Winter Down Time

 

The little ones and I have been enjoying some down time this January. I and half of my department are on furlough from Colonial Williamsburg- so we get some more time together!! That time has been spent crafting, playing, and day tripping. Last weekend we were lucky enough to go the Baltimore aquarium. It was so lovely. By far our favorite things were the Dolphins and jellyfish. As always Jonas adored the Sharks. 

This extra free time has also allowed to use our new Christmas art supplies and the shadow puppet theater that the elves brought. Shadow puppets have been a favorite for years now. The plays that the kids come up with are riotous. They never cease to make me laugh. 

All and all we're loving January, despite not being the biggest fan of the cold and recovering from the flu that we all got right before Christmas. Hopefully we'll squeeze in more day trips before the furlough is over. Regardless I am treasuring our time together. I am continually awed by the blessings that my children are and filled with such immense gratitude for the life we've carved out here for ourselves. 

::this moment::

Our moment. From Soulemama.

Miss Deirdre painting her first big girl canvas! Please share your moments too in the comments.

Love and light to you and yours!

Saint Nicholas' Day

Nicholas, St. Nicholas, come to us today, Ride upon your white horse from far, far away. Bring us golden treasure, Fill our hearts with love, Ready for the Christ Child coming from above. Nicholas, St. Nicholas, come to us today, Ride upon your white horse from far, far away.

Good Day Friends! 

Saint Nicholas just finished visiting our house today. Addy, our advent gnome, has been helping us the past 2 days to get ready for him. On the 2nd day of advent we made cookies for him and his white horse. On the 3rd day we made letters for him as well as prepared our shoes for him and set them outside. 

I know that the 6th is traditionally Saint Nicholas' feast day, but the children will be with their father on the 6th and they were worried he would miss their house since they weren't home. I informed them to fear not, that he'd come a few days early this year. 

This year Saint Nicholas brought them all their oranges, gold coins, and sweets. They also got a small wooden pet toy set- a kitty, a rabbit, and a dog. Each pet came with a little food dish and house. Their pets are going to live in their farm house. 

Here are our celebrations from years past:

2011

2012:

I did not blog it but here are our photos of it! 

2013

So here are some photos of our past few days and advent fun. Most of our fun times are had at night after I get off work, so apologize for the poor photos. But that is the reality for the full time working mom gig I suppose. I don't mind however. Life is good. It is calm and seeped in love. Now more than ever I get to focus on quality versus quantity. And the few hours we have work and school free each day are definitely quality ridden. I just cannot get over how amazing keeping our Waldorf rhythm has been through this life transition. I am just a blessed lady. 

As we adjust and slow down more and more, I am able to add back in things into our lives that we had to set to the side. One of those things being more planned craft time. Most of our craft time has been free form based around our artelier using loose parts. I'd like to bring back our water color day, our wax day, and our bread day- after work. I also have more time with the children on the weekends, so I want to plan more day trips. 

But for now, this is beautiful and bright. 

May the patron saint of sailors and children shine God's love and light upon you! 

Day 2

Cookie baking! Sometimes I don't have time to change our of my colonial clothes before we do craft and dinner time! 

Day 3

Writing letters

Finding their shoes filled!

They we're so excited!! 

Our New Advent

Our gingerbread house

Addy our advent gnome

Hello Dear Online Village!

It has been quite a long time since I last visited this place. I have missed this... the peace that I get while reflecting and writing about my day. But sometimes, absence is necessary. Since I wrote last in April, our little lives have changed happily quite a bit. 

I am now working full time and have been since late May for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation as an Orientation Interpreter. After some soul searching and patience, I found the right job for us. A job that allows me to have regular work hours, good benefits, stability- but one that also allows me to be emotional present at the end of the day. A job that I don't have to bring work home with me and I can go back to my favorite job, that of being a mother. The best part of my job? It combines two of my passions, history and teaching- minus the grading and paperwork. If you ever happen to be in colonial Williamsburg, stop by and say hello! I don't think I can gush enough about how blessed I feel to have the job that I have. 

The little ones are now in school part-time and Deirdre is in first grade. They all love their schools and teachers. I am so blessed at the amazing schools we were given here. And while it wasn't my plan or desire fro them to go to public school or for me to work full time away from them, this has proven to be an easy transition and they're thriving immensely. I think they are doing so well due to all the time I did spend at home with them. Our rhythm hasn't changed when we are home and Waldorf has set them all up to do well in school, and they each are excelling. My gratitude for Waldorf never ceases to end. It works. And boy does keeping the same rhythm help. 

