sketch of a mom

After reading a great post today from one of my favorite blogs - dear-mom-this-is-real-mom-sketch    - I took two minutes and walked around the house taking snapshots of what it REALLY looks like around here. It's Monday, today, but these pics could be any given hour, any given day.

 

 this is my 'real-mom-sketch'

a moment in time, 

showing my house for what it is, right now.

dirty dishes.

askewed science.

bathroom ruckus.

nightstand mayhem.

OR

i could desscribe it this way...

a humming home, with

time enough for cleaning, and

happy children, with

joyful energy, living

imperfection at it's finest, and

vulnerability to the core.

i am trying, so desperately, to make time stand still -

not so they won't grow, and live, and learn, and leave, and be -

but so that i can just breath-in these moments, 

and live, and learn, and (eventually) leave...because i was able to

BE.

 

The Good Life 3.20.13

the good life is about being grateful

  being present in the little things

remembering to breathe

seeing joy

quotes
i'm a quote kind of girl.

they are everywhere, in our home.

 my kids will have memories of quotes on the fridge,

on the mirrors,

on windows,

on the clothes washer,

in my car,

and in their lunch boxes.

 not in all these locations at the same time, but...

quotes are BIG, in these parts.

and this quote, this one, speaks especially clearly to me.

there is alot to parenting, and our lives, that are intangible.

  the best i can do is

hold the vision, trust the process.

 

my four
 ha! THESE four.
four blankets.
four different teas (must be to taste.)
four mugs.
four seats.
four sets of hands.
four sets of feet.
four needs.
four joys.
four gifts.
four dreamers.
these four.
my dreams, to the fourth power.

  

 what leprechauns do
in this house leprechauns live on sticks,
and are the cobblers to our beloved fairies.
these three popped-up in various places in the house,
throughout the week of St. Patrick's Day.
merry-makers, these little guys. 
i just smile looking at them.
something about their little hands on their hips...
as if to say, 'come on...what could go wrong?'
not that my four need any nudging;

 there's plenty of mischief, regardless of green clothes and gold buckles.

it's a good life. even with a late winter snow. a blustery first day of Spring.

a diagnosis of Strep after an entire night awake.

it's a good life BECAUSE of these things,

not in spite of them.

it's a good life in all the middle moments...

between the call to doctors and the trip to the pharmacy.

the bird-watching from the sofa, in the morning...

before the warmth of the bed-covers has dissipated from their young little bodies.

the good life lives in those moments between -

'please put down your toy before you spill your milk.'

and

'would you like some help cleaning up your milk?'  

it's a good life.

#fridayfaves 3.2.13

friday is about being grateful

  being present in the little things

remembering to breathe

seeing joy

A little birdy told me it isn't Friday anymore

a day late, a dollar shorter...

a day longer, a life fuller.

as i write this tonight, i am in such a place of peace and gratitude. 

my children are happy, warm, fed, and comfortable.

my belly is full, as is my spirit.

what's wonderful is this...i'm pretty sure there were some hairy moments this week.

i'm confident that someone went to bed without their hair brushed.

i'm positive i yelled at the wrong time. i'm also positive that karma returned that behavior with dozen eggs broken on the ground.

but tonight...i really don't remember much of anything.

i remember today. 

and if today is my last day to remember, it was a good day.

for today is all that really matters. 

but if tomorrow comes, my focus will turn to it - like my face turning to the sunrise.

a day longer, a life fuller.

many come to a place of gratitude through hardship,

while others find their way to gratitude through the wealth of life.

the hardships in my life have been few. 

i do believe my life is rich.

don't ask me for any money; i have little.

ask me for joy; it's in abundance over here.   

this is an amazing video - please take a moment to watch. 

Gratitude HD - Moving Art™ 

 A Moving Art original short. 

Spend THIS day well. 

