Information Audit Of The Week. The Main Things. A couple of weeks ago I went to extreme measures to remove my mind from the daily news cycle. I stopped checking headlines, I stopped listening to commentators, I stopped watching people comment on commentators, I stopped reading posts made by people explaining why they refused to comment on comments made by other commentators who don’t communicate the common narratives. To my surprise, my ignorance on world events and politcal happenenings did not at all hinder my affectiveness as a husband, father, and provider. In fact, it enhanced my performance in all those areas. And, as best as I can tell, apart from some marketing dollars being lost, the news cycle hasn’t missed my attention all that much. This past week I decided to go even further in my audit of where my time and attention is going. Does it grow my faith? Benefit my marriage? Encourage me as a parent? Equip me as a business owner? If it was not an obvious yes, then I unsubsubsribed, selected “Not interested” or burned the book. Don’t think I don’t listen to, watch, or read anything entertaining anymore. My information diet is actually more enjoyable than ever. I found that the lowest hanging fruit is often times rotten and leaves me with a tummy ache. Climbing a few branches up is where the good stuff is at.

Fiddlers Of The Week: Making Up For Lost Time. Spring projects overtook us about two weeks ago. Fiddle practice went by the wayside. Starting a few days ago we have been tripling our fiddle lesson time in preparation for a fiddle contest this weekend. It has honestly been a blast. It took the kids a full day to get used to me grabbing my guitar and telling them to get their fiddle everytime there was a lull in the day. Now they are coming to me once they complete their math or finish the dishes to ask if they can go through their tunes. Condensed timeframes have a way of showing us we have another gear. I will say, our home did seem a lot bigger prior to having 4 children praciticing different fiddle tunes at the same time. But who needs a quiet room anyways?

Caprese Salad Of The Week: One Of Many Attributes. I know I talk alot about the food Katie makes. Maybe you get tired of it maybe you don’t. I don’t get tired of it. Eating it or talking about it. Me and the three eldest boys were returning home from father/son ministry later than normal last night. I called Katie when we were about 15 minutes from home. She asked if we were hungry. I answered in the affirmative. She said she had already put dinner away but would whip something up for us. It was after 9pm by the time we got home. Who just whips up a caprese salad with fresh tomatoes, mozzerella and basil to go along with chicken fettuccine alfredo? Who? Do you want to know what’s crazier? Katie’s cooking is not even my favorite thing about her. I know it’s annoying when people laud their spouses in excessive ways and maybe I should not do it so much. But every time I make a resolution to stop extolling Katie she does something else that forces me to break out in a song of praise for her. I really do plan to stop talking about Katie in these over-the-top positive ways. She is human and she has her flaw. I believe I am closer than ever to discovering what it is. Once I do, you will be the first to know of it.

Teachers Meeting Of The Week: Getting On The Same Page. It could’ve been mistaken as a family reunion, but it was actually a Voetberg Music Academy teachers meeting. My sister, Lilja, my brother in-law, Blake, Katie’s sister, Kelsey, and Katie’s cousin, Emily make up our incredible team of teachers at VMA. It was good to get on the same page with the new songs we are teaching and how we are going to carry out upcoming challenges. We are more determined than ever to streamline the process of getting families started in music. Getting started really is where so much friction lies. Once you are off the starting line picking your pace or route will depend greatly on your goals and other commitments. But most people don’t even get to the starting line let alone off of it. If you want to start but don’t where to, then you can read some of our articles here: https://www.voetbergmusicacademy.com/blog

Podcast Episode Of The Week: We’re Back! After a spotty month and a half of podcasting, we are back in full strength. You can watch today’s episode here: Ep 476: Hosting Big Families Overnight

Easter Of The Week: The Whole Family. What a weekend! We had the privilege of hosting Katie’s entire family for three nights here at the barn. 32 people under one roof. They all went to great lengths to be here travelling from Bend, Oregon, Southern Idaho, and Southern California. We felt so honored by their presence and commitment to be together as an entire family. Needless to say our guests needed to be up for sharing bathrooms, sleeping on floors, chipping in with dishes, and waiting in line for coffee in the morning. They were extremely gracious guests and made this past weekend an all-time highlight for Katie, the kids, and myself.

