OUR COMMON HOURS

Kelli Ann Wilson October 14, 2016

our common hours

If the day and the night are such that you greet them with joy, and life emits a fragrance like flowers and sweet-scented herbs, is more elastic, more starry, more immortal—that is your success. If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.
—Henry David Thoreau

Welcome to Our Common Hours.

The quote above, from Henry David Thoreau, has been used countless times. I’m sure you’ve seen at least parts of it (actually a mash-up from two different sections of Walden) on Pinterest, or on another blog somewhere. I’ve seen it, too—well, the second part, at least. But, this is Thoreau we’re talking about, and his words seem to transcend the cliché; no matter how often one encounters them, they always seem new.

After five years of blogging at Monadnock Mama, I decided it was time to make a change—it’s mostly cosmetic in nature, and I plan to continue blogging about the same things I always have. (You might have noticed that some members of the site’s header got a bit of an update, too.)

In calling this new space “Our Common Hours,” I am borrowing Mr. Thoreau’s phrasing and using it in a way that I hope better describes what my blog has become over the past five years—a scrapbook of our everyday lives, together; just as he said, our common hours. The roots of Monadnock Mama stretch back to when I had a new baby and I was a new blogger. I thought that if I picked a name that sounded similar to some of the popular blogs I read (and still read!) I might trick people into thinking that I knew what I was doing – ha! But, I don’t need the crutch of emulation anymore.

I have found my voice, both in words and pictures. Both of my children are now out in the world, doing many interesting things—and, so am I. We face new adventures and challenges as we “advance confidently in the direction of [our] dreams,” and I feel like the time has come for my blog’s “identity”—essentially, its name—to reflect that shift.

But, I did not leave everything behind. I brought all of Monadnock Mama with me (and I’m leaving a copy there, too, in case people still find their way there somehow). Our Common Hours will hold all of our old memories, and will be home to all of our new ones.

Kelli Ann Wilson October 1, 2016

september

“A portrait of my children every month in 2016.”
Note: With both kids now in school, I’m shifting away from a weekly portrait project to a monthly one.

Lillia: September was a very busy month for you: Two dance classes, plus Nutcracker rep; running for Student Council VP (you lost, but put up a good fight); plus, Newspaper Club—you were even published in the Walpole Clarion (p 19). On top of that, you are dominating your school work, and currently have straight A’s (in fact, 7 out of 9 of your grades are A+’s). Your science teacher read your most recent paper to the whole class and remarked that “a highschooler couldn’t have written it better.” You’re quite the amazing kid! My favorite story this month: You happened to be passing by the library when the kindergarteners were visiting, and you immediately ran in to give Zane a hug and kiss. I think that pretty much made his year—according to his account, it was nothing short of a celebrity-sighting. Some big sisters wouldn’t give their little brother the time of day, so thank you for making him feel special.

Zane: Well, the novelty of kindergarten may have worn off a bit—it seems like I often hear, “Do I have to go to school today?” But, you always seem to have a great time once you’re there. Your teacher says that at least once a day you say something completely endearing, and I believe it. That was certainly my experience with you when we were home together. This month you’ve been playing outside by yourself quite a bit, too. I keep a window or door open so I can hear you, and I always make sure to tell you to stay in the yard, but I think you are enjoying this new freedom. And, it is time. You are five! We are lucky to live in a safe town, on a quiet street, where you can roam a little bit without me worrying. Yesterday we watched some videos of you as a baby, which is something you really enjoy. Even though I often think of you as being “little,” when I watch those videos I realize what a real kid you’ve become!

Kelli Ann Wilson August 31, 2016

28 // 52

First Day of School 2016 – 7th grade and Kindergarten
Previous years: 2014 // 2015

“A portrait of my children every week in 2016.”

