Facing The Sunset

Colorado has a little law against texting while driving. But what about taking photos while driving? I didn't see any laws against that :) I just couldn't help myself...it was breathtaking!

Tonight as we were driving to go meet Matt at Chipotle for dinner, I was greeted with this beautiful fiery sunset over the mountains. The thing is, as I was driving south, I had no idea that once I turned the corner to drive West, I would see this!

Isn't this how life is too? We get so focused on the bumpy gray road we are currently on that we forget what beauty is all around us...just waiting to be seen. All we have to do is just turn and face it.

Yesterday, Ann Voskamp's new book arrived at my door. I read the first chapter this morning and was a little shaken for the rest of the day. You'll have to read it to see what I'm talking about. Let's just say that it reminded me how fragile life is. I drank in everything that the girls did today with extra care. I smelled Lucy's neck for longer than normal and squeezed Bella so tight.

Today was like every other day. But with eyes wide open, not wanting to forget these moments...I chose to see it differently.

• A newspaper magically arrived at my door for me to read while I sipped my mate.
• Steamy pancakes flipped by an excited 6 year old make life worth living.
• An ecstatic little Lucy leads me over to her most recent artwork (nevermind that she drew in a book instead of the paper).
• Sisters creating together. Such sweetness (and sometimes fighting, but mostly sweetness) :)

Oh these precious moments...I want to always have open eyes to see them for what they really are. They are little blessings in the every day of life. There is so much joy to be found if I just remember to face the sunset.

*you can (and should!) read Ann's blog, A Holy Experience, here.

Sending Love

I just wanted to thank all of you who sent me the lovely holiday mail...it made me soooooo happy to see all of your smiling faces in my mailbox! It arrived all at once right after we settled in Longmont and definitely made the chaos of the transition feel more manageable :)

One of my favorite things about our years of travel has been meeting SO many of you face to face. Getting to spend REAL time alongside you in your daily lives is something that I will treasure in my heart forever.

Now that we are settled, I would love to continue corresponding via "real mail". It's been difficult on the road without a consistent mailbox...but now that we have one (it's even ATTACHED to our house...oh the joy!), I want to send more mail out!

I would love to create a database with real addresses in it for my personal records. If you're so inclined, will you email me your current address at janssenfamily (at) gmail (dot) com? Even if you think I already have it...send it again. And I will send you mine if you like. Well, only if you're not a crazy internet creeper. ;)

Becoming

“The moment in between what you once were, and who you are now becoming, is where the dance of life really takes place.” *Barbara De Angelis

...and it seems I've been doing a lot of dancing lately.

After 4 years of having Matt at home all day...pretty much every day, I am now in charge of raising these two precious girls alone. I know, I know...I'm being overly dramatic. But we have a lot of drama around here lately and it must be rubbing off.

Being a stay-at-home mom is the best job on earth. And it's hard. And it's beautiful. And I'm still figuring it all out.

It often feels like the only thing I do all day is make meals and clean the house. Over and over and over. But you see...I also want time in there to do amazing, life-changing activities with my girls. I want to sing and dance and tell them stories. I want to give them opportunities and experiences. I want to have art projects that rival the best of Waldorf schools! :) Oh my. I'm getting crazy now.

We've never really been a schedule-driven type of family...we usually just go with the flow. But I'm finding that having a loose schedule is helpful. Especially for Bella. She wants to know exactly what is happening and when. Every day.

I've given myself a couple of weeks now to try to work out the kinks...to get into our groove. And it's slowly happening. I can feel a nice rhythm to our days. And it feels really good. The "everyday" of our lives makes all of us happy (thank you Erin for an amazing post that refreshed my soul). Reading the same books. Going to the same stores. Being with the same friends. Sweeping the same floor.

I am getting through the day with Jesus at my side...I can almost hear him whispering my name. Reminding me to have more patience, more love, and less perfectionism :) He is telling me to go to bed sooner and get up earlier...and that too will help immensely.

I would love to have a conversation in the comments about what really works for you and your family. Feel free to use these questions as a springboard...

• Tell me about the rhythm of your day.
• What is the best advice you've ever received as a stay-at-home or work-at-home mother?
• What has been your biggest struggle and how are you overcoming it?
• What is your deepest joy in being a homemaker?
• Are there certain blogs that you love for homemaking/mama inspiration?
• Do you use a "system" for cleaning your house (i.e. Flylady, etc)?

I look forward to reading about and discussing your life as mothers, wives, and keepers of the home!