Simplicity Celebration: Child Labour of Love
A bonus to living next door to a commercial greenhouse; sweet location for last minute photo shoots, practically year long access to more locally grown cucumbers than you can shake a stick at and we get gifted loads of freebies when the planting season starts winding down.
I can’t say no when there’s pretty flowers involved, and I’m super grateful, but there is so much gardening I want to get my skinny fingers into that I needed to recruit an extra hand to tend to these beauties before some major wilting hits them during this heat wave.
Looking around I can plainly see that Kale’s not quite at super useful in the garden status yet. He’s still at that tender age that the moment he’s outside the cool confines of the strawbale walls he is immediately strapped into the “babysitter”; the full body harness that suspends him over the deck lest he tries to escape to be raised by the coyotes that beckon him all night long.
My eyes fall on freshly neutered puppy but he’s being is a bit of a slacker these days.
But looky who we have here! A seven year old girl eager and able to help in so many new areas as of late. I asked her to take on the task of contending to our booty of begonias and she dove right in.
And little by little she plugged away at these plugs while I tended to making a new home for cantaloupe, watermelon and pepper starts, weeding and watering away while Kale bobbed up and down in the babysitter for hours on end (kidding).
Today I celebrate the bliss of letting go of doing things just so.
Instead I gifted my little girl the responsibility of landscaping this little corner of the yard and play with a creative license full to the brim with blossoms. It helped me out a bunch with my huge wish list of gardening tasks to tackle and it was fun!
It was especially fun to witness her experience the many layers of emotions one goes through during a summer afternoon of gardening; enjoyment, boredom, mosquito irritation, over heating, insane popsicle craving, pride, surprise (from various creepy crawlies), amusement (from unearthing freshly dug puppy toys), delirious thirst to submerge oneself into the nearest body of water.
And that we did. The perfect way to end a day of the simple pleasure of contributing to the family garden and all that it entails.
Have a summer flavoured simplicity celebration to share? It’s Tuesday after all! Leave it the comments below and play along!
We applied the simplicity principle to packing for a LONG camping trip this summer! Read more here: http://www.goodearthfarmschool.com/farm-school-tips-treasures/5430.
‘Booty of begonias’ has to be my favorite alliteration this week! I’m re-reading Simplicity Parenting and am really working on letting go of perfection in favor of experience and participation. For me this means closing my mouth, taking a step back, and just letting It happen. It’s a worthwhile challenge indeed!
Well, my day certainly wasn’t summery (nor, indeed, is our summer here in UK) and it wasn’t actually something to celebrate really as it occurred due to my son being ill but I spent the day on the sofa with my poorly boy sleeping on me, he’s 4 in 10 days and it reminded me so much of being stuck on the sofa in mammoth feed/sleeps when he was tiny, he woke now and then to say ‘I love you mummy’ then drifted off and I spent most of it just stroking his head and being with him. So many other things I probably could’ve snuck away from him to do but it felt right to just sit and be with my boy. He went to sleep this evening in a much better state than he woke this morning, simple days help so much I think! x
Love the pictures of your daughter planting the flower garden! My simplicity celebration was simple and happy.I just said “Yes, i would love to meet your boyfriends’ mom at Thankgsgiving.” (My daughter lives a far distance from us). Now,I am very excited,but did not ask her alot of questions,because her voice sounded so very happy…. In my my mind, I could see her happy dance,which included alot of jumping…. As a mom,with the kids far from their nest, I try to listen harder and talk less,when they call home. I agree with Kathy, letting things go just so.Sure, Mom could plant the garden more perfectly, She will always remember her first flower garden! With older kids,,it is t about letting go,and if things are just so, so be it
thankyou for the simplicity celebrations!
This is very sweet! I know a lot about this letting go of having things done just so… and still have a lot to learn in that department! Can’t wait to swim with you in this amazing river!
I want to swim with you in the amazing river too!!!
My simplicity celebration…is being aware of some stress and every time I start to worry, I’ve been able to redirect it into more positive thoughts:) xo