Feeling inspired

Isn't it amazing how levels of energy, motivation for things, the spirit of creativity comes in dips and peaks? It's seems like for a long time I have been in a dip, well more of a pit really when it comes to creativity.  And of course when you are in a pit, you can't see what's over the top so you have no idea how long it's going to last. Eventually the dip ends, it has to end, even though it feels like it never will and when it does the feelings of wanting to create are so strong and powerful they just can't be ignored.

After having my "Ah ha" moment last week where I realised that being creative was just something I HAD to do, I picked up a book I had downloaded onto my Kindle months and months ago.  I had read a few pages, but at the time it didn't speak to me so I moved onto something else.  This time however it was absolutely spot on with where I was at. Everything the book said spoke to and resonated with how I have been feeling. The book is called "The Rainbow Way - Cultivating Creativity in Motherhood" by Lucy Pearce, (and isn't it amazing that at the exact time I have been feeling like I need to create, the exact book I need to inspire me and get me going is already in my consciousnesses, I didn't need to start looking through Amazon scrolling through pages of books, not knowing which was the right one, it was right there in my Kindle ready and waiting for the moment that I was ready to read it.)

If you fancy getting yourself a copy, click on this link and I get a little moolah!!

So anyway I am plowing through this book and I am practically shouting "YES" at every page because it is exactly how I have been feeling and not knowing that it was ok to feel that way.  The book talks about how there are two different types of mothers (well actually there are lots of types but she is speaking to mothers who want to be creative) they are  Earth mothers and Rainbow Creative mothers.  Earth mothers derive all their satisfaction from life through their mothering and Creative Rainbow mothers need to spend time on their creativity in order to feel completely fulfilled.  And of course this doesn't mean that Earth mothers aren't creative, but unlike Creative Rainbow mothers they don't have the vital desire to be creative for their own sake and not just as part of bringing up children.

I realised that all this time I have been thinking I was an Earth mother, or at least trying to be an Earth mother and wondering why I was failing so miserably at it, when in actual fact I am a Rainbow Creative mother and when I acknowledge this fact I not only stop feeling guilty about failing to be a good Earth mother and wondering why it didn't fulfil me like I always imagined it would, but also give myself permission to be the creative mother I am.

I felt there were so many unspoken words in this book, it spoke for me, on behalf of me and how I have been feeling, saying all the things I have wanted to say but have felt were too selfish, too self-praising to actually say, almost taboo.  Things like:

"Those who do not understand this renaissance that creative mothers experience try to reassure us and quiet down our fire: You have all the time in the world to paint and write, babies are only young once. Don't be selfish, you need to focus on your children.
They do not understand that this way madness and sadness lie."

"The truth of the matter is that the creative mother who is unable to create, will not be a better mother, instead she is unable to mother properly either.  For the creative mother, creativity is her life force that makes her bloom.  Take that from her and you take her soul"

"For all mothers their over-riding love and commitment to their children shone through their words.  Which is why being a creative mother was such a soul battle - they were being pulled between two absolute priorities."

"The Rainbow Mother is often perceived, either in her own mind, or those of others, as a misfit,. A dreamer and creatrix, she is always fluttering like a butterfly from one project to another, always trying new things.  She regularly needs to descend into her creative depths, bringing visions between the physical world and dream-time."

This describes me perfectly:

"The Creative Rainbow Mother's home, despite her often being a real home-body, tends to reflect her abundant yet chaotic approach to life - with half-finished projects, creative materials and inspiration, and mess, all around her.  She does not prioritize housework over soul work! Not for her the routines of the Earth Mother nor the consistence which society tells her she must provide for her children in order to be a good mother. .......The Creative Rainbow Mother regularly needs to fly free,. And the truth is that she is a divided soul......But she needs her home, her partner and children to help her to ground her energy and keep her in this world - and so there is a constant tension built into her relationships."

"For many mothers, myself included, who are instinctively drawn to the philosophy of attachment parenting....the need to be our children's everything in the early months and years, can be deeply draining to creative spirits that are used to long periods of solitude, quiet and concentration.  We aspire to be totally devoted mothers, and yet find that we cannot."

Are any of you shouting "YES" to any of these quotes?  If you are the please, get on board, we could go on this journey together!

Anyway, going back to that last quote, the author of the book, Lucy Pearce goes on to quote another artist/author called Leonie Dawson, who, by happy coincidence, or cosmic relevance or holy destiny, I just happen to have been simultaneously looking into as I have been reading the book (A friend pointed me to her a long time ago, and at the time I had dismissed, but again, like with the book, suddenly now seems relevant).  I had no idea Leonie Dawson would be quoted in the book, and then to my surprise I also see Leonie Dawson recommending "The Rainbow Way" on her website!!  It's all meant to be!!  So I immediately ordered Leonie Dawson's Shining Life and Biz workbooks, wall planner and diary. And whaduyaknow they arrived this morning!! Sooooo excited to get started.  I am so ready to take on 2016 and make things happen.
If you are interested in buying the Leonie Dawson Workbooks then click on this LINK and I get a bit of moolah from Leonie if you decide to buy them!!  How awesome is that!

I currently have that wonderful feeling that doesn't come very often where you feel like anything is possible, that your dreams can come true, that you CAN achieve the things you want in life, you just need to make it happen. I really am excited to get going and seeing where all this goes in the coming year.  

Keep in touch you beautiful people xxx

Planning for March

It's been a busy time for us recently, with Boris' birthday followed by Boris and Biscuit's Baptisms last week and the usual hecticness (is that a word?) that is involved with life and two small children so I am slow of the mark with March planning. Things have been stressful at times and I have wished I had more help at home so I could enjoy life more instead of always feeling rushed and like I am always doing chores.  As you know, being on top of things isn't one of my strongest points so although I am trying to be organised, recently things have got a bit overwhelming.  Hopefully you can forgive the tardiness of my March planning but here it is.  (As with February, some of these activities are carried over from last month because we didn't get time to do them.)

