Daybook: Return to Center

Outside my Window:

Rain, cooler temperatures, and lots of ‘tulips’ from the poplar in the back yard littering the deck. I’m not complaining. The hot and humid summers of the south can take their sweet time getting here- I wilt!

I am thinking:

That sometimes, being a mama to boys is easier than it is to be a mama to girls. Yes, sirree. I’ve joined the GoodMorningGirls.org study of Sally Clarkson’s book, The Ministry of Motherhood. I bought and read the book a few years back, but I am really looking forward to a deeper journey through it this time. I need and want to be more intentional in this area, and this is a good place to start.

I am thankful for:

My beloved. For intentional leadership. For a quiet shoulder of support and a listening ear. For the gift that is corporate prayer with one’s spouse. For the sacrament of marriage, the sanctifying and sharpening journey we walk together in the Lord’s grace and mercy, for the day that is new every morning. And so much more.

From the learning rooms…

It seems we homeschool mamas are always trying something new, but isn’t that the beauty of it? We’re still working diligently towards the end of our school year, but I am trying a new approach to how our day is arranged this week, testing the waters towards the school year ‘next year’.  (We school year-round.) I will officially have three in school- a fact which just serves to remind just how fast time flies.

From the kitchen:

A return to center. I could write that for just about every entry here, but it is very true in this sense. As my asthma and allergy related issues continue to trouble, I’ve been headed back to a near “Maker’s Diet” that I began with over six or seven years ago and had woefully moved away from- except this time, both dairy and gluten are being removed. The idea is to give my body as easy a time as possible to heal by removing anything that is somewhat allergenic. My good friend Tonia has been encouraging me so much in this. I’m hoping maybe somewhere down the line she’ll be able to write some posts about her journey in this, because she has so much wisdom to share.

I am wearing:

Loose drawstring khaki pants, kelly green tank, and my hair in a braid. A Saturday evening grill out has left me with a thousand mosquito bites, making me feel like a flea-bitten dog; anything loose and not itchy is the order of the day.

I am creating:

I have begun to weave the creative back into my day, a few minutes here and there- currently, I’m working on illustrating/hand writing a particular verse that has touched my life recently. I’ll have more to share on Friday. It feels good. I don’t know why I write that time off as not valuable and always drop it from the schedule; ten minutes of creating can create an oasis of peace that lasts all day.

I am going:

Or not going, as the case may be. We have become a one car family, after years of having two cars. It as much an economical choice as it is a lifestyle choice. It’s been an adjustment, but has come to the point that I don’t really realize the so-called ‘burden’ any more. It does mean that I have to be better home keeper in the grocery and errand sense- but that was a skill I needed to develop more fully anyways. I didn’t realize how distracted I had become by the going. There is much more time. Imagine that!

I am reading:

Revisiting some books that have been on my bookshelf, reviewing, learning, planning, dreaming.

The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson.

Homeschooling the Challenging Child by Christine M Field.

Vol 3, Issue 1 of the Somerset Apprentice, Spring 2011.

I am hoping:

That this new schedule works better for us. I was rapidly approaching burn out because of the crazy mis-management going on due to a mis-understanding of what really mattered in my life; more on that tommorrow. I love this quote that Ali Edwards put up the other day:

Things that matter most must not be at the mercy of things that matter least.~ Goethe

I am hearing:

Kids hollering and fighting; the rain trickling down the window pane; the noisy air conditioner kicking in, Phil Keaggy’s guitar whispering away on Pandora.

Around the house:

Pictures and ‘signs of life’ are finally going up around the house. A regular rhythm to cleaning has almost found the beat of peace. The laundry is ever a lost cause, but doesn’t pile endlessly like it used to. Most of that has to do with my mama’s visit- she helped get our life ‘over the hump’ of transition from the move and the baby, allowing me to find the center again. I am deeply grateful.

One of my favorite things:

Babies babbling. And babies giggling. And sibling’s funny faces that make all of that happen. Yup. Yessiree. That, my dears, is of unmeasurable worth.

A few plans for the rest of the week:

An overhaul to the blog, long put off. I need to unlock the archives, but I’m half worried I will flood everyone’s Readers obnoxiously.

Continuing to follow this new path and schedule, and trusting in His lead in it.

A couple of spring cleaning things- cleaning out the windows, which have been untended for years and have numerous bug issues and nests- blech! Caring for the yard and gutters, maybe planting a few things? Repairing some damage to the walls that a certain toddler who shall not be named managed to do while I was looking.straight.at. him. *ahem*. It blows my mind what kids of this age can manage to damage- they can resemble descending locusts at times…

A picture thought I am sharing:

An oldie but a goodie. Totally inspiring me today. Need some color with all this rain!