“This is the way. Walk in it.”

I ran errands with the kids yesterday. They walked into the house before me as I was still grabbing things from the car. They ran back out of the house extremely excited. “Close your eyes Mom,” said one kid while the other guided me into the house. Another child grabbed the bags out of my hands and said “I’ll take those for you.”  I walked in and discovered a beautiful bouquet of flowers with a card that said “just because I love you -Michael.”  Just as I was admiring the arrangement, the youngest child brought me “cards” which were strips of paper torn from a paper bag with large scribbles.  My heart was truly touched by their expressions of love.  What I discovered was  Everybody wants to be a part of something. The kiddos were simply joining in on something that was already being done. Michael had already set out the flowers and card. Once the kids saw it they wanted to have a part in it.  When something beautiful is happening, it gives oppor...

Today I think I bit off more than I could chew. Michael and I have been discussing simplifying our lives and decluttering our home. I decided to start with the girls’ rooms upstairs...12 hours later and we’ve finally made some progress!  Maybe it was that the kids were stir crazy and maybe it was that we put them on tasks all day but boy they were very difficult today. I lost my cool a few times. So did Michael. Today we did not finish well.  We ended up asking for forgiveness and trying to push through. We have had a wonderful summer together. I think we are finally starting to wish school would start. 24/7 with the same playmates has proved to be challenging. The kids need their own anything. Their own space, their own learning environment, their own friendships etc.  I took a few minutes to myself and laid in my bed before starting the bedtime routine with the kids. “Just speak to me.” That was all I could muster up today. As I sat down with Michael for a few mi...

Today was “lake day.” Every few weeks we clear our schedule and make time for our family.  The kids look most forward to grabbing a donut for the ride, talking our ears off in the car while country music is playing in the background.  They also know lake days mean everyone goes “unplugged,” giving space and time to have conversations.  Catching a toad, discovering a clam, and exploring a new sand pit filled the hours of this beautifully sunny day.   As I was floating on a raft nearby, I overheard the conversations amongst the kids.  Everyone was competing for Finley’s attention. This poor child literally had three girls pulling on him to go three different directions.  I often joke he is either the most loved person alive or the most smothered…or both.  After constant reminders that Fin is a person and not a possession, they quickly changed their strategies.   Joslyn tried to entice him by...