tempting summer

Despite the big yellow buses cruising up and down our street as of this week, we decided that we needed one more week of summer to savor and spent the day at one of our favorite beaches today.
Between digging in the sand, searching for shells, collecting sea creatures, chasing waves and feeding seagulls, I knew that there would be more than enough adventure-making to fill our day.

It was a simple day for all of us. And for one of the first times in as long as I can remember, I was able to sit with my feet in the ocean and just watch my children run, swim and play without needing to hover over any one of them. This bit of freedom was just what I needed.

I am always amazed at how engaged my kids become when we are ocean-side. There are endless possibilities; always something new and interesting to discover. And inevitably, at the end of the day, we drive home with children whose limbs, lungs and minds have exhausted every possibility that God's creation has to offer them.

newspapers

A quiet Monday morning moment for Sophia.

Reading the newspaper has become her new hobby. She has been especially interested in the Sports section where all of the Olympic coverage is printed.

And after reading a few headlines, she and Nicolas decided to play paper boy at about 7:50 am. They rolled up newspapers and fastened them with hair bands before heading out on their bikes for delivery. I made them promise not to really throw them onto our neighbor's door steps. They were obedient in following this request and instead threw a dozen papers on our front lawn!

I'm so glad that they can use their imaginations and during play time. Even when it means more preparation, energy in transitioning to other activities and clean-up for all of us in the end.

little children and little women

Here I am with two feet planted firmly at home again. Our getaway was extremely refreshing and offered such a change of pace for both the children and myself.

We ended up staying in New Hampshire for one extra day so that we could swim a bit more on Monday morning and visit a bit longer with family. After that we packed up, with much, much more than what we arrived with, and headed home.

With the open road in front of me, zero time constraints until Tuesday morning and a dead cell phone I decided to take the "long way home" and took a nice detour through Concord, MA.

My original plan was to find Walden Pond and walk the area, see the pond and visit the cabin where Henry David Thoreau spent his two years "living deliberately" in solitude in the woods. I think his reasons for doing so went something like this...

I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately, to suck the marrow from the bones of life; to put to rout all that was not life, and not to come to the end of life, and discover that I had not lived.
- Henry David Thoreau

Often I am determined to do the same. To live life deliberately, consciously choosing where I will expend my time, energy, resources, creativity, knowledge and love. Some would call it living life to the fullest. For me, there is such a terrible dissappointment for me when I look back on the day and feel that I have been dragged along by the currents of life's busyness and have frittered time, energy and money away.

As we drove along the famous Battle Road that leads to and from Boston, I was overwhelmed by just how much history surrounded us. At that point it became a free for all and any stop was fair game.

Would I stop at the Minute Man National Park or hike one of the trails along Battle Road? My mind was decided as to where our afternoon would be spent as soon as I saw this sign
It was the home of Louisa May Alcott during the time in which she authored Little Women in 1872. I just had to stop.

I can remember reading this book over several times during at about 10 or 11 and always loved reading about the relationships and lives of the March sisters as they grew from childhood to adulthood.

I was feeling brave and decided to buy tickets for the official tour of the Alcott home. I just had to see where Little Women was written. This was one seriously brazen move. I would be bringing a two year old into a historic house where over 80% of the items were original artifacts. In plain English this meant don't even think of touching one darn thing in here!!!!

Of course this meant nothing to Elias who lasted about 90 seconds into the tour before rolling around on the softly worn wooden floors and making noises that sounded more animal than human. We were kindly and quickly offered an abbreviated tour in which we could still learn about the family and their home.

I was determined to take in the moment and learn about the life of Louisa May Alcott and despite holding a squirming, wriggling, grunting toddler under one arm, I really did.

I must mention that Sophia and Nicolas were nothing but mannerly and considerate during the entire experience. They were as excited as I was at the idea of entering this old, beautiful house, even though they did not know the history behind it all.

Being able to enter Louisa May Alcott's bedroom and actually stand within inches of the desk where she wrote Little Women when she was 35 years old was one of the highlights of my summer thus far. Here is a photo.


One of the most fascinating pieces I saw there was the children's schedule posted on the parent's bedroom wall. It was an hour-by-hour schedule for each child containing everything from their chores, school lessons and exercise schedules. The guide told us that Louisa would wake at 5am every morning for a run around the grounds and a cold bath in the creek! She would then begin her (home)schooling routine and continue on with chores and then more schooling.

This is what she had to say about one of her early morning runs...

“ I had an early run in the woods before the dew was off the grass. The moss was like velvet, and as I ran under the arches of yellow and red leaves I sang for joy, my heart was so bright and the world so beautiful. ... A very strange and solemn feeling came over me as I stood there, with no sound but the rustle of the pines, no one near me, and the sun so glorious as for me alone. It seemed as if I felt God as I never did before, and I prayed in my heart that I might keep that happy sense of nearness all my life.” ~Louisa May Alcott, age 12

Although this type of routine would not exactly work for our family in the modern world, it has inspired me enough to see the enormous potential, resiliency and strength that lie within my children. Just what I need to carry with me as we look the upcoming school year in the eyes.

getaway

It's dark. It's quiet. I can hear the steady buzz of the crickets outside the screen door right now. It's a lot quieter here than at home. I am away for the weekend visiting my in-laws and enjoying every minute of this down time.

