Patience...

I have spent much of my life being in a bit of a frazzle.

Over different things of course: homework, sports, my VERY unruly hair, growing up, being here, being there...etc.

And yet I have always (seemingly anyways), romanticised the contentful life "At Peace". At peace with the unexpected, the uncontrolled, the imminent, the tragedies, the suprises, the joys, the messes...At Peace with LIFE!

And for some reason, it seems that the more I seek this, the farther it seems to be. Having 3 BOYS for instance, sure doesn't seem condusive to such a state of being. Right?!

Well, it seems only recently have I realized the role that PATIENCE plays. In general, I've realized that I tend to be a rather impatient person. Impatience with myself, impatience for changes, impatient in the cold...or heat, impatient to go, impatient to stay,impatient to start, impatient to get done...and so I spend my time planning and rushing and doing!
And that end-line of rest and peace seems never in sight!!! Sigh!

So, here I am, nearly 4wks into life practicing PATIENCE! Sitting at the breakfast table long enough to talk to my munchkins before our day begins. Taking the time to clean up from each meal before charging into the more "important" task(s) of the day. Sitting. Reading with the boys. Taking a walk in the afternoon. Picking up and talking instead of rushing to get boys in bed. Realising that toys on the floor mean "healthy life happens here" and they are going to be there the MAJORITY of the time!!! That my kids will say "NO!" and have fits and make trouble sometimes and that doesn't mean I have failed or that they are rotten...they are people, learning along with the rest of us...

And somehow accepting these things instead of FIGHTING them or HURRYING them up, has added a much desired amount of PEACE to each day!!! Thank you Lord for Your FAITHFULNESS!

Here's a little bit of the "Peace" that's been happening lately : )


Who could resist such a giant ice-cycle?

Mr. Serious on our first snow day!

My little Jaguar showing off the snow!

A train/play table I built for Christmas...adding the distress "before"

the boys : )

Baby "Boo" (the baby's name for the time-being),

at 20wks

Back..I hope!

It's been ages since I've posted...And not that I haven't wanted to or thought about it, or even had time for it. We have been computerless for the last few months and as of yesterday...No more!!!

My iphone was filling in, but didn't quite cooperate on the blog website.
Ahhhhhh.... So, I'm back! And I'm hoping to get more pics up as well : )

For this particular moment though, I'm in my pajamas, haven't even gotten out of bed yet and need to feed my little men breakfast before the morning riot begins from hungry bellies.

Here's hoping I'm back...and soon!

Busy Days

Fall is here! Crisp winds, sunny days, leaves starting to fall, sweaters, scarves, boots.

I LOVE IT!

So, what exactly has kept me so busy I haven't made it to my computer?

These 4 reasons called,

Kiely, Justus, Gabriel and Ben!

Good reasons if you ask me.

One of the "biggies"....

Justus and Gabriel have learned how to ride bikes!

No training wheels!

They love it and spend every minute they can riding around.

Grandpa and Grandma bought a little
"KaZam" balance bike, and now Ben isn't far behind!

I started homeschooling Justus a few weeks back, still unsure of our choice, but not wanting to just send him off to school...he's really showing an interest in "going" to school and almost seems a bit lonely/bored being home.

There happens to be a Montessori school in town that is very flexible with our "plan" and would still

allow me to "school" some as well.

Even for mothers that are not homeschooling, I will be continuing one of our "curriculum's" called

Five In A Row.

It's great and has already given us many hours on the couch reading and discussing great topics from history, to art, science, and definitely character development!

I've just been checking out the books at our library, and many of them, we're not ready to give back when they're due! : )

We've also been exploring the Midwest some.

Ventured into Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa, including being able to see the Mississippi River!

That was fun!

I am continuing my quest/discovery of herbs.

Plantain (not the bananas), and White Pine trees are on the top of our list right now and have aided us in many

"First Aid" situations lately

(a regular occurrence in the Bondurant home : )

Oo-La-La

For a while now I have surmised that we (ladies) should periodically have "Refresher" lingerie parties...such for anniversaries or perhaps after having babies and wanting a little "Pick-me-up" for our intimate times.

WELL, to my complete suprise, my WONDERFUL sister-in-law planned a party for me while we were in Astoria. There were at least a dozen ladies there, family, friends(new and old). And we had a BLAST!!! There was quite a bit of chocolate and desserts involved, as well as some "fun" conversations and a couple rounds of the "Things" game.

(No worries, both my mother and mother-in-law attended, so nothing was TOO racy)

My lingerie wardrobe at least doubled and I now have quite a nice collection of "cotton-free" panties, if you know what I mean. ; )

SOO, here's hoping the LOVE will spread...Get together with your girls and plan some fun. Certainly there is some "special" occassion coming up you can use...birthday, anniversary, your hubby's birthday???

If you don't want to ask for one yourself, throw one for your friends FIRST.

I'm sure they'll catch on.

If you care to follow suit, the SUPRISE factor was fantastic!

Blessings and FUN,

Melody

Ahhh Oregon

AHHHHHHHHHH!

I have never felt more certain that this rainy, mountainous, luciously green place

was my HOME.

We are still adjusting to Kansas,

and we'll probably be there for a few years,

but I think whenever we return here for a visit...

or for good, it will be home!

For the time being, I am going to thoroughly enjoy it!

ALL of it!

: )

and hopefully get some pics posted as well

Let's Go Running!

I've never really been a "true" runner. I ran in highschool, did a little leisurely running (here and there) in college, but have never stuck with it. Yet I still have this fantasy of getting up early in the morning and enjoying the daybreak with a nice long, refreshing run! (oh! And the glutes and thighs are a nice perk)

My biggest deterent though is that I am an "all or nothing" type and so I often start off too fast and try to go too long, resulting in burn-out and abandoning my work-outs all together. LaME!

So, I tracked down a little "Couch to 5k" training for beginners (at this my ego greatly protests, but I am humbly submitting to the fact that I AM, at this point, a Beginner!). If anyone's interested in joining me, I'll be keeping my weekly training plan updated in the side-bar. I started last week, but since it was the 4th and my schedule got a little off, I'm going to do week 1 again, starting this week!!!

P.S. Though there has been a little more huffing and puffing than my fantasy envisions, I am LOVING greeting the mornings outside!

Personal Invite!

If you haven't already,

I invite you to check out my "Skinulation" Blog

http://www.healthfullyskin.blogspot.com/!

~

After a few months of my first posting

I was compelled to make it private,

feeling self-conscious about just "anyone" seeing my pics....

However, after seeing that two wonderful friends

(thank you Lindsey and Addie)

made positive comments.

~

I am ENCOURAGED to keep it open!

~

So, here's my personal invite to YOU!

I also posted something fun,

for any first-time viewers.

~

Check it out and let me know what you think!

Blessings and Confidence,

Melody