Summer!

It's summer!!! Well, actually, it is the beginning of May, but it is summertime to me because my job ended this week and I am officially on summer break until mid-August! This makes me feel like a kid out of school. I wake up with a smile on my face- the whole day before me. I have made lists of things to do and accomplish with my *free time*. I can leisurely cook dinner without rushing to get it on the table before 4:30. I can read to the kids every night and catch up on my prime-time TV viewing. My crafty side can indulge in some non-necessary stitching and sewing. Ah, freedom.

As a mother, there were so many times when I felt chained to the family- when I was sad about not having the time to do things for myself. As the kids grew I carved out space for myself in the wee hours of the morning, or during the breaks in our day when the kids actually occupied themselves. It was not really enough though, and I always craved more time to do what I WANTED TO DO. When I went back to work, my free time dried up completely and there was absolutely zero time for me to have to myself, so I just tried to focus on the money I was bringing in to the family and put all of my hobbies up on the shelf. Now that I am off of work, a waterfall of shelved desires is beginning to fall, and I am so happy for it! I am grateful to have the wee hours of the morning and the little breaks in our day to myself. I will take anything I can get and it is more than enough!

To take the focus of my selfish disires for a bit- I really do treasure the time I am able to have at home with my children. It is only when I have to be gone that I can truely be thankful for the gifts that I have been given by choosing to be a homeschool Mom. I never would have imagined that I could be completely fulfilled by caring for my family, but I am! I really love providing for them and caring for them and having them close. Yes, there were evenings when I left the house for work happy to get out of there, but I would have traded it for a second to be able to stay home with them- even on the stressful, tearful nights.

So now it is summer. The season of bounty. The season of growth. The season of warmth. And in my home, the season of gratitude, happiness and love.



Radnom photo of some dishtowels I stitched during my lunch breaks at work. I am looking forward to spening more than a few minutes at a time on my projects!