{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, visit Soulemama to leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.
{A Week of Gratitude (in pictures)}:the chance to visually reflect on my daily blessings; an opportunity to let the good in my life soak deep in my memory; a moment to appreciate the happiness that surrounds me; a chance to acknowledge how incredibly beautiful this life really is
Sunday: Playing tourist in our own town.
Monday: Book club.
Tuesday: Watching a reading lesson with Daddy.
Wednesday: Celebrating the new superhero in our house…Birdman (and being thankful for this boy’s imagination).
Thursday: Interrupting our regular schedule for an array of educational games (and learning just as much while having a whole lot of fun!)
Friday: Hanging out with this monkey and his sister (and his mom, too, of course!)
Saturday: Celebrating 7 years of having Walker in our lives.
{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, visit Soulemama to leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.
I miss traveling. That chapter of my life seems so long ago that it’s almost foggy, like the dream of a girl I’ve forgotten. Seems like my whole life, prior to having children, revolved around traveling. The moments in between simply became moments to pass until the next trip.
When I was younger, it was trips to Fremont or Raleigh. Stretches of time exploring the woods near my grandparents’ house, watching the river trickle past. As I got older, the trips became my own choosing, places like New York, Maine, Utah. No agenda, just spur of the moment adventure. Hikes around lakes, picnics on the beach.
Daxson and I got married and we were delighted to share our love of traveling…exploring places together from Newport to Mar de Plata in Argentina. We spent our honeymoon tucked away in a small cabin in Maine, delighting in the seaside charm of Bar Harbor, sipping wine on the patio, watching time tick by ever so slowly.
Now I’m knee deep in a world that is characterized by perpetual motion. Limited time to soak up the view and relish in small town charm. Paralyzed by the notion that traveling for a mother is not vacation, but simply a trip, most often accompanied by stress and double the workload. Throw in some obsessive compulsive germaphobia tendencies and my traveling days have come to a grinding halt for now.
Sure, we make the occasional trip to Austin. Granny and Pappy’s house becomes our new home while we explore the city and surrounding areas. But it’s really the only place (aside from a few day trips in South Texas and our camping adventures, all within 5 hours of our home) that we’ve managed to venture to. It’s all fantastic fun but not quite the carefree traveling I fondly remember from my college days.
But it’s okay. While I tend to have a melancholic spirit, often finding the glass half empty, I have learned that there’s something special to be found no matter where I am. That’s a huge statement for me to make because it’s no secret that there’s no love lost between me and this city we call home.
I’ve learned that the place you live is only as good as you allow it to be (I still walk around repeating to myself the poem Mom taught me during one of our moves across country…If you want to live in a kind of town, the kind of town you like, you don’t have to pack your bags and go on a long, long hike) so I try to find the good wherever we are.
And when I stop and reflect on what I loved most about traveling, it wasn’t so much the cities or the shopping or the museums…it was the chance to see something new. The chance to slow down. The chance to escape the rush of everyday life and just soak up the beauty around me.
Lucky for me, beauty can be found anywhere. It’s a matter of training my eye to see the beauty where I am…right now.
I dream of showing my kids the world one of these days. But today is not that day. And I’m okay with that.
While we pass the time until we’re ready for big trips to faraway lands, we’ve learned to be tourists in our own town.
Daxson and I are big believers that some of the best things in life are simple and FREE so our tourist adventures often follow those specifications.
Surrounded by a culture of entitlement, I’m glad we can give our kids this small gift…the gift of contentment. The ability to be surrounded by simple and think it’s the most marvelous thing in the world.
Seeing the world from behind the viewfinder on my camera forces me to see the world through my kids’ eyes. EVERYTHING is grounds for adventure. EVERYTHING has some hidden beauty. EVERYTHING. If I just choose to see it.
Today I chose to see it. And by opening my eyes, I saw all the adventure and beauty that my kids saw. And it was marvelous.
Outside my window…school books cover the patio table.
I am remembering…this.
I am thankful for…for this dear friend. We’re so alike in so many ways…it makes it so easy to understand one another. Add to that the fact that she’s known me forever and it makes our friendship a bit like a pair of old jeans…comfortable, familiar and lovely.
I am watching…weeds sprout up all around us this spring, wondering if any of them happen to be useful. We recently went out to the Oso Wetlands Preserve and took a “Smarty Plants” tour with Sara. It was so fun to learn to identify plants in the wild…just too bad that the tour didn’t take place in my neighborhood…that would have been so useful!
I am listening…to the water run as Andrew fills up a container for another “experiment.” Who knew water and a color tablet could, repeatedly, be so fascinating?
I am wondering…which curriculum package to purchase for next year. Yep, I’m moving over to a boxed curriculum. I’d love to hear your suggestions in the comments!
I am laughing…when I remember a conversation with Katie earlier this week. She was trying to get her bag zipped but it was really full and she was having trouble. She started screaming. I told her, “Screaming won’t help.” She screamed again just as the zipper gave way and the bag zipped shut. “Oh yes it will,” she calmly replied.
I am reflecting…on this thought from our book club book, The Summer Before the War, “It occurred to Hugh that in all the long years of affection, they had never hugged each other, or so much as slapped each other on the back, and he thought it sad and strange that it would take a war to wipe away the cold formalities of life.”
In the schoolroom…our favorite days are Fridays…Shakespeare, herb studies, itsy bitsy yoga, art, chemistry, cooking and music…all the fun stuff packed into one day. Ooh la la!
Around the house…piles of laundry, all lined up to be folded and put away…just as soon as I post this.
