morning mommy, nighttime daddy

Daddy definitely gets the award for nighttime parenting in this house. Since I was a little girl I have been a morning person. Up with the sun and down with the sun. When I had children, the hardest thing for me was sleep. How do you sleep with a baby waking you up to nurse or for comfort every hour or so. We had to get creative. Having an involved husband who wanted to be an equal parent was so important. John has always been a night person, so he offered to sleep with the baby in another room and bring him to me to nurse when needed. He has developed such a wonderful trust and bond with each one of our children due to his dedication to nighttime parenting. I know it is not easy for him, but even at 2am he has a loving, gentle, and patient response to all of us. I can not say the same for myself. Just last night my 5 year old son came into my room crying with leg pains and woke me from a deep sleep. I think of myself as a caring and loving Mom,  but I just told him to go back to bed and stop waking me up. Wow, mean mommy right?  I wonder what is the matter with me that I can't  seem to be that same caring and loving Mom at any time of day or night. I remember as a child going into my Mom's bed at night and how safe I felt. Why can't I give that to my children. Well, one thing I have learned as a Mom is that we can't do it all, all the time. I am human and I think my kids know that. I have places where I am limitless and others where my limits are well defined. I just feel so lucky that when I am not available to comfort my kids they have someone else that loves them just as much and makes himself available to them, even in the middle of the night. I woke up this morning to find that both my 8 month old and 5 year old sons slept with daddy last night. My heart felt gladness and gratitude for this. As tired as we all can be sometimes with young children, these moments really do make up the times of our lives.  Now that it is morning, Mommy's back and ready to have some fun (I'm letting John sleep in while I make him pancakes). By sharing the "burdens" and the joys, we really are sharing this parenting journey. 

a coop raising family affair (and stump murals)

This blog post is part of 365 Days of Happiness 

Our coop is going up. With little and big hands working together, this new home for our chickens is actually taking shape. 

 

During the coop building this weekend the kids got the inspiration to paint, so I put them to work beautifying the garden. We had all the neighborhood gang of kids over painting stumps.

It was so nice having Aunt Pam over to hang out and enjoy the breezy afternoon with us watching the coop go up.

now for a little clear coat.....

I think the chickens are going to like the berry patch next to them.

There is nothing more beautiful to me then when artistic creativity meets nature.

birth announcement! (baby chicks)

I have been up all night worried about our new babies. Are they too warm?  To cold?  Have they eaten and had enough water? Are they getting enough sleep? I kept going in to check being extra quiet so as not to disturb them. Wow, I never new I would become so attached to these little chicks. Watching them hatch, take their first steps, and see their personalities emerge has been life changing. I am pretty tired today but I guess that is just par for the course with new babies right?

(This post was written a few days ago. Since then we have had 10 more chicks hatch. Here are some pics of the first three born named Uno, Buffy, and Goldie. More pics of our whole brood to come.)

Uno looking straight at the camera

Buffy was a fire cracker from the minute she came out of her shell. I think she will be one to rule the roost. 

Part of  Natural Parenting group Monday Blog Hop

this moment: the mini olympics

This is a special moment from the past week that I want to stop, savor and enjoy.  If you are so inspired, please leave a comment for me with your own special moment and check out other moments this morning at soulemama. 

Cashew Blueberry Muffins Recipe (Gluten-free, Grain-free)

We discovered a blueberry patch less then a minute walk from our back yard.  John and I had just been talking about how it seemed that the more grateful we feel about our house, our property and our neighborhood, the more it's beauty and magic seems to come out of hiding and make itself known to us. Just as we were talking a woman came by with her dog and asked the kids, who were out running around trying to catch butterflies with their new nets, if they liked blueberries. Well, of course they answered with an exuberant "yes!", so she told us to follow her. She knew of a blueberry patch that had ripe and ready to be picked berries and not enough people to pick them all. This was like winning the lottery in our family. So of course we have been out there almost every day and eating and picking to our hearts content. I guess miracles happen every day, small and large, when you are feeling grateful a open to receive.

Cashew Blueberry Muffins (Gluten-free, Grain-free)

Makes 12 muffins

6 eggs
1 1/2 C Crispy Cashews
2 C Diced Butternut Squash
1/2 C Coconut flour
3 T Honey
15 drops Stevia (my favorite stevia)
1 T alcohol-free Vanilla
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 pinch salt
1/4 C melted butter

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix all ingredients except blueberries in a food processor until smooth. Poor batter into buttered muffin pan. Add a handful of blueberries to each muffin, pressing the berries