All posts in Mama Heart Mushings

Unconditionally I Wove My Little Woman!

by admin on November 8, 2009 in Dem Kids Sayed WHAT?, Do I Call It Parenting Advice?, Four Little Eggs In My Nest, Mama Heart Mushings with 1 Comment

Not so long ago, when Baby Boy first arrived I remember having to remind Little Woman that I wanted to give her love’n. When ever she would get upset with life and act out I would say ‘Just let me know when you need some love!’ and she would reply ‘I need some wove Mama.’ and then we would hug… well I think it is paying off. She seems to have a simple yet complex understanding of our love…

L.W.–“You wove me when I cry’n, wight Mama?”
MOM–“Yes, when you are happy I love you and when you are sad I love you!”
L.W–“You wove me when I gumpy, wight Mama?”
MOM–“Yes, when you are silly I love you and when you are mad I love you!”
L.W.–” Yup you wove me when I in the tub too!”
MOM–“Ha ha ha, Yes I love you when you are clean and when you are messy!”
L.W.–“When you wove me Mama?”
MOM–“I love my Little Woman always!”
L.W.–“Yup.”

Our conversation while she was having her bath today.

TTFN

Market Mall

by admin on November 7, 2009 in Bits Of My Personality, Do I Call It Parenting Advice?, Four Little Eggs In My Nest, Mama Heart Mushings with 1 Comment

I love Market Mall. It is one of the first indoor malls in our city and it has friendliness and community galore, unlike the big flashy malls that are way more popular. It was the perfect place for Big Girl and I to have our first real shopping night together.

We went out to find her something she would really enjoy (and something that she go to pick out all her own) because she has always had hand-me-downs and never has experienced picking things herself. We also went to find Mommy a black sweater… can you believe that is the only color sweater I didn’t have??

We hit ‘hangers’ and spent lots of time picking and trying things on. We really got into a groove in the change rooms and between trips down our imaginary cat walk we both found what we where looking for. We also found a new ability we both have, to help one another shop with honesty and understanding of our very different tastes! It brought back memories of times like that with my mom and so I was very very happy about our trip. We stopped for a root beer and a latte and even found the time to look at some books (Big Girl is so into reading all of a sudden!!!).

This trip was really important to me. I needed to have some honest conversation with my eldest daughter. We go out alone so rarely and I have felt the distance between us lately. She wants to be more cool then cute and is so interested in teens that she hasn’t appreciate my preaching about embracing her childhood as long as she can. After some fun we where able to really talk and I told her how I miss her and I don’t want her to pull away from me. She agreed she doesn’t want that either (phew, big mama sigh!!). I get teary thinking about our perfect evening out because I have so much love and pride wrapped up in that girl and I dream that she will appreciate and value me as much as I did and do my own mother.

I feel like such a winner when I am with Big Girl!

TTFN

Each New Day Christ Loves Me Gently

by admin on October 13, 2009 in Bits Of My Personality, Four Little Eggs In My Nest, Mama Heart Mushings, My Listening Year with 1 Comment

What could be more lovely for a sleep deprived mommy then to get to crawl back into bed? What would be more soothing to a weary teary soul then some snuggle time with a piece of my heart (Little Woman).

The morning was gray, I awoke with the regular headache, and the snowy weather had me craving comfy… In spite of my desire to bury my head in the blankets, my body got going. The oldest two have a bus to catch and the husband needs a woman’s assistance in the morning (I wish for his sake that woman had been friendlier).

Made sure the oldest two had all they needed and rushed them out the door with a hug, a wave and a prayer. Had a quiet breakfast of porridge and tea, kissed my husband good bye for the day… and the younger two where still sleeping.

My girls share a double bed, I seized the day and jumped in to snuggle with my three year old once the house was quiet again. I watched her sleep, such perfect eye lashes and what a button nose. Listened to the quiet of a peaceful home, felt the stillness like a warm blanket and drifted into a nap. I knew I had to eventually get up and get things done, but the idea felt almost painful. I was immersed in the now and so in love with my beautiful daughter.

Little Woman fluttered her eyes open and instantly popped out of bed like a Jack-in-the-box. Back to reality for mommy. I am sure she wondered why mommy’s voice chocked as we greeted one another ‘good day’; I was absolutely filled with thankfulness. This had been a sweet gift in time for me! It was just what I needed and I couldn’t help but give thankful praise to my Jesus as I poured Little Woman her porridge and cream.

My morning felt like a firm wrap around hug from my father God to me… if only I was always so aware!

TTFN

At Play

by admin on October 1, 2009 in Four Little Eggs In My Nest, Mama Heart Mushings with No comments
God is good, all the time.
All the time, God is good.(Baby Boy at play with the fall leaves!)

