Rhythm~Making The Most of Our Mornings

We felt like something was lacking in our mornings, like we kind of just fell out of bed and into the workday. So my husband and I have been working towards a morning rhythm.

• 7:00 Hubby gets up, packs his lunch. (He takes Bunny if she is awake.)
• 7:30 I nurse Bunny, get up, get ready, and make breakfast.
• 8:00 Breakfast time, discuss our day ahead.
• 8:15 Hubby cleans up from breakfast and gets ready for work-I get Bunny ready and clean up the house.
• 8:30 Gather our things, leave for work, say our morning prayer as Hubby drops Bunny and me off to mama's house (where we do daycare together), kiss goodbye. Bunny and I start work. Hubby goes to work.

We use this rhythm on most mornings. It has been working very well and we have been happier because of it. We are finding that the more rhythm we have to our day, the easier and better it flows.

Our Morning Prayer

As we go out of our home,

No matter where we may roam,

Help us do our best today

And bring You glory along the way.

Keep us safe now and forever

And bring us back to be together.

Amen.

An Enchanted Childhood

When I was a child, I loved to spend time with my Poppaw. He was always teaching me things-- from how to sharpen a pocket knife, to how to make a powder horn, to how to hunt ( he was very outdoorsy and I was a major tomboy). His basement workshop was a place of wonder and excitement for me--full of adventures yet to happen and stories waiting to be told. To this day the smell of leather takes me back. His love of the great outdoors inspired me. It made me want to see things the way he saw them and do things the way he did them. He has always, inexplicably, called me "Skooch", and I always, inexplicably, loved it.

Poppaw~Mr. McGregor

Now, one of my favorite daily summertime activities with the children is to walk through the field to my grandparents' house. We stop at the chicken coop to feed the chickens and check for eggs. Then we make our way to his garden where we have a taste of whatever is ripe (recently it has been raspberries and watermelon). The daycare children love him. They call him their "Mr. McGregor" (from Peter Rabbit) and are always excited to see him. Bunny is always happy to see him too. He always, inexplicably, calls her "Pooky", and I think she will always, inexplicably, love it too.

Checking out the chickens!

Mr. McGregor's garden has supplied us with a number of various fruits and vegetables, as well as berries of all kinds. It makes me smile every time we eat something from him. I can't wait until next summer when Bunny will be able to partake in the feast along with the rest of us. I know his Pooky will have the same love for him as his Skooch does.

Picking raspberries! 

Chowing down on watermelon!

Back To Basics~Homemade Happiness

{I am a woman on a mission. A mission to declutter our home and our lives. To make more and buy less. To find the things we truly love in life and hold onto them. A mission to get back to basics. The progress is slow as I work full time (at home) and have a husband and baby to care for. However, what I have accomplished has made a great improvement in our lives.}

Playdough~

First let me explain something, each of our daycare children have their own assigned color: red, blue, green ,teal, orange, pink, yellow, and purple. We use these colors for everything possible (sippy cups, wash cloths, plates, bowls, silverware, band aids...etc). It's become kinda fun to try to match colors to children.

Today is our little purple girl's second birthday. For her little party here at daycare, we made homemade playdough. Pretty purple playdough that is, with a lovely light lavender scent.

1 cup flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar

1/2 cup salt

1 cup water

1 tbsp. oil

Purple food coloring

5 drops of lavender oil

Mix dry ingredients; add wet. Cook low until ball forms. Knead until cool. Add flour if sticky.

The children love to make and play with playdough (especially the scented kind). We've also made chocolate, using cocoa powder instead of food coloring and lavender oil.

Shared with:

Eco-Kids Tuesday

Simplicity Parenting

When I was pregnant for Bunny, I read many pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting books. One of my favorites, by far, was Simplicity Parenting. It is an enlightening read about "using the extraordinary power of less to raise calmer, happier, and more secure kids". I still find myself picking  it up again and again to reread certain chapters or paragraphs. I have recently visited their website and discussion board, and once again, I find myself going back again and again. Simplicity Parenting helped me decide what kind of a rhythm I wanted for my home and my family, a rhythm that I am working toward everyday.

Visit their website to find out more about Simpicity Parenting and to see my guest post.

{This Moment}

{this moment} – A Friday ritual inspired by SouleMama. 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.

