The Day Before May Day

"See the curtains hanging in the window
In the evening on a Friday night
A little light a-shining through the window
Lets me know every thing's all right"

(Seals and Crofts, Summer Breeze, '72)

It has been a melancholy morning. I think it's the weather, and a few unresolved conversations from this week causing my mind to weigh heavy.

I am trying to embrace the positives of the morning. The nice breeze coming in the windows and the fact that it is not raining...YET, breakfast and dishes are done, kids are dressed and playing and it's Friday!!

Tomorrow is May 1st. May Day. As children, my mom introduced my sisters and I to the tradition of making a May Day basket. We'd fill it with flowers from the yard and leaving it for unsuspecting neighbors. The baskets would start with a piece of paper, be that newspaper or sturdy construction paper. We'd staple or tape and handle for our basket made out of ribbon, or paper. We'd line the basket with a plastic bag or plastic wrap and some damp paper towels, then fill the basket with lilacs, tulips, jonquils, or whatever flower we could find in my mom's flower beds. Sometimes, it would be filled with a bouquet of dandelions because those were always in abundance in my parent's yard. In tradition, one would fill the basket based on the flower.. it's color, smell and meaning. For us, it was whatever we had so to make a nice surprising gesture to say "Happy May Day!" We'd then run over to our neighbor's homes, place the basket on the door handle, ring the bell and run! We'd hide behind bushes or a garage and wait for them to open the door and get their surprise. Seeing their faces was always such a reward. There was always a smile.

Over Rice Krispies this morning, I told our kids about this tradition. Immediately, the kids had all their houses pegged and wanted to know where the construction paper was. I told them, we needed to get some flowers first. Because our yard has very few blooming flowers, we will most likely purchase a bouquet or two to disassemble and use for our project. I think we'll do the newspaper cones because it's a positive 'green' effort and also because they hold up better and can be larger and sturdier in size. I will try to take a photo of this tomorrow and post the final baskets. I have high hopes because they are such a creative bunch and their excitement is contagious.

May Day Baskets bring happiness and I need a little of that as I end this week. I look forward to helping the kids pick out some flowers and seeing their excited faces as they try to pull off the surprise, all while squealing and giggling when they ring the doorbells of neighboring homes.

I was never a homecoming queen.

But I'm hoping to get back to Daydream Believer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQNqk54HPdE

"...Oh, and our good times start and end
Without dollar one to spend.
But how much, baby, do we really need."

We are very fortunate to have an abundance of 'stuff.' It can be a curse (end of day...house looks like a tornado). But 'stuff' is exactly what it is. I get to unpack stuff today (we recently moved). This 'stuff' makes our kids very happy and entertained for a while. I had such fun as a child (without stuff) running the woods, playing in mud, riding my bike and hardly ever watching tv or needing to be entertained. As a mom, I do find it difficult to understand why our kids can not possibly be content on their own. I know why they have a hard time, but trying to have a conversation with a 5 year old about being imaginative and creative is quite difficult. Because we (yes, I will put myself in that guilty category and leave the other names out) did this to them. We inundated them with 'stuff' since they were babies. As they get older, one believes they will start thinking more on their own..using their imagination. However, if we've only ever handed them 'stuff' and never let them fuel their own imagination, can they daydream? I wonder.

I know they can get really dirty in a pile of mud. I believe there is hope.

I'd love to take a family vacation to 'Nowhere.' Nowhere has the essentials...food, running water with shower/tub and toilet, and beds. Ok, those are my essentials, but I'm not a big camping girl. I can do it. Not a huge fan of bugs and being smelly. Back to nowhere... Nowhere has no television or electronic devices. Nowhere doesn't cost more than the bare essentials explained above (room and board). Nowhere would be primarily an outdoor experience (reliving my childhood through the eyes of our kids?). One would have to be creative to enjoy the Nowhere experience. Just the drive to Nowhere could be fun. I need to start researching Nowhere. Of course, that will require the use of my laptop.

Will 'I' be able to survive Nowhere without 'stuff?' Very good question.

(note to self...learn how to embed youtube videos)

Brand New Sunshiney Day

According to the spell check, 'sunshiney' is not a word. Who knew?
It's a good thing some of my rebelliousness can still sneak out on grammatical occasions.

We have 4 big bay windows in our bedroom. Having no window treatments currently is a blessing and a curse. I love the view of our backyard. Even more so now that the trees have leaves and I don't get to view the backs of neighboring houses. I even love waking up to the sun in the morning...ON THE WEEKENDS. But, on a weekday, when my husband is already up and moving to leave for work, and the kids are anxiously waiting for their AppleJacks, the dog can't hold it any longer and the phone is ringing, and you just know it's some perky person calling for no good reason, I'm not such a fan of the sun in the windows. It's that big, gigantic, reminder of 'get your butt out of bed.'

So, I'm up. I ate a healthy breakfast. I need a shower. I plan to use that sunshine to my advantage and seize the day even though we are without a vehicle (might explain that later). Adventure awaits. Perhaps 4 pair of muddy, goose-poop laden shoes and a frog in a bucket. We'll see!

Day 1

My title sounds like a 12 step program. Some days, it feels like I need more than 12 steps.

Today has been relatively ok as far as the mom stuff goes. A bit frustrating, but not hair-pulling.

I think for a while, I will refer to my children as 1, 2 and 3. 3 is potty training. (Bear with me, I might lose you.) 3 will go 1 on the potty. 3 will not go 2 on the potty. I think 3 is afraid 2 might just crawl out of the toilet, or jump back and bite..? Not sure. But today, 3 went potty on the floor twice and on a chair once. I just did laundry yesterday and it's a good thing 3 thinks it's easier to be naked because I'm really getting tired of washing out underwear, not to mention the carpet, tile and upholstery.

*note to self...Paper towel supply is getting low in downstairs bathroom. Locate name of parent company for Clorox Green Works..buy stock now.

In other news, lunch had 'green stuff' in it and was not popular. Chips and a juice box was the preferred lunch of choice for 1, 2 and 3. I did however bribe 1 and 2 with the promise of cake. It worked. 3 went down for a nap hungry. Dinner is in about 4 hours.

Need caffeine.