Simple Pleasure: Swinging

We took a family walk tonight and wrapped up our family time with a trip to the playground. Sitting nearby, quietly with my husband, I enjoyed watching the kids running and playing. They each learned a new skill at the playground tonight. It is exciting to watch them learn something new. They are growing and eager to show us what they have learned. We watch them thoroughly entertained and clap at their achievements. Later, I notice my daughter is swaying on a swing and I join her. Swinging is a simple pleasure - I don't feel too old to swing, although I am usually the only Mom on the playground doing so! My daughter and I are swinging side by side. It is exhilarating to lean back and stretch my feet high in the air. I have that familiar childhood feeling of my feet touching the tree tops. There is a blend of colors - green grass, green tree tops and the blue sky. I love the feeling of moving back and forth. My daughter is delighted beside me and tries to swing higher than me. It's a liberating experience of flying through the air - free. The wind is gently blowing. My daughter is smiling beside me. All feels right with the world. As I move higher, I quickly glance over at the cement anchors in the ground - they are firm and holding me. I feel safe. I am really high now. Finally, at the pinnacle of my simple pleasure, I get that "grown up" feeling of being too high and have butterflies in my stomach. I need to slow down. The vitalizing feeling is over. I slow down and eventually stop, refreshed from my simple pleasure. The kids relish in Mom swinging like a "big kid" and I feel invigorated having acted like one. =)

Sneakers & Other Simple Pleasures

Yesterday for Mother's Day, I joyously received a new pair of sneakers! We also went out to lunch and stopped at the health food store to replenish my vitamins. Sounds mundane to some of you? I really needed and wanted a new pair of sneakers. Can you tell that one of my top 5 values this year is health? As I have been focusing on my health this year, I feel really good - healthy and energetic. I have lost weight. I have been exercising and planning my meals.
Speaking of meals.....check out May's month of meals. Maybe you need to spice up your meals, need a filler or just want to try something new. There are a lot of ideas there. My new goal is to experiment with beans and make some meals with beans in them.
Other pleasures I got to enjoy on Mother's Day:
take a walk*enjoy a prepared, leisurely breakfast with my family*go to church*listen to a rainstorm*enjoy lunch out*indulge in a treat*new sneakers*spend time with my family*read a book for me (not to be confused with reading a children's book to my children, which I also enjoy)*lots of kisses and hugs*taking a bath*getting in my pajamas much too early*snuggling with the kids in bed*quiet time with my hubby*going to bed early, especially on a Sunday night as we prepare for the week ahead!

Simple Pleasures

Do these things happen at your house too?? We have some wildberries that grow in our backyard. The kids like to go out and collect them. My son has been especially fascinated with collecting them lately. Earlier this week, he went outside in shorts and a t-shirt, with big yellow rain boots that come up to his knees. Can you picture this? I have this image of him captured in my mind's eye. He came back in and asked for some gloves (we are talking winter mittens here) to wear so the thorns didn't bother him. So I gave him his gloves. Then I opened the sliding glass door again and gave him a container to put the wildberries in. When I did, something fell inside the house. It ended being a tree frog! It was a large one too. He hopped all around, then finally made it to the sliding glass door. Well that was exciting trying to catch him! They really hop! We got him....my son finally caught him in his bug catching net (which the tree frog really couldn't hop in) and took him back outside. We would have put him in our aquarium to study for a bit before sending back to nature, but there was already a big spider in there. Not sure who would have eaten who and I didn't want to find out. So we sent him back to nature.
Later that same night, it was beautiful here. After an exciting afternoon, we went out front at about 5pm waiting for my hubby and didn't end up coming back in until 7:50pm! All of the neighbors in our court came out and all of the kids as well. We have new neighbors next door and they have a son, about 6 months younger than my son. They were thrilled to have found one another! They played really nicely together. My son showed him the snake skin we found in our backyard. Then he draped it around his neck! We just let the kids run around and play. We ate a quick dinner then got them in bed. The fellowhip with the neighbors was great too.
There were so many simple pleasures in our day. Being at home with the kids. Watching them explore. The picture I now have in my mind of my son out in the backyard in his shorts, t-shirt, big yellow rain boots & winter mittens picking blackberries. The tree frog hopping around the house. My children and I running after it, trying to catch it! The excitement and chaos of the situation. Waiting for Dad to come home. A beautiful night. Fellowship with friendly & kind neighbors; sharing stories, experiences and learning more about one another. Having nothing scheduled so we can enjoy these moments.....