A few simple changes for Spring, plus a front door wreath idea!

Dearest darling Spring… where are you?! (Do you need some encouragement, too? Keep reading!)

We are back to having chilly weather which is so hard on all of us, especially mama! On Sunday, as we were sipping our coffee and having a slow morning with visiting family, we heard a large crack and then watched a branch fall outside our kitchen window. And then another branch fell. And another. We hadn’t even realized the ice storm that happened over the night, but it was making itself loud and clear to us come morning. Our backyard has been off-limits ever since with the wires down and tree mess, so we have found other ways to stay busy: totally re-arranging the bedrooms as we prepare for our fourth baby in June. You should see the hearts in my eyes ;)

This week I’ve really noticed noticed how the simplest of things can make all the difference in my day! Here are some helpful examples:

• adding a pop of yellow in our front door wreath (I made the frame from sticks in our backyard, zip ties & artificial leafy garland from the dollar section at Target) ~ the dandelion “flowers” are from Joanns
• condensing “all the toys” that add visual clutter (don’t hesitate to put them in a storage box for a month)
• clearing off frequently used surfaces
• reminding myself little messes are a sign of life! (…yes!)
• giving the kids an early bath (before dinner)
• let the birthday decorations linger an extra week or two ;)
• my kids more often than not WANT to help me, so give them specific assignments and throw out my expectations of how fast things need to be accomplished. The joy they get from helping me makes time go by fast anyway!
• ask myself, “what can I change?” because change is ALWAYS good for the mind and mood!

One more thing… We started homeschooling seven weeks ago (!!!), and the structure of adding more intentional learning has been so phenomenal! I can hardly believe it some days… I’m working on a post sharing a bit more of our journey and the curriculum we’re using, plus how I’m teaching Max while including Natalie (and entertaining Marigold) ~ it’s quite the task some mornings (to be totally honest) but it’s also exactly what our family needs.

Many have asked how I am able to juggle it all and I just reply with this, “mothers are absolutely equipped (or able to learn how) to teach their children, regardless of how close in age the kids are!” And, asking for help and reading books on the topic is never a bad idea ;)

What changes do you make when your routine feels like too much of a routine? Do you re-arrange rooms in your home or “shop the house” for fresh inspiration? What are you most looking forward to with the transition from Winter to Spring?