Shifting Inward

After six years of carrying, birthing and nursing my two little chicks, I'm finally beginning to feel my body is my own again. This "return to self" has felt a bit like a fog lifting from around me. As the air clears, I catch little glimpses of who I am now. I see where I want to go. And I understand there is work to be done, gently and at it's own pace, to get there.

Now, as the seasons are shifting, I feel myself shifting too. Over the past week I have begun to move inward. And an easy peace has settled over me as I work to reinforce my nest.

My body is getting some much needed attention with a 10-day raw & whole food cleanse; more sleep; and a return to regular movement.

My creative spirit is beginning to stir as I embark on the 12-week Artist's Way workshop with my dear friend Rose. Having completed the workshop pre-babies, I look forward to revisiting the rich rewards of morning pages and artist's dates.

And my mind is slowly shifting from doing to being, allowing more room for nourishing myself with hot baths, journaling, reading and meditation.

This move inwards feels so good, like returning to a warm, cozy space you almost forgot was there. But then, there it is right before you... just waiting for your return.

It's Here...Sort Of

I've been waiting for what feels like forever for Fall to appear. Finally, the Autumnal Equinox arrived yesterday. But one would be pretty hard pressed to find any natural signs of the season here in the south. In fact, the temperature reached a blistering 95 degrees here yesterday afternoon! But the morning was pleasant, and Sage and I spent it looking for glimpses of Autumn at our local Children's Garden, with The Snail and little b. Little bits of brown and orange peeked out amongst a lot of lush greenery. It was just enough to make me smile, and help me hang on a bit longer...

Apples!

We don't have apple orchards down here, so celebrating Fall apple season takes some creativity. Last week, we had fun apple stamping, creating our own play apple market stand and baking an apple pie. Plus, of course, apple books: Apple Farmer Annie, Ten Red Apples, Apples Here! and The Apple Orchard.

And thank you Rose, for the yummy homemade apple butter on the New Moon...a perfect ending to apple week!

Cosmic Confusion

Mercury in Retrograde has got me down a bit. For the past several days, a combination of technical difficulties and family situations have kept me away from this space. I have things I want to share; ideas I want to explore. But for now, I'm practicing patience and waiting...

- for the return of my technical support (DaddyBird has been away)
- for my littlest chick's fever to fade
- for some relief for my dad, who's visiting his fourth hospital in so many months
- and for a few moments to myself to regroup, reinforce and rebound

Tuesday is the Autumnal Equinox, which heralds in a time of cosmic balance. Perhaps this new planetary pull will help me better balance the chaos ...and return to this space. See you soon!

A Nest of My Own

A found nest, gifted by the August New Moon (w. decorative eggs)
Nesting comes naturally to me. Like a bird, the skill is innate to gather elements of my environment and weave them together to create a safe haven. I do this literally in my own home - as so many women do - continuously working to craft a warm, comforting landing place for my family. And I do this figuratively too, striving to make nests around friends and family, woven together with patience, acceptance and love.

An artful nest, gifted by my sister (w. a little bird from Snip & Snail)
Lately, I've been blessed with many gifted nests, each one unique in it's design, but unified in it's message. I believe they have come to me as reminders to feather my own nest. They seem to suggest that I use my unique, creative abilities and my commitment to mindful & compassionate living to reinforce a nest of my own.

An illuminated nest, gifted by my energy worker & friend
As any mama bird knows, caring for ourselves is often the last item on a long list. I am grateful for these gentle reminders to tend to self.

A Squirrelly Week

Over the past week, as part of our focus on Fall, we got a little squirrelly around here. We did squirrel art using crushed up shredded wheat to create "bushy" tails. I just love my nephew's Indiana Jones Squirrel!

We read The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri, The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin by Beatrice Potter and Nuts to You! by Lois Ehlert.

We got a bit nutty too and made homemade nut butter by roasting mixed nuts and then pureeing them in the food processor with oil (2 T oil per 1 cup nuts).

And a visit to Nana's house provided the perfect nature outing for Selby to log in her nature journal. Nana showed us the mess squirrels had left on her driveway after a feeding frenzy. Dozens of pine cone scales were scattered about, along with the naked remains of the cone. (The squirrels eat the pine seeds, hidden under the scales.) Selby collected a few scales and some pine needles from the driveway and glued them in her nature journal. She also drew the "scene" complete with a squirrel and we're writing a small story about what she saw and learned.

