Community

To living in communion and all the beautiful, loud, live heartbeats that have filled my days (leaving no time for blog, oh well!) and gave me back my rhythm these last weeks. Thank you for standing by me.

Bombs Away

Are you in need of "several fat and full days of spontaneous joy of the best kind - the kind of days where you say out loud to anyone within earshot, "this is the best day ever!"

Would you like to experience how the "simple act of having fun creates an intimacy between friendships that soothes and fuels"

Kelly Rae's done it again, again. She's off with her bevy of artful souls on what they call a lovebomb. I'm seriously in love with this idea ladies. She acted on a feeling I so share and stated it beautifully:

i was longing for a very specific gathering of women. women i felt called to. women i admired from afar. women who seemed to hold and embrace their own power in creativity, in love, and in their offerings. no longer wanting to be a bystander and witness to other people's creative gatherings, i secretly wished for the reality in my own life. that's when my heart insisted that perhaps i create the very thing it needed - a gathering of these very women.

What d'ya think? I'm done messing about with arrogant isolation in my glass bubble. seriously. Once upon a time I agreed with the sentiment of a friend (even then we didn't realize the irony of our conversation, as we had each other) who said women can't really be friends with each other. Surviving is all about avoiding the social sabotage of other women. And I agreed. Thought it was brilliant insight in fact. Never one to have a long time group of old girlfriends, I thought for sure this is how it worked, it had been my experience so far anyway. Until now.

If I never knew it before, I know it now. I crave the company and empowerment of creative women in my life. I've been fantasizing about those fun arty retreats all over the place, near and far. I even considered a virtual one, but quickly left that idea after my abandonment of social networking and my new found love for live heartbeats. This year has seen the formation of some of the most amazing friendships I have ever known. Souls who have dared to challenge me, in love; souls who have slapped me in the face, in love, souls who have lifted me up and offered me my pen and paper and souls who have come just to sit, hug, and listen.

I have been struggling with the virtual world lately and if I ever needed confirmation that I did the right thing by cutting myself off in order to grow taller, these last two weeks have given me that. Full of days spent with dear friends as often as I could have charged me up with so much energy I float away into the most amazing dreams each night. It's the best thing I've done for myself in a long time.

I'm talking about making our own lovebomb, or maybe splash. Let's forget about the childish fears as well as the grown up ones that stop us, the time that we don't have, the money we think isn't' there, and just get together and paint our toenails.

So who's in? Seriously. I'm bout to get organized.

Desert Divas Get Soaked '09. Any takers? Send me your email. Lets start a conversation.

Moons over my hammy

There's all this talk about new moons around me right now. Some silly movie with a moon title. Didn't we just have a full one a coupla days ago? People's horoscopes talking about moons. Free moonstone on my cool new bracelet. My daughter insisting there are luna's everywhere she sees blue skies...

Is it like when you're pregnant and all of a sudden everyone is pregnant? Am I about to give birth to a moon?

Or is it just the general waxing and waning of life throwing itself in my face telling me to slow down and stop rushing about already, another moon comes next month after all.

I do need a break from all this personal growth, herb education, pressure to write, and homeschooling stuff. Then again, all that stuff is the general I'm talking about. Maybe I'll just go to Denny's.

Doin' the Time Warp Again

I really want to stop time. Just for everyone else. I keep going, you all hang tight for a second. I'm not sure if it's the end of the summer thing, not like I would really know or just some crazy mojo but I need some time to do stuff without getting interrupted. Drew's response to this is, get out of the house for a while go have fun. Which, I really really do appreciate but most of what I need to do is in the house, maybe you two should get out...

I just got done with a three day event with a sick babe and I feel a little lost in my routine. I know I should be grateful for being able to be here for her, and I am I really am. But one of the challenges, err joys, of being a stay at home boho misfit mama in suburbia, is that there is always something fun to be working on or doing!

