This photo sums up motherhood to me.

Little details and rituals have always been important to me. My surroundings hold a heavy influence . I love meaningful, delicate pieces and simple settings. Unfortunately most of my pretty things are my breakable things and baby play mats and toy tractors don’t have the same aesthetic. But this photo represents the the space I am creating in motherhood to have things I love, but still let my babies be messy crazy babies. So as more and more breakable things get tucked into closets and my rituals get condensed I am learning to still make room for the important ones. The slow ritual of a morning espresso in a hand thrown mug even if I drink it cold. Time to read a daily quote except now in podcast form. A fresh vase of flowers to gaze at while battling to get my kids out the door. Little pieces of my identity Im holding tight to while loving on the new.

This photo reminds me of one of my favorite passages of all time.

“One of the greatest gifts that my mother gave me was that she was a terrible housekeeper. She wasn't terrible at everything, she just was terrible at keeping the house clean, which she firmly believed that she should be able to do. She was a published poet, a great writer of short stories, a painter, a talented breaker and trainer of horses, an avid reader, a knowledgeable collector of antiques, a seeker into the psychic and the mysteries of the world, a good mother, a true, loyal, and devoted friend, incurably curious, an authority on American Indian lore, an intuitive searcher for precious rocks, fossils, and old gems, a defender of everyone's civil rights, and most of all a fascinating and extraordinary woman, but she couldn't keep the kitchen floor clean. I was not at all damaged by the state of our house. I was saddened that she sometimes negatively judged who she was.

IF NOTHING ELSE, I hope I can remember what is important in this life.”

-Meditations for Women Who Do To Much