First Post of 2017; changes abound

This year has found me embracing motherhood in a way I have never done before, celebrating every day, savoring every moment; the endearing ones as well as the frustrating ones. Tessa is almost twenty months old! I could go on and on about all that she is doing and becoming. But I'm sure you can imagine. We had the best summer; divided between our huge garden and playing at the lake or park with friends and enjoying afternoons eating watermelon and evenings grilling our dinner. Now that summer is behind us life is finally slowing down just enough to take a few breaths before the holidays.

This blog has been on my mind lately. I've been wanting to write. But I've taken so much time off that it is hard to know where to begin. I don't have time to write right now anyway. Not with a toddler in tow full time. I just recently started staying up later than her and I might start setting aside some computer time to write. Generally I'd rather be spending time with my husband though, or knitting while listening to a favorite audio book.

Well, I'm going to make this post short. I want those of you who are interested to know that I'm thinking of starting a new blog. I feel like this current blog belongs to another chapter in my life. I am going to take some more time to savor my baby/toddler, while she is yet a baby. These days are dwindling though and soon enough she will no longer be my baby and she'll start playing more on her own and maybe I'll have a little more time to myself. I have been thinking of trying to keep a blog that makes money - (without the pop up adds because I despise pop up adds). I want to continue to write about homesteading and making your own products whatever they may be. I also want to write about mindful parenting and distilled living. Is distilled living already a term? Is the meaning clear? When I think of busy hectic modern American lives, they are the opposite of distilled living. Distilled living is taking life and getting rid of the clutter and junk we don't need to have or be doing. Filtering out the unnecessary and being present with our loved ones.

So, hopefully another blog in the coming year. I'll keep you posted.

For now, I just have to share some big changes around here. So, I feel like the past few years have been nothing but radical changes in our life, not always good or bad, they just are. First we got rid of all our goats. Which was a huge lifestyle change. We all still miss having goats immensely and I take comfort in knowing that someday we will again have goats. Then, we had a baby! And now we can hardly remember life without her. Then our most recent big change is that both Noah and Avery have started going to Boreal Sun; a new public Waldorf Charter school. It became apparent about a year ago that no matter how hard we tried, my kids were lacking in socialization and in like minded community. I went through the various stages of grief over the course of last winter, as I slowly realized and accepted and begin to research the various options that were available to us. Homeschooling is a lifestyle and one that was so close to my heart. I just look on all those years as such a gift, to have my children home with me, exploring and learning all together. Amazingly enough, the opening of Boreal Sun this fall timed perfectly with our needs and it has been a blessing indeed.

The biggest change next to the kids being gone all day has been the driving! In past years I've gone weeks without leaving the house in the winter. Until recently I was driving them to school every morning and picking them up every afternoon. Fortunately, Dustin's work schedule has finally relaxed enough that he has been helping out! And Tessa and I have finally been able to tackle the piles and corners of disorder in the house that had been ignored all summer. We are finally relaxing into an enjoyable routine of cleaning and cooking and reading and playing together each day.

Well, I did say a short post. So I think I'd better start dinner. I hope at least a couple someone's enjoy this post and look forward to more to come.