This Moment...

A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see...  inspired by Soule Mama

Have a great day.

This Moment...

A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see...  inspired by Soule Mama

Give your pet an extra snuggle today.  Life is short, cherish the small things.

In Memory of...

Miss Molly Muffin

My beloved companion and friend

February 1998-July 26, 2010

I will miss you and your smile.  You are in my heart and mind forever.

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.

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.

 

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!

Happy Valentine's Day

picture courtesy of lake.sider @ flickr.com

They say love makes the world go round.  Well in it certainly turns my world.  I never imagined how much you could love anyone until I had kids.  

Don't get me wrong, I am madly in love with my husband.  He is the light of my life.  He is  my strength and guide on days where I just don't feel up to taking on the huge task of parenting.  He helps me conquer the bumps that life throws into my path.

The love for my kids is different, intangible, unexplainable in its enormity.  As I often tell them - "I just love you".  That simple phrase explains my feelings for them completely.  It is the kind of love that sees them for all they have been, all they are and all they might be.  It is a love that will always be there, no matter what.  

I can't really explain it.  I just love them.  I hope everyone has an opportunity to open their hearts and life to this kind of love.  It really challenges and inspires me to be more than I am today - every single day.


Have a great day.