Posts in category In the Quiet

The Laundry Can Wait

Days filled with kids

Are also filled

With laundry

Dishes

And dirty floors

Playtime and bedtime

Seem like the best time

To get things done

Kids are occupied

And I can work

Uninterrupted

But today,

Though the baby

was happy

And the older kids

were playing

I don’t get up

And rush around

To clean and accomplish

Instead, I relax

Cuddling the baby

Who won’t always be a baby

Watching his siblings

Who are growing

Too fast

But whose voices

still ring

With the sweetness

Of youth

Their laughter

And squeals

Echo through our small house

And reverberate in my heart

I feel a little rebellious

Not worrying

About being efficient

But a stronger

Sparkly feeling

Of joy

Fills my insides

And wraps

Around my whole being

I am reluctant

To miss the moment

Doing something so mundane

As laundry

So I don’t

I sit

And listen

And laugh

Homework questions

Ridiculous stories

Made up songs

About best friends

Dresses

Barbies

And the American flag

Are par

For the course

What can I say

We are

Equal opportunity artists

I let the baby “stay up”

While we eat dinner

Together

A rare event

With a small baby

We listen

Eat great food

And watch DGirl

Take bites

In between headstands

I don’t worry

About her tablemanners

For once

It is freeing

And a little

Like living

At the circus

Fun

And

A bit crazy

After dinner

Business

As usual

Commences

Showers

Storytime

Snuggling

I love the scent

The feel

The sound

Of my family

So I didn’t get

All the laundry done

Today

It will still be there

Tomorrow

I love my life

Laundry

And

All

Posted in Honest Mothering, Live NOW - Tagged enjoy your kids now, kids grow too fast, live now, The Laundry Can Wait, wish I'd lived life differently

You Are the Perfect Mom

My dear friend

It is true

What they say

About having a baby

Your life will never be the same again

It can be better

If you let it

You will make mistakes

And that is ok

We all make mistakes

“Perfect mom”

is not looking

Over Your shoulder

You are the perfect mom for your baby

Be patient

with yourself

Be willing

To apologize

Don’t be afraid

To admit you need help

We all need a little help sometimes

When you look

In the mirror

Don’t worry

About the body parts

That look

or feel

A little saggy

They are your Mother badge

Of courage

Love

And strength

You are so much stronger than you think

You will be

a WONDERFUL

Wise

Smart

Compassionate

Kind

Intuitive

Faith-filled

Strong momma for this little person

Books and advice on parenting philosophies

can be helpful tools

But in the end

If you put down the books

Turn off the phone

And just be still with your baby

You will find

A quiet

Wise

Voice

Whispering inside you

All you need to know

To care for

And love her perfectly

You already know what to do

Relax

You got this

You are going to be amazing

Welcome to motherhood

Posted in Honest Mothering, Spirit - Tagged being a good mother, how to be a good mom, mother wisdom, new mother encouragement, perfect mom doesn't exist, You *Are* the Perfect Mom

Finally, “Real” Women

Pictures posting

Comments flying

Women saying

“Finally, REAL women”

Wait~!

Skinny women aren’t Real???

Once again

We pass judgment

On ourselves

And our sisters

We define “Real” by the shallow

And not the substantive

We feel guilty

Dirty

Unworthy

We wait to feel beautiful

To love

To live

Until we are “perfect”

By someone else’s standards

But perfect never comes

Our chance passes

~It’s heartbreaking~

Women never living fully

Because they believe a lie

They’re not “Real” till a marketing ad

Has defined

Or undefined them.

~It’s our own fault~

Measuring ourselves

Our friends

Our children

Complete strangers

By only what we see

~When will we acknowledge our strength?~

Embrace this fragile treasure

Of LIFE

And stop caring

About how marketing gurus

Think they’ll best convince us to consume

When will we get angry

That a campaign highlighting “real” women

Still requires them be photographed in their underwear

Still objectified solely by sex

When will we decide

To stop defining ourselves by our appendages

By bone structure

Muscles

and skin

and a scale

as though we are just another piece of meat

It seems a little ridiculous

When you think about it

It’s just flesh

Yet

In truth so much more

Than a dwelling for our spirit

A phenomenal part of us

Designed

To enjoy life’s sensual pleasures

Taste, feel, sight, smell, sound

We are so hampered by sight

We miss the rest

When we will embrace the fullness of what we are as women?

For our daughters

Our fellow-woman

Our lovers

Ourselves

We are more than the sum of our appendages.

We are

Spirit

Mystery

Sensual

Designer

Beauty

Provider

Brains

Intuition

Healer

Lover

Nurturer

Hope

Strength

Justice

Courage

Priestess

Light

Love

Beloved

Brilliance

Hilarity

Creativity

Life altering,

World changers.

~Each – perfect, unique works of art~

When will we look past

Physique alone

And recognize the deep beauty

The real-ness of each woman we see

Especially the one

We greet each morning

In the mirror

I am ready

Are you?

Posted in Natural Health, Spirit - Tagged dove beauty, dove beauty campaign, dove real women, dove realbeauty campaign, dove women, fat, God's image, real beauty, real woman, shallow beauty, skinny, ugly

Love and Coffee

As the earliest glimpses of light peeks in through the window

The laughter of a small voice gurgles across the silence of the room

Daddy sleeps on as she nears the bed

“Mommy, I want to snuggle you.”

I lift the covers and she slips inside them.

Even as I bury my face back in the pillow

I know I seek something I won’t find again today

“Here, read this book.”

“I need some water.”

She’s nothing if not persistent

but still I try, hoping for one last glimpse of Nod.

“Mom, it’s morning time!!!”

Her voice exultant

her confidence buoyed by the brilliance now streaming into the room

Despite my exhaustion

I find myself smiling

and chuckling at her exuberance to begin the day

of breakfast

and big sister

and a magical world of her making.

I get up and discover I feel ok.

Love is definitely stronger than coffee.

Posts in category In the Quiet

The Laundry Can Wait

You Are the Perfect Mom

Finally, “Real” Women

Love and Coffee

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