happy

Each year, I choose one word, a grounding word, to hold in my mind and heart when I need it most.
This year, I thought of many words that seemed right; Reflect, Connect, Rest, Quiet, Us, Grow(th), Acceptance, Smile, Contentment, Consciousness, Creativity, Letting Go (two words, I know).

I needed a simple word to return to, something that, in some way, can encompass all of those, depending on how life ebbs and flows.

So I am embracing the word Happy.

Happy is a feeling I want to reclaim. I feel as though I have lost it as I grasp for other things. Honestly, what I really came down to were the words Expectations and Boundaries/Limits, which would, in turn, lessen my feelings of Guilt, something that really chokes out Happy. So, through the year, as I meditate on the word Happy, I will be checking in with myself about Expectations, Boundaries/Limits, and Guilt.

This is my 9th year choosing a word. My previous words for each year were as follows, and each has given me one anchor to pause and meditate on when I need just one thing.

2010 ~ Calm
2011 ~ Nourish
2012 ~ Hope
2013 ~ Renewal
2014 ~ Treasure
2015 ~ Joy
2016 ~ Laughter/Humor (Really, it was a word that was an inside family joke. Here is my post.)
2017 ~ Harmony (Here is my blog post from last year)
and now,
2018 ~ Happy

When I look back and think about those words, each one brings such unique memories of my focus for that year. The summer I practiced embroidery at the lake by stitching calm into the sampler. The year nourish shifted from tending my pregnant body to tending my miscarried soul. The year I needed to remember to treasure what I had instead of looking for something more, different. These words are an anchor to focus my busy mind.

Each year, on our adventures, I find a rock along the way, write my word of the year, the year, and where I found it, on the rock. I then add it to the growing pile in a big shell on my dresser. Sometimes, I stop and handle the rocks, holding the weight of those words and memories.

I hope you found harmony in 2017 and may your 2018 be a happy one!

52: 52

52 weeks of photos. A special moment during the week of December 24, 2017

And that's a wrap.

52: 51

52 weeks of photos. A special moment during the week of December 17, 2017

nature study - birds

One of the highlights of our homeschooling this year has been our weekly nature study. With the pleasure of Exploring Nature With Children (and the associated Facebook discussion group), we have a focus for each week that we use (or don't use), along with art to explore, a poem to read, and activities to engage with. Bird week below...

 We made bird feeders from conifer cones and pomelo rinds, wild bird seed, peanut butter, plain popcorn, and Hawthorn berries. We full anticipated squirrels, not birds, but we were excitedly surprised by the view from our deck.

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Dark eyed Junco

Bewick's Wren

Chestnut-backed Chickadee 

Oak Titmouse

52: 50

52 weeks of photos. A special moment during the week of December 10, 2017

52: 49

52 weeks of photos. A special moment during the week of December 4, 2017

double digits

Little (Bigger) Brown Mouse,

That's it. Double digits! You are my kiddo who has never seemed phased by each birthday or age (while your sentimental mama sits here and sniffles and wipes tears away), but you are a little phased by 10. Maybe you have overheard too much chatter about 'getting big,' maybe you are feeling it yourself, but this past year has been one of lots of change for you. You have grown so much, in every way!

So much I wrote last year still describes you well. You are still snuggly, still love soccer, biking, building, Tigger, and Teddy. You love your new friend, Molly, and you are definitely exerting your independence! In the past year, you have somehow (I am still not quite sure the origin), developed an intense and informed interest in (quality) remote control vehicles. You can tell me all about different types, batteries, body styles, wheels, and more, and you are working hard to earn money toward buying or building one of your own.

You are still a sensitive and caring kiddo, but a little less patient and easily forgiving than you were, which seems just about right as you work hard to find your own footing and self in the world. You are testing language and attitude, which is also to be expected, and I suspect the shift you made in the library may be partly accountable. This past year, you really settled into reading. It went from being hard to a welcome and pleasurable hobby and you read all sorts of things the jury is still out on, like Calvin and Hobbes, Garfield, Asterix, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. (Notice a comics theme here, where the content/concepts might not be age appropriate?) You taught me that comics, while obnoxious, are a really powerful way to transition into reading with the help of lots of pictures.

What comes to mind with you, little monkey, is the line from a parenting-boys book I started to read (and set aside for "later") when you were really little. It said that boys think three things; who's the boss, what are the rules, and are you going to enforce them? That has me laughing with exhaustion and pleasurable relief at the same time!

Brown Mouse, you are a smart, loving joy, and I am infinitely grateful that you blessed my life a decade ago. Happy double digits, Boo.

I love you,
Mamma