Some time to regain balance...

Not sure why I can't seem to keep this blog up to date... But this HAS been a month to remember... Pedar got croup for the first time, which called for some very scarey nights as he struggled to breathe... My tribe had a "storming" and very nearly fell apart... and then I rear-ended someone and lost my car for a couple of weeks to repairs (not to mention some $$). That should have been the big wake-up call to slow down and hibernate for awhile, but I didn't quite get it until I got a massive chest cold and lost my voice for a few days. That was it. I spent the next couple of weeks being quiet, outside in the garden, tying up the raspberry canes, moving compost piles around, and playing with my kids. Since then it's been a marvelous month...

The month of birthdays. Today was Kenai's 10th! So we made a cake and took her to the beach and had a party. SUCH fun. She loved it, of course. Her first swim in the lake this year. Pedar turned 3 on the 22nd and his wish? To ride a bus, so that's what we did:

And he asked for a digger cake so his daddy carved this one for him: (he LOVED it)
And the day before was my birthday... This was Annika's 'birthday portrait' of me (her idea):

I finally "got" all the messages on my birthday, or perhaps the night before when I realized that I needed to bring more balance into my life (yet again). The spring equinox is the perfect balance between light and dark, between winter and summer... And being born on this auspicious day, you'd think I'd be born with balance in my blood. Not so. It seems my life is a continual circle of reminders to slow down and regain balance...

I started my birthday with my friends, celebrating Ostara and all the healing that this equinox brings... We hunted for eggs, left presents for the Great Mother, sang some songs, cast a circle and roasted our food on the fire. My husband arranged for me to have a massage and then we got take-out for dinner. It was a really wonderful day. Ever since regaining clarity I've been slowly getting my voice back, planting seeds, designing a new potager garden, raking leaves, and trying to mulch the bank in front of the house...Balanced with lots of downtime, picnics in the sunshine on the lawn, playing hockey in the driveway, going for walks into the newly awakening forest (almost stinging nettle harvest time for anyone who's interested) and so on... So much to do this time of year, not least of all to lay in the sunshine and really take in the beauty of it all. March really is my favourite...good-bye dear month... Thank you for all the lessons.

Haircut

Edit: Here you go. Annika took this one of P laughing at "mummy's funny hair". It's amazing how kids begin to relate to WHO you are as HOW you look. The familiar. A good enough reason to have lots of changes, in my mind! Just so they know that what I look like has very little to do with who I really am...

"mummy, you look funny."
i do? why? don't you like my haircut?
"no. i don't like it."
"i don't like it either. it looks yucky."
"yeah. and awful, too."
well! thanks! i'm glad you feel strongly about it.
"did you need us to like it?"
no. i didn't get it cut so you and Rane would like it. i wanted a change. and that's what i got. i like it and that's all that really matters to me...

this is after Pedar walked into the room, took one look at me getting it cut and burst into tears, hid behind the chair and wouldn't come to me.

yeah. so i got my haircut. i look different. i FEEL different. it's all good. heh heh heh

Happy International Women's Day!

I'm feeling so uninspired to post, but must break the spell somehow, so will just say how very very fortunate I feel as a woman to have been born in Canada... And how hopeful I am that things will be even better for my daughter and her daughter and her daughter... And how desperately much I want things to be better for my sisters in countries where it's so hard to be born a woman... I am loving this website...

On a much lighter note... here is my little knight in shining armour. Our house has been under the plague (feels like, anyway) since March hit (which is my favourite month of the year, if I HAD to pick)... I've been up every night most of the night since the 1st, so am really dragging and feeling like I could fall asleep standing up... But that hasn't stopped me from raking the lawn, emptying about 500 gallons of rainwater from the tanks, and talking to the crocus and tulips that are popping through... LOVE the sunshine! Where has it been this winter?!?! I've really felt it... and am REALLY ready for spring and warm weather and HEALTHy kids!

p.s. does anyone have a good whole wheat bread recipe that i can try with my whole grain spelt flour? and is there any way to upload a powerpoint show to my blog? i just love the "sisters" one and want it to be on here. anyone know how?