ordinary days and ashton turns 7

social media always feels a bit odd to me for a few weeks after the wonder of the raffle.  it can be so, SO great.  it can be so, SO distracting.

i'm drawn to this space though.  it seems as if thoughts swirl around in my head waiting for me to get them out so i can make sense of them all.  i figure out how i feel and think as i sit here and type.  "the better we tell our stories, the better we want to live them."

i've become a fast fan of katrina kenison's writing.  i was moved a couple years ago when i read mitten strings for God and now today, i sit here with the gift of an ordinary day open on my lap. a redeeming morsel in the midst of this snowy april weekend.

mitten strings is a beautiful book about bringing childhood back to children.  she worked as an editor as she raised her two young sons who attended public school and she willingly took on the challenge of balancing her career and the boys schooling with her ideals for their childhood.  "i felt so certain that a good life was right at hand, if i could only remember to keep it simple and unhurried."

in the gift of an ordinary day the story begins when katrina's sons are 11 and 15 and she says in the introduction "and so i offer the story of my midlife, searching and mothering over the course of five unsettled years..."

i've just dipped my toe into the book, but it's already a trusted friend.

"and somehow, no matter what it took, we would see to it that he came of age knowing that who he is as a person is more important than how well he performs on a test."

"watching my own two boys respond to the world, i'm continually reminded that a real education is not just a simple transfer of information, not a competition, but a gradual and at times unfathomable process of awakening compassion, deepening understanding, and fostering the development of imagination, curiosity, and will. learning well doesn't always mean scoring high.  it also means acquiring the tools necessary to take on the most challenging work of all -- becoming the person you are meant to be."

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ashton kate turned 7 on march 24th.  we had an adorable family nature party for our outdoorsy, dreamer girl.

it's a purple, snow-capped mountain, a mountain stream and dirt and worms (giant monster worms). you can't tell?  i'm not a miracle worker.

she wanted her cousins to look through her nature books at her party. sweetest.