On Motherhood

I no longer can recall well a time in my life when I wasn’t a Mom.

It may have only been three years since M joined our family.

But, she has brought with her a clarity, complete joy and sense of well-being that - most of the time - makes all the chaos of life fade away.

Motherhood has revealed a huge learning curve that I’ve been slowly overcoming. It’s one of those curves that you never actually summit. But, the journey proves amazing every day.

I am in complete awe of it all - of the tenacity and strength every mother must discover within herself and learn how to tap on a minute-by-minute basis.

But, damn it’s fun.

With utmost respect and admiration for moms the world over, I have to say thanks to all of the women in my life who offer a shoulder, a smile and a hand when life is nuts while always willing to celebrate the beauty of true love - which is what being a parent is all about.

Those hugs, kisses and “Moooooommmmyyyy” calls from across the room…sweet smiles and hand-holding on the trail.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Happy Place

Life feels completely chaotic right now.

Some good.

Some frustrating.

Some in need of an inordinate amount of ingenuity and boldness.

All looking toward that happy place.

Community Walkin’

CVK has long had a life of its own.

But, lately, the evolution of that life leads us more and more out into the community.

On the heels of super success with the fun, silly sweet Today Party, we decided to get rolling on an idea that’s been rolling around in our heads for a while - pulling together a series of community walks for parents and younger kiddos who want to get together for some trail exploration and hanging out.

Today’s our big launch of the NeighbourWood Walks…and after late nights of planning, making nature passports and creating of our NeighbourWoodies trail mascots (see above)…we are ready to roll.

Thirty kids. Twenty-two adults. Six trails. Good times.

Jasmine

On the tiny front porch of our house in California, Spring announced its presence with the gentle authority of the sweet jasmine blooming along the trellis.

Windows cracked open for the first time after the Winter rains, its smell would fill each room in the house with happy and calm.

One whiff, to this day, sends me back to that place, my California.

When I was a kid, it was the pussywillow tree and flowering cactus in the backyard.

Life in the Northwest always sent me down the road toward tulips.

Love has always meant lilies.

Flowers have continued to be the reference for all that is happy and good.

Rhodos, grape hyacinth, forget-me-nots…all about life in Canada.

And then grandma planted a jasmine beside the front porch, now crawling up the trellis…

Flowers, Flowers Everywhere

We have discovered nature art.

Watch out.

Painting with flowers is a preschool mind blower.

Creature from The Deep

The ocean is so sci-fi.

Who says aliens don’t live among us?

Enthusiasm - The Morning After

It’s 7 a.m.

I put 3 more hours of work in last night, taking me until about 1 a.m.

Enthusiasm is fleeting.

If only I could say “Back to bed” and mean it.

Enthusiasm

So, yeah, the cleanse…it’s working.

Either that or some invisible Shaman has sneaked into our room in the middle of the night and slipped me some magic energy juju.

I suspect that juju lives somewhere between no bread and no sugar (dammit).

Stinking Shaman.

It’s 10:45 p.m.

The last time I blinked it was 10:45 a.m.

If Ken hadn’t pointed out that I’d checked off nearly everything on my massive to-do list when I finished the Mother’s Day cards tonight, I may have thought I got very little done because I don’t think I actually paused in between to-dos for the last 15 hours.

I joke that I pretty much HAVE to get as much done as humanly possible when I feel great, because the other end of the scale is far less enthusiastic.

So, here I am thinking I surely can pound out two more hours of work tonight - and I committed to three projects this week in the process.

Would it really be SOOOOOOO bad to be bored:)?

A Hankering for the Sea

After a last-minute tip off from a pal, we hit the road yesterday for the Pacific Biological Station to check out all of the cool sea creatures, laboratories and science vessels out at one of the largest ocean research facilities on the West Coast.

We all totally dug the day checking out creatures and learning about life as a marine biologist.

Me, I fell in love with the boat.

Must have been a sailor in another life

Easter Egg Garden

The tulips blooming in our front yard have a way of making everything look very Easter around here…I’m feeling very pink-flower-skirt and flip flops.