Simply Playing

Something weird is happening in this family today.  Three of my kids are getting along. And playing. And spent about 3 hours OUTSIDE in the snow/rain sledding and throwing snow balls.  It's a snow day. No school. Well, it was supposed to be an ice day, but looks like the forecasters were a little off (score!).  I have a big window in my living room that looks out into the woods.  I was sitting in  the quiet thinking "I love my kids, especially when I can watch them play off in the distance while I sit  warm and dry on my couch and listen faintly to their scream and laughter."  The woods is hilly so you can see so much wildlife activity when it snows. I was watching a red cardinal and is it blue birds or jays that stay? I can never remember.  I do like snow.  "Sigh"....then all peace is disturbed when they come into the house. It was a nice moment while it lasted.

At least they didn't come barreling in tattle telling like about every day after school when they get off the bus. No, they came in made their own cocoa and talked about playing house. I guess my middle child's "boyfriend" was Bosco, our dog.  They are now in the basement in shorts, not asking.  My kids are normal. They fight. But on those rare occasions when they play well, it makes me proud. I hope they look back and appreciate that they had playmates every day.  We didn't have to call a friend to come over.  I was told once that people in Italy are emotionally healthy because they don't hide their feelings.  They fight like mad but love like crazy.  I would say that our family may be part Italian not German.

Aren't kids imaginations something?  With all of the electronic devices the best toy still is imagination.  Simple play.  Making things up as you go along.  I often joke the best toys are sticks, rocks and mud (legos are pretty good too).

The day started when my dad called and said we better take the buckets off the trees because of the ice and cold temps coming in.  That may cause the buckets to burst.  Which is the reality of using 50 year old galvanized buckets instead of the blue bags on the trees.  With all the extra work, I still love those buckets.  Today probably would have been a good day for the trees to run, but we can't collect tomorrow so later this week we will have to hang them back up.  Oh well, it forced us to go outside and get some exercise.   Good thing the kids didn't have school, we had lots of help (and a little complaining) but it went much faster.  Although, I wouldn't have minded doing it all myself.  A walk in the woods in 10 inches of snow makes for a good and peaceful workout.

I am proud to say I did live simply today.  It was relaxing or I can't decide, maybe just lazy. I even dozed off for 20 minutes!  It was productive. I got what I call 'bare minimum' done: laundry, dishes and tidying up.  I also helped my 6th grader with a cell model.  I didn't run. Maybe that's why I feel lazy.  I think we need the simple, lazy days to rejuvenate our souls even if it is on a Tuesday.  Some schools are going to these e-learning days where the kids have school at home on snow days.  What a shame.  Snow days are needed.   It's a time for simple play, resting, and your kids just might discover that they like each other.

What was your favorite simple play as a child?

Simple life

I would like to call myself an overachiever, I am really just an over-doer.  I seem to make the simple complicated instead of making the complicated simple.  Today's average family is 2-3 kids, nope not me, had to have 5.  Started running almost 4 years ago, can't just go out and run, have to help form a running club and run every race I can afford, including a marathon.  I will say I totally overachieved when I married my husband. He rocks. One thing I do try to keep a handle on is my volunteer duties. I do say no to some things but still....overdoer or overachiever or overly crazy?  I can't just teach religious education I have to chose First Communion class AND be Director of Religious Ed. Can't just volunteer for a race have to be race director. I can't just put out a few tomato plants, I have to put out 60. I have to pickle, can and freeze everything because dare we let one zucchini go to waste.  Although this year in the mist of winter, I am having deep regrets to not canning enough green beans because the store kind are crap.  I have problems.




My life has been blessed with a wonderful, hard working husband that has a good job so I can stay home and raise our five children.  Four of them are in school and one is in his last year at home with mama until he starts kindergarten (starting to get a little antsy about this). Of course, I am busy, but a challenge I have is what to do with my time. I am the master of it. My daily prayer of lately is "lord, help me make good use of my time."  I find myself too long on the computer instead of mopping the floor or whatever task needs to be done.  My mind runs a mile a minute of all the duties I have and the next thing that needs to be marked off the list like keeping a clean house, doing the laundry, exercising, planning meals, shopping, volunteer duties, spending time with my children and poor neglected husband...the list goes on.  Busy, busy, busy.  Now, I start a blog. Probably not a good use of my time...




So as this new year starts I am committing to one new year resolution: recycle cardboard.  This,  because it is simple. I am at my best when life is simple, as we all probably are. Spending time outside, reading a book, laughing at my 4 yr old when you look over and see he is sucking the ketchup straight out of the leftover McDonald's packet that has been in the fridge for 3 months (just happened), talking with my husband,  making maple syrup with my family, running...I am living in the moment.  I also resolved to live life  more simply. Even when designing this blog I looked forever at all the different layouts and finally decided I was wasting my time and went with the 'simple' format.


This blog was just interrupted so that my son and I could make snow ice cream.  I made maple snow and he invented his own recipe with honey, milk and sugar. It is the simple things...And interrupted again for the dire need to make kool-aid for supper even though it's only 3:00.


What kind of life is it if we are to busy to live? I do hope to blog at least once a week and end each blog with a question for the reader. If anyone choses to follow this blog! Ah well, if I don't get any readers, I simply don't care. I am simply enjoying an outlet for my thoughts.  I am also simply overusing the word simple. :) This blog's question is obvious.  What are you doing to make your life simple?