Yard Game Of The Week: Making Up The Rules As We Go. We have a noticiable lack of yard games. Somone found a mostly deflated youth football in the brush that kept us all entertained for about an hour. After that, my brother-in-law, Austin, busted out what would turn into the greatest entertainment of the weekend. One pickelball paddle and one pickelball. Our lawn is a little too small for a regular whiffleball game but substituting the bat for a paddle made it the pefect size. It was a game of finesse and strategy. While the paddle could not generate the same power as a bat, it was much easier to place your hits. Apparently we got pretty into it because our neighbors mentioned that our yelling reminded them of the sound of the 1992 LA Riots. It was all in good fun. For the most part. . .

Mastermind Of The Week: World Class. Katie’s father coaches entrepremeurs professionally. All of her brothers and brothers-in-law are entrepreneurs. Many of her sisters are running their own businesses. Her sister-in-law is running Farmhouse Candles. I say this all to say that this weekend served as a business retreat for me. The amount of acumen was off the charts. While the industries we are part of range widely, the shared ideals and goals for our businesses was evident. I did not tell Katie’s family this, but, the whole reason I invited them all over for Easter Weekend was so that they could serve as a mastermind for me and give me more clarity on my business future. That goal was accomplished without me having to pay the mastermind fee.

Masterchef Of The Week: Katie. Leading up to Easter Weekend Katie’s mother and sisters all offered to help in providing meals. Katie declined and took it upon herself to prepare all the meals for the weekend. She absolutely crushed it. Not only was each meal nothing short of a delicious feast, she even had home made snacks and treats to enjoy between and after meals. I truly mean it when I say I have no idea how she did it.

Email Of The Week: The Weekly Reset: Many of you already subscribe to Katie’s father’s weekly email but I have to say that the one he sent yesterday encouraged me in a unique way. If you are not already subscribed you can do that here:

https://chadjohnsonco.com/

Tolkien Reading Day Of The Week: Celebrate Good Times. I’m sure everyone has their own unique way of celebrating JRR Tolkien Reading Day. For but us, the way we celebrated this year was by far our best as well as our first. We celebrated with Katie’s Uncle Wade and Aunt Joscelyn and their three children. We dressed up, feasted, read some excerpts, and did some Tolkien trivia. I think Uncle Wade spent his year of studying abroad in Middle Earth because the depth of his knowledge goes beyond mere facts and points to real life experience. In addition to preparing our feast, Katie sewed all of our costumes. She said that by the time she was sewing the third hobbit cloak she started questioning her priorities. In hindsight, she, as always, had her priorities perfectly straight. You can guess which LOTR characters each of us became.

Breakfast Of The Week: With My Brother. I had the pleasant surprise of receiving a phone call from my older brother, Joby, informing me that he was in town for work. He was gracious enough to make time to get breakfast with me. The longer I live the more I appreciate the role my older brother has played and continues to play in my life. He has teen children now and I get to glean from the insights he has gained in parenting and apply them to my parenting.

Extra Rooms Of The Week: If We Build It. We are so pumped about the additional bathroom and bedroom in the downstairs of our barn. Our builder was willing to return for what felt like a victory lap or something of that sort. As always, Katie, did an incredible job with the finishing touches. When she wasn’t molding elf ears out of wax she was applying wall-paper, painting doors, and hanging framed art, and laying rugs.

Excavator Of The Week: Best Days. The last two days have flown by. I rented a mini excavator for some projects around the property then woke up and realized my rental period was over. I’ve been wracking my brain for new projects to begin that will require an excavator. Ideally the project would require a bigger excavator and more hours spent on it.

Podcast Episode Of The Week: The truth is, we didn’t record a podcast episode this week. But now that the downstairs renovation is complete we are able to clear our studio out and use it again. It has been a jam packed storage unit for the last few weeks. Katie and I are really excited to jump back in to our regular broadcasting schedule following Easter. Also, who would you like to hear us interview on the podcast? Comment your suggestions below.

