October

"O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow's wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
Tomorrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow.
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know.
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away."

- Robert Frost, October

I found this Poem posted over at SouleMama and just love it. It describes October so well, I thought I would share it with you as well.

We went for a walk a couple days ago, with no destination in mind. We do that often since we've moved out here, just go and see what we find. I love it. Usually we find something new, have an adventure of some kind. I love exploring. Well this time we hit fun big time when I spied the biggest pile of leaves I have ever seen. You should have seen Pay's face as she looked at us, face shining with excitement, to see if she was allowed to jump in. And jump she did!

Sam wasn't to sure at first, it was her first time being plunked in the middle of a pile of leaves. This was her covering her face when leaves were coming down on her head.

But she figured out this was fun pretty quickly.

I'm thinking this one(below) might make a good Christmas card?

I just love the joy on their faces.

Just to give you a perspective on the size of the pile. Can you spot Sam? That's Pay jumping into the pile.

Taking a break in a bed of leaves. I've decided that the name for Payton's hair colour is now fallen leaves. Or Autumn leaves? She blended right in.

That would be me who had to get in on the fun being tackled.

It was a good day!

Balance

I've been having trouble finding balance lately. It's not a new thing for me, I think it has something to do with not being very organized. I have days when I get tons done at home but feel I didn't spend enough quality time with the girls. And days when I spend tons of quality time with the girls and make sure we get outside time, and we all get enough creative time(which is as important for me as it is for them), but then my household duties get neglected and I get frustrated with myself. I'm sure there is a happy medium that will work for us I just can't seem to find it.
I know I am a person who thrives on routine, yet I rebel against structure. Or at least the idea of structured routine. I want my days to be fluid, to be able to embrace a sudden change of plan. But I know I need more routine than I have, and I really know that Payton does. She is a go go go-er, whose first question in the morning is "So what are we doing today?" And if I know, I answer and she'll respond with "how about after that?" or "what are we eating?". She really is a kid who thrives on routine.

I have been researching online what works for other families and trying to decide what I want to try with ours. I need some sort of menu plan, I'm always frustrated when it comes to deciding what to eat because I've waited until it's time to start to decide what to have. I'm also horribly bored with what we've been eating, which leaves me uninspired when it comes to cooking. So a menu plan, and shopping list is on the list.


Also I need a plan of attack when it comes to housework. Something easy to maintain. It's not important to me to have a spotless house all the time. I mean lets be realistic, I have 2 small children. If spotless was a priority then something else(like playing with my kids) would have to suffer. But I do like things neat with things in their "homes" when not in use. I've done a lot of decluttering and that has certainly helped. And I don't want to spend hours upon hours everyday on housework either. I've been trying to decide what would work as far as a basic housework schedule goes. Certain things on certain days? A general list with so many things to be done each day and I pick according to what I feel like doing? Setting aside a specific hour each day instead of just doing things when I decide to? Don't know, but there has to be something that is easy to maintain.


I need to work in time spent outdoors everyday, I've been feeling a little low the last few days and I really believe it's due to the grey rainy weather that we've been having. So I really need to grab some sunshine when I can, and if it's not sunny some fresh air at least. I always feel uplifted after soaking in some of God's great outdoors.


Other things that I know will make me feel more balance(whether I am or aren't lol) are getting enough rest and exercising. I've turned into a horrible night owl and need to concentrate on getting to bed before midnight on a regular basis. Early I don't think is realistic for me but I think in bed by 11 is reasonable.


Simple Mom has been very helpful for me, if you haven't checked out her site you should. She had a great series lately entitled How to be disorganized and unproductive at home, which I will be re-reading. I also downloaded her ebook, Spring Cleaning for normal people. Which looks great, I've printed it out and am going to give it a good read. I'm hoping to find some solid inspiration there.


So what works for everyone out there? What helps you keep balance in your lives? Cleaning schedules? Meal plans? Share any words of wisdom you have for me, as well as any websites/links you've found helpful. I think this will be a continuing topic for me until I get this figured out!

My helper

I was talking to a friend yesterday about how Payton likes to wash the floor, which reminded me I had taken pictures of the last time and thought I would share.

My Payton likes to help. And anyone with a 4 year old knows how much "help" they can be! But I really want to encourage helping and make her feel like she's making a contribution not that I'm going to re-do it after she's done. So when she wanted to help me wash the floor(one of her favorite things to help with, I think it's all about the bubbles) I help her get started, remind her that the carpet is not to get wet, and that the floor needs to be dry when done(she creates a bit of a flood), and let her go at it.

She and the floor get oh so wet(biting tongue).

But things do get washed.

Including toes.

I've got a couple blog posts brewing but not ready so I thought I would share some pics of my favorite girls in the world. I just love the affection they have for each other already. Of course it's not always friendly around here, but I find that more often than not they are piling on the love for each other. One of the favorite games of late has been sitting in bins, different sizes and different activities but apparently there is something special about bins.

Paytons First Day of Preschool(2nd year). Alternative title: I'm such a poser

This is what happened right after I said "Let's get some pictures of your first day!"

"How about a smile?"

Payton says "ROAR!"

After "Why don't you put your head down by your sister and I'll take a picture of you together."

Sam thought it was all very amusing.

After I asked if she was excited.

I would say that was a yes.

Pay's squishy smile that is seen commonly in pictures these days.

Sam's still amused.

The only shot that she's standing still in. After all that work to get her to stand still I like the others better, this just doesn't show her personality!

Who dresses that kid? Why Spider-Sam.

We spent some time outside enjoying the sunshine today.

There were chalk roads to build, with houses, forests, and a happy Sun. A ball house to play in, and babies to be cared for. Oh yes, and a very hungry horse family.

I've been learning a lot about my second born as she gets older. She's fiercely independent and so so stubborn for someone so small.

"Would you please stop calling me, I will look at you when I'm good and ready."

I love our little fenced courtyard. Sam on the other hand is not so fond of the fence.

"Somebody, please let me out. I'm cute. And I want to take my baby for a walk."

"Anybody?" Doesn't the diaper tu-tu bum just kill you? I love it. I must have taken 20 pictures of her back side today.

I must add of course that I did not do this to my child. She did it herself. Yes folks she's 18 months old and is already taking charge of her fashion. She brought me Pay's dance costume and was trying to get it over her head and was very pleased when I helped her get it on. Then was twirling in the living room(I think Rod got pics of that). Later she was helping me do laundry by taking everything out of the laundry basket and handing the odd thing to me. I thought she handed me the Spiderman jammy shirt to wash but she objected rather loudly until I helped her put it on. Then she was as pleased as punch. She added the binoculars at some point and spent the rest of the afternoon like that. Who am I to object? I think she looks fabulous!

I just can't believe it!

In a few short hours it's Payton's birthday! I can't believe that one of my babies is 4 already! It's been just amazing watching her grow from an itty bitty babe into the beautiful little girl she is now.

Happy 4th Birthday to my Payton!!