Tomatoes

They are finally here!!! We waited patiently this summer, watching the little green gems slowly turn colour and ripen. It was painfully slow. But these days, we are heading out to the garden daily and coming in with the sweetest tomatoes by the bowlful. We are eating them as is, roasting them, making sauce with them and tossing them in salads and just about everything else. Tomato season is here, finally, and we are enjoying every last bite.

Our Weekend

On Saturday morning a rainy trip to the market meant very few people wondering around and a few farmers offering us a deal here and there. It also meant time to chat with farmers, who were more than happy to share some of their secrets with me. So, yes we did get wet, but it was so worth it. The rest of the rainy day was spent at home. There was some baking, a little tomato processing, some crafting, a game or two, and a ton of paper airplanes made and thrown about. We enjoyed a quiet evening once the little man was tucked in...a little reading, a little listening, a little knitting and lots of hot tea.

The traditional pancake breakfast began our day on Sunday and the rest of the day was pretty chill. A walk in the woods, enjoying wild blackberries trail side, a little afternoon tea with my parents, a visit with my in-laws and then back home for a bowl of homemade soup and bread for dinner.

The days here are shifting. Darkness comes earlier each night, covers are pulled up on the bed at night, the house is a little chilly in the morning, soup has been on the menu a few times this week and the kettle is seeing more action as I try to keep my mug full of hot tea. Fall is coming, and I think I am finally ready for it.

How was your weekend?

Joining Amanda

{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.

Feeling Lucky

To spend my days with this little man. To watch him explore, learn, grow and change. To laugh with him. To walk hand in hand with him. To share in his disappointments. To celebrate his successes. To just be there with him in those moments of quiet when we sit in silence together. To be crazy and sing loud because we want to. To venture to places unknown to discover the beauty of Mother Earth. To hold him as he falls asleep at night. To feel his tiny arms wrap around my neck and whisper "I love you" in my ear.

It all makes me feel pretty darn lucky that he chose me. Me, to share his journey with. Me, to be the hand he holds. Me, to be his mama.

Every day I thank my lucky stars that he chose me.

Shifting into Our Fall Rhythm

While the world around us began school yesterday, we slowly began to move into our fall rhythm. We have spent most of the summer flowing with the season, no real plans, no true rhythm, with the exception of meal times, we very rarely stray from our meal time rhythm. So this week is about slowly bringing back the rhythm that flows through our days during the fall, winter and spring seasons.

It means taking some mama time early in the morning while the rest of the house still sleeps. It means enjoying our morning circle time again with songs, stories and games. It means a return to our weekly baking rhythm, getting back into the habit of baking bread, muffins, cookies, and so on. It means a return to regular water colour painting and more time spent at the arts and crafts table creating. It means settling in and getting comfortable for the season of ahead.

I have spent some time over the last few weeks doing a little planning and feel really great about the rhythm our days, weeks and months will take. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday will be home days. We will begin with our morning circle, then head outside for a nature walk. I picked up a lovely little basket for Reece, why didn't I think of this sooner. He took it on our nature walk yesterday and had a blast filling it up with wild flowers, pine cones and rocks, and guess what, my hands were free! Such a great addition to our nature walks. Back at home we will settle in for a snack and maybe a little reading, then Reece will have some free play time while I get ready for lunch. After lunch we might do some crafting, handwork or baking, there will definitely be more time to play and time outside and I can pretty much guess there will be more time spent reading stories as well. These days at home will be pretty low key, and will leave lots of room to follow Reece's lead with whatever happens to be holding his interest at the moment.

We will enjoy days out on Wednesday and Friday. On alternate Wednesday's we will be meeting some friends for a little nature adventure in the morning, and the afternoon will be filled with a trip to the library and errands. On the other Wednesday's we will hit the pool in the morning, head home for lunch and then off to the home of another homeschooling family so our boys can play.

Friday's will be nature days. Alternate Friday's will see Reece spending time with a young lady and a few other kiddos in the woods for a little nature connection and mentoring. This is still in the discussion stage, but I am pulling out all stops to make it happen. And on the other Friday's we will enjoy a family nature day, just the three of us, exploring, playing and deepening our connection to nature.

The other little bit of news regarding our homeschooling plans is that Reece and I will have another little one joining us one day a week on our journey. She is five and will be hanging out with us on Monday's. It has me both excited and a little freaked out if I am being totally honest. I definitely think it will stretch me both as a person and as a mom.

So there you have it, our plans for the season ahead, but first the rest of this week to move slowly and intentionally into our rhythm.

Content

Life has been really good lately, really good, and that has me feeling pretty darn happy. I don't mean good in the sense that everything is going right in our world, because it definitely isn't. We have our struggles just as every other family does. Lately though a sense of contentment has washed over me. I am feeling happy and content with what is. It may not always be what I dream of, but in the grand scheme of things it is all good.

We have surrounded ourselves with wonderful people who accept us for who we are, our families are supportive of our lifestyle and the decisions we are making as we move forward on our journey as parents, and I have been fortunate enough to find some amazing, supportive friends through blogging and social media who I turn to often with questions, concerns or just my thoughts.

As a family we are moving ourselves towards a deeper, more meaningful connection with the earth, we are finding ways each and every day to live more simply and working together to ensure we are nourishing and supporting our own individual passions.

Every night before I lay my head down, I take time to offer gratitude for all of this and more. All of it makes my heart sing. It makes me smile in the quiet moments of my day. It fills me up and simply put, it makes me happy.
 
It is a good place to be, and I am going to soak it up as long as I can.

Oh September

Oh September, how is it you are here already? I am not quite ready for you, not willing to say goodbye to August and the summer sun kissing my cheeks. But you have turned the page and it is time to say hello.

I will be savoring the summer past, holding the moments close, but know I look forward to lingering in the moments to come. And as the leaves fall gracefully to the path beneath my feet, I will enjoy the beauty only you can bring.

Hello September, and welcome.