It's the First Day of the School Year

If I don't document today now I don't know if it will ever get done before Tate starts school. 

I woke up at 6 and had a lovely time studying my scriptures without worrying about getting ready before everyone wakes up like I normally do. I'm trying things a bit different this year. At 6:45 I woke up Easton and spent a few moments with him as he said his prayers and fully awakened. As he got ready for school, I packed his lunch and by the. Tate and Maylie were up too and we all ate breakfast. Easton has been asking to use the golden plate every day for a week and today was finally the day. 

After breakfast and teeth brushing we knelt as a family in family prayer just as we always do and petitioned the Lord to bless our day. I whispered to my sweet oldest boy how much I love him and how much the Savior loves him. I reminded him to be strong and courageous and to remember who he is. He flexed his muscles and proceeded to the door. Then I snapped a picture of him and we waved goodbye as Patrick and Easton drove away to catch the bus.

The three of us still at home waited by our back window like we usually do to wave to the bus as it goes up the road. 

We cleaned up breakfast, did yoga, got ready for the day, and had a chat with Nana. Then we played with blocks, making roads and towers and temples and then picked up the toys strewn all about the house. We folded the clothes and did the dishes and now we're outside enjoying this warm early afternoon. 

I'm sitting here on the grass in our front yard watching my two little ones ride their bikes and wondering where our summer went. How can school be started already?? Thank heavens Tate starts a week later than Easton. At least I get to hold onto him a little bit longer.

I'm much more prepared than I was last year--routine-wise. I have my schedule all mapped out and for once it's actually realistic and I think I will be able to stick with it. But I don't know if my heart is prepared this year. Summer slipped away so swiftly I barely even had time to enjoy it. I know it's common for everyone to say how fast summer passes, but I'm being completely sincere in saying it felt like it was only a month long and faster than any other summer of my entire life. I attribute this to the fact that we were busier than we usually are with putting our yard in, family trips, baseball, potty training, and swim lessons, but still--it's hard to believe. Last summer we spent every morning outside. This summer our outside excursions were few and far between. It was a wonder-filled summer, bit it was FULL. And now it's officially over. 

Strangely though, while my heart is saddened to think of both my boys in school, my heart is happy and ready for the change of seasons. Autumn is coming and along with it, harvests and baking and cinnamon smells, as well as a more regular daily rhythm, heartwarming family holidays and a slower pace. I love summer at it's golden hour of old age. And today I am completely content in my heart. 

Play {Part 1}

I am loving every little activity we've done together lately.  I don't know why I ever dragged my feet.  Well, I guess I do.  The thought of planning and preparing for and then setting up a giant activity simply overwhelmed me.  So for years, I would do nothing.  It's a classic trait of perfectionists--that of wanting to do everything so perfectly that you end up doing nothing at all.  I "used to be" a perfectionist.  I say, "used to be" because I am truly changing.  Slowly.  But I hope I'm making headway.

But anyway, thoughts of messes and spills and stuff strewn about the house, not to mention the thought of having to organize and store it all, or maybe just throw it away....let's just say, I had a hard time psyching myself into kid-friendly activities.  So for a long while, (and I regret this very much), we played the safe route.  We played with toys and games that were easy to pull out and easy to pick up.  We read books and played outside.  And while I will forever incorporate these comfortable things, this year I figured out how to incorporate the ones I've always avoided.

The switch came last year as I've mentioned in previous posts.  It was the only birthday gift I wanted in the midst of terrible depression...that of desiring to be with and enjoying every second of my children.  The gift was bestowed through much fasting and prayer and lots of time.  It came gradually, and I don't know if there was a set day when the lightbulb clicked on.  It was more like a sunrise which gradually illuminates the surroundings almost imperceptibly.

And this year, I set about trying to revise my daily rhythm.  And with this new routine, we have a set aside time each day called "Mommy Playtime."  And while this isn't new (for I've always tried to play with my children daily), having a name for it, and having a specific time, made it happen more consistently.  We're definitely not perfect, (and it is so relieving to finally accept that), but it is a time I look forward to now.  And so do my little ones.  We switch off picking activities, and surprisingly, the activities they pick are the simplest.  Easton loves to color with me--folder games and such.  Tate loves to trace letters or play "the letter game" (our own made-up preschool version of Boggle).  It is sweet to see them want to repeat over and over the things they most love to do.  Children love repetition and learn best through repeats of simple activities.

On my days, I pick activities that they haven't picked in a while--things lurking in the back of the preschool closet that they've forgotten about.  Then it seems like they pick the same thing the next day because they remember how fun it was when they used to play it.  And then on Fridays (or whichever day works best) I let them pick an activity from one of my Pinterest boards.

And now a word about Pinterest.  It used to overwhelm me with all of the creative ideas that I would never have time for.  It was like subjecting myself to an unnecessary guilt session.  But now that I have committed to only embrace the simple, memorable, it has become such a great resource.  I follow a few choice pinterester's who share really simple, yet fun activities.  I repin their pins and currently have children's boards in art, sensorial, creative writing, science, social studies, math, letter/sound recognition, literacy, story time, practical life skills, and movement.  I don't pressure myself into thinking I have to do anything in any particular order, or do everything, or pick things "equally."  I just take a minute to ask myself what strikes my fancy (or theirs) for that particular week, and we do it.  And the wonderful thing is, there is no crazy-hard prep time.  The activities use things that we usually have on hand and can throw together as we're getting ready to do it.

