*

i am fond of re-arranging the house 
for each season.
i have also been on a mission to de-clutter
and create light, airy, calm rooms in the house.
each time i deep clean and/or re-arrange
i add more to our garage sale pile, and the house feels so nice.
i cleared off the sunporch and put a desk facing the garden.
it was the perfect spot for breakfast and pollywog and i have been drawn out
here often. we listen to music, read, and create.
it is also my art studio.
last night we sat looking at the stars.
"mom, listen...hear those crickets? its so peaceful."
i have filled this space with candles, favorite rocks and plants.
i moved pollywog's desk into her favorite nook in the living room.
her fish live here and she is often sitting in her rocking chair watching them.
we added another goldfish and a really large algae eater.
i hung her latest art pieces and organized her markers, crayons, pencils, 
paper and other craft supplies. she spends alot of time here.
the desk overlooks the front garden and trees and she likes to watch the 
wind blow the leaves. 
::nook::
with the desk out of her room we moved some furniture around
giving her more space.
brought her kitchen set back into her room, hung up her stuffed animals
and hung these pretty shear curtains she picked out at a flea market, up.
her room is so peaceful.
 with the renewing of the house, she has been so busy re-discovering,
 crafting and playing. 
the only room left to "summerize" is mine.
the rest of the house is ready for summer.
 lots of white and powdery blues...
spacious with pockets of our favorite trinkets, rocks, and shells.
the billowing sheers in pollywogs room and the dining room
inhale and exhale with each passing breeze
and the overflowing mint garden sends the most
amazing aroma through the windows.
::om::


weekend catch-up

it seems i have less and less time at this space.
that usually happens when spring and summer arrive.
its been so beautiful out and we spend a tremendous amount of time outdoors.
nevertheless i still make time for pictures.
so here is what we have been up too.
1. Saturday morning we went to the Farmer's Market before the soccer game.
The lil' one got a lovely rainbow painted on her face that she ooo'd and aah'd over.
We also got some yummy strawberries, honey sticks, poc choi, and red lettuce.

2.  Soccer game!!! It was muggy out but the kids played hard knowing there was a 
birthday party after.

3. We went to one of the best kid's birthday parties I have ever been too.
It was all outdoors and there was a beautiful courtyard with tables and refreshments
and a large yard filled with rubber balls, tree swings and jubilant children.
After the festivities the kids played with the bday girl's toys in the lawn, while the grownups sat
on blankets sipping wine and beer and having wonderful conversation.

4. At the party there was a rope hung from a tree with a climbing carabiner.
The kids sat in climbing harnesses and got to swing really high.
It was a popular spot. Pollywog LOVED this! 
It looked like sooo much fun! At one point she had her arms outstretched like she was flying.

5. Her best buddy came to watch her play soccer.

6. Sunday morning we planted herbs. This spot is at the bottom 
of the stairs just outside the kitchen.
I can't wait to add these fresh herbs to our meals.

7. We also made a terrarium. We went exploring for, and found moss, rocks
and other items and plants she wanted to add.
She calls this her Fairy Garden.

8. Later in the afternoon I was reading on the sun porch and pollywog
was busying herself. When I asked what she was doing she said, 
"making a fairy ladder" (duh). She explained that the fairies
can climb the ladder/ribbon to get in and find her Fairy Garden.
There is a crumb a bread to attract them, and the chopstick is a shortcut for them.
swoon

