A January dispatch…

:feeling guardedly excited about the changes we have made.

::thinking that lists are a good thing, and I shouldn’t try to be super-woman and remember it all in my head. That, and I’m getting older. And caffeine loses effectiveness. So yeah, lists.

 ::appreciating  the seriously wacky (for mid January) but wonderful warm weather. We’ve been outside as much as we can before it snaps cold again.

:: anticipating a busy but productive end of the month and into February. Hopefully. Or perhaps a chicken-y-head-cut-off season? Only time and the coffee supply will tell.

:: reminding myself to drink deep these everyday moments with my kids, delight in the giggles and the crazy hair. I only have a few fleeting moments before it’s gone.

::hoping that I can continue in the discipline of the everyday, without getting overwhelmed. When the rhythm is there, it’s wonderful. When it’s not, it’s chaos.

::getting a serious addiction to hot cups of well…anything…tea. Coffee. Chai. Hot chocolate. It was a habit that I lost over the last few years. I’m so grateful that this mindful little rest stop is back in my days. There is just something about wrapping your cold fingers around a hot cup and inhaling the steam and perfume of whatever you’ve chosen to drink.  Peace.

::planning a significant reboot to our homeschool rhythm. I had a feeling as we were finishing up the end of last semester that there was a hole with both L and Z with reading; I realized (with my break-time reading and research) that we really need to focus on letter formation and recognition much more than I have. I’ve been moving towards a lot of Montessori/Waldorf ideas anyways; this has just further strengthened that I’m on the right path for my kids. I love the wonderful (free) resources and ideas to help me too. One thing I did buy over the break was this book: Playful Learning: Develop Your Child’s Sense of Joy and Wonder. So much practical help. If you can’t find it at the library, buy it. Worth every penny.

::loving this reinfusion of love for homeschooling. I have struggled with burn-out for nearly a year. I really needed the fire re-lit and the strength to keep moving forward, and I’m so grateful to feel that gentle shove forward again. Much better than just treading water. (And heavens, if I was feeling like that, I wonder sometimes what my kids were feeling?)

::looking at the shortening hems on all my older children’s clothes. Why/how/where/do they have to keep growing? And overnight, too. Boys. If it’s not the mud and dirt, it’s those gangly legs growing fast that send clothes to their early doom. And dont’ get me started on shoes….

::hearing saws and booms and clanging. The plumbers are finally here to finally fix a problem that is over a year old. Oh, the joys of renting. I’ll be glad to get my bathroom back.

:: remembering how nice it is to have music playing in the background at our house. (Well, not today, obviously. It’s the construction symphony.) Another habit that disappeared a few  years ago. It’s an easy addition to the atmosphere of home (and can do SO much to influence it), but I have to remember to turn it on! Sometimes we can fall into this thing with so many littles running around making noise (what, more noise? No way!, etc.) …BUT…done right it can actually engage the kids and the noise level goes down. Then there are somedays that all you can do is pray for earmuffs! 😉

::wishing I had more time to knit. It’s a goal this week.

:: knowing this truth.

Forever is composed of nows. -Emily Dickenson

:: sending all my love.