Just checking in

Good morrow everyone! 

Spring break is upon us and you are overdo for a dalton family update!

Since our last meeting, we have been iced in, rained out, snowed on, iced again and now flooded as everything tried to thaw and dry out. And naturally, thunderstorms are on the horizon as we begin tornado season. Don't be surprised if you hear about dallas and Mosquitos in the news a lot this spring. It's gonna be a bad one.

That said, we planted our early spring crops just before the first freeze and everything survived! At least until the chickens jumped the fence, ate the kale and thinned out the lettuce. Everything else is going strong and I plan on getting the rest in the ground as soon as possible. Which is difficult for me as I have commitment issues with silly things like plants and stickers and scrap fabric. I mention this because we have started the process of buying a house. I loathe doing all the work of putting in an amazing, organic, square foot garden thoughtfully companion planted and rotated from last years planting just to leave it all for someone else who may not appreciate, or eat, any of the produce.

*Le sigh*

But with scrap fabric! I am bound and determined to turn this pile into a skirt, 3 dresses and a car seat cover! Hopefully I can get it all done before we find our new home.

Also, taking apart that bunk bed again is not on the top of My Fun Things To Do list. But at least the kids sleep in their room for a while now. 

Sundays

At our house, Sundays are our family day. I would say "day off" but what does that mean to parents? We don't turn off our alarms or the chickens would remain locked in without access to food or water, so someone has to get up and take care of the animals. We don't seem to ever turn all screens off for a whole day. Pete never truly has a day off from work; people are always calling, reporting how tests went, complaining about a broken plane, adjusting schedules. The children stay by our sides throughout the day.

Sundays are the day when we get 2-person fixit jobs completed. For example, I clean the hen house, he keeps the toddler from eating the poop. He mends the pergola while the older one hands him screws and I keep the little one inside. He replaces insulation in an outside accessed closet that a squrril fell through. (That's a fun story!)

Some Sundays we go to the pool because the indoor slide is open. Some Sundays we bake or visit the library or a park and we all go together. Sometimes I wish Sundays happened on Wednesday and we could visit a zoo or an art museum as a family.

Sundays are usually free of time constraints and outside demands. We pick what we do or don't do. We eat an awesome brunch because we tend to go back to sleep after feeding the hens. Apart from the occasional work call, we have time to slow down, to look each other in the face, to be completely engrossed in play, to read not just at bedtime, to be together. 

Sundays are my favorite. I actually feel more On on a Sunday. If my Sunday is stressful or my Monday morning solo time is messed with, I feel Off the rest of the week. I have become a fan of slow living. And you know what? I'm okay with that.

A beautiful mess

"What a beautiful mess. What a beautiful mess I'm in." ~ Diamond Rio

Lately I'm finding myself feeling comfortable in the fullness of motherhood. I do miss the free Maiden of my youth from time to time but I'm willing to bet this is normal, healthy even. Every so often tapping into that youthfulness helps me remember to laugh, puts household stress in the appropriate place and renews my creativity and playfulness so I can better connect with my children, my partner, my Self. 

But ah motherhood. The nurturing of others, the constant raw emotions that hurt for children the world over, the moving into wisdom that only comes through experience. I do have to remind myself to let my inner Crone, that contentment with staying home and doing things my way all that time and getting stuck in routines, I have to let her stay asleep just a bit longer. My children are small. Yes, they benefit from routines and wisdom and the security of knowing momma has done this before, but I benefit from not getting stuck.

I am curious how, now that I have two, I feel more comfortable with this role. With the coming of motherhood and my first child I was not comfortable being at home all the time, allowing boredom to sneak in and force inner quiet and personal creativity. Now that my second child has enter toddlerhood and doesn't need me as much as she did in infancy (and boy do they NEED you then!) I feel a little more space in my days. A little more spontaneity returning. A healthier blend of maiden and mother energy. It's freeing, like the feeling of coming of age with new horizons to explore. 

So, with this new accepted growth comes a new adventure. I'm taking an online painting course that is challenging not only my creativity but also my psyche. We are exploring metaphysical themes, having philosophical discussions and painting through our questions to our answers.

It has already been a beautiful experience highlighting just how unbalanced my home life truly  is! Food is being prepared, laundry and chores are being maintained, sick children are being tended to, but yet the house is a constant disaster. I'm taking a few minutes to read assignments in the morning, Emagene and I paint and create through Aoife's nap, and then I join in the online discussions while Pete bathes the girls. All times when I used to run around putting up toys and folding other people's laundry and other general tidying. You can imagine the state of my house! Why does including daily self care mean the highlighting of everyone else's need for MY care? Ah motherhood. 

I wish you could see the state of my soul! 

It is healing. Reconnecting my maiden and mother, searching for a way to include the crone so the rest of my family doesn't implode from the stress of living in chaos.  It is a beautiful mess. I may be absent a bit from here and from Facebook during this month-long class but I will return, hopefully full of bliss and ready for a more balanced, creative approach to life, especially now that the weather has changed to perfect and the children have learned how to play together.  

May your soul find wings and laughter in every day!

The last few weeks

Let me start out by saying hello! I know I've been a tad quieter than usual around here. I would apologize, but I am thoroughly enjoying my less plugged in life! I have been deeply invested in real life, and I managed to photograph some of it for you. So, let's get started with the journey that has been February.

 

I am so completely surrounded by cuteness that it is nearly impossible to get work done. See that needlepoint project? Yeah, that was intended to be a christmas present. How can a momma do any stitches with a cat batting at her hand, or all those rolls begging to be kissed?

 

It hailed pretty good one day and Emagene was so desperate for snow i swear she put on her pants and worked some magic because a week later,

  

It snowed! Just enough to hault the finishing touches on the chicken yard, but not too soon that we couldn't move them into their new home.

