Sounds of silence

There are few moments of "quiet" in my life and I am really ok with that. There is the constant pitter patter of feet in our home, whether our three kids or our dog. The chatter and hum of my classroom- perhaps even more now that I teach in an open learning environment. The radio in the van tuned to NPR- the neighborhood kids outside in the evening- there is constant noise and for me it is just fine.
I have always accepted it for what it is- and never thought twice about it- until I began my journey to be more cognisant of what surrounds me.
What I found was while there is much noise, there is much chatter- there is perhaps much more being "said" in silence and I need to listen to that a little more- perhaps I have grown out of touch with that as well.
Whether it be an old friend- whom I miss dearly- making a choice to follow this blog! Or my father who- a man of few words- carefully scrutinizes what is or is not being done with my landscaping, yet works dillegently to prepare my most favorite meals so they will be safe for me to eat. My husband who makes me popcorn each night and records my favorite shows- eats terrible attempt after terrible attempt at gluten free dinners- and literally has not complained in 10 years of marriage of anything! These are things that go unsaid- and unfortunately - also unnoticed by me for so long.
What I have been hearing- focusing on is the roar- the family that is no longer a part of ours, the intense demands of the media, parents and administration of our schools, the cry of those around me- the pounding in my head of years of "what ifs" and "had I only knowns". In all that I very simply forgot to stop and "listen" to what is not being said.
My heart- my family- my friends... I have so much to learn- so much to hear... so much to rediscover....

Making life simple....

So When I began this blog- the idea was that I would document my journey to a "greener" lifestyle. As the working mom of 3 small children, I consume a lot of things based solely on the convenience factor. About a year ago- my husband and I purchased our new home. We more than doubled the square footage of our home and more than quadrupled the headaches!
We had quickly outgrown our "starter" home the day we found out we were having twins. I began scheming and "hint" dropping to my husband that I thought it was time we move. When he finally caved our troubles began- but there was no looking back- "bigger was better" and that was my mind set. Granted this was much different than the person I had been- but nonetheless- it was the person I had become. We biggered everything-our family, our vehicle, our house, our debt...
Then one day this spring- I became ill. It turns out I have Celiac- but the journey to that discovery has been long and at times - VERY frightening. During all the uncertainty I began taking time to reflect on our family- on where our emphasis really is- on the message we are sending to our children. I began to look inward and at risk of sounding cliche, I did not like what I saw.
So- here I am on a journey to simplify my life, our life, our children's life! To learn to enjoy the simple things in life again- a good meal, an evening catching lightening bugs with my son, a quiet conversation with my husband. The things that really matter- to me.