Nap time project: Building a mud pie kitchen

Before...

Added some hooks and nails...

Complete with seeds, water source and cooking island

and a pizza oven

Mama, can I paint on the walls?

There is a benefit to living in a house that will be remodeled at some point...

Saturday morning mess

I started to say "Do you want to watch a movie?" and am so very glad he didn't hear me or at least didn't respond. I am glad because my reason for asking was purely selfish: it would mean that I would have less of a mess to clean up.

But instead, I stepped away and just the next 20 minutes unfold.

It was in my stepping away that allowed the play to begin. Because if I had supervised, I would have steered the creativity into "less messy" options and made suggestions that would have not wasted 1/2 a roll of paper towel. But in stepping away and doing my own thing, unsupervised paint time led to:

A roll of paper towel becoming a street, the blank canvases becoming a cake with the paint being the dough, a handful of crayons being stripped of their paper shell to become something I don't totally comprehend and the boy covered in blue and green paint. 

Yes, there was a mess to clean up and yes, this was only possible on our enclosed porch because in 6 months the whole thing is going to get torn apart. There is paint in the floor that won't come off, I learned that red plus blue plus yellow paint makes a dreary brown similar to the color of our house and I discovered that crayons only need about 15 minutes in the roasting sun before they melt into an oozing rendition of their former selves and then only 2 minutes to cool and harden into an irremovable glob of color.

Yes, it was a mess.

But I think he and I both learned so much more than if I had plopped him in front of another episode of Thomas.

Day 3: A bodyscan to help relax + reflect

"Want to hear the Frenchman?" my husband asks.

"Yes, oh yes." I say.

This is not the romantic interlude you would imagine it to be, but instead a body scan - a guided meditation that reconnects you to your breath and body and soothes you into a deep relaxation. And if you are like me - a mom of two little people who forgets about the Relax + Reflect part of the day until it is too late and I fall into bed completely exhausted at 9:30 - you need something to help you transition from the doing the being.

The Frenchman is Gilles Marin, a man with a delicate and gentle voice who with his words, sends me straight into deep slumber, every time. He is the voice behind The Bone Dreaming Meditation, a guided meditation based on an ancient Chinese Taoist practice translated most simply into the practice of bone breathing. This practice can help the body and mind attain deep relaxation that can help to reduce physical pain, mental disruption and aid in reaching and maintaining deep, restorative sleep.

First introduced to me 6 years ago by Erene Lejeune, a friend and gifted practitioner of Chi Nei Tsang, it has become an occasional part of our nighttime routine. I say our for at some point along they way, my husband learned the benefits of this bedtime ritual on his own.

And now, in the age of iPhones and apps, the Frenchman is with us, even faster, for he was one of the first CD's I scanned and sent straight to my iTunes. Now, he can go where ever we go.

I had forgotten about him until this morning and realized that it is just about the perfect time to bring him back.

If you find yourself with a racing mind and an aching body, unable to calm yourself enough to get the restorative sleep that you need, consider this. Seriously.

{image from the Chi Nei Tsang Institute}

Day 1: So glad I am here

The subject of today's Re-Charge email was So Glad I am Here, accompanied by a moving video to the sound of "So Glad I am Here" by Elizabeth Mitchell. As I watched a "mom" walk through her life, with spilled sippy cups and unfolded laundry, I felt the immense constriction of "I am so not glad I am here" when I see those things in my own house and realized that today I had the opportunity to be glad. Two hours into the day, while two of my men were at Saturday morning swim, I walked around the house and snapped these photos. And then, instead of cleaning it up or making my bed or reading some blogs (which I am not doing for these 10 days) or searching on Craigslist, I took a shower. A really long, wonderful shower and the Legos stayed that way until 30 minutes ago.

Back to this morning. Showered, dressed and even proud that I had made the bed, I had 3 more things I wanted to do, when suddenly...

And what I realized as I quickly took the picture and then scooped him up in my arms is that the constant thought in my head about not being glad I am here is about "not being ready for you to.."

It goes something like this...

"I am not ready for you to be awake because I wanted to..."

or

"I am not ready for you to be done playing with the puzzles because I wanted to..."

or

" I am not ready for you to call me and need my attention because I wanted to..."

And in those few words and thoughts I see how I am creating in myself a dissatisfaction, impatience and irritation that manifests itself outwardly in impatience, unkind words or behavior, resentment and most importantly a sense of not being glad I am here or there or wherever I am.

And well, not being glad about where you are is cause for the worst kind of suffering there is: wanting things to be different than they are and let me tell you, I could write a book about it.

So there is my first lesson: figure how to be glad I am here and really mean it.

Getting reading for the Re-Charge: Refilling the Well

The 10-day Family Re-charge starts today. Wondering what on earth that has to do with remodeling a house?

EVERYTHING.

Because a house is only a reflection of what is happening in the lives and hearts of those who dwell inside. And for now, in our state as a new family of four, all house projects are on hold and we are simply doing what it takes to refill the well. Our project haus just gets to wait.

What inspired you to join the 10-Day Family Re-Charge?

In 2008, my husband and I did a 10 day silent meditation retreat in Thailand that significantly altered the course of our marriage and individual lives. You can read about it here. Every February since, I have reflected back on that time and used it to re-align whatever felt out of balance.

This year - we are in a newly purchased house and have a brand new baby and a fire ball of a toddler. What inspired me to join this recharge? Well, basically, it's a structure to help us regain our equilibrium.

What are your goals (personally and as family)?
For these 10 days, turn off all movie and internet browsing, except the FB and email format needed for this recharge.
For these 10 days, prioritize eating, cooking, snacking and all food planning.
For these 10 days, sit on my meditation pillow 10 minutes a day.
For these 10 days, practice 10 minutes of yoga/movement a day.
By December 2012, my pre-baby #1 clothes fit again.

What’s working well in your family right now?
Consistency in parenting our toddler.
Asking for help and allowing it to happen.
Not over scheduling or overcommitting.
Asking for what I need.
Gratitude.

Where are some places that you’d like things to flow more smoothly? 
Food, food, food, food.
Oh, and getting back to a meditation practice.

How are you doing with healthy eating and shared meals?
Doing great with shared, family meals. Its the food prep and actually eating that needs our attention.

Are you enjoying regular joyful physical movement (a.k.a. exercise)?
No

How are you doing with managing “screen time”?
Good - We don't own a TV so that helps immensely. But when baby is crying and mama is tired and a certain toddler wants to watch Nemo..well, you know the answer. However the iPhone is challenging me. My husband's use of the iPhone is challenging me to be more accurate.

Are you getting enough rest / sleep / downtime? 
No, but for a 5 week old, he could be causing way more havoc than he is.

What is your family most needing right now? 

A plan around food buying, prep, cooking and eating.

Our guiding word for this Recharge: Refill the Well

Rainy day art space

We have all sorts of "Harry Potteresque" nooks under stairs in this old house - so it seemed only appropriate to make one nook an art space.

And the best part, if the nugget paints on the walls, I just smile.

For more pics on our rainy day art space, click here.

A place for peanut to sleep

The moses basket arrived.

For more pics and the rest of the story, click here.

Painting his new room

Taking DIY to a whole new level.