Calm

Calm: a state of tranquility

Tranquility: quality or state of being tranquil;  calmness; peacefulness; quiet;serenity.

Any Mama, Papa or human being reading this knows that those two things are NOT found easily.

As much as I may try to simplify my life in hopes of avoiding a life full of running in circles, there still seems to be just too many of those days where I start running when I wake and don’t stop till I fall onto the bed at night ( at whatever crazy time if night that may be:)) …

Those are the days I wish I had a tattoo on my forehead that said ….

“JUST BREATHE”

“Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.” ~ unknown 

 Life seems to be moving so fast and I am learning quickly that the time I need to pray, meditate…my time to be in Nature, to breathe and to Just be…isn’t going to just get handed over to me.

  I have reach out and take it….

SO, how do I walk away from moments like these to go enjoy the sunset and take a moment to breathe???? 

 I just do!

And this is why…

because even if I never took another moment for myself and just worked non-stop… chaotic moments like these would still find me…moments when everyone needs me at once, when the mess, laundry & to-do list are SCREAMING at me….

That’s just life….

“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in tune once more.” – John Burroughs

What I battle with and what many times steals my calm is the feeling that I “should” be doing so many other things besides sitting and just listening to nature, writing in my journal, or looking at a beautiful sunset.

The tranquility I find in those quiet moments is real, it is necessary and it’s what keeps me balanced, focused and able to continue to poor out love and energy to the people around me.

I have to be willing to stand up for myself

and make those moments however short they may be…. a priority.

`

“I am not selfish, I am human…” 

~ Barefoot Mama

The Poetry of the Earth is never dead.” John Keats

Passion is an intense emotion compelling feeling, enthusiasm, or desire for something.

Here are a few things that I FIGHT to stay

  passionate about….

..making time in our day for creating and for exercising our imaginations.

Finding time for artistic expression..art, music, writing, poetry….

.. surrounding the children with good music, living books, beautiful art and poetry & toys that encourage their imagination..

“The person rises to understand, master and enjoy whatever he is surrounded with in language, ideas, literature, and in appreciation for beauty. If you share with children the very best, carefully chosen to meet their needs, THEY WILL AMAZE EVERYONE.” ~ Susan Macaulay

...embracing originality.

Allowing the people around me to be different then me and realizing

how beautiful that is. 

.. holding onto this love

..our little farm. We are passionate about working our own land, caring for and loving our animals, growing our own food and we have a deep hope that eventually we will be able to call this farm…sustainable

Hope is the thing with feathers 
That perches in the soul, 
And sings the tune–without the words, 
And never stops at all,

Emily Dickinson

…. simplifying, accumulating LESS stuff & using fewer resources

To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter… to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring – these are some of the rewards of the simple life. 

~John Burroughs

… holistic medicine. I am eager to know more about alternative medicine. This is something I spend a great deal of time and energy on.

The best six doctors anywhere
And no one can deny it
Are sunshine, water, rest, and air
Exercise and diet.
These six will gladly you attend
If only you are willing
Your mind they’ll ease
Your will they’ll mend
And charge you not a shilling.
~Nursery rhyme quoted by Wayne Fields

I am passionate about my time in Nature, my meditation and prayer time…. time where my body & mind are still and my soul can hear. 

 There are things in this post that I am naturally very passionate about and others that take effort & a little extra energy in order to hold onto to them. This weeks theme was great for me, it gave me an opportunity to look at the things in my life that mean a great deal to me and to also see that maybe I need to work a little harder to hold onto those things.

~ Barefoot Mama

The Poetry of the Earth is never dead.” John Keats

A magical moment, a moment that I wish I could put into a time capsule and pull it out again years from now, I moment I really want to remember, A moment I can look back on when my kids are grown and remember how perfectly magical this time in my life was.Inspired by Soule Mama

He said “Drifter can you make folks cry when you play and sing,
Have you paid your dues, can you moan the blues,
Can you bend them guitar strings?
He said “Boy can you make folks feel what you feel inside,
’cause if you’rr big star bound let me warn ya it’s a long hard ride.”

~Hank Williams Jr.

“There were hundreds and hundreds of snow children, beautiful and white, swirling and twirling. calling out to her.” ~Snow Children 

Snow in Texas…imagine that! A strange Winter indeed

This little Texan was not so crazy about the snow

JOY

Snuggles from Daddy

Little helper

“Bud, I know you like that hat but it’s a little big” ~ Mom

My Man

“whoa…good job da” ~ L

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tbQtJ2oGzA

L was very impressed

(note from hubby if you watch this video….he wants you to know that he needs to buy a wedge, that’s why it took him so long to split that log…lol I told him I would tell you:))

My Nephew Preston was very eager to help:)) LOVE it!

