School let out two weeks ago and we have been thoroughly enjoying our summer vacation.
Eating healthy lunches that include yummy eggs courtesy of our sweet hens.
Arranging flowers on our kitchen table.
Picking perfectly sweet strawberries from our garden.
Reading and playing together. (not always this amicably)
Gobbling up salt water taffy. (yet another reason to love trader joe's)
Swimming (and splashing and teasing and giggling) in the pool until we are exhausted.
And then resting up so that we can do it all over again the next day.
These days I am being patient with myself.
After the tornado hit our town the oldest boy has arrived home from am school by 12:45. With Mondays off from school and my husband working most weekends I have had little alone time.
I have been taking moments for myself here and there.
Giving myself space to breathe deeply. to pause. to think.
to enjoy the weather. to walk my dogs in the woods.
I have also chosen enjoy the not-so-pleasant chores. like cleaning out the chicken coop. mowing. weeding. planting. mulching. driving my kiddos to Hebrew school, swim meet, taekwondo, math bowl practice.
Chosen to spend more one on one time with my kiddos. with ezra leaving for school at 6am I have two hours each morning to spend with the younger kiddos. Middle child who never gets to sit in the front seat of the car really enjoyed the privilege each morning for the short drive to the bus stop. even though we barely drove for a mile he loved adjusting the seat and turning on the seat warmers. I never use these because it can't be that healthy to sit on hot electric coils but i figured that just a few minutes each morning wouldn't hurt. Plus we giggled as our backsides became warm.
We also found the time to stop by the ice cream shop after finding out that his team did not place in the statewide round of the great computer challenge. We decided on ice cream floats to "drown our sorrows" and giggled at how silly we sounded. In the booth, sitting on extra tall bar stools the boy told me how much fun he had and how well he worked with the two girls that comprised his team. We agreed that his team would have done better if there was more time to practice bridge construction methods. We realize that with the short school year only four practice sessions may not have been enough and we move on.
We are living in the moment. We are focusing on fun. We are sucking down ice cream and soda through pink straws.
I'm not really making much of anything these days. Still knitting a dishcloth out of yarn sent to me by a friend. Washing dishes using the dishcloth she knit for me. Feeling fortunate to have made many wonderful friends through blogging.
Just finished washing dishes from lunch. Peering out the window every so often to see that the rain has broken and the sun is shining. Feeling fortunate that I have dishes to wash. Fortunate that it's summer and I no longer have to wake up at 5:30am to get ezra on the 6am school bus. So happy that I am a mama with many commitments and responsibilities who is finally figuring out that not everything needs to be done immediately or perfectly. But that each and every moment must be appreciated.
We are also just two weeks away from finalizing the purchase of a small home in the city. We are just overjoyed. After years of hoping and dreaming and preparing our country home is nearly paid off and we were able to make a small space in the city a reality. For the past six years I have been driving to the city several times per week (usually fridays and sundays and some saturdays) to the city an hour away to attend temple services and hebrew school. This is the closest temple to our home and while an hour drive each way isn't that bad add in three kiddos and a husband who's at work while mama is driving said kiddos and you get the picture. Plus with two bar mitzvahs in the next three years we are going to love our little oasis in the city even more. We are already planning lunches and play dates with all of our city friends who have generously invited us over and fed us over the years - this home base will do us a world of good. I am not even allowing myself to think about the fact that I will have another kitchen and two more bathrooms to clean or bedrooms to pick up and more clothes to put away because I would rather do all those things with my kiddos than spend six hours per week strapped into our car seats driving through traffic. So if all goes well in two short weeks we will be enjoying our woods and chickens in the country and our friends, temple and community pool and playground in the city. Oh, and while this had nothing to do with our decision to buy the city house it just happens to be exactly one mile away from a trader joe's and a target. I am one lucky girl - and I am appreciating each and every single moment because they fly by so fast.
Thanks for letting me share this news with you friends! Hope you are appreciating the moments this summer.
Oh, what exciting news! I'm so glad you all were able to come up with a solution. Today was our last day of school, and while I'm not feeling "ready," I am okay with that. Glad you were able to give us an update.
Posted by: Meg Evans | June 16, 2011 at 05:22 PM
So glad to hear what you've been up to. Congratulations on your new home! It's fun to read of your gratitude. I am trying to do the same. Summer seems like a good time to slow down and do one thing at a time and enjoy even the worst jobs.
