Take a breath, it is okay for them to say, "No."

It has been a while since I wrote a good rant.

Long overdue, really.

My particular bug bear for today is the difficulty adults seem to have with children saying, "No".

Granted, when my son, deeply engrossed in his trains, does not want to leave the house and his older sister has a swimming lesson to attend; or one child refuses to allow another child a turn with their toy, it makes my life more difficult.

And as a society, we have become masters of convenience.

We buy pre-grated cheese, pre-made anything really.

Most of all, we all loath to feel out of control.

When a child says, "No," it is all too easy for it to become a dominance display.

When you tower over someone by three feet, you are not proving anything by squashing them.

We seem to have forgotten that home is where children grow into the adults they will become, and being able to say "No," is an incredibly important skill. One that requires practice in a safe space.

As adults, if we can not say "No," we become a sponge for the feelings of everyone around us. We stop representing ourselves, stop choosing our own path; instead, we let our lives be dictated by the needs of others, while we let our own overwhelmed and troubled hearts wither.

By crushing a child's ability to say "No," we are teaching them that they are not the narrators of their life story and that the wants and needs of others is of greater importance than their own. We steal their voice and teach them to be used by the world, not to be useful.

How many adults lives are complicated, if not damaged, by their inability to say "No," to sales pitches; hence, they bury themselves in debt? How many adults struggle to say "No," to bosses, spouses, and friends, to the point their lives become one of misery and anxiety.

Families are meant to be the safe place where our children learn to practice the life skills that keep them safe. Allowing our children to say "No," is quite possibly one of the easiest ways to empower them against future suffering.

When your child says "No," you have not failed as a parent. How you react to your child saying "No, will determine far more than anything your child says or does.

Pirates!

The girls came running in at 9pm saying, "Mama, Mama, we've got pirates!"

"If we bring them chocolates do you think they'll stay?"

Unfortunately, they had sailed away by morning, but we are thankful to have had such a beautiful sight.

A sunny evening

Does this wool make me look fat?

Does my butt look big in this fleece?

Well?

Little neck roll... ah, scarf?

Sooo soft and wooly!

5 weeks makes a big difference.

Snuggably wooly!

Bashful,

lamb in boots

Isn't he a pretty boy?

Poulito, our gold laced cockerel.

He sure thinks he is.

And Giblet, our buff sussex.

The Orpingtons and the Lavenders have finally graduated to the big bird pen.

The littles still have a ways to grow, though.

It is crazy that July is half way through but the animals are a happy reminder of all the growth that has happened regardless of the weather. 

Happy Tuesday

Finally, Summer arrived.

This is my favourite summer view.

Farmers love the sight of full fields and empty byres. I love letting the hatchlings loose on the beach.

Mr. I won't drop my ice cream, saved his cone from a wave.

This fast growing up hatchling.

This boy, he is as full of mischief as he is cute, and he has this huge heart of gold.

It is wonderful to watch how much he adores this little hatchling.

This hatchling took a swing break from munching daisies.

Seriously, she could clear a field of them.

Our nearest park is built on a substantial incline,

which is great 

for rolling down.

But quite the effort for little legs.

It has been such a long wet winter, with an absent spring, and as such we are very thankful to see the islands warmed by the sun again.

A good morning's work

Our piglets are spoiled. 

Surrounded by a high walls, their garden is almost wind proof. A rare abundance of bushes and trees, provide shade and shelter.

Nonetheless, the hatchlings and I been brewing a new project. 

Years ago, I called around, when we first discussed pigs, to buy a pig ark.

Quotes of £380 - 570, were banded about. We quickly realised that after shipping, we would be spending a good £1000 to house our pigs.

That is not realistic for us.

I dithered and fussed and eventually settled on a wood framed ark. We are not farrowing or over wintering.

So the hatchlings and I squeezed as much wood as we could into our little car.

And we built this,

for £37, including screws.

Whether the pigs use it or not, we had a great time building, and we didn't break our budget.

Now, I can't wait to paint it.... I'm thinking polka dots! 

Stopping to play in the sunshine

It has rained and rained,

the wettest Spring on record.

Every hour of sunshine, very rare hour of sunshine,

has been needed to work on the things that are difficult in the wind and the rain.

However, this little hatchling had not yet sampled the daisies and buttercups of 2015,

and this one was in need of a swing.

It was a lovely taste of summer.

Which we hope the future holds in abundance.

Leave your worries by the shoreline

Leave your worries by the shore line,

And run your bare feet through the sand,

Let the water be a soft bed,

When you cannot bear to stand,

Make friends with flying seagulls,

And hold the sun up on your palm,

Before you duck beneath the water,

Where the world is mute and calm,

Tell the fish all your problems,

As they all come swimming past,

When your lungs are close to bursting,

Swim above the waves and gasp,

Let the water hold your sadness,

And wash it out to sea,

So like a message in a bottle, 

All your worries are set free,

And the sea might make you feel alone,

But the world has troubles too,

How else do you suppose,

The ocean got so blue?

Piggies!

Here piggy,

piggy, piggy!

May I introduce the piggies!

They are so talkative and curious. 

This week I think will see us spending every spare moment just watching and enjoying them.

Happy Wednesday.