Draw what delights you
in to your heart
Let it dazzle you to tears,
filling your body
with the bearable sweetness of being.
Don’t wait for the scratches and scars to be cured
Don’t wait for something bigger or better
And for pity sake, please please
Don’t wait until everybody else has had theirs.
May the tide of daily delight flood you to happiness.
A great Daddy’s song… written when he found out he was having a baby… enjoy this one, Dads.
“With Arms Wide Open”
Well I just heard the news today
It seems my life is going to change
I closed my eyes, begin to pray
Then tears of joy stream down my face
With arms wide open
Under the sunlight
Welcome to this place
I’ll show you everything
With arms wide open
With arms wide open
Well I don’t know if I’m ready
To be the man I have to be
I’ll take a breath, I’ll take her by my side
We stand in awe, we’ve created life
With arms wide open
Under the sunlight
Welcome to this place
I’ll show you everything
With arms wide open
Now everything has changed
I’ll show you love
I’ll show you everything
With arms wide open
With arms wide open
I’ll show you everything …oh yeah
With arms wide open..wide open
[Guitar Break]
If I had just one wish
Only one demand
I hope he’s not like me
I hope he understands
That he can take this life
And hold it by the hand
And he can greet the world
With arms wide open…
With arms wide open
Under the sunlight
Welcome to this place
I’ll show you everything
With arms wide open
Now everything has changed
I’ll show you love
I’ll show you everything
With arms wide open
With arms wide open
I’ll show you everything..oh yeah
With arms wide open….wide open
I walk my children to and from school each day. Well, walk, ride bikes, scooter, whatever. But we get there slowly, at their pace. It is a great time to connect. Busy life aside, it is our time together: no phones, no computer, lots of fresh air and moving through weather together.
My daughters are getting older, starting to have those interactions at school that, as adults, we might think back to and cringe… you know the kind… my best friend was someone else’s best friend today… I did my math problem wrong and the teacher made me do it over (much to my horror)… or just the new concepts and ideas about life/bodies/gender/sex/grades/sense of self – all that good stuff. And this year, it is certainly more noticeable than other years.
So lately, I’ve been conscious about what seeds I can plant during our morning and afternoon walks. Is there anything I can ask, or say, or stories that I can tell, that give my girls a bit of new self-insight, new strength, new ways of thinking about the world, as they figure it out for themselves?
I’m always so proud of you.
I look forward to finding out something amazing that happens in your day today.
You are wonderful to talk to, wonderful to be around.
I love holding your hand.
Let’s hurry to class, so we can see your new project on the wall (and take a picture of it to show Dad later and send to Gramma).
How did you see that as a learning opportunity? What did you learn from that?
How is that working for you?
What is one amazing thing you learned or discovered today?
What is something new that you learned about yourself today?
What was the best part of your day?
Was there anything today that surprised you?
How did you handle that?
Anyway, planting seeds, seeds of strength and self-awareness and empowerment. Life seeds.
with a special performance by The One And Only Jason Quick, Performing Artist, One-Armed Juggler & Home Birth Dad (www.jasonquick.net)
~ please bring a dish to share ~
If your last name begins with …
A – Hbring a Main Dish
I – Pbring a Salad
Q – Zbring a Dessert
PS: Even if you can’t make it to this year’s Midwifery Picnic, You can help make sure Midwives and Mothers are not left out of NationalHealth Care Reform, visit www.mamacampaign.org and sign up today!
Thank you to Birth Diva, LLC for this recipe… enjoy, and happy breastfeeding!
This is a recipe that has been floating around for years. I am including options to make it vegan too. If you need a boost in your milk supply, give them a try. It is the yeast and oats that are doing the work here. Enjoy!
Ingredients
1 C butter or non-dairy buttery spread (e.g., Earth Balance)
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
4 T water
2 T flax seed meal (no subs)
2 Lg eggs
or Vegan Option 1: 3 teaspoons of Egg Replacer mixed with 4 tablespoons of water
or Vegan Option 2: 4 teaspoons of flax seeds mixed with 4 tablespoons of water
1 t vanilla
2 C flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
3 C Thick cut oats
1 C Chocolate chips
2 T to 4T Brewers Yeast (no substitutions)
Preparation
Preheat oven at 375.
Mix 2 T of flax seed meal and water, set aside 3-5 minutes.
Cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs or vegan substitutes.
Stir flax seed mix into butter mix and add vanilla.
Beat until well blended.
Sift: dry ingredients, except oats and choc chips.
Add butter mix to dry ingredients.
Stir in the oats and then the choc chips.
Drop on parchment paper on baking sheet.
Bake 8-12 minutes
Ohh… so good! And if you happen to be feeding a toddler or child at home, they’ll love this, too… From The Grit restaurant in Athens, GA.
Mac and Cheese
Creamy in the middle, crispy on the top. Try to eat a little, but honk down ’til you pop!
4 c (1lb) dried elbow macaroni
12 cups water
6 T butter, divided
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
4 c wholemilk
1 generous teaspoon mustard, dry or prepared
2 t salt
Pinch of black or cayenne pepper
1 T plus 1 t hot sauce
6 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1-1/2 c fine breadcrumbs
Preheat oven to 425′ F. Grease a 9X13-inch pan or glass casserole.
Bring water to a rolling boil in a large stockpot. Add macaroni and boil 8-10 minutes or just until al dente. Remove and drain well; set aside.
Melt 3 T butter in the stockpot and add drained pasta, stirring to combine. Whisk together eggs, milk, mustard, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Add to pasta and cheese. Stir mixture constantly over medium-high heat until cheese melts and milk and eggs begin to thicken. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until very thick and creamy. Transfer to prepared casserole.
Melt remaining 3 T butter in a small saucepan and mix with breadcrumbs. Spread mixture evenly over top of macaroni mixture. Bake 10-15 minutes. May be further bronwed by briefly placing under broiler, if desired.
Yields 10-12 servings. Great re-heated. Add a big green salad and tomatoes or steamed greens, some sliced seasonal fruit, and a big glass of pure water, and Mama will be one happy camper.
My friend, Christina Byrne, made these for me a couple of days after the birth of my daughter, Emma Rose. They are for Mom’s only (don’t need to share – but you can if you really want to).
The fact is, new Mamas are up all night, every night. To give a new Mama a nice treat, bake her a batch of these cookies, and put them in a large freezer bag. They are sweet and healthy, and just what a mama needs in the middle of the night. On a pretty note, tell her to store these cookies in the freezer. When she wakes in the wee hours to nurse or feed her little one, she should take one of these cookies out of the freezer and place on her nursing nest table (in arm’s reach!), along with a nice glass of water. THEN get her baby, soothe her, feed her, and enjoy this treat while she’s doin’ night duty! love, m.
Middle of the Night Nursing Cookies
Preheat oven to 350′
3 eggs
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
1/2 T. vanilla
1/2 T. karo syrup
2 t. baking soda
1/2 c. butter/marg.
8 oz. peanut butter
4-1/2 c. oats
1/2 lb. chocolate chips
1/4-1/2 c. flour
Mix the wets, add the dries, throw in the chocolate chips at the end. Drop in BIG spoonfuls on to ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes.
