Self Care Laughter

There is so much buzz and debate around self care these days. It's something that I think about as well! What works and what doesn't work for me is something that I wonder. For a long time, I used to think that self care for me was a break from the kids to do something on my own or with friends. While those are great things, it didn't always do it for me. It put me in a posture of always waiting to get away from my kids so I could relax, only to feel frustrated when I'm with them and never totally myself when I got back from my break.

Some of my breaks include: out to eat with friends, coffee shop mornings by myself, exercising (oldie but goodie), having friends over after bedtime for a bonfire, etc. Those are all good and I still do them occasionally. However, I've recently learned that actually playing with my children is some of my favorite self care! 

It was a nice day when they kids were off of school recently, so we went to the playground for fun and a picnic. We ate, they did their thing, I watched all the things that they wanted me to see, then I got in on the fun. 

I ran, chased, tickled, helped, and did a lot of laughing. That's happening more often, and I've so enjoyed getting involved and laughing with them. Being goofy with them brings me so much joy. In my search for feeling good in life, giving myself over to my role as mother has filled me so much. 

These are my children that I adore and they have truly been my best self care. 

Ridge's Writings

Ridge is my child who has shown the most interest in writing. Daily he grabs a pencil and index card and draws some very detailed and almost distinguishable picture. This year, he got to deliver his first Valentine's Day cards. 

This tiny right of passage always nudges me to finally teach them how to write their own names. For whatever reason, I found the time to do this during our morning hustle to get the big kids to school. I showed him once and he got it pretty quickly (except for that tricky lower case e). He was very enthusiastic about it as long as we only did three at a time. It was a very happy Valentine's day for Ridge. 

Large Lark Turns 2

Because I like to overthink everything and make things harder on myself, one of my constant mom-thoughts is "does every child have a place and a voice in our big family, are they heard/do they contribute something of themselves to our family?" with a slight undercurrent of "the world does not revolve around each child-don't cater to them!" See, I'm a total mom-nut-job with my unnecessary thoughts.

As the youngest, Lark often gets dragged along to everything and often I wonder if we ever do anything for him. His birthday was going to be my indicator. Did he see it as his own celebration and fun, or did he see it as another activity forced upon him? 

The answer became clear: he saw it as his own. The older three were so cute helping him feel special. While Burl and Fern took over the streamer decorations, Ridge helped with a gentle hype. 

Ridge loved all his toys, while Burl and Fern used their tablets for their own pictures. Our sweet Lark, fresh up from bed, enjoyed the attention and loved his new little toys. 

Later that day, he wore his new, ugly, character shirt with pride. As family arrived, he greeted everyone and showed him his special shirt. We devoured cake and the ever famous charcuterie board. 

The candles were lit, the song was sung, and his smile was plastered on his face. What joy to watch a two year old GET IT. 

After he neatly ate his cake and opened his presents with enthusiasm, he did what he does best: he kept playing. 

As he grows and develops, I'm watching him become his own person. So far, I think we're ok on the everyone has their place. These days it's still just a lot of playing, which is Lark's expertise. He plays so well! For now, that's the most important thing that a toddler can do. We love our big boy, Lark.