Magic in the Mundane

The past three and a half years have involved a serious learning curve - motherhood.  I am beginning to realize that I have resisted the major changes that have been going on in and around me and it is a slow process of coming to accept what my life looks like now.  I always planned to be a mother, always said that my worst fear was not being able to have children.  I have always loved kids and never thought twice about my plans to have "at least five".  Oh the bliss of ignorance!  It's not that I was particularly wrong - I do love children, I love my children and I do hope to have more of them.  It's just that I thought I would be able to just continue living my life.  Or that somehow my life would flow seamlessly into their life.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that after a significant breakdown this week, this is what came to me:

Girls,
You are the gift, and calling
given to me
the day I became a mother.
YOU ARE ENOUGH.

I cried and cried, why can't I accept that being a mother is a legitimate and worthwhile way to spend a life?  And so that became my goal for the next year.  To put my whole self into mothering.  To use my brilliant mind (now that's confidence), my creativity, my problem solving skills, my love for reading and research...all of my gifts, into being a mother.  Is it possible?  Don't know.  Am I going to fail?  Probably.  Does that mean I shouldn't do it?  Definitely not.  Who has tried to change the world without knowing that their attempts are almost certainly doomed to failure?  I would say very few.

Well, how's that for a blog post?  A little out of the ordinary I guess.  What I really wanted to share was a most incredible video that expresses all of this in a beautiful and inspiring and, for me, heart-wrenching two-and-a-half minutes.  It makes beautiful the mundane work of mothering.

Thank you, friend, for sharing that with me.  Someone remind me to watch this video on a regular basis this year to remind me of the magic of this time of my life.  I don't see it now, but I know it's there.

"Words to the Wise"

I was definitely in the perfect mood to read this article so I did laugh a LOT.  If you have had children in the recent past, you will probably laugh too.  How can kids be simultaneously so adorable and so infuriating? 

Dinovember

As a parent there are always an infinite number of ideas that you wish you could implement for your kids that you know just aren't ever going to happen...Dinovember is probably one of them - but it rocks.  It reminds me of Elf on the Shelf, which is a fun idea too (though I'm not totally comfortable with the conditional approval it entails).  I just love the creativity of Dinovember and the imagination, wonder and curiosity it promotes.  Another one to store away for some day.

Custom Built-In Luxury

I have started to dream of a house where there is tons of storage strategically built in to the house that is perfectly accessible but also HIDES all of our CRAP.  I walk around my house and all I see so much stuff!  I am being reminded that that's not what I really want in my heart of hearts, but I still find homes like this very inspiring.  Magic closets and beds that fold away seem so dreamy at this point in my life! 

Love is With Us

I wouldn't usually post this type of thing on here, but I can't let myself forget about this.  Brene Brown is a very inspirational person who I first heard about through her TedTalk on vulnerability and another one by her on shame.  I was very surprised when someone sent me a link to an interview with her on a religious topic.  Knowing she was an academic, I assumed she was not religious.  Wow.  I was blown away by her simple but incredible thoughts in this short interview.  God is love, and God is with us, are the two foundational concepts that I have been relying on for the past several years in the midst of major upheaval when it comes to my basic beliefs.  To have someone articulate those ideas in a clear, understandable, but also incredibly intelligent way was so meaningful to me. 

Winter Story Telling

As I've mentioned before, I have dreams of a library appearing in my house some day.  Before that, a reading nook would be lovely.  Before that, a decent book shelf would be great...

In the meantime, I will collect inspiration.  This is a post full of great ideas.  They require some prep and thought (I think I'm doing well when we get to the library once a month) but the ideas are just so rich and so inviting.  Especially for the coming season.

"Good Job"

As a parent I try to consider very seriously the words I use when I'm talking to my kids.  Gender issues and boundary issues are probably at the forefront of my mind most of the time - encouraging them to be themselves, make their own choices.  Towards that end, I try to avoid saying "good girl" when I want to affirm their behaviour.  I thought "good job" was a better choice since it was less about their identity as an acceptable person and more about the action or behaviour.  This article takes that idea to a whole new level and I love it.  I think it is a very important reminder to consider what it is, exactly, that you are trying to encourage in your child and then find a way to articulate that in a way they can understand.