There are so many glorious things to celebrate about May:  flowers and greenery, bees buzzing, spring time alive, and the activity of children everywhere perking up.  The world is ready to be outside in May in the Northern Hemisphere, and we feel the liveliness and promise of Spring.

This month we are celebrating:

1st- May Day – you can see back posts here  and here

11th -Mother’s Day

24th- Rogation Days – you can see this back post, “A Rogation Heart”

29th- Ascension Day – here is a post about celebrating this feast with children

The Twenty Sixth- Memorial Day

31st- The Feast of the  Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

I am leaving today for a peaceful retreat with the ladies of my church. It will be a fun three days up in the mountains and a time to relax and recharge, which I really need. It’s been a busy year so far of treating patients, homeschooling, and farming.

We are also off to Alaska this month for the trip of a lifetime! I hope to see a whale, and you can follow along on my IG @theparentingpassageway.

Other things on my mind:

• De-cluttering and deep cleaning with natural cleansers
• De- cluttering and painting the garage
• Spring tales for children and puppetry for small children
• Gardening
• The lake and the pool. Our son is sailing quite a bit with Sea Scouts, and the season is open!
• Spring menu planning!
• Exercising. Here is to a balanced May that involves spending an amount of self-care (receiving) closer to the amount of time I spend caring for others (giving). I have gotten smarter over the years (and my children are grown up), so I have scheduled my workouts first for May and then work. Farming chores are pretty consistent times, so that is easier to plan around.
• Screen Free Week is May 5th to 11th!   Here are some real-life strategies for reducing children’s screen time. As adults, we often need to reduce screen time and social media time and I am making that a habit focus for May. Join me!

This year, I really looked at dividing my year more quarterly, so I am already looking ahead to these last two months of the second quarter as a bit of a personal challenge, and figuring out what kinds of things I would love to see happen in July, August, and September. The year is flying by!

I would love to know what is on your mind for this month of May.

Many blessings,

Carrie