Reality's Ideal

I had made this mental declaration, last week, that I was going to indulge myself in alone time, for any and all future post writings. It was so nice the other night, when I was sitting in a more structured setting, where distractions were minimal, pandora played softly, and the comforting warm colored walls, in our office, hugged the pacified air around me. It was nice, reeeeeeeally nice, and like any other 'putting my foot down for me-time' affirmation, reality threw her head back and laughed.

This morning is not structured in the least, distractions are in full force, the soothing play of Madeleine Peyroux has been replaced with the annoyance that only Dora can provide. Things are far from calm and the kids are proving to be more than willing to display their wicked ways.

There is a realistic settling for my often too idealistic thoughts, this Monday morning, which I'm finding is rather appropriate after this last week … And even though the weekend has just ended, sadly it feels like it was so long ago.

The novelty of the kid's responsibility board, has worn off for them… for me on the other hand, I couldn't be any more in love with it. My delegation of elementary contributions to the running of our household, has relieved more stress {for me} than I would have ever imagined. I like it, a lot, and today I'll be adding a few more caps to the board, with the intent of nurturing a bit more of that self-indepentence in both Wesley and Calvin… {I do think it's only fair to state, that Wesley made a formal request last night, that we stop drinking Snapple… this is when I appropriately, threw my head back and laughed}

Joey has started showing interest in using the potty, I on the other hand, am doing as best as I can to avoid it. Call it good mothering if you must, but I just am not ready for all that it involves or maybe I'm not willing to give up on having a baby… I'm not sure which, all I know is, I don't like it… at all.

Despite the chaotic state displaying itself in front of me right now, the piles of papers I've avoided over the weekend, a house that is in dismay from having diverted my attention to Calvin, who is fighting off a bit of a bug in his system, I have already decided the reality of today will be best spent outside…. which is rather ideal, if you ask me.

Happy Monday!

Working For The Good

I had very different visions of what my 'post vacation' recap would be. I figured I would revel the time spent having my babies all home, detail our play dates with friends, express the smaller joys that beautiful days bring, when spent on school's spring break, while grudgingly giving into the Monday reality that it's over.

I didn't think I would be sitting here mentally exhausted, more than thankful the recess from school is over.



I jumped in blindly, assuming that this vacations would be spent as smoothly sailed as any other. That the crying and fighting would stem from children who were over exhausted as night approached, by the great adventures that has been seized between the day's growing hours.

Little did I know, that from the moment eyes were opened in the morning, heads would start butting, defiance behavior freely flagged, temper tantrums thrown at their finest, boundaries pushed and authority challenged well into the night.

I can't go with out saying that not all of our vacation time was not negatively. We had great vacation adventures, spent time basking in the laziness that 9 days of no school brings, visited playgrounds often and indulged in spending much time, with good friends.



Initially, I scolded myself for my lack of patience during a time that I finally had all my littles home at once. Five days in, I realized that our family has cycled around to be out of sync, something that doesn't happen often, but purposeful for growth when it does.

As of today, Nate and I hit the ground running. Restructuring fallen priorities, re-highlighting our family expectations, and handling all the negatively bold behavior with less 'fly off the handle' approach {one of us had to get a tighter grip on that handle than the other. Without naming names, I will simply say, it wasn't him}



Right now, I'm typing this at the foot of the bed of the smallest Richardson, who has seem to develop a rather intense "Mumma's gone radar". Even though, I've had to deep breath a few times after the cries have echoed as soon as the door has nearly been closed, bringing me back to my bottom of the bed perch, I'm feeling good that we are falling back in stride.

I'm holding a lot of weight in our new "Do/Done board" and I feel this vigor to simplify some of the areas of our house, I find stressful, do to their random chaos collection.


{Sheet of metal, painted with chalk paint. I hot glue gunned magnets onto the back of Snapple caps. Wrote "Do's" on construction paper and modge-podged them into the caps. Some Do's consist of Room cleaning, Dog feeding, Chicken watering, and Independent reading/play. The boys have been all but eager to move their Do's to Done's and have come up with many ideas on their own of new caps to add. I must say, even though we are one day in, I already love saying, "Check the board" as a response to them asking if it's time for their video games}

The frustrations of the bad, always has a refreshing effect on why I work so hard for the contentment of the good.



Happy Monday!

Getting Back

Wow… I've missed this space… Though it's not for lack of trying.

I've run across some unavoidable upgrades in three different programs, which has thrown a wrench in my well beaten-path-process of writing, uploading, and posting.

Unfortunately, I don't have 'as much needed' time to figure out a different approach from my tried and true… to be quite frank, I've been having a bit of a hard time finding my stride in much, since before Easter. I think that not being able to straighten my thoughts out long enough, to be formed into a documented written word, is showing just how much my thought process has come to depend on the often mindless writing in my space on Goodnyou?

You know how when you go running for the first time after you've taken a winter hiatus … and you try to pick up where you left off, keeping pace with your former summer logged stride. But before you even find your groove, your left legs is cramping, your breathing is worse than staggered, and that stitch  under your rib cage is causing you to buckle over in a way that you hope no neighbors are watching.

Well that's how I feel right now, I'm mattering over minding it, ready to throw my hands in the air, turn back home, loudly declaring that running's just not my thing.

The weather has shifted, busy season is on me and there is so much that this time of year brings with it. All of my new want-to-do's, need-to-do's, got-to-do's for summer sprint, have been thrown on top of the old collected have-to-do's, time-to-do's, yearn-to-do's less than vigorous winter jog. 

As Kelle Hampton would say, I'm trying to find my ebb and flow.

So right now, I'm attempting the steadying of my pace, controlling my breathing, and focusing on getting one foot, in front of the other.

I've ditched Nathan with the kids upstairs, taken my computer down to the office, and happened to have stumble upon the last Michelob Ultra in the basement fridge. {That, in itself, is a sign.} I don't necessarily like being down stairs where I can hear the kids play up, but I know this little bit of time to think, without a tiny foot kicking the key board, sweet voice asking for juice, or handsome boy expressing his imagination, is good for me.



I'm feel rather confident in settling back into pace, firmer in my footing than I have for a while now...



….more than ready, to get back on track.…

Happy Tuesday!
{I'm so happy to be back}