What's In

Certain things are "in" right now at our household.  For some, this includes sunglasses, choir vests,  belts, and stick swords.

For others, it's soccer.

Sisterhood seems to be in these days.  And, of course, swings.

Singing is definitely in, thus the choir vest inspiration.  And I hear "Somebody That I Used to Know" in my sleep.  With Will's voice, that is. 

Also, Pi is big.  Will is up to 55 numbers.  And did I mention the choir vest and sunglasses?  Oh, and horses, too.  Sometimes in the form of a dog named Sadie.

Kid Spirit: Double Standard

Yesterday, as I wandered over to Will's soccer game, I heard Clara shout, "Lets goooooooo Juuuuuune!" and she sped down a hill.  Then June squealed, "Lets have some fuuuuuuun!"  John raced after them so fast his little legs could't keep up and he tumbled into the field.

I marvel at that kid spirit and joy.  I must confess, however, that the same spirit can bowl me over in other ways.  Dinnertime, getting everyone to settle down is maddening.  Then it is a rare moment that only one child is talking.  More often, it's all four at once.  And spirit takes on a whole new meaning when everyone fights.

As with all parenting, it's a continual balancing act.  I am not super skilled at keeping a lid on  enthusiasm.  The energy shows up in photographs where the kids look so happy, but the blur exposes a touch of insanity.  Sometimes it does feel like that spirit is consistent with love and sharing, but other times, it seems counter to all awareness and consideration.   

I guess my goal is to cultivate thoughtful joy, and to work on that myself.  And then just to embrace those "running down a hill" moments when there is nothing to do but admire.

Mailboxes and More

Just in time for winter last year, I added four mailboxes to our backyard fence.  I had visions of special deliveries and allowance deposits, as well as leaves and sticks and rocks.  Then it got cold and snowed and they became imaginative decorations.  But, I have renewed Spring intentions to bring these boxes to life.  

We have a system for official deliveries.  When there's a red flag on an inside bulletin board, that means there is outside mail.  Today it is allowance, but the possibilities are many.  My hope is they will begin to fill each other's boxes.  My dream is that we all elegantly communicate in letter form.  Ah, dreams...

The Raspberry Ritual Returns

With Spring officially here, warm weather rituals are returning, like the trip to the nearby raspberry bushes.   Lately, this is a girl activity, but I believe Will started the trend.   

Sometimes "I'm going to the raspberries" is code for "get me out of here."  In our full household, full of energy, I'm ok with that.  I'm glad the escape exists.  I love this particular escape because:

• the destination is a wild berry bush, whether or not the berries are around,
• the girls have a tradition of wearing hats,
• the means of getting there is usually by scooter,
• it represents thoughtful time,
• it always involves art and reading and writing, while sitting in the shade on a big rock,
• even though the idea is privacy, usually the preference is company,
• even if they left in anger, they always come back peaceful.  

At present, I'm not sure where my proverbial raspberries are, but my girls do inspire me to find them.

Spring Swing

Each year, in an effort to keep up with kinetic children, we add a new swing to our outside collection.  This year, it's a special one.  Over spring break, Clara pulled out her "Daring Book for Girls," and it happened to open up to "How to Make a Swing."  

We bought the wood, the rope, and the eye hooks and then started drilling.  Although Clara's book was our inspiration, we used this link as our guide.  We tied bowline knots on the seat and from a beam, as we are all out of tree limb swing space.   Clara is proud that the end result is a big hit.  As with the others, the new swing is the favorite.

Easter Create-ings

Here are a few scenes from our Easter creations.  Create-ings is a more appropriate description, as everything seemed to be a process without endings.  

Whether or not the kids grasped the renewal and rebirth of Easter, they did get lost in the creative spirit.  Maybe rebirth and the creative spirit are one and the same.  I'd say it works that way for me.

A Bag of Morning Ease

Our mornings are not always easy.  Between the school's late start and Jeff's long commute, it is a single parent job for me this year.  From the wake up call to breakfast to packed lunches to the rush into the school doors --  it's my domaine.

You learn what must go smoothly.  In our household, locating shoes and picking out girl clothes the night before is paramount.  But then, it's never that simple.  I have to find tricks to make the trick (picking out clothes and shoes the night before) more enticing.

I recently made some bags for this purpose.   Having these homemade bags to put clothes in seems to endow the chore with the proper specialness, at least for now.  And because my daily opinion of myself is all too often linked to my ability to hold it together (or not) on our mornings, these little bags hold more than clothes.  They hold my self esteem.