1. Post card shapes into a box,

2. Dance to music,

3. Draw with chalk on the patio,

4.Pancake day - Make and eat pancakes,

5.Colour pasta with food colouring and thread onto pipe cleaners,

6. World Book Day - visit library and borrow books,

7. National Doodle Day - Do some doodles!

8. Walk on the beach,

9. Visit Grandpa (or other elderly friend or relative)

10. Have a pillowcase sack race,

11. Make gel colour/glitter bags,

12. World Maths day - do counting activities,

13. Mothering Sunday - Spoil myself!

14. Pi Day - Eat Cherry Pie,

15. Have a daddy/son day,

16. Create an invitation to play with wooden peg people,

17. Play pairs with pairs cards,

18. Make sock puppets,

19. Do scratch board paintings (wax crayon covered with black paint mixed with washing up liquid)

20. World Day of Theatre for Children - do a puppet show,

21. International day of Forests and Trees - Go for a walk in the woods,

22. World water day - Do a water play activity,

23. World meteorological day - Do a weather related activity,

24. Bang on saucepans,

25. National agriculture day - spend time at the allotment, plant potatoes etc.

26. Potato printing,

27. Fly a kits,

28. Make a felt shape board,

29. Earth Hour/Natural baby festival in Oxford,

30. Make stars from tissue paper to stick on the window,

31. Paint a tree. 

So there you have it, there is March, hope you are all having a good one, spring is on it's way!

Planning For February

I think that February is going to be a busy month for us, there is a lot that I want to achieve and it makes me feel excited.
In January I planned a fun activity for Boris to do every day, I didn't share them because I didn't start it at the beginning of the month, but seeing as I am trying to be super organised I have managed to put together a similar list for February including lots new activities and some from January that we didn't manage to complete.  I have also included some fun activities that relate to holidays that occur in February (they aren't really holidays but I don't know what else to call them, days of note perhaps?) I like doing this because, even though Boris won't understand or recognise them it somehow makes the days seem more special and with time seeming to pass so quickly these days it feels like it makes them stand out within a month that is sure to fly by.

2 - Candlemas - Make an earthen candle, make a candle cake, have a candle lit dinner,

3 - Black and white zip-lock-bag painting,

4 - Put music on and dance,

5 - Make and play with sensory play doh (glitter, essential oil etc)

6 - Make tin can stilts and tin can telephones,

7 - Send a card to a friend day,

8 - Kite flying day,

9 - Throw balls into different sized containers,

10 - Play with coloured sensory rice,

11 - Potato printing,

12 - Pick up and transfer cotton wool balls with tongs,

13 - Play with puzzles,

14 - Valentines day activities,

15 - Go on a train ride,

16 - Sort stones and pebbles,

17 - Random act of kindness day,

18 - Visit a museum,

19 - Bang on sauce pans with wooden spoons,

20 - Make a cherry pie for Cherry Pie Day,

21 - Play pairs with pairs cards,

22 - Colour pasta with food colouring and thread onto pipe cleaners,

23- Play with sensory fabrics,

24 - Love your pet day (20th) let Boris play with the guinea pigs when I clean them out,

25 - Practice using cutlery to cut up play doh,

26 - Sort buttons and beads,

27 - Polar bear day - polar bear activities,

28 - Play with packing puffs.

I have a few other things planned for February, I read somewhere that February is self-care month so will be doing a few things for that throughout the month. Of course there is Valentines day, so will be doing some extra fun activities for Boris to mark that day (as well as a few for me and my husband) It's also Boris' 2nd Birthday (excited!) so am planning for that too, and we are having both our babies Baptised in March so I have planning to do for that too!  So much going on! 

What do you have planned for February?

Word of the year - Organise

Choosing a word of the year is not something I have done before, I normally just produce a lists of usually somewhat un-achievable new years resolutions and attempt them with a typical end result of failure and disappointment. I had heard about using a word of the year through other bloggers and thought it was a good idea, although most bloggers who do this choose words like "brave" or "mindful" or "gratitude".  These words seemed a bit airy-fairy to me and didn't appeal, I wanted something a bit more concrete which involved things I could actually do and which would have visible results.
With life being so chaotic since the birth of Biscuit, I had been having a strong desire to get my life in order, I had been wanting lists, calendars, plans and schedules.  I also felt like I wanted to get things done, weeks and months were passing without me feeling like I had achieved anything, and valuable weekends were coming and going without seeing friends, making visits or travelling anywhere.
So it didn't take too much thought to decide my word of the year - Organise.  (I also really like the look of the word because it looks a bit like the word "organic".)
So what do I intend for this word to inspire me to do?  Well essentially I want to get organised by:

• Tidying my home, creating systems for our stuff and keeping it in order, and organising and sticking to a cleaning schedule,
• Making plans for the year, organising meeting with friends and family who live further away, planning activities and holidays,
• Re-vamping my diet and health routines, cleaning up our meals and introducing weekly and daily rituals to ,my health routine,
• Being more active in  engaging Boris in fun, educational and creative activities.

I have already started putting my word into practise by starting the 21 Day Junk Food Challenge, putting together a family planner, starting a 30 day toddler challenge and a 30 day organisation challenge.  I really hope I can keep my momentum going on this one, I want to get my life together and stop it being one long blur of sleepless nights, pooey nappies and endless breastfeeding sessions! I think I will keep re-reading and referring this blog post to keep motivated. I think 2014 is going to be an exciting year of me and my family.

Do you have a word of the year, what is it?  Please share a link if you have blogged about it.