~on our way to a baseball game earlier~
Our dishwasher is broken. I’m spending a lot of time in the kitchen washing dishes. I’m trying to be mindful and appreciate the view from this vantage point.
~the tower of wooden bowls that Iain made as he oiled each one~
~soaking the paint jars~
~chive flowers infusing vinegar on my window sill~
I’ve been listening to this a lot lately. But right now I’m listening to the thunder. I’m grateful for the rain, even though I am just now remembering the diapers that never came in off the line. It’s going to be a powerful storm. It’s really the first one of the season. I love a good thunderstorm. It make me feel the way I do while listening to Moonlight Sonata. But I’m checking in often with the little one who is still frightened by them and hoping that he’ll sleep right through it all. No one has been getting much sleep here lately.
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The sleeping through didn’t work out. He’s now laying next to me here, wearing a sleep mask and listening to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons (‘Spring‘ currently). It seems to help.
It’s funny how we have the exact opposite reactions to an approaching storm. I have to remind myself that it’s not safe to go stand out in the middle of it as I would like.
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Back in the morning, and after the storm to finish this post…
The kitchen that I was speaking of so fondly above, isn’t such a happy place today. I’m getting a lot of flak lately about our food limitations. All of this was so much easier when our kids where younger, but now we’ve entered the age of awareness and comparisons and it’s hard. Oh, so hard. Hard to be hated and despised for trying to keep them well. Hard to devote so much time and energy and be met with so much frustration in return. Any one out there been through this and have some words of wisdom? Or at least encouragement??
On an entirely different note, I think I have something like 5 finished knitting projects to share, just as soon as I get some pictures.
I’m not getting a lot of traction on my current knit though. Ever have a project like that? It just feels like I’m getting no where. I think it’s because it’s really long rows of lace and I’ve been loosing my place at every little interruption and I’m not far enough along to have the lace pattern memorized. Perhaps today is the day that this pattern really starts to ‘click’ for me.
It was 39 degrees celcius here in Ottawa, Ontario… for the past 2 days… Ohh was it ever HOT! I was hoping for one big storm but only had lightenings.. The storms hit everywhere else but our town, too bad!!
I can’t wait to see your finished knitting projects, especially that bluegreenish little dress from december!!
Oh how I wish I had good advice for you on the food front. My kids are younger than yours, but it seems like we’re already struggling. Since my husband works second shift it’s usually just me and the kids for dinner. I’ve found my joy over making dinner has been completely lost. It’s no fun to put a lot of time and effort into making meals and find that their reception is lukewarm at best.
I love your images. And the thought of that storm … I would have gone and stood out in it, but I guess storms here aren’t as dangerous as they are there.
I’m sorry about the food hassles. I’ve struggled for a while with this one and find myself slipping terribly.
I don’t have any advice per se on getting through the food issues. But, I can offer some encouragement! I was the child in your situation and am now the mama. As a child I remember really struggling with how different our food was compared with, well, almost anybody we knew. Our food issues were much less serious than yours sound and eventually (in our teens, I think?) we were given free reign to make our own food choices and bear the consequences. And we did, consequences be damned (isn’t that a motto for the teen years, after all?). Needless to say, it didn’t go well, and eventually we have all come back to a much healthier place with food. All of this to say a couple things: it *is* a struggle, for you and for the kids. It *is* worth it. One day, they will understand, too.
I am incredibly grateful to my mother for sticking it out with us. It has given me a wonderful relationship with food that very, very few of my friends have. It is never a struggle for me to eat well or to choose to prepare good (health-giving, non-allergen) foods for my family. Moreover, because I was given so much allergen-free time as a child, I know what a healthy normal feels like in my body… something that many people who have had “sleeper” allergies still don’t understand. Watching so many of my friends struggle with this as adults has given me a deeper appreciation for all that my mother did for us. Hang in there!
I have found that, as mothers, a large part of our job is that of advertising agent! I’m sure you already do this, but talking about how good healthy food is for our bodies to our children helps them to make positive connections. My children are now almost 16 and almost 10 and they prefer healthy choices usually. I make sure all of our choices at home are good and then when they are with others, we talk beforehand about eating things in moderation and counteracting less healthy choices with healthy ones. For example, if we will be at a birthday party (of someone who doesn’t follow our eating guidelines), I will suggest that eat plenty of veggie sticks if they plan to eat cake.
They usually don’t eat the cake because they find it too sweet and not as good as our homemade! I know families who eat healthy at home and then gorge themselves on junk food when it is available. I do not want us to do that so we talk about how if affects our bodies when we eat too much.
It can get more difficult when they are older, and I would imagine boys would be more so than girls, but as they get older and make some more of their own choices, they will return to the good foods usually.
Warmly,
Tonya
sarah- several towns near to us are in a state of emergency after that storm. And during it, the weather channel’s website had all kinds of red flashing warnings about seeking shelter immediately. so, I figured I probably ought to be a mature, resposible adult and all of that. If it were a less severe storm I probably would have gone out.
Syl- thank you, that *was* helpful.
Tonya- yes, that’s a good attitude to have. It’s harder for my little ones though because there are certain, very very common and popular things, that they can’t ever have. So it’s not just a matter of moderation, but a clear line in the sand saying “we’re different” and to their minds, at times anyway, deprived. sigh.
keep up the good work!