Motivation on Monday

That should be an oxymoron! Last night while the family was playing catch outside and I was putting away dishes, loading the dishwasher and considering what to make for dinner I decided we were going out. My husband was out late on Friday, so he didn't feel like he had much of a weekend. It wasn't going to be much of a weekend with out a family dinner. So we let someone else do the cooking and cleaning.

We headed out to our favorite local pizza place (our favorite place was too far to drive to at 7:00) and had a yummy pizza and strombolli dinner. Came home with enough time to clean up the kids and put them to bed. It was a lovely evening and I'm so glad we got to have our 'sit down dinner'.

It also meant that I would have a clean sink, swept floor and dishwasher full of clean dishes at my start on Monday! So today I would just like to focus on all the laundry, ideally get it all put away. And tidying up the accumulating clutter on the counters, and other flat surfaces.

It's also Library Day! The kids are getting dressed to go outside, and I'm going to get up and get moving with my house work before they go out and are ready for lunch. After lunch off we go! Two libraries today, one for returns, and to drop off some homeschooling information, and then to the other to pick up a book on hold, get a few others and pick up some Summer Reading prizes!!



Here is a little tease for my fellow Harry Potter Fans!!! The trailer should be online at 7PM tonight!!! Here are a few pictures from USA today on The Leaky Cauldron!!

Make it Mine!!

Wake up everyone
How can you sleep at a time like this?
Unless the dreamer is the real you
Listen to your voice
The one that tells you to taste past the tip of your tongue
Leap and the net will appear

I don't wanna wake before
The dream is over
I'm gonna make it mine
Yes, I... I  know it
I'm gonna make it mine
Yes, I'll make it all mine

I keep my life on a heavy rotation
Requesting that it's lifting you up
Up, up and away
And over to a table at the gratitude café

And I am finally there
And all the angels they'll be singing
Ah la la la ah la la la la ah la la la love this

Well, I don't wanna break before
the tour is over
I'm gonna make it mine
That's right, I... I know it
I'm gonna make it mine
Yes, I'll make it all mine

Yes I will make it all mine

And timing's everything,
and this time there's plenty
I am balancing,
Careful and steady,
Reveling in energy that everyone's emitting

Well, I don't wanna wait no more
Oh, I wanna celebrate the whole world
I'm gonna make it mine
Because I'm following your joy

I'm gonna make it mine
Because I... I am opened
I'm gonna make it mine
That's why... I will show it
I'm gonna make it, it mine
gonna make, gonna make, gonna make, gonna make, gonna make,
make it, make it mine
(I'll make it mine) yes, mine
(I'll make it mine) yes, mine
(I'll make it mine) oooh mine
Yes, I will make it all, make it all mine
Yes, i will make it all

~Jason Mraz

I tried to find a video to embed for this song, but I didn't have much luck with a good looking copy. Maybe tomorrow. 

Just wanted to post like I said I would...and wanted to encourage you to "Make it Mine" on Monday!!! 

Have a great Sunday night!!

Getting Back to Birth Work

Yep, I'm working on it!! Today my 4 yr old daughter and I attended our first Georgia Birth Network meeting today in over 2 years! She came to every meeting with me between conception, and when she weaned around 20 months.

Today's meeting was "just" a member meeting and we discussed upcoming board member elections, tasks that needed someone to take on, and new ways to reach out in our community. I am really looking forward to returning to not only birth, and the birth community, but I am really looking forward to the opportunity to help educate the public on their choices in childbirth.

In October of this year I will be attending a Childbirth Educator training and I will be a Baby Steps Intuitive Childbirth Educator!! I'm so excited you have no idea!

Blog Hoppin'!

Something else fun to do on Friday!!

Here

and here: 

This Moment

Where it began

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. 

Wishing you a beautiful weekend!

Well, since I said I would

I'm not counting my previous post as my post for today. So here it is!!

I don't really have much to say, but I'm happy to share some links of things that have interested me in the last few days.

First up...read this story about a baby. This is a special baby. Her name is Jayden. Jayden was born addicted to cocaine and alcohol. After a long NICU stay, she was sent home with a foster mother....to die. That is, until her foster mother gave her breastmilk. http://breastmilk.weebly.com/

Next, from the Harry Potter file..... The Deathly Hallows Trailer premiers this weekend before Eclipse (Twilight Saga part 3) I'm so giddy, I can't wait. I'll be You-Tubing until I see it I'm sure. I wonder which will come first, me finding it on YouTube or seeing it when I go see Eclipse?


Now back to the seriousness. Killing Us Softly:Advertisings Image of Women



It's so sad, and I feel so incredibly helpless. I really pray that I can teach my children that while I may appear 'vain' when I put on my jewelry and make up, and 'check the mirror' that I do it for ME. I don't do this for anyone else. I hope to teach them that a persons body is THEIRS, and everyBODY is beautiful in some way. Health is more important than beauty. Love is more important than money. Do I think advertising will change? No. Do I hope more women speak out like Ms. Winslet and say THAT IS NOT MY BODY. She's proud of her body, as we all should be.

