Now that Stone is back to designing and building with stone our lives are falling into a bit of a schedule. I’m doing my best to become aware of how our lives are flowing and then implement all the necessary pieces so that our needs are taken care of and we stay cool, calm and collected.
Having just spent the entire Winter off together as a family we could cook when we felt like it, visit the laundromat when we felt like it, pretty much do whatever we wanted to do whenever and that felt really good. Now that Spring is here the business has been blessed with plenty of work and clients want to know when Stone will arrive at meetings, when they will receive business proposals and when they will be able to enjoy the new hardscapes in their yards. I want to know when Stone will be home so I can write, dream and make appointments of my own interests. We need to plan and prepare foods ahead of time so when Stone comes home we can hop in the truck and make it to Sunset Park for dinner, or ride up to the falls for a picnic. We need to have our house projects organized so if we find ourselves with free time we can build, plant or design. We need to have the business organized so when we do office work at night it’s effective and efficient. We need….we need….
I’ve noticed in these past 5 years of crash course parenting and family life that schedules don’t really work for us. I’ve made them, for sure, and they do look great on paper, but the very time I decided was food prep time really felt better to be bath time and outside time was canceled because it was raining; the schedule tends to unravel before it’s ever lived out. We are much more of a go with the flow family. We have a loose daily/weekly plan that might have unexpected turns, but that’s okay because we like to improvise.
I’m trying to keep that flow but integrate those vital pieces I mentioned earlier: food gathering and prep, laundry, personal projects and house projects. In my mothering, I’ve found it works best if I’m a half-step ahead. I’d like to be a whole step ahead, but I’m just not that kind of a mother. I like to be in the present moment, but future moments aren’t so fun if I didn’t spend past moments being prepared. (Any Zen masters care to unravel that predicament for me?)
We’ve set up the weekends to be wonderful; a perfect blend of projects, fun, relaxation and preparation. This past weekend we rode our bikes to the farmers’ market, re-hung our bathroom door, watched fish spawning up the river, invited a friend over to play, cleaned out the fridge, skipped river rocks, found the non-VOC paint we’re going to paint our house with, had a pizza party and found reclaimed oak boards that are going to become our flower boxes. I’m exhausted, but satisfied, and the boys sleep while Stone plans out his business week and I pause to reflect and set intentions for a new week.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the to-do lists but it helps to remember that the lists are really our dreams and inspired ideas on paper. I keep reminding myself, in this fast paced and winner’s orientated world that there is no race and there is nothing I want upstream. The more I let go and trust the wisdom of Nature and her flow, the easier it is to enjoy my family and my life.
Enjoy some pictures from our weekend:
A Neighbor's Coldframe
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Ice cream
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Stumbled Upon a Wedding Shoot
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Ha! Love that messy face!
I feel ya on the routine vs flow; planning for fun vs being in the moment. I’ve been working on finding my balance. I really need some amount of routine with a lot of flexibility and open times for spontaneity. I’ve being doing good since I’ve been more mindful of *how* I want to spend my time and *why* and making choices based on those principles that should guide me.
~Tara
Reminds me of one of the principles of Waldorf…Rhythm. Though I’m very Type A, I gave up the whole schedule thing at about a year when I realized that my son just simple wasn’t going to cooperate. So now I just have, like you said, a flow to our day. It’s pretty loose, but we do have certain days that are devoted to certain activities like making bread, laundry, library time, the park, etc. And after reading a book recently, I finally figured out what the previous commenter said about being mindful about *how* I spend my time.
I totally agree with you Tara!
Alisha: Definitely vibe with the whole rhythm of Waldorf minus the dogma stuff. Which book are you referring to. I’m always interested in a good book ;-)
beautiful, my friend! just beautiful.
I love your blog and artful life. Your farmer’s market is beautiful.
Hill your photos are getting better and better! and u know i love your writing and updates..
Thanks Markus, I really appreciate that.