pondering summer

Another summer has begun. The hazy, humid days of another greatly-welcomed New England summer have arrived and as far as I can see they plan to stick around for the duration of the summer months.

As it happens each year, summer arrives with what I would call mixed emotions. There, of course, is the obvious elation due to the fact that our homeschool year has come to an end and with it the daily narrations, dictation exercises, grammar lessons, math drills and science blocks have also come to a gentle close. 

The arrival of this stretch of non-formal academic days comes as a thrill to both teacher and children alike, there is no doubt. Although at the same time there is a sadness, perhaps even a disappointment, that the grand summer we were all so eagerly awaiting isn't as spectacularly spellbinding as we had expected it to be. It's as if with one uniform sigh I can hear my children questioning, "Is this it? Is this summer"? And it is with an equally keen ear that I can also 'hear' their inner voices (yes, I can read my children's minds from time to time) ever-so-begrudgingly begging for more. 

It is with a bit of shame that I confess that my children have been half-captured by that worldly frame of mind that convince us humans to expect big things.. exciting things... sweet things on their summer vacations (where did the idea and practice of a summer holiday come from anyhow??). Because after all, it is summer vacation (did I mention that yet!?) and we all know that must mean a steady stream of fun-in-the-sun-ice-cream-everyday-spectacular-wet-and-wild-play-non-stop-pleasure (at least during waking hours) and perhaps even a scandalously late bedtime. 

So I'm left with several questions. What is it that my children are in need of this summer to give them a sense of purpose and a bit of recreational enjoyment? (I am shying away from words like fun and pleasure and entertainment here). And also, how can I as their mother-teacher help to retrain their way of thinking and direction of their will in this area of pursuing (mostly) pleasurable things and being sorely disappointed when more is asked of them?

These are indeed big questions!

And because I'm older, more realistic, quite contented to be at home doing beautifully mundane things (on most days), stubbornly resilient to being taken in by the world's messages of what ones' life ought to look life on this day or that day and also because I am maybe (only a tiny bit) wiser than they, I have also found my way to some small answers to these big questions.

I hope to share some of these thoughts this week here on my blog. In fact, I am eager to share what I have only begun to glimpse (and by only, I mean really over the last two or three years). The answers are simple but not always easy. They are inspiring but difficult to implement. And the solutions that our family values could be more likened to giving children their daily spoonful of cod liver oil and less likened to doling out a couple of sugar-laden, fruit-flavored, cartoon-shaped vitamins. The result is often hard to swallow but oh-so much more life giving.

But for now, a few photos from our superbly simple, perfectly sweltering, out-of-doors day from yesterday will be my joy to share.

smothered by praise

Last fall for our artist study, we enjoyed the six paintings of Pierre-Auguste Renoir. They were lovely and hung happily on our 'schoolroom' wall for the term along with one of my most favorite quotes from the artist that had to do with the idea that the only real reward for work is the work itself.

Our beloved Charlotte Mason held a similar belief and felt that children should be motivated by a naturally preserved curiosity and a love for learning rather than rewards and grades. She knew then what many modern researchers are now just discovering- that external motivators affect only the exterior, the short-term. To put it bluntly, rewards simply don't work.

This article, Five Reasons to Stop Saying "Good Job!", only confirms what so many others have already discovered. It was with mixed emotions that I read this, feeling simultaneously convicted and confirmed in my own behaviors and tendencies towards praising my children.

The author asks the reader to stop, look and listen and to notice how often we hear the words "good job" spoken from parent to child at almost every turn. I did just that and not only did I sit up and notice how often others around me are blurting out these words (almost unconciously, or as what the author refers to as a 'verbal tic'), but also how often I was turning this phrase in my own home.

I have become more mindful over the years of attempting to hold the space in my home with my presence and gestures and modeling of behaviors instead of issuing commands, praising, and talking, talking, talking at my children. This has been life-changing.

We have been in certain educational settings where children have been rewarded with candy and the like for memorizing facts, Scripture and for simply sitting still. It has never sat well with me and I can honestly say that we do not use these methods in our own homeschool and family life.