9. floral arrangement all gathered from the yard

a wonderful day 

::this space::

saturday pollywog had a soccer game.
we had to get up at 6 a.m. to get there before the game for pictures.
the lil one and i are not morning gals but we managed.
despite the grump bunnies the morning was beautiful.
the ground was covered in frost and a blanket of fog slowly rose
as the sun began to shine.
i must say i felt rather bad having pollywog pose, shivering and tired 
for pictures
you can see her looking at me like, "really mom? why?"
then it was time to run up and down the wet field and kick a ball.
i must admit it seems rather absurd and i felt kinda bad watching the children.
they seemed a bit miserable
 it was pretty humorous too...and in the end the kids 
warmed up and did have fun.
at this age it's really only about having fun.
they ran around confused.
they've been taught to share, be kind and play with others so the concept
of taking a ball from an opponent and kicking it to a goal is lost on them.
its sweet.
after the game and a rest we played in the back yard.
it was a crisp spring day.
i weeded the growing garden while pollywog played with her babies and ran gleefully
around the yard.
we identified the plants and listened to the different songs of the birds.
i feel such a peace when we are in the garden.
this life-long journey always leads me back to THIS place.
a place of simplicity. 
i feel aligned with my path when my days are filled
with being in tune with the outside world.
hanging laundry on the line, tending the garden, teaching pollywog about this world.
eating fresh, no phones, no tele, no cars or man-made noise.
 this is when i feel most at peace and a "rightness" fills me.
more and more i long for a life-style where these are not hobbies
but just our lives.
a small plot of land, a bubbling brook.
a humble art studio, few animals to care for that care for us.
a small community of creative, artistic, folks living off the land, 
sharing and raising our children together.
creators of our own lives not slaves to society's trappings.
in my heart i know this path of mine leads to this.
my spirit is pulling further and further away from the city.
the 9 to 5's. 
the processed and greedy food industry,
the deceitful and cruelness that i see society heading rapidly.
i am daily disinterested in what is going on "out there" in the man-made world.
the pharmaceutical and medical industry, celebrity obsession and comparison that one can easily 
fall prey.
dumbed down school system, technology that continues to separate us all.
my body wants to follow the natural rhythm of the earth.
to connect with my spirit, encourage my children to connect with their own.
have discussions with other humans that are real and life giving.
 as i continue to seek this and attract this.
i am slowly allowing myself to adapt and grow.
slowly transitioning myself for when it all aligns
and the opportunity presents itself to fully emerge into this life i crave.
in the meantime i will enjoy the pockets of these moments 
fully grateful and present.


moments recently passed and savored


1. last sunday a beautiful rain storm swept through. the little one
spent the day at grandma's with cousins and i find
a pocket of time to myself to savor and be.
i finished a painting and sipped a glass of wine with windows
open on the sunporch.
the rain poured then the sun came out and i observed the magic of it all.

2. this week with a new helmet pollywog blazed through the nearby bike trails
giggling as mommy ran to keep up!

3. my sister, moi, and mama.
 saturday was filled with cousins, grandma, aunt&uncle, and bubbie
as we all went to silver dollar city.
pollywog rode her first kiddie coaster (she's not a fan), we watched peruvian
scissor dancers, danced to music from ecuador, ate dipping dots, 
went through a fun house, dodged water shooting from the ground, ate yummy mexican food, 
watched a music light water show at the landing and all of us danced like children.
even grandma!

4. cousins

::today::


today was a busy day.
a full day at the preschool and a full evening at soccer.
pollywog played the goalie position and turns out she's pretty darn good.
the coach said, "well we've found our goalie"

i tried not to beam to proudly.
each time she blocked a ball she would look at me and wait for her thumbs up.
i remembered doing the same for cj twelve years ago...whoa.
saturday is the first game...a double header no less.
seems sleeping in on saturdays will be changing.
busy days are becoming more common round here.
spring is in the air so when i am not taking the boy shopping for new clothes,
or to his classes, or pollywogs soccer games, or working at the school, 
or attending my weekly zumba class, we tend to be outside riding bikes,
planting, watering the garden, and practicing soccer.
when we do find a pocket of quiet we do so enjoy those moments too.
what a sweet big brother
 yes, life is busy right now 
but luckily our busy times are times of connecting, observing, being present and joy.
lots of joy.
 