I find it easy to be to burdened by the worries of this life. I get busy, so so busy, and before I know it I am overwhelmed. For all my busyness I am no further ahead. I am behind in that I am moody and upset at shortcomings, failures, not enough time and not enough strength to make use of what I get. When my head is spinning in to do lists I have a hard time counting blessings. I am so afraid that if I just trust and find contentment then nothing will happen and no one will realise how important all these things are to me… I am supposed to run an orderly home and when it isn’t up to snuff (my snuff) I don’t want to stop and be still and know that he is God…

I, I, I…

I just want to play as they do… engaged in the now and content to just be where they are in time…

(Little Woman at play this summer!)

P.S. A well put post that made me calm down about what I can accomplish and what I can not!

TTFN

Baby Boy Is One!

by admin on September 28, 2009 in Four Little Eggs In My Nest, Life Keeps Changing, Mama Heart Mushings with No comments

My baby turned one this weekend. He is obviously growing up. Within the last week or two he has started talking more and working really hard on standing and taking steps.

He seems to be very clever thanks to his older siblings life lessons. The other day his older brother lost his temper and threw a toy. Baby Boy stood up and threw the toy back with the same grumpy expression his brother had had. He loves playing catch with us; rolling a ball back and forth on the floor.

I am so thankful for my fourth born. So thankful to have had two boys. So thankful to have had two bum crawlers (him and his older brother both crawled this way). The gorilla like bum scooting will always be a favorite memory of mine. One that will make me giggle.

Full of joy I am watching my baby grow into a toddler. I am very very optimistic about all this families future adventures ahead.

TTFN

A Sailor Girly and A Pout-y Baby

by admin on September 17, 2009 in Bits Of My Personality, Mama Heart Mushings with No comments
I saw it, heard it, felt it and I captured it in my mind.

Had just left a housewarming party for a lovely friend of mine. I jumped in the van and it was yucky hot. Our air doesn’t work so I opened all the windows for my littlest two’s sakes. To keep the wind from transforming my hair into a rats nest I grabbed my cowgirl hat. As soon as it was on my head I felt good (wink).

The hat, the long earrings dangling against my neck, the breezy top I was wearing and the wind flowing into the van; all added up to one thing, A SING YOU GUTS OUT MOMENT! I turned on the radio and OF COURSE a favorite song of mine was on. I don’t know when the kids passed out but they fell asleep pretty quick and their mama sang all the way home!

When we arrived home I looked back to see two babies out like a light. Baby Boy had such a pout-y look I had to kiss him. Little Woman was in her adorable new sailor-girl suit and had a Popsicle stick still clutched firmly in her little fist. Her face was covered in blue dried on Popsicle and her cheeks appeared squeezable!

I got out of the van, opened their door and stood there staring at them. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my babies!

A near perfect moment in life for me! Picking them up, I carried them into the house, still singing my favorite tune!

TTFN

Apple Festival!

by admin on September 10, 2009 in Domestic Damsel, Four Little Eggs In My Nest, Mama Heart Mushings, My Romance with 3 Comments

I need your help! Let me tell you about my evening and then ask you for the assistance I seek.
Dad and the big kids got busy tonight and collected apples from our tree. This was no simple task as our tree’s apple grow very high and the tree is hidden behind our cedars so access for picking is pretty limited. With no ladder tall enough my husband climbed the one we had and shook the tree with a rake.

The kids stood by with a sheet to catch the apples. I have to say they did alright but we are hoping their catching skills will improve. Most of the apples still hit the ground and then the kids kept kicking them when they went to collect them and threw them into the sheet, which was laying mostly on the ground (thus no soft landing for our sad little apples). The apples where pretty much apple sauce before I even touched them.

I couldn’t help enjoying Garnet’s grunts and groans. Each time he gave the tree a shake a shower of apples would pummel his noggin. He decided looking down and getting them on the head was better then the few times he looked up and got them in the kisser.
I set to work tonight with two happy little ones at my feet (sneaking bits of apple when ever they could). My Little Woman and Baby Boy watched me make two large pots of apple sauce and freeze enough apples cut up for six pies. My little ones had a blast smashing the apples together, rolling them, bouncing them and chewing on them. It is amazing how happy a bunch of bruised, sorry old apples can make my baby boy and little woman.Garnet and I had a good laugh about our little harvesting adventure and we decided to make this a fall family tradition. We couldn’t agree on a name for our families little festival so we are asking for suggestions and if you have none then opinions on the ideas we came up with. The ideas are as follows:

1) Tree Shaking Festival
2) Alley Apple Festival (due to the apples being most accessible from the alley beside our house.
3) Shaking Tree Festival
4) Shake and Sheet Apple Collection Festival
5) Falling Apple Festival

Please leave your ideas and/or preference in the comment box:)

TTFN

Apron Sacks, Flowering Gloves and Bug Pee!

by admin on September 8, 2009 in Bits Of My Personality, Do I Call It Parenting Advice?, Mama Heart Mushings with 3 Comments
Children do not always practice calmness, or patience very well; but they can sure teach you patience. Mommy’s and Daddy’s will miss out if we don’t find the patience to really make time with them. (My Little Woman pointing out a duck to us while at the lake this weekend. She wouldn’t go till we all noticed it and good for her for insisting we stop being so absorbed in our adult plans and take note of life!)