Oh, if you could have seen how fast she ran when that ax hit ..haha!

 Do you know what this photo means? It means we get to have a fire tonight because it’s COLD in TEXAS..yipee!!!

   Wonder

Today has been wonderful….I am so very, very grateful for a bit of colder/winter weather. A chance to cuddle up by the fire and read WINTER books.

“In winter, bodies sit closer, books last longer, and hugs squeeze the warmest” ~ Winter is the warmest season

 ~ Barefoot Mama

Blogging note: I want to do a giveaway…well, because I love you guys:)) Would you be interested? Are giveaways fun or annoying? BE HONEST with me..thanks!

My “Magic in a Bottle”

“Mom, do you see the moon in here?” ~N

“yes” ~me

” I see a moon, fire, wind, trees and lots & lots of stars. Isn’t it beautiful?” ~ N

“oh, yeah, I see it now..wow!” ~ Me

I don’t know that I ever would have seen the inside of a shell that way. I am so grateful for the imagination of my children and that they help open my eyes to the hidden beauty all around me

]]> http://www.barefootfive.com/2012/02/beautiful-and-white-swirling-and-twirling/feed/ 0 http://www.barefootfive.com/2012/02/its-in-learning-changing-and-challenging-yourself/ http://www.barefootfive.com/2012/02/its-in-learning-changing-and-challenging-yourself/#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:49:58 +0000 Barefoot Mama http://www.barefootfive.com/?p=4380 Continue reading →]]>  Warmth

The kind of warmth that warms your heart and stamps your soul with love.

 Have you ever lived through a moment so beautiful and real that it stamps you with love and warmth. Then next day, week or even years down the road when you think of that moment your heart swells and your soul warms up. Those are the moments, the warmth that allows us to smile, to feel loved, to breathe, to find peace even when everything around us is cold. Even when those moments have seemingly been forgotten, when you can’t clearly picture them anymore, I believe they are still there warming you up. As a mama, I want to create moments like that here in this home for both me, for my husband and for my babies, moments and memories that will travel with them and warm them up when they are cold.

Capturing some of the things that warmed my soul this week and leaving them here in this special place. 

I found Warmth…

…in the early morning stillness

 ..in Little hands working with love & attention

…it’s in the little one that still loves the feeling of sticky hands (a little dirt never hurt anyone, right?)

…in Toddler creations

....it’s in those moments where all of a sudden everything becomes very real and you wonder what you ever did to deserve all these beautiful souls that love you

..in Handmade treasures ( a gift to me from bread and buttons)

..in Babies that want so badly to be just like Daddy

A life-long blessing for children is to fill them with warm memories of times together. Happy memories become treasures in the heart to pull out on the tough days of adulthood. ~ Charlotte Davis Kasl

…in love

Warmth

It’s in Mother Natures beauty, it’s in the moments of laughter, it’s in the joy, in the struggles and victories, it’s in a little voice saying “Mama, I really love you”, it’s in the kindness your children show when they don’t know you’re looking, it’s in the moments of stillness, it’s in the love of a partner, friend or sister, it’s in the warmth of a sleeping baby on your chest and the pain you feel at the idea of them growing up and leaving you, it’s in learning, changing & challenging yourself.….

It’s in you, it’s in me, it’s in them..

It’s here…

Wishing for you, that today, is  full of Moments that warm your soul….

  ~ Barefoot Mama

The Poetry of the Earth is never dead.” John Keats

AND THAT GOES FOR MAMA TOO:)))

 fun fact about my hubby: My sweet, wonderful, talented husband and his mad carpentry skills get a little carried away sometimes:)))

I took the girls out to run a few errands, when we arrived home Billy met us at the car door and said ” okay, before you freak out I sort of tore everything out of the girls closet and it made a pretty big mess.” hahaha! I kept reminding myself of one of my favorite sayings as I approached the construction site … If you’ll laugh about it 20 yrs from now, why not laugh about it now ….. At this moment my home is a complete disaster and as with any construction project in the house we are creating mountains of dust and laundry. oh and my poor babies caught a little stomach bug, which isn’t really helping with the laundry situation.

I sat down today to write about the week and realized it really wasn’t all as bad as I had convinced myself it was. Reason number 3000 why I LOVE blogging, it’s a great reminder of all the things I have to be grateful for.

So, Here are the beautiful moments in the midst of the Crazy that I found to be grateful for. 

