Jumbo Laundry

May 20, 2014

I’m sitting tonight at the jumbo laundry and I haven’t had a better evening in a very long time!  I know.  I shouldn’t be this excited that the washing machine broke.  You know the one…it’s a Cadillac and should last, like, forever.  But, here we are about 8 years in and it’s sitting in pieces in my laundry room while the hubby waits on a new bearing to come it (along with the tool needed to replace said bearing).  Maybe it should have been sold as a Jaguar or Mercedes instead since they are frequently in the shop while Cadillacs  are like tanks and last forever.

But, I digress.  The washing machine is broken, I am frazzled and in desperate need of a night to myself, and we have a pile of dirty laundry and no clean towels.  What’s a girl to do?  I rallied the troops and we loaded all of the laundry onto my magic carpet.  On the way out the door I stealthily grabbed by laptop and here I sit.  No one is coming into my office, I am not staring at the piles of projects and to-do lists in my home and someone else in charge of cleaning the kitchen and getting the kids to bed.  Bonus?  There is Wi-Fi at the Jumbo Laundry which means I can surf the net, check my email and write a new blog posting.

I know.  You’re jealous.  But, don’t be a hater…just sneak away to the nearest laundry mat today.

“Clothes make the man [or woman].  Naked people have little or no influence on society.”  – MarkTwain

Making My Own Path

I've Arrived...and Now I'm Leaving

April 21, 2014

Have you ever woken up and realized that you have “arrived”?  What happens if you realize your destination is not really where you want to be?  You set things in motion – often times many years prior – and one day you wake up with everything you’ve ever wanted but knowing something about picture is wrong.  Do you stay on the path or do you take the road less traveled?  If you are me you take the road less traveled.

It all began about 20 years ago when I sat in my advisor’s office.  She asked me what career I saw myself in and I said “non-profit fundraising”.  Yep.  True story.  Fast forward to a year a half ago when I remembered that conversation and was reminded that I am capable of manifesting anything in my life (it’s sort of the whole “be careful what you wish for” idea).   When the call came to work for an organization I had volunteered with for several years (that also happened to be my kid’s school), to be honest, I hesitated greatly.  I did not apply for this job- I had applied for another.   It was quite a daunting task to raise money in a Waldorf school.  But, I took the leap.  Something continued to nag at me.

By the end of the school year I relocated my children, one who had been at the school for seven years, to other fine educational establishments.  The organization went through significant growing pains and I made the decision to stick around one more year to help them ease into the next phase.  By Christmas I realized I should have considered other options.  But, had I done that, had I not stayed through the year – this year – we might not have come to the wonderful place we are as a family.

You see, we have decided to take back our family.  I am ending my commute.  The kids are giving up the uniforms.  Though Nathan wills still be making that daily trek, he’ll be much less rushed.  We.  Are.  Home.  Schooling.  There.  I said it! We’ve been sitting on this news for many weeks and now I can shout it to the world.

So, if you see us out and about, no, we are not playing hookie, no one is sick.  We simply have taken down the walls of the classroom and expanded our thoughts on education.
 

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."

Homeschool Harvest

Last weekend I celebrated a little known festival from the British Isles called Lammas. It's one of the cross-quarter dates in the old ways and was recognized by many names all across much of Europe. For many, it's significance is the first harvest. Each year, around this time I sit and contemplate what I'm harvesting in my life and this year the harvest is varied and great. There is the obvious harvest from the vegetable garden that sits outside my kitchen window. There is more squash than I can shake a stick at, 15 tomato plants loaded with what promises to soon be ripe tomatoes, okra, swiss chard, beans, flowers and more! Yesterday, between bouts of dealing with a stomach bug, I canned several pints of peaches for fall cobblers that were part of someone else's rich harvest for which I am grateful.

But, to me, the bigger harvest came from the many hours sitting with the children as they devoured their school work leaving me both excited and nervous about the school year to come. I received several emails, phone calls and Facebook messages wondering how our first week went and decided to share the triumphs (and failures) with you. I'll begin our tale on Monday, August 4.  The Sun, Moon and I all sat down promptly at 9AM to have a little fun.  One of the components of the 7th grade curriculum that I have pieced together is the art of the illuminated book.  Though Arwyn will not be doing these to the extent that Noah will be, I decided to let her join in the fun.  We read a children's book called Marguerite Makes A Book which was definitely young for Noah, though he loved it just the same.  Fast forward three hours and we had one happy little homeschool family.