I'm trying to write a little snippet for a cool bloggy Halloween celebration, just got word that my CSA is now accepting memberships and it will fill up fast if I don't run, got to get to the post office to mail in my jury duty exemption request (real stamps people, remember them?), trying to finish my book for book group, really wanting to blog everyday, wanting to play with some of the new cool homeschooling stuff I got for sevi, getting down this first paragraph that is floating in my head of my great American novel before I lose it (i finally figured out what i need to write!!), trying to get outside a bit more since it's cooling off, cooking dinner instead of ordering in, and oh I'm sure a million other things I can't remember. I'm going a little insane. I actually took back several library books I haven't read cuz the pressure to read them all is just too intense. I don't know what I was thinking checking them all out anyway. I've got to stop and smell the flowers.

Erg, maybe I'll just rent that stupid movie with Adam Sandler where he has that remote control that controls time....then again there goes two hours.

Facial anyone?

Let me tell you a story...

Of a sweet sick baby with a fever of 103 and vomiting. Her mom pulled out the camping air mattress and plopped it in front of the TV for a day of snuggling and pbs kids...

As the poor child was quite uncomfortable, there was a lot of squirming and wriggling going on. She climbed all over the mama. At one point she climbed right on top of her head just over her right eye and cheek, and sat down.

This was when her mama discovered she had diarrhea...and the diaper was not working.

Among the myriad of sick baby helpers out there here are some of my boho favs.

Sick baby Fever Coolers:
Place peppermint tea (in muslin bags or tea bags) into cool, not cold bath.
Steep peppermint tea, cool, dip soft cloth in tea, rub on baby's skin.
Place cold peppermint tea in squirt bottle, spray into baby's mouth.
Steep 2 parts chamomile 1 part peppermint tea, add touch of agave nectar or apple juice serve in sippy cup.

Turn out the Lights

The Perseids are coming! The Perseids are coming! The best way to break old habits and get back to doing what you need to do is to have a grand finale. Go out with a bang and a party. Thanks to Growing Naturally I found out all about a party sent by the Universe just for me. Okay, maybe for one or two other folks as well but I'm pretending anyway.

I've been talking a lot about blogging, family, spirituality, and homeschooling lately. Really neglecting my original desire for this space: as a suburban boho lifestyle reference with reflection. I've totally missed the reference part and desperately want to get back to writing about all that herby natural stuff so after asking to be beamed back to Earth, I'm going up for one final night of reflection from the sky. What a perfect way to go back to bohoburbia, wishing on the tail of a meteor shower so bright you can even see it with all the light pollution in the suburbs. Also, since it's silly to talk about what you want to talk about rather than just talk about it, I'm vowing not to indulge this subject again (well at least til my next FB binge in the middle of the night). Instead, I'm putting my efforts in realizing some of my wishes and dreams I've also abandoned in recent months.

Stay up late, grab a blanket, and snuggle in the yard (or pavers) with your honey from dark on August 11th till August 12th. Or since the early morning of the 12th is the best time to observe the meteor shower, set your alarm and start your day with a heavenly treat. Allow 20 minutes in the dark for your eyes to adjust, and even in the city you should be able to wish upon a star or two as well.

Beam me Down Scotty

These computers on our desks are turning into portals to other realms of existence...realms that will one day be preferred to Earth.
- edward castronova, synthetic worlds
Opening scene in Second Skin, a documentary about virtual sociability through the lives of several online gamers.

Social Networking. This subject has been on my mind a lot lately (and I know cliched, its all over the news). As I try to work out what I want to be when I grow up, or even just today, I find myself unable to fit in social networking. If I play on FB or twit along all day, I don't do the things I truly love to do including make the effort to pick up the phone and make a date with a warm-bodied earthling. I have books I desperately want to finish and start, art projects left half-way done, several pieces that missed submission deadlines, food that's gone bad for quick grab eating and more. FB became a nagging addiction, where I had to clear my notifications and think of clever status updates to twit about all day long. My life in three sentences or less. I got to the point where I had to have comments about what I said and was checking every five minutes for them. I desperately needed the 'conversations.' I know I'm joining the bandwagon. But lately I've been so good at doing what feels right, this just doesn't. So I'm trying hard to wean myself. For a stay at home mom craving adult company, it's a strong addiction.