Perhaps because I have become so closely knitted to Charlotte Mason's methods of education that I knew better. Perhaps because I grew up in similar environments and it has left me sour towards such behaviors. Or maybe simply because my motherly instinct have told me otherwise.

Nevertheless, the article is worth the read, especially for those with small children. It seems to be that it is with these littlest of littles that we smother the most praise.

fairy houses

My favorite month, June, is upon us. My love for June has very little to do with that fact that it is my birthday month, and everything to do with what's happening out-of-doors. A quite reliable warmth begins to take over, the sunshine seems to beam just a bit stronger, the sounds of birds and children alike seem to echo in a new way and everywhere I look, flowers, trees and gardens are in bloom.

Since my two little ones, Luca who has just turned four and Cecelia who is six months old, are participants in the seven o'clock bedtime, there is a little time to exhale between dinner and bedtime. Lately, we have been enjoying that sweet morsel of time outside in our backyard.

The scene goes something like this- me laying out a soft, old quilt for baby to roll and play on, Luca filling pail-after-pail of water to mix with our garden dirt to make mud and dip his feet in, peaceful birds landing (and just as quickly flying away from) our fence, and the sun casting a warm shade of golden light onto 'our spot'.

And oh, there are fairy houses. Each night a new one is built. It doesn't take much in the way of materials for Luca to fashion a house to his liking- dried bark from the woodpile, grass clippings, a bit of clover and a golden dandelion for detail. He things they are fancy. He feels proud as he builds them, steps back, and then admires his handiwork. I sit quietly and smile. No praising, just happiness at my little boy's innocence and contentedness in the simple things.


Years ago, my older pair started building fairy houses. I am certain there are books (how-to perhaps) on the details of these magical little dwellings. We never needed them. We simply followed the rule- one can use anything to build the house that is of natural material.

It had been so long since we've been in the fairy house building stage that I had nearly forgotten about them. I'm so pleased that Luca has brought me back to that enchanted period of motherhood again.

so much kale

Our little garden beds have been overflowing with kale for months now. It is pretty much no credit to myself. I have done nothing special or secret, but have simply planted my tiny little heirloom seeds in soil and watched them GROW!

I have preserved a bunch of kale by blanching, chopping and freezing it. This has been so simple and I  know I'll thank myself this fall and winter when I'm dreaming about dinner plans and craving our favorite sausage, kale and potato soup (yes, with lots of cream and spices too!).

But today I took a different approach to putting by our kale... kale chips.

I used this recipe, but there are dozens out there, and it all came together so very easily.

Kale, coconut oil, sea salt and a hot oven. Pretty basic and I even got to use my hands to mix it all together (a true mark of a tasty meal!).

From the garden.

To the mixing bowl.

 Drizzled with coconut oil. Sprinkled with sea salt.

To the baking sheet (I filled three large baking sheets this morning... for now!).

To the bowl.

That simple.

need for more 'Mother Culture'?

Believe it or not, I've not really had a vacation from home schooling this summer. I have spent time each day diligently and deliberately planning the upcoming school year for my three school-aged children. It is something that brings me delight and putting together a well-intentioned plan inspired by the educational philosophies of Charlotte Mason is something that I view as a privilege.

And while planing my children's education and choosing how I will nourish their minds and souls, I have not forgotten (the most important part of homeschooling and mothering) to nourish myself as well.

Part of the Charlotte Mason method is something she referred to as Mother Culture, which is simply a habit which the mother-teacher puts into practice to ensure that her own mind and soul are being well nourished and kept to the best of their abilities.

Now this is not what the 'modern woman' might perceive it to be. It is not simply indulging in time spent away from one's children and spouse to splurge on something that may add a moment of pleasure's to one's day nor is Mother Culture simply a 'night out' to temporarily strip away the responsibilities that being a wife and mother bring with it. No.

It is instead quite the opposite. It is an embracing of one's current reality, that of being a wife and mother and teacher, and relishing in the sheer delight that one is participating in the highest calling on earth. And yes, it truly is the highest calling!

