In Defence of Making Do and Leggings Too

When we bought the land we call our won and built our home 10 years ago we had two itty bitty tykes and a wee one on the horizon. Jayla was nearly 3, Onyx 1 and Tyden came along 3 weeks after we settled on the vast golden prairie. My wildest dreams never, ever involved raising more children than I could count on one hand. Nor did my tame ones. It wasn't something I dreamt of at all. Unless I was having a nightmare. 7 (!) kids was well beyond the scope of my Serene Life Vision.  

Needless to say, had we known, we probably would have placed sheer square footage and bedrooms galore higher on our priority list of must haves. With 4 bedrooms in the house total, as the whippers just kept coming we just kept shoving them in, up, up, and up the ladders to the tippy top triple bunks of the beds The Handyman served up. They are the sweetest, fort like hand made beds  you ever did see. And they worked wonders. For years. The three girls in one room, the four boys in the other. An empty room for the baby of my evolved dreams who fit well within the field of my current scope.

As time as gone on and the young ones have grown, we have begun to sense a need for more privacy and personal space for each of them. When they were little, All Things Community worked pretty well. Now, they have more of their own personal belongings, electronics, Lego creations and the like - bought with their own money or received as gifts - that they would like to be able to maintain without the swipe of the sibling's grubby hands. I get it. I really do. I have only one brother, 4 years my senior, and he wasn't all that into Strawberry Shortcake, Hello Kitty or Mary Lou Retton. My things were my own.  But we only have the 4 bedrooms! Whatever shall we do?!

[Enter Dad]

The Man is going to construct individual little islands of personal space for each and every one of our aging crumb snatchers. They will each have a loft bed with a desk, drawers, shelves, and a wardrobe underneath for maximum efficiency and individual storage. Inspired by Ikea, built by Bob. They're gonna be rad. Construction to begin soon. I'm so excited for those boys and girls.

In Deutschland, we thrive on finding innovative ways to Make Do with what we've got.

Speaking of which, how about my new, indoor clotheslines courtesy of my ever capable husband? I haven't used a dryer in years and used to have all these racks set around the wood stove in the wintertime. But they always broke and fell apart as all things do in The Land of Many Children, so Bobby came up with these as a solution. Be still my heart. How I adore the appearance of all things old fashioned and conservation related! Perfectly suited for our little house on the prairie.

I am in serious love. With the man too.

This month I turn 40. At this mid point milestone, I find myself in serious pursuit of an overall healthy lifestyle where I focus on all the things I like to make priority, based on what I prefer. I feel stronger than ever, in every way, though I know in physical terms it's just a mirage. Whatever. It's highly liberating to get older and step into even more freedom to think whatever I think without the constraints of fretting over whether or not it's socially acceptable. WHO GIVES A RAT'S BLEEP?! Oh my gosh. I wear my leggings all the time, no matter what the Christian women say. How I adore this space. If this is what aging is like, bring it baby. My leggings and I are all in.