I've been trying to get up here, to New Hampshire for weeks, even months. But there always seemed to be something preventing the trip. Being on-call for my doula client, who, by the way, was nearly two weeks overdue. So instead of being on call for two to three weeks, it was more like four to five. You just can't leave the state at that point.

Then is was two weeks of steady swim lessons for the children. Every week day for two weeks back-to-back.

Let's not forget that thrown into this mix was my return to my pre-motherhood position as a Nutritionist working for the my state's capital city's Health Department. They called me in March to offer me the part-time position before they publicly posted the job opening. They told me that they had grant money from the USDA just sitting there and that they had to use it. This was a no-brainer on my part. Part-time work? In a position that I could hold without any additional training? While my husband stayed home with the children? A chance to help bear the financial load? Yes, I could do this.

So then came soccer. Yes. I think that this is where I got myself in too deep. Two kids. Two separate teams. Seven weeks of practices and games each week. This equals four total visits to the soccer field in one week's time. I could feel my heart twinge and adrenaline shoot into my veins as I opened those e-mails from the coaches last week and realized what lie ahead of us from now until mid-October.

This pretty much re-confirmed my strong, unshakable belief about not over-scheduling children. Because let's face it, they will probably love the activity and fare just fine, but it will be us, the tired, frenzied, over-iced-coffeed mothers and fathers who will feel the effects of having to juggle dinner times and shift bath and bedtimes all for the sake of wanting our kids to have that "team sport" experience.

No. It will be fine. Really.

So here I am. I finally made it. Has the wait been worth it?

Well, let's say that our days have been filled with leisurely afternoon swims, extended sway time in hammocks, delicious home-cooked meals, a visist to a butterfly atrium with hundreds of butterflies, a trip to purchase some adorable fall shoes for the children and lots of extended bedtimes.

Everything required to make a perfect summer weekend.

finds

I'll admit that sometimes when I should be folding laundry or finishing up this book that I've been trying to finish reading for months, I venture out into the world wide web and temporarily take up residence there.

In doing so, I often discover crafts, clothing, toys, accessories and ideas that I would certainly not discover in my own back yard (so to speak). This makes me very happy and inspired. And I'm finding that a happy and inspired mother is a better mother and that her children really like spending the day with her when she is this way (a whole other post).

Here are a few items that I've stumbled upon and am really loving at the moment. I'm either thinking about buying them, making them or merely dreaming about how fun they would be to have in our day-to-day life.

Bakfiets- Dutch Cargo Bike
How great would this be to tote the kids around town in and save gas at the same time? Alright, alright. I know that realistically this would not work in my town, but would be perfect if we were living in, say, the Netherlands.

If these excite you as much as they do me, then go to the photos section on the Bakfiets website for an eye-full of photos featuring adorable Dutch families piling loads of kids into these things. It just strikes my funny bone and confirms my belief that kids don't need a large space to be happy!

Oh, and I would have to wear a scarf while pushing this cart because it would just make the scene that much more believable.


Wovenplay
I hyperventilate a little bit each time I browse this site because it is filled with such unique, gorgeous and creative costumes for children. My kids role play most of the day and would just love these great clothes for make-believing that the were pirates, Nile princesses, fairies, lion tamers, moths or aviators that they try and become.

You just have to go to this site and dream a little bit about how fun wearing these outfits would be. I wonder if they make them in adult sizes...

Black Apple Doll
These dolls were created by crafter Emily Martin and I just love the look of them! Sophia and I attempted to make a doll last year, and although it has now become a treasured piece of fabric losing it poly-fil, it is pretty sad looking. I'm hoping that Sophia and I will make these together someday really soon.



Ten Fingers Workshop: painted wooden dolls
Just look at this little wooden family! I don't know what I like best about these- the colors, the cuteness or the fact that I would have loved to have these as my doll house family as a child (okay, or right now).

The kids and I made some of our own recently using wooden clothespins. The final product was pretty great. They each took their time and Nicolas even glued a toothpick to the side of his clothespin to make his into some sort of a warrior. Adding swords as accessories is so very Nicolas.

hollyhawk: leather cuffs
Yes. Leather cuffs. They are not as scary as they sound, I promise. These bracelets are really beautiful and I would just love to have one on my wrist. These I cannot make. Nor will I likely purchase one. I guess this would be called virtual window shopping.

Buisjes En Beugels+++: An interview with Kellie Smits
Kellie is the designer and founder of this Dutch company featuring unique children's clothing. Although this is not an item per se, this interview was extrememly fascinating and interesting for me to read. How does one become a clothing designer? What is your inspiration? How do you manage your home and career? All of these questions are answered with detail.

Yet another artist who is also journeying through motherhood.

Bloesom Kids
Just a site full of great features, crafts and lines for children. Truly inspiring. You could spent hours here just linking from one great idea to the next (uh, not that I would know about squandering my time like that...).

I hope you've enjoyed some of my finds!