With day one such a smashing success, I knew that surely that surely nothing could go wrong and that the remainder of the week would sail by!  I guess it was all just too easy.  We spent Tuesday morning searching the neighborhood for a missing cat and by Wednesday afternoon I was fighting a full-blown stomach virus.   I managed to pull off several hours of school all three days and we took Friday off to relax at Nashville Shores.

I spoke to my friend Natalie at some point during the week and she wisely pointed out that there are lessons to be learned in these hiccups for the kids that surely could be examples of homeschooling!  At some point I gave up searching for them and instead adjusted my expectations for that first week and am living in the glow of what we accomplished, including gradually adding in all parts of our curriculum including math, geography and history.

 There is a part of me that is profoundly satisfied in this path we have chosen and have been silently considering this harvest of our lives.  We are definitely in our "honeymoon" period and there will certainly be challenges along the way.   But, the harvest continues.

"The true harvest of my life is intangible - a little star dust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched..." - Henry David Thoreau

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Live Every Day (3-11-13)

This morning I received a call from a friend and parent volunteer that is working with me on our big spring event. She decided to postpone a meeting we had schedule for Wednesday. Well...decided isn't really the best word. She told me about a dear friend who had passed beyond the veil this morning from cancer. Not only did he have cancer but so does his wife. The couple has two small children. Sigh.

I had spent most of the morning wrapped up in what has become the chaos of my job and to myself lamenting that I wanted to have lunch with my daughter but did not have time. Once that call came in I can tell you, friends, that time opened up for me. I sat down at that moment, typed an email to the rest of the team letting them know I was stepping out and headed to Arwyn's school for a special lunch. On the way the hubby called to say he was en route as well. How could I pass up the opportunity to spend a few precious moments with her (and him) when we get so little as it is?

If you are reading this, thank you Sara for making that call for me this morning. The perspective it gave me shifted my entire day.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vyjq5SCbjQk&w=560&h=315]

Candy Hearts (2-12-13)

Can it be true that we are four weeks away from Valentine's Day? (4) Four weeks away from cards, candy...in other words....stress for me. Add to that the pressure (you may remember last year's post) of making hand crafted cards for my son's party as we are in a Waldorf School and cards with Superman, Batman, Pokémon or Frodo Baggins are not kosher. That's okay. To be honest, there is nothing more delightful than sitting down with my children every Valentine's evening and sorting through the beautiful cards made by small hands. This year I have one in Waldorf and one that has transitioned to public school. I am a little sad that she will most likely be receiving said Walgreens cards but still wanted to create something special for her to give to her classmates. And....I had a $20 off coupon from Shutterfly....so......here's a sample of Arwyn's cards of love for her classmates. Get to gettin' folks because Cupid will be on your doorstep before you know it and if you are not careful you'll find yourself making a last minute dash to Kroger for candy hearts to tape to an index card!

Ah....Epiphany (January 7, 2013)

Epiphany

1. a. A Christian feast celebrating the manifestation of the divine nature of Jesus to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi.

b. January 6, on which this feast is traditionally observed.

2. A revelatory manifestation of a divine being.

3. a. A sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something.

b. A comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization

This year the date of January 6 - the date of Epiphany - has somehow seemed important to me.  Off and on since Christmas I have been blogging about the gifts I have received.  Some may think I am blogging to brag - not so.  I am just so grateful for those gifts and felt much like a queen receiving gifts from those ancient astrologers on the days leading up to and the day of Christmas.

The gifts, though, are much more than the material objects they represent.  The gifts are of love given and of love that I will return.  The cooking gifts - the new spoons and the dutch oven - will allow me to give love back to those around my in the form of meals from the heart, the new socks will keep my feet warm at night as I lay cuddled up to the children reading them books, the healing salve will be kept in my purse - ready to soothe a skinned knee in a moment's notice.

Epiphany.  That's what I had yesterday as I sat through the ordinations service of a dear friend who is herself a light - a Joy to the world.  Yesterday's epiphany allowed me to transcend the fears I have been holding on to the last few weeks regarding big changes on my personal horizon and of those of my family.  My epiphany is when the light shined and the darkness cleared away and I could once again see.

The twelve days of Christmas, the gifts I have received, they all have meaning and lead me to an openness and gratitude.  Above all else at this point in my life, I am a Mother.  I AM MOTHER.  I must lead my children through example and my example is one of epiphany.  Let the light return and let us move toward the sun.  Happy Monday.