Simple pleasures

For the past month, my girls have been having a blast playing in the forts they've been building. First there was the blanket fort at Christmas time -Daddy had a sweet set up for them with the TV and DVD in there so they could snuggle up on the mattress on the floor with their sleeping bags and watch a movie on a lazy afternoon! Seen here in mid-construction...

Then our neighbour dropped off a dishwasher box that he thought the girls might enjoy. They started putting their blankets, teddy's, books, you name it in there, then asked if they could paint it (which they did the week everyone was home sick).

We cut windows out the sides, then brought in a big TV box we had in the garage, adding to their fort. They've joined the two together and asked to have a door cut out of the side of one of the boxes for easier access... they can entertain themselves in there with their lamp, books and toys for hours!

The only problem is that life is so busy during the week with school, homework, skating, piano... that we long for the weekend! We have succeeded in slowing down the pace of our weeks by cutting out a few things since the fall, but still my favourite time in the world are Saturday mornings. No work or school to get to, no lunches to make, no church to rush to. The girls seem so much happier when they're together to play (having missed not having as much playtime in the week), and don't have to rush to go anywhere. I recently read a blog entry by Kelly that I fully resonated with all about those Saturdays at the end of hectic weeks and another by Elisabeth about making our house a home the family can enjoy. Then chatting with my sister the other day... the same idea keeps coming back about needing to slow life down, unscheduling crazy weeks, taking in the simple pleasures with family (forts and all!) as we make our house into the home we all long to spend more time in together.

Here's to more forts and simple pleasures that all the money in the world and non-stop rushing and oversheduling can't bring! Rocky's words still ring in my ears... we increasingly have a society full of experience-rich and relationally-poor kids... I'm appreciating the beauty of a cardboard box and all the fun it can bring to a home and family!