Meanwhile, Mama. . .

Mama has been going through a lot of transitions lately. My wetland biology job with Washington state ended in June, when my contract was not renewed. The state budget is in dire straits and contractors were the first on the chopping block. I feel so lucky to have been able to work part-time from home for 4 years and am thankful for that opportunity. I now feel that I have both feet firmly planted in Kentucky, and that feels good too.

So, now what? What's a full-time mama to do to bring in some part-time cash?


Back in February, I applied for an Art Meets Activism grant from the Kentucky Foundation For Women. I actually got the grant and am excited to be facilitating a series of three Rites of Passage retreats for women: Women's Rites. (I'm pretty proud of my little punny title.) I'll be using storytelling and spoken word to conduct women’s rites and empowerment retreats for women and girls, which will promote self-confidence, body self-awareness and creative self-expression for participants. This all started with a friend putting a bug in my ear to lead some workshops. A year later and here we are. I'm really excited about the first of these retreats a mother blessingway) since this is something I love doing. This winter and spring I'll do maiden (menarche) and crone (menopause) ceremonies. The best part is that I'll be conducting the retreats right in my backyard, well virtually, at Black Acre's Education Center. You'll likely hear more on all this as time goes on.

I also start next week teaching a biology class (Intro to Evolution) at Spalding University in the adult accelerated program. It is one night a week, so Gary will have the kiddos. I'm really excited to be trying my hand at teaching, since I'm considering a career change into this field when the kids are both in school. I'm looking forward to this challenge, and after two Saturdays of Gary taking the kids on field trips to let me prepare, I feel ready.

It's really good for my brain to be active in this way at least a little. And more importantly I'm finding that working a little gives me a real self-confidence boost. It helps me remember that I am more than a mama; that this diaper-changing, laundry-sorting, breastfeeding marathon is not a permanent gig, that I can and will be back at work someday, that I can contribute to adult conversations, and that I can actually string words together into coherent sentences on a few hours of sleep. It's a new chapter for me starting this fall, and I feel good about what is coming. It's a little hard to be letting go of the wetland world for now, but I'm doing things that my heart feels drawn to and that is always the right move.

Messy Party - Skye's 4th Birthday

Backyard, paint, paper, more paint, more paper, toes, fingers, ears, bellies, sprinkler, sand, kiddie pool, soggy diapers, naked baby butts, watermelon, squirt bottles, cake, ice cream, dripping, giggles, sacs, hopping, cherries, smiles.

"Mama, I loved my messy party. I wish it could still be going when the raccoons come out and then when it's morning it would be over."

Portrait of a Goddess

Mother, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, "Mo"
90 years upon the earth she loves,
Living a full life,
Inspiring all she meets with her smiling eyes,
Adventures never end,
Raising 5 amazing children (truly amazing children),
Collecting angels and bells,
Taking grandchildren for mental health vacations when things were tough,
Gardener extraordinairre with buckets of food to feed her family,
Water loving avid boater,
Exuding love from every pore,
Teacher of senior adults to continue to learn,
Practicing random acts of kindness handing out blue ribbons to favorite gardens,
Rock hound searching for treasures all over the world,
Lover of life.

To see the complete and full enjoyment of this woman as she eats a peach is my truest example of adult bliss that there is. This wise woman had her entire family of 33 gather to go on boat rides at the local lake. It was an honor to be able to celebrate with her, and we hope to be able to come to her 100th birthday party that she's already planning. Go Mo!

Secret Trail to the Farm

Although we're close to the animal barns at Black Acre, we just haven't been able to get ourselves over there without a car. It has remained just too far to walk. But last week, we just determined that we would find a way. Skye found "a secret trail" and we pushed the stroller through the muddy nature trails in an attempt to make it there. Skye sang a "we did it" song accompanied by her own butt-dance when she saw the horses. We, of course, came home with a beautiful bouquet to share our nice day with Papa.

Gardenscapes

The Greatest Children's Museum Ever... Ever

It really isn't fair at all. I grew up in Indiana, and thus grew up going to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis on a regular basis. It is ranked the best in the U.S. and the largest children's museum in the world. So really, how can any other museum compare? Well, they just don't even come close.

Gary and I were so excited to take the Bug so that she could see the dinosaur exhibit there. There has been a lot of dinosaur talk in our house, so we knew it was time to go. She even got to dig for bones "like a real paleontologist." (We can't believe she knows that word, either.) She also really liked the construction section and could have moved fake bark around all day, truly, if we'd let her. Mama's favorites were the spinning chair kaleidoscope and of course, the carousel. I remember riding that carousel waving to my parents many years ago, and although the museum is always changing, I'm sure that will always remain a highlight for years to come.

Flower Girl, again?

Miss Bug got a chance to wear her magic dress (again) and sprinkle flower petals (again) in my cousin's wedding (again) . . . just a different cousin. This time she didn't need to go to the practice, because in her words, "I already know what to do." Two times in as many weeks. Watch out, she's going pro'.
I think this time, she realized that her favorite part was going to be the reception, so she quickly slipped into something more comfortable that was twirly - her favorite yellow dress- for some line dancing with the ladies. She was concentrating very hard as she stomped along with the rest of the crew, completely unaware that she was half their size. This kid can dance as well as she can drop petals, ladies and gentlemen.