word of God? How many people are struggling to worship and serve God because they feel helpless in the turbulance of this world?

Luke 5:8 says: “When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” Me too Peter, me too! I can’t speak for everyone, but I know that I am a sinner. For a period of my life, I did like Peter said he was going to do, and I went away from the Lord. However, as I got older and found my way back to Him after experiencing MUCH TRAGEDY, I realized that the Lord never left me even when I was at my most sinful. He was there in the background the whole time making sure that I would inevitably come out okay. I say this to give everyone hope. Even if you feel that you have lost the Lord in your life because you feel that you are unworthy of his forgiveness because your sins are too many and too grave, He will welcome you back. Don’t let your past interactions with or feelings of being judged by earthly people keep you from seeking a relationship with Jesus!

Luke 6:37-38 says: “Do not judge others, and God will not judge you; do not condemn others, and God will not condemn you; forgive others, and God will forgive you. Give to others, and God will give to you.” Read it again. Now read it again. One more time for good measure! Take a good look at your actions, words, social media posts, etc. Have you been judging people based on their religious beliefs, gender, political affiliations, sexuality, race, socioeconomic background, etc? What judgments have you made for which you need to pray for God’s forgiveness? How can you begin to live as Jesus instructed?

I share all of this with the intention of spreading hope. Am I the best at always going to church? No. Do I slip even though I believe in the Blessed Three? Yup! Do I think that you can have a relationship with God just by digging into His Word on your own and living in accordance with the teachings of Jesus? Yup! That’s why when this collaborative opportunity arose, I felt called to accept it.

Now to resume drafting the publication of Life Lessons with Luke! In the meantime, you can checkout Matthew & Me and Making Your Mark on letterslore.com.

Have an abundantly blessed week!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

A Ray of Sonlight

Twas the night before Homeschool Semester two, and I could have panicked about planning but had nothing to do.

How could I be so relaxed for the next day? Because the Sonlight curriculum outlined much of the way!

Based mostly around books and reading to my son, it didn’t matter that ice and snow threatened to make the power not on!

Now that we’re a semester in, how do I know that Sonlight is working for LilKsby? My readers know I love a good Top Ten list, so drum roll please!!!

For Christmas LilKsby asked for additional books from two series that were started as part of our read alouds: Heartwood Hotel and Humphrey. He even insisted we start reading the second Heartwood Hotel book during our break!
He brings up things from our read alouds in conversation. For example, he tells people about how the Ancient Greeks and Egyptians would eat lying down. He talks about the Vikings and what it would be like to live in a longhouse!
A couple months after reading some of the books, he recalls things that happened in them and can recall the names of characters.
He enjoys learning a scripture each week and discussing what it means. To go with this, we’ve started keeping a journal where we write the verse and our thoughts about it. This has been a fun way to bond over the Word!
He loves the big map and looking at where locations from our read alouds are. We’ve also used the map to make comparisons to where we are relative to book locations!
LilKsby likes the timeline book (though sometimes he just wants to play with the stickers instead of putting them in) and seeing how far apart events are. He’s always especially curious to see how far things are from Noah. He also likes that we’ve included notes from things we’ve learned from our field trips, music appreciation, art history, and poetry studies in our timeline book!
LilKsby likes that the curriculum doesn’t force him to do a lot of his least favorite thing: handwriting. It has him do just enough to show that he’s learning the basics without it feeling like a chore.
LilKsby enjoys the narration days in the Language Arts curriculum. We’ve started a notebook just of our narrations, and he’s even willing to do extra narrations as he enjoys storytelling. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed hearing things from his perspective!
LilKsby loves the Book of Living Long Ago and has been fascinated by ancient civilizations. He’s intrigued by the differences and similarities to today, and he enjoyed some of the hands on activities!
He looks forward to school (though he will say he doesn’t), and I believe it has a lot to do with the books! He’s loved reading since he was a baby, so the fact that our curriculum is centered around reading is kind of magical!

Bonus to LilKsby’s Top Ten? As a parent, I’ve enjoyed the support of the Sonlight app. I can ask questions any time, and I get answers from other parents as well as Sonlight advisors!

Note: Sonlight did not pay me to write this blog, and I’m not being compensated in any manner. I’ve wanted to share my delight with them for a long time, and today, I finally knew what I wanted to say.

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby