Exit 2015

I kept forgetting that today was New Year's Eve. We don't do much for this day anymore, and to be honest, I never cared much about whether I did something epic or not. This year feels like one day slipping into another, the usual, kids asleep and a few things to finish up before I go to bed myself. I think that this year especially seems anticlimactic because for once we didn't do anything huge or life changing during the year. 2015 was just...normal. Every year leading up to this has held at least one big life event.

40

I mostly don't think about my age anymore; it seems irrelevant in most situations, except the ones in which I am pointing out to my eight-year-old how many more years I've been alive than she has. This is handy for when she thinks I have no clue what I'm doing, but she is an expert, and also when she is discouraged because she cannot do something as well as I can. But for the most part, I don't think about it, and thus turning forty snuck up on me. I have now been forty for two weeks. I didn't have a big party or get a big gift. It's just not the year for that, and I'm not much on big parties besides.

Peace in Our Hearts, Peace in Our Homes, Peace in the World

Peace begins here.

I think a lot about peace. Especially as violent events unfold in the world around us, I think of it. The problems seem so big. Some are of the opinion that to bring peace, we must first bring more violence. I do not agree with this. Violence begets violence until someone breaks that cycle. I don't have the power to end that cycle in a large sense, but I keep thinking of  a letter that was forwarded on to me when things in Syria first began to take a turn for the worse, and it is full of sound advice for the work that is mine to do. I carry the words of this paragraph from the letter in my mind as I go about my daily work:

If we are truly concerned about the strife in the world today, let us begin by overcoming anger in our own hearts by striving for meekness and humility. If we are upset by the violence and destruction in the Middle East, let us direct our energy to bring peace to the conflicts within our own families. If we are horrified by images of human beings injuring and killing one another, let us offer an image of Christ by giving alms to those in need in our own neighborhood.

Where the Time Goes

It's November already, and I'm tempted to say, "Where does the time go?" But I know where it went. It went to ten days of the most annoying cold, during which I lost my voice and couldn't get my children's attention without excessive gesticulation. (This is completely exhausting, in case you were wondering, as if the exhaustion that comes with a cold isn't enough already.) It went to Halloween costumes and trick-or-treating. It went to writing a chapter for a book. It went to the never-ending tasks of laundry and dishes and feeding my children.

My Personal Style: Jacket, Boots, Scarf, Autumn!

Autumn is my favorite season by far. I don't do well in the heat, so many of the joys of summer are lost on me. I like cold weather if I am indoors under a down duvet, but otherwise lose patience for winter once Christmas is past. But autumn? It's magic to me. There's a bit of a chill in the air, but it's not freezing cold yet. The days often warm up enough in the afternoon that I can shed some layers. But honestly? I don't mind if I don't shed them, because I love those layers. Autumn is my favorite season stylewise. I know how to dress myself to feel comfortable and look good. That is not always the case in other seasons.

A Method to (Some of) the Madness

Before I was a mother, I was a nanny. I worked with a lot of amazing kids from babies to teens, and I got a lot of experience. I sometimes joke that I should write thank you notes to all those kids and their parents for the practice I got prior to becoming a parent; it surely has helped me along the way. One thing that emerged from my years of being with children is an understanding of how to make things work for everyone, both caregiver and children. I use some of those insights in my own home now, and there are two things that work out really well for me which are a direct result of observations I made while I was a childcare professional.

The Homeschool Sweet Spot

I promise this isn't going to become a homeschool blog, but I am just so enamored of our current situation that I can't help wanting to talk about it. This is by far the best year we've had as a home educating family, and I am enjoying my days with my children immensely. I see that they, too, are enjoying each other's company and our life as a whole, and I don't think it's really any mystery as to why. We've figured out how to make this thing work, both at home and away from home. It's like everything finally fell into place.