Mar 20, 2012

hello spring


we sit at the table in our second floor kitchen
and look out over the world
exploding with flowers
and chirping birds
and buzzing insects
and barking dogs.
kids play in the alley and plant new seeds in the dirt out back.
heavy coats are forgotten in a pile and bubbles float across the yard.
neighbors catch up on back porches and talk about the
unseasonable warmth.

over the winter months,
we wished for snow
with all our hearts.
but now, we let this lovely feeling in the air wrap around us,
the seductive scent of the earth opening up
fills our nostrils
with hope.
and we want it to stay this way.
for now.


Feb 27, 2012

whoa



i read while waiting for babychop
in his school pickup line.
i stay up until 2 a.m. to edit photos
and work on projects.
i have piles of sewing and crafts that i want to start
and many yet to finish.
there are clothes to go through, pack and drive to goodwill.
my garden is waking up and begging for some quality time with me.
days fly by.

i need a minute to breathe.
to sit.
and do nothing.

but i don't want to miss dressing up like a mama-pirate.
or catching darth vader before he captures woody and buzz.
letter sounds and seed sprouting take priority over napping.
writing a new menu for the kissykisslove cafe' takes time.

so, if i seem a little dizzy and can't complete full sentences.
please forgive me.
and, maybe bring me a cup of joe.

Feb 14, 2012

xoxo

papa had to work tonight
managing the restaurant
full of lovers in love.
so we sent this to him
so he would feel some love, too.


Jan 15, 2012

gorgeous life

"...I want
 to think again of dangerous and noble things.
I want to be light and frolicsome.
I want to be improbable and beautiful and afraid of nothing,
 as though I had wings."
- mary oliver
 
  read entire poem here.

 reflecting in the mountains with family.
giggly kids, running around in superhero costumes.
pausing only to drink honey-milk and plan a hike.
good food. good beverages. fire burning.
sunrise. sunset. taking my breath away
as the glowy-tipped shenandoah mountains give me permission to relax.
to breathe.
to embrace so much.
and to let so much go.

Jan 1, 2012

one

one photo a day. for a year.
to get out and move. to be still.
to be present.
represented in one click a day.

1/366

join me?

Dec 25, 2011

peace


and love to all of you during this holiday season.
i am so darn blessed. and i know it.
i really do.

i hope, wherever you are,
and whatever you're celebrating,
whether you are with loved ones or not,
you can find sparkle and light
in your heart, too.

xo

Dec 5, 2011

sleeplessness



babychop is wiggly with excitement
instead of sleeping.
the letter, waiting to be composed,
is discussed in the darkness
as i wait for the sandman to step in.

i will tell you what to write, mama.
i know i want a percy train.
and i would like more tracks...the ones with the pirate cove!
will santa write back?
mama? can santa really see me?
when is christmas?
can i open tomorrow's door on the chocolate calendar?
is tomorrow a school day? or will it be christmas?

then, i sing "silent night".
and (almost) every time, it works.
heavy eyelids as he starts singing along.
and, somewhere in the fourth round,
there is slumber.

Nov 14, 2011

fine line

hands on hips.
scowling pout.

loud.

leave. me. ALONE!

we are getting a lot of this lately.
resistance. attitude. testing. pushing the envelope.

we count. offer pebbles to fill reward jars.
hug. talk. ignore. speak firmly. speak softly. walk away. scoop him up.
and tell him we love him.

sometimes we get a tiny "i love you" in return.
and sometimes...not.

i am preparing my heart for its breaking that will surely happen
when he is a teenager.
or before.
most likely...before.

Nov 6, 2011

i don't know about you

but i am feeling the primal need to
eat everything in my path
and get my body ready for the cold winter ahead.
nothing is safe.
bacon.
pasta.
chocolate.
bread.
bacon.
melted cheese.
cold cheese.
room temperature cheese.
bacon.
potatoes.
oatmeal.
soup.
bacon.


what is your favorite cold-weather food?

Oct 9, 2011

at the end of the day

mama, you be wonder woman and i'll be spiderman.

do i look like wonder woman?

no, mama. do you know why? 

no, why, baby?

because you don't have a magic lasso. so instead, you just look like diana prince.



i'll take looking like diana prince.

now, if i could only find my invisible plane.


it has been a while since i posted.
the days seem to fly by.
the boy is getting so tall...so big.
i just want to soak it all in.
slow.
down.
the.
days.