Back To Basics~Homemade Happiness

{I am a woman on a mission. A mission to declutter our home and our lives. To make more and buy less. To find the things we truly love in life and hold onto them. A mission to get back to basics. The progress is slow as I work full time (at home) and have a husband and baby to care for. However, what I have accomplished has made a great improvement in our lives.}

Tree Blocks~

Recently we had to cut down a tree in our back yard (it was damaged from a storm and I was concerned it  would fall on the house). We used most of the wood for a bonfire, but I saved several small branches to use for projects. Now, my wonderful husband has made me the best thing ever. Tree blocks! He cut up some of the branches into 1/2 inch to four inch segments and I piled them into a basket. They are the prettiest sight, the daycare children love them, and it makes me smile to see them playing with the blocks.

It is things like tree blocks that make me want to have more natural and homemade things. To get back to basics and get rid of all this stuff in my house. When something so simple can be so beautiful, it makes me wonder why we have so many complications in life.      

Shared with:

Eco-Kids Tuesday

Wordless Wednesday

                                                  

   

Home Sweet Home

On August first 2008, My husband and I bought our home (well, he wasn't really my husband until a week later). It was a 1976 used doublewide. We payed cash. It was a mess, but it was ours.

We had saved our money for months, carefully saving every penny for the right place and the right time. We had just been to look at a singlewide that was dirt cheap, but it ended up having a bent frame, as well as other major problems. After that, we decided to wait for God to bring us the right house. As we drove around talking, we decided to say a quick prayer for God to bring it in His time, not ours. We said amen as we drove past the mobile home place. Suddenly, we both gasp. There, in the lot was an old, run down, used doublewide. The sign read "For Sale: Used 1976 double wide, $4,500.00". As we looked at each other, we realized that this was what we were supposed to do. We called my mama, who was in town not too far away, and she came to take a look. Later that night, my dad drove out to check it out. With the condition the house was in, we shouldn't have even been interested. We shouldn't have even taken a second glance. But we did, and everyone agreed that it was right for us.

We spent the next months getting the house moved onto our property and fixing it up while we live with my parents next door. We ripped it apart and put it back together piece by piece, paycheck by paycheck. We did all the work ourselves, with the help of my family. My dad became the foreman (because he knew what he was doing) and we all became the crew. It was hard work, but we managed to move in under a year later. We continued to work on it even after we moved in, and still have a few things on our to do list, but overall it is finished. As time goes by, it becomes more and more a home. It's amazing that when you give it to God, He can open everyone's eyes to the possibilities. Making a house a home is a life long process. Making memories and growing a family here are something we are looking forward to doing. Sometimes, to start with, you don't get things exactly the way you want them. Sometimes, you have to build your things from the ground up to get what you really want and need.
    

For the Love of a Good Man~ by NanaKerri

My children, my grandbabies, and myself are blessed to have a good man in our lives. A man who has worked hard for us for 25 years, so I (the mama/nana) could stay home and give our children an enchanted childhood.

A man who has fathered many children, most not born of his blood.

A man who, after working his normal ten hour workday with another one coming up in a few

short hours, came to the hospital at 1:00am

to hold his babygirl’s just born babygirl.

A man who still takes his wife, of 25 years, on weekly dates and flirts with her daily.

Their children and grandchildren never have to doubt his love for their mama/nana.

    A man who cried when his son left for Iraq and when he returned home.

This man is our man and I thank God for him every day.

Rhythm~Baby Bunny's Bedtime Routine

When Bunny was about a month old, we decided that we would eventually like to have a bedtime routine/rhythm ( I like to plan ahead as much as possible to avoid last minute, stress filled decision making). I got so into the idea of a nice, relaxing, bedtime rhythm, that we ended up starting it just a few days later. It goes something like this:

1. Mama nurses Bunny if she is at all hungry.
2. Daddy takes Bunny while Mama runs a warm bath with lavender oil, sets out pajamas, lights candles, and other night time things.
3. Mama gets in the the tub and takes a quick bath.
4. Daddy brings Bunny to Mama and Bunny takes a bath and plays in the water.
5. Daddy takes Bunny and dries her off and diapers her while Mama gets dressed and ready for bed. 
6. Mama takes Bunny and lotions, dresses, and nurses her  (while humming or singing lullabies).
7. Mama and Bunny nurse and snuggle until Bunny goes to sleep (this can take anywhere from five minutes to 20 minutes and sometimes even longer if she isn't very tired).
8. Once Bunny is sound asleep, Mama moves her to her little bed next to Mama's and Daddy's bed. 

