Over 20 Years and the Only Thing that Has Changed is our Hairstyles

by Boho mom ... who is sick & tired to death of the malls, the commercialism, the materialism and the selfishness taking over this month!

Things My Hatchling Has Taught Me

my cutie-pie hatchling at 8 months old

Aristotle said... "In short, the habits we form from childhood make no small difference, but rather they make all the difference."

Being a mom has changed me in more ways than I thought possible.
Through the past 13 years I have learned, grown, evolved, been inspired, been motivated, scared to death, and also happier than I ever thought possible.
So many of life's lessons, I have learned from my hatchling. Who knew?

1~ Love people~. When my hatchling was a tiny baby, she would flap her little hands, get happy & excited when meeting new people. In grocery stores, she would sit in the cart, smiling and saying "hi" to everyone we walked past.
Too many times, as adults, we judge a book by it's cover, are often guarded when meeting new people and are hesitant to make friends with someone until we know they are "right for us". As adults, we have learned to be reserved, cautious, and while that can be a good and safe thing, it can also hinder us socially.

2~ Love waking up in the morning~ There's nothing better than a happy little toddler waddling out of bed in the morning in a soaked diaper, dragging her blanky, all warm and cuddly; full of enthusiasm to eat oatmeal.
In our society, we've become conditioned to dread that alarm in the morning, signalling another day of work and responsibilities. We rush through our morning and instead of enjoying a hot cup of coffee at home, we hit the drive-thru on our way to work, and spend 20 minutes in line, rubbing the sleep from our eyes, while a stranger puts cream & sugar in our coffee. Then we drive off and try not to spill it or crash the car while drinking it.

3~ Be grateful~ My hatchling, from the time she could talk, learned and loved to say "tank you". To the bank teller who gave her a sucker each time we stood in line, to the store cashier who put a sticker on the back of her hand, to our dog who would drop the tennis ball in her hand, to each and every house she trick or treated at. Sincere and genuine gratitude beaming from her cute little face taught me how simple it is to be happy with what we have and be grateful for the little things we often take for granted.

4~ Be confident~ There is nothing that melts my heart more than remembering my hatchling's first steps, 8 of them, across the living room floor. Her eyes were wide with surprise at what she had just done. She clapped her little hands together and squealed with delight, as she plopped down on her butt.
Somewhere along the way we get conditioned to believe less in our own abilities, and more in what other people expect from us. We get self-conscious and are sometimes so afraid of failing at something, that we often do just that.

5~ Try new things~ From learning to swim, to petting zoo animals, to eating new foods, my hatchling has always been game for new experiences. Young children don't know fear and doubt yet, they jump into new experiences feet first, and I think we should follow their lead. As we grow up, we start to stay within our comfort zones and often miss out on the excitement of trying new things.

6~ You're already an artist~ Ever watch a kid with a paint palette and blank paper? They know no boundaries, are not in the least inhibited, and create whatever they feel like. My hatchling was always one for mixing all the paints together, thus creating a mess of dull brownish-grey paintings. But they were each individual to her, because nobody told her the "right way" to paint. She knew as a toddler that there is no right or wrong way in art. You paint what you feel. Thus a brown blob on the paper was "mama", and a grey smearing of paint was "a efelant".

7~Wear what you want~ When my hatchling could dress herself, she would pick out a little pink skirt, with purple striped leggings, a yellow Pooh-bear T-shirt, perhaps with a bathing suit over top, a baseball hat (always worn backwards), and always bare feet. She dressed for comfort, not for other people, and definitely not for fashion. I used to cringe taking her out like this, afraid people would think I was colour blind, but I didn't want to squelch her developing sense of individuality. Now at 13, she still has her own sense of style. While not quite as fashion-bizarre as her toddler days, she still knows what she likes and wears it, not caring what her peers think, and often setting new fashion trends at school.

8~Learn to prioritize~ Time has flown by and these last 13 years have been the happiest of my life. (the most scary and challenging - but definitely the happiest!).
I have taken some flack over the years from a certain family member about my messy house, and I. don't. care. My hatchling has taught me that some things are just more important than keeping a Martha Stewart house...like letting her smush home-made playdough into the carpeting just to "feel what it does", to leave that sink of dishes after we eat dinner, and get outside for a nature walk before it gets dark...to let the laundry pile up on weekends, because she's not in school and I get to spend a whole 2 days with her. Clutter and dishes and laundry will wait, but my hatchling won't. She's growing up so fast and I don't want to miss a thing!.

peace out

An Old Pair of Jeans & Yoga

I've got this really neat yoga-bag project (thank you Erin Huffstetler,) and I am totally making one.



