Hopeful Homemaker

We are in the height of summer, the time of year when I most often remind my children of Robert Louis Stevenson’s poem “Bed in Summer.”  Do you remember it?

In winter I get up at night And dress by yellow candle-light.
In summer, quite the other way, I have to go to bed by day.

I have to go to bed and see The birds still hopping on the tree, Or hear the grown-up people’s feet Still going past me in the street.

And does it not seem hard to you, When all the sky is clear and blue, And I should like to so much to play, To have to go to bed by day?

-Robert Louis Stevenson, A Child’s Garden of Verses And so, now that darkness has settled over the landscape and quiet has (at last!) settled over the house, I sit to type my weekly report.  This week I recorded 70 steps, and a few of them were big.  I’m very pleased.

Highlights:

1.  Kids Council.  This is something I made up early in the summer, and I’m getting better at using it.  Basically, it’s like a family council but because it’s done during the day while my husband is at work and I’m at home with the children, I’ve called it a Kids Council.  I’ll share more about it soon, but we had an awesome one this week.

2.  I responded really well when my four year old son decided to throw his brother’s glass jar (given to him by his Great-Grandpa, filled with sea shells and sand from the beach) at the wall.  His only explanation was this, “I thought it would just bounce off.”  Well, it did that, but in hundreds of pieces, landing all over his bed.   Gratefully we got it all cleaned up safely and I was incredibly calm and pleasant.  (Something to ponder:  why is it that I’m perfectly calm and understanding about shards of glass all over someone’s bed, but can be trusted to get all bent out of shape over stupid little things like lost shoes or jam on the floor?  I think something’s wrong here.)

3.  I’ve been working a bit each day in the basement, organizing and going through boxes.  This week I reached my goal of  having everything sorted and moved into the storage room (except all the filing cabinets, which is another project).  When I was going through boxes from my childhood, I found one at the bottom of the stack that held the red, white and blue dinner napkins I’ve collected through the years.  It’s nice to have them back in use.


4.  We got our oldest son packed and ready to leave for a week at Scout camp.

5.  I had a learning experience that, gratefully, I had the sense to record in my journal.

6.  Spent some time reading through my childhood journal (another benefit of sorting through boxes).

7.  Had really great conversations with two of my brothers.  Love those guys!

8.  I was reminded that my oldest daughter is growing up to be a very thoughtful, sweet, creative young lady.  You know she loves you when she makes you heart shaped ice cubes for your birthday.


9.  Spent a couple of hours with my oldest son, and for once I had the sense to just listen.  Naturally, I learned a lot.  Man, I’ve got a lot of growing up to do still, especially as a mother!

10.  My birthday gift to myself was to bathe my baby, cover her with my favorite baby lotion, and smell her, tickle her, play with her, hold her all day long.  It made my day.


The coming week promises to be that only-happens-in-the-summer kind of slow but busy, fast but relaxing kind of week.  Is it just me, or is summer flying by WAY too quickly?  I hope you make the most of your week;  I intend to do the same!

Hopeful Homemaker