And just how can one mother who is pressed for time, scant on physical energy and often sapped of mental powers by the end of the day carve out time to feed her mind and soul? Well, books of course! Anyone who knows Miss Mason's work knows how highly she regarded good books (living books, real books, quality literature). She referred to them as food for the mind and even extraviganly compared offering a wide variety of living books to one's child as 'spreading the feast' before them.

Here are Charlotte's own words on Mother Culture:

"There is no sadder sight in life than a mother, who has so used herself up in her children's childhood, that she has nothing to give them in their youth. When babyhood is over and school begins, how often children take to proving that their mother is wrong. Do you as often see a child proving to its father that he is wrong? I think not. For the father is growing far more often than the mother. He is gaining experience year by year, but she is standing still. Then, when her children come to that most difficult time between childhood and full development she is nonplussed; and, though she may do much for her children, she cannot do all she might, if she, as they, were growing!...

Is there not some need for 'mother culture'? But how is the state of things to be altered? So many mothers say, 'I simply have no time for myself!' 'I never read a book!' Or else, 'I don't think it is right to think of myself!' They not only starve their minds, but they do it deliberately, and with a sense of self-sacrifice which seems to supply ample justification.

Mother must have time to herself. And we must not say 'I cannot.' Can any of us say till we have tried, not for one week, but for one whole year, day after day, that we 'cannot' get one half-hour out of the twenty-four for 'Mother Culture?'--one half-hour in which we can read, think, or 'remember.'

The habit of reading is so easily lost; not so much, perhaps, the power of enjoying books as the actual power of reading at all. It is incredible how, after not being able to use the eyes for a time, the habit of reading fast has to be painfully regained...

The wisest woman I ever knew--the best wife, the best mother, the best mistress, the best friend--told me once, when I asked her how, with her weak health and many calls upon her time, she managed to read so much, 'I always keep three books going--a stiff book, a moderately easy book, and a novel, and I always take up the one I feel fit for!' That is the secret; always have something 'going' to grow by. If we mothers were all 'growing' there would be less going astray among our boys, less separation in mind from our girls...

A brisk walk will help. But, if we would do our best for our children, grow we must; and on our power of growth surely depends, not only our future happiness, but our future usefulness.

Is there, then, not need for more 'Mother Culture'?"  Volume III, no. 2 The Parents' Review

hello august

August. Typically sweltering and steamy. The last bit of summer enjoyed. Beach days. Lots of cold desserts.

At least at this point, August has come in quite mildly and unseasonably cool. Last night, after sitting at the ball field for a few hours, my skin felt cool to the touch and I was wishing I had tucked a sweater into my bag.

Today. Baking banana bread for dear friends who just brought a new baby home. Listening to the sounds of four (my three boys, plus a friend) contentedly playing Legos in the cellar. Sneaking out to the garage to work on a (secret) project in small bursts when I find a few minutes to step away. Hearing the laundry spin, spin, spin- the constant whirring of laundry is familiar background noise in this home.

Also thinking about sacred days. A name day for Elias tomorrow. A twelfth birthday for Sophia next week. Planning and plotting small secrets and sweets.

Our garden has been generous with its radishes, lettuce, kale and basil and somewhat stingy (as history has shown in our garden) with its carrots and peppers. Looking at the gorgeous tomatoes emerging and growing brings me joy though. Heirloom pinks, red and purples. I can hardly wait.

In the meantime, I've been looking at these photos for days, planning to post them. They can simply be summed up by saying garden 'squirting' before bedtime!!

A Morning Full of Cherries

Last night as I prepared for bed, I set my mind on getting up early before the heat of the day set in to visit my favorite orchard for some berry picking. In a perfect world, my children and I would visit the orchard on a weekly basis and pick the fruits that would be enjoyed that week. There would be no need for the 'middle man' (the grocery store) and my kitchen would be a throwback to something out of the 1930s, complete with berry pies cooling on the windowsill, a perfect pantry whose shelves were lined with canned fruits and a cupboard full of sweet homemade jams.

In my current world however, picking fresh fruit every few weeks is the ideal. This summer to date, we have enjoyed picking our way through a sticky sweet stawberry field in June and today we were blessed to have the opportunity to bask in the glory of the 'final pick' of cherries for the season.

