Little bits of light

This blog here is generally a pretty quiet place.  There is a small handful of people that I've told about it and a few who will drop in often - my sister-in-law and my husband are the two that come to mind.  So imagine my surprise when I logged in and saw a dramatic spike in activity.  And even more surprise when I shuffled into our homeschool co-op this afternoon and another mama (the same mama I mentioned here) mentioned she had found this little space, through a link her friend posted on Facebook.  And then my horror at discovering typos in yesterday's post (which are now fixed) and my vow to take the time to proofread, proofread, proofread.  Some lessons are best learned the hard way.

That same mama shared that what she had found inspired her, and while I am so honoured to have made a positive impact, I wonder how well this blog is representative of our days or if I was worthy of the praise.  Yes, we have days that are awesome...days that fill me with energy rather than draining it.  Those days are easy to write about.  I have a sneaky suspicion that those posts tend to be longer than the others, with pictures and the like.  Those are the days that I look back on and say, "We did that?  Really?  Brilliant!"

We have other days, though, where my nerves and patience are shot, my bucket is on the empty side, and my creative energy is dissipated by supper time.  Yet, on days like those, I feel compelled to write something positive.  I need to.  I feel that if I don't, I will have missed the opportunity to dwell on those little bits of light.  Those little glimmers of light I need to tend to and be mindful of so that the light will grow and the next day will be better.  Reflecting on even the most miniscule bright spots puts me in a better position to respond to my children and the challenges that arise from family life from a place of love.  It works even better after a good night's sleep.

Do I think about those less-than-ideal parenting moments?  Does my mind wander off into the depths of continual improvement?  Yes, it happens often.  But if I spend all my time focussing on what isn't working, I will go insane or drop to the floor in a sobbing heap.  Or both.  And that happens too.  I think it happened today, in fact.  Which makes me wonder how a family's vibe can go from feeling fabulous to barely mediocre in less than 24 hours.  An important question, and one that I will think about some more.  But not one that I will write up long lists for improvement.  My response is a simple acknowledgement that too much stuff falling on the shoulders of one person does not a merry household make.  Adjust.  Rebalance.  Reach for homeostasis.

And remember the positive.  So without further ado, here is a little list of what was glorious today:

  ~ Playing outside in the melting snow with friends.
  ~ Having family nearby to give my husband and I some couple-only time.
  ~ A really great workout this morning.
  ~ More drawings of dragons.
  ~ Jaelyn working hard on more-complex grade 2 math.
  ~ Nicholas packing his sleepover bag by himself and helping us work through a chaotic afternoon.
  ~ Astrin's first solo run-in with a puddle.  The puddle won.  Though it wasn't funny at the time, I can laugh about it now.

Yes, my heart feels a little lighter now.

I'll be away from this space until next week.  Have a lovely rest of your week!