We had a full day today. Usually Mondays are full anyways as we get back in the swing of things from the weekend, but today seemed especially so. My husband had a 3 day weekend because of the holiday and we had some late nights (hello, New Year’s Eve!) so it took a bit more discipline to get going this morning.
I forced myself out of bed at 5:15, knowing that I’d thank myself later for it. My day goes so much better when I rise early before the children. My husband left for work and I shut each of the children’s bedroom doors so the coffee grinding wouldn’t wake them and then tiptoed down the stairs to brew a pot of coffee. I sat in my new hammock chair and sipped coffee and wrote a letter to my mother-in-law. My mother-in-law was raised Amish so letter writing is in her blood and there is nothing she likes more than getting letters in the mail. I try to send her off a 3-4 page letter each week to keep her up to date on the happenings out here. She’s not one for phone calls and I know she misses us all terribly. I enjoy writing her and picturing her dear face reading the weekly updates.
The youngest was the first awake and came stumbling downstairs rubbing his eyes, clearly not ready to start his day yet. He curled up in my lap to nurse and promptly fell back asleep. We cuddled and swung in the hammock and I read the second chapter of The Lifegiving Home. Wow, I am loving that book so far! My middle child was the next down the stairs with a smile and already chatty. He brought me his book from Christmas and we read the couple chapters left to finish it up.
Then the day started in earnest. The noise of the day came rushing into the house and children scrambled to get dressed and I made breakfast. Squeals and bangs filled the silence as children used the bathroom, combed their hair, brushed teeth and exchanged their night clothes for their day clothes. Chores were done and the swirl of activity made the house come alive. Children were scurrying upstairs and down, doors were banging as children went outside to care for the animals, and the kitchen turned to clatter as I washed pots and pans left over from a busy weekend. I hate leaving dishes over night, especially to wake up to on a Monday morning but that’s what happened this time. I scrubbed the kitchen down and cleaned the microwave, put things away that had been left out and tackled the house that had signs of neglect everywhere from a long weekend. It was a flurry of work and pretty soon it was returned to a serene haven. Floors were swept, rugs and carpets vacuumed, beds stripped so sheets could be washed, the turtle tank cleaned out, laundry started, the table and chairs were sprayed down and wiped.
After chores and breakfast, the boys settled down to play legos at their new lego table while I got out school with my oldest. School took awhile today. It always seems to take longer on Monday and then a Monday after a break seems even harder. We ate lunch and then the children got comfy in the living room to listen to me read a few chapters while I rocked and nursed the toddler to sleep for his nap. After reading, they colored and drew at the table while I laid the youngest in bed.
I used the quiet time to sort out my grocery orders and put in my order for Bountiful Baskets. It comes every two weeks and you have to order the Monday before it comes that Saturday. They have a set time that ordering opens and you can’t order before then. I have to remember which day it is for the weekend I want to pick up. This week they had some awesome add-ons and I made a pretty large order. I’ll only order from them once this month. I got 54lbs of grapes and 114lbs of apples along with the rest of my order. Next week will be busy! 😬
What little bit left of the afternoon flew by and before I knew it, my husband was home from work. I still had clothes to fold on the couch and a little one who woke up very unhappy from his nap. The sheets were put in the dryer and supper needed to be started. It seemed like I was pulled in all different directions at once. I put on some instrumental music to soothe the chaos a bit and got to work on supper. My daughter started making some pumpkin bread while I mixed up tortillas. My husband pressed the tortillas on my new tortilla press he bought me for Christmas. I rolled the balls and he pressed and fried them. Then I started rice and sliced deer steaks and onions to fry. We made a homemade yogurt sauce to go with them since we are out of sour cream. It was delicious. I tried a new tortilla recipe and they ended up being more like pitas than tortillas but they were very good anyways.
Dinner was served and eaten while we visited and instructed (Hold your fork right, use your napkin to wipe your face, don’t talk with your mouth full.) Dinner is always such a lively time of day. It’s one of my favorite memories of my childhood that we always gathered around the table and ate together. I love that it has been established in our own home from day 1 as well.
After dinner my husband settled in to do some paperwork while I put food away and washed up supper dishes and put the kitchen back in order. The children each got their baths (the boys bathe together, but my daughter showers) and got in pajamas and ready for bed. We had sheets to put on beds and I got the clothes on the couch folded. Each child carried their clothes to their rooms to put away. I supervised teeth being brushed and the clean up of the bathroom and when all was done, we collapsed on the couch to read again. We read one chapter before kisses and hugs were given all around and everyone was tucked into bed.
It was a full day but very productive. My body is tired but my heart is so full. I do not take it for granted that I have the privilege of staying home with my children, to train and nurture them, to teach and learn with them, to squeeze and cherish them to my hearts content. This is the life that dreams are made of. ❤️