A barn-girl celebrates her birthday!
kids and horses
this moment
{this moment} ~ A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment. Originally inspired by “Soulemama“
bonding
Mommy Daughter date
How to Love Horses Forever.
We were born this way. It should be part of the Apgar test. It would resolve so much if newborns gave an early warning–just like any other heart condition.
Most of us didn’t live around horses in the beginning. We saw them in our first books or from car windows. Or maybe it was cellular memory and we thought we just knew them because it felt like we always had. In the beginning, there was simply nothing easier than loving horses.
We got this far just daydreaming; we were horse-crazy kids cantering around the yard playing horse. Kids who nickered and pranced; loving to feel the wind in our hair and the rhythm of our tennis-shoe-hooves on ground. Maybe a dream horse taught us.
Then we got our first touch; our first shared breath. Maybe we squealed like a siren and flapped our arms to let them know we…
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taking a breath …barn-style
Oh this journey. Teaching me so much about myself. I realize, that each of us, each person, is a force that doesn’t stop. An energy that moves forward. Sometimes slower, sometimes faster, sometimes just sitting to take a breath and process through things. But always moving forward.
We have officially moved out of the barn of “barnraised” (good-bye post to come). We are in waiting to close on our new facility. Exciting adventures ahead. We are in a temporary barn home. And, yet, an adventure has found me. Isn’t that the way of the universe?
When you are called to do something, it comes. One way or another. And, it doesn’t let you rest. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. Mostly good I think. For sake of brevity, I was invited to work at another barn. A show barn, with some sweet and beautiful horses. I did not seek this out, it sought me. Proof and reassurance, that when you are living in your peace, living authentically and walking the path of being yourself and walking in your energy–that reputation will follow you down the trail. When you let go, it comes. That’s the balance, isn’t it?
The hard balance to maintain- to drive forward and to let go…and let it be all somehow at the same time. At the same time. Just trusting. Oh, yes, I can be a controlling soul. And, I am also learning to let go and let be. That is my journey right now.
Offered this new opportunity, a new postion while I’m in my “layover” to my own adventure. My daughter (as you can see) and I are loving it, and learning even more. Who would’ve thought?
boots and flip flops
So, we were getting ready to go out for a dinner celebration tonight and my husband couldn’t find a certain pair of shoes he wanted to wear. Yes, sadly, in this family-the husband owns the most pairs of shoes. I was in the other room getting ready and heard this from my little cowgirl’s mouth:
“Really, if you’re a cowgirl all you need is boots and flip flops”.
Yes, my dear, it is that simple. That metaphor could translate into life, into simplicity, into living the life you were meant to live, into some really big philosophical post. And yet, after that big dinner, I just don’t have the energy. I think it stands very well on it’s own.
The horses gotta eat. Homeschool thoughts.
I have a friend who wants to homeschool, but is also scared of taking that step. I understand that. I have been there.
Atlas Educational writes about becoming the “guide” rather than the “teacher”. So many great ideas she has in that arena and her writing challenges us to start thinking about “schooling” differently in all facets. Every post she writes gets my wheels spinning and thinking. I love that blog.
When we first started to homeschool, I was nervous and insecure in some ways.
I clung to curriculum. Guides. Rythym. I read. I mean I READ devoured every homeschool, unschool, waldorf, everything-school book I could. I felt if I could gather as much knowledge as possible, we’d be ok.
Then, about a year in, I realized that we …were….ok. And I relaxed. I trusted. I started to break away from the curriculum, the PLAN.
We had fun.
I saw my daughter learn. And I saw that she was self-driven.
I realized that I needed to be her GUIDE. Not necessarily her “teacher”. The role of teacher can be scary. The role of guide, not so much.
When I look back at our homeschooling, I see the times that I have LET GO and gone with where her passion, her interest, her drive takes her –those are the times.
The times, that she and I both feel inspired. And then the learning comes naturally. It can be scary. So in moments like that, I just breathe and then something happens… that reminds me that we’re okay and I’m guiding her in this beautiful life and she is excited to learn.
Case in point, math scares me. But let’s be real, the horses gotta eat. We have to figure out how many bales of hay we need to order. And how much it will cost. My girl decided that she would pull out her toy horses. She woke up early one morning and took it upon herself to made little cut-out hay bales, put them all in a lovely pink feeding bucket…and we got to work. It ends up not being so scary afterall.
this moment
Originally inspired by “Soulemama“: {this moment} ~ A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a simple, special, extraordinary (sometimes just silly) moment.
Writing Challenge: A moment that took my breath away
Tonya over at Fourth Generation Farmgirl hit me up with this writing challenge. Please check her blog out if you haven’t already. It is a fun and beautiful blog! This challenge spoke to me and looked fun, so here we go:
A moment that took my breath away. I just had one yesterday. As a matter of fact.
I volunteer at a facility for “riders with disabilities”. I help teach one day a week. I have a class of five children with varying disabilities (I like to call them alter-abilities). Anyways, my daughter and I do a lot of volunteer work at this riding center. We cross paths daily with all sorts of amazing people. Some may qualify for riding for physical disabilites, some for developmental, mental or otherwise disabilities. There is a large scope of people there. Well, anyways…my weekly class and the five kids in it had a party this week to celebrate the end of the riding session. Pizza and fun.
The moment that my breath was taken away was when my daughter, who is technically a “volunteer” (she goes and helps with cleaning stalls and little chores while I’m in the arena). Well, she sat down at the round table with my five students and she ate pizza, laughed, played, teased, helped and loved everyone of them. As if there was NOTHING DIFFERENT AT ALL ABOUT THEM. I realized in that moment, that there really was NOTHING DIFFERENT ABOUT THEM. And her little soul simply knew that. They were simply kids, she was simply with friends, and she was simply having fun at a party.
I saw, in that moment, all that was right in the world. That my daughter didn’t see the “differences”. That I had raised her in a world that didn’t see the “differences”. And that all of these beautiful six children blended into a group of fun and happy kids. Period. It was beautiful. It gave me hope for the world. It reminded me of what’s important. It reminded me that we are all one. We are all in this together.
It took my breath away.
this moment
Originally inspired by “Soulemama“: {this moment} ~ A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a simple, special, extraordinary (sometimes just silly) moment.
barnraised 