Naturally we've kept on dancing.

 

 

Started school, 

 

prepped for v-day,

 

Made ice cream at the libtrary with liquid nitrogen,

 

and visited the Modrn Art Museum in Fort Worth for their education/outreach program.

We've made brownies,

Slept late, 

Played with trains,

Enjoyed warm weather with a sprinkling of allergies,

And sewed a purple dress just because.

It really is amazing all the little things that can squeeze into a month, fill it up with goodness and leave you anticipating the next month of adventures! Around here, that starts with the celebration of a birthday! This time after the closing ceremony of the Olympics instead of during. 

New year, New rhythms

It seems that every January, once we rest off the holidays, we end up embracing the same ideal rhythm. This rhythm usually dies by summer and while we think about instigating it again when "school" starts in the autumn, it takes us until January to get back here. I say "usually", but as you all know we've moved twice, had a couple babies, added pets and changed jobs since coming out this way. These things have a way of demanding and creating their own rhythms. What I'm thinking about specifically is my personal, ideal schedule. My waking routine with yoga, pet and garden care done before the kids wake, healthy eating habits, energy left after the kids go to bed, real life face time with my partner, handcrafting and all the other things that go into feeding my soul. How do these disappear first and so quickly when our rhythms adjust to meet the newest change?

I'm sure some of you keep different schedules to coincide with the longer daylight hours and on holidays, but my question for you is, how do you create daily rhythms for your family when every day is different?

We have a stable bedtime routine. It's as consistent as the sunset: it happens but at a different hour every day. My ideal morning practices are wonderful, but some days we have to take dad to work before dawn, others 2 hours after dawn. Some days we rush off to our morning activity after dropping off dad, others we take a nap before heading out. Some days start with letting the chickens out, others with the baby waking first. I try to squeeze in 10-15 minutes of yoga before lunch and aim to get the kitchen clean right after dinner. (I am not keen on sharing my house with unwanted insects.) 

Emagene is a rock star helper with small chores like dusting, picking up to vacuum, emptying the dishwasher and loading the washing machine. Aoife, however, is not quite there yet. I wear her during our busy home keeping days so she can be a part of things. Sadly, squatting to empty the washer with a baby on is wearing on my back. So instead I find myself rushing around like a maniac during the baby's morning nap just to get things done, often with big sis watching Disney junior videos when she's not able to help with the pressing chore of the day. I am starting to feel like Mama Bear from the Bearenstain Bears Trouble with Chores.

So, how do you do it? Are you able to balance the needs of the house with the joys of childhood? Squeeze in a little reading for yourself? Remembering to make self-care and relational maintenance a daily priority? Do you have a secret you can share with those who visit this page?

I have to remind myself everyday to be flexible. The dishes can wait a half hour while I play princesses with my preschooler. The TV will stay off when the paints are out. Dusting can be done by the Dusting Fairies, while having a dance party (momma hates dusting. least favorite chore.)

The Dusting Fairies can be a little mischievous and actually create more work in the long run, but that is the way of the Faery Folk.

Mopping is part of playing Cinderella, complimented by dress-up ball gown. Food prep will be messier with little people helping, but it will be more fun and the dog picks up most of the droppings.

If not helping mince mushrooms, at least those tiny princess toys are rubbery and don't mind being stepped on

And while I don't always enjoy being a climbing gym while stretching, I do enjoy my kids embracing yoga as a fun daily activity. The quiet meditation or soul-food reading must wait for the quiet miracle of reasonable bedtimes and daddy working late.
 

I do long for the stability of a grown-up job schedule which would grant me a couple hours a week to do my own solitary thing, but we just aren't there yet. Date night is an even more distant dream. I'm grateful that this family is in the habit of making each others dreams come true. Knowing that, reminds me that we'll get there. Everyone will have a chance to do what they need. At the moment I get 1 guaranteed night every 4-6 weeks to feed my soul with other like-minded friends (typically with kids in tow). Any other soulfood moments are a pleasant treat and thoroughly appreciated.

Feel free to share experience in the comments below or on Facebook.

A new hat

It's been cold here the last dew days. Cold as in toying with freezing and a chance of snow. Well, ice is more likely. Either way Aoife needed a hat. So I pulled out this treasure from the vault of the past

It's a true vintage baby hat. I have photos of me wearing this at her age with my grandpa.

But it's pretty priceless on her

And now to go knock icicles off the tree before the branch gets too heavy and collapses on the chicken coop.

Trick or Treat

The day started with a surprise treat in the mail that was quickly added to the walls of a certain girl's room.

Then we did a little coloring,

Set up the window display,

 turned on the lights and hung the spiders we had made the day before.

She wore new socks from Grandma (thanks again, Grandma. She wears a new pair everyday!),

While we enjoyed our magical backyard,

And then, finally, daddy came home from work and we could get ready to go!

I had to make a small addition once we arrived at our meet up house, before heading out with 6 other creatively dressed children. It was just cold enough to require a layer. As I pinned the wings to her sweater, I giggled to myself remembering a comedian's quip about being from Oregon if you plan your Halloween costume to include a winter coat. While not a parka, a wool hand knit is basically the same thing here in Texas.

For those of you concerned that her bag may look small, don't fret. She repeatedly dumped her treasures into a pull string backpack I was carrying. This is the real haul:

Some of this will be recycled into Christmas stockings or sent to work with dad. This is more candy than we eat in a year, and I want to keep it that way!

Happy Halloween! All Souls! Day of the Dead! Samhain! Hallow's Eve! Or whatever you choose to celebrate this time of year. I hope it was blessed with joy and your pets stayed safe. Mine was and they did.

Blessed be.