Become the Sky

The butterfly counts not months but moments,
and has time enough. - Rabindranath Tagore

Dinner al fresco while watching two Red Admirals chase each other back and forth over our rooftop. One stopped on our hammock for a rest. A few moments later it darted to S's cheek for a quick kiss then playfully landed atop my head.

After a series of rapid arabesques, it came to rest upon a flower in our garden.

It opened its wings a few times, introducing itself in a display of color, then climbed onto my hand before sailing off once again.

*About Most Alive Monday: I've decided to make at least one "most alive choice" each day and post my favorite each Monday. This, of course, is to motivate me to consciously "live juicy"! I hope you'll join me and share your "most alive moment" in the comments section so we may inspire each other.

Joyful Moments (and a winner)

"This moment contains all moments" - C.S. Lewis

There were many moments of joy last week. There was the moment where we wrangled some neighbors to join us on our weekly walk to the farmers market, then getting crafty with our friends from At Play Cafe next to the peaches. Watching S ride his balance bike back and forth through the puddle. Making it home before the rain. Seeing his little hands shell peas and how he said, "shelling makes NO sense, it should be called UN-shelling". When the doorbell rang and in bounded the neighbor's sweet kids (one with a fistful of clover flower) and how their mom sat on the kitchen floor with me to finish shelling. And then eating those delicious fresh peas for dinner with pasta and spinach ricotta pesto...

The Solstice picnic at his future school. The cool peeps there. The fun and challenging scavenger hunt with cryptic clues. The honey colored light. The one with the potato canon whose perfect imitation of some dismayed ducks brought me much laughter. The beautiful wee babe with the long toes. The boy who said, "you're really nice". Watching the kids catch fireflies while wearing the glow rings that I gave them. S pulling me in the wagon before sunset. The way he smelled of summer, warm cotton and sweet grass. When he spotted two planets in the sky on the way home and correctly identified Mars.

Making Father's Day pancakes with S. His excitement about flipping them all by himself. The carnival at Town Center. His first time on a Ferris Wheel. The moment when his expression changed from that of apprehension to one of joy.

*Because of his sensory processing, he's wary of new experiences...he wants to try them, but it takes him awhile to let go and have fun - the expression on his face (below) when he's in struggle is altogether heartbreaking for me, but his proud smile after facing his inner conflict and choosing joy is worth it.


















How he wanted to sample some carney-confections, especially the one that looks like insulation.

And that moment, unsure of the textural experience, yet wanting to say something positive he declared it, "very pullable".









His first time trying a snow cone and how LIME was the color of antifreeze. He said, "refreshing".



















His face as he came down the big slide and when he went back THREE more times. 

Saying YES to the dart game that he so wanted to play. When he popped the balloon on the first throw and won his prize!




















And how my mind flooded with childhood memories: Riding the Ferris Wheel with my grandmother. When my daddy played darts to win me a prize...how I was afraid of the sharp darts and the loud pop of the balloons. Riding the Merry-go-round, waving to my family as I rode by, and the loud music. My grandfather winning me a goldfish with a ping pong ball. My mother eating cotton candy on a paper stick.

Speaking of winners and joy...it brings me great joy to announce the winner of the Time to Remember Giveaway (drumroll)

Most Alive Monday: Free

The world was made to be free in...

Location: Discovery Woods

*About Most Alive Monday: I've decided to make at least one "most alive choice" each day and post my favorite each Monday. This, of course, is to motivate me to consciously "live juicy"! I hope you'll join me and share your "most alive moment" in the comments section so we may inspire each other.

Most Alive Monday: FIVE

No words needed...

*About Most Alive Monday: I've decided to make at least one "most alive choice" each day and post my favorite each Monday. This, of course, is to motivate me to consciously "live juicy"! I hope you'll join me and share your "most alive moment" in the comments section so we may inspire each other.

Most Alive Monday: Or What Dreams Are Made Of

I only ask to be free.
The butterflies are free. - Charles Dickens

Dinner at Town Center.

Ice cream near the fountain.

Three Coins.

Three Wishes.

He wished aloud,

"I wish for a long, healthy, happy life!"

"I wish to have children too one day!"

"I wish my children have a long, healthy, happy life!"


Near bedtime I whisper,
"Come quietly, softly"
"There, lower your hand slowly".

Trying to contain his excitement he whispered,
"It's the first time I've held a butterfly...my dream came true!"

