Month two: Get 'er done

While month one of Elliott's life was all about being gentle in the family's approach,  month two has a different energy for me.  Things are needing to get done.  Laundry, basics like the kitchen, vacuuming, the bathroom and even the fun stuff.  Last week fun stuff took priority and everything else went to pot.  And so Get 'er done....that is this month's motto.

The state of my kitchen this morning:

I learned last week that you can sew table cloths for your co-op Easter brunch (don't ask me why I volunteered for this right now...I just wanted to sew :) with a little one in a carrier and a three year old using the fabric as an ocean for his Little People.

special gifts for the midwife who caught the baby can be made....even if a normal half hour project takes three instead

And a trike can be decorated for an Easter parade in the span of ten minutes....

 This month will be about trying to set a few new rhythms for the family to create some stability for us all.  But for the most part making things happen will be the goal.  It won't often be pretty or easy I'm sure but that's ok life rarely is.

Book of the Month: April

I had been waiting a while to read Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids and so I'm pleased to write that I managed to do that this month.  Breastfeeding every hour and a half all day certainly helps with the reading list.  Kim John Payne approaches parenting from a Waldorf trained perspective and counsels families towards a more grounding home life.  He covered lots of area in this book and set out principals that are simple in theory if not so much in practice.  I agreed with many of his guidelines and think that many families would benefit from creating predictable patterns, removing the clutter of too many toys and "stuff" and reducing the overall screen time in the home.  I plan to go through the book again before returning it to the library and take some notes to keep myself mindful of this philosophy.  It definitely echoes many of my parenting goals.

all about orange

My eldest son is quite the guy for opinions and preferences. ( I don't know where he gets that from...) Only being 3 years old is no barrier to his taste in colour.  Red was his first love and it lasted quite a long time.  We had a red potty, red toys, red flowers were popular and of course red trains were the best.  Next there was a brief flirtation with blue and some fondness for "lellow" which remains popular.  But these days at our house it's all about orange.

 Orange paint, crayons and paper are requested.

An orange rose was the inspiration to get mama flowers

And this shirt is what he'd like to be wearing every day.  Cups, plates, pj's the orange ones are most popular.
I want to remember the love of something as simple as a colour.  Despite the fact that it can often make my life slightly more difficult.

Fair Pay

Today marks the third annual Blog for Fair Pay Day sponsored by National Women's Law Center and MomsRising.org.   The theme for this year is "Stop Discounting Women."  The average working woman in the U.S catches up to what her male counter part made in 2010 today.  This issue seems unbelievable to my generation, perhaps that is why it continues.  Women often complain that we no longer need feminism, that long ago anger at lack of access.  Why then do you not get paid fairly?  Who is going to stand up for you and make the people responsible for this gap change?    At the most basic level woman working in North America today should be paid at the same level as men for equivalent work.  It continues to baffle me that this is not dealt with swiftly by legislation.   Although I realize that swiftly and legislation is an oxymoron.

For more information on how you can help to change this visit the links above.

I stand today in solidarity with women across the globe who are discounted for their work.  Who have to prove themselves twice as much, juggle the many hats we tend to wear, and still face glass ceilings and gender barriers. I stand as a woman who has chosen a different path, but is grateful that I had that choice, as I'm grateful for the women and men who fought for my right to choose it.

Our generation can fix this and move into a new era of equality that benefits both sexes and shows future generations that we cared enough to spare them the same fate.

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.  SouleMama