30 ways, #7

SOMETHING UNEXPECTED

My kids went to bed one night expecting the next day to bring nothing more unusual than maybe a peek of the NW sunshine that's so elusive this time of the year.


They woke up and found that they could now write on the walls.


Well, not all the walls. Just one. And only with chalk. But still ... pretty amazing stuff.


Leaving little notes for one another. Decorating for guests. Chalk-a-thons. Time with my kids.. laughing, drawing, being close.


Pretty much the best $12 I've ever spent in my house.


Do something completely random in your house--just for you and your kids to enjoy together. Who cares what it looks like or what others think? This is YOUR home ... it belongs to you and the people you love. Pick something that you have space for, can afford, and that makes your heart sing. A book nook. A chalkboard wall. A pin-up board where you leave love notes for one another. Guaranteed to make you fall in love with your little people all over again.

30 ways, #6

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

I prayed for a baby brother for as long as I could remember. When I was 7, God answered.

If you're anything like me, you love flipping through photos of your children as babies. It's just something you do from time to time to clear out any emotional backlog that you might have accumulated since the last time you realized that life was moving.too.fast. So you sit down, immerse yourself in images of their sweet, soft babyness, and relive every stinking new tooth, every cute outfit, every funny bath time shampoo 'do.


To steal a line from The Three Amigos, you know your children like you know your own smell. 


And they know you, too. Well ... they know the NOW you. The pre-baby you? The you who fell in love with their Daddy? The you who learned to ride a two-wheeler? The you who once collected ceramic unicorns and cried when your baby brother broke your favorite purple glitter one playing with his stupid --- oh, wait. A little too real. Sorry. :-)


Anyhow, your kids know the 2012 version of you. They may even recall the 2000 version of you, if they're old enough. But they sure as shootin' don't know much about the you that existed before. Guess what? They're missing out.


And so are you.


Gather up some props (photos, the remnants of that special collection, the dried rose your beloved gave you on your first date) and introduce your kids to their mother in a whole new way. It's amazing how this simple exercise binds you to your children in a whole new way.

30 ways, #5

LET THEM EAT CAKE

No, really. Let them eat cake.


For breakfast.


Seriously--if you want to remember exactly why you signed up for this mothering gig ....


If you want to be somebody's hero ...


If you want to sit down to a meal where the accolades flow forth like a fountain ...


Let them eat cake for breakfast. Bake it the night before. Pull it out with a flourish after making normal morning preparations. Watch their eyes pop. Then enjoy the (sugar-fueled) ride.

30 ways, #4

Scavenger Hunt for Momma!

Sit back and relax, Mom ... 'cuz this one isn't about you doing anything but having fun! Turn your kiddos loose with some post-it notes and a pencil, then let them lead YOU on a scavenger hunt around the house, yard, or wherever their little hearts desire. My kids had so much fun with this new twist ("You mean WE write one for YOU?") that they went overboard. An hour later, I was still following scraps of paper throughout the house ...

30 ways, #3

PAPARAZZI

Everyone spend the day looking through the lens and shooting as many pics as you can--that means you, too, Momma! Dig out your old, unused cameras for the kids, or buy a handful of one-time use ones if need be. (Digital is better and cheaper, obviously, but hey--maybe waiting for prints will be an added bonus!)


When you're done with the day's shooting, load & laugh at the zillions of pics. Print your faves, or set them to music. Guaranteed memory maker!

30 ways, #2

SHADOW PUPPETS

Wait until the light is just so. It'll probably be right about when you should be making supper, which truly will make this that much more fun for your children. Mom's willing to ditch being a nag and telling us to give her ten minutes to get the food in the oven? Sign me up!

Warning: make a crockpot meal on the day you try this, because if your kids are anything like mine, then you will NOT get anything on the table before your husband gets home. But you will have some silly, giddy kids who have cracked you up with their creative animals and convoluted plots.

If you don't have the benefit of NW shadows in the winter, try a lamp in a closet. :-)

30 ways, #1

DANCE PARTY

I don't dance in front of adults. Never. It's a hard and fast rule that I have, mostly because I look like an idiot when I dance, and really ... I try pretty hard not to look like an idiot in front of other people.


But pull up Pandora, clear the path of stray toys, and give me a kiddo or two and man, I can party like it's 1920. Or something.

Spring this one on your kid. Even if you're not a dancer. Even if they are going to look at you like you have six heads. Even if they are teenagers. Turn on something infectious (my kids loved hearing the songs I thought were cool in junior high) and just go for it. 

30 ways

This year, we're trying out a new schedule here at Casa Blandings. Adopting the Nepali schedule to which Bee is tied, we "did" school from the end of August until Mr. Blandings and Atticus left in November. Then we took a long break. A very long break. 


A break which I now see that I needed. Badly. 


This long break was a godsend in more ways than one. Not only did it allow us to throw ourselves fully into Advent and Christmas, it also gave me permission to do something that somehow, I hadn't been able to completely engross myself in for a little while:


Really enjoying my kids.


During the long, quiet nights while Mr. Blandings was away, I pondered the rut that I think all homeschoolers find themselves in from time to time. We teach. We train. We coach. We orchestrate. And if we're not careful, we forget to be embrace. 


This is my theme, always. Be there. Drink it in. Bask in it. 


And you know, for the most part, I do. But sometimes, no matter how hard I try, the joy leaks away. Without my noticing, the wonder drains away, the giggles become less frequent, and I'm left with the good ... but lacking the best.


I'm not o.k. with that. No parent should be--whether you homeschool or not. Life is not making sure dinner is on the table, making sure the baby doesn't fall head-first from the dining room chair, or sighing your way through another read-aloud session punctuated by the shushing of preschoolers. No matter how real those moments are, there's still more. Much more. 


With that in mind, I purposed to create a month's worth of joyful moments with my children. 30 individual things that were guaranteed to bring smiles to the faces of my children--and to my own. I wrote them down, even though it felt a bit like cheating. See, I've always thought that spontaneous fun is the best kind. I still do. But what if your normal routine chokes out the chance for sparks of brilliance more often than you'd like to admit? In that case, I reasoned, it was o.k. to create a target (fun!) and aim my arrow (planned activities) straight at them. 


Shortly after completing my list of 30 fun to-dos, I was sharing with a friend how refreshed I felt. How much more inclined I was to abandon "must" in favor of "can." How my children seemed more patient with one another. How I was loving homeschooling again.


"I need that!" she gasped. "This is January, after all. It's almost time for the Yellow Bus Blues!"


I was so caught up in my own happy that I'd actually forgotten, if you can believe it. And that was what told me that I really should share. 


So, readers, here's the deal. Over the next few weeks, I'll be posting some of the best of the best of the ideas that made our December a refreshing, energizing, filled-up oasis. They aren't holiday themed. Most of them don't require any extra stuff or even much planning. But they do accomplish an important task: Turning your hearts to your children. Shaking off the dust of the rut, and truly tuning in to the souls around you (both little and big) who are what this whole homeschool journey is all about. 


I invite you to check back tomorrow for the first idea. Then, leave a comment and share some of your own. I'd love to gather even more ideas to add to my repertoire. April is fast approaching, and I'm putting together another list of 30 ways--not because my kids wants it, but because I do!