liv has reached a new milestone....

she crawled away from me.

like, right down the hallway, into the playroom to go with her sister. 

didn't. even. look. back.

up until now, we have not been more than maybe 10 feet from each other unless she was within 10 feet of her daddy.

I was in shock. 

If I am cleaning the kitchen or cooking, she plays at my feet or is in the sling.....

If I am knitting, or checking emails or reading- she is nursing or playing at my feet or is in the sling.....

so ira went running into the playroom, i was standing in the living room talking to jared and liv squirmed to be put down. 

she took. off.

fast.

jared said, "wow, you are no longer a food source to be kept in direct line of sight, you are a permanent fixture to her, she feels safe to leave you".

i was about to feel sad, until he spoke... then, his words framed up my emotions and put it up in front of me to see the beauty & magic that is intuitive/attachment parenting. 

this is what all those awkward sleeping babe in sling trips to the restroom were for.... this is why i sit silently, holding her while she sleeps for naps.... this is why i nurse her in the mei tei while i dance to brazilian music and cook dinner and clean and craft with ira...

so that she may feel safe and secure enough to take off and explore.

 

breastfeeding campaign!

in marin county, ca!!!!!

i was catching up on some blogs while breastfeeding- and caught this on eco chic family blog!

I LOVE THIS!

click here to read more!

ira is an artiste

and you cannot stop art..... 

even when it is on my cloth napkins.....
 or a storage bin....she hangs her own grocery lists on the message board....

she creates gorgeous centerpieces from found things ;)

and draws portraits of her favourite, long distance family members....

she did all of this while i cleaned and made us fresh juice from these fine lookin' fruits & veggies....

what do sick days look like?

if you love a good give away....

check this blog!

also check out her etsy! i foresee some of these items popping into miss ira's life VERY soon!

i am full

this moment is clear.

we are present.

we are the present

we are the children and the grandchildren

of the revolution

witnessing the change that began with the butterfly's wing-

my camera is with my husband

but i need to document this moment.


joyous.

my camera is with my husband

but i need to document this moment.


joyous.

it was a creed.....

.. written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.

Yes we can.

It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom.

Yes we can.

It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.

Yes we can.

It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.

Yes we can to justice and equality.

Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.

Yes we can heal this nation.

Yes we can repair this world.

Yes we can.

We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.

We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics...they will only grow louder and more dissonant ........... We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.

But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.

Now the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea --

Yes. We. Can.

happiness is.....

watching my 3 year old glue glitter to wooden stars while humming.

letting my 8 month old learn to create and paint- but with pureed organic green beans- ya know, in case she eats any (she did).

having circle time and dancing....

cooking a brisket that fills the house with the scent of tomatoes, garlic, onions..... mmmmmmmmm......

living in a place that gives 78 degree january days.... and lots of lots of sun.

finishing up the last of 4 loads of laundry that were cast aside in the name of fun over the weekend.

drinking more lemonade, with rose hips and lavender today.

fresh eggs from a beautiful friend (even two greenish blue ones I havent yet decided if I will ever be able to crack open they are too pretty)

soooo...

im signing this today.... despite the fact that i have a 2 foot by 6 inch hole in the drywall of theh guest bath, and dirty base boards (and missing baseboards) and half painted walls and a cluttered office (that belongs to my hubby- i do not do clutter)...............

Im signing this because I believe it, but even when you know a truth, sometimes.... well sometimes its easy to get caught up in the "pretty perfect house syndrome".

if it all burned away, happiness would remain.

yours in peace,

jen