Drew and I watched this great documentary, Second Skin, on Hulu last night about online gamers and the 'sociability' of their lives. It was amazing how similar social networking is, and made me reset all my applications. I have been deciding, but last night I committed, to getting personal and going live. In the last several weeks, I've been on FB less and less, setting automatic updates with my blogs, so I can still brag about my beautiful baby and share my insightful posts, but I'm not physically getting on much. I've also spent a lot of time with real friends. I even had a party in my house! And for the proactive part, I signed Sevi and I up for some fun mom/tot classes at our community center for the fall. Though I still have a lot of work to do, I'm starting to feel the pull back to the planet of reality, and gravity feels nice.

The movie, Second Skin, is available free until August 13th on Hulu. It's about 1.5 hours and totally worth a watch (and rental if you miss the free showing) if you can pull yourself away from social networking long enough to do so. Then call a friend, make a date, and come back to Earth.

Drive with your Feet, Learn with your Hands

Sevi and the bug, see more picts here or on facebook.

As soon as Sevi had that spark, at about 4 months I think, when she made contact I started to think about school. No longer just slobbering away at life but reactive, interactive, and just plain active, I started to more seriously consider how one learns and becomes 'educated.' Then of course I started researching, reading blogs, books, talking and emailing parents of all schooling varieties and my babe wasn't even sitting up on her own yet. Overachiever? Maybe.

I'm not one of those crazies who thinks I can make a genius by speaking Latin to my 6 month old. I prefer to think I'm just well prepared. We have kids, take them to the doctor, send them to school, and life goes on. We set our cruise control at 50 mph and let the car do the rest. Though it's more conversational now, we rarely consider before making these life long decisions. I heard somewhere that the average American spends more time researching what kind of car to buy than whether or not to vaccinate their kids and where to send them to school. While we ended up vaccinating after months of researching and interviewing doctors, we did it on our own schedule and declined some. We made the decision based on our family and educating ourselves. Whether or not it's going to make a difference for her, I felt better knowing about my choices and knowing what I was doing.

I feel the same way about school. I was a smart kid, but got so bored in school I sorta checked out by 5th grade. I still got good grades, but I don't know that I really learned much other than how to memorize. Most of my learning came outside the school as my parents fostered my curiosities and encouraged my interests. This is life learning and a basic tenant of a style of homeschooling I've really fallen in love with: unschooling.

Also known as eclectic or radical homeschooling, the idea is that kids are not excluded or compartmentalized from adult life but an active part of it, learning from living without the separation and categorization of subjects as in public school. I'm still doing research, but we've already begun to incorporate an unschooling life. Every opportunity we have to get our hands dirty and learn naturally, we do it. So when this witchy woman put a contest up to win this amazing book celebrating learning from the magic of the earth, I had to participate. Pick up some dirt, get out a paper plate, and see what you find.

on setting limits: the facebook hook

I'm going on a facebook diet. I lasted 3 whole days without any FB at all, and while I missed some things I made up for it by actually seeing some of my friends IN PERSON. After realizing I spent more time 'talking' to people on the internet who lived 5 miles away, I had to break the cookie jar. Ever since I joined, I stopped writing. I play less. I read less. I spend less time with my herbs.

I get the whole social networking thing but there's got to be a limit. It became like those chips, it was impossible to just check one thing. And even though I just consumed two hours, I felt so unsatisfied when I was through. So I fasted and traded time there for time here.

