slow and simple

I am here, reading online rather than writing. My hands and days are so busy and full right now, with four little people. Mostly it's a good sort of full, sometimes it's a stressed and tired sort of full. Many days my favourite time is when I settle into bed, finally, baby with eyes half shut, feeding off to dreamland, other children in bed, a pot of tea by my bed and a book in my hand. It's bliss. I had a lung infection (I don't like the word pneumonia) and was ill these last couple of weeks. Nights I couldn't lie down flat because I actually couldn't breathe. It's a luxury and blessing to be lying down to sleep again. A spoonful of honey in my tea, a little molasses cookie on the side. In the pre-mornings before he leaves, The Man lights up the fire ready for our day. This morning the baby and I crept down early, at dawn and sat quietly, our eyes both pulled to the flames. It was peaceful. The most peaceful part of my day. I am relishing the quiet simple things right now. The string of fairy lights in my bedrooom, one tidy room in a house of chaos, the peachy fuzz of Iona's head, cupped in my hand. The scent of warm coconut oil on her skin as I massage her (she is pure joy I tell you), watching Felix cut paper snowflake after snowflake, Esmé with her needle thread and buttons, Isaac with me chopping veggies.....

I need these sorts of things more than ever right now as my life creeps up a notch in the bigger handful department. My plate is fuller and more varied than ever. I need to see each thing in it's simpleness and singularity, rather than look all at once at everything and see a blur and mass of jumbled colour, heaps of things to do and say and hear and then re-do all over again. We are slowly gaining a new rhythm to our days at home, it has taken us until now for one to emerge. It's nothing we plan, but rather one we fall into.

I am focusing on crafts, food and walks, time in front of the fire with games and books. That is all. Outings further afield are few and require The Man to help. I have proper photos from my real camera just waiting for me to download, but these easy instantly-uploaded phone ones are my easy choice of the day.

The Green parent magazine have asked me to write a regular column about home life/home educating and other family relatedness, so watch out for my home-y words starting in the next issue!