While most parents with school aged kids are winding down from the school year and looking forward to the lazy days of summer, I am excitedly planning ahead to our summer {home} school plan.

Huh???

Yup, I am just a tad crazy and have decided to plan a fun summer program for the kids this year.
(I found the fabulous idea here)

Essentially I want to help my son continue to build on what he’s learnt this year, so each week we will have a different theme and will be doing a few worksheets (to help with reading, writing and math), crafts, checking a few books out of our local library that go with the theme and will be enjoying a weekly field trip.

smiled as I watched them.
They were giggling, chasing one another. Round and round they went ponytails bouncing, girly squeals filling the air.
Soon both their little legs grew tired and they sat in the sand filling up their buckets and digging for treasures. I could hear them chatting happily together as they played.

They had the park all to themselves. They could run freely and leave their sand toys scattered around as they pleased.

After a few minutes, a new little friend wandered over. She sat down beside them and immediately picked up a spare shovel and started digging for treasures too.
And my girls didn’t blink.

So have we solved the secret of happiness?

“I believe so” he said
Are you going to tell me?
“Yes. Ready?”
Ready.
“Be satisfied.”
That’s it?
“Be grateful”
That’s it?
“For what you have. For the love you receive. And for what God has given you.”
That’s it?
He looked me in the eye. Then he sighed deeply.
“That’s it.”
(excerpt from the book ‘have a little faith’ by Mitch Albom)

It’s so easy to get wrapped up in life.
Wrapped up in self.
In wanting more.
It’s also easy to forget to see blessings.
To be ungrateful. Unsatisfied.

I have been so guilty of this.
I want with all my heart to be aware of what is right in front of me.
What I’ve been given.

As a family we are going to try to focus on being thankful.
One way we have decided to do this is by making a Blessing Box.

Being a mom is harder than I thought it was going to be.
A lot harder.

Please hear my heart friends, it is also amazing and wonderful and inspiring and fun and awesome. It makes you feel like you will explode from all the love you have for these little people… but if I’m being honest, it’s also so much harder than I ever dreamed it would be when I starred excitedly at that pregnancy test and let out a yelp of praise over the two pink lines I saw.

I am crazy blessed with a 6, 3 and 2 year old. Crazy blessed. I completely love them to pieces. Seriously, I don’t think it’s even possible to love them anymore than I do, and yet it grows daily.

And I know that no one is perfect but I still find myself hitting the pillow with a thousand confessions each night. I was {insert one or more of the following} impatient, angry, lazy, resentful, prideful today. Oh Lord, please forgive me…..