Habits

Habits- the wonderful things that bring peace to family life, and happiness to the mother. But lo, it is the mom that often needs to be working on those habits!!

I have noticed lately, and for a long time, that I am not a follower: not a list follower, routine follower, fashion follower, etc (ask my parents, actually, maybe don't). But I so need to set some routines down. Not that we don't have any routines, we do. They are a little harder to see in the summer, but they are there. But oh it seems so easy for me to just go on about my days in the summer, and forget those 'pegs' to our days- to get busy with this or that project and let the day slip away. I have realised that some of this is what I love about summer- but by about the third week of this low tide time we all crave for a few more routines- enough to pull us together.

In the realising of this need for routines in the 'low tide' times it has been a bit of a rocky path- me lamenting about the lack of responsibility of my flock, lamenting (nice way of saying complaining) about the house work all falling to me, lamenting about the sibling rivalry...you get the point. Then I got a good sleep- it is amazing what that can do for your mind!! I felt refreshed and ready to see everything in a better light- yes, we have let some things slide- but changes can be made. We read the Bible at breakfast than the kids did some chores. At lunch I pulled out the poetry books and then I even think I got dinner on the table before 7! Boy I felt better, and so did we all I think.

I don't know if this is making much sense, but to me it is helpful to look at these different seasons and to accept them as this: seasons. There are times when things flow more, when spending hours reading makes more sense (like when it is -45 out). This is all part and parcel of the ebb and flow of our days here. At times I have not accepted this as I should, thinking all the chores/routines/musical practices/reading times etc. all have to be nicely humming all the time instead of seeing the ebbing and flowing. Writing this post has helped though, and I am feeling much more at home and positive about it again!!

But what about the title 'Habits'. How is this post all coming around to that?? I am not totally sure, all I know is that those pegs, those parts of our days which we count on and come together around, bring a nice routine that lends itself to the formation of the aforesaid 'Habits'.

So.... the next post will continue (hopefully more directly) with Habits.

The Peace and Joy of Growing Things

It's summer, and the days are long and full. Summer always begins with a little bit of an adjustment here- later nights, later mornings and that getting used to a new routine.

When spring hit here, after a long winter, we entered more of a 'low tide time'- we couldn't get our hands, muscles, and our beings out of the yard and the developing garden. We had just moved into this house at the onset of the cold snowy winter and were so excited to DIG. Yes, we love to dig here.... and then watch the fruits of our labor grow.

Yesterday as I was working in our humble urban vegetable patch, Hannah, my 10yo, noticed not one but two large cucumbers. This was enough to send her into ecstasy for the day. The said cucumbers were sliced, salted, and devoured.

This warms my heart, makes me grin very wide, and relax. My spirit connects with the Father in his creation, it always has. So, it always leaves me with a wonderful peace to see my children communing with growing things, especially in this fast paced technological age. Actually, if I think of what I want for my children as they grow, what I consider the most important bricks in their formation/education, I would have to say that this connection with nature, whatever that would look like for each child, would be very near the top of the list, definitely in the top 5. I am sure many writers could say it much more eloquently than I could, so I will leave it to them.

Next up looks like the zucchini......