Why Sunday with Summer?

Summer is my last child in a line of many.  She is beautiful, bubbly, and full of life.  Since I have been down this parenting path a couple of times, I can really appreciate how short and precious each phase is.

  

Every phase has had it's beautiful moments - birth, the newborn sighs of contentment, the first smile, tooth, steps....These moments happen and then are gone, only remembered in a little compartment in my brain.

There are also the hard lessons learned.  The million books I have read and continue to read to try to parent my children in the manner that will help them thrive and become all they can be. 

Summer reminds me to get down on the floor and just be with her.  I am delighted by all her babyness.  I am delighted by her-all of her.  I am reminded that though my laundry might have become mammoth in size, that my kitchen counter can not be seen due to the volume of dishes that cover it, that this is so much more important.  

I will never get to recapture these years in my children's life.  Their job is change, grow, move forward down their own paths. 

My job is to relax.  Relish these moments.  Just be there.  Treat each day like a Sunday.  A day that is a bit slower then the rest of the week.   Time for a drive down country lanes just to look at the flowers.  A perfect summer day filled with sun, sand and the sounds of children playing in the ocean waves. A season of light and laughter.  A summer Sunday.

Have a great day.

Where does the time go?

I can't believe it has been so long since I've written.  My life often feels like a blur.  We have just celebrated three family birthdays, spent time at the beach, planned a family camping trip and made another enjoyable trek to the snow country.

Now I am settling back into our homeschool routine with a gardening block.   Tomorrow I will head to the nursery to pick up some seeds to plant and a few other flowers which catch my eye.  We will also feed our herb garden and our lemon tree this week.

We will are making these lovely tutus for a local dance recital.  It took some thought and a couple of prototypes which were not quite up to my standards.  But I think it is perfect.  The girls will look adorable in it.

Tomorrow will be the day where I won't work and will just spend time playing with my family.  Hope you can carve out some space to do something you love.

Enjoy the lovely spring sunshine!

Did I check the disclosure box for this?????!!!!

I am reading a book called Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne. Excellent book so far (I am only in the first chapter).  I am having aha moments frequently.  A particular paragraph really struck home.  Mr. Payne discusses many of his parents coming to him saying they didn't expect all the work, the chaos, the frustration that came with having children.  They didn't sign up for this.  

Parenting should be about the joy of being with your children.  The hugs, giggles and learning moments.  Some how this gets lost in the "I'm hungry", "Tommy hit me", and mountains of laundry, sleepless nights, having a million interrupted conversations with your romantic (what is that!) partner and I haven't even hit the teen years!  The stress level is high for me right now.  I am struggling to think straight, to plan for meals, schedules, etc.  Household responsibilities are overwhelming.  I clean the floor and two little munchkins come charging in with mud on their feet to find more cars and boats for the puddle outside.  It is enough to send me over the edge. 

I did NOT sign up for this.

We have many days and weeks where I am totally content to be in the thick of things.  I manage very well.  Our house is organized, relatively clean (we homeschool with 4 kids so the house is really LIVED in) and we are all happy.  But when I am not on my game, it all goes to hell in a handbasket.

What do I do?  Well, the first thing I do is start reading.  Inspiration is a wonderful motivator.  Blogs, books like the one mentioned above, anything that reminds you to dream.  Then I step back to see where I can simplify and streamline our life.  What can I do to take better care of me.  I am the captain of this life, I need to remain steady and strong so all these shipmates can do their work knowing their boat isn't going to sink.   (Even if the captain really really wants to jump ship at the next port) - what's with the boat analogy? hmmm...


Anyway, remember the dreams you had before you became a parent.  Figure out a way to reclaim those.  Find the love that you have for your children and your spouse.  Let if fill you.  Find the love you have for yourself.  Hold it close and breathe.


Have a peaceful day.

 

The Man of Many Questions???

photo courtesy of dullhunk @ flikr.com

My youngest son is the master of "Why?".  Every thing you say to him brings on this question.  It is very difficult to redirect him so he doesn't get too focused on having an answer.  But he is tenacious.  It will serve him well as he grows into adulthood.  Right now it only serves to drive me nuts!  Really, how does one find a suitable answer to a conversation like this? -

"Get your shoes, it's time to go to the park."