Since my middle boys are enjoying some time with there grandparents up north this week, I am 'traveling light' with my bookends, Sophia and Luca, over the next few days. Despite nearly a decade separating these two children, both were cheerful and eager to venture out in the heat of the early day to help their determined and energetic mother pick cherries.

We were given advice from the farmer tending this particular orchard on where to find the trees with with the most abundant fruit and even invited to 'sample' the different varieties of cherries! It seemed we were the only harvesters in the orchard and we reveled in the solitude and privacy of this sweet, rosy world.

In the end we left the fragrant orchard with over six pounds of luscious Bing and Ranier cherries. I secretly felt guilty for having left with the last of the cherries for the summer from this peaceful, fertile little hill, but it didn't stop me from enjoying hand fulls along the ride home.

feasting

Christmas has come and gone and the new year is peeking just over the horizon. Home again, home again after a trip up north to spend the holiday with family. I honestly did not leave the house for three whole days. A change of scenery and a lull in household responsibilities is simply enough to quiet mind, body and spirit.

We were blessed with a snowstorm and waking up to the stillness and serenity of the outdoors was bliss. Trees frozen in time, white powdery perfection magically swirling at their steady roots.

In the quest to find good soul food, we took to some reading while away. Like a knitter, with her needles and yarn, there are always books tucked in when we leave home. And this time was no different.

With a budding, blossoming 'new' reader, a struggling, patient veteran reader and a hungry-for-life toddler on my hands (not to mention the steady, curious eleven year old), we must always pack a wide variety of reading material. Like a perfect picnic, one must spread wide the cloth and serve up this-and-that, something-for-everyone, the sweet, the savory, the nourishing for everyone present at that moment in time.

For us it was D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths, some Frog and Toad, a how-to guide on knot tying and an artist study book for young ones, Touch Mona Lisa's Hair spread unhurriedly and joyfully at the feet of my children.

What a feast!

apple cake

Snow has fallen, yet it is indeed autumn in spirit. Apple cake has been baked three times in the last week or so. It is a recipe from a dear friend and calls for four cups of diced apples. When viewed in this light, one can offer it to family and friends at any hour of the day (lately, right before the dinner hour) and still feel content to eat 'cake'. 

Luca resting for a bit during an autumn nature walk

Apple Cake

4 cups apples cubes (not too fine)

2 cups sugar

Mix well, then add

2 eggs, well beaten

1/2 cup oil

2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mix together

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon sea salt

Add dry ingredients to mixture and bake in greased 9x13 pan for one hour at 350'. 

Let cool for a bit and serve warm.

french paradox

One of the most intriguing topics regarding food and families for sure- the 'French Paradox' has been mesmerizing me for years now with it's hardcore, no-nonsense, slow food movement ways. Lately, all of the information out there having to do with how the French feed their children has me simply swooning over new ideas and alternative philosophies regarding childhood nutrition.

Do you love this poster as much as I do!?

Do you buy into the idea that it is alright (even beneficial!) for children to come to mealtime hungry!?

What about the ban on short-order cooking in one's home? I simply won't do it.

Sidenote: I read Brining up Bebe last spring and simply fell in love with the ideas in the book having to do with family mealtimes. As a result, we rarely snack in between meals now and my ideals regarding slow, peaceful, beautiful family meal times have been strengthened. Meal time is a high point in our day and I feel so strongly about making it as nourishing and lovely as possible!

birthday cake

We are blessed to have several 'June birthdays' in our extended family. Today we celebrated three generations worth of birthdays and enjoyed the warmth of the day together.

My sister baked the birthday cake, and when I say 'the' birthday cake, I mean the birthday cake! It was perfectly delicious and was just right for a late-spring-almost-summer celebration.

I am still dreaming about this lemon-raspberry cake!

My sister is such an amazing baker and has earned herself a pretty superb repetoire of baked goods (and non-baked goods like her homemade 'Lara' bars!). It is great to have a partner in life who is as enthusiastic about preparing homemade, nourishing, delicious food to our families as I am!