  

 

            

Pieces of Me

  - Motherhood. Write about the ups and the downs of motherhood. Write about the joys and the sorrows. Let it all flow out. The good. The bad. But when you think you are done -- do this one thing: Circle the best parts. Circle the wonderful moments. Highlight the words that make you happy. -

  I'm involved in a writing course. A course of discovery. A course of empathy. A course of community. And ritual. And knowing. And supporting. The above is one of the writing prompts given this week. I can type faster than I can write, and I figured I could type it up on the blog. If you're reading it...then I was brave, and hit Publish. Grammar will need forgiveness. I'm just going to write...

Motherhood. This isn't something I can write about with eloquence and grammar. It's going to have to be the random string of thoughts that come through. It just has to be...because this is what motherhood is, for me. It's random. It's life. It's a river that flows...sometimes clear and with ease, sometimes muddied and raging. It's as consistent as the weather. A good string of days, and then a front comes through. Barometric pressure can be easily seen on the faces of my children. I can't control these energies any more than humans can control the weather. Depending on your personal belief of gloabl warming and the impact of humanity on environmental issues, one could easily debate that humans DO impact the weather...but nature is a force beyond the control of humanity. This is what motherhood is to me...I have some force to better impact my days, but it's not all me. There are six energies that live under this roof, and I'd be damn egotistical if I thought I could control them.

Motherhood. Tiring. Blissful. Smelly - poo and soap. Engaging. Painful. Opening. Natural. Not a skill, but a life. I can't 'perfect' mothering. I can't learn about it through courses and books and practice. I have come to believe the very best I can do is learn about myself. Understand who I am, what I believe in, what I need help with, and how I can help. In doing this work, I can be the best ME for my family. I can be the best parent to my children. I can be open to who they are. I can be open and loving, and meet them, understand them, celebrate them...for who they are. Because I am open & free & accepting, of who I am.

Motherhood is a balance between the selfish & unselfish. On the surface, motherhood is selfless...but as our children grow, practically from day one, if we try to control everything in regards to their life, in that control lies selfish. I am not reliving my childhood through these children. This is THEIR childhood. I am not reliving my mistakes through my children. They will have their OWN mistakes. Motherhood is freedom. Motherhood is freedom to explore myself, gain courage in myself, and watch my abilities...and my dreams SOAR! on the backs of my children. Opening my wings, so that I can fly as well...because damn sure these amazing beings are going to TAKE OFF in their dreams. If I don't have wings, they'll leave me behind. Or worse - they won't fly at all, out of some twisted obligation to me.

Answering this question a few years ago, I would have written differently. MY struggles of motherhood read something like this...Sleep - or lack of. Control - or lack of. Too many demands. Not enough arms. My needs. Meeting their needs. Juice spills. Diaper blow-outs. Nursing. Food-allergies. Eczema. Too much laundry. Not enough hours. Illness. Schedules.. Food - again? Lists. Alarms. etc etc etc.

It's not this way, anymore. Yes. There are moments in the day that I can't even breath because the emotional, physical, and voiced-needs of all four children come crashing into my brain (& heart) all at once. Everyone is talking. Everyone is NEEDING. Everyone is the center of his/her own universe. And they are all needing something, from me. This last about 7 minutes. But then it's done. We move on. Tummies get filled to balance blood-sugar levels. Everyone gets heard. Everyone lives. I'm still breathing. We move on. I'm rewarded by this swift-moving storm of parental struggle. And we head out to play or to paint. Or to wrestle. 

These days, it's a poignant joy to realize that MY most difficult struggle with motherhood isn't the mundane, but more the following...these four people, having grown inside my body, nestled closer to my inner soul than anything I know, are in fact pieces of my heart, living outside of my body. Walking, breathing, living parts of me that I must kiss goodbye. Learn to let fly, away. 

I am humbled daily by the thought of it. Life goes on, through their breath. And there will be a day when I am no longer a part of their daily experience. I just hope it comes way down the road, for this is my pain. The pain of knowing I will leave them too soon. In feeling this, I am always given the gift of knowing I've finally made it to this place. I'm home. These children, my motherhood experiences, have brought me home. Home isn't a finishing point, it's just the beginning. Home is the launchpad...and my wings, all four of them, are growing.

