kids

Musings

/ makingofahome / 5 Comments

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It has come to my attention as of late, that my blog sometimes leaves moms feeling inadequate in their role as parent.  Please know, this has never been my intention.

Two and a half years ago, when I made the enormous leap to leave my paying job and stay home with my little ones, I was met with reactions that I never expected.  People flooded me with questions like, “Why would you want to just stay home?” and “What on earth will you do all day when you are sitting at home?” and “Why would you want to leave a career you have worked so hard for, and invested so many educational hours and dollars.”  This reaction sent me reeling for a very long time.

Then, as I stated in my “About” page, once I took the step and was enjoying my time home with my daughters, I still felt a sense of isolation because I didn’t feel as if I fit in with many of the moms I came into contact with.  It was at this time that I leaned heavily upon the holistic-momma-type blogs that I regularly follow, for the support I needed to get through the day to day that we all know can seem so very long sometimes.

I then decided to create a space of my own, right here, where other moms like me could go for crafty ideas, recipes, or just plan ole mommy support.  My sincere intention was, and still is, to simply put forth musings that may be useful to others.  And please do remember, this space is offering just that, musings. This is not, by any means, a minute by minute account of my life.  You may see a sewing project I just completed, but you don’t see the enormous pile of laundry that has been sitting in front of my Christmas tree for over a week now, so that I could complete that sewing project.  (I have included a picture of this now for your enjoyment 🙂 )  You may see a yummy home-cooked meal I prepared on a Monday night, but you don’t see me serving up popcorn, apples and cheese for dinner on a Friday night as we rush out the door for a tumbling lesson.  My point being, we are all human, and no one is super woman.  At least I’ve never met her.  We are all just trying to do the best we can for the little people God blessed us with.

And through this space, conversations have been opened up and valuable discussion has flourish in the waiting room of my daughters’ dance school, and in the parking lot of their preschool.  This blog has helped me to realize I am not alone in many of the decisions I make, and there are many people, right here in my very own community, who are trying to live a more conscious lifestyle in which they try to dig deeper and live more closely to the earth.  And I am so very grateful for each and every one of you who visit my blog daily, and for those that just stop by every once in awhile.   All of you have sincerely helped me to feel better in my own skin, and for that I am eternally thankful.

At This Moment

/ makingofahome / 2 Comments

 

At this moment I am…

~preparing for a birthday celebration with twenty-five kindergarteners.  Oh my.

~drying herbs from our herb garden.

~pulling out tomato plants in preparation for winter.

~watching our fall garden flourish.  I can’t wait to start harvesting!

~wrapping some great new books for a little soon-to-be-six year old.  We went with this book series.  Can’t wait to start reading them!

~researching some new ideas for green tomatoes.  We have a LOT of them.  If any of you have suggestions, please share them in the comment section.

~completing my weekly routine of laundry, laundry and more laundry.

~sipping some warm coffee.  A much needed comfort after a long, emotional weekend.

~wishing you all a wonderful week filled with fabulous moments!

Bringing the Outdoors In

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As the mercury begins its descent, we are spending a bit more time indoors these days.  So with that, we are making every effort to bring a bit of the outdoors in.  I truly believe a great deal can be said for the tactile experiences of interacting with nature, and when the late fall and winter months do not allow for such easy access to these experiences, I think it is important for people (children especially) to not lose that intimate contact with nature.

For that reason, we have been gathering outdoor artifacts and putting them on display in just about every room of our home.  The girls love this activity, because they get to have a direct hand in “decorating” the house.  They have been filling up Mason jars with water to display mums and lavender, collecting rocks to sprinkle on tabletops, and picking gourds in the garden to create their own fall adornments.

I hope all of you are enjoying these first beautiful days of fall!  Have a wonderful week!

Finding Time

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As the physical labor of the garden wanes, I find myself needing to supplement my days with a bit of an extra workout to keep my body and soul fit during these cool months to come.  But when?  This seems to be the question I have asked myself each morning for the past several weeks.  I’m not sure how, but I find not only the minutes, but the hours of the day disappear without my noticing.

The funny thing about the whole situation is two years ago at this time I was working full-time, carting my kids off to day care for 10-plus hours a day.  And now, when I do have so, so, so much more time to spend with them, it still seems like there is not enough.  I guess this is what all of those mothers meant when I had my first little baby, and they told me time and time again that time goes by so fast, and you must take in and cherish all moments, good or bad (or terrible for that matter), because they are so fleeting.

So I find myself today, sneaking in a very quick workout in my garage, while my youngest takes a tiny nap after her dance lesson.  We mamas have to just do the best we can, with the time God has given us.

I hope all of you find a bit of extra time in your day today 🙂

Apple Sauce

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A sure fire sign that fall is upon us is when we start to find apples popping up here and there at the farmers’ markets.  Last week, we found our very favorite farming family at market with their tables loaded down with the most beautiful apples.  There were Cortlands, Jonathans, Honey Crisps, and Crimson Crisps.  Each more delicious than the next.

With all of this goodness to choose from, the girls and I decided it was high time to start making apple sauce.  So yesterday, with much fanfare and hullabaloo, we began our apple-sauce-making soiree.

The girls did all the work, while I took pictures and drunk in the sounds of 2Cellos on the IPad.  They used our very favorite apple peeler/corere/slicer to do the majority of labor, and then took turns adding some yummy local honey and spicy cinnamon to the mix.  We make our apple sauce in our slow cooker, so we just set it and forget it 🙂

A few hours later, once the aroma of the sweet and tangy apples, floral honey and spiced cinnamon fill the air, we have the perfect apple sauce for our family’s liking.  Fall is here.

At This Moment

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At this moment I am…

~sorting through pictures of our trip, and creating a little slide show to share with the family tomorrow at Tuesday night dinner.

~packing homemade apple sauce into jars from a weekend filled with more canning and freezing and drying oh my.

~starting a quilting project for a very special couple.

~shaking our growler of mead (a.k.a. honey wine) we started to ferment this weekend.  (The recipe and information about mead can be found in this book.)

~watching our crazy cat try to crawl up the screen of our kitchen window.  Such a handful this little lady is.  She wants in on any and all action going on in the house.

~planning my oldest daughter’s first “kids” birthday party with twenty five of her classmates. I’m tired already 🙂

~washing clothes.  My typical Monday ritual.

~soaking in this absolutely gorgeous fall day.

~wishing all of you a happy Monday!