"Why?"  


"Hmmm, I wonder...."

I love this quote.  It is so appropriate.

 "It is not every question that deserves an answer."

 Publilius Syrus, Maxims

Have a great day!

Adventure at Elkhorn Slough

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Time to go!

 

Have a lovely day!

The importance of planning

 

Photo courtesy of iheartlinen @ flikr.com 

I've  lost my way.  How did this happen?  I forgot to make a yearly plan for our homeschool.  

We use a curriculum but I pick and chose from it.  I try to plan our yearly goals as we have 3 kiddos doing "school" of sorts.  We write down a daily plan.   However, I feel like our lessons have become somewhat random and unconnected.  

It happens to me every year. We are completely gung-ho for the first half of the year and then January hits.  I get a yearly case of the blues in January that morphs into spring fever.  So hence the need for a really strong guide that I can follow.

So last night I pulled out my planner and the curriculum and set out to make a guide so we can finish the year properly (in my mind anyways!).

It is quite the task but having a plan for our days really make life's rhythm much smoother and enjoyable.  I feel good about starting our "school" this week.  Yeah!  Now if I could just figure out what's for dinner.  Ha.

Have a great day.

Slow Down!

 Photo courtesy of Phil Dorkas @ Flikr

 Our fast pace of living takes its toil.  Anxiety rises as we try to answer all the demands that inundate us each day.  The world bombards us with information from the moment we get up to the moment we go to bed.  Most of our time “sleeping” is spent tossing and turning, running through the day’s events and planning the most efficient agenda for the next day.

Maybe it is time to slow down.  I wonder if we would feel more satisfied if we could spend an hour each day in silence?   Or if we spent a day each week away from the phone, the computer, tv, automobile and newspaper.

Create a cocoon.  Take a walk.  Eat simply.  Read.  Be with your family without distractions.  Be with yourself without distractions.

How difficult would it be to really sink into this quiet place?  Would it be hard to turn off the chatter, the “I should be doing this” in our heads?  Would we be more productive during the week?  Sleep better?  Hear our hearts desires?

I would like to try this as an experiment for three months.  Care to join me?  Even as I put that out there, I am trying to figure out where to squeeze it in.  It will take a conscious effort on my part to clear this space.  Will it be worth it?  Let’s see.

Here is the plan.  Slow down.  Take one day a week and step back.  No work is allowed.  No household chores (other than feeding yourself).  No errands.  No to do list.   Celebrate simplicity and calmness.  Let me know how it goes.

Have a great day!

Food for thought

 

"We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about."  Charles Kingsley

 Before kids, I felt as if I were searching for something that inspired and challenged me.  Something I was so enthusiastic about that any fears of looking silly or not succeding became unimportant.   I took different classes in college.  Attempted different career paths.  Pursued hobbies.  

The thing that I have found the most enthusiasm for is being a parent.  I LOVE being a parent.  It is the most satisfying thing I have ever attempted.  Guiding four people into this world has tested me, frustrated me and given me a greater pleasure than anything I could ever anticipated.

This period in my life is fleeting.  My little ones are growing and changing rapidly.  I watch and learn from them.  They follow their instincts.  They are enthusiastic about learning whether it is learning to walk, ride a bike or any of the millions of other things they wish to master.   They fall and get right back up.  They seek answers to their questions. They have given me a gift.  To find a passion and pursue it uninhibited.


Have an inspired day!

Road Trip!

 

We went to Bear Valley, California this week to play in the snow. 

It was beautiful and sunny the first day.  

 

  

  

The second day we woke to a steady snowfall.  It was delightful.  

Mother Nature continues to humble me with her beauty.  

My children enjoyed every moment of our trip and are already bombarding us with questions about when we are returning for more snowy fun.

Have a great day.

Self Creation

 

I have been creating handmade items for many years.  My abilities have improved greatly since that first attempt at sewing by myself when I was 11.  I misread a the jumpsuit pattern and instead of creating two pant legs, I created a uni-leg.  It was awful.  I ripped out the stitching and managed to repeat the same mistake all over.  Aaarrgghh.  Now I find the tasks that I found so difficult and frustrating when I first started creating (there were many days where I swore I would never sew again) no longer slow me down.

