One Last Hurrah!

September 8th, 2007

On Tuesday, we returned from our end of summer vacation — 6 glorious days heralding the end of summer, and a last ditch effort to recharge for the Fall. I wasn’t expecting a lot, but something magical did happen. There was a shift in my Spirit and I will never be the same.

Usually it is only with hindsight, that I can pinpoint a life defining moment. Which is why I say it was “magical.” I could actually sense that a switch had been turned on. I knew immediately that the gates were now open and I was in the flow.

Some of the out of the ordinary things that occurred:

• I hugged more. I am not typically comfortable hugging people outside of my family, and yet I spontaneously hugged and was hugged without flinching.
• I knit a lot. Off and on throughout each day. It was wonderful and easy, and there were lots of knitters around for inspiration.
• I was physically active. I moved when I wanted to move. I picked up my first pair of lunastix and never put them down. And the knitting and late night drum circle counts as movement as well…
• I made several new friends that surprisingly were not hard to say good bye to. Typically, I would miss such kindred spirits, but I somehow felt like it was the beginning and not the end of my friendship with my new friends/entrepreneur mentors/solo parenting role models.

The trip was not without some effort and discomfort, as early morning flights always require some sacrifice. But it was magical still. How very wabi sabi

Posted in Unschool, Travel, Wabi Sabi, Knitting, Mothering | No Comments »

What I learned on Summer Vacation

August 27th, 2007

A vacation is a break away from the ordinary, but there are some things from which you should not take a vacation. Vitamins, for one.

Flashback to the night before we left on vacation…
A lone figure stands in a dark kitchen, illuminated only by a small light above the stove. The clock on the wall says 2:00 and from the bags under her eyes, we know that it is not in the afternoon. She appears to be struggling with a decision, as she looks at a series of bottles lined up on the counter. Suddenly, she sighs and walks away. Fade to black.

Back to the present…
Okay, that was me. I was tired from the late night laundry/packing marathon and decided to leave my vits on the counter. I figured that I would be so excited to be on vacation, that I wouldn’t have to worry about keeping my energy level up. And for the most part, I was right. But what I forgot, is that my supplements are not just to fuel me through 27 hour days, but to make sure each and every hour, I stay my calm, cool and collected self.

On last Friday, it all caught up with me. Fuzzy, cloudy thinking. Feeling lost, disorganized and overwhelmed. Emotional. Overall ennui. I suffered in confusion until Sunday. Sunday morning, I dragged myself to morning worship service. I didn’t even bother to shower, just threw on the same clothes I had been wearing since I hit the wall two days earlier (our church is truly, “come as you are” and on some occasions, I really do). The worship was high and the morning program went out the window. When our Pastor finally got up to preach, it was well past the time of the usual benediction. I can’t even remember from where our Pastor preached (was it Romans and I Corinthians?), but as I headed to the parking lot, I immediately knew that what was wrong and what I had to do.

Vitamins. I must needs take my vitamins and supplements.

Well, I’m back on the “juice” and happy to say that life is still the same, but now, I’m keeping up with it. Here’s my daily regimen. Yeah, it is a lot. But I’m a woman with a lot to do, and this time, I’m sticking to it:

• Super Nutrition’s Before, During and After Menopause Multiple with Iron
• Mona Vie Active (acai with glucosamine blend)
• Trader Darwin’s Super Vision Eye Formula
• Trader Darwin’s CO Enzyme Q10
• Trader Darwin’s Complete EFA
• Trader Darwin’s Oil of Evening Primrose
• Whole Foods Free-Form L-Tyrosine
• Kyo-Green Powdered Energy Mix

I don’t take them all at once. I divide them throughout the day, some after a meal, some on an empty stomach. But along with Jesus, my vits are what get me through each action-packed day.

Any others out there on the “juice?” Feel free to share the secret weapon vitamins/herbal supplements that turn you from Clark Kent into the caped wonder. Looking forward to reading your comments

Posted in Travel, Mothering | 4 Comments »

Wabi Sabi Vacation

August 23rd, 2007

Our first wabi sabi vacation was a huge success. After 10 days away (I can’t bring myself to say it is over. State of mind and all.) we are now back home, safe and sound.

It was long enough for me to forget a few passwords, shake off all the residue of a stressful summer, and has left me feeling like my mind and spirit are a clean slate and I am ready to start again.

With the perfect perspective which hindsight often gives, here are a few things I learned along the way:

1. Prepare as much as possible and then relax and commit to letting each day unfold as it will. It’s good to research and know what’s available, but flexibility adds to the fun and you may have some unexpected adventures.
2. Don’t pack at the last minute. Instead, have everything ready 4-5 days in advance and then two days before leaving, take out half the clothes. Yes, I said “Half!”
3. Take it slow enough to have fun. I’m so glad we had some down days and slow starts (only the children set the alarm so they could get up at 6 am to watch the cartoon marathon) which were especially important to adjust to the change in elevation and avoid altitude sickness (or attitude sickness, if you are traveling with teens
4. Start and end each day with a smile. And smile lots in between. It was quite easy for us as our hotel room had a mountain view and waking up each morning to “purple mountain majesties,” well, a smile on my face and praise in my heart was simply a given.
5. Spend as much time as possible in and doing “the out of the ordinary.” The purpose of vacation is to untap/unclog and fill up/recharge the senses. For us, it meant more time in the mountains and less time waiting in line with tourists. It was really important for me to “fall off the face of the earth” — figuratively, of course! Nothing like perching on a piece of red rock, over looking green trees, under a blue sky, and watching white clouds go by…

One morning on our way to the mountains, a Big said to me, “Our vacation is a class “A” assignment,” which was a reference from the Naruto series. Class “A” assignments are only given to the elite ninja and are special missions to assassinate an enemy or to protect an innocent. Well, we were on our way to knock off the wear and tear of the modern world and revive our spirits in nature, so I guess she was right.

This morning I awoke to a cacophony of lawnmowers and hedge trimmers coming from every direction. I didn’t get the memo, but apparently the neighborhood landscapers had agreed to meet at 10 am on Thursday. It took a few moments for me to identify the source of the noise and understand why the sound was filling my room (I had gone to sleep with the windows open). Yes, we were back in the big city and the world had things to do, places to go and people to see. But I didn’t. In my mind, I’m still perched up on a rock, watching tree tops wave in the wind. So, I smiled and turned over.

Mission accomplished

Posted in Travel, Wabi Sabi, Mothering | No Comments »

Vacation - Day 9

August 21st, 2007

Today our vacation travels take us to New Mexico and Arizona courtesy of Amtrak. This time I was better prepared for the journey and packed not only kid-friendly, but momma-friendly food. So while the children enjoyed the novelty of eating in the dining and cafe car, I’ve eaten yummy live food and am much more comfortable on the return trip home The children are completly at home on the train and are enjoying traveling with the Boy Scouts onboard. After dinner in the dining car with a beautiful New Mexico sunset, we retired to the sight-seeing car to watch the night sky and played MORE 30 SECOND MYSTERIES SPINNER BOOK TRAVEL GAME. I knit on my lovely silk and angora ballet socks (no toes, no heel) and soaked up each and every moment. This vacation has been such a blessing Now we are back in our seats and after tucking them in and saying their prayers, they are all fast asleep and I am blogging on Tomoko, my iPhone. It has been a good day

Posted in Technology, Travel, Knitting, Mothering, iPhone | 2 Comments »