stir-fry&soccer

I never realized how much working 4 days a week, albeit part-time
would affect the household.
by the time pollywog and i come home from school i am exhausted.
caring for 12 to 14, 3&4 year old's will take it out of you.
they are all at the age between dependency and independence.
all seem to be going though growth spurts, which can lead to melt-downs,
neediness, and frustration on their parts.
i find a large part of my day is spent cheering their new accomplishments 
and offering a lot of snuggles.
i love each and every child in my class.
i have already teared up thinking about the end of the year arriving 
and not interacting with these dear souls daily.
that said, my energy is fairly zapped at the end of the work day.
my household duties have been pare downed.
i clean here and there when i can, and try not to obsess about it (which is hard for me).
meals have been simplified too and we definitely have takeout more
than i care to admit.
quiet mornings sipping coffee have been replaced with balancing
coffee mug while braiding pollywog's hair, making cj pancakes,
and trying to find something decent to wear in my "artist" wardrobe,
all while typically running late.
the end of May, a shift will occur.
the preschool session will end and i will begin something new.
it will be interesting to see what this summer will bring.
i can honestly say they are all VERY different.
i will be traveling with the lil one to Oregon to visit daddy.
this should be nice as she&daddy can reacquaint and i can do the same
with the glorious pacific northwest.
i also will be working on and planning my future with school and future career,
as well as the preparations for pollywogs upcoming kindergarten experience.
there will be swimming parties, picnics, trips, gardening, and slow-quiet-summer days.
but presently pollywog and i made our way into the kitchen to 
cook together...as we so love to do and need to do more often.
stirfry...a great meal that involves lots of chopping 
and i happen to know a little girl who likes to do just this.
mommy even worked with her on using a "big, sharp, knife"
 she chopped all our veggies 
and we enjoyed a yummy, nutritious home-cooked meal

 and speaking of presently...
the lil one has started soccer.
a new sport for her.

she is a natural and her big brother has been practicing with her.
i was soooo proud watching her at practice!!!!
  i never envisioned parenting would feel like this.
moments of shear pride and exuberance at watching your children
run up and down a field kicking a ball.
(so much so that i forgot to charge my camera and was only able to get two pictures)
who knew?


week*end

we had a lovely weekend...
i took cj and pollywog to the craft store friday evening.
pollywog picked out a craft that was detail-orienteed
at least from her perspective.

this was a good challenge for her 
she can be a bit of a perfectionist 
and i try and remind her guide through these moments
but she is learning each time she is presented with these said" challenges"

for example when we color together and she gets out of the lines she is
quick to want to crinkle it up and toss it aside.
but i gently show her the joys of "getting out of the lines" sometimes.
all that said, she seemed to finally let go
and the end was result was one she was truly proud of.

saturday morning we awoke to a symphony of spring sounds. 
mowers humming, birds singing, the fan lulling me back to sleep.
it was so beautiful outside that we were quickly drawn to eating breakfast 
by the garden. we partook in a rare but yummy saturday treat...doughnuts.

then we spent the rest of the morning in the garden
weeding 

watching the different birds gliding through the sky and landing in reaching branches,
and observing the tiny warriors poking through the soil discussing what each plant will become
pollywog is particularly excited to see her mexican sunflowers blossom.
they will display beautiful oranges, reds & yellows and shoot up higher than her.
she watches this growth diligently.

later in the day pollywog went to grandma's for a slumber party with her cousin.
i enjoyed an afternoon of painting. something i have not done in awhile.

in the evening i met friends for a drink on a breezy patio.
today i was gifted with sleeping in. something i have not outgrown the desire for.
after a delicious cup of coffee and a green smoothie 
i walked around the house observing the pockets of sunlight and 
and little treasures in the corners of my home.
the house was so peaceful.

 but i was starting to miss the kids and was thankful when 
grandma brought the bouncing crew back home.
we ordered  dinner and caught up on their adventures 
then watched "harry and the hendersons" together.
now as this blissful weekend ends the house is still
'cept for the sound of the fan, and the warm stillness of the night.
good*night