This is the life.
This is my happily ever after right now, in this moment.
This is the best staycation I never dreamed of.
I love this life.
Thank you, Sunshine, for inviting us over tonight. We had a blast making pizzas and “shmores” and playing corn hole!! xo
nAMaste
#staycation
What do you think of puzzles? I LOVE them and doing a puzzle now makes me think of vacations and downtime, because who has time to do a puzzle just for fun? I do!
My goal tonight was to build the frame and the foundation. I then wanted to turn all 1000 pieces over and lay them out so I could see what I have and begin to build patterns and group by colors, words and faces. This is comforting to me.
When Christian was little, I could play Legos with him for hours. As he would build, I would create patterns and organize all the blocks by color, shapes and sizes. I did the same thing with Barbies when I was little, too. I liked to see all their dresses and shoes and organize them, and once everything was laid out, I was happy.
I love patterns and to see things in their place and I like structure. And then to mess it all up again!
What do you love to do for fun on vacation? Do you like puzzles too?
🙂
Okay, this could be the best summer now that I’m getting the hang of relaxing and being at home-not-at-home-and-working.
We have time to be, time to relax, time to work and play and low stress. There is space, sacred space at home and I’m finally embracing it. Hallelujah!!
So do you want to know what I’ve really loved this week? I knew you’d ask…I am loving pet sitting for friends with Juliana. I have loved checking on the chickens everyday and filling their water and gathering their eggs with my kids. There was a simple joy in waiting for the eggs each day and awe in how this process even works. I loved watching them peck at the water tube too and hearing the clucking sounds they made.
I loved seeing the cats and their different personalities and appearance and how three different families have three different ways of feeding and raising their fur babies. I used to not be a pet lover and now I’ve changed and that’s pretty cool. I guess old dogs can learn new tricks.
How’s your summer going? What do you love about it?
nAMaste
Bowling with all my kids and our friends was a great way to start our staycation this week.
I am thankful that all the moms and all the kids were able to connect our schedules for a couple hours today and to play together. I love that the kids still want to hang out with us, even the oldest one.
The moms and I became friends in 2001 and we have enjoyed sharing stories and experiences and watching our kids grow up together for 15 years now. I think that’s pretty amazing!
Bowling is a fun group outing for all ages, getting us moving and laughing and cheering for each other.
What do you like to do on spring break? Do you have fun staycation ideas?
xo
Today was the last day of our staycation as there was a teacher inservice day today. I think we are ready to get back into a routine again, even though the morning will come too soon. We took it easy these past few days and I know I am ready for our work to begin.
I love the yin and yang of vacation and work. They balance me out. I like the break and change and then I long for structure and predictability again, knowing what to expect. And before I know it, I’m ready to be sleeping in again and staying up late with the kids.
I love my kids being home with me and I love that they have a safe place to thrive and grow and then come back again.
The highlight of my simple day was reading in the middle of the day with my kids on my bed with the heater turned on and the sun shining in. I don’t normally do this as there are so many other things we choose to do instead. I loved that we weren’t busy and made the time to sit and snuggle together.
I hope everyone enjoyed the break and feel ready to go and work again, learning and being of service.
Happy New Year! May all your resolutions, dreams and hopes come true. Work hard. Play hard. Love it up!! Life is good.
“Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough.” – Emily Dickinson
I wouldn’t describe our vacation as ecstasy or pure bliss.
Tomorrow is the last day and actually, it’s been slightly mundane and just right.
We have practiced traveling around the world a bit and we traveled to San Diego and back this winter break. This past week we chose to stay home and I’ve learned a lot.
We actually really enjoyed being home and just living, doing whatever we felt like doing without a big plan and with time to just be without an agenda. We visited with friends. We shared meals. We played. We exercised. We stayed up late and slept in. We enjoyed sleepovers and sleeping in our own comfy beds. We watched movies and played on our electronic devices and we were content.
It didn’t matter what we choose to do, as long as there was time for us to be together and time for us to be ourselves and do our own things.
Today I chose to go on a hike with my friend early in the morning, while the kids were still in bed. At the end of our 5 mile hike, we loved standing and watching a red-tailed hawk enjoy her breakfast, protected and shielded by fallen tree branches, keeping a careful watch over her safety. There was something magical about this.
