the benefits of sea salt

if you think this is a food post - it's not. if you need some suggestions for stress relief...that is what I feel like talking about today.
while I don't claim to be an expert on anything (except, perhaps, how to drive my darling husband crazy) I am a mother of five children and I think it is safe to say I do know a thing or two about kids....or rather, how my kids can drive me crazy. so, I thought I would share a few ways I de-stress in my life.

it is a bit of a miracle that I am able to sit and type this out - if I actually get to publish this post....that is yet to be determined.  so, please excuse my typos and lack of capitals and for the record this is being typed on my phone....with the two smallest kids on the couch beside me looking at lift the flap books as the three year old informs me it is their  "peace  and quiet time" and then swats my shoulder every two seconds to show me the page he is looking at (don't worry, I did the right thing and read them a few books before starting.) before that we had a great conversation where he (the three year old) randomly remember our hamster dying last fall and told me all about how the hamster was sad in the dirt and grass now and
"I am getting a new hamster, or five...can I get a hamster? and a zoo?"
and my seven year old compsed a song he has been singing all day,
"baby, baby, I'm half crazy"

...this is the same boy that came to me while I was on the phone this morning;
"mom? mom? mom? mom? "
"yes?"
".........I forget"

ironically I was chatting with my own mother at the time.

I remeber her trying to have private conversations...before the days of portable phones at that! annd I feel her pain....I must have been the most annoying little girl. sorry mom.

so back to stress relief.
since starting to type this they have stopped looking at books,I have tandem nusred them and they had circle time, run by my amazing 10 year-old. ..she is now pulling them around the house on a blanket. I love her.

so, with  that little  intro to my day, ha, I will share my list;

5. going on the internet. yep. it's true.. I'm not going to pretend I don't like it or dont do it. I like to see all those silly ecards, and my friends photos....I even follow comedians on twitter and do my best to keep up with the "news". a few minutes(ahem...) online does this mama  good.

4. stirring soup/roux/sause, what have you.  standing over a warm stove and  s l o w l y  

s t i r r i n g...

3. grinding sea salt with my marble mortar and pestle. Besides the fact that it is so good for you, and so yummy, I love course sea salt because it gives me the chance to pound away at something for a few minutes. I get a lot of satisfaction from seeing those little rocks turn to powder.

2. spening time with my husband. alone. yes. sometimes I just need to talk, and he is such a wonderful listener.  and sometimes...there is no talking ;)

and my number 1 ....

PRAYER. beautiful, quiet time with God. a moment to gather, breathe,  listen, be grateful,  and beg for mercy. our God is so good. this is one mama who's happy to admit that I can get steessed. I don't have it all together, but I am a daughter of the Most High and He is the Prince of Peace. 

12

12 months in a year
12 days of Christmas
12 apostles
12 farm fresh eggs
12 is a dozen gorgeous roses

12 is a good number

we have done 12.
12 years married.

Sunday was our anniversary. 12 is a funny one to celebrate. We have passed the BIG 10, but are not quite at the impressive 15...12 is, nontheless, worth celebrating.
Being happily married after 12 years is a wonderful gift. My husband is truly my best friend. He is understanding of my crazines, gentle to our chidren, respectful of all.

This year our plans were simple, but it was still a day to remember.

In the morning I came downstairs and was promptly told I could "go back to bed" by my son.  The children made us breakfast in bed and mmmm....was it nice! In the true celebratory fashion of our family we all hung out on the bed and laughed at the silly antics of the little ones as we read our home made cards and loved each other up!

After that we started the day with  Mass outdoors! The weather was gorgeous and the setting, perfect.
After mass, we took part in the parish picnic which was actually a bbq - not even a pot luck one!

are you keeping track?
that is 2 meals I had done nothing for!

The mass and picnic were held at the local Pioneer Museum. After eating, everyone was welcome to roam the grounds, see the animals, the blacksmith, the mini-trains (oh boy were they a hit!) and we had a wonderful afternoon walking and talking with friends, watching our children run and explore together, sharing our stories of childhood all the while.
 do you need to be brought back to childhood for a moment? stop for a second and watch. Watch your little ones climb a fence, feed a horse grass, watch them listen in wonder as something is explained to them. Forging metal can be amazing, tools and musical insturments of a time almost forgotten.  You will return to your days as a child. What a gift!


