The Everyday

"I feel like I'm really busy all day, but then I look around and feel like I haven't really accomplished anything."

Those are the words I spoke to KJ last night when he asked me about my day, but looking at them now, I don't feel like that's a complete truth.  I was really speaking of my to-do list around the house and that the house wasn't perfect.  Why do I hold on to that ideal of perfection?  I don't know.  It gives me something to strive for, I guess.

I do feel busier than I've ever felt in mothering but also happier and the most fulfilled in a lot of ways, too.  I loved snuggling my babies and toddlers, but it is more fun and mentally challenging planning activities for them now.  That's not to say that parenting in this season doesn't also leave me mentally scatterbrained and brain dead sometimes, too.  I just had to intervene and discipline in the midst of an argument over what to watch on Netflix and who was going to push the button on the Wii controller.  

 Self-portraiture with the big camera is hard work.

Ella and I have been reading like crazy this week, trying to meet our summer reading goals by Friday.  We've been having family read-aloud times with me reading Little House in the Big Woods to everyone.  I love those books so much, so it's fun to share them with KJ and also to introduce Ella to pioneer life in America for the first time.  It gives me a lot of joy to teach her new things.  James sometimes gets a little loud during these readings, but we try to press on anyway.  

  Life captured through my iPod's camera

Piano Lessons

  Bubble Blowing

 Scrapbooking

 I'm not sure where I was going with this blog post...just a little update, I suppose.  Perhaps if the children weren't clamoring for my attention there would be something more brilliant to say, but as it is...they're clamoring for my attention.  We'll be spending the day cleaning, laundering, ironing, disciplining, teaching, reading, errand-running, practicing gymnastics, etc.

Fun tidbit, I love holding James' feet while he does sit-ups.  It's the best.  He's been joining in Ella's gymnastics-inspired workouts.