Jan 2019

I’ve been so incredibly thankful to be “retired” this past 3 weeks.

Less hurrying the girls, less telling them to be quiet. Less hurrying myself. I’ve been given the gift of TIME. And it is precious.

I had some initial trepidation on how I would spend all that free time. I figured I would read book after book while sipping hot tea.

While I’ve not lacked on the hot tea, I’ve yet to pick up a book to read for myself. With this freedom I’ve been given come the things I’ve been wanting to do but put off. Clothes are organized. Friendships are being renewed. The dark circles under my eyes are receeding. I’ve had time to read to the girls. I’ve been able to work with Claire on her letters and some basic reading. I’ve been able to connect more with Caroline and have so many good conversations with her. It’s been so nice to spend time with Lynn more than just us passing him coming home from work and me heading back out to a meeting.

Claire took it upon herself to organize her “toy dresser”

With my slower schedule the girls are on a better routine and there are fewer meltdowns. We are more able to follow along on farm chores.

I feel that being outdoors and learning the farm life is invaluable to the girls childhood and development.

Today we didn’t have anything happening so we followed along on a fence building excursion.

Before we got started a baby calf that was born today needed help figuring out nursing. Lynn put the cow in the chute to hold her still. The girls helped me take the calf to it’s Mama. Lynn helped the calf nurse. Caroline got the cow some grain and both girls took turns filling up her a water tub.

Then the fence building began. Caroline hands out fence staples and fence clips and is learning to work pliers. Claire marked how far the wire needed to be apart on the wood post, played with the tools, pretended to drive the old tractor and counted how far down the wires needed to be clipped to the T posts.