Running Boys - Simple Gems - Day 6

Early this morning before the sky began to lighten, I sat in my comfy chair sipping my coffee, reading and enjoying the quiet of the still-sleeping house.  Over summer vacation this became my reason to crawl from my cozy bed consistently earlier than I ever have before in my life!  It has become my favourite time of day, those precious moments I steal alone before any of the boys are stirring their sleepy bodies awake.  No one is requesting or needing anything of me yet.  There are no tasks yet begun that require my attention.  My to-do list for the day is completed the night before so my mind doesnt even linger on the I-need-to-remember's.  It is time completely mine.

Although I was out of bed, I was not quite fully awake yet.  To meet the challenge of Write 31 Days I carve out time to write after everyone is asleep.  This makes my mornings a lot slower once again as I stay up late.  I heard some stirrings from James and Morgan's room and wondered why they were awake so much ahead of their alarm.  I listened to their talk back and forth as they discussed the day ahead.  It slowly dawned on me that today was the day of their Cross Country Running Meet.  Even from another room I could feel their excitement.

It was hard to get them to concentrate on their morning routine so we could get out the door on time.  As the big yellow bus slowed to a stop at our laneways' end, my boys clustered around me waiting for their good-bye hug and kiss before being whisked away to another school day.  In usual form, I kissed their cheeks and squeezed them close.  But as James and Morgan turned from me to climb the steps of the bus, I wished them luck and a word of encouragement.  I was concerned I wouldn't be able to find them at the meet before they ran so I could whisper a word in their ear.  

But I had nothing to fear.  My boys found me even as I approached the moving mass of boys and girls wondering where they were among the sea of oversized blue jersey's representing their school team.  They ran to me, away from their friends, and flung themselves at me for a reassuring hug.  Our last hug was barely three hours old but they needed another to help calm the jitters before the race.  Even there in the midst of all their school friends, I was their focus.  And they filled the moment with joy for me - my eight year old boys are still happy to shower love on me, even in public.

And they did fantastic in their race!  James placed 21st and Morgan placed 26th in a 1500 meter race.  I am so proud of them!

Click here to see the rest of my Write 31 Days series:  Simple Gems

Healing Gems - Day 5

My mom is one of the most inspiring people I know.  Growing up she taught me the value of hard work, perseverance, loyalty and truth.  She shared knowledge gleaned through life experience: from housework to painting on a construction site; from raising animals on the farm to raising children with love; from gardening and preserving to mending a sock.  If she did it, we all benefited by learning alongside her.

Always I remember her sharing stories while we worked side-by-side.  They were tales of children from a different time in a world that seemed a storybook of characters and places and events played out in my imagination.  They were shared so often my childhood memories are intertwined with her stories.  Some I remember as clearly as though they are part of my story.  It is a legacy I value tremendously. 

Being an adult child now affords me the clarity to appreciate what she has taught me by both word and example.  She still shares.  I hope she never stops sharing so that my children can enjoy the same legacy of knowledge she holds.

But this past year has been hard for her physically.  She was sick for months and when that began to clear up, her arthritic knees continued to deteriorate at a rapid rate.  In early September she had a bilateral knee replacement.  This last month of recovery from that surgery has continued to take a toll on her and she continues to need support with anything that is still beyond her ability.

She was feeling a little more like herself today for the first time in a really long time.  She wasn't dealing with pain and making concentrated efforts at moving herself carefully.  She wasn't sleepy from medication or physical exertion.  She was almost just my mom.  She sat at the kitchen table that has always been an integral part of our time together and asked if I could set her up to cut the apples for applesauce.  YES!  

It was in that moment, while I  watched her work at her place at that table as she has done countless times before, when I felt I could breathe easily once again.


Click here to see the rest of my Write 31 Days series:  Simple Gems

Morning Gems - Day 4

Pancakes!  It's a word that speaks volumes in our home.  I believe it really could be the most requested meal of all.  It almost never fails that when pancakes are being cooked, Evan comes wandering into the kitchen from somewhere in the house making a slurping sound while announcing he smells pancakes.  He has a very good sense of smell.