Birthday Girl Of The Week: Lucille Anne Voetberg. Lucy turned 8 last week. Her birthday meal request was Jersey Mike’s. She got her wish. She also got a whole lot of handmade gifts from her brothers that were very thoughtful and also very weapon-like in their function. She accepted them all graciously but I couldn’t help but notice her increased enthusiasm when she opened the gift of jewelry Katie and I had got for her. When I go to the boys room to pray before bed I usually don’t leave before there is some form of roughhousing, laughing at gas being passed or measuring of biceps. When I go to Lucy’s room to pray I cannot leave without my heart being melted by her sweetness. She loves playing with her brothers but she loves even more being a girl.

Shakespeare Of The Week: Tamin’ Of The Shrew. Our local Shakespeare organization did a western themed production The Taming Of The Shrew. We have more western wear in our home than we do Elizabethan clothing so that was convenient. I said this about the last Shakespeare play we went to and I’ll say it again now. The amount of lines the actors and actresses memorized was truly inspirational. Our fourth born made the cut to attend this time and you would’ve thought he won a trip to Disneyland or LEGOLAND. The last Shakespeare play we went to we brought just our three eldest. This made splitting a Kit Kat bar during intermission a mathematical challenge because there are four sections of a Kit Kat bar. I know, saying it’s a mathematical challenge is an understatement. It is actually impossible. For the whole first half of the play I was looking forward to getting a Kit Kat bar for our four eldest kids and having it be perfectly divided amongst them. I had completely forgotten that the kids are off sugar! Nobody got a piece of that Kit Kat bar. The kids did, however, get the privilege of sharing a bottle of water.

Wall-Paperer Of The Week: Kathryn Joy Voetberg. We framed in a couple of rooms in the downstairs of our barn. Katie found a couple of different wall papers that fit the vibe we wanted perfectly. After wallpapering the first room together we decided it would be better on our marriage to not do the second room together. Katie did the second room with the help of Lucy and it turned out nearly as good as the first room.

Saint Patrick’s Day Party Of The Week: Corned Beef, Cabbage and Jigs. To be completely honest, I am not Irish. Sometimes I-rish I was. Like last week, for instance, when I got to sit in my living room and play Irish fiddle tunes with my long time friend, Caleb. We had a last minute hankering to do something special for St Patrick’s Day and our friends, the Engels, were the first people we thought to invite over. Katie prepared corned beef and sauerkraut as well as a potato bar. I picked up a few felt clover table mats, and the ginger ale flowed freely. The kids and I are already working on new jigs for next Saint Patrick’s Day.

Song Of The Week: Talk About The Weather. You can listen to our most recent song here:

Podcast Of The Week: Everything Is A Party Now. We are pretty excited about partying these days. We talk about it in today’s episode. You can listen here:

Skiing Of The Week: Making The Most Of The Snow. I’ve never bought a lottery ticket but I have bought a few early bird season ski passes. Starting at the beginning of winter we made a point to go skiing once a week regardless of the conditions. We were determined to get our money’s worth. A couple of weeks ago we got the first substantial snow of the season. We were blown away with the joy that came from skiing on a surface not made by machines and that had a greater ratio of snow than dirt. It feels like we are ahead of schedule when it comes to enjoying activities with our children. We’ve always known we wanted to ski, play music, and do other activities with our kids but we didn’t think it would be so fun so soon. It has been so fun so soon.

Van Of The Week: Double Buckling. I took our van to the Ford dealership for repairs and honestly forgot about it. We were a one-car family for so long it felt relatively natural for all eight of us to pile into the Ford Explorer and go to church or the ski resort. It did, however, make other people uncomfortable. Our van was at the shop for two weeks. Our explorer technically only seats 7. One extra isn’t a big deal. I think it was the way we chose to unload from the car that made people uncomfortable. I would park at church, pop open the back hatch, then all the kids would pile out through the back. I think it looks like we have more kids than we actually do because of how close in age they are. We have very generous people at church so we received numerous offers to borrow vehicles. We didn’t really miss our van but we were happy to get it back. One of the problems we wanted fixed was the interior lights not turning off. They were not able to fix that. When it’s dark outside we drive around with all the interior lights on. It is a big glowing fish tank. It is not ideal but as the days get longer our night time diving is reducing. We will try to fix it before next winter.

