Still here!

Feeling very euphoric after successfully taking three children sledding for two hours at the park. I'm sorry to say I don't have pictures, I left my phone home on that trip. But I do have pictures of the kids enjoying their new swing!

I have been busy here lately, and posting obviously has become low priority but I have a few posts in the works, so don't despair I didn't abandon this blog!

I hope everyone is enjoying their tea drinking, book reading season!

You know you are a hippie kid when...

Yes, yes, and yes!

Jesus is the reason.

Set up our Playmobil nativity scene. Yes, you read that right...

Nothing quite says Christmas like a little plastic baby Jesus.

But as they played I appreciated the way that the kids "normalized" the birth of Jesus, as well as the story of Christmas. Comforting him when he cried, changing his diaper, gathering the animals and people around to welcome him.

And then Windy started singing this song:



And while I watched the kids act out the lyrics, I appreciated it even more.

Finding our Winter Rhythm

Despite the occasional 65+ degree day (!!), we are well on our way to finding our Winter rhythm. Now that Windy is six we are getting into a more developed and structured routine as we move through our "school" day.

Breakfast, getting dressed, making beds and clearing the table, getting the laundry going, venturing outside or constructive play with blocks, playdoh, or their knights and dragons...

I'm finding that keeping myself in "teacher" mode vs "mom" mode helps quite a bit, especially when it comes to diffusing the squabbles.

Luckily, those don't happen very often.

The kids have been working together to make amazing block "ships" that are transporting cargo that double as elaborate landscapes fit for dinosaurs.

It's all so delightfully fluid...

Lunch, Nap/quiet time, circle time, craft time....

We've been reading winter stories and verses and following it up with craft time. Yesterday, we filled our window with snowflakes while watching the yard filling up with snow, albeit temporarily. The kids tried to match the flakes they cut out with the ones they were seeing...



This is the time of year that the watercolor paintings that are not "for keeps" get re-purposed. They get cut up into snowflakes like these or used as wrapping paper or fashioned into thank-you cards.

Tea time, playtime, making dinner time...

My favorite time of day lately has been Tea Time.



Did you know that you can get your breakfast and lunch dishes washed while the water boils?

I've been really enjoying our new rhythm, especially now that they baby is a little bit bigger and I can get a little bit more done while all three kids play happily, or sometimes do chores along with me. I don't feel so "underwater" with the household upkeep anymore.

I am grateful for this, but at the same time a little torn. It means my baby isn't so much a baby anymore.

And of course, when she does chores with me she doesn't look like much of a baby anyhow!

(Click on it, it will take you to a sideways video. sorry!!)

Dinner time, family time, getting into bedclothes, bedtime story...

And on and on and on in comforting consistency.

Life is work.
Life is life.
Life is.

Fairy Bowls

Found myself laying down some snow-eating ground-rules after our first significant snowfall.

"No visibly dirty snow, no snow from the driveway,
no snow from the cars, and no snow from the house."



"Look mom! Little bowls from the fairies!"

"Blackberry leaf bowls!!"

Blessed be! <3 <3

Intentional Love, Peacocks, and Tarot Cards.

Pulled the Queen of Pentacles today,

while love-drunk and giddy.

It was the sixth card I pulled in response to a question about giving myself over to intentional love, particularly if that intentional love was beneficial to my spiritual path.

To me, the Queen of Pentacles represents just about exactly where I want to be. The ultimate culmination of the Divine Feminine. The ability to live in harmony with nature, within relationships, and within one's self. A lover of all, a supreme example of compassion and grace. You know, that hippie lady that sits on her front porch and keeps all of the neighborhood kids in check??

Sometimes, in various depictions of the card, the Queen of Pentacles is sitting with a peacock. This will have more significance in a few paragraphs.

I think it's a good sign. Auspicious omen.

Three of the four cards I pulled for my "past, present, and future" spread mentioned easy decisions, opening opportunities, and clarity of mind. One even went so far as to be the the weak or reversed aspect of a card representing indecisiveness. (Forgive me if you are lost, please ask me some day to explain more. I'm just learning myself.)

The fourth card held caution for thinking of this development a quick fix, no hold's barred solution, urging for yet more patience and perseverance as my true path unfolds; good things take time. Frustrating, but expected. Saturn has not yet officially began his return for me, but I'm certainly feeling the influence-- lots of transitions, re-evaluations, and intentional pauses to avoid rushing into things. Until it passes I am unlikely to know my true path. But, good things take time.

A fifth card I pulled to explore these ideas represented entering a period of strong growth and creative inspiration.


So, while some aspects of my life feel like they came to a rather forcible halt, others feel like they exploded right open. All signs are pointing to accepting what has been laid in front of me, and moving forward with it. Apparently, now is not the time to be sorting out my physical realm (homestead/community), rather it is time to tackle the spiritual. And truly, honestly, my head is a jumble of mismatched thoughts and ideas and plans of action. One of my previous posts mentions the work I've been doing on the house to quiet my mind, and I'm happy to report that it is working. Living in a space that is conducive to stress-free living is nice. I'm looking forward to having the peace of mind to start un-jumble-ing that thought ball.

So, it is becoming obvious to me that while accepting and pursuing this offer of intentional love still might not ultimately lead me to my "goal" it is obviously important for my mental and spiritual growth.


I like living with intention. I especially like loving with intention.

I'll be thinking about how to put it all into words, because it is really quite beautiful to think about. What if we all went out into the world with love as our impetus?

Related of this assorted group of recent synchronicities, is the possibility of getting a tattoo of a peacock on my upper arm much sooner than I had anticipated. Now, oddly, this image is one that called out to me without me having a firm grasp as to it's meaning. But now the idea is more firmly gelled. Peacocks are typically a symbol of rebirth, immortality, and renewal-- a real-life phoenix. They have a regal association to them. Protectors of royalty. Earthly representations of Gods and Goddesses. Slayers of serpents.

Peacocks take a long time to reach maturity. Before they do they are a bit gangly. But each year they lose their tail feathers and eventually more grow in their place.

Perhaps I am not unlike the peacock?

Determined to live true to myself, protecting my own inner royalty? Developing my inner Divine Feminine? Sloughing off the layers that I have built up, my own demons and serpents, until I have grown my full set of tail feathers? Until I am that compassionate and graceful crone, guiding children into the garden to calmly pick peas and collect eggs into an apron?

Life is work.
Life is life.
Life is.

Littles Underfoot Blogging Goals

So, while this blog is still a wee little baby, I thought I should write up some of my goals and aspirations. That way, I have a more succinct framework for moving forward.

With this creative outlet, I hope to accomplish three main goals.

1.) Provide insight to our lives. Catalog our day-to-day.
In doing so, find the love and beauty as it exists in our home. Find the love and beauty as it exists in ourselves.

2.) Provide a source of self reflection, specifically for the purpose of inner/spiritual work. Explore feelings and thoughts as they relate to life, homemaking, childrearing, and whatever else should surface.
Relatedly, use this opportunity to refine writing and communication skills.

3.) Provide exposure for the homestead related tasks that we have habitualized in hopes of sharing our know-how as well as sparking inspiration.
Eventually, I also hope to provide exposure for the homestead related items that I will have for sale.

I will accomplish these goals by posting weekly snapshots and tidbits of our sweet homelife (and sometimes the not-so-sweet.) I will post regular updates about the tasks that I'm working on, like our homeschool documentation, our weekly menu, gardening plans, handwork/crafts/projects, etc. Lastly, I will wax and wane poetic about the thoughts and themes of life as they arise.

So, care to join me?