Stormy spring weather continues, allowing the garden to drink up fresh rain, turning everything into a vision of emerald abundance...I will never tire of the vibrant shades of spring greens, tinged with yellows...proof that miracles happen in the ordinariness of today.
My friend, Melanie, made a post about an ordinary day, which made me instantly think of something I read recently. Many of you may know about Taproot magazine, brought to you by the multi-crafty-talented Soulemama and friends. Well, my favourite essay in the whole lot was written by her husband (what a team!) and he wrote, "...somehow great things occur under that false cloak of monotony." These words have stayed with me, whispering in my ear, reminding me to accept and even embrace this very moment ~ no matter how mundane it may seem.
When I look back through the camera card that records our week's everyday moments, they seem more than ordinary. They do, in fact, seem extra-ordinary. I feel blessed for these miracles that are occurring right before my very eyes.
See my helpers, eager to do the simple tasks of our household...

a blurry photo of a determined Huckley bringing in the kindling

Forrest wanted to help me pick the first nettles of the season...well-protected

pancake morning...Sunshine mixes the wet ingredients til they are good and frothy

while Huckley is in charge of the dry ingredients, focused on keeping it all in the mixing bowl
After the more serious tasks of the household, comes the real work of childhood, imaginative play.

Josh brought these two rootballs home from the bush, on two separate excursions, this spring. Sunshine is sitting in the fairy castle, with the knight's armament beside her against the woodshed. There are already grand plans for the adventures of all the gnomes and fairies.

Indoors, the four season's playmat ignites their imagination. A friend from maplerose made this beautiful work of art which is a real treasure.


Many a spring day you may find us beside our creek, throwing rocks, poking at the mud, playing with snails and toads, or just swinging. On days like this, I sit quietly beside the littles, drinking in the spring goodness.

This last photo is a tender one for me, as it signifies the first time I really had to put solid boundaries down regarding nursing with Huckley. He is 22 months old and still nurses on demand, around the clock. I am happy with this arrangement, too, as he truly is the best night-time snuggler. However, for awhile he has begun nursing in earnest at night, leaving me exhausted and sore. After a few sleepless nights, I realized he wasn't eating as much for dinner, making him hungrier than usual during the night. So, I have decided to be firm and consistent about eating first, nursing second. Well, after nap on this day, it wasn't going to fly very easily and Huckley's determined streak came out. Let's just say it was a long, tear-filled half hour...for both of us. Forrest and Sunshine encouraged me to just nurse him, but I explained that he needed to know I wasn't going to give in on this one. I held Huckley, I told him I loved him countless times, I acknowledged this was a hard thing for him to understand, but that it was important. I told Forrest and Sunshine how I night-weaned each of them at about the same age and it was difficult, but necessary to the health of our household. I'm not sure they believed me, but when Huckley finally understood he just had to take one bite before he could nurse, the tears dried and my sunny boy re-emerged. Mama was forgiven. Hours later, I'm still taking the Rescue Remedy for that one, but experience has shown me that this is just another of the many trials of motherhood.
Indeed, these mundane and everyday moments are what we make of them. For me, they form the memories of my little one's childhood.
And they remind me, in a beautifully humbling way, of the wonderful company I keep.