An Unscheduled Moment

My children invented a game, this morning, which involved the little one pushing the big one out into the rain, dissolving in fits of laughter and repeating. I was drawn away from the kitchen to the intoxicating sound of their joy.

In my experience, creative, spontaneous play unfolds organically when children are given large amounts of unscheduled time to follow the whims of their developing brain in a safe and familiar location, like their own home. 

In spite of my strong commitment spontaneous expression, I constantly find myself feeling pressured by "schedule," "measuring my worth by production" and "number of organized activities," values highly revered by American culture. Certainly schedules, goal setting, planned activities and production have their place and have the potential to facilitate a certain amount of joy and satisfaction, but every human needs a balance of scheduled time and unplanned time. Some of us are designed to flourish in a more structured environment and some of us are designed to flourish in a less structured environment.

I'm still learning who my children are and what they need as individuals, but I know I myself thrive on large amounts of unplanned space to create and follow an unseen "flow." Perhaps it could be called an "unseen structure." In spite of this self awareness, I spend far too much time chasing satisfaction from rigid models of daily life. Today the example of my children, and their deep notes of delight in surprise creativity, beckoned me back home.

I welcome you to delay your next activity by another 39 seconds, walk into my home through this one minute video and relive this unplanned moment with me.....

"If you want to go far...

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Tug of War - a Toe in Three Worlds

June 19, 2016

It's 6:49am. I'm on a plane to Miami, then Barbados, for my first vacation in 5 years, alone with my husband, without pregnancy or babies. Life is good.

After navigating the inevitable tears, (mine, not theirs) I feel myself sinking deep into this gift of rest. An entire week. My body has almost forgotten, but is ready to remember, sucking in this oxygen of freedom to fill every cell from my fingertips to my toes.

🎶 "Toes in the water...tush in the sand..." 🎶

Where's the RV? It's waiting for us, forlorn, at Camping World... on hold while we finish two other adventures and reunite in July for one last RV adventure of summer 2016.

We disappeared from this blog over the last month, caught up in the excitement and charm of our new house. Our furniture arrived and we couldn't help abandoning the RV to unpack box after box, reuniting with little treasures that remind us of Home. It was better than Christmas Morning. We LOVE our new nest. 

The delight, which charms us most at our new address, is the tree swing. We are IN LOVE with our big backyard, rider mower for Mama and tree swing for Samantha. Massive trees give character and shelter to a welcoming neighborhood, walking distance to Daddy's new college campus.

This is the first neighborhood I've ever lived in which feels like a neighborhood is supposed to feel; it's a community that cares for one-another. Within our first week we had more interactions and had already made more friends than we ever did in any previous house, even the house we lived in for 7 years!

In June, after a two month RV adventure, we were ready to be seduced by the warm embrace of our new home. We have come to the conclusion that we love RVing and exploring the U.S.A, but we also love a sprawling house and patio and the familiarity of one location. We enjoy both lifestyles. As the years go by, we plan to indulge in a mixture of both.

June 26, 11:30pm

Barbados was incredible. I've never been so grateful for a vacation in my entire life. 

I swam with sea turtles, became deeply tan, talking with two of my favorite vacation buddies, (you girls know who you are) I drank more local rum than I ever knew I could, I twisted and stretched in outdoor yoga class, tucked in gorgeous, tropical woods (where we were warned that if a monkey showed up we would need to vacate the area quickly as they are pesky little trouble makers). I danced with locals and tourists alike, outdoors, at Oistens Fish Fry, til 11:00, when a fight broke out and 50 cab drivers were lined up ready to whisk us away to the safety of our hotels and homes. 

Last, but not least, I discovered that while I may have Caucasian skin, my soul far more resembles a dark skinned Barbadian, than any of the light skinned people from the many light skinned countries I've visited. 

I'm now on a plane, ears popping as we descend, destined to crawl into bed next to my beloved little girls in the middle of the night. My three year old has put on a brave face, but I can see she doesn't fully understand my need for a full week away from her and my ten month old is 100% confused by the whole thing, but they will understand someday and they will also be grateful. In the meantime, they are about to get more kisses than they ever knew possible. 

Til next time....

When She's Frustrating Me

Yes, I admit it, this human with this adorable face has the ability to frustrate me at times. Like now. I'm trying to talk to you, and she is clamoring to be held. 

Don't worry. I love holding this funny bunny. She gets loads of attention, but she just turned 9 months and now thinks we should hold her 24/7 

My solution? RV life provides seat belts in the couches! Now she's safely strapped in with toys, but she's sitting right next to me feeling special to be on the couch with Mommy. Problem solved.

"Who me?????"

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Daily Sink Baths - Tiny Living

If I feed her, she can sit anywhere. If she feeds herself wet cereal, she must sit in the sink and end with a sink bath. We actually use the sink for the three year old as well. She still prefers baths over showers and there is no bathtub in this particular RV or most RVs. But the unusual thrill of a sink bath is not lost on either of my baby girls! This fun event also serves as an opportunity for me to complete tasks in the kitchen while they still feel like they are "with me."

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