Cool fall days and far too many nights of interrupted sleep by a small boy adjusting to new routines lend themselves to sleeping in.  Ahhh, sleep can be a most wonderful thing.  

A late start to the day also requires brunch to be served.  Pancakes piled high, crispy bacon, yogurt and a plateful of peaches, bananas and apples.  And the best part, the pure maple syrup made by our friend.   Seriously, it doesn't get much better.  Except, for me, the meal is only the result of the better.

Week-ends offer Luke and I time together not found in any other part of our week - we cook together.  Moving about the kitchen in a harmony perfected over 11 years, we made brunch today.  The kitchen is mostly my domain in our home and it is my hands that prepare most of our meals with only maybe the help of the boys.  But anytime Luke joins me to make a special meal or bake pretzels, is time together I savour.  This morning was no exception.


Click here to see the rest of my Write 31 Days series:  Simple Gems

Hot Chocolate Gems - Day 3

Crimson leaves are changing the green shade forest of summer.  Crisp cool air greeted us while we waited for the rumbling of the big yellow bus these last few mornings.  Our living room fireplace crackles and pops with the warming embers of the seasons first fire.

Fall is here.

A cold drizzle began to fall this afternoon while the boys played outdoors.  In true boy fashion they stayed outside while their hair and jackets slowly absorbed the mist.  Fingers made red from cold swings, toys and sticks.  When drizzle turned to rain, in the door they piled to drape wet jackets near the fireplace.

Hot chocolate mugs were pulled from the back of the cupboard where they had been pushed to make room for iced tea cups.  Marshmallows bob, boys giggle and share time-worn jokes, cookies are crunched.  Tradition from past cold weather days replays once again as they all gather round the table enjoying their steaming hot chocolate.  

Click here to see the rest of my Write 31 Days series:  Simple Gems

Garden Gems - Day 2

My childhood memories of summer are entwined with gardening.  Smells of the fresh earth, warm dirt hugging my bare feet, fingers green from weed pulling.  Similar smells and sensations on my skin still bring me that sense of rightness in the world that beautiful childhood memories invoke.  

Always my summer began when our mom took my sister and I to the garden so we could sow seeds on the Victoria Day long week-end in May.  Watching nature grow became one of my passions.  Still today, after I plant my seeds, I check the garden soil daily waiting to see those first hair-like wisps or delicately curled leaves poking through.  It stirs in me an indescribable thrill.

Then I watch our food grow.  However, I can't say I tend it as lovingly as I should.  My laidback gardening style lends itself more to a weedy garden where only the heartiest plants thrive.  But so far it's worked.  We eat well through the summer. Our shelves and freezer are full of food grown and preserved by our own hands.  

The food I serve my family is a gift I give them.  It is the same as my mom gave me.  It is one I cherish from my childhood and one I hope my children cherish in the future. 

September lingered with summer on the breeze most days.  Yesterday the twins and I picked the last of the peppers and beans for the year.  I'm almost in disbelief of all the fresh produce that was still in the garden on October 1st!  

Ending the garden season harvesting the bounty with my boys made a moment to cherish.


Click here to see the rest of my Write 31 Days series:  Simple Gems

SIMPLE GEMS - Day 1

Within the last year and half I have begun to recognize there is a piece of me that is crying out for...more.  Not more quality of life or things or love or even appreciation.  But more of me - the true essence of me.  More of that deep rooted part that makes me uniquely Michelle.  A woman with passions, gifts, insight, love, abilities and a voice that outwardly reflects who I am inwardly.

Recognizing this need in my life and finding ways to mesh it with who I am in my already established roles as wife and mother has been a very real struggle for me.  At the end of the day, I'm tired.  Everyone else in the house is in bed sleeping and I'm still going.  I feel deflated from not accomplishing all that needs doing.  I feel overwhelmed by all that is required of me for tomorrow still.

