{This Moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. Inspired by Soulemama.

Around the Garden

The garden has come alive this week. All those little seeds planted in the last few weeks, the ones filled with so much magic and hope, are sprouting and bringing a whole lot of green into my life. Beets, Swiss chard, kale, snow peas and green beans are all poking through the ground, the strawberries are ripening and the tomato flowers are beginning to appear. It has been an exciting week, and really I haven't done that much in the garden.

We have had quite a bit of rain and when the sun is shining, it has been a little cooler than normal. We did put in two more little raised beds. One for peppermint and the other for nettles. I did not want these two herbs in the herb garden, they have a tendency to take over. I also did not want to be constantly coming in contact with the nettles in the herb garden. It took me a while to figure out exactly what I was going to do with them. Two seperate beds, with room to grow, was the perfect solution. I think they look great!

We have rain and cooler temperatures in the forecast for the next few days, but by early next week sunshine and normal temperatures. With the return of the sun I will be planting the last few rows of green beans and salad greens and mulching the rest of the gardens.

How are things around your garden?

Blooming

We see them everywhere,
flowers.
Some are bold and strong,
others quiet and delicate.

When one stops blooming,
another starts.
A neverending parade of colour
and beauty.

They promise a season
of splendor,
from spring right
thru fall.

All they ask of us;
stop,
take time to look,
smell
and enjoy.

Sad the Day is Over

We have a pretty good bedtime rhythm, it has been a part of our rhythm for a few years now with just a few tweaks here and there. Last week I made a tweak.

For close to a year now once bath time is done, bedtime snack eaten, stories read and teeth brushed, my little man snuggles up, looks up at me with his big brown eyes and says, "I'm sad the day is over." I hug him tight and take a deep breath and then I ask him about his day. What did he enjoy, what were his favourite parts, did he laugh enough, run enough, play enough and so on. I listen, and I let him know it is okay for him to be sad it is all over and that we have tomorrow to look forward to. In truth though, there is no tomorrow for him. He lives in the now, the moment that is happening right now and tomorrow is a strange concept for him, at least right now.

Last week during one of our bedtime conversations I blurted out something that popped into my head at that moment..."Let's get you a journal." I explained it a little more and he loved the idea. Friday we headed to Chapters where I knew a large selection of journals awaited us and I was sure he would find something he would love to record his days in. It didn't take long and we left with a new journal and an excited little man.

After his bath, bedtime snack, stories and teeth brushing, I grabbed the journal and a pen and we laid side by side on his bed. I wrote the date and a single line that read...the favourite things about my day are.

I read it to him and we began rattling off all the things he enjoyed about his day. Getting a new journal, riding my bike, playing with the cat (I have not introduced you to the cat yet), watering my garden, planting seeds, walking Shelby (our dog), having dinner outside....and so on he went. I wrote away as fast as I could catching all the goodness from his day. Then he went quiet, I look beside me and he was smiling. He snuggled up to me and said..."I love you." We packed the journal away, turned out the lights and snuggled up for him to go to sleep. There was no sadness to the bedtime routine that night. No sadness that the day was over. Each night he is excited to "write" in his journal and think back about all the favourite things from his day.

All of this, the journal, the moment we share each night writing in his journal, the recalling of his day and what he enjoyed most about it, makes my heart happy and brings peace as he falls asleep. It has been a good tweak to our bedtime rhythm.

Simple Days

Life has been slowing down a lot in our little part of the world. We try to lead a pretty slow, simple life most of the time, but lately our days seem be to even slower, and we are really enjoying them.

I have been waking with the sun most mornings, long before the alarm clock goes off. There has been quiet mornings on the back deck listening as the world around me comes alive. There has been time for me to just sit and be, cup of tea in hand and enjoy the moment. It has been wonderful for my mind and soul.

The call comes from the bedroom to interrupt this moment but that is okay, the day is ready to be started. And those days, our days, have been filled with simplicity. Visits to my parents so Reece can ride his bike on the bike path, the same one I frequented as a child. He stops every so often to check for tadpoles in the creek, to smell a flower or notice a snail on a leaf. I follow along, happily, watching as he takes in his world.

On another day we packed up the backpack and hit one of our favourite trails for a hike and picnic. It was hot and we were the only ones around. We had lunch on a look out tower overlooking Lake Ontario and then we walked down to the rocky shore where we both collected rocks. Reece looked for the biggest ones and I looked for smaller ones that caught my eye. We spent a lot of time there, listening to the water lapping against the shore, watching the swans and ducks, collecting far too many rocks and just enjoying the peace being close to the water brings. We hiked back out through the meadow, laughing, running, and enjoying each other.

A little drizzle on Saturday had me getting ready for lunch inside, but Reece would have nothing to do with that, he moved all the gatherings for lunch to the table on the front porch. As we ate, we heard a little commotion over by one of the bird nests in our backyard. I quietly headed over and was surprised at how much the little birds had grown in just a few days. It seemed that both mama and daddy were calling to their little ones, and the next thing I knew one of the birds flew off. I called Justin and Reece to join me and from a distance we watched as the next three birds flew from their nest joining their mama and daddy. The three of us stood their smiling, grateful for the chance to witness this amazing first for these little chipping sparrows.

Many of our days are spent at home doing the things that makes us all happy...gardening, making, playing, reading, watching tadpoles grow (they have legs now), swinging, enjoying after dinner walks, and spending time together. It feels good and is making for some really slow, simple days that fill us up and leave us grateful for this life and the journey we are on.

A Weekend Wish

 Hoping your weekend is filled with wishes come true.

June Sponsors

A lovely welcome to Mothering with Mindfulness June sponsors.
 I am so happy to be sharing this space with them.

Wean Green

~ modern glass storage for the entire family ~

Forest and Root
~  Handmade textiles for the eco-conscious home ~

Armadillo Dreams

~ high quality handmade wooden toys ~

Mindful Mothering Mondays
~ sharing our mothering journeys ~

Olive and Owl

~ an urban homesteading, baby wearing, make it from scratch,

kind of hippie, a whole lot of green kind of blog ~

I am grateful for their support.

Please take some time over the next few days to visit their sites

and find out just how wonderful they are.

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please contact me for more information.