Plus, once we've made an activity, whether it be homemade play dough (there are a million flavors and variations and creations) a game, or just something fun, we can add it to the "preschool closet" for them to pick in the future.  It's like increasing your resources as you go.

But before I get too carried away in the joy of it all, know that I still face discouragement and opposition.  It's still hard for me to mentally and physically "do it."  I often have a few inner groanings beneath my smiling face as I wonder if I'm ready for yet another activity.  But if I press on, I find that within even just 2 minutes of beginning, I am glowing with joy.  I feel radiant and recharged and full of energy.  Not to mention how my heart overflows with love for my little ones as they're exploring their world and beaming themselves.

My only regret is that I didn't start this 5 years sooner.  I missed out on so much.  Sometimes my heart hurts when I think of all the precious memories I could have shared with my little boys.  I look at Maylie, and think how lucky she is to have me as her mom now that I've had more experience.  My poor boys had the "amateur mother" who really didn't know how to do it all right.  And if I allow myself to dwell in these shadows too long, I feel saddened and despondent.  Do you ever feel that way?  Am I the only one who, even though I tried my very best, still feels regret?

Well, regret or no, I always have now, and now is never too late.  And so I will give my Maylie what I wish I would have given my boys.  And I will give them everything I can give before they grow up and move away.  Because I don't want to waste one more minute.  Now is here and it's a glorious present.  It's the best present I've ever received....

And so, here are some "play pictures" from the past month.  I couldn't help taking a million pictures of their creativity, but thankfully narrowed it down significantly (to 43?!)

I can't wait to continue documenting our journey this year.  I have a grand feeling about it all...

Cars in the Parking Lot.
{Say a number, then they drive their car to the correct parking stall.  Great number recognition, and for Easton, I would say an addition or subtraction problem, then he would have to figure out which stall to go to by doing the mental math}

 {What Maylie did while we played Cars}


Marshmallow Creations
{Toothpicks + marshmallows = instant fun.}

 {And with a little tasting, what could be better??}

The Pile of Books

{This is where I find Maylie when I can't find her....pulling out all of her board books and reading.  She's my little bookworm.}

Inventor's Workshop
{By far, the favorite.  Easy peasy play dough (via the Imagination Tree), and then whatever you have lying around.  We used pipe cleaners, old cords, cables, ear phones, glow sticks, and lids}

{P.S. This activity lasted hours on Saturday and hours on Sunday afternoon too!}

{This was an alien}

{Another alien}

Play Foam.
{This was Easton's 6-month birthday present.  42 little pouches of these foam balls that never dry out or lose their shape.  They are non-messy and leave no residue anywhere.  These have been awesome!}

Lego Airplanes.
{This kit they found in the preschool closet (from a Christmas present) and with it, built their own model airplanes--from their own imaginations!  I was impressed.  I thought they had used the instructions for sure!}

Living in Harmony.

So I've been trying a new experiment for my "year of connection."  I started with a renovation of my daily rhythm (which happens every so often as the little ones get older and present different needs) and the result has blessed my life immensely.

My morning rhythm is much the same...my personal getting ready time, personal scripture study, family prayer, getting Patrick and Easton out the door, breakfast, getting the 2 little ones ready for the day, cleaning the house, and doing the laundry.  Then I set in "liquid stone" time to have preschool and playtime with Tate.  I call it liquid stone because it's set in stone, but the liquid stone is kind of like corn starch...it can be hard or soft.  Therefore, if something comes up on a given day, liquid stone will allow me to be flexible.  (It's just an image for my mind to process consistency with flexibility).

After we pick up Easton from the bus stop, we make lunch, eat, and clean up.  Then the boys have their playtime together while I play with Maylie (for roughly 30 minutes) {This is also set in liquid stone.  In fact the whole afternoon is...}.  Afterwards, we read stories together (another 30+ minutes) and then we put Maylie down for her nap.  The boys and I have Mommy Playtime and we switch off doing activities that they choose with ones that I choose (usually super easy and fun ones that I've found on Pinterest).  After that they get their free time to either watch a movie or play a game on the Wii or iPod.  Then we do a quick pick-up of the house and make dinner.

During dinner we have family scripture study (which is a great way at this stage in our lives to combine the daily bread with the living bread).  Afterwards is clean-up, the boys get ready for bed, and then they get to have special time with Daddy.  They switch off the things they do each day.  Some days they wrestle, or play the Wii, read stories, or play board games.  While they have time together, I finish up any chores or tasks I didn't get finished during the day, or relax for a few minutes.

This rhythm has been the most successful one yet.  It's as if a light finally went on and every day is a celebration!  Celebrating my children, celebrating every season, celebrating their talents and interests, celebrating learning, celebrating fun, and most of all, just celebrating us!

After two weeks of implementing our new rhythm, I read a quote from my Simple Abundance book that summed up exactly what was happening:

"Harmony is the inner cadence of contentment we feel when the melody of life is in tune.  When somehow we're able to strike the right chord--to balance the expectations of our families and our responsibilities in the world on the one hand with our inner needs for spiritual growth and personal expression on the other."   --Sarah Ban Breathnach

I now have a word for the feeling that has descended on my heart--it's harmony.  And though the times and seasons will inevitably change, I know that with the Lord's help, we can achieve harmony with every change.