Aug 26, 2011

superchop

guess who turned four?
i know...i know.
sigh...
for the last month, my mamaheart has been trying
to let it all sink in.
four different birthday celebrations,
superhero saturation,
cake, cupcakes, singing,
swimming, and flying (or pretending to)
with BFFs.
family, family and more family.
it was a month-long celebration.
my sweet babychop who
loves to sing,
and dance,
and make people laugh,
is four.
my lovely boychild who hugs me
as tightly as his little arms can squeeze
is growing smarter and funnier
and cuter with every inch taller.

i couldn't be more proud.

Aug 12, 2011

present

"what a difference a year makes"
i read the text message from my friend, robin,
and realized that it has been a year since i was
diagnosed with cervical cancer.

a year ago, it didn't look good.
to say i was completely freaked out
is an understatement.

i had just gotten back from a week at the beach with my family.
i sat in my doctor's office, waiting for the results from my last visit.
she came in and hugged me,
her words "cancer", "deep-tissue", "aggressive", "rare", "lymph nodes"
were all garbled and far away.
"i have the name of a great oncologist"
who is she talking to?
"we need to get you an appointment right away."
is she saying i have cancer?
"i will tell dr. abbas you'll be calling, unless you have another doctor you prefer to see"
liam. paul. wait...what? 
i don't have a preferred oncologist. how would i know a good oncologist?
he will probably want to set up a plan of action right away.
am i sick? wait...
are you okay?
"yes. i am fine. no i don't need water. thank you. i'll see you later."

and then, the rest of my life started.

it still seems surreal that i am here,
that the past year ever happened.
i am grateful to actually feel my feet on the ground.
i feel relieved to be able to wrap around my sweet family

i am so thankful to be cancer free.

life is short, people.
take nothing for granted.


Jul 15, 2011

friday love: b.f.a.m.*

two weeks until the chop is four, i have been browsing through photos of liam and izzy.
they have been together since they were a few months old!
they aren't babies anymore...





17/366  BFFs















*brothers from another mother.

Jul 1, 2011

T.G.I.R(ed)

it's friday, the last day of color week.
thank you, poppytalk, for the challenge!
sometimes we all need a kick-in-the-pants to get going...
to get back to what makes our hearts full.


 







check out other colors here, here, here, and here

Jun 30, 2011

thursday color: RGBIV


CSA pickup


woo-whee! we're 24hours-a-day diaper free!


playground hydration



quiet time

today's challenge has had us playing this song over and over!



for more rainbow connection, click here and here.

Jun 29, 2011

blue wednesday

clomp!
clomp!
clomp!


i could hear him in the hallway.
what the...?
i thought he was hammering something.
i put my coffee down and peeked down the hallway...
blue 1
i love these long, summer mornings.
no rushing around to get ready for school.
doing what we want.
when we want.

blue 2

blue 4

blue 5



more blue going on over here and here.

why are you waiting? jump in! the water is warm...
tomorrow: rainbow
friday: red.

Jun 27, 2011

summer colors: yellow


he is on to me.
he runs as soon as he sees the lens.
nooooooo don't take my picture!

so. i wait until he wants something.
mama? may i play with those chopsticks?
then i bribe him.


honestly. when did he become so camera shy?


see what other peeps are contributing for today's color here and  here.
perhaps you care to join us? come and show off your true summer colors!

what are you waiting for?

monday: yellow
tuesday: pink
wednesday: blue
thursday: rainbow
friday: red

Jun 24, 2011

right-brained

liam, explaining what he is drawing:
mama. this is a guy, and he is dreaming about all of the names in the whole world.
and this is the world...it has legs and a mouth. and it's eating granolies cereal with his big mouth...





i want my child brain back.

Jun 19, 2011

happy papa's day


i have the best partner in the world.
and liam has the best papa-bear ever.

the end.

Jun 4, 2011

almost four

he still calls me mama.
i can still scoop him up and
hold him in my arms.
and he still sleeps with his face smooshed up against mine.



he reminds me that he is not a baby anymore,
(even though he lets me call him "baby").
he makes up songs as a soundtrack to his daily events.
he loves skippy jon jones, bacon, and dinosaurs.
he builds animals and monsters out of legos,  writes his name,
crack an egg like a pro, and sets the table for our family meals.
he is a magician, a warrior, a chef, and a bumblebee.
he is a mighty hunter of (mama and papa) bears,
a  powerful superhero, and a fierce pirate who knows his letter sounds.
his many personalities are: bob, fudge, una-tuna,
mama's windup-toy, and joe-the-robot.
he is a sucker for chocolate and a good drumbeat.




and he is going to be four at the end of july.
four, people...