Joyfully Weary

One of our recent family read alouds was The Secret Garden ; we got so entranced in the story that we were drawn to other books about flowers. Here are some of our favorites. 1 - The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett , this book is a classic for a reason; despite the main characters being quite unlikable you get caught up in the joy and change that nature brings. There are many abridged versions out there but I urge to read the unabridged. The length and vocabulary is not too complex for elementary age children, and if you read the abridged you will miss out on the literary prose this classic has to offer. My favorite version is the one illustrated by Graham Rust; his drawings capture the mystery and life of the story.  2 - The Complete Book of the Flower Fairies by Cecily Mary Barker , this is a collection of Barker's eight books of poems and illustration on flower fairies. These poems are perfect for sharing with children: they are short, lyrical, and enchanting....

One of the things that trips me up the most about motherhood is the chaos that comes with it. The inability to plan things or to have things go as planned. I like to organize and frequently visualize how I want days or experiences to go. My kiddos all seem to have their own ideas though...seriously, it's like they thing they are people or something 😉 They have their own agenda, or crises, or even moments of delight that interfere with all my well-thought-out plans. I've learned that sometimes our expectations do nothing but kill our joy. I'm striving to grow in my ability to roll with the punches. To engage in and find delight in whatever the day brings. To not fight the chaos but to embrace it Yesterday, I woke-up to find a huge branch in our yard. I also had a head full tasks I was planning on accomplishing: school work, spring cleaning, laundry, etc. As soon as I saw the branch, though, I knew it would draw my kiddos in and bring them delight. I could fight that ...

Every other week or so I always pick up a bouquet of flowers with our groceries at Aldi. They are simple bouquets, but for less that $4 they do a lot to brighten up our home. Little Lady has been asking for awhile to paint with flowers; so when a batch started to wilt I let her and Mini Man go to town. Supplies - flowers, heavy paper, and washable tempera paint.  Directions - lightly dip flowers in paint and then gently press them onto the paper.   While they were painting BabyZ woke up from his nap and insisted on joining the fun. Luckily for him, Mini Man is a softy.   Their  creations...  

A reflection on recent life, inspired in part by  Bob Bennett's song "Small Graces" . Sometimes they slip by without notice Sometimes they're very hard to see Other times it's all so clear When they're happening to me 1 - naps with sweet babies 2 - mud puddles and big brothers who show you exactly what to do   3 - finger paint     4 - spring walks, river islands, and nets   5 - vibrant tulips   6 - friends who bring their new baby for a visit and boys who just can't get enough    7 - notes from the husband     8 - kiddos who like doing the dishes   9 - soccer Saturdays... 10 - ...especially when all the shots on goal are stopped 11 - textured walls and a mini ninja warrior These are the small graces The little moments when the miracles come These are the small graces Small graces pointing me to the larger ones Small graces Little glimpses of t...

I never thought I'd be the type of mom who would resort to wearing exercise leggings most days,   but alas that is who I have become. I'm not a huge fan of jeans and  for the most part weather has been too cold to wear dresses without tights - it's SPRING, I want be done with tights! So lately, I've just been recycling through the same legging outfits over and over again. I do, however, continue to get 'dressed' for church and such; here are a few pictures of those outfits.    If you are looking for more outfit inspiration please check out these link parties:  Watch What I'm Wearing ,  Style Sessions ,  Trend Spin ,  Pleated Poppy  and  A Labour of Life .

This Easter was pretty relaxing for us. My youngest sister, Angel, joined us for the weekend but other than that it was just our little family. We've had Easters in the past that were busy, in a good way, but with busyness comes hecticness. It was nice to relax and get a bit of rest during the weekend. I don't really enjoy dying eggs so we made sugar cookies and decorated them instead. Not only do I think they are more fun to decorate but they are also much more fun to eat.        I can't bring myself to spend money on Easter baskets...it's not really the money but the clutter afterwards. Last year, all the kids needed new helmets so we gifted those to them for Easter and filled them with some other fun treats. This year, I was going to just use some reusable random shopping bags we had lying around. When I was out shopping for last minute Easter goodies, though, I also had to pick up some new storage bins. I had the...