In addition to the new job, we also have a new house! Another benefit to working of CWF is that we can rent their homes. The kids, their godmother, and I were lucky enough to get one of the homes and it just so happens to be one of CW's 88 original buildings, the Seymour Powell Tenement. I still cannot get over how neat it is every day when I come home to this house that was built in 1753. The history major inside of me is constantly geeking out. Not to mention, but the house has a hidden staircase and doorways, so the kids LOVE it. Did I also mention that we have woods in the backyard and we live walking distance form the historic area? Be still my heart. 

Lastly, I have met the most amazing, kind, and brilliant people in the past few months. My new church Bruton, which is just amazing. Basically, I have found a new voluntary family. People who chose to be in my life and stand by me not because they feel obligated to do so, but because they want to do so. While in no way do they replace my blood family or my ladies, it has been a huge affirmation to meet them all in this place. I am where I should be.

This phase of my life hasn't been without darkness or hardship. It will always be there in some capacity I suppose. But it is nice to know, I no longer have to be apart of that or associate with it. That my life is separate. My soul is free. I never knew how bright life could be except through my children. It's nice for my whole life to be bright again, as it should have always been. And for once, I get to plan a real future and not just be forced to meander by daily with no long term vision. 

So here we are, celebrating our new advent in a new place. Addy, our advent gnome, is out and about leaving fun notes and activities for the kids. Aunt and Uncle J bought the children advent bible verse calendars which we began tonight. For our first day, we made a gingerbread house and hung our stockings. Addy also left the children 3 chocolate coins. Tomorrow we'll get out our advent ring and decorate more. This advent is going to be so so much fun!! 

So dear friends, I'll leave you all now. I think this update is enough to get you all up to speed on our lives. It's my goal to be in this place more now that our lives have hit their happy calm. Enjoy the photos and please share what you're doing this advent! 

Our stockings!

The bible verse advent calenders

Jonas found Addy

They loved Addy and his note!

Clearly for Brynna chocolate was the best part!

A Happy Thought

A Happy Thought

The world is so full

of a number of things, 

I'm sure we should all

be happy as kings.

-Robert Louis Stevenson from "A Child's Garden of Verses"

I have taken a bit of a respite from this place. Honestly, not for any reason in particular! I have just been so busy and alternatively our lives have been changing so much. We have been trying to figure out a new family rhythm. 

With Deirdre now in school, our days look different. Now with my return to work soon, as well as having a temporary job on the weekends, it has been a bit up and down. However, we still have been making the most of it and figuring out all of these changes together. Us four, we're a little team to be sure. It has amazed me how well they all have been doing through this. It is a blessing for sure. All of them are growing in news ways. And it has reminded me of what an honor and privilege it is to be their mother. 

Mostly, I find myself filled with divine gratitude. Gratitude for having my children in my life. Gratitude for my family, who has loved us so well through this. Gratitude for my friends, whom are also my family and who I get to raise my children alongside with. Gratitude for my education, which at times I have taken for granted. And gratitude for Waldorf, because that lynchpin in our lives has helped keep me steady- and my mothering steady- which in turn has helped me love my children well. It almost seems like a buffer of sorts, a sense of stability in my home. I can't quite name it. But it is there. 

I also continue to be in awe of the beauty that surrounds us. Maybe I appreciate it more now or maybe I see it more clearly, but I feel like someone has turned up the saturation in my eyes. Life is just brighter. 

My children have not been the only ones who have been growing. I have too. For once, in a long time, I have had time for myself. I have been doing things for just me. Beautiful yet simple things. And that feels good. My soul feels refreshed and I have a renewed sense of purpose, that I thought I died to a long time ago. It feels good to be alive again in that way. Which all brings me back to gratitude for the people the universe has conspired to put in my life and help me rekindle that. 

So I will leave you all now with a bit of 'catch up' for what we've been up to. We've celebrated 2 birthdays, MANY festivals, taken trips, and had lots of beach and crafting fun. Enjoy my sweet friends. And I will be back soon. 

Brynna is getting so so big! She loves to play at the Yorktown battlefields. 

Secret Places

Jonas turned 4! 

Brynna turned 2! 

Worm trap made by Jonas. 

Yorktown Pirate Day

Easter Eggs :) 

The start of  our garden! 

Yorktown Beach! 

Our trip to Richmond to visit Link and her family as well as the VMFA

Shrove Tuesday

Imbolc pots! 

Green for Spring! 

Day trip to Surry to their Farm Museum. 

One of our last days homeschooling. 

PS: Linking up for the lovely Nicole at Frontier Dreams for KCCO! 

Love and Light,