the little realities of life...

sitting down for 2 minutes is better than not sitting down at all

i may not get more than 30 seconds alone in the bathroom - but my home has running water

8 month olds don't get tired of the "drop things off my tray" game - but at least i get to spend my days playing games with a baby ( side note - it is amazing what an 8 month old will consider edible)

there is ALWAYS someone needing me - but I know I am not alone in this great big world

somedays i want to cry - but more often i am laughing

my house plants may be dying...

but my son can grow a mean rock! (and sticks!)

the most important thing i may do today is kiss someones boo boos - but that IS important

life is better in colour! even if it is marker on your walls...

I haven't slept straight through the night in...years...but our bed is not short on love

there is always something on my floor but...wait, i got nothin for this one...there is always something on my floor...

believe it or not - as a mother of five (and wife to one) i still find it very easy to be totally self absorbed - i'm working on that...

our lives are not the sum of our dollars in the bank or the trips we have taken, and so on...but the ability to be present in the moment (i'm still working on that one too)

TODAY count your blessings, not your bills
your friends, not those who annoy you
the toes on your baby's feet, not your grey hairs
your kisses, not your dirty dishes.

think of the things you HAVE done, and not what you wish you had.

Gaze at the flecks of colour in your lover's eyes instead of what some celebrity is wearing

i pray that you understand, if I hold a opinion on something that is different from yours that does not mean i don't love you

I wish you could hear how beautiful it is here today, the birds singing in the fog...but this may have to do...

I have to go now...a bare bummed cherub just peed on me.

when so much is going on

what do you do when so much is going on that ....well, i don't even know how to finish that sentence.

let me put it another way; do you find it easier, or more difficult to support others (family, friends) when you are going through things your self?

i just spent the weekend with a dear friend who's family is going through a very difficult time.

we are as well, but in a totally different way.

it was a really amazing weekend for me.

i felt so supported, but it was in the chance to serve another that i was able to be at peace with our situation.

let me just clarify that it was not a "misery loves company" sort of thing.
it was that in the distraction of service i was able to see my own situation for what it was.

God speaks to us all in different ways. Yesterday i encountered Him at mass, in the Eucharist. but the night before it had been on my couch, nursing my baby beside a friend, as she nursed hers. It is in the dirty dishes, the mess of diapers, the broken heart of a friend, when things seem so overwhelming, God speaks.

are you listening today?

more importantly, are you responding?

because

because i have sons...there is always lego on my kitchen counter

because i have sons...i am well versed in all things star wars

because i have sons...i get called mama

because i have sons...there is always arnica near by

because i have sons...all i need to do is say the word "fart" to get someone to smile

because i have sons...i am humbled every day by the souls God has entrusted to me


because i have daughters...i have to answer the same question more than once

because i have daughters...i get to buy pink sparkly shoes in size adorable

because i have daughters...i hear the words "i hope i can do that someday" as i tandem nurse

because i have daughters...there is always someone willing to dance

because i have daughters...i remember the joy of being a little girl

because i have daughters...i am humbled every day by the souls God has entrusted to me

this moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.
Visit Soulemama to see more moments, and to share a link to your own!

beating winter blues part 2

the snow is coming down,
today we didn't really see the sun
but we are still on a mission to make the best of our indoor days.

Today I wanted to touch on excersise.
how can you get a work out when you can't go out.

I have one word for you.

DANCE

yes, that is it. that is all.
it is so simple.

the best part is anyone can do it, and if you are trying to find a way to work out at home dancing this is the way to go.
it is so versitile.
it can be done anytime, anywhere.
no time to excersise?
you can do other things while you dance (fold laundry, cook dinner, sweep floor).
if you are at home no one is watching, except maybe your kids, but they will LOVE to dance with you, ESPECIALLY if you are no good and they can teach you a thing or two!

have a baby? great! put them in your favorite carrier and go for it! it is a double work out if you can dance with a baby on your hip, or your back, or your front.
I usually have at least one strapped to me, someone hanging off my leg, someone holding my hand and someone teaching me their newest break dancing move!
do I work up a sweat? you bet!

so, that just leaves the music. good dancing music is essential to a good work out. make a great play list and a half an hour has passed before you know it!
some suggestions?
sure!
I got caught folding the laundry today to this
and we put this on to clean up after lunch
this guy has inspired my whole family to shuffle through the day
and this one my daughter and I have choreographed our own dance to.

working out does NOT have to be boring!
just KEEP MOVING!!!

beating winter blues

what do you do on a day when the weather (hello freezing rain!) keeps you from going out as planned to see friends, and when it isn't even that nice fluffy stuff keeping you home, so going outside to play isn't really an option either (no broken bones for me thanks).....?

Bring Spring Early of course!

thanks to a wonderful friend giving us some fabulous window crayons we were able to bring a little spring into the house.
the gorgeous "new life" over lapping the bare trees and piles of white snow is like a little day dream!
hope you are finding something fun to do today!

wondering

What is most important and valuable about the home as a base for children's
growth into the world is not that it is a better school than the schools,
but that it isn't a school at all. - John Holt


home schooling
unschooling

i wish there was a better term for it

to include the word "school" means it will always be compared.
i don't want to compare what we do to school

we are living.
home learning....still doesn't work...aren't we always learning....

a friend of mine has said they are doing "organic domestic education"

thoughts?