The weather co-operated for most of the day, but eventually the grey clouds moved in faster than we were expecting and it was quick good-byes and dashing for our cars.
At home I was again told to take it easy, as the kids kept busy in the kitchen. They cooked, baked, set up and prepared a feast for us - with the table set for a dreamy dinner, we were led into the dining room.
They had put out the roses Darryl had given me that day. They had lit candles. There was a place setting for he and I, with napkins and wine glasses! There were notes and gifts, and my favorite touch; our wedding photo album , propt in the centre of it all. They took the baby from me and left us alone. It was more than we could have ever asked for, much more than these two tired parents were expecting - that is for sure.
and we ate.
and we talked.
and for a few minutes, no one asked for anything.
no one spilt their milk.

we were able to enjoy - just us - be that young pair of lovers that we are.

The day of our wedding my sister had told me to make sure that I took time during dinner to have a special, private moment with my husband. The wedding day can go by so quickly. So much excitement, but then, it is gone, just a memory. So I did. I was sure to spend a few quiet moments savouring the day, letting all the joy sink in.
12 years later, and I still TRY to do that.
Meals are such a good time for it.
for one thing they are practically the only time of day I am sitting still -ha
but really, they are a time to gather.
to pause and reflect on our day.
to feed our body, and our soul.
to delight our senses in textures, tastes, sounds.
a moment to relax after all the work it took just to put the food on the table.

so, a word of advice.
let your children join you in the kitchen.
don't let the only baking they do be at Christmas.
Teach them how to cook simple things.
encourage their efforts.
let them experiment (recipes are really only guidelines right?!)
and they will find joy in sharing their talent.
and a day will come when you don't cook a single meal.
and a day will come where you sit down to a cake,
baked by your 9 year old,
surrounded by your children
and your lover.
and some one will ask,
"Do you like it Mama?"

and you will say
yes.

God is good.

this moment

{this moment} - 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.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

AND go visist SOULEMAMA for other moments!

this moment

visit SouleMama  {this moment} - 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.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

the little realities of life...

sitting down for 2 minutes is better than not sitting down at all

i may not get more than 30 seconds alone in the bathroom - but my home has running water

8 month olds don't get tired of the "drop things off my tray" game - but at least i get to spend my days playing games with a baby ( side note - it is amazing what an 8 month old will consider edible)

there is ALWAYS someone needing me - but I know I am not alone in this great big world

somedays i want to cry - but more often i am laughing

my house plants may be dying...

but my son can grow a mean rock! (and sticks!)

the most important thing i may do today is kiss someones boo boos - but that IS important

life is better in colour! even if it is marker on your walls...

I haven't slept straight through the night in...years...but our bed is not short on love

there is always something on my floor but...wait, i got nothin for this one...there is always something on my floor...

believe it or not - as a mother of five (and wife to one) i still find it very easy to be totally self absorbed - i'm working on that...

our lives are not the sum of our dollars in the bank or the trips we have taken, and so on...but the ability to be present in the moment (i'm still working on that one too)

TODAY count your blessings, not your bills
your friends, not those who annoy you
the toes on your baby's feet, not your grey hairs
your kisses, not your dirty dishes.

think of the things you HAVE done, and not what you wish you had.

Gaze at the flecks of colour in your lover's eyes instead of what some celebrity is wearing

i pray that you understand, if I hold a opinion on something that is different from yours that does not mean i don't love you

I wish you could hear how beautiful it is here today, the birds singing in the fog...but this may have to do...

I have to go now...a bare bummed cherub just peed on me.

when so much is going on

what do you do when so much is going on that ....well, i don't even know how to finish that sentence.

let me put it another way; do you find it easier, or more difficult to support others (family, friends) when you are going through things your self?

i just spent the weekend with a dear friend who's family is going through a very difficult time.

we are as well, but in a totally different way.

it was a really amazing weekend for me.

i felt so supported, but it was in the chance to serve another that i was able to be at peace with our situation.

let me just clarify that it was not a "misery loves company" sort of thing.
it was that in the distraction of service i was able to see my own situation for what it was.

God speaks to us all in different ways. Yesterday i encountered Him at mass, in the Eucharist. but the night before it had been on my couch, nursing my baby beside a friend, as she nursed hers. It is in the dirty dishes, the mess of diapers, the broken heart of a friend, when things seem so overwhelming, God speaks.

are you listening today?

more importantly, are you responding?

because

because i have sons...there is always lego on my kitchen counter

because i have sons...i am well versed in all things star wars

because i have sons...i get called mama

because i have sons...there is always arnica near by

because i have sons...all i need to do is say the word "fart" to get someone to smile

because i have sons...i am humbled every day by the souls God has entrusted to me


because i have daughters...i have to answer the same question more than once

because i have daughters...i get to buy pink sparkly shoes in size adorable

because i have daughters...i hear the words "i hope i can do that someday" as i tandem nurse

because i have daughters...there is always someone willing to dance

because i have daughters...i remember the joy of being a little girl

because i have daughters...i am humbled every day by the souls God has entrusted to me