Interesting times

It has been a difficult couple of weeks, but not for the reasons most people are experiencing difficult times.  I don’t feel at the end of my rope balancing home school, house things, meals, spouse, and work.  I think that is partly because my work is currently dried up and so I’m not doing that, partly because we have amazing children and educators leading us, and partly because we are so used to having so little control over our lives that we tend to refocus on what we actually can control (like our responses to others). 

Our weeks have been difficult because it looked like Hubby was going to have to go away for an undetermined amount of time (he didn’t, but it was touch a go for a few days).  It was rough because when a soldier or soldiers are lost, the whole military family feels it and we lost 6 last week.  It has been rough because it has been FOREVER since the monsters have interacted with their class friends and teachers aside from online and it is taking a toll on them.

Feelings happen, and they happen strongly in this house.  Some fire up like dry tinder, others smolder like hot coals, but we all have had our moments.  There has been a lot of battles of wills between parents and assorted offspring, won always by the parents.  That’s hard too.  Parenting is not always finger painting and tickle fights.  But we have those too.  We keep laughing, keep tickling and cuddling, and it doesn’t seem so bad overall anymore.  Like the sun coming out after a grey and rainy day.

Every day I look forward to a walk or a bike ride with the littles.  Every day my highlight is a walk with Hubby as we talk and recap the day, week, and thoughts about life in general.  Every day the kids watch probably too much on screens, but we have reigned that in and reduced it compared to what we were letting them use before. 

The littles have been receiving baking and cooking instruction from both parents, we have planted some seeds to plant later outside (if they work out, I have bad luck with seed starts…), and we are consistent with running in the mornings.  I find that everyone gets along better when we start the day with that physical activity.

When we have our set aside school times we sometimes need to have a wiggle break, get the blood moving and refocus attention.  On our most difficult day we did baking break, made a double batch of muffins, and that was the best medicine for the soul for our most troubled child.  Sometimes all you need is something warm from the oven, baked with love.