monday twenty-two: a thousand shades of perfect

First off was making cleaners.

You know I love that.
Because I tell you all the time.

We checked out monsters.

and JumpStart.

She thought I asked if she went to the potty, and she informed me,
"I went to blow my issue."
"Mmmm," her Mama smiled, "it's always so satisfying to blow out your Issues!"

A science experiment on gravity,

and how it is that satellites orbit the earth - pretty cool.

Maddie was wandering and looking lost, so I asked her if she wanted to create something.
"Yeah! I want to create with those marshmallows and those stick things!"
So we went downstairs to get them... and got something less pokey (which was quite fine with her),



and a few other things besides.



Maddie The Engineer built a staircase and slide for the playmobil people.

Genius! :)

And we played volleyball




and there were Peep videos

and Birthday Planning (it's still in June)-- and talking of The Beach and friends and family and how we can't have balloons (according to Maddie) because they'll just float into the sky! But then we could have balloons, because we could just tie them onto the sand castle! But the sand castle has to stay there, we can't take it with us...

and on and on Mama admires this glorious sunlight... and goes outside (again!) because she just can't believe it's that cold out there - and surely a day that blue and that bright and that clear must be begging for us to romp and play (er, slowly, so no one coughs until they vomit) - only to rush back in after four seconds with a violent (and totally perplexed) brrrrr! it's cold out there!
sigh.
no green things in that hurried scoot. no blossoms. no invitation.
dang!

Maddie on her art mat (not my doing, hers).


And then mazes. She's been verra interested in mazes, lately.

(that's a tattoo on her arm there, btw)

I sat back down at my notebook (at the kitchen table - where all that beautiful Light is)


until I couldn't stand it anymore, and went Out again. You know. To see.

As it turns out, The Mama (that would be The Mama - as in Mama Nature) hadn't been messing with me at all - she was only reminding me to Look.
To pause.
To appreciate.
To seek out the "ordinary" Life Magic.
Because finding Life Magic takes a special doing, sometimes.

And so....
And so.

Poppies!
(Could you just cry?)

Grape Hyacinth.

Star Flowers.


Tulips.


Strawberries!


Garden Phlox.


Iris.


Hollyhocks.


Peonies.


My beloved Yarrow.

She was whispering oh-so quietly,
and I was finally ready to Listen.

Had to tell the children.



Daddy comes home,
we run an errand in the Outside World
we come home and the sun goes down,
and we wave it off 'til next time.

Let's call that Good, shall we?

Life is beautiful.
See you tomorrow.