Empty Handed

by michelle on January 25, 2012

Tonight, I tucked the girls in, waited a little while for Claire to fall asleep, and then got up and sat down on my own bed.

And then just sat there.

I surfed twitter for a while, then set it aside.  I just sat there.  No books, no knitting, no writing, no wriggling baby.

Empty handed.

Intellectually, I know that this is the uncomfortable period in between one burst of creative inspiration and another.  But I am feeling, well, uncomfortable.

~~~

On the winter solstice we walked through a beautiful beeswax candle labyrinth, and the word “trust” came to me as we were walking.  Trusting that I couldn’t get lost walking that labyrinth.  Trusting in the inherent drive towards growth, wholeness and love in my children, and in myself.

Trust.

 

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{this moment}

by michelle on January 20, 2012

little girl reading stories to her dolls

Via SouleMama

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What does SOPA have to do with a parenting blog?

by michelle on January 18, 2012

SOPA matters to parents, Canadians and the global internet community. Have you ever…

- Looked up something on Wikipedia to help you answer your child’s question?
- Watched a video on YouTube to learn how to latch your breastfeeding baby or hand express milk?
- Connected with other parents, parenting bloggers or your extended family on social media websites like facebook and Twitter?
- Supported your family from income earned in an internet startup or blog ad revenue?

SOPA threatens all these things by forcing website owners to monitor all content posted on their sites for copyright infringement. The practical reality of this is that large websites with user-generated content like Wikipedia, YouTube and other social media will be impossible to maintain. Control and censorship of the internet will squelch innovation, dramatically reduce new internet businesses and reduce the information available to people on the internet around the world.

What kind of internet will be around when your kids are old enough to use it on their own?

Learn more:

SOPA matters to Canada
Stop Online Piracy Act
SOPA infographic
Americans, Take Action here

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Making the Most of What You’ve Got

by michelle on January 16, 2012

Kids are the masters of making the most of whatever comes their way.

If life sends lemons, you better believe the child is reaching for the jar of sugar to make lemonade. And if the sky sends down 5 centimeters of snow, the children are throwing on their snowpants and gathering up every scrap of snow from the lawn to make a slide, snowman or fort. At least here on the West Coast they are, because snow here is rare and therefore precious.

girl playing on a snowy beach

It’s pretty inspiring, really.  It’s too easy to look out the window at masses of white flakes falling out of the sky and think, “Yikes! I have to drive the car in this!”   But even as adults with responsibilities we can still make the most of the magic that’s given to us every day.  We can put on our own proverbial snowpants and lick snow from our mittens.  Or crunch through the icy layer on the duck pond.

crunching through ice on the lake

I’ve been spending Sundays unplugged from the internet, inspired by this Unplugged Sunday project.  It’s been good.  Very good.  It helps me see where and when I feel twitchy for a fix, and where I’m using technology to actually achieve something or make the most of what I’ve got.   Creating that space feels good, like a freshly made bed or clean countertops.

Snowy, computer free Sundays.  We’re making the most of it.

 

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{this moment}

by michelle on January 13, 2012

Inspired by SouleMama – 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.

girl reading at night

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Winter Walks

January 11, 2012

You know what I really love? Yes, morning toddler snuggles and hot cups of tea and reading a good book in bed.  All of that.  But I also really love going for walks in the windy, cold forest. I know, right?  Crazy. But on a Thursday morning in January, we’re the only ones on the [...]

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Where is the Joy?

January 10, 2012

It is easy to talk about positive thinking in calm moments. When the sun is shining and the sky is blue, positive thinking is like drinking sweet nectar from flowers growing beside your head. But when the wind is howling outside, and there are dark scary shadows on the walls, what happens then? Last night, [...]

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Night Weaning a Breastfeeding Toddler

January 9, 2012

I wrote this post before going away in November, thinking that I’d get around to editing the draft while I was gone. Not only did that not happen, I decided to wean Claire completely while we were away. However, night weaning is one of those topics that is still very much relevant and useful for [...]

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{this moment}

January 6, 2012

Inspired by SouleMama – 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.

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Hello 2012

January 3, 2012

The start of 2012 is feeling very different from the start of 2011.  Last year I wanted to take on big projects and create lasting change in my life.  I was fired up and ready to work at things.  This year, I’m feeling more calm.  I don’t know whether there will be big changes coming [...]

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Playful Self-Discipline: A Year Later

December 29, 2011

The end of 2011 is upon us, and in two days we’ll have a new calendar year, slowly lengthening days and a chance to make a host of brand new resolutions. That means it’s time to take stock of my Playful Self-Discipline project too. Did I achieve what I set out to do? What did [...]

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Light in the Darkness

December 27, 2011

We’ve been finding our way through these dark days with as much light and simplicity as we can. Light from beeswax candles on our solstice dinner table. And in a candle labyrinth, with over 600 beeswax candles flickering together. This year Tom and I were awake early on Christmas morning, and came downstairs to start [...]

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marshmallows

December 16, 2011

Tonight, as the sun went down around 3:30pm, Claire asked us, “When is summer coming?” Can that photo really have been taken only six months ago?  Five months?  It feels like it was in another world.  Bring on the solstice, baby.  We’re ready to start heading back towards the light.

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