Practicers Of The Week: Challenge Accepted. We wrapped up our first ever 30 minutes for 30 days practice challenge at VMA. I was very impressed with all the VMA students that were able to stack 30 days in a row of practice. Some of them were even able to keep it going over road trips and sickness! 61 students in all completed the challenge and are being awarded a garrison cap and $10 in VMA store credit. We will be shipping your caps this week. These caps are very cool and perfect for ironing badges onto or placing your rank pin on. If you want to be part of our next challenge then join us today or tomorrow. Actually, you could join anytime this month to be part of our next challenge. Use coupon code T5T20 to get 20% off each month you are enrolled. www.voetbergmusicacademy.com

Back Flipper Of The Week: Better Young Than Old. Katie’s father taught her how to do a backflip when she was 8. Katie tried to teach me how to do a backflip when we were engaged. She failed. To this day, teaching me to backflip is the only thing Katie has failed at in her life. Katie and I are in agreement that we would rather our children learn to flip and whatnot when they are young. It is much safer that way. I was in the house working on my computer yesterday when I heard cheering erupt outside. I looked out the window to see Leon stringing together backflips on the trampoline with ease. Katie had been working with him for only a few minutes before he said he was ready to try it solo. He has not stopped flipping since.

Podcast Episode Of The week: You Can Listen To This Week’s Episode Here:

Bank Accounts Of The Week: 0.04 APY. Between generous grandparents, generous great-grandparents, craft-fairs, and fiddle competition prize money, our four eldest children have accumulated small fortunes. The fun thing about the way that we’ve kept their money safe is that you never know where and when it is going to turn up. I’m standing in line at the ski lodge to get a coffee and one of the kids walks over to me, reaches into their snowsuit, and pulls out a handful of fifty dollar bills and checks that were written three years ago. “Is this enough for a hot chocolate,” they ask. They needed bank accounts and real soon. When I made the announcement to the children that we would be going to town to set up bank accounts, they exuberantly ran to all corners of our house to pull their hidden stashes from cupboards, drawers, shoes, and books. They are now earning a discouraging amount of interest on their dollars in a banking system that I have complete confidence in.

Family and Friends Of The Week: Winter Family Camp. We were graciously invited by the owners and operators of Boulder Creek Retreat and Training Center to spend time with some friends and family enjoying fellowship around their property. My older brother, Joby, and his family were in attendance along with my older sister, Brice and her family, my younger sister, Lilja and her family, in addition to many old friends both local and from my hometown. After church on Sunday we got to enjoy lunch at our home with my sister Lilja, her husband, Blake, and their 5 daughters. My parents even made it for lunch which was a fun treat. On Monday morning I met my parents for coffee before they hit the road for the 6 hour journey home. I so appreciate they great efforts they put forth to stay connected with Katie and me and our kiddos.

Juicer Of The Week: And Pulp Muffins. I have never felt so healthy. Katie has never looked so healthy. The children have never talked so healthy. The Nama J2 Cold Press Juicer arrived this week and it has been transformative. The J2 extracts more juice and less pulp. It is handsfree. It is easy to clean. It looks great. I am just so happy about it. The increase in energy I’ve experienced seems almost supernatural. It’s crazy what our bodies are capable of when you give them the nutrients they need. I don’t even need sleep anymore. And just think about how good I will feel when I drink some of the juice we plan on making with this thing. And think about the muffins we plan to make with the pulp. Just think about it. That is all I have done and it’s changed my life.

Lost Phone Of The Week: Thinking About Buying A Replacement. We lost Katie’s phone somewhere along the way. If you’ve been trying to get ahold of her then we apologize. We keep expecting it to turn up. We don’t have a deadline for when we are going to be done expecting it to turn up. I used to call Katie so much when I was away from home. As a teenager my siblings always told me I talked to myself a lot. Early on in our marriage Katie told me I talked to myself a lot. I went away from it for a while and just called Katie instead. As sad as it is to not get ahold of Katie, I’ve honestly enjoyed catching up with myself and finishing up some conversations that were started long ago. I just so appreciate the way I always choose to time the punch line. It kills me every time.