Thank you for taking time out of your already-full life to make our day so special... and delicious!

giving

Today was beautiful and my family worked hard to make it that way. There were spectacular moments mixed amongst the mundane ones. I still washed clothes, prepared meals, swept floors, watered flowers, fluffed pillows, changed diapers, wiped tears, scolded my children, and bathed and bedded a wailing toddler. But these aspects of my life are merely reminders that I am living the full, home-centered life that I am striving to live.

Filled with so much emotion today in regards to friendships and how they too are like little gardens- requiring tending, watering, weeding and pruning. Now I have a daughter who has come of age in that realm and is figuring these truths out for herself as well. So may lesson learned in the teaching of them! For it truly is far better to give than to receive.

  

 

blooming

So tomorrow I turn 35. I rarely post photos of myself on this blog because typically I am the one behind the lens. This afternoon Nicolas put a red rose that he had just picked from our rose bush behind my ear and I just felt so beautiful and loved.

 I am reminded each day of the blessings I have been given in this life not because of any merit or attainment on my part, but simply because they are what makes life beautiful.

Part of keeping this blog is my effort in showing myself what a beautiful life I have indeed. The ability to pick and choose what I share here has a tremendous ability to lend itself to the craft of creating a beautiful life regardless of one's reality.

The truth is that my life actually is perfectly and authentically beautiful. There is order, simplicity, health, joy, love, sorrow, pain, dirty floors, life lessons, good food, good friends and a home-centered life that all makes it perfectly and entirely breathtaking.

Over the years I have learned the art of looking ahead and seeing the big picture. I have trained my mind, my heart and my soul to see beyond the here and now.

Living 'in the moment' seems to be a current cliche that is encouraged in our culture. There is certainly something to be said about cherishing each moment.Paying special attention to the here and now can have a tremendous ability to heal, encourage and cheer.  But in the end I believe that it is the ability and capacity to believe in what the future will bring that keeps one 'going' in this life. We all need to know why we are 'doing what we're doing' and be able to draw upon that knowledge to build a vision and a goal for ourselves, our families and our homes. Again, it is in the striving.

It is no easy task.

So tonight, on the eve of my 35th birthday, I celebrate all that I have been given in the life and all that this little, beautiful garden of mine is perpetually blooming into each and every day.

the true tasks

So one of the things that really struck me while I was away on our trip was that there is such a strong need for setting the tone and keeping the rhythm in my home on a daily basis. There is very little time to let down and let go.



I always feel like if I 'miss a beat' during our daily routines that something or someone will end up suffering in the long run. I realized how regimented I have become about certain things in my family life- going to bed with a clean sink no matter what, having my kids take their shoes off any time they enter the house, being on time with meals and bedtimes- and question which ones are vital to the functioning and wellness of our family and which ones are draining me of time and energy and joy.

For the most part I believe that having a time and a place for everything is vital to family life- especially home schooling family life with four children. But I am seeking to find the small places where a bit more joy, spontaneity and leisure can be had.

Again, it seems to all come back to the idea of balance. I am not sure I really believe in 'balance' as the world sees it. You know, the kind where you mix equal parts of work, family and 'me' time in and voila, you are left with a fabulous life.

I think that this sort of balance has more to do with the ebb and flow of the day for mother and children than the overall 'big picture' of a harmonious life.

I kept asking myself how I could bottle up all of the simple, quiet moments and bouts of really being in the moment while I was away on our trip and take them back home to bring into my life as a mother and wife and thought the answer would be easy and breezy (just relax and have fun or just smile more, right?!).


But it's not. It is about being even MORE disciplined and making even tougher choices about how I will spend my time. It is about true priorities over perceived priorities and what really lends itself to the joy, health and peace of my children and home.

I have to ask myself what myself and my family truly needs. It is a tough question no doubt and I am not sure I even have the courage to ask it just yet.

But I think that it will be a lot like choosing to put down my basket of laundry to sit on the floor and play the memory game with my five year old when he asks me to and really listening to my eight year old when he is explaining all of the slight variation in the sword handles he has drawn in all ten of his sword sketches.