Our rhythm usually starts at about 8:00pm (earlier or later depending when Bunny got up from her last nap) and ends whenever she falls asleep, which is about 8:30pm or 8:45pm. I use this time to connect with her, to get back to the way we started. I love to just hold her and watch her fall asleep after a long hard day. Our bedtime rhythm is one of my favorite things about our day. 

P.S. We plan to add a lullaby CD to our rhythm soon because Bunny loves music so much.

A Few of My Favorite Things

1. My daughter's eyes being bluer than the sky

                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                    

2. Little boys that bring me flowers

and pee on trees

3. Napping four year olds 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Breastfeeding ~ The Best Thing Ever

I've always known I would breastfeed. Even when I would play with dollbabies as a small girl, I would pretend to nurse them. It made sense in every way to me. It is cheap, it is healthier for Baby and Mama (you burn 500 calories a day breastfeeding), you don't have to haul around formula every time you go somewhere, you don't have to get up at night to make bottles. I knew all of these things and I knew breastfeeding was right for me and my future babies.

 So I set out on this breastfeeding adventure with a positive attitude, determined to make it work. The first time I nursed my daughter was in the delivery room. One of the nurses helped her to latch on and said that she was a natural. There wasn't much in there at all, just a thick, yellowy liquid (colostrum). Later that night she nursed for an hour straight. Early the next morning, she latched on to nurse again. Ouch! Sore nipples are no fun, but at least I knew I was doing the right thing for myself and my baby. The nurses gave me some lanolin. That helped some, but was so thick it hurt to put it on.

The next day we went home. Finally home. We curled up in our own bed and I wondered why I ever left it in the first place. There is no place like home. When we woke up I latched her on. Still ouch! But this time creamy, white, sweet smelling milk poured from my breast into my baby's mouth. She choked on it. I held her up to help her catch her breath. But the milk kept on coming. I grabbed a burp cloth and held it under my breast as the milk steamed out. My mama came in from the next room and said that my milk had come in. I finished nursing my daughter and went to change my milk soaked shirt. I put on a Glamourmom nursing tank, then we went back to sleep. A day later my nipples were cracked and sore. I'd gasp when she latched on. The lanolin didn't seem to help much, but Motherlove Nipple Cream helped a lot. I slathered it on. The thicker the better. Ahh! Sweet relief. The next day was better, and the day after that better still. I learned how to nurse her laying down, and how to keep my shirts from getting soaked as often. I finally felt like I was getting the hang of it.

Soon I was an expert nurser. I had accomplished my goal. What's more, I found that I wasn't doing it because it made sense anymore. Even if they invented a magical formula that was as healthy as breastmilk and you could get it free, ready made, in any place, any time, I would still breastfeed my daughter. I love to see her look up at me and smile so big that milk spills out of her mouth. I love that she needs me and not just some plastic and silicone filled with artificial milk. I love to wake up from a nap with her and find her still attached to me (physically and emotionally). I love that, for that small amount of time, she is a part of me. I love breastfeeding.

An Enchanted Childhood

Once upon a time, when I was a small child, my favorite daily activity was to go to the beach. I didn't live near the ocean, nor did we drive there frequently. I went to my beach. My beach was a small strip of pebble covered land, at the edge of the creek that ran though our old  front yard. I loved to play there. I would collect small rocks and try (unsuccessfully) to skip them in the creek. I would listen to sounds of the birds and animals that lived in the adjoining woods. I would sit in the cool shade and daydream on a hot summer day. It was a beach because my mama said it could be. It was magical because she made it so.

Now that I am grown, I am ecstatic to live by a creek. I can clearly hear it through my opened window at night. Just over it, and to the left, live my grandparents. To the right, across the little white bridge, live Mama and Dad. Though this isn't the same beach from my childhood, it is the same magic. I love that my daycare children can play and learn here. I hope that my daughter and other future children will someday love this beach as much as I loved mine. I hope that they feel the same wonder, the same magic, the same enchantment that I felt.