“We’re moving out” 

They want to live in their special tree:(( I am so glad they changed their minds, I would have really missed them

I am grateful for Summer in January (I think:/)

I am grateful for the beautiful imagination of my children that knew that You certainly  can not play in a pretend mermaid lagoon without flippers:))

I am grateful for mudpies

I am grateful for sweet handmade treasures

Thank you to my sweet friends at Artsy Ants for sending a smile my way this week. THANK YOU!!!!

Found time to add a little “Pixie Dust” to my home:))

You are poetry

We made our electrical box into a poetry board

I am grateful that the unfolded laundry found a purpose;)

I never knew unfolded laundry could come in so handy..haha!

Lost another tooth this week:)) YAY!!

and the very busy tooth fairy did not forget to visit us…YIPPEE!!!

I am grateful that the girls love to learn and that it comes naturally here and isn’t a struggle or a fight

I am grateful for The poetry of the earth

 The project

Could there be anything cooler than a big hole in the wall when you’re 7:))

oh boy…

JUST BREATHE

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ~Melody Beattie

I really do believe that for each of us ( yes, somedays we may have to REALLY search for it) somewhere hidden under the dust, laundry and whatever else life may be throwing our way, is a long list of things to be grateful for.

~ Barefoot Mama

  I almost forgot to tell you

I was interviewed and I’m kind of excited about it:))

KC did such a wonderful job putting together these personalized questions for me that were such a joy to answer.

“In her shoes” a conversation with Brooke from Barefoot Five

A magical moment, a moment that I wish I could put into a time capsule and pull it out again years from now, I moment I really want to remember, A moment I can look back on when my kids are grown and remember how perfectly magical this time in my life was.Inspired by Soule Mama

Lean on me when you’re not strong and
I’ll be your friend
I’ll help you carry on
For it won’t be long till I’m gonna need
Somebody to lean on

]]> http://www.barefootfive.com/2012/02/this-moment-lean-on-me/feed/ 0 http://www.barefootfive.com/2012/02/solitude-5/ http://www.barefootfive.com/2012/02/solitude-5/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:37:27 +0000 Barefoot Mama http://www.barefootfive.com/?p=3949 Continue reading →]]>          

 Solitude:

   the quality or state of being alone or away from others.

There seems to be so much fear in and around the word SOLITUDE. Maybe not for everyone but for most. A fear so strong that it makes people compromise and eventually lose who they and what they believe in, in order to avoid it.

  I won’t let go of me to hold onto you

When I am in Nature and surrounded by it’s beauty,

                           I don’t feel alone

~Henry Thoreau

The Poetry of the Earth is never dead.” John Keats

Not a perfect moment, not a moment where the house was spotless or even silent…. Just a simple moment where my mind was able to be quiet….. a moment where I was okay with just being.

The ability and time TO JUST BE…..

This is something I have talked about many times and it’s something I have hoped to find more of in my life.

A year ago I realized my life was just too busy and that most of the stress, craziness and near insanity I was spinning in was self inflicted. So, I decided to change it (or at least try). Just in the trying and seemingly not succeeding, I have been happier. I have been trudging forward in hopes of finding more moments like this.

 Now, if only I can find more moments like these and make them last for more than 5-10 minutes we’ll be getting somewhere

JUST BE….

 Simplicity is Beauty and Beauty is simplicity, nothing more, nothing less.    ~ Oscar Wilde

The  COURAGE  to share my Journey

I have made a personal vow to be more honest and to share more of my personal and spiritual journey in this space. SO, when I do muster up the courage to share more of me here I’m going to use this as my little

“COURAGE” banner / ( aka photo my kids toy van..lol)

If you’re ever in need of  a little courage….

 courage to share more of yourself or just the courage to say how you are really feeling…..you are more than welcome to borrow my love Van for your space

Sending Courage you’re way

A new addition to my Blogs I love page

The Barefoot Crofter

My “window to the world”

Blogging note 01/2012:

Thank you for being different than me, thank you for teaching me, thank you for being like minded, thank you for challenging me, thank you for caring about me and my family, thank you for all of the real love you send my way ( I can feel it), thank you for being you and…

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE!!!!

~ Barefoot Me

A magical moment, a moment that I wish I could put into a time capsule and pull it out again years from now, I moment I really want to remember, A moment I can look back on when my kids are grown and remember how perfectly magical this time in my life was.Inspired by Soule Mama

Children are not the people of tomorrow, but are people of today. They have a right to be taken seriously, and to be treated with tenderness and respect. They should be allowed to grow into whoever they were meant to be. ‘The unknown person’ inside each of them is our hope for the future.
– Janusz Korczak