I love this space for what it was, what it became, and now for what it will be. Though I try to keep it boholicious, it's still the place I go to sort it all out. And lately, I've been doing a lot of sorting. My posts have been well, mixed menu. Not that they haven't been honest and heartfelt. But it's hard to develop a community when I'm more Cheesecake Factory than In and Out Burger. I so much appreciate the connections I've made in this space and am sad to have lost some to my recent binging on FB. I figured out how to set my settings so I get emails telling me what I want to know, but don't have to get lost in all the other stuff that doesn't (no offense) really enhance my life much.


Within one week, my writing mind came back. I thought for a second maybe this whole writing thing was just a farce, I mean if you have passion aren't you called to do it every day no matter what? But it's like any muscle, it takes practice to make it strong. Within just a week of thinking about writing, I sat down to work on some old pieces again. And, the writer voice showed up. You know the one that composes great sentences in your head while you're doing almost anything: cooking, cleaning, brushing your teeth. I missed her, and was so delighted she decided to showed up again. I'm hoping along with my new fad diet, she'll help me feel a little lighter.

Just

i had the most amazing evening. my first ever book group and in my house, my first ever 'event' since we had sevi. there is so much to say the words are swimming, spinning, splashing. ill talk more about it soon. i had no idea it would be this fun, uplifting, interesting, etc. if you've been thinking about doing a book group and need a push, I'm here to tell you one thing:

DO IT.

Number 2; Goddess Eat Your Greens

We've recently begun that conversation. You know the one that happens when your baby starts to be a bit more manageable and you forget a little about sleepless nights, constant diaper changes, unpredictable behaviours, and the depression. You start to say things like: "We've already done it once, how much harder can two be." And, "At least we'll know what to expect this time." After a few weeks of this, you slide into, "I really don't want her growing up an only child." Then there's the assumptive close, "I don't want them to be too far apart."

Your first child then does something dramatically loving (saying her first I love you, starting to give neck hugs -- you know the difference, and sharing her precious things) and you think, I want to be surrounded by this. You picture yourself a mothering goddess, and say of course I'm ready for number 2. So it was crazy when two weeks ago Drew rolled in on his bicycle from picking up our co-op veggies with 34 ounces of spinach, a bunch of kale, 32 ounces of mixed greens, and 4 hearts of romaine. Upon seeing my dropped jaw, he excitedly replied, "They had extra stuff and said we could take 2 more of whatever we wanted." This boy loves greens so much I swear he's the one with southern roots.
So what's the crazy part right? You see greens, and spinach in particular, are especially wonderful for if you are planning on getting pregnant. Spinach is a gift from the earth to women. It contains zinc, iron, and folate all of which are vital to female health. It is said to reduce breast cancer, aid in menstruation and menopausal challenges, help with pregnancy and hemorrhaging, as well as fetal development and breast feeding. Looking at these boxes and boxes of greens, I was starting to think the universe was sending me a message.
Not wanting to waste a single leaf, I scoured my cookbooks and found a recipe for a Green Goddess shake. Immediately after trying the first one(sevi loved it too), I shoved my family out of the kitchen and mass produced a bulk batch. For the last two weeks, I've almost jumped out of bed so excited for my breakfast knowing all the while my goddess-ness is saying thanks. But the thing is, and I know I've talked about this before, spinach is also great for another kind of number 2. Wonder what that's supposed to mean...


Green Goddess Basic

1 apple (green if you've got it, but any will do)

handful of spinach (or any other greens)

juice of lime to taste (i like it really tangy so i go for 2-3 key limes)

Puree washed spinach in blender, add chunked apple and lime juice. Puree until desired consistency. You can also boil the spinach for 30 seconds to wilt, easy to use up more this way. It does lose some nutrient value but I still feel mighty after eating it. We also like to add a bit of chia or macca for some extra energy and nutrition. Great for a filling breakfast with yogurt or soy milk too. And of course drew's always sneaking in some nuts for that added thickness. I prefer mine just the basic way.