Podcast Episode Of The Week: Listen To Today’s Episode Here: Conspiracy Theories And Christians | Ep. 470

Birthday Boy Of The Week: Lawrence Gillette Voetberg. Lawrence turned 5 this week. He woke up to a LEGO set at the end of his bed and had it properly assembled before breakfast. So far all of my kids follow building instructions when assembling things. Neither Katie or I have ever done that. I remember getting a set of bunkbeds a few years back. My then 4 and 5 year olds were so stressed out that I was assembling the entire thing without glancing at the directions. They were scared to sleep in the beds. While I don’t appreciate my children micromanaging me when I’m setting up the trampoline, I am very proud of them for not continuing in my footsteps in this area. Lawrence made huge gains on his fiddle this week. We are getting him ready for his first fiddle competition in a couple of months.

Blind Ambition Of The Week: We Trust There Is Profit In All Labor. I was getting ready to leave for a few hours and the last conversation Katie and I had was how cool it would be to have a sauna back by our creek. I returned home to see a hand dug trench starting at our power box and running about 75 feet in the direction of our creek. It was a very nice trench. I walked inside to an exhausted Katie. “Getting power back to the creek is going to be a challenge” She said. She had dug about 1/10 of the distance. It was Friday evening so we thought it would be wise to rent a trencher for the weekend rather than continue Katie’s valiant shoveling effort. We spent Saturday and most of Sunday clearing brush and moving logs as we trenched our way back to the creek. It is a very nice trench. After completing our trench we talked to an electrician. All I will say is that we should’ve talked to the electrician before digging the trench. It is a very nice trench but I am not sure that we are going to have any immediate use for it.

bitter women Of The Week: We were listening to a well known female singer/songwriter being interviewed on NPR. The artist made it clear that men were the cause of all hardship in her life. They played one of her well known hits, a love song. Katie said, “Wow, I guess bitter women write good love songs.” We both laughed then started talking about a song with that theme. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that Katie finished it up and I have to say, this is some of her best work. We recorded it in celebration of Valentine’s Day. You can watch the music video here:

Tutorial Of The Week: Learning Opportunities. I went outside today to find my car with a flat tire. At first I was not completely disheartened because it did not seem to be completely flat but only on the bottom. Upon further investigation I discovered that it was indeed completely flat thanks to a nail. My three eldest sons joined me for a hands-on tutorial of changing a tire. They then joined me on a trip to Les Schwab where we all partook in a generous amount of popcorn. They really liked the popcorn. I did too. The boys are really looking forward to our next flat tire. I may have oversold how much fun it is to change a tire. It seemed to have the Tom Sawer effect. Or maybe they just really liked the popcorn. I will never get a straight answer out of them.

Podcast Episode Of The Week: Mystie Winckler. You Can Listen To Katie’s Conversation With Mystie Winckler Here: Home Is For Hospitality | Ep. 468

Road Trip Of The Week: Family. We saw that the upcoming weekend was open. Katie called her mom. We got an invitation. We accepted the invitation. A trip to Bend to visit Katie’s family was just what we needed. Late nights of laughter, meals together, morning soccer, worship at church, sharing ideas for the future, high desert sun, and runs along the Deschutes River fueled our mid-winter tanks. We left Central Oregon feeling refreshed and ready for life. Katie’s parents have created a home in Bend that is a haven for rest and rejuvenation and that facilitates relationships and conversation. A highlight for Lucy was going to a tea house with Mama Neesy and Auntie Kordi.

Birthday Boy Of The Week: Leon Tucker Voetberg. I am so proud of my oldest son. He turned 9 this week. He is up early every morning reading his bible and memorizing scripture before anything else. He makes breakfast for everyone on Saturday mornings. He does his least favorite school subject first rather than putting it off. He practices his fiddle without needing prompting. He reads challenging classics and enjoys them. He recites poetry. He never stops competing in jiu jitsu even when he is being dominated by a stronger, more skilled opponent. He ventures into the woods by himself to explore new areas. He is a kind and patient brother to all of his younger siblings. We have expected a lot from him since he was born and he has always exceeded our expectations. We got to celebrate his birthday with Katie’s family. His aunts, uncles, and grandparents showered him with generous gifts and kind words. He added two knives and a bow and arrow to his arsenal.

Breakfast Of The Week: Two Of Our Heroes. Uninterrupted conversation with Katie’s parents becomes more scarce each year. This made breakfast with them on Monday morning all the more special. We went to our favorite breakfast spot and the location of Katie’s and my first date. The zeal and energy Katie’s parents have for life is contagious. Katie’s father, Chad, has been a hero of mine since the time I met him 23 years ago. As time has gone on, I’ve been able to get to know him better and see him for who he really is. This has only increased my admiration for him and elevated his hero status in my mind.

