Springtime and Subtle Shifts

The days are warming up and we are jubilantly soaking in the carefree moments.  

From lunchtime walks to weekend wanderings, 

the sprouts of spring are spunky and spirited and (in)spiring.

Wanderings like these lend themselves to reflection.

There are some things that always remain the same throughout all seasons of motherhood.

Love is a constant.  

Love fiercely.  

Love practically.  

Love freely. 

Love patiently.

Love firmly.

Love.

Say yes whenever you can.

Yes to opportunities to connect.

YES.

Pray.

Pray hard.

Pray for your beautiful Blossoms (or Sprouts).

Pray for yourself and your husband.

Pray.

Other things do change.  Subtly, but they do.

A twenty-year-old is not "managed" the same way an eight-year-old is "managed."  

There are no more reminders to brush teeth or set alarms.  

There is no more hovering about the mirror to make sure modesty standards are upheld.  

She and the Holy Spirit can figure it out by now.

I'm around if she asks for my opinion.

What used to be a long parenting exhortation 

is now a well-placed sentence at the right time.

Given with prayerful grace.

I don't tell the older Blossoms how to handle a situation; 

I try to listen to their recounting and see how they handled it.  

We're here with wisdom, but, most likely, she already knows what we'd say.  

She has His voice inside her.

Some situations just need prayer,

not more of my opinions.

Motherhood shifts, but I'm finding joy behind the shifts, 

noting the growing maturity, the deeply held personal standards, 

blossoming goals and dreams, and a solid foundation.

May He continue to build in the Blossoms' lives.  May He weave the tapestries of their lives.

Half a Habit

Sometimes you have a goal and you're doing really well with it and then, you just hit a snag.  

(I could be looking at you, time change.) 

Before I even realized, I went two weeks with barely a walk in my daily routine and I could tell.

More emotional, less energy.  

If you haven't heard me say it before, exercise is magic.

Because of a few extra demands in our mornings lately, I was having trouble establishing that consistency again. I realized this:

Half a habit is better than seven days without a habit.  

Half a habit builds momentum.

Half a habit is the road back to a good, healthy habit.

I told myself that I could manage 10 minutes on the treadmill or just a quick little walk while Blossom3 was helping with Art Club or squeeze in a few laps around the yard.  

Ten minutes grows.  It's the first step and the longest journeys begin with the first step.

What can you conquer by beginning with half a habit?

What Season Are We In?

This week, we landed somewhere in the neighborhood of Second Winter, Spring of Deception, and Mud Season.  Inevitably, Third Winter followed and that's where we're currently standing as I watch white stuff flit through the air and listen as the wind howls in protest.

We soaked up the sunshine while we had it though, walking, playing in the yard, and working on the homestead, with light hearts and warmth on our faces.  There were towels on the line and breezes skittering through our home, refreshing and reviving us.

In a fit of spring rage-cleaning, I cleaned out the garden and planted lettuce in my mini milk jug greenhouses.  Outside work is such a healthy way to blow off steam.

I'm still not certain how much I'm planting in the garden this year.  This mama is juggling a lot and my normal Blossom work force is not always around, leaving me wondering how much I can realistically juggle.  This is a challenge, unique to the season of launching adults and guiding teens. 

Your work force graduates and you're back to doing many of the tasks alone...

or mostly alone.

Sometimes I feel emotional about this and sometimes I just barrel through. The core is still the same for me:

Work as unto the Lord.

Serve Him with excellence, by serving my family with excellence.

This is the guidepost I come back to when I'm struggling with my attitude.

Dominique

The (New) Little Old Ladies

A longtime family friend and the original 4-H leader to our Blossoms had a predicament:

All the little old ladies with sewing skills are dying off,

so all the little old ladies who used to volunteer to sew things like catheter covers, newborn hats, and NICU quilts are becoming much harder to find.

She texted me an SOS.  

Enter the (new) little old ladies:

the Blossoms and their Blossom friends thinking bigger than themselves.

With their time and

with their talents. 

We gathered and pooled our sewing machines.

They laughed and grinned and spent the morning

using their hands to bring dignity back to elderly folks in a local nursing home.

It challenged me not to get too busy to pass on the life skills that we value.

Coffee Shop Schooling Yesterday

We finally made it over to a local greenhouse coffee shop for our sometimes-monthly coffee shop schooling session. 

Blossom2 was home from college yesterday so she was happy to come along before she headed out for a State Council obligation.  The funny thing is that she wanted a break from school work, so we chatted a mile a minute.

Blossom3 and Blossom4 interjected in between school work, but truthfully, not nearly as much school work was accomplished this time.  Usually, I've found that we all lock in quickly and accomplish a lot.  

This doesn't really bother me when this happens.  We chose to homeschool long ago, to tailor this journey to our family's values and needs and rhythms.

The Younger Blossoms miss having Blossom2 here all the time, so I really didn't mind when the math problems sat, while drinks were sipped and laughter bubbled.

In hindsight, I should've left the schoolwork at home.  

Connection takes proximity and quantity time.   It builds the rapport for quality time.  

As a mom, I often hope for the "deep" conversations, but the precursor to deep conversations, 

is being available and invested in the outfit conversations, 

the coffee and energy drink opinions, 

the rants, 

the silly jokes,

all of it.

Dominique