 

#fridayfaves 2.15.13

friday is about being grateful

  being present in the little things

remembering to breathe

seeing joy

it's overcast this afternoon after a morning of sun and mild'ish temps.
mother nature is easing out of winter, showing some interest in Spring...
this afternoon, though, calls for stove-top popped corn, 
leftover valentine cookies, 
a blanket 'bombed' family room,
hot coffee and hot chocolate. 
a snuggly & warm end to a
snuggly & warm week.

in motion
this child has determination.
this child has strength.
this child has limited fear when it comes to her physical abilities.
this child can flip, and flip back, and flip again.
this child does this in the grocery aisles 
(which requires this mother to plan shopping trips during off-peak hours.)
this child. 
 this one.    

      
thawing
these children can smell a thaw.
and on this day, it was warm.
the ground was wet, but warm.
shoes were off. socks were lost. 
they sat on their respective towels and dreamed of summer.
they planned the pool lay-out.
they discussed fire-flies, bats, frogs and eating dinner outside.
we had Spring for six hours, on this day,
and these kids LIVED every minute of it. 

soundtrack
true statement - i don't actually 'remember' anything about this song.
why is it making my list?
here's why -
i'm all about family...

there are some 'brothers' in this family...

and if i drank, i'd drink moonshine.

that's all i can really say, since i don't really remember this song.

but...for whatever reason,

on this day,

at 1:34 in the afternoon,

i stopped,

walked to the ipad, 

and took a screen shot.

it must have been good.

my own secret
i can't quite articulate why i find this picture so telling.
i'll try. here goes -
i love that they took twister outside to play.
i love that my oldest is in the middle - like she is the center of the universe, with an audience.
i love that my youngest boy is in his pj's still, and bare-footed.
i love that my youngest girl has a handled cup - holding it as if it's coffee.
and you may not be able to tell,
but i'm pretty sure the coffee-drinker is running the show.
it's just how it is around here.
the secrets that a mother knows, 
by just a random picture.
i may just be the luckiest person ever, to know these people.
luckiest. ever. 

touching the sky
here's this child. again.
upside down.
about to launch.
barefooted.
brave.
upside down.
trusting.
about to launch.
for the record,
she did a running front-flip,
landed on her feet,
with a smile on her face,
to the cheers of her people.
and the relief of her mother.
this child has launched.

#fridayfaves 2.8.13

Friday is about being grateful

seeing the little things

remembering to breathe

finding joy

it's been a busy week but without that overwhelmed feeling of too much, too little, quick-quick-quick! this is the part of our life that i love. we control the schedule! maybe this encourages a hermit's life but for us, it encourages harmony, and healthy control, and health - both physical and mental! by taking it slower, choosing quality over quantity, we stay in rhythm. 

i am so grateful to BE among the rhythm of my family. 

imbolc

this was our first year celebrating the festival of imbolc, 

the halfway point between winter solstice & spring equinox.

i love ritual, and ceremony, and the kids love fire so...it was a natural fit.

  i love that my children are learning new traditions,

all the while fueling my spirit.

signs of spring 

this tiny clay flower adorned my kitchen table this week.

out of scraps, and chaos, and turbulent moments, 

beauty & creation, color & life - PREVAILS!

just like the blooms in spring. 

notice the lady bug on the petal. 

i may never part with this.

signs of another kind

my calum.

my first son. 

my heart, in form.

he is taller every day.

strong. emotional. a force.

and he does the dishes...

his father - incarnate.   

time

we can't hold our rhythm without time.

time. 

time to be. 

time to serve.

i am eternally grateful for time - 

time to love, to nurture, to nourish, to learn, 

to be WITH my life, and my family!

and a little extra time to make sweet little strawberry hearts for the lunchbox. 

love

 the love of sisters.

the love of glue, and scissors, and construction paper.

the love of creating. 

the love of giving.

the love of sharing...of oneself,

to those we love.

5 facts

a fun exercise in learning the unsaid -

a few facts about me, as answered recently...

1.  sometimes, most times, the sunrise makes me speechless.

2. i happen to believe in fairies, and most things curious in nature.

3. the full moon makes me giddy.

4. i love a good quote. words can change your life.

5. three must-haves...a firepit, a favorite coffee mug, and my family.