the path

tonight i have been reflecting on the journey that brought me to where i am now. the path that led to wife...mother...was paved with a mosaic of memories.

chipped glass, ceramic, decorated tile and hints of boys of girls of oceans of the backseats of cars of rose petals of tears of journals and books and words
of stories of fireworks and ice chips
of pillowcases and willow trees
of independant swings and shell seeking
of deep woods talking of midnight conversations of waterfalls of jumping....
of curly hair and big earrings and naked swim parties of witches and tarot readers and love lines of soft mellow music of harsh stomping music of concerts where you weep and concerts where you scream
of love notes and love letters and the smell of libraries of yellow paper of maple syrup and dusty basements of secret keys and back rooms of ice skates....

the path is paved with words and pictures art and music and fragments of dreams of starry nights and loud waves of photobooths and deep communication
of courdoroy pants and guitars of alcohol and paint

of a burst of bright white light
of beaches and convertables and champagne in the shower of candles on the floor of fire escapes of puppies and chicken pot pies and flowers
of handstands
of rocky beaches of angry tides of hate and pain and the triumph of love
of visual journals and words in your head of potted plants and bright fish of fireplaces made out of stones
of love and loss of hope and faith of despair and longing of the changing tides
of swelling bellies of the rush of water of the birth of a universe
of baby toes and olive oil
of thick grass and rosebushes
of zuchinni seeds and terracotta pots

of the smell of the ocean

of the brush of wings

seedling

my seeds are beginning to poke through the dirt and reach and stretch towards the sun. watching a seedling sprout out of a patch of dirt never ceases to genuinly amaze me. there is something so graceful about the simplicity of the plant reaching for the sun. it makes me think of babies being born, reaching and stretching towards their mothers. i want to always be awed by the birth of life in any form.

this time of the year always reawakens my desire to cultivate and grow. each spring we have lived in a different place since we began living together five years ago. the home we are in now has a big backyard and plenty of front and side flower beds to fill. the thought of an overwhelming garden makes me giddy with excitement. there is nothing like the burst of a tomato that's been soaking up the sun right before you bite it. i'm excited to try new things this year and really sink my teeth into gardening.

the idea that we can grow food to sustain ourselves instead of buying it wrapped in plastic from a grocery store is liberating. who wouldn't want to live off the land in this way? i hope to be able to grow food that we all can eat since A will be eating solids by the time fruit and veggies start to grow.

oh where does time go?

an earth celebration

we took A to a buterfly garden today and it was the most amazing thing. he loves to be in the moby wrap (my fave way to babywear), and just sucks on the side of it while we walk around. we strolled through the garden with butterflys flying all around us and hubby taking pictures.

A's favorite book is the very hungry caterpillar by eric carle. he loves the very first page where its just an egg on a leaf and the last page where the butterfly fills up the whole space. he squeals with delight whenever we open the book. he makes a pretty cute butterfly himself...

we also took some time this weekend to honor and celebrate earth day's 40th birthday. we planted a rose bush next to the side stairs. we also switched from paper towels to reusable cloth kitchen towels. i have to say, its been a really easy change.

here's hoping earth has a happy eathday birthday!

loved baby

A is 5 months old today. where is this time going? why won't time slow down or be still for a little while? i have only been a mama for 5 months but it feels like it has always been this way. there were no transitions with welcoming A to the world, everything has just been evolving naturally.

and that is the way it should be. this is how i know that i am right where i belong in life. when things fall into place naturally, when the puzzle comes together on its own i know i am where i belong.

save a sea turtle and the plastic problem

the more i read about the overuse and growing pollution of/from plastics the more and more upset i get. my plastic awareness began as an initiative to limit chemicals and toxic elements for my son. i didn't want him sucking on pvc or being exposed to lead as he played with toys or sucked on teethers. for that purpose my war against plastic was born.

limiting A's use of plastic is making me look at my own plastic consumption in new ways. the water i drank came out of a bottle, my yogurt cups end up in the trash after three spoonfulls, yes my recycling efforts save plastic from our trash can but where does it eventually end up? and what is all this plastic doing to our bodies before it ends up polluting our planet?

according to Greenpeace International, a mass approximately the sie of texas made out of plastics and other trash is slowly circulating in the North Pacific. this thought alone horrified me and when i googled images of it i was disgusted. also according to greenpeace, 'It has been estimated that over a million sea-birds and one hundred thousand marine mammals and sea turtles are killed each year by ingestion of plastics or entanglement.' why isn't that information enough to change the way we consume?

i remember being about 6 years old walking on the beach with my grandfather. a woman approached us holding a fistful of 6 pack rings. she asked me that if i ever saw a 6 pack ring on the beach or on the ground if i could pick it up and cut it so that no rings were left. she explained that sea turtles mistook them for food and would either eat them and get sick or get stuck in them and die. this knowledge horrified me and to this day i still, out of habit now, cut up any 6 pack ring i come across.

sea turtles have always had a soft spot in my heart and reading about how many of them are dying due to plastic is breaking my heart. what can i do? i know limiting plastic in toys and teethers is important for health reasons for A. but limiting how i buy and consume can have an environmental impact as well as a health impact.

a big part of my journey as a mellow mama is my desire to get back to basics in our life. i want us to eat whole, healthy foods, breathe fresher, cleaner air, and live well. back to basics is a step away from packaged and marketed food. we switched to a tap water filter to stop buying plastic water bottles but i still buy soda. this week i want to stop drinking soda. its bad for me, its not anything wholesome or healthy, and when its gone the plastic bottle it came in is disposable. this week i vow for my health and the planet's health to drink only my filtered water.

going back to basics will beneift my health, my son's health, my husband's health, the planet's health and maybe a sea turtle will be spared because we are limiting our contribution to the plastic problem.

mothering

the morning i gave birth and became a mother to my son my entire world, entire being, changed. days turned into nights. the moon became the sun. time stood still but hours passed quickly.

becoming responsible for another life was life altering. i was so in love with the tiny creature that was my son i couldn't even think of something other than him. the purest love i have ever felt i felt for my son.

the birth of A has been the inspiration to lead a more mellow life. to get back to basics. to tread lighter on the planet so its here for him in the future. A is my inspiration to "go green" because what's good for him is also good for the planet. now that i see a connection between people's health and the planet's health it is easier to make better choices. i don't want chemicals on or in my baby and i don't want them on or in our planet. i want there to be a natural, organic world for A to inhabit as he grows up. birthing a child has been the wake up call that i and my husband needed to truly understand the need for a greener, mellower way of life.

mothering the planet mothers my son and mothering my son mothers the planet. the two are linked for life and this mellow mama is ready for the challenge

new

new to blogging. new to motherhood. new to being a stay at home mom. new to putting my art and myself and my passion out into the world. new to staying mellow. new to a natural, organic way of living. new. in general.