Posted by: Beth | June 16, 2011 at 05:34 PM
so happy for you + your moments, larissa. this must have been an incredibly challenging time for you with the dueling schedules, and i am inspired by how gracefully you've handled it. cheers to root beer floats and weeding and swimming! and hip hip hooray for the city house, so excited for you! xoxo
Posted by: jennifer | June 16, 2011 at 05:57 PM
Congratulations on your city house! How wonderful for you and your family to be able to split your time and get the best of both worlds! How I enjoy your pool....makes summer so enjoyable. Love hearing that things are well with you and yours. Take care.
Posted by: Andrea | June 16, 2011 at 07:05 PM
Good for you! I can't wait to get a peek at your new space, and of course, continue to see your goings-on at your current one.
Summer is just marvelous, right?
Posted by: dani@little fists | June 16, 2011 at 07:40 PM
Congratulations and best wishes on your city spot, and as always your pictures are wonderful. Happy Summer!
Posted by: Mary | June 16, 2011 at 08:04 PM
Congratulations! Glad you are enjoying all the moments (although you seem like you usually do) and have a good summer planned. Maybe we can arrange a "play/knit" date this summer sometime?
Posted by: Rose | June 16, 2011 at 08:32 PM
what great stuff you have going on!!! congratulations on the new house purchase...sounds like an oasis for all of you. I'm sure it's going to be wonderful to recoup all that drive time. Just think how many memories you'll be making in that house rather than on the highway commuting. So happy for you, I know this has been weighing heavy on your heart and I'm so glad you're able to breathe a big sigh of relief. Happy summer friend....so good to hear from you, I've been missing you. So, what do you think, are you the city mouse or the country mouse?? :)
Posted by: Lisa Q | June 16, 2011 at 08:50 PM
Exciting times just ahead for you and your family! It is a little daunting facing the task of keeping up with two of everything, but it's so wonderful to have a place to get away to. Enjoy! And I'm glad you're all safe after the tornadoes. Scary stuff.
Posted by: Jodi | June 17, 2011 at 07:08 AM
Whoohoo and congratulations! You are so right in that time goes by SO quickly, enjoy these days and Happy Summer!
Posted by: Jen | June 18, 2011 at 04:50 PM
Congratulations on your city home. The joy with which you find yourself living each moment truly comes through in your words. Enjoy that salt water taffy.
Posted by: tara | June 19, 2011 at 07:56 AM
I was so happy to see you had an update for us. sounds like you are well...really well. so happy to hear that! breathe. pause. think. I've been following your lead and doing a lot less electronically and more relationally. SO wonderful that you have a city place of your own. I know you'll make both spaces welcoming and a place for memory making. happy summer L!!
Posted by: kristyn | June 21, 2011 at 12:30 AM
Thank you so much for sharing! I find myself breathing a little deeper than in the moments before I started reading - thank you! I felt so sad for a moment when I read about the city home, but only because I thought you were losing your walks in the woods! What an opportunity to find the best in both worlds. AND you'll be close to a Trader Joe's!!!! Word on the street is TJs is coming to our neck of the woods soon - a sweet summer indeed!
Posted by: Jenny | June 21, 2011 at 09:29 AM
Congratulations! That sounds so wonderful for you and your family. Have a great summer, hope to see you around here sometimes. :)
Posted by: Jan | June 23, 2011 at 10:17 AM
I'm always happy to see a new post from you but glad you can unplug and enjoy life :) Happy new home!
Posted by: Karen | June 24, 2011 at 02:59 AM
Hi, Larissa. I just came across your comment to Sand in My Yarn, and saw that you are moving to Williamsburg. My brother lives there and I visit there at least once a year. It feels like a second home to me!
I don't know how I missed your blog all this time! I'd love for you to visit me at caffeinegirlknits.com
Posted by: Caffeine Girl | June 24, 2011 at 03:22 PM
Congratulations! Glad you are enjoying all the moments (although you seem like you usually do) and have a good summer planned. Maybe we can arrange a "play/knit" date this summer sometime?
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Posted by: rosettastone | July 21, 2011 at 03:32 AM
So glad to hear what you've been up to. Congratulations on your new home! It's fun to read of your gratitude. I am trying to do the same. Summer seems like a good time to slow down and do one thing at a time and enjoy even the worst jobs.
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