This week's focus: apples & harvesting.

This Never Gets Old

The mamas returned to Shell Beach today after a couple weeks off to get settled into new routines. Things had changed a bit. A long-missed, gentle breeze swept in from the Gulf. A few more crispy leaves rested on the white sand.

There were no boys hanging from the trees, waving stick-swords and hollering. There were no girls squealing in delight upon finding snails in the rocks, or riding the "big" waves.

Instead, just mamas and babes cycling from blankets to sand to water. Eating. Dreaming. Playing. Remembering.

Happy babes exploring their worlds and words with abandon. Relaxed mamas chatting it up, letting a few of those words you'd never dare utter in front of the big kiddos slip right out.

In a time filled with change, I felt a familiar peace settle over me there in our place. And it's stayed with me all day long.

Rushing Over Me

Some days, I wake and realize my children have changed in the night. One may have grown a bit taller. Or the other may have made a leap in language development.

And other days, I feel the changes occur right before my eyes, and it rushes over me live a wave.

Yesterday was one of those days, as I ventured to our local botanical gardens with my baby. But she was no longer a baby at all. She was a big girl, playing independently amidst the stations set up for preschoolers.

I had worried she wouldn't be old enough to participate. But she was just right!

And as I watched a friend do the delicate balancing act of managing her toddler and her young baby - the very same act I have been doing for near two years - it hit me. That chapter is closed for me now. And my whole world shifted right before my eyes.

Everything She Needs to Know

Since Selby started Kindergarten, I've felt a nagging need to keep some semblance of control over the knowledge she's ingesting. I know there are important things she will not learn in public school. They won't teach her how connected she is to the natural world around her. They won't teach her the benefits of eating with the seasons. Or the importance of belonging to a community.

So, I recently began crafting a simple fall itinerary for my time with my gals. (Yes, I know fall is officially 2 weeks off; but I'm very ready). And last week we began using it.

One day, we talked about how produce changes with the seasons. Then we made Lemon-Zucchini Cornmeal Cookies to honor the passing of summer and emergence of fall. As we waited for the cookies to bake, Selby spread out a blanket right on the kitchen floor so we could read a library book about corn.

The cake-like cookies were so good - a cross between cornbread and a cookie - I served them with dinner, much to everyones' delight.

Another day, while munching popcorn, the girls decorated Nature Journals, made from recycled cardboard boxes and card stock. In them, we're recording nature findings from around our home and community.

Over the weekend, we took a nature walk and began filling the journals. We made tree bark rubbings, star-shaped stamps from a fallen star fruit, plant & flower hammerings and leaf prints.

My plan is very loose, but ideally, each week will include a craft project, a kitchen activity and a community outing; plus we'll explore & journal about nature and incorporate resources like library books & field guides. So the girls can have fun collecting leaves and making nut butter, and I can rest assured Selby's knowledge will extend well beyond the ABC's and 123's.

Note: I know there are many wonderful & important things taught in the public school system and I'm confident in and pleased with our decision to go this route. I believe education comes from many sources, including schooling, family, community and nature.

Dreaming of Fall

Summer on the southwest coast of Florida is very hot and humid. Surviving it requires an abundance of water activities and air conditioning. Needless to say, by the first weekend of September, I'm ready for relief. It has not yet come. So yesterday, desperate, I braved the still and sticky heat at our local farmer's market. And was rewarded with a beautiful fall flower arrangement, sold by a vendor as anxious for the season to change as me.

Later, back in the air conditioning, I picked up these hints of fall at a local thrift store. My favorite find was the silk, mushroom print scarf. It shall keep my hair in place beautifully if the wind ever blows in these parts again...

Matinée de Septembre

"September mornings still can make me feel this way." - Neil Diamond, September Morn


"September Morn" by Paul Emile Charbas

For me, the first morning in September always feels like stepping naked - a blank slate - into a lake of infinite possibilities. Looking out to the horizon, I can see a new season approaching; one that promises cooler air, golden squashes, outdoor festivals, cozy fires, and shades of orange beginning to appear everywhere.

The month of my birth, September initiates my season for rebirth and renewal. It ushers in a time of reward, a time to harvest the bounty of the seeds I've planted over the past year.

Welcome September, and all the promise, beauty and hope you hold.