Embracing Slow Living to Create a Wonder-filled Home + Life

She Who Wanders

Feb 15

A convo with Lisa from BruSchoolhouse

Meet Lisa. She’s a wife + mom to three who loves to travel, but also is passionate about creating a life-giving and wonder-filled home. She centers family life by prioritizing dinners together, regular adventures in the outdoors and slower living by saying no to packed schedules and yes to protecting time. Sharing everything from organization hacks to homeschool resources to recipes to how to get our families to spend more time outside, Lisa is an inspiration and encouragement to moms who are living counter to our busy culture and striving to add more life into their days.

Tell us a little about you and your family like where you’re from, where you live now, how old are your kids and anything interesting or unique you’d like people to know.

I am married to the love of my life, Justin! We have 3 kids: Bentley (11), Bella (9) & Harlow (7). We chose to homeschool them from the start and have never looked back! The calendar freedom that comes with it is unmatched so we love to soak up adventures with them every chance we get! We are from northern Illinois but currently live in Kansas. One of our favorite parts of Kansas: its proximity to Colorado!

The Great Wanderlust is all about moms stepping outside of the box and diving deeper in both travel and in life! The mission is to inspire mamas and families to feel fully alive through adventure and exploration! What is your great wanderlust? What most makes you come to life?? Take us back to a moment when you felt that.

Nothing makes me feel more alive than experiencing the wonders of creation with Justin & the kids. We have played in waterfalls, swam in oceans & climbed mountains together. During the kid’s first months of life, I was loading them up in the car for road trips (a little crazy, I know)! Adventures with them are literally priceless to me. I know the years of raising children fly by, I can already feel it. Part of my greatest privilege as a mom is to provide them with a childhood full of life, awe & wonder. I try to keep it at the top of my priority list!

Wonder is one of the core values of She, Who Wanders, and in the busyness of life it can be easy to lose the wonder in the everyday. What are some ways you weave wonder into your life and your kids’ lives? Why is that important to you?

One of our top ways to weave wonder into our daily routine is to get out into nature regularly. Sometimes this looks as basic as a stroll through the neighborhood! I find that even small outdoor adventures revitalize our bodies, minds and creativity on the daily. Another way that we cultivate wonder is through books. Sometimes this looks like a new and exciting library haul & other times it looks like a family read aloud that we can’t put down! For me personally, photography plays a huge part in keeping wonder alive as an adult. It’s one of my creative outlets and has been since highschool!

One of the things that inspires me most about you is your commitment to slow living in an effort to protect childhood (and your calendar). What does it mean to you to “protect childhood?” Tell us more about this decision and why it’s important to you. How do you stay committed toward this effort and to saying no, even to good things?

Protecting childhood is a mission that I’ve been on since my oldest was nearing the age of 5 and I began to receive questions about enrolling him in kindergarten. I couldn’t fathom the thought of him sitting at a desk, inside a building, completing worksheets (as well as homework after school) for much of his childhood. I began to question systems, routines & government-mandated calendars that most of us (including myself) have been conditioned to blindly accept as our babies hit “school age”. It didn’t take my husband & I long to realize that there had to be a better way of life for him and for the health of our family as a whole. We wanted rich experiences, fresh air, adventure, living books, adequate rest, quality relationships of all ages, unrushed days, passion-led learning & freedom for our children… & we still find ourselves prioritizing those same things 6 years later.

As a family who has chosen an unconventional lifestyle, how do you handle those moments when you experience doubt/fear that comes with creating your own unique path?

This is a hard one to answer. I don’t think we would be human if we never had moments of fear and doubt. I’m sure we had them more in the beginning of our journey but we are in a neat place of parenting where we are really seeing the fruit of our labor and choices flourish in our kids. I am not saying that to boast at all, but to show parents that may be contemplating a similar path, that the homeschool lifestyle has truly been worth it.

Especially for moms who homeschool, it can be difficult to find the time and energy to take care of our own mental + physical health. Do you have any routines/habits that help you pour into yourself so you can feel good and show up as your best self in all areas of your life?

I love this question and topic! SO important! Let me start by saying that I have a very supportive husband that realizes and values the importance of my self-care (more than myself at times). He’s also a 5-star dad and pro chore-doer as well! ; ) Truly my biggest cheerleader & partner in everything. He sends me off with a smile to girl’s trips, coffee runs, adventures with my sister, Target hauls, etc. etc. I couldn’t do what I do on the daily without him. I realize that this is not everyone’s reality so I want to give some good practical tips as well!

A habit that I have gotten into the last few years is waking up before the kids. I read my Bible, drink warm coffee, sometimes I put on a fire or sit out on the patio. It is a calm & impactful start to the day that is priceless for me.

I have built a community of friends and family that understand & champion our homeschool lifestyle. Examples: my mom purchased the science materials to our curriculum and hosts “Science with Grandma” regularly so I don’t even have to think about that subject much + I get free time while she teaches them. We have some homeschool friends that we do book clubs, holiday parties and playdates with.

Exercise… I’m 35 and realized that I can’t skip out on this if I want to be healthy and energized for my family. I can’t make the gym work in this season so we bought some machines off of Facebook marketplace last year and turned half of our garage into a “gym”. Love that I can wear my PJs to this gym if I want to! ; )

What are some book recommendations that have helped you or impacted you on your personal journey or in motherhood?

The Call of the Wild + Free – Reclaiming Wonder in your Child’s Education - Ainsley Arment
Present over Perfect – Shauna Niequist
The Life Giving Home – Sally and Sarah Clarkson
Open your Bible – Raechel Myers & Amanda Bible Willams
M is for Mama – Abbie Halberstadt
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry – John Mark Comer

Is there a question you wish I would have asked or anything else you’d like to share with other mamas relating to travel or life?

Crafting a simpler, calmer & more intentional childhood for your kids is worth the sacrifices that it takes to make that happen. It’s not always easy, but as my kids are nearing 11, 9 & 7, I can tell you that they are some of my favorite humans to be around. Well-rounded, smart, funny, social, kind & full of life. Protect their childhood, guard that calendar, get them out of that desk & go make some memories that will last a lifetime!