I love order (let me say that again- I love order!) and am so very task oriented that I tend to make that the focus of my day all in the name of meeting the needs of my children. But isn't meeting my little ones' needs for emotional and physical connection with their mother a far greater and sweeter task than simply focusing on their physical, outward needs?

Don't get me wrong. I am super big on cuddling up with and kissing my children each and every day. Not a morning goes by where the words I love you are not heard four times by the time breakfast is finished.

But again, I am talking about the big picture and the inner working of the mother here, not just the outward gestures.

It is indeed and I know that deep down inside. But sometimes it is just so much easier to fold laundry than to really listen or to put plans my plans for an afternoon of errands aside for a chance to run in an open field.

But for now, instead of tackling it all at once, I will focus on the true, small tasks working to bring a bit of ease and joy back from the West Coast into my little East Coast home.

at home where we belonged

Today it rained and being indoors with four children for the day humbled me.

I am a big advocate of 'preaching' on the idea of being at home, in your home, having simple days with young children at home (do you see the them here?). I do so believe that young children do not need to be carted around hither and yon running errands, walking around stores while their parents shop for useful (and many non-useful items), visiting each and every area attraction 'designed for children', and having playtime with countless numbers of friends each and every day.

This sort of 'busyness' is often meeting a need in the adult rather than truly considering what the child needs. As I have wrote about before... being busy is awfully exciting!

I believe that home is the best environment for young children- and by young I mean under the age of nine or so. I know that a steady, peaceful, secure, reliable, joyful, creative and beautiful home environment with predictable daily, weekly and yearly rhythms is the ideal place for a child to thrive.

I know this. I believe this.

But today I just felt like escaping.

The incessant rain, the humidity that curled and frizzed my hair beyond recognition, the damp feeling of my floors on my feet that made my skin crawl, the gray sky that darkened my home into a gloomy shade of blah, and the physical need of four children to move their bodies and boom their voices made me want to pack everyone up in the car and drive somewhere else.

The problem was that there was no where better for us to be. I couldn't make peace with the idea of taking them into a store simply to escape our home and get a 'quick fix' from the new, bright and exciting surroundings. Been there, done that (in fact, that was my preferred method of escapism for the first few years of my motherhood journey). It would end in unnecessary money being spent and the inevitable return to what I was trying to escape.

We had already visited the library earlier this morning. Our cupboards were stocked with food. My parents are away on vacation. There was literally no where else to transfer our situation to.

This is typically where the disconnect in my life occurs- in those tiny spaces between ideas and reality. I am a lover of ideas and can easily get obsessed and distracted by an ideal, concept or culture that appeals to me. But sometimes when it is time to live out those ideals, I fall short. In fact I often don't get beyond the idea.

Today showed me that being at home, living simply, avoiding commercialism as a form of entertainment and dragging small children about town for MY OWN AMUSEMENT simply is not an option for me. This is a principle that I want to live out for the sake of my children.

So today I chose to remain at home.

So, do you want to know what the blessing was in return? A day of simple pleasures, consistency, needs met with love and content little ones.

Today I...

sat down to a pancake breakfast with all four children... it was sticky and delicious and buttery and warm

went through two tablecloths from spilled milk

had quiet read aloud time inside while the rain pattered outside

sharpened and put our favorite colored pencils to good use... everyone from toddler to mother (purchased at a local thrift store for $.99)

gave my toddler a good solid nap in his own bed

talked about the irony of vanilla bean speckles being black

practiced drawing grids and bricks with my eight year old son

sang a few French songs together

watched my children build forts in our newly-cleaned garage

witnessed my ten year old put her bonnet on for the first time since last fall

made a really big pan of garlicky green beans and realized that they might be my favorite vegetable

read a bit about Isabel of Spain

called my Nana

sat down to a clean kitchen and lots of blanket and quilts laundered tonight

chose a Latin book to use this year in our homeschool

countdown

It is the start of August today and with it comes the inevitable, mixed-emotion countdown to the start of our school year. Four weeks. After boasting about how much time I would spend in this space this summer writing, musing and sharing thoughts and experiences, I have had to eat my words.

