tealights and bathrobes - mornings with my little people

my days start early. i come down into a cold kitchen, make coffee, turn on the computer and try to get some writing done before my mama day begins. on many mornings, i am called by either one of my little people. i walk upstairs, and usually find both of them in our bed, snuggling. and sometimes, i join them. on a regular weekday. unless we have a playdate or some kind of appointment planned (and that is mostly later in the day),  i do not need to watch the clock. at some point they'll ask for breakfast. they wrap in their bathrobes, and we go downstairs, again, not paying much attention to the time.

we put on tealights, i have another cup of coffee. there is nothing and no one rushing us. cars, trucks and tractors (depending on the current favorites) join us at the breakfast table. sometimes i browse the newspaper, and we make it a point to read a bible scripture. on many days, i document our breakfast table by taking a photo. some day, i might benefit from a small reminder of my slow mornings. after breakfast, the tealights are left on and there is more play and lingering before we head upstairs again to dress for the day.

apart from some children of close friends that we have, my kids are the only ones i know in this neighborhood (as well as the one we left a couple of months ago when we moved) who are at home with me all day. most mums start working out of the house when their babies turn one. but at least by the time kids turn 3, they enter kindergarten (the german preschool). of course, i am aware of the fact that i am fortunate that my husband supports us, that it is possible for me to stay at and work from home and that many families might not have that choice.

all the same, for me it is a matter of priorities. because it seems that even if parents have the chance of keeping their children at home for as long as possible, they choose not to. i receive questioning looks and people are puzzled when they hear that my 4-year-old is still home with me. doesn't he miss out? am i not stressed out?

as for me, i cherish the slow rhythm of our days. i savor our slow mornings, where nothing but the sunrise and the minutes the coffee brews in the french press and the time my son needs to finish his cup of milk set the pace. i know that far too soon the time will come when i do need to check the clock, when we will need to leave the house on time, when i might need to rush my kids. of course lingering over coffee with tealights and bathrobes will still have its place in our lives, but perhaps not on weekdays.

 i hope that our family will retain the habit of slowing down and translate it into other areas throughout the years in which the busyness in our lives will inevitably increase. i hope i'm setting the trend for our family, so that slow mornings (afternoons/evenings/weekends/weeks) may always be part of our family culture.

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today i'm joining tsh oxenreider at the art of simple in celebration of her new book notes from a blue bike. the art of living intentionally in a chaotic world.