Friday, November 30, 2012

Cooking & Baking Season

My favorite spaghetti sauce

During the summer, I must confess, I am not super inspired to cook.  Staying indoors, over a hot stove and near a hot oven, in a hot state, while just plain hot, drains me.

Plus I'm slow, and even with prep, it takes a while.  You can't rush awesome, and if it's made with love, it takes time.

Of course we also have to account for tiny hands, requests, fusses, and messes, 'cause that's how we roll with two tiny boys!

To top that off, who wants to be indoors when we can be playing in the sunshine until dang near bedtime!

Enter the Fall Equinox, and the Winter Solstice that looms ahead.

The slowing down begins.

The winds shift.

The cool Fall breezes come, we're back into the full swing of preparing, and loving hot meals and baked goodness of all kinds.  We're not just scrambling for leftovers and what I have in the freezer, or (gasp) getting something to-go.  Ahem, sometimes a little too often.

We're ready to slither indoors late in the afternoon, after we've soaked up as much radiant sunshine as our sweet faces can absorb.

Our bodies demand warmth, and hearty nourishment, three warm meals a day.  Warm breakfast and dinner are the best when the cool weather slows us down.  It fills our belly, and we relax, and release, and prepare for our slow beginning or nightly mini-hibernation.

Just like my Grandmothers' homes, ours smells like food all day.  I just love the idea of the boys living in a home where we do all the work, and they bare witness to the being a part of the mysteries of our rhythm, and preparing that which nourishes and sustains us.

So far this week, we've cooked up a rich vegetable soup, fresh veggies, put the Thanksgiving Day ham bone to good use with a huge pot of butter beans, and just finished a huge pot of beans and rice.  I'm ready to make another huge batch of spaghetti sauces -one veggie and one meaty.  Most of the pie is gone (wipes tears) so we'll be making sweet something soon.

We love it.

Warm hearty meals are so good for the soul.

What are your favorite hearty wintery meals?

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Sickies


When we're sick or under the weather, our world slows down.

And we stop.

We take care of only the bare necessities, rest, and whatever we have left, play around with.

I was taught how to take care of myself, and my little ones by my loving, caring Mom.

I remember getting scolded when I worked for actually staying at home to rest when I was sick.  Imagine that!  I remember thinking people that came to work sick, when they didn't have to, were a little nuts, and risked getting everyone else sick.  But I listen to my body and my gut, and when we're down, we stop.

I'm not one to push us really.  We know our pace, and the pace of nature, and we honor and respect that.  We're rarely rushed, and hardly over-scheduled.  And we're happy that way.

We can do things according to our calendar, but easily take up an offer that makes us smile even bigger.

Another way to say it is, we play by ear.

Monday we felt a off.  Just not totally there.  We chilled around the house, rested around, and played outside.  Then that night before bed I thought "I wonder if we are getting sick?"

Sure enough, on Tuesday, I woke up to an unhappy, sad and extra tired baby, and a not so spunky boy.  I felt tired, so we took it easy, played downstairs after not hardly touching breakfast.

Before I knew it, sweet Bodhi was laying on the floor on a toy and said "ni ni", closed his eyes, and started to fall asleep.  At 9:30!  Beyond a doubt, I felt what was coming.

I held him and he nursed, and as he fell asleep in my arms, and rested long and deep, while Z and I built a whole city, complete with every superhero you could imagine.  I also made some vegetable soup, so that we could just call it a day!

Then, the sweet baby woke up with a fever.

Sick babies are so so sad.

I nursed him, and we rested, rubbed on some Thieves Oil and Oreganol.  Ate as much as we could, and on and off, we napped, and lazed around.

It always drives a mama a little nuts when her boys don't want to eat, but they know how to listen to their bodies, admittedly, better than me sometimes.

Thankfully, yesterday, we arose with timid smiles, and Daddy was off, so the day was good.

I am grateful that we honor our body's rhythm.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

How Do You Do It?

Picture is courtesy of Z's friend

As a mother of two small children, I am often asked, "How do you do it?  Aren't you tired all the time?"

I love, play with, adventure with, feed, bathe, tend to, problem solve, prevent meltdowns, deal with meltdowns, keep them occupied, encourage, observe, help sleep, help go back to sleep, cuddle, nurse, clean a 2,000 square foot home, find tiny snippets of time for myself to relax, and create, and organize, and a few breaks here and there, and heaven knows what else, for about 14 hours straight each day.

My first instinct is to laugh.

There is no response but, "Yes.  You just do."

It really is as simple as that.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Thanksgiving Day!

Happy Thanksgiving to you, and your family and friends!

Best.  Dressing.  Ever.
Making a vegetarian version. 

**Order among chaos.
Being organized, so that leaves room to help
and not flip out!!**

**Making tons of dressing, mac and cheese, green bean casseroles, pie and a ham, 
and it doesn't feel so much like work, but just what I do.**

**Neighbors taking family walks.**

**Children playing.**

**LOVELOVELOVE.**

If you are curious about my gratitude journal, here's Day One.


Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Thanksgiving, Day Twenty-One



**You -friends, and family.**

**A husband that loves to spend time at home, and with his family.**

**Two gorgeous boys, that are growing as sweet and kind, as they are beautiful.**

**Our comfortable, beautiful home.**

**Good healthy food for our table, and a growing garden year round.**


If you are curious about my gratitude journal, here's Day One.


Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Thanksgiving, Day Twenty



**Heart-felt smiles, returned from a stranger.**

**Strangers that go out of their way to help you.**

**People that pack groceries right.**

**Being *this close* to finishing that huge to-do list.**

**Making the time to sit on the cushion on a busy day!!!**

If you are curious about my gratitude journal, here's Day One.


Monday, November 19, 2012

Thanksgiving, Day Nineteen


**Babies.**

**Silly boys.**

**My children will eat anything, and love healthy food, and despise most junk food.**

**Daddy is off for a whole week!**

**A freshly mopped floor, by one wonderful husband.**

If you are curious about my gratitude journal, here's Day One.