My wireless internet was out for the last three weeks. And after two attempts to get things back on track, I gave up. Apparently I just didn't care that much.

And then today...voila! I am connected again.

July was a hot, amazing, home-centered month. We ended up finding a rhythm at home that included regular naps for Luca while the older children played outdoors, simple lunches, quiet times in the afternoon with reading and lots of stillness and many, many home-cooked dinners.

Lots of magical moments and many more of the mundane-type that sustain family life.

• many zucchini fritters made and devoured by all
• reading just 'clicking' for one of my dear children
• enjoying the sweet, sweet stories of Brambley Hedge
• a potty training strike by my toddler
• the biggest blueberries picked on record thus far
• a week of talents enjoyed by my three older children- archery, drama, singing, art, soccer, gymnastics, photography and wool felting
• the completion of swim lessons for my older three
• a family barbecue enjoyed in New Hampshire
• a precious, new baby for some dear friends

results

Our day was sun-filled, sandy, wet, salty, carefree, hot, breezy, musical, tasty, long and lovely.

It was our first beach trip of the summer. It was an impromptu beach trip. One of my favorite types. There was minimal planning and things seemed to come together effortlessly. Being relaxed helps. Not looking at clocks or calendars or the week ahead only adds to the experience. Just living out the day set ahead and letting some things go that maybe are not as important as I thought they were really seals the deal.

And here were our results.

opening day

Last Sunday was the opening day of our favorite summer farmers market. There are no words to describe how excited I get over the opportunity to see, smell, taste and purchase fresh, locally grown and made foods!

In addition to fruits, vegetables, meats, farmstead cheese, pies, cookies, tarts, pasta sauce, brick oven pizza, kettle corn, maple syrup, honey, and ethnic foods, there are also many artisans selling jewelry, knit items, paintings and yarn.
It is certainly one of my favorite events of the week and I just love 'eating my way through' the market!

luca is one

Our baby turned one today. It literally seems like we are still reeling in that new baby-overjoyed-swooning stage one year later!

I think it has everything to do with three older siblings who haven't stopped doting on him since last May when he became 'one of them'. They adore him, protect him, feed him, carry him, wrestle with him, tickle him and scold him when he interferes with their play! True love indeed.


I have no original words to share tonight. No life lessons on infancy. Nor will I share Luca's birth story like I had thought about. Instead I will simply sit here tonight humbled and revel in the miracle of human life, growth, change, love.

We love you Luca. You are a constant 'light' in our home each and every day!

where spring has found me

I blinked and March, this very 'in between' month is almost through. I can see April from where I sit and I am loving the view.

My little blog turned four years old this month and I feel so satisfied knowing that amidst all of the pouring out of me that occurs in a day's time that a little of it flows freely into this space.

It is not what I want it to be. The banner photos are in dire need of being updated to some cheerful spring photos of our family life. My infrequent posting makes me feel like less of a writer than I would like to see myself as. And the little glimpses of the life that I share here are just that- glimpses. They in no way capture all of my present reality and just barely tap into the current state of my heart and soul.

There is so much to say and so little time it seems these days.

Spring is upon us... my favorite season. It is gentle and full of hope and unfolds ever so slowly, often much slower than I would like it to. As the world is waking up to a new season and new life is brimming all around, there are changes, shifts and new growth in my life as well...

• My baby is ten months and walking now. Yesterday he walked to his brother's dresser drawer, opened it, took out a pair of pants and brought them to him with pride.
• I have begun homeschooling my niece. She is being driven down from New Hampshire two days a week to spend her time with us and to allow me the humble duty of helping her finish off her eighth grade year.
• My husband's business is bursting with newness and abundance. He is fulfilling his purpose in life and has an outlet to channel his passions and energy into outside of family life.
• I am hesitantly opening the door to what may possibly be the next chapter in one of our children's education. There are so many dark spots and blind curves and I am praying for guidance and some light to illuminate the way.
• We are taking steps towards taking our health to the next level and seeing where our time, resources and finances leave us on this quest towards what we want for our family.

Where has spring found you?
What big questions and new beginnings are you pondering these days?
How are you being challenged and changed by your current reality?