 *An AMAZING story about the Red Admiral Butterfly HERE!


*About Most Alive Monday: I've decided to make at least one "most alive choice" each day and post my favorite each Monday. This, of course, is to motivate me to consciously "live juicy"! I hope you'll join me and share your "most alive moment" in the comments section so we may inspire each other.

Most Alive Monday: Toadville

"If you build it, they will come" - The Voice (Field of Dreams)

I can't think of summer approaching without having flashbacks of catching toads as a child. I've been longing for some toad action, but haven't seen any since we moved to VA. So, I willed them here. Last year, S had a hard time releasing the toadlets that we raised from tadpoles. I told him that it was the right thing to do and perhaps they would come back to us one day. We discovered 4 toads in our garden on Saturday and S is certain that 2 of them are "Sponge Bob and Sandy Cheeks". We had to build extra toad houses. Satch calls it "Toadville".

"Mama", he said holding the largest,"This is one mighty fine toad!"












*About Most Alive Monday: I've decided to make at least one "most alive choice" each day and post my favorite each Monday. This, of course, is to motivate me to consciously "live juicy"! I hope you'll join me and share your "most alive moment" in the comments section so we may inspire each other.

Most Alive Monday: Let Us Bless the Air

Air: source of breath
That enables flowers to flourish,
And calls the dark, rooted trees
To ascend into blossom....
In the name of the air,
The breeze,
And the wind,
May our souls
Stay in rhythm
With eternal
Breath. - John O'Donohue

One trip to the allergist & an unpleasant skin test to find a way to manage seasonal suffering for S. One trip to urgent care for acute allergic asthma attack and an Rx for oral steroid to help him breathe. One set of gymnastic rings anchored to the ceiling of the spare room. And 6 days of steroid induced hyperactivity.

Three tickets to see How to Train Your Dragon with friends and post show Yogenfruz with our two wee "dragons" roaring at passersby.

The fireflies have emerged. Soon they'll be lighting the air like a blessing.

*About Most Alive Monday: I've decided to make at least one "most alive choice" each day and post my favorite each Monday. This, of course, is to motivate me to consciously "live juicy"! I hope you'll join me and share your "most alive moment" in the comments section so we may inspire each other.

Most Alive Monday: Time Travel

Loving Springtime and all the fun happenings. We went to Colvin Mill to watch them grind wheat into flour the old fashioned way.
There was a Colonial Camp reenactment: peeps wearing some seriously uncomfortable clothing, shooting muskets and spinning wool into yarn.

A little cherub challenged me to a game of Graces and we had a fine time of it. I imagine that this game was invented by a child who made off with his/her mum's knitting needles and embroidery hoop. I'm going to have to make this game for S.

The highlight of the afternoon was the trip to the general store and deciding which piece of old fashioned stick candy we would try. We chose Cherry-Cola.

*About Most Alive Monday: I've decided to make at least one "most alive choice" each day and post my favorite each Monday. This, of course, is to motivate me to consciously "live juicy"! I hope you'll join me and share your "most alive moment" in the comments section so we may inspire each other.

Most Alive Monday: Ladybug Picnic

Scenes from our annual ladybug release...

Most Alive Monday: Make a Joyful Noise

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music. - Friedrich Nietzsche.

For some time, I've wanted to make a banging wall for S, but I didn't think it would go over well with the neighbors. Last week I saw this tutorial on how to construct one of those giant xylophones seen in children's museums. So, we went to Home Depot after lunch, and my husband, The Great Robinsky, whipped it up in no time flat.

It's fabulous and sounds lovely!

He cut one dowel in half to create two short sticks and left one dowel long so the wee folk can hit the high notes. I added a rubber cap to the sticks to soften the tone for the neighbors.

We hung it on a tree in the corner of the front yard nearest the trail so wandering kidlets (or kids at heart) can tap a tune whenever they want to. Now I would like to add a wind feature to the music tree, perhaps some chimes.

I'm totally obsessed with Wind Harps and want to make one or at least go see/hear one. And we're looking forward to seeing Billy Jonas again this summer! As you know, we are huge fans.


*About Most Alive Monday: I've decided to make at least one "most alive choice" each day and post my favorite each Monday. This, of course, is to motivate me to consciously "live juicy"! I hope you'll join me and share your "most alive moment" in the comments section so we may inspire each other.