I did something today I haven’t done in a while. I let my girls help me cook. We all put on aprons and my Big Girl cleaned the beans, my Little Woman snapped off the end of the beans and I showed them how to snap them in half into the pot. We then washed the potatoes together and carried them over to the counter, using our aprons as a sack (the girls thought this skill was amazing). At first I kept thinking about how much faster I am at doing it alone, then I drew myself back to the present and took note of their conversation and the moment we where making together.

I’ve pointedly been trying to be in the moment. At lunch time it is just my Little Woman and I. Most days Baby Boy is napping and the older two are at school. I used to rush around while she was eating and get things done during lunch break but lately I have been making myself sit with her and really listening to all her seemingly unconnected stories.

(Note my Big Girls glove! It is her fall gloves that she is getting covered in dirt but she told me she needed ‘flowering gloves like mama wears’ and so that is what this pink set is for now.)

Yesterday I sat on the front step and watched my eldest ‘garden’. She was taking water from the kiddy pool and pouring it randomly on the lawn. “These are yucky areas that need flowers to grow,”she told me. She would take her rake and scratch away at my empty flower bed, very busy, sure she was making the yard much prettier.

I listened as my youngest daughter giggled and squealed with lady bugs on her mitten (yes mitten). She was so nervous about touching them she insisted on wearing a mitten while the bugs played on her hand. My Big Boy thought it was great fun to scare the bugs and watch them pee on him. They must have kept at the bug hunt and gardening for hours and I managed to sit and really watch for a good while.

I am not someone who enjoys fast pace. I truly do think about moments in time a lot and try hard to capture the littlest things about it all. I have become a very impatient mother though. I have become too busy too often. I need to relax more and cook with my girls, chat with my three year old, hunt bugs and garden in an empty flower bed.

Practicing this is medicinal for my mommy soul.

TTFN

Wheels On The Bus

by admin on September 3, 2009 in Dem Kids Sayed WHAT?, Four Little Eggs In My Nest, Life Keeps Changing, Mama Heart Mushings with 1 Comment
(My eldest two waiting at the bus stop with great anticipation!)

Big Boy
“The wheels on the bus are soooooo high Mom!”
“I watch the wheels on the bus while we drive to school Mom!”

Big Girl
“I dreamt about riding the bus again, last night Mama!”
“Riding the bus is awesome!”

So far riding the bus is their favorite part about being back to school. I can’t blame them! It is a big adventure in their lives and so new! Walking to and from the bus stop is a big and daily event in our house now that school is in full swing again. They have never been so easy to get out of bed for school. Busing them is a great solution for our family. The only draw back is the feeling I get in my stomach each morning as they pull away… nothing a little prayer and trust in my Jesus can’t fix!

TTFN

Home To The Lake Land!

by admin on August 6, 2009 in Bits Of My Personality, Four Little Eggs In My Nest, Mama Heart Mushings with 7 Comments

Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to. ~John Ed Pearce

You barely get into the north and you notice the change in the air. It is so fresh and sweet.

(My eldest son in Papa’s boat. This was his and my eldest daughters first fishing trip!)(Wild rice field they had to cross to get onto the lake.)

Happily I feel at ease, a break from the vast expanse of the prairies, as the trees and rocks close in. It is all so familiar, so comfortable, when I return home to lake land.

(My oldest three on a mini hike with me around the cliffs and trees that I frequented as a child.)

This year had a special feeling to it because my older two are now old enough to really get a feel for what it was like for me to grow up in the bush. They have always been eager to hear stories and see where I used to play but this time was different. Both got to go fishing (first time ever) with my Dad, and the fishing stories where large and lovely. My big girl insisted on climbing my favorite tree in Nanny and Papa’s yard. She wept when it was time to leave. ‘Papa calls me a real fishing girl Mom. I love Nanny’s yard it is so different!” shared my big girl. She is now old enough to carry the memories, all her days, of visits to Papa and Nanny’s. My daughter, especially, will never be the same after this last visit.

(My mother’s garden. It used to be a good portion of their seven and a half acres and the three large green houses. Now there is one lovely little green house, built by my dad and more lawn then garden. They still keep it well cared for.)

(My big girl and big boy enjoying the freedom of the farm life!)

TTFN

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