She is so calm

I live near one of the cities where the severe heat wave struck. We don’t have air conditioning, so for several days the children and I passed the time away dumping water on our heads. Then…two nights ago we had a severe thunderstorm which knocked out our power and turned our water supply off. My landlord came over and said “Welcome back to the 1920’s.” That comment proved to be quite hilarious. (Our house was built in the 1700’s.) He gave us a small generator to run our refridgerator. That was a blessing.

When the power came on (later last night) I chuckled. All the sudden three fans turned on at once and we heard the tv from the living room. I immediately ran to the bathroom to brush my teeth. (Don’t laugh. Good dental hygene is important!) The water spurted out of the faucet in a loud gush that made me jump.

While sitting there nursing my one year old, I thought about the modern lifestyle several of us in the US live.  I thought about the tiny fire I made to roast hotdogs last night for dinner and the s’mores we made after (mmmmm….chocolate). I won’t disclose the number of hotdogs I accidently dropped. Lets just say that the barn cats were happy.  :) 

I thought about the lack of power & how much more time we spent together as a family-no tv, no computer, no aversions. My husband and I talked a while as the children ‘rediscovered’ their toys from this past Christmas. It was good. Very good. My mind felt clearer. My body felt well rested. It was like a mini vacation in the woods…well, sort of.

There are a lot of things in life that require waiting… waiting to hear news form a loved ones safe arrival back home…waiting for test results that could mean major renovation in the way we look at our lives…waiting for an adoption to go through…the list is endless.

We are in a time of waiting right now. I wish that I could say that my husband and I have ‘arrived’ in the patience department (when it comes to waiting), but that just isn’t true.

What do you typically tend to do when you are in a time of waiting? Are you a ‘doer’-do you run around trying to get as much done as you can so that you feel like you are at least doing something? Are you someone who withdrawls when you are waiting for answers? Do you ‘wait’ differently than you used to-what did you do in the past when waiting for an answer?

An enjoyable blog to read: Little Jenny Wren

An informative blog: Large Family Mothering

Children are so creative. 

I remember being a pre-teen and saying, “I don’t want to grow up. Adults are so cynical.”

At dinner time my second oldest son pushed sliced cucumbers through the tips of his fingers until they turned into ‘rings’. He was so excited, he showed the entire family. He then ate the cucumbers; nibbling each and every corner until they fell off his digits.

Children see life so differently than we do. Yes, they are just starting out in life and a lot of things will happen to them that will make them conform…I just never want to loose those wide opened eyes of wonder. I hope that my boys keep a little bit of that.

What about you? Is there anything you need to see through the ‘eyes of a child’ in your life?

Some shade loving flowers ready for planting!

“Look mom! Bus drive in dirt!” My two year old exclaimed.

Today was a day that was both short and long . I got a lot done, which made the day feel long…but now that everyone is in bed and the lights are turned down I reflect on how short the day seemed. Ever have a day like that?

We had another day where most of the time was spent outdoors. The boys have been so restless lately; just the opposite of what I’d expect with so much outdoor play going on. This has made homeschooling very interesting. Not bad, just interesting 

Our indoor floors have been so muddy. I think that I forgot what springtime cleaning entailed! I just stocked up this weekend on a whole load of my favorite cleaning supplies.  I switched to Mrs. Meyers Clean Day  products.  These cleaners have eased the sneezing/sore throat/throat closing and skin rashes associated with all the other stuff we’ve used in the past. The scents are natural and fresh…an added plus.

Well…I better get peanut settled into bed. He dozed off on daddy and is ready to snuggle in under his little blanket. I’m going to miss these days! 

I have been outside for the past few days pulling up weeds, redefining previous garden boundary lines were the ground has sucuumbed to grass and planting cooler weather crops. The barn cats have been eating just about everything I’ve planted. They need roughage for their diets, I agree, but they could eat the 6 acres of grass our landlord owns.

I’m glad that the weather is getting warmer. The children have certainly exhibited signs of cabin fever. Their cabin fever has exhibited signs of yelling on my part. Below is a pre-spring excerpt of a typical conversation with my six year old:

The boy: “Mom, there’s nothing to do.” He dramatically slumps down on the couch.

Me: “Find something to do.” As if that sentence will end the conversation and stimulate action…right?

The boy: “I can’t, because I can’t think of anything.” 

Me: “You’re six years old. You have had six years to learn how to entertain yourself. Find something.”

The boy: “Like what?”

Me: “I don’t know! Something! What about all your toys from Christmas and your birthday? Go find one.”

The boy: “Which one should I pick? I can’t think of what to pick. Which one would you pick?”

Obviously the bordem discussion continues on. Our six year old posesses the ability to talk persistently until the patience in his opposition completely wears out. It’s an amazing talent.

Enjoy your spring!