I am celebrating…life! These two beautiful souls both have April birthdays so when we had our book club meeting yesterday, we were able to wish them both birthday wishes (although, in hindsight, where were the cupcakes??!!). Sheila was my cooperating teacher back in my student teaching days…she taught me to be organized, to have high expectations and to laugh…loud and often. Jessie is a new addition to our book club and full of everything good to be adored…she’s artistic, thoughtful, well-traveled and brimming with all the joy that naturally goes along with being in her twenties. You can read about her traveling adventures here. Happy Birthday ladies! Here’s to another year of good wine, good books, and good friends!
In the kitchen…AIP snacks. The Lemon Macaroons might just be addicting.
I am wearing…nailpolish, lipstick and a purse that matches my outfit. Weird, I know. Not to worry, I won’t make the same mistake twice.
We are preparing for…this kid’s 7th birthday. Holy moly! Where did the time go?
Someday I am going to miss…having my head chopped off by a budding photographer.
I am reading…Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (a book club selection that is right up my alley) and Mercy in the City by Kerry Weber (I started this a few months ago but it got buried under a pile of stuff…when I recovered it, it was a bit like meeting an old friend that I hadn’t seen in awhile, “Oh, you, I’ve missed you!”)
One of my favorite things…snuggling up for MacGyver.
A peek into my day…if only I could pull off that headband.
Please visit The Simple Woman’s Daybook for more daybook entries.
{A Week of Gratitude (in pictures)}:the chance to visually reflect on my daily blessings; an opportunity to let the good in my life soak deep in my memory; a moment to appreciate the happiness that surrounds me; a chance to acknowledge how incredibly beautiful this life really is
Sunday: Andrew’s imagination
Monday: Morning devotion
Tuesday: A successful visit to the dentist for William (and now Katie knows what to expect for her upcoming visit)
Wednesday: Afternoon yoga with my favorite little people
Thursday: I was resigned to spending the whole week indoors but, lucky for me, the forecast was wrong. Most of the week turned out to be perfect for outdoor schooling.
Friday: With everyone busy doing their own work, I managed to sneak in some reading time for book club
Saturday: A sneak peek into our preschool curriculum for next year. 
{A Week of Gratitude (in pictures)}:the chance to visually reflect on my daily blessings; an opportunity to let the good in my life soak deep in my memory; a moment to appreciate the happiness that surrounds me; a chance to acknowledge how incredibly beautiful this life really is
Sunday: Celebrating this boy’s 7th birthday.
Monday: Since we ate birthday cupcakes at the beach, he didn’t get to blow out a candle. So we celebrated again!
Tuesday: Two nature excursions in one morning. Exhausting, but extremely educational. The kids loved having a chance to work in the Learning Gardens.
Wednesday: Feasting on the tiniest brussels sprouts I’ve ever seen (thanks to Jessica’s garden)!
Thursday: Celebrating another missing tooth!
Friday: Watching William play with the Concert family’s dog, Rufus. Pure joy!
Saturday: Seeing Joey’s imagination in full gear.
You.
Our energetic, inquisitive boy.
Yesterday you turned seven.
And we were blessed with the chance to celebrate another year with you.
Another year of sharing our lives with you.
Another year to watch the world unfold before you.
You are an endless fountain of questions.
A joy to watch as you learn and discover.
A spark in our lives that keeps us entertained.
You are compassionate.
And kind.
Sweet.
And loving.
Adventurous and daring.
You are a steady flow of energy, keeping our days full.
Six was fun.
It was marked with milestones.
Losing your front teeth.
Making your first communion.
Winning second place at the regional science fair.
It was marked with the grind of day to day living.
School.
Art.
Play.
Adventure.
Experimenting.
Learning.
It was good.
But seven is going to be a whole new adventure.
We’re ready. Are you?
{A Week of Gratitude (in pictures)}:the chance to visually reflect on my daily blessings; an opportunity to let the good in my life soak deep in my memory; a moment to appreciate the happiness that surrounds me; a chance to acknowledge how incredibly beautiful this life really is
Sunday: Thankful for the times when her “brilliant” ideas actually do work out.
Monday: Celebrating Andrew’s first missing tooth!
Tuesday: A day at the beach to soak up the sun and the sand.
Wednesday: Listening to Joey read the books he wrote to Katie.
Thursday: Listening to this kid inform me about all the ways kids can stay safe (he’s the only kid I know that has read the safety handbook from cover to cover and enjoyed it).
Friday: Pure joy.
Saturday: Some playground playtime at one of our favorite places with some of our favorite kids.
{A Week of Gratitude (in pictures)}:the chance to visually reflect on my daily blessings; an opportunity to let the good in my life soak deep in my memory; a moment to appreciate the happiness that surrounds me; a chance to acknowledge how incredibly beautiful this life really is
Sunday: Easter Sunday. Alleluia! He is risen!
Monday: Holy moly! She wore something besides pink!
Tuesday: A family of book lovers.
Wednesday: Seeing the boys’ desk. Really. I could actually see it once all the Legos and papers and other um, junk, was finally cleared off. Beautiful. Oh and look at that…now they can actually use the desk as a, well, desk. Amazing.
Thursday: A great conversation with these amazing women about a beautiful book, Hannah Coulter. I can see why so many people have fallen in love with Wendell Berry’s writing.
Friday: The hysterical laughter that followed the April Fool’s joke Dax played on the kids (a drop of food coloring in their toothpaste…seriously, you should have seen their faces when they all looked at one another and realized they were each foaming blue…HYsterical!)
Saturday: The Goliad reenactments.
With Every Intention 