If you have a song running through your head right now, then you are awesome, and we should watch The Sound of Music together. If you feel a strong urge to stop reading right now, and burst into song, then you are probably one of my aunts, and I love and miss you. If you are Anthony, you are already in the shower singing about
Julie Andrews is the bomb though, and so right on. When you're feeling all down and out, you simply need to remember your favorite things, and then, you don't feel rotten. Kind of like these things......cue the music, brain...
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things.
Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things
Okay, pardon my gushing....but...Oh MY GOD. Who on this green earth does not love all of these things? To be perfectly honest, I'm fairly indifferent to blue satin sashes, but the cream ponies, schnitzel with noodles, and winters that melt into spring?? Good golly, style me a sweeping coif, send me to Austria, and call me Governess already!
Seriously though, this song naturally found it's way into my head as I thought about how very content I've felt over the past couple of weeks. It's somewhat of a rare occasion around here, to not be bothered by the laundry and dust bunnies around here.
When I started to evaluate what had changed in my life, I couldn't really think of much. That's when I realized that nothing had changed, but quite a lot had shifted. For instance, I'm slightly bananas over anything photography, and though I'm a novice on the subject, I've begun bringing my camera with me in the car. Now, whenever I see something beautiful, I can allow myself five minutes of "play" time to pull over, and try and capture it. In the evenings, instead of Anthony and I sitting in separate areas of house, looking at separate screens, we have begun sitting next to each other on the couch to play words with friends. When the kids are FINALLY asleep, I make us popcorn, and we meet in bed to watch the terribly romantic "Walking Dead".
Initially, our goal was to start doing puzzles together in the evening, while listening to Ira Glass, but there is a minor affliction of competitiveness, which hangs heavy in the air around here. The last time we attempted to do a puzzle of three Teddy Bears, it was very, I mean, extreeeemely stressful. Rules were quickly put in place as to who did what part, at what time of day, and there was to be no after hours puzzling, because what could be worse than waking up in the morning to find that someone had cheated, and completed mama Bear's flowered velour hat??? So, our 35 piece "Winter Scene" puzzle remains in the impossible to open box, and Cora can walk around shaking it to her hearts content.
But I digress, back to the things that are shifting, no pun intended of course...
Some variety of music plays continually in the house, and I've had the opportunity to experiment with tasty new recipes. I read each night before bed. We've been spending time as a family with extended family. When I notice that I'm looking down and in, I remind myself to look up and out, and before I know it, positive energy returns. God and I are having conversations again, but just a few here and there. Not nearly enough, but I have to start somewhere.
We are not wealthy, we drive used cars and rent our house. Most everything we purchase is on sale, discounted, consigned, donated, or handed down. We don't own iPhones or flat screen TVs, and we don't have cable. Our kids have yet to go on a "real" vacation, and we keep things forever. It's all pretty void of frills, fairly simple living. You might not believe it, but the God to honest truth is, we are some of the richest people I know. Our lives are just so darn rich.
If I were to write a song about my favorite things, it would go something like this - (To the Tune of "My Favorite Things", obviously)
Kid hugs with snuggles and kisses on noses,
Ella destroying a bouquet of roses,
Dancing to Vinyl while everyone sings,
These are a few of my favorite things.
White wine with dinner that tastes so darn yummy,
Ice cream with a good book in bed with my honey,
Photos in the woods of my babies hiking,
these are a few of my favorite things.
Sleepy baby faces first thing in the morning,
Ella playing teacher and giving firm warnings,
Getting to bedtime without a spanking,
These are a few of my favorite things!!!
When Sibly bites, when my head hurts, when I'm feeling mad,
I simply remember my favorite things, and then I start to feeeeeeeel, soooooo RAAAD!!!
Impressive
right? Trust me, it's not as complicated as you might think. Once you
sit down to write your own, the lyrics will just pour out. Maria is an
inspiration, and I'm not even being cheeky. (For my Mary Poppins Fans of course).
For some people, I believe this kind of thinking comes easily and naturally. For me, staying content, staying "positive" takes some guided effort now and then. Wherever this lands for you, I hope it helps you to remember and think about the things in your life that are so simple, the things that make your soul smile.
As moms we work very hard to make sure everyone is taken care of, and often times we forget about ourselves. But, every living thing, even mamas, especially mamas, need nourishment to survive and thrive. I'm always amazed at what just a little bit of water and sunshine can do for a plant that's on it's way out.
So with that in mind, what are some small and simple shifts that you could make that would in turn make big changes in your day to day outlook? An art or yoga class? Spending more time with your honey and family? Snuggling with your kiddos? Maybe you need to get AWAY from you family? You won't find any judgement from me! Perhaps taking some time to get outside? Giving more instead of getting more? Whatever feeds your soul will help to feed those around you, so get to it, and love on yourself a little bit :-) Then write a song and send it to me, okay? And before I go, here is one more of my favorite things, I hope you like it too!! Love you,
Liz