So, how was I going to even begin to meet this burning need for...more?  Well, about six months ago I challenged myself to begin a simple online course for something I was interested in.  I made it a priority and I completed it.  I can't begin to describe how much of  a boost to my self-esteem it was when I met that goal!

And so I began my journey.  Since then I have read books with actionable steps geared toward making our life just a bit more simple.  I have completed a few other online challenges as well.  It feels good doing something that helps me be a better me.

Today I am joining my fellow blogging friends to embark on an online writing challenge to write every day for 31 days on one topic.  The topic I have chosen is Simple Gems.

In keeping with the same spirit of the last few months of challenging myself, I have chosen Simple Gems as a way to embrace the moments of my every day.  My hope is that it will impress upon my heart and mind the reminder to take the time to appreciate each and every blessing around me.

If you follow me on this journey, I hope you are encouraged to embrace the moments in your life.








Day 2 - Garden Gems
Day 3 - Hot Chocolate Gems
Day 4 - Morning Gems
Day 5 - Healing Gems
Day 6 - Running Boys
Day 7 - Skating Gems
Day 8 - Thoughtful Gems
Day 9 - Fireside
Day 10 - Salsa!
Day 11 - Happy Thanksgiving!
Day 12 - Thankful
Day 13 - Scribbles
Day 14 - Morning Chants
Day 15 - Snuggles
Day 16 - Home Time
Day 17 - Reflection
Day 18 - Farm Day
Day 19 - Morgan's Musical Induction
Day 20 - Writer's Jam
Day 21 - Connecting
Day 22 - Waiting
Day 23 - Autumn Leaves
Day 24 - A Good Visit
Day 25 - Pumpkin Carving
Day 26 - A Boy and His Dog
Day 27 - Friends
Day 28 - Kindness
Day 29 - The Truth
Day 30 - On Being a Writer
Day 31 - Halloween

A Season of Birthdays

Birthdays!  Sometimes it seems as though all our boys want to talk about is their birthday.  Typically they begin planning their next birthday party about a month after their birthday.  Here I am just recuperating from the past few months of birthdays and parties, and they're already talking about the next one!  So we have a standing rule established that starts in January: no birthday talk until Dylan's birthday.  In August!


Sometimes the mundane of daily existence can outshine moments.  Special moments need to be embraced.  It is in the stopping, the experiencing of those moments where we catch the true essence of what matters.

Although birthday talk is banished for a great part of the year, we try our best to make each birthday special.  Family traditions have evolved over the past almost nine years to become a family dinner consisting of the birthday boys' favourite, cake and, of course, presents on the actual day.  We try not to overdo.  Dinner is simple and homemade.  Gifts are small, consisting of useful items and candy.  Weekday birthdays usually mean the cake will be cupcakes with icing.  Nothing fancy.

We want our boys to appreciate simple,  We want them to understand the things that truly matter are made up of moments, not money.  It is about being with people they truly enjoy and love, not a place.  It is about embracing what is happening around and for them, not what they get.

September is Nicholas's birthday month.  He turned the most wonderful age of 5!  He's still at that magical stage of being excited about all things in life.  He's also at the age in our family where he could have a small birthday party with a few friends.  This means now there are two events surrounding each boys birthday, the family meal AND a kid party.  But in a family our size, it's nice to be able to celebrate them as individuals more than once to make them feel really special.


It's also a chance for us to do a fancy decorated cake (I use the word 'fancy' loosely here, by the way).  It's taken us a few years of practice, but I'd say this cake is our best yet.  It had candy and a monster truck on a ramp, Nicholas was thrilled!

There isn't a boys in our house who isn't excited by a gift of candy in any form.  I hope my boys will always appreciate the simple gift of a chocolate bar.  Not because of what it is, but because it was a gift given to them.