Welcome to my happy place of DIY, homemade, homegrown, handmade, nourished & crafted, whole hearted living. Finding magic in the mundane & growing some roots in the process.
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This past week was glorious Spring Break! *Insert angels singing here* We took advantage of the time off of school and ventured down to one of our favorite little out of the way places, MOAB, UTAH.
via discovermoab.com
My family has been going to this fun little town for as long as I can remember. I even have an ARCHES patch on my little blue duffle bag from when I was 2 years old. Darn cutest 1980’s National Parks patch I ever did see!
via discovermoab.com
My dad, brothers, sisters, hubs, munchkins, and even my baby niece got in on the jeeping action and had a blast! Sometimes it’s just nice to step away from the everyday and experience life at a different pace. A much slowwwwwwwwwwwer pace.
I wore my favorite shirt {I can’t help it, it makes me giggle like a school girl. Sorry, hippie in me!}, we climbed rocks, ate, got buckets of sand in our shoes, and laughed. A lot. There were no pressing responsibilities, no appointments, no meltdowns, and absolutely no drama. Ahhhhh, no drama. *Insert more angelic singing*
Yeah, buddy.
It was a trip of firsts. First Jeep experience for my little sister in law. {See that cute brunette clinging to the “Oh, #$^%” handle? That’s her and she did fantastic. Yep, I think we will keep her!}
It was the first run for my dad’s awesome 40” stickies {Those monster truck tires you see above.}
It was the first trip since my brother rolled last year. He got new {to him} tires and man, could he go! He is becoming an incredible driver. He’s not your average computer nerd, I tell ya!
That’s with no LOCKERS, people!
And, before anybody freaks out, my niece is properly secured in her safety regulated five point harness car seat, clip correctly positioned. Thank you very much. {Oh, if people only knew how we drove to SoCal every year. Story for another day.} Don’t judge.
And, just to put this in perspective…
She’s pretty proud of her man, and pretty darn happy to be OUT of the jeep for that climb. Oh, it only got worse from there.
We aren’t the bypass taking type.
Probably the greatest first of them all, was that this was the first week, in I don’t know how long, that there was not one single solitary temper tantrum.
Zero. Zilch. Nada. None.
I freaking kid you not!
We worked together, relied on each other for strength and safety, filled our lungs with fresh mountain air, enjoyed our surroundings, and lived.
For the first time in months, I felt absolute peace.
As I woke up this morning and planted my feet in reality, I fought off the demons of chaos that suddenly filled the air. Good feeling gone. The tighter the chaos noose got around my neck, the more wound up my kids became and the hissy-fits began. Right then and there, I took a moment to sit down and think about the blessing that last week was in my life. I focused on the serene feeling that had filled my heart in Moab. And then it occurred to me, that maybe I am the reason for the fighting, tantrums, and discontent.
Maybe my dad was right all along…
So, today I chose to be happy, even amidst the crazy, chaotic, and mundane. Maybe this TAXI CAR MAYHEM isn’t what I had envisioned motherhood of munchkins to be. But, it’s my life and I have the ability to chose how I will live it. My family deserves joy, and so do I. So, next time I look at the calendar and dread the coming day…the next time responsibility weighs too heavily on my shoulders… I’ll take a moment and go back to this peaceful place, pull up my proverbial big girl panties, and rock that obstacle before me with a big old grin on my face, lockers or not.
Because peace isn’t just found in the off moments. Peace can be found in the most hectic of times. Peace is a state of mind. This mama chooses peace.
I choose happy.
Because when Mama is happy… well you get it.