I did some shopping and came home to a quiet house. I was so thankful that everyone was gone and I could sit at my computer for a short while and just be with my own thoughts. I have several tasks to do and I keep putting them off while we are on “vacation.” I embraced the stillness and enjoyed the moments, with a tinge of guilt. I need to learn to leave that component out of the happiness equation.
This afternoon we went to a friend’s house to watch football and share a meal. I loved watching the kids play board games together and drawing with their new Christmas supplies. It was simple and perfect, despite my terrible headache. Actually, having a headache made me more observant and quiet and I actually enjoyed watching and listening to the conversation in a more relaxed state. Sometimes good things come from bad things. Perfectly, imperfect.
Today, the sense of living was enough. I am, dare I say, ecstatic? That might be a stretch. But I am happy that I’ve finally learned to be ok “staying” home and not having to be looking for the next big adrenaline rush of discovering something new. The mundane and common are really ok and quite enjoyable.
How was your day?
I was at the grocery store tonight and the clerk asked me if I was working a half week this week. I laughed and actually told him I was working full time this week, because my kids were home from school and this was NOT my vacation!! He laughed and the lady behind me smiled too, pointing to all the food she was buying for her kids and told me that they just won’t stop eating.
This was my third trip to the grocery store today. I took Juliana with me the first two times, and by the third trip, I just had to go alone. Charlie asked if he could come with me, and I thought how sweet it was that he wanted to be with me and then thought more wisely. I needed a moment to myself, even if it was just pushing the cart mindlessly through the store without interruption.
Jen Hatmaker made my day when she posted this on her Facebook Status today: “This afternoon, I snuck out of my house and drove around in my quiet car by myself and ate crackers. It has come to this.” I could TOTALLY relate.
I struggled today between wanting to be in the moment and present, enjoying my kids and wanting to pull my hair out. Juliana noticed my angst and asked me what was wrong. I told her nothing, but I was fibbing and she knew it. I thought about what was bugging me and it was EVERYTHING!! I haven’t been alone in 2 weeks and this feels weird.
I didn’t want anyone else asking my opinion, or asking me to look at something or ask me to buy something. I wanted to be selfish and alone AND be with her at the same time and I was totally conflicted!! Every time I went to move the cart, she was there. She wasn’t doing anything wrong but trying to be with me and shopping with me and I just wanted to be alone with no one asking questions and no one blocking my path.
And then I was frustrated by myself for not enjoying my sweet daughter who wanted to be with me and shop with me and bake with me.
After all, isn’t this my dream come true?? Sometimes our dreams need space. Because this was my dream come true and I felt stuck and trapped and I needed to snap out of it. Quickly.
So I did.
I told her what I was feeling and apologized for being short and explained my challenge in raising teen kids who have their own wonderful ideas and know everything. She wasn’t doing anything wrong. I was just agitated by her presence and questioning that interrupted my thoughts and planning and then I felt badly for being irritated.
I apologized and asked for a little break and she granted my wish and understood. I started decluttering my house and getting rid of the chaos that surrounded us, and I felt order returning to our “vacation house.” Then I suddenly felt better. She gave me some space. I got to work without interruption and she was still with me, baking with her friend. And I felt peace again and told her thank you.
She gets me. She loves me. She understands and validates me and forgives me when I am short-tempered.
This is the best vacation. I am thankful. Just keepin’ it real. Namaste.
This three day weekend we chose to stay close to home and to take it easy. Do you have a Labor Day ritual that you celebrate?
Yesterday we had our first tailgate of the college football season.
We brought lawn chairs and tables, coolers filled with beers and waters and food, as well as our portable BBQ. It was a hot day in the sunshine filled stadium.
Today the kids enjoyed swimming with friends and making new friends at the pool. Later we shared a delicious healthy dinner with our BFFs. I love when my kids get along with my friend’s kids and our husbands enjoy each other too. This makes me so happy.
I loved the simplicity of our staycation with friends and am so excited that we have one more day to relax as a family before heading back to our normal programming.