Pickleball Of The Week: Participation is something I’ve gotten better at. For much of my young adult life I would not participate in board games or yard games because of a sincere lack of interest in the game. In hindsight it is clear that I was very rude to well intentioned people that asked me if I wanted to join them for a game of Corn hole or take a seat at the table for a game of Catan. I am growing in this area. Katie and I teamed up for a few games of pickleball. We lost every game. I know what you’re thinking. Maybe I would enjoy pickleball and other geriatric-friendly games if I didn’t lose all the time. Perhaps. The problem is that I have no desire to win. I know this sounds really whiny, but, the sound of the ball hitting the paddle is really unnerving to me. I am sort of uptight and high-strung and that sound only increases those aspects of me. But here’s the thing, I am really happy to play pickleball for social and relational reasons. Like I said at the beginning, I am becoming better at participating. I would absolutely LOVE to join you for a game of pickleball grant it I have a pair of earplugs handy.

Podcast Of The Week: Today we talk about the challenges of shifting our loyalties from our families to our spouse. You can listen here: My Family Gets Me Better Than My Husband | Ep. 467

Birthday Girl Of The Week: Kathryn Joy Johnson. Katie turned 31 yesterday. She has somehow lived 31 lives in those 31 years. She is more youthful then ever. More thoughtful than ever. More servant hearted than ever. I cannot imagine her getting any better, and yet, if I could press pause and keep her this way forever I wouldn’t because she’s proven that she only gets better with time. Our babysitter came earlier than usual which allowed us to get a few hours of skiing in before going to food then ice cream. I was an idealistic teenager and young adult and still Katie has exceeded all of my highest expectations for marriage. Happy birthday, Kathryn Joy!

Country Song Of The Week: All I Wanna Do. From the time Katie and I started working on the lyrics to this song we knew we wanted it to sound country. Straight country. Nashville country. So, we went to Nashville to record it with some incredible musicians. Here’s the thing, as crazy as this may sound, some of the people we’ve played this song for have actually thought that we were trying to be suggestive with the lyrics. You just can’t control what people choose to read between the lines. People hear what they want to hear. To the pure all things are pure and our children find nothing inappropriate about this song. What you hear in this song will tell a lot about you. You can listen here:

Responsible Son Of The Week: 8 Going On 18. I was away for a night this week. When I returned home Katie informed me that she didn’t need to do any of my nightly tasks because our eldest son did them all without her even asking. He took the dog out to go to the bathroom in the dark cold night. He packed firewood upstairs, filled the stove, then closed the vent and flue. He locked all the doors, checked our security system, then dry fired his pellet gun before securing it for the night. When I asked him if he slept with one eye open, he told me he tried his best but felt he let fatigue get the better of him and spent much of the night with both eyes closed. I wasn’t too hard on him considering he is still just 8 years old.

Pets Of The Week: I Have Changed. For the first 34 years of my life I did not like pets. I was never cruel towards animals but I made it clear that I wanted nothing to do with them. I would not pet other people’s dogs or allow their cats to crawl on me. About a year after getting our dog, Gentry, I realized I had changed. While on a walk with him in the woods I found myself talking to him like he was a friend. He was my friend. He had been all along. I could share my greatest fear without receiving judgement in return. When the kids go to bed I sit in our living room with one of our cats on my lap. The other cat sits on Katie’s lap as we talk. I love our cats. They are so much smarter than our dog. If I did not set food and water directly in front of our dog he would die. Our cats sleep all day then head outside when we go to bed, kill rodents, then return in the morning to get more sleep. That is how I want to live. Lounge around until I deem it time to go out into the wild and kill something. Our dog is awesome but I need to do everything for him. Show him where the door is, take him to the bathroom, bathe him, feed him. He is so needy. People that say dogs are smarter than cats because they can be trained to follow commands are the same people that have been trained to follow commands. You see what I’m saying?

Podcast Interview Of The Week: Elizabeth Parsons. Katie greatly enjoyed reconnecting with Elizabeth from Purely Parsons. You can listen to their conversation here: Home Rhythms & Managing Your Home | Ep. 464