#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.

 

#FridayFaves

Friday is about being grateful

seeing the little things

remembering to breathe

finding joy

we started the week with snow, then had a taste of Spring, 
and ended our week with...snow.
no matter - i pay little attention to the weather. 
i'd rather just enjoy what mother nature has to offer me. 
it's the little things...

dear loves
these moments are fleeting.
THESE moments are precious. 
these moments of you filling my chairs with your strong, vibrant bodies;
these moments of your voices filling the air.    
these moments are my heart's song. 
the muse to my growth.
the answer to my being.
thank you.  

  
 dear mother earth
it begins with you, 
and it ends with you.
i find myself secure in your sacred cycle.
my religion = your bounty.
i am forever grateful for your love.  

dear sprite (and not the drink...)
you, my love, are the real deal.
honest. honorable. emotional. so brave. so open.
you set me on a path,
and i will never be able to explain its magnitude.
i honor you - for choosing me. 
i am so proud of you.
and this image of you explodes my heart, 
into a million little pieces of love.    
every cell in my body is smiling. 

dear rain, and resulting mud
i've always welcomed the rain.
i've never said no to the mud.
rephrase - i've never 'committed' to the no - in reference to the mud.
WHY would i deny the mud?

these are memories in the making. 

 and i like making them. 

dear Winter
you're here. 
you're pretty.
you call for hot cocoa and pajama days.
   you've been good to us.
thank you for the season of hibernation,

of introspection,

of rest & recuperation. 

  and oh how i love my house sweaters - so comfy, so ugly, so warm.

 

#FridayFaves

Friday is about being grateful

seeing the little things

remembering to breathe

finding joy

it's been far too many weeks since my last post. we've passed through Thanksgiving, winter solstice, Christmas, New Years, a birthday. this year we created a 'doing wall' - a wall of wishes wills...all the things we WILL do this year, given we wake each day with breath in our bodies.

 i will write.

i will see the little things.

i will remember to breath. 

i will continue to find the joy.

dear us

never in my life would i have imagined our life as it is today.

never again will i imagine anything different. 

we were so young when we said YES to a life together.

i hope to be very old when we say our goodbyes.

we created this life.

forever.    

dear holidays

our best yet.

we had three trees this year, including a white & pink one. 

i will always be in love with the glow of tree lights.

i wonder if they'd pull at my heart if we had them up all the time.

maybe one year we'll see. 

dear oliver

my youngest, if only by a minute.

half of the Odd Couple, an old man by nature...

always putting away your dirty clothes and wanting to wear a jacket.

your features haven't changed since you were growing in my belly.

you're my most predictable...thank you for this.

dear weekends, especially with the girls

we had a weekend recently with just the girls at home. 

we took lots of bubble baths.

we played dolls. 

we baked.

we made sweet little, delicate crafts, 

like these precious snowflakes.

dear sun

i love you.

i can't wait until you are closer to my part of the earth.

until then, i will wake early to see you rise,

and stop the chaos in the house when you're about to say goodnight,

as you paint the sky in such magical colors.

breathtaking.

dear child, with iPad

i love going through my pictures after a day with you.

there is usually some surprise.

winter nights find me drinking tea at the end of a loud day.

i have to be careful not to spit it out across the room...

when i come across pictures like this.

dear life
 please continue.
i'm only just getting the hang of things. 
sorta.