Love this girl

With the older five back in school, I’m treasuring my last week with the three little ones home all day.  Next week my 5 year old son starts kindergarten, and then this little doll will be my biggest one at home in the mornings.  Gasp!  How did that happen?!?  How is it that I suddenly find myself with just two children at home for 3 hours each day?

It reminds me how little time I have left with all of them.  I’m going to treasure these hours.

And these faces:










Oh, I feel so lucky to have her in my life!

Hopeful Homemaker

The End.

There is a gentle breeze blowing.  Just when I thought the sunflowers were as tall as they could get I wake up and they’re taller.  The children are happily playing on my front porch and driveway with their Playmobil toys.  I love those toys.  They’re so great for inspiring imagination and allowing children to practice negotiating relationships in their play.


Today was busy.  Too busy.  We’ve had something going on since 9 a.m. without a break.

I took six children to two different schools to meet their teachers and, in the case of the oldest two, to walk their schedules and open lockers for the first time this year.  It’s always nice to go but it stamps out all my wishing that summer could last a little longer.  When you’re at back to school night, it’s really over.   Denial no longer works.

I haven’t shopped for school supplies yet.  I have no excuse except that I couldn’t bear to do it.  I’ve walked past that section in multiple stores and just couldn’t bring myself to stop and start the project.  Why?  I’m not sure.  Partly because it always makes me sick to see the grand total for all these lists of required supplies, partly because there’s always some “essential” thing that we can’t find, mostly because I want summer to last another two months.   Now my back’s against the wall and I’ve got to get it done.

I think they will all be ok.  My 9th grader didn’t even want to walk around with me.  He just wanted to meet up with friends and didn’t seem the least bit worried about where his classes are.  My 7th grader came home stressed.  She won’t admit it but I can see it in her face.  I’m sure she will be fine.  The three elementary aged students in our house will all do well, I think.  For them it’s just a new kind of normal and they’ll adjust quickly.  I feel good about their teachers.   My five year old kindergartener is a wild card but at least I have a great relationship with his teacher.  We’ll wait and see.

My husband offered to do the driving to tonight’s soccer tournament game.  So here I am, home on a beautiful night with that gentle breeze blowing, watching my children age two to twelve all play together as if summer will never end and trying to still the anxious ache in my heart because it won’t.


Do you love the look on this face?  I do.  It’s the look of a little girl that worried and waited and then one day had the courage to ride a bike without training wheels.  She was so sure it was too hard for her.  Now it’s something she loves.  It’s a look of learning and pride and delight.  I need to remember this face, because it comes during the school year too as new skills are mastered, knowledge is retained and performance improves.

I’m grateful for the brief stillness of this evening.  Time to sit and process all that’s going on inside my heart.  Here we go.  Ready or not, it comes.


Jennifer

A bunch of random thoughts

My mind is all over the place lately, darting from place to place like a pinball mid-game.

Want a sampling?

1.  I haven’t spent much time in the yard for a few weeks.  Yesterday I noticed my dahlias are blooming.  Isn’t this gorgeous?


What’s not to like about a flower more than 7 inches across?


2.  My two year old just knocked over the ironing board.  To see if she could.  I’m glad it didn’t hurt her and am shaking my head over her constant activity.

3.  Speaking of her, does anyone know how to get expo dry erase marker out of something you love?  Five days later, I’m still not ok with this:


I wasn’t home when it happened.  I don’t even want to know how she got it off the wall.  Don’t worry, she covered the custom frame in marker, too.

3.  This blue and orange place setting is beautiful to me.  I love the bright orange band in the place mats and the beautiful blue and white china… amazing.   Image from House of Turquoise.


4.  Speaking of beauty, I really want to join Pinterest, but I really don’t want to join Facebook.  And so I’ve done nothing.  Plus, I’m afraid I’ll spend too much time looking at beautiful pictures instead of working on making our home a beautiful place.

5.  I gave my kitchen table some TLC.  It feels good to take care of things.


6.  Today I took care of all the school fees for my oldest two students.  Add to that the usual back to school shopping (which I’m really trying to minimize) and we’ve got a good-sized dent in our budget this month.  Ugh.

7.  This morning my ten year old son told me I use my children as slaves and don’t do any work myself.  (He was asked to load the diswasher.)  Lovely.  If only he knew it was more work to get him to work than it would have been to do it myself.

8.  Last week a friend brought this cookie creation over for my two August birthday girls.


My favorite part?  The little rosebuds made from gum drops and fruit roll-ups.  Aren’t they cute?


9.  I’m trying to eat really well, which means I’m eating a lot of salad.  Lately it’s been boring and I’ve avoided making them.  I’ve learned, however, if I just make one anyway, as soon as I start eating I’m reminded how delicious they are and am perfectly happy with my meal.  Lesson:  just make the salad!


10.  I didn’t expect to see any more blooms from my delphinium this summer, but a few dazzling flowers have appeared:


The bright blue with tinges of purple is so pretty to me.


11.  Today I made quesadillas for my children for lunch.  I turned around and more than half of them were laying on the kitchen floor with their heads and shoulders under a chair.  Their plates were under the chairs with them and they were all eating… without hands.  I inquired about the new trend and was informed they were all being dogs, eating their food in their respective dog houses.  Hmmm, interesting.  At least they have imagination.

And there you have ten minutes’ worth of my random thoughts today.
What are you thinking about?

Hopeful Homemaker

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