Such Things

Wee Garden

Seed packs,

a space for planting,

making,

labeling,

getting dirt,

planting,

watering,

waiting,

Wee veggie garden.

Tulip Love (and some daffodils...)

This weekend we headed down to the annual tulip festival in Skagit Valley.  We met up with some of our very good friends and that live down that way.  Our children and their children had a delightful time together exploring the tulips.  You know, when I think of worth and wholeness, it often brings to mind an image of running through an open field of flowers.  I wasn't quite sure what words to add to these photos, and then this morning I found this poem in the office of the school that I teach, hanging right over the photocopier.  It's Children Are, written by Meiji Stewart. 

Children are:  Amazing, ACKNOWLEDGE THEM.  Believable, TRUST THEM.  Childlike, ALLOW THEM.

 

Children are:  Divine, HONOR THEM.  Energetic, NOURISH THEM.  Fallible, EMBRACE THEM.

Children are:  Gifts, TREASURE THEM.  Here Now, BE WITH THEM.  Innocent, DELIGHT WITH THEM.

Children are:  Joyful, APPRECIATE THEM.  Kindhearted, LEARN FROM THEM.  Lovable, CHERISH THEM.

Children are:  Magical, FLY WITH THEM.  Noble, ESTEEM THEM.  Open minded, RESPECT THEM.

 

Children are:  Precious, VALUE THEM.  Questioners, ENCOURAGE THEM.  Resourceful, SUPPORT THEM.

Children are:  Spontaneous, ENJOY THEM.  Talented, BELIEVE IN THEM.  Unique, AFFIRM THEM.

_{Children are:  Vulnerable, PROTECT THEM.  Whole, RECOGNIZE THEM.  Xtraspecial, CELEBRATE THEM.}

Children are:  Yearning, NOTICE THEM.  Zany, LAUGH WITH THEM.

And that's what they did.  Ran and ran and ran through the rows and rows of flowers. 

Whole, esteemed, full and free.

 "My heart is steadfast, O God;
       I will sing and make music with all my soul.

 Awake, harp and lyre!
       I will awaken the dawn.

 I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations;
       I will sing of you among the peoples.

 For great is your love, higher than the heavens;
       your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
       and let your glory be over all the earth."

Psalm 108:1-5

Ensuite Heaven

Hanging a framed photograph, taken by my husband Mark, was the finishing touch of my favourite room of our house.  Our ensuite. 

See, we didn't have an ensuite at all before our house renovation.  With three small children and only one small bathroom, this is a dream come true.  Bathrooms these days are known for their relaxing and spa-like qualities, and that's how I wanted ours to be. 

White, refreshing and clean, with wainscotting, a large soaker tub and separate shower. 

We managed to squeeze it all into a 9x6ft space.  

It was very fun to decorate.  All white linens, soaps, lufas and lots of accents from Ikea.

It's a place where I come to de-stress, to sit back in the tub, watching the sky or the candlelight.

It's my little bit of heaven.

The Art of Enjoyment

Ah, Spring.  There are just so many things to enjoy being out and about.

Like these tulips at our favourite produce store.

Sometimes the stresses of the week bog me down and I dwell on all the things that seem wrong. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed before I even get out of bed.

But God, in his goodness brings blessings my way, if I just slow down to look and to hear.

Gratitude is a great way to learn to appreciate the things we have, but this is a little bit different.

I call it "enjoyment".  Looking at the things that are interesting and beautiful.

Enjoying a sunny spring day at the park with my kids.  Redirecting my mind.

Watching the fish, jellyfish, the beautiful view,

and even the sawdust mill.

Then the looking turns to running and playing, and the playing to laughing.

Then later, taking a minute to sit in my lounger and soak up the rays.  Oh, yes.  True enjoyment.

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Romans 12:2

I hope you enjoy your weekend!!!

Happy Easter!

What is it that makes Easter, Easter?

Is it decorating the Easter tree?

Is it Easter eggs?

Is it colouring,

 

and dying the eggs?

Is it the Easter baskets filled with surprises?

Is it hot-crossed buns

for breakfast on Sunday morning?

Is it Easter dresses?

Chocolate eggs,

or other Easter treats?

Is it Easter Lilies, visits with family or Easter egg hunts?

To me, Easter is about new life.  I was looking for words to express just how important Easter is, but the best I could find are familiar and simply stated:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." John 3:16-17

I hope you have a very Happy and blessed Easter!

Beloved Sock Bunnies

I truly believe in hands-on learning.  I believe that more is learned when a child is interested, engaged and creating.  One day after school, one of my students brought in a young grade one friend to show him some of her class projects.  He looked at me and said, "I think you do more crafts here than work!"  Well, that just might be true, and today the shape of the day was a favourite Easter craft: "sock bunnies."

Yes, socks.  They are what I dread most about laundry.  Lost, mismatched and perfect for a sock bunny project! 

I've since lost the original instructions for making the bunnies, but it is simple.  Stuff the sock up to and including the heel of the sock, then stitch across the sock just above the heel. 

 

From the toe of the sock, stitch a vertical line to create two "legs"

 

Then stitch a diagonal line on either side of the sock to create the "arms"

We finished them off with a ribbon around the "neck" of the bunny, wool whiskers, button nose, googly eyes and a pom-pom tail.  Cut the top part of the sock straight down the middle to create "ears".

There were sewing circles forming around the classroom.  The kids were really excited about their sock bunnies.  Each one had it's own personality. 

Hope you are looking forward to Easter!

Morning Start

The beginning of the day is such an important time: getting prepared for the day; eating a nourishing breakfast and spending a bit of quality time together;  setting the tone for the day.  It's my great desire to make mornings organized, peaceful and relaxing, but so many times this is hardly the case.  There is a lot of coaxing, reminding:  "Hurry up!  Get your clothes on!" (Even yelling!)  Sometimes crying, meltdowns over a certain outfit, huge spills at the breakfast table, panic, pressure.  "We're going to be late!!!!!  Hurry up!!  Brush your teeth!  Do you have your library book?"

"Mom, I just have to get my show and tell!!" 

Sometimes I'm just about in tears leaving the house.  I know I'm not the only mom who's experienced this; I've talked to lots of moms about it.  One told me, "I'm like an animal in the morning!"  I have three children ages two to six. One way that I have tried to bring some level of order to our mornings is through the Morning Start chart. 

I saw it on the Super Nanny Show and a friend of mine had one that she had drawn by hand.  This one the girls and I made together.  I think they were five and three years old.  My oldest daughter created the title.  The chart takes away the nag factor.  If the girls are forgetting their responsibilities, I ask them to check the chart, or I say, "Morning Start."  For the most part, they are eager to do what's on the list, and I can attend to other things, like cleaning up the table and even doing my own make-up in a leisurely manner.  Then the kids get time to play before it's time to leave for school.  We have also been setting the timer as a "race" to see how fast they can do shoes, coat and backpacks at the door.  One minute is the current record. 

 

Morning Start certainly helps to make our mornings more pleasant and manageable. 

How are your mornings?