February Bug

After repeated rounds of illness over the last few months, and more TV watching than I had all of last year, I have caught another bug. The home improvement bug. Repeated episodes of hoarders, Fly Lady videos, Clean Sweep, etc.. have let me excited for the cleaning and organizing yet to come. There IS an IKEA run in my near future. I will be sticking to a budget, but I have the startdust in my eyes. OR maybe that is just dust from the future spring/deep cleaning that will commence as soon as I get better.

All this anticipated joy reminded me of how much easier it is to keep my home clean now that my kids are older. It has always been a challenge to express to others how challenging it is when you have kids, or more than one kid, or young kids. It is just hard to imagine the amount of exhausting work that you entail just caring for the kids, let alone cleaning up after them or having any ability to organize, deep clean, or even daily clean. I have never known a parent who found this an easy challenge. (There is a reason Fly Lady is so popular by moms everywhere.) If you prioritize your children, you sacrifice the home.....and that is okay. Better news, it passes, they grow older (sniff) and you have more time to clean and purge, and organize. So, have some sympathy or better yet, empathy for parents of young children. When they have a messy home, congratulate them on their excellent parenting and then go do their dishes and watch the babies while they go take a nap!!

This post is from my old blog. A reminder of days-of-toddler-mess past. http://www.crazybusymomma.blogspot.com/2008/04/my-little-angel.html

Over illness

Homeschooling, remodeling, college, volunteering, working, self employed with two businesses. All seemingly unmanageable, but possible.....unless your family is sick for three months. Since October, we have had but two week respites from illness, total, and maybe not even that. In fact, I am not sure I have felt good since September. I seem to have an unbeatable sinus infection. We just finished a bout with Whooping cough, which meant isolation and antibiotics. I did not have pertussis but had to take the preventative round of antibiotics. I finished the round of antibiotics and immediately got sick. Modern medicine does not do well for me and I am so tired of getting hurt by it. Cabin fever, kid fever, friend deprivation fever, 103 degree fever, I am really fed up with fevers!!! Our diet, our level of consciousness for our health are optimal. My stress, not so much. I am clearly having a day/week/month/winter that is taxing. Summer is around the corner, spring is even nearer so I will focus on the positive that in a few months this will all be behind me.

The new plan:

Think healthy thoughts.

Go to bed before 10:00. (No matter what job, or volunteer position, or person you are letting down)

Yoga three times a week.

African dance once a week.

A salad for lunch every day.

Start a new workout class, Nia perhaps? Another dance class?

Meditation every morning.

STOP BEING SICK!!

Homeschooling article

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/01/29/why-urban-educated-parents-are-turning-to-diy-education.html

Winter Blues

This is one of our favorite spots. Even in winter, midst the greys and browns and blues, there is a serene beauty. This is a very public spot, in the middle of town and yet it still feels like a secluded refuge.

A perfect spot for building ice dragons.

For sand fortresses.

For taking the time to enjoy family and sunshine.

Fairy boats set sail in peaceful waters spurred on by the imaginations of creation.

Hidden treasures are discovered.

And we celebrate the moment of winter that allows us to relish in the light and the ice.

Daddy finds a hidden talent.

And Mommy discovers, well......rediscovers that moment.

sigh

Thank you January.

Waldorf-inspired Public School Offers a New Choice for Families in Fort Collins

Mountain Sage Community School is a free, public, charter school inspired by Waldorf education and sustain

able living. Approved by the Poudre School District Board of education October 2011, Mountain Sage is set to open in fall 2012. The school will serve K-4 students in its first year of operation, and will grow by one grade each year until becoming a K-8 school.

Mountain Sage is currently accepting Intent to Enroll forms for K-4 students and will be hosting a final informational enrollment event on Tuesday February 7th, 2012 from 6-7pm.

This event offer the opportunity to learn more, get involved, have your questions answered and meet the founders.

The informational enrollment event will be held on February 7th, at The Gardens on Spring Creek (2145 Centre Avenue, Fort Collins 80526) in the Evelyn Clark classroom from 6-7pm.

Created by parents and educators in Fort Collins, Colorado, Mo

untain Sage is dedicated to education that respects the creative journey of childhood. Waldorf-inspired education integrates the arts (music, movement, story, drawing and more) into the learning process of all academic subjects, offering students an experience that fully engages and empowers them. Waldorf-inspired education offers a time-tested, research based approach that enables each student to reach their highest academic and creative potentials. Sustainable living practices are fully integrated into school life to offer children the powerful experience of stewardship and positive community action.

To learn more visit www.mountainsagecommunityschool.org

Reflections

Holding Space

Success for me is holding space. In the middle of our crazed busy days, the moments of near anxiety and having a complete inability to hold it all together, it is not an easy place to achieve calm breathable moments. We are creating this life. We are creating these places for calm, and joy, and beauty, just as we are creating chaos, and business, and burnout. I am overwhelmed, and yet I am happy. I add up the requirements, the jobs, the school, the volunteer positions, the children, the home, the remodel and I am unsure how I am fitting in these hours. It would be easy to give over to this. To not be in the moment with the children, tune out the present for the growing to-do list. Often my hard work goes unappreciated and unnoticed, but my time is always noticed. The kids pull me into reality, into this realm. I create pockets of enjoyable time in the midst of my job, or a project, by stepping away or rather stepping into the reality. However, I also make the 'priority' to create special moments with my children, and relaxed involvement. Engaged moments with our children happen for me when my internal-self steps aside and with it the rest of my thinking and expectations. I say that nothing is more important then this experience and the rest can wait. I put aside my expectations of gain or loss, of reciprocation, of shared experience with the kids. I am focused on what is present with them and how I am feeling in this moment. For me it is like being in the bottom of a swimming pool filled with jello and rather than fighting to the surface I am holding my body as wide and open as it can be to experience. I have created a breathable space for survival and am now inhaling the sweet scent, touching the mushy texture, viewing the light and darkness in the color, hearing the squish squish slop slop, and tasting the vibrant sour cherries (you were picture red jello, weren't you?). By creating this intentional space, this intentional time I am finding joy within. It will never be perfect but I know my own power to hold space. These are the moments, the only ones that I will carry with me forever. I may lose the specifics but I will remember the enjoyment, and I can only hope that this is what will radiate to my children.