Lillia: This week you started school as a seventh-grader! This seems impossible—wasn’t I just a seventh-grader? The transition back to school has been a bit rough for you, in large part because you are desperately missing your pen pal / Skype pal / best friend, Jessica, who lives in England. You guys chatted almost every day this summer, and now it’s much harder to catch up—that five-hour time difference is a real bummer. However, you’re already head-down in your studies and finished almost all of your homework for the week last night. The next two years may be hard, for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that middle-schoolers are fickle and mean. I will do everything I can to support you and help you get through it. I think you’ll be okay as long as you remember that you are a spectacularly unique human being with more talent in your little finger than most people can amass in a lifetime. Don’t let the petty stuff derail you.

Zane: This week you started kindergarten! Wow, what a milestone! I’ve already waxed philosophical about the transition (twice), so I won’t belabor the point any more here. You had a great drop-off on your first day, and in the afternoon at pick-up you came bouncing up the hill with a big grin on your face, looking every part the kindergartener. You said you LOVED kindergarten, especially the “soccer court” and learning new things. You said you even made a new friend named Wyatt. And, you’re really excited about the possibility of collecting pom-poms for good behavior (there is, apparently, a treasure chest to dig through once your bucket is full of pom-poms). For the first time this week, I feel a little lighter. If you are happy, then I am happy.

Kelli Ann Wilson August 30, 2016

in the woods // a happy childhood

For Zane, on his last day at home before kindergarten:

There’s no truth about your childhood, though there’s a story, yours to tend, like a fire or garden. Make it a good one, since you’ll have to live it out, and all its revisions . . . Who knows if he’s happy or not? A child is all the tools a child has, growing up, who makes what he can.

— from “A Happy Childhood” by William Matthews

Zane and I took a walk in the woods today—it was the thing I wanted to do most before sending him off to kindergarten tomorrow. As we walked, we talked about the way that things are changing and I asked him if he felt he had experienced a happy early childhood at home with me. He said he had a lot of okay days, some good days, and some bad days . . . but, mostly good days, “as one would expect.” (Yes, he actually used an indefinite pronoun.) Every time I think about tomorrow, the back of my throat tightens. I don’t want him to see me cry, though, because this is his story, and he will make what he can. Perhaps if it hadn’t been such a happy childhood—perhaps if he hadn’t been such a joy to care for—I would be sending him off with a sigh of relief. I suppose we can relive pieces of our years at home together through my pictures, and our memories. I will surely remember more about his early days than he will . . . but, even then, when I am old it may be he who has to remind me about all of the adventures we had.

While you browse the photos of our day in the woods, perhaps you’d like to listen to a classical piece that I feel nicely represents Zane’s early childhood, “Concerto for Oboe and Strings, Mvt. 1 – Rondo Pastorale (feat. Celia Nicklin)” by Ralph Vaughan Williams (click play button below to hear audio).

Kelli Ann Wilson August 30, 2016

25, 26, & 27 // 52

“A portrait of my children every week in 2016.”

Lillia: Summer vacation has officially come to an end, and I know you’re not thrilled about going back to school. You really enjoyed being home—drawing, reading, watching your favorite shows, Skype-ing with your friend Jessica who lives in England. The last month of summer seemed to fly by with total disregard for your attempts to lengthen it. But, it’s not a total loss. A new school year brings new opportunities and, despite your protests, I think you really do enjoy school and the challenges it brings. There will be interesting projects, and school plays, and dance lessons, and all manner of things filling up your days. It will not be summer vacation, but it will still be fun.

Zane: Where do I begin? Today is your very last day at home with me before starting kindergarten. You’ve been in preschool the last two years, but there is such a different impulse behind the word “school” that leaves me feeling a bit breathless—how exactly DID all that time pass? Part of me wants to look away and have it all be over quickly, so that I don’t have to feel anything. Another part of me wants to savor these last few hours, since we will never have them again. I am not very good at living in the present—I daydream, and plan, and reflect—and miss a lot of little moments as they happen. It is only when we must cross a threshold together that I realize those moments are now forever irretrievable.