My hatchling is growing so fast and I've lost about 30lbs of junk food weight since last winter, practicing YOGA and eating right,(Yay!!). Therefore there is never a shortage of jeans around here that are either too big for me now, or too small for my hatchling.
I love the durability of denim and think this is a great project. My yoga mat has to be replaced a lot of the times due to kittys thinking it's a great scratching post, or a certain chihuahua puppy loving the chewiness of it.

Here's the how-to's of it.....

Have a pair of jeans that you never wear? Then, turn them into a stylish yoga bag, and get some use out of them.

You Will Need:
An old pair of jeans (men's or women's)
Ribbon
Sturdy thread (upholstery thread works well)
A needle or sewing machine
Sewing pins
Scissors
Your yoga mat (for measurements)

Cut the fabric for the yoga bag from the leg of a pair of jeans.
Measure the length of your yoga mat, and add six inches. Then, cut off one of the jean legs at the same length.



Cut a circle to serve as the bottom of the yoga bag.
Cut a circle from the remaining leg to serve as the bottom of the yoga bag. It needs to be at least two-inches bigger than the opening at the bottom of the leg all the way around.



Sew the bottom onto the yoga bag.
Flip the cut leg inside out, and pin the fabric circle to the bottom of the bag (good side facing in). Stitch in place. Then, flip the bag right-side out when you're done.

Make a hem for the drawstring at the top of the bag.
Sew a one-inch hem at the top of the bag to hold the drawstring. Include two holes for the drawstring to go through.



Cut a length of ribbon to serve as the drawstring for your bag. Then, thread it through one of the drawstring holes, and work it around to the other side. Continue to tug on the ribbon until it is even on both sides. Then, finish by tying a knot at each end to prevent the ribbon from slipping back through the holes.




Thread the ribbon through the drawstring at the top of the bag.
(Tip: To make this step easier, untwist a metal coat hanger; tie the ribbon around one end; and use it to guide the ribbon through.)

Add a strap to your yoga bag.
Create a strap for your yoga bag by cutting a piece of ribbon to the length of the bag and stitching it in place; or if you prefer, create a denim strap by cutting three strips of fabric from the remaining leg, and braiding them together.

cool, eh?

Full Cold Moon & Winter Wishing

I didn't have time to make a dreamboard for this moon, but I did alter the Sandra Boynton cartoon above to suit today's post. lol

My wish for winter is for my hatchling & I to nest, settle in, and feel at home in our new apartment. I know it's getting repetitive, but I cannot believe I've moved 3 times in one year! Sometimes I have to stop and think (just for a sec.),which bus to get on to go home. I wish for my daughter to feel happy and comfortable and at home in her new bedroom in our new place.

To join in Jamie's Wednesday Wishcasting...go here!

And about this full cold moon... is anybody feeling anxious? Agitated? Overwhelmed? It's not just the count-down to Christmas!
Tonight's full moon in Gemini may "shake up your reality". You might want to do something soothing for your soul and nerves tonight, as our anxiety spikes with this full moon.
It makes sense to me. The moon effects the tides, and our bodies are made up of 2 thirds water, soooo.....yeah, lunar/lunacy....get it? It's bizarre too, as my "lunar cycle" began yesterday and let me tell you, my PMS was off the charts. I always get a bit stressed every 28 days or so, but woo-hoo! This month, I'm talking bags of Tostitos, a huge bar of this and a jar of peanut butter to get me through. Even my hatchling noticed that I was... "a bit bitchy mom".

Tonight's full moon is also an ideal time to socialize, exchange ideas; to become interested in all points of view, all sides of the conversation, but keep it light. Keep it between friends and family, those who are comfortable with all aspects of our nature. You know, in case your inner bitch comes out.

*Also this month we'll have two full moons! A blue moon at the end of this month.



peace

P.S. Still working on my blog's make-over. If you're not in the links yet, not to worry, I'm on it!