Over time certain design elements have become important to me in my sewing and crafting. 

• it must be practical
• it must be pleasing to the touch and easy to wear
• there must be interesting details 
• it must be beautiful

Now I have begun venturing into new territory - e-commerce.  The development of the product line for the new business has been great fun.  Navigating the set-up of the website has not been so easy.  There is so much to consider and so much terminology which is completely foreign to me; HTML, encryption, SEO, domains, hosting, etc.....Yowzer!  How's a girl to see straight?  

The good news is I am getting it.  Mistakes happen but I am learning to fix them and improve on the original product just like the process I went through when learning to sew. 

I am very excited about the developing website.  I think we have a wonderful opportunity to share products that are lovingly made by us.  I hope you will like them too.

Have a great day.

Reawaking the garden

It is time to start planning the garden.  The weather has been wet and cold this week.  But spring is in the air - last week it was so lovely, we were thinking about getting out our summer clothing. The birds are out and flowers are starting to bud and bloom.  

Our yard looks forlorn and neglected.  It didn't receive much attention last year as I was attending to a wee one.  We also had a rampaging mole who did a fine job of tearing up the lawn and uprooting many of my flowers.  Thankfully, the new kitty evicted the evil little rodent.

Now I have to decide where to start.   The options are a bit limited as our yard is small and it only gets afternoon sun.  We also have large playset and a sandbox to contend with.  (I am dreaming of a larger outdoor space in our next residence!)  Garden placement must also take into account marauding children who always seem to forget that the new lavendar is not some evil intruder that needs to be killed with a stick.

 My dream space will include a wall of sunflowers and a beanpole teepee.  I would love to have some lettuces, beans, tomatoes, peas, carrots and squash. A selection of herbs would be lovely additions to winter soups.  I also want to add to the native plants which currently live in the yard. 

 

The planters on our shady front porch will be needing something bright and cheery to welcome the visitors and greet us when we come home. 

I am trying to contain myself.  It is the end of February.  Surely Jack Frost will pop by for a visit (probably right after I plant something!)  I have to make sure I will have the time to care for my space.  There is nothing so sad as seeing all all the hard work wither away because I forgot to water the yard for a month.  (Some days the call of the beach and ocean is so loud that I have to leave all the work behind and go play.)

I think I will just pop by the nursery, drool a bit and try to wait a few more weeks before tackling the outdoor space.  To every thing there is a season.  I suppose I shall have be content with the season of dreaming. Sigh.


Have a dreamy day.

Our End of Winter Nature Table

Our Nature Table  (a little shelf on which we honor the changing of the seasons with collections from our walks, art and anything that suits our fancy) has finally taken on a form I am really happy with.  Over the years we have done lots of scenes but there has always been a missing piece - a little bit of magic.

There is a lovely story we use for Melisa Nielsen's Before the Journey http://shop.beaconmama.com/Before-the-Journey-201.htm for part of our Advent.  The gnomes in the story meet at the mushroom doorway (I just love this wooden mushroom).  So I set out to find a mushroom house.  I finally located a beautiful one at LittleElfsToyshop on Etsy.  It is just what our table needed as we make our way through the various seasons.

The nature table has looked a bit barren and wintry since we removed all the holiday decorations.  My eldest son added these pine boughs collected on our last walk.  I like the greenery in the scene with all the gnomes busily working to prepare the earth for the arrival of spring.  Won't be long now before spring settles in and winter flees!  I'll keep you posted as the table evolves with the season.


Have a great day!

Quote of the day

 "If you want your children to be brilliant, tell them fairy tales. If you
want your children to very brilliant, tell them even more fairy tales." -Albert Einstein.

We have been reading lots of fairy tales.  The kids found my childhood Reader's Digest anthology of fairy tales.   How I loved these stories when I was child.  It is fun to revisit them and so nourishing for all of our spirits.

Have a great day.
Laura 

A walk through our neighborhood

 

The Epitome of Spring

Our Valentine Tree

Flowers from Heaven

This little Sunflower forgot to come last summer.

Blossoms for the Bees

Have a great day!