Happy Labor Day! Live it up and enjoy this wonderful life. xo
California is one of my favorite places and I love living here. Today we decided to be tourists of San Francisco. The kids had never been to Alcatraz and we had never been to Angel Island before. We got up early like it was a school day and packed a picnic lunch. We left the house by 7:45 am in time to drive up to the city and find parking before arriving for our 9:30 am departure.
It was very cold and even with our multiple layers we were still freezing. When it wasn’t windy, we felt fine and when the sun eventually peeked out, we were quite comfortable.
Here are some pictures from our Staycation.
Being in Alcatraz and listening to the stories while walking through the prison cells and hallways made me thankful for my freedom. It made me wonder why and how some people become so hardened and can hate life so much that they don’t want to follow the rules and will accept the loss of their freedom in exchange for their choice of rejecting societal norms.
Some people may not have the ability to weigh the pros and cons of their choices and be able to look past the current moment to see that they might end up in a worse place if they choose to act in a certain way. The human mind fascinates me.
Seeing the small cells where men lived and hearing how the space became part of them was so surreal.
The solitary confinement units where the worst of the worst inmates were placed in the dark for 24 hours at a time would make most people go insane. Hearing the audio tour as you walk through the exhibits really makes you feel and experience what it might have been like before 1963 when the last inmate was released from Alcatraz.
It’s actually a beautiful place to visit and to take in another view of the city from the water.
From Alcatraz, we took another ferry over to Angel Island. The sun was out by now and it was a beautiful journey. We ate our picnic lunch from the boat deck and enjoyed watching all the sailboats sail by. Once we arrived at Angel Island, we took a tram ride around the island that lasted one hour.
It turned out to be a perfect day of sunshine. We all loved the island and hope to come back and rent bikes one day and tour around again and explore this gorgeous place. We took a ferry back to San Francisco and finished our day with a walk to the Ferry Building. From there we started to head back to our car and discovered the stairway to Coit Tower. Even though we were tired, we still rallied and hiked the 400+ steps to the top because I was curious and wanted to try something new. More beauty was experienced and I was thankful that we all made it despite a few grumblings. I kept telling my kids that we didn’t have any wimps in our family and I guess they believed me!
My phone battery had died by the time we got to the steps so I was unable to take anymore pictures. Jeff took this one of me playing in this flower tree that made me smile.
There was a beautiful secret garden we discovered, quaint little homes and a cute black cat. The Filbert steps are definitely worth taking if you ever have the chance .
We are definitely tired now after more than walking 19,000+ steps, but in a good way.
I love San Francisco and life is good!
I believe in accepting what ever comes your way, and even when you have a plan, expect the plan to change. This way you’re never really disappointed.
As we were leaving for London yesterday, Charlie said he wasn’t feeling well. I was wishfully thinking he was just overtired. But today the thermometer and the feel of his skin and his watery eyes told me otherwise.
So instead of touring around London as expected, I got to spend a relaxing day with my little boy sitting on the couch and watching a movie, playing Connect Four and just being a mama. When he fell asleep, I got to enjoy Nate and Becky’s beautiful roof top terrace and sat in the sun with my book and Becky’s iPad. There isn’t wifi here, so I’m unable to use my iPhone or iPad as usual, and thus cannot post pictures from the events this weekend unless I use Becky’s iPad to take photos or leverage some from Facebook!
When everyone else came back, they all joined me on the terrace, including Charlie for some snacks and a family game of Pictionary.
We had tickets for the theatre tonight and Jeff graciously volunteered to stay home with Charlie. Poor kid. It was so sad to leave him behind when he really wanted to go, but his fever had other plans. The theatre district in London includes several different theatres in a general vicinity. Juliana and I went to see Mathilda and Nate, Becky and Christian went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as we couldn’t get enough tickets for Mathilda, and Becky was able to find tickets for the other show at the same time for everyone else. Both shows were fantastic and we enjoyed the evening at the theatre. The weather is warm, like California and I loved being outside tonight. I’m hoping Charlie feels better tomorrow and his fever breaks so that we can enjoy Sunday,all together as a family.
How was your day? Did things go as planned? Hope it was a good one. xx
here i am 