And sadly that plays a HUGE roll in how women are treated in pregnancy and birth. As objects, seen simply as a vessle for new life. Little respect is given to women, mothers, when they hire a doctor to care for them. And it's not just doctors, there are plenty of midwives who do the same. Bottom line is these mothers are not being treated with respect, and love. Many have forgotten how to do that.



In 2008 Dr. Marsden Wagner wrote, Born in the USA: How a Broken Maternity System Must Be Fixed to Put Women and Children First, an expose on American maternity care. This is what The Feminist Breeder wrote yesterday regarding the appalling treatment of educated women seeking peaceful, empowering birth experience.


And FINALLY, an inspiring slideshow video of a womans journey to a vaginal homebirth. After 3 cesarean sections, she succeeded in having an amazing homebirth, with her very supportive husband by her side.

No Excuses!!!

That's right. NO EXCUSES!! 

My friends Michelle, and Cat, have inspired me once again!!

So, here are the places I would like to make progress in this Summer. 

• stay on top of folding and putting away laundry
• run the dishwasher every day
• make more meals from scratch
• get out to my garden every day, even if it's just to stand there and water it a little
• plan, and plant some bulbs this fall both sun and shade
• plan and begin purchasing containers for next years garden
• blog every day, or every other day...even if I don't have much to say
• Summer Structure for my kids. Some kind of schooling every day. 
• finish organizing the kitchen and living area
• clean up my bedroom

Blessed New Moon!

Today I will be cleaning!!! I will also be parenting, partnering and gardening!!

Cleaning first. Thankfully there isn't a lot to do. A few dishes in the sink, a basket (yes A basket) of laundry to fold. Throw pillows and bean bags to throw and fluff. A few things to put back in my van (had a rental this week so I have pretty new bumper now!) And during all that cleaning, some candle burning to banish some of the negativity. I really need to order the things I put in my basket at Mountain Rose Herbs. If I did, I could burn some of the lovely incense I made at Beltane.

Gardening (yes, I'm ordering my explanations differently than my opening sentence.) Today's gardening plans include getting the front yard cut before the thunder storm arrives. After that I have a container of mixed flowers I need to get in the ground. Marigolds, pink/purple zinnas, maybe some columbines that haven't flowered just yet, and two sunflowers that are just aching for more depth!! And I am going to put my Mother's Day flowers in the ground too. They have bloomed and dropped their petals already, but they're lilies, so I'm hoping that they will come back again! My fire lilies have their buds, and the buds are getting bigger every day. I can't wait for some blooms!!

Partnering...I love weekends. My husband is home!! I have my parenting partner, my life partner...I'm much happier and more calm when I have him around :) He is my balance.


Parenting. Well, that's a given right? So far I've fed one child, and highly praised her coloring skills. The picture now dons our cork board in the kitchen. Up next she's been given permission to paint on her paper lantern....but for right now she's enjoying learning a little Spanish from Dora and her Leapster2. We missed Jack Hanna again!! Maybe one day we'll remember when it comes on so breakfast is done before it's over! I hope to encourage the kids to work along side me today. I will probably ask them to pick up their bedroom floors while I pick up around the house. Then when I'm working outside, hey are looking forward to eating lots of water melon, and playing in the sprinkler. I just hope I can get them to help me weed the garden a little first ;)

In the time it took me to write about the gardening and partnering my oldest child has graced us with his presence and had breakfast. I guess that means it's time to start the day!

St. Simons

Yep, pictures from APRIL. I know, I know "it's about damn time" 

A gas and potty stop reviled a Chevron with a petting farm!

Our hotel room had some fun hiding places!

The view from the balcony

This last one is from Ft. Frederica. This was a duplex, and this is some of the remains of that building. 

A huge 'time out' in the area of progress

My wonderful mother took my little family on vacation last weekend. We left on Thursday, and got home very early Sunday morning. I think we all managed to have some fun at one time or another!

I would love to upload some pictures soon. I didn't get as many as I would have liked, and my camera died while we were at our last little adventure. Fort Frederica was so nice, I think we all enjoyed it.

Upon our return to a very clean home, I took Sunday and Monday "off" to recover. I should have probably done more on Monday....Tuesday started with a sick little girl. She was sick all week, and we avoided re-hydration hospital style by getting into the doctors office on day 4 for some Zofran. She said it was really gross, but today she's playing and seems to be much better. I am still trying to encourage her to drink as much as possible, I'm sure she's still a little dehydrated. The girl loves milk, but as of yesterday her bottom said "I'm not ready for milk just yet"

This weekend we've been working on getting the grass cut, I got half the front yard done before the belt came loose. The hubs fixed that and we finished the front yard, and he did the kids play area in the back. Today I plan to finish the rest of the back yard, and I hope that tomorrow I can send my babies outside to run and play! I might even be nice enough to start looking for a fun sprinkler ;)

We're back to homeschooling this week, provided the boy and I stay healthy of course. We are in 'full prep' mode for the CRCT testing that we still have to participate in. He's busy working on Study Island every day, and we'll be spending a lot of time playing catch up from an unplanned 10 days off!!! I'm honestly worried we won't finish in time, and I hope I can keep his motivation high!

Anywho, I guess I should get back to the laundry, and get ready to do some dishes before I go finish the back yard! I hope everyone has had a beautiful weekend, and a fantastic week!!