IsnвЂ™t this what we all need to do though sometimes? Stop looking at our situation through the lens of negativity and try to think of ways that we can not only enjoy it, but make it beautiful and be thankful for it. Leave it to a 3 year old to turn your idea of beauty on itвЂ™s head and renew your thought of perspective. She told me she was making a picture to make it beautiful. She replied, in her best know-it-all, teenager voice вЂњYeah!вЂќ This lead me to ask her why, since she not only realized what she was doing but was doing so intentionally. вЂњYou are getting fingerprints ALL OVERвЂќ the microwave I managed to bark out.

Of course, given this situation I did what any sensible mother would doвЂ¦and promptly threw up my arms in exasperation and asked what she was doing. While this little Dance of the Mama was playing out, I caught a glimpse of said daughter, just out of the corner of my eye, smearing and patting her tiny handprints ALL OVER the microwave. Which meant that I was trying to make lunch while entertaining a 3 year old, keeping her from making a mess, and making her *think* sheвЂ™s helping. One day my youngest daughter and I were in the kitchen making lunch together. Sometimes you just have to stay the course and do what needs to get done to survive. Life on a homestead even in general really, is not always shiny, or new or exciting. Our entire family is excited for spring to come, but in the meantime we continue with our daily activities and try not to let hardships get us down. Days start early, at 4:00am and often close with my husband and I passed out on the couch, much earlier than we had intended on heading to bed. Things have been a bit challenging on the homestead recently.

Mancala fs5