March Is...

Glaciers still on land and water...



Spring flu...



But also,
First crawls...



Lost teeth...




And gloriously goopy MUD...

Standing Still

It is so quiet...

The younger kids are falling asleep, their dad sitting in the rocker by their bed, softly talking. The lights are low, baby too is slowly falling asleep in my gently swaying arms while we listen to this song. Our oldest comes down the ladder from his loft...and the room seems to almost stop...everything is slow motion. He casually breezes over, kisses baby on the top of her head and glides toward the kitchen...in a snap, all becomes normal speed again.

In those few moments, past and present were looped...for just a second, that big boy was just a baby again and I could literally feel his small warm body...and then it was gone.

Living it ~

I had started this blog after getting a bunch of questions on how we do it...then I started to think that the question of WHY we do it may cut to the chase a little faster and put it all in perspective more clearly. it seems, as long as there is a commitment to the WHY then the how of it all becomes a little more, well doable ;)

So the Why -
Now this is something we have struggled with and honestly, don't have a second thought about how other folks live, but one reason is, well, feeling indulgent. I mean, if we could make do with this space and consume fewer resources; why not give it a go? Also, with the income that isn't spent on keeping a larger space between mortgage, utilities and comforts we thought we could be doing some good with our dollars. Whether it be making consumer choices that we otherwise wouldn't be able to afford or having spare funds to go toward a cause we believe in, these bits of abundance are a result of the choice we have made to stay here...We may not always be able to do this and there will come a time when we outgrow the current space set up and will need to tweak things but, this is where we are right now.

Now, don't get me wrong. I dream of larger kitchens (how small is that thing anyway? well, that's a whole 'nother post ;), multiple bathrooms, preciously decorated children's rooms - the whole shebang. Fact is though when it has come down to actually making the move, the scales come out and the great balance seems to tip toward staying here. So we live it ~

We'll be spending more time chatting on the space, why we make it work, how we make it work (or sometimes don't! ;) and what our family gains and maybe even misses out on in all of this.

So what's it like? 800 square feet? 5 kiddos? Do I have a rubber room? ;) Well not yet.

Reminders

That, for now, they are here...

It won't always be this way. There will come a time when the toys will be gone, special ones packed away for grandchildren...

A time will come when my house will always be too neat. When they are grown, having adventures out in the world, what I won't give for one of these days of adventures laid out upon my living room floor...

So for now, I won't rush through and clear away this evidence. These reminders of what is now...the fleeting beauty that is today.

New Sister Blog!

Funny how little pieces slowly come together and before you know it, something new and wonderous has been created. Lovely when it all comes together isn't it?

What am I talking about? Well, thanks to a couple of lovely little birdies who most definitely were in sync with the universe, a new sister blog has been created in the hopes that it will inform folks on various global issues that effect us both locally and globally.

Please visit our new sister blog:
http://globalawarenessproject.blogspot.com

Each month GAP will feature a specific issue in an effort to spread the word on what the issue is, why it matters, how it effects us locally and globally and also - what you can do to help. With short, daily posts we hope that folks will have the opportunity to become informed without becoming overwhelmed. GAP stresses the strength of communites coming together to inform themselves and each other as well the power of active engagement in the issues.

Please hit the 'follow blog' button on our sister blog so you can keep updated!

Here is a little snippet on the water issue:



xo

Updating the shop...

oh. so. slowly...

Snippets of time here, moments of quiet there....over a few weeks, second by stolen second stitches become a form.

I'll be spending this week sneeking moments to update my Etsy shop. Fingers crossed! ;)

Reality take 2

The past few weeks have left me thinking about mamas and how sometimes we feel like things can divide us - economics, parenting styles, our homes...guilt, inferiority complexes or hubris - not to mention the flood of cultural messages on what a mother should be and do.

Whether its a mother losing her patience in the check out line or an apparent wonder mom, seems it can be hard to look past the exterior and really try to see the woman standing in front of us. A mother plain and clear, possessing that fierce love and all the ups and downs and in betweens that come along with that kind of fire. Doing what she does in her own style or the best way she can muster up at the moment.

Here is a little something I've been trying to focus on:

Supporting each other whether its in the check out line of the grocery store while the mama in front has her hands full with a tantruming toddler or dropping off some dinners for a family who just needs a hand. Its all good, all true and all "so" neccessary, ya think? Seems it also might have something to do with feeling good about where we are and what we're doing then sending out that sunshine.

I was in the line at The Dollar Store once - yes, The Dollar Store...and one of my kiddos was just having one of those absolute fits - you know the really hair raising ones...Anyway, this woman behind me was watching as I was trying to talk my DD through her storm and she was just smiling...a really sweet smile too. After a bit she said, "You're doing a great job..." and that one little bit of support (aside from nearly bringing me to tears right then and there because inside...things were starting to feel just a little snippy) really made a difference. It gave me the extra juice I needed to keep talking the little one through her moment (or minutes...or maybe it was an hour ;)

Also, just a few things I wanted to touch base on real quick ;)

* I do like to clean - believe it or not...really! When my husband takes the kids some Sundays to his parents; its me, the baby and an all out war on the dustbunnies. I'm not talking a few hours, this is an all day event with battles on all fronts. Where does it get me? A clean house to go to sleep by and tripping over bionicles and wooden animals for the rest of the week but in the end so worth it...

It may be this:

My kids play - a lot. And they play in the living room - all the time. With 3 kiddos sharing a 13x10 room, that doesn't leave much playroom so they haul it on out into the living/dining room. And they are never done ;) You know that, "But I'm still using it!" response you get when its time to pick up? Yeah, like I said, they like to play.

*Stuff - and we have too much of it. Really, we do. And I have been wondering who are these toys for anyway? Them or myself, lol.

Resolutions?

* Moving along the stuff - we will be taking a good hard look at what actually is played with and what is just here because, frankly, I like the look of it ;)
Well, there are, of course, more reasons than this but we'll save those for another time - a little something to look forward to if you will.

What about simplicity?

Well, that's all a matter of perspective I guess...we have a small home that doesn't use up many resources to keep it warm and fill it up with accessories to a nice coziness. BUT - the amount of mental and physical resources that go into maintaining a smaller space with this many people living in it, I find are pretty big. For us, its a constant evaluation of the space and how we use it.

For instance:

My truly wonderful husband thinks its perfectly reasonable to hang tools that he knows he will be using soon - ON THE WALL OF THE LIVINGROOM... Needless to say - this doesn't fly.

Just thought I'd share that bit of reality ;)