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Monday, September 19, 2011

Monday Musings


I'm joining Nadja over at Patch O' Dirt Farm with some Monday Musings. Join in, and make sure to link back to her space!

Right now...it is early morning. There's a cardboard box beside me containing our latest critters: three little kittens, born to our Doolin sometime this past weekend. I found them in a window flowerbox, lying in the earth, and felt compelled to offer them a cosy corner in a box. Mama cat is purring as her dappled beauties doze beside her. I'm preparing to rouse my own dozing "kittens" for a busy day of firsts: Violet's first day of school, and Margot's first day of daycare.

This weekend...we spontaneously went camping...well, as spontaneously as you can when you're packing for five people and the weather fluctuates between 0 degrees Celsius and 20 degrees! It was a weekend of geese calling, owls hooting at night, seeing our breath, kids sleeping deeply and warmly while mama froze her heiny off, sausages and coffee in the morning (and the BEST waffles!), mist rising off the water, yellow leaves, collecting acorns, gazing into the flames. It was a weekend for which I am very grateful, the last camping trip before real autumn (and inevitably, winter) begins.

Some plans for the week: finish putting away all camping gear, doing loads and loads of laundry, getting down to real purging. My sister suggested a yard sale on Thanksgiving weekend, and I am newly motivated to clear out a lot of the stuff I've gathered over the years.

If I find some time for myself, I would like to...start thinking about Christmas gifts for our kids. I finally found the courage to send a note out to our relatives requesting that NO plastic/battery-powered toys be given. I listed some ideas of where to buy alternatives, and gently explained that we're simply overwhelmed with STUFF. It was empowering to just get it out there, finally, after years of worrying that I might sound rude. More on this topic in a future post...

I am grateful for...the simple joys of camping with children; Violet's little warm hand in mine, walking to the privy in the dark, as she talks and talks and talks and marvels at the flashlight glow. Margot's amazing heat in our tent, like a little hot-water bottle. The funny "souvenirs" Jude chooses to bring home with him from outdoor adventures. This time: a bottle of swamp dirt. ("Wanna know what it smells like?", he asks..."Swamp dirt!")

Some special prayer intentions for the week: always, always: faith and patience for myself and for my educational assistant, as we introduce our new little charges to classroom rhythms and expectations!

Something that makes me smile: thinking about the looks on my children's faces when I introduced them to the kittens: complete awe and joy, and determination to follow the rule: no touching until their eyes open.

Have a wonderful Monday!

7 comments:

  1. Kittens in a windowbox!? How darling!
    Can't wait to see pictures. If I had a blog, I would also fill a post with Monday musings..lots I am thinking about too. Maybe just a journal entry will do with the leads that you have provided here.
    Can't wait to hear about the camping trip!

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  2. I need to beg, borrow or steal a tent--a big one!--so that we can go camping before the weather gets too chilly. I never liked camping, but having kids makes it more work, but also more fun. They have such a way of drawing you into their world.

    I made the "no battery-powered toys, no noisy toys" rule a couple of years ago. And to cut down on the number of toys, we now get a few individual gifts and then get really nice board games or DVDs or things that the kids can all make use of (this year we will get a German board game and play silks as the community gifts).

    We SO need a yard sale, but living in the middle of nowhere, we'd have no comers! Maybe a flea market...?

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  3. We have rescued several sets of kittens and had a ball with them...the best "kitten" story I have is one where we took in a stray that had kittens under our house and had cute little calicos...I found all of them homes. I was so proud of myself and one day, I got a phone call from our guitar teacheer that took one. When he took it to the vet, he found out that it was an extremely rare male tri-colored calico and worth a lot of money...we still laugh about that.

    Can't wait to see pics!

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  4. What a weekend to prepare everyone for their first days! I can't wait to hear how Violet's big day went especially. Did she feel awfully grown up?

    Best of luck with all that putting away. It's the worst thing about leaving the house sometimes.

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  5. I am SO envious of your courage to put out the no plastic/no battery rule on presents. I don't think...I KNOW....my family would be seriously offended.

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  6. Somehow I missed this post today! Glad I found it now :o) How brave you are to send out that message about the toys. We are also planning something similar this year - 1 or 2 really special gifts, and then nothing else. A. was so overwhelmed on her birthday with all the presents, and I think she would have just been happy playing with the bags and tissue paper. Good for you!

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  7. But will family listen???? MINE don't. Not always, anyway. They are getting better, though. I'm trying to convince them to give the gift of their time, or to give/sponsor some lessons instead of more STUFF.

    I love that you went camping this past weekend. Such a gorgeous weekend for a spontaneous family camping event!

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