Most Alive Monday: Wanderings & Ponderings

(Egg Hunt, Kite Festival, Cherry Blossom Festival)

Mama, how do you make shoe laces?

Mama, what are peppercorns?

Mama, what does the tooth fairy do with all the teeth?

Mama, did you see any dinosaurs when you were a little girl?
















*About Most Alive Monday: I've decided to make at least one "most alive choice" each day and post my favorite each Monday. This, of course, is to motivate me to consciously "live juicy"! I hope you'll join me and share your "most alive moment" in the comments section so we may inspire each other.

Most Alive Monday: Forgetting If, Remember Yes

We picked the first flowers of the season.





















We took an earlier bus to OT for a mushroom cheese melt and a malt in town. We took our minds off the lack of air on the bus by writing funny words and trying not to laugh. There was a wee girl sitting across from us with a runny nose, so I wrote SNOTS and scored a reward of laughter. Satch wrote BUM and other words associated with BUMS, you can imagine.

We worked in the garden, ate all our meals al fresco (before the skeeters hatch) and we climbed trees.

We held an art class in our dining room and a pizza picnic dinner on the hill.

We roasted marshmallows with our neighbors.

Happy
Spring!













*About Most Alive Monday: I've decided to make at least one "most alive choice" each day and post my favorite each Monday. This, of course, is to motivate me to consciously "live juicy"! I hope you'll join me and share your "most alive moment" in the comments section so we may inspire each other.

Most Alive Monday: Wabbit Season

I like Rabbit, because he uses short, easy words like,
"How about lunch? - Winnie the Pooh

I'm being treated by a chiropractor with hopes of preventing anymore migraines. While my neck was being adjusted, he told me that his daughter's rabbit had babies and I swooned. So, he offered to stop by our house with some bunnies for us to hold. How cool is that?!?!

His first rabbit encounter...














and mine circa 1960something....

My wee boy helped me to make some felted Easter eggs and we took them to the local Kiddie haunt where they are now on sale!

If you live in our hood and loathe plastic eggs and want a cozy earth-friendly alternative, go check out our eggiwegs.

We took advantage of the warmth before the rain, spending lots of time outdoors. A pack of neighborhood kidlets flocked to our fort...they added a moss carpet and a pine bough roof. A mum and son nature walk revealed 1 salamander and a small herd of very large deer...we backed away from our fellow herbivores and they did the same. On Saturday we took a stroll in the drizzle to see a play performed by our local Young Actors Theater. They were terrific!

Lastly, I was delighted to see my Lola Hair Clip Tutorial on one of my favorite blogs, Kids Haus!

*About Most Alive Monday: I've decided to make at least one "most alive choice" each day and post my favorite each Monday. This, of course, is to motivate me to consciously "live juicy"! I hope you'll join me and share your "most alive moment" in the comments section so we may inspire each other.

Most Alive Monday: Happy Mom

"Little surprises around every corner, but nothing dangerous!" - Willy Wonka

I want to take a moment to thank everyone for their support, well wishes and resources. I feel so blessed that my diary has enabled me to connect with so many kindreds and even more blessed to have developed friendships with some of you in person. I've said it time and again, I'm the luckiest person on Earth.

I received a comment last week that gave me pause and I wanted to take a moment to respond to it because I don't want anyone thinking that I'm something I'm not. For the record, I am an oridinary person. I have good days and bad days just like the rest of the world. I get tired, I get frustrated, I lose patience, I get annoyed with my husband, I get sick and that is pretty darn ordinary, isn't it?

Last week, I received a comment from happymom which read:

"Wow - what a bummer. I am amazed that you can suffer migraines, and still find the energy for Most Alive Mondays and crystals, and chocolate strawberries. You are an amazing person."

And here I must respond and dispel any myths and snark that I'm an "amazing" person...

My migraines lasted approx 10 hours each, though I would have to confer with my husband as I lost track of time due to the pain. The next day or two after the migraine, I felt pretty much like crap, exhausted and achy, but I couldn't flop because I have a 4 1/2 year old son who wants to do stuff.

This blog is my diary and very much a part of my own self care...especially Most Alive Mondays because it reminds me to be aware of the beauty in the ordinary. Each week I look for a moment that felt special to me in some way and then I add it to the queue to post automatically on the following Monday. So, as the new week unfolds, I have that moment from the prior week to reflect upon as a buoy for the week ahead. Something light to float on in the event of a crappy day that we all have from time to time, but rather not cling to.

