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It has been a really busy year, but an awesome year!
We welcomed our newest baby late last spring, and it has been a whirlwind of busyness.
Having a new little baby requires a lot of time and attention, as all mothers know after experiencing childbirth at least once. There is the preparation time, the birthing and welcoming the newborn time, and then the rest and relaxation time. None of these phases are negligible, and there is no true textbook time for each phase that will fit each and every woman. One woman may take shorter or longer of one phase or another, and that is neither good or bad. I tend to enjoy them all :-). So, I don't like to rush my time in pregnancy, birthing, or R&R after baby is here. All of these times are such a blessing from the Lord Jesus, that they should be kept sacred.
Sometimes, there is a lot of expectation placed on a new mother; much of which is put onto her by none other than...herself. We tend to feel the need to complete all these different objectives in order to deem ourselves "complete" in all these areas prior to birthing...or even just afterwards. Although there are truly things that are needed to be done in this season, we must not "miss the forest because the trees are in the way" :). Instead, we must stay relaxed and focused on the now of the moment - a person who has never been here on earth before is here! How special is that? Wow! How sweet and cute is a newborn baby boy or girl! What an incredible experience to behold, let alone partner in. That is so special.
In addition, mothering is so much work, but it is so much fun and so intensely rewarding. It is honestly, the hardest job I've ever loved. There is strength and honor in being called to love, nourish and protect God's precious created ones. We, as moms, should not take this job lightly, nor should we feel demeaned or devalued by such a calling. Indeed, this is a high calling - motherhood - and a valued blessing to the Kingdom of God. Thank Him each day for this job we are called to do. Sometimes through tears or heavily-worked arms, but thank Him and remember that He will provide rest. Just receive it with thanksgiving when He shows you times of rest and refreshment.
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Our summer is quickly ending. We took a break from school this summer...for the first time in a long time! It was very restful and enjoyable. Swimming, movies, games, gardening - just having a great time. Some of the best days are spent telling jokes and laughing so hard that we can barely get them out of our mouths to each other :-D!
School is back in session, and we are rolling along. Is it just me, or does autumn seem like the best time to have a homeschool convention (hmmm...)? Well, the thing is: my children change so much from year to year that it is difficult for me to make purchases at the end of the previous schoolyear and plan 3 months ahead for the lessons attempted. It is not that we do a completely child directed learning style or anything, however it's that summer provides just enough time for children to develop new interests or become successful in areas that we previously thought we may need to study in the autumn. Take, for example, a child who is a struggling reader in the late spring, then over the summer "breaks the reading code" and just rushes forward in their phonics awareness. Well, the planned study for that child may have been reading remediation curriculum and now that is out the door to follow the newfound excitement of the victorious reader! It would be time to grab some great starter books and maybe replace the remediation with another subject that didn't have room in the prior schedule. Well, we have not exactly had that situation happen, but it is a good example. For me right now - after beginning the schoolyear - I can actually see clearly enough to know exactly what books I would have loved to grab at this past summer homeschool convention in our area. Aye!
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We have had a lot of rain lately. Hubby and I have had a lot of fun readying our fall gardens. However, he came home yesterday to find one of our garden boxes with two inches of water on top. He had just seeded that box two days ago, so we didn't want the seeds to get washed away. He reinstalled the plastic over that garden box's hoops to prevent over-watering and allow the water within the box to drain a bit. I'm excited to have hoop houses this autumn to extend the growing season. In the past, we have pretty much allowed our gardens to decline during the late autumn and winter. This year, we are excited to keep it alive with our winter salad greens. In our region, it should not be a problem at all. We have several tips and great books on hand to help keep the ground properly nourished in our boxes, as well as protect our delicious veggies from frost. I get so excited thinking about coming to my garden midwinter and pulling up a fresh bunch of salad greens. Actually, when I grow lettuces in the summer, we just pinch off outer leaves to allow the root to stay intact and continue growing. That is what I will probably do this winter, too (although the feeling of a fresh bunch of greens in your hand, traveling to the table is so rewarding)!
OK, I'm off to continue doing great things...one dirty diaper at a time, haa!! :-D
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