My son was extremely excited about the crystal growing kit that his dad bought during their trip to the museum (while I rested from the postdrome aka migraine hangover) and heartbroken when we realized how toxic the kit was. Thankfully, crystals don't require any energy on my part, short of boiling some sugar syrup and pouring it into a jar. The rest is up to evaporation which I have nothing to do with. To his credit, my wee son agreed to wait until the following day to give me just a bit more recovery time before our Rock Candy experiment.

With regard to the chocolate covered strawberries, it seemed like a simple request. Melt some chocolate in the microwave, let cool and enjoy the hush while the wee boy is dipping berries. A moment of sweet peace from a very patient boy waiting for his mama to get better.

Indeed, the 3 migraines I've had were a bummer, in fact, they down right sucked. But what sucked even more than the pain was not being able to enjoy my son. You see, if given a choice, I would much rather be on the floor playing Legos with my son than barfing in the back of an ambulance. I am grateful for those moments when the pain ebbed...those moments when something so simple and effortless like making rock candy or dipping strawberries became an absolute wonder and delight to my son.

I'm not amazing, that's "crystal" clear! Yet the world is amazing to one little boy who just discovered that he could grow candy on a stick.

*About Most Alive Monday: I've decided to make at least one "most alive choice" each day and post my favorite each Monday. This, of course, is to motivate me to consciously "live juicy"! I hope you'll join me and share your "most alive moment" in the comments section so we may inspire each other.

Most Alive Monday: Crystals, Confections, Critters

"It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all" - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Last week while I was resting from the aftermath of a severe migraine (a story for a different post), Robert took our son to the Chinese New Year Parade and then to a museum where our son went loco over a little crystal growing kit. Our son is interested in so many things...insects, volcanoes, robots, marine life, and crystals (to name a few). So the boys came home with a little kit and when I peeled myself off the sofa to help our son with the preparations, I noticed that it was highly toxic. Apparently my husband didn't read the fine print on the kit. Our son was terribly disappointed, but I explained that I knew a way we could grow crystals that weren't toxic, and were actually edible. I told him we would make Rock Candy the following day. I explained how as the water evaporates from the syrup, the sugar crystals grow on the stick. You can imagine how excited he was...what could be better than a rock you can eat!

The instructions are below. I added 1/2 tsp of peppermint extract to give it some flavor. Here is a photo of the crystal growth after just a couple of days.

• 1/2 cups water
• 1 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2-1 tsp flavoring extract
• glass jar
• wood skewer
• clothes pins

1. Place the water in a medium-sized pan and bring to a boil. Add sugar slowly while stirring. Continue to stir and boil the syrup until all of the sugar has been dissolved. Remove from heat.
3. Allow the sugar syrup to cool for approx. 10 minutes then add extract and pour it into a clean jar.

4. Dip the tip of the skewer in the syrup then into a tiny bit of sugar to create a little coating for the crystals to cling to. Hang the skewer with the clothes pins so that it hangs about 1 inch from the bottom.
5. Place your jar in a cool place, where it can sit undisturbed. Cover the top loosely with plastic wrap or paper towel to protect from dust.
5. Sugar crystals forming within 2-4 hours. Allow it to grow as large as you want then remove it.
I guess the delayed gratification of waiting for Rock Candy began to trigger some interest with his sweet receptors because he then asked if we could make chocolate covered strawberries like the ones he saw at the sweet shop in town. So, I tempered a small bowl of chocolate, gave him some organic strawberries and he had a blast. In his own words, "This is the best thing ever!"

In other news, our Katydid that our son found after the first frost has died. I am surprised that it lived as long as it did because the lifespan of an adult Katydid is brief. It lived out it's lifecycle in the lap of luxury dining on baby greens, and sipping fresh water from a bottle cap. It was certainly the only Katydid who has seen a blizzard and lived to tell the tale while warm and safe in it's home on our window sill. We had a little burial ceremony in our snow covered garden. Farewell, little Meadow Dancer...thank you for all that you taught us!

*About Most Alive Monday: I've decided to make at least one "most alive choice" each day and post my favorite each Monday. This, of course, is to motivate me to consciously "live juicy"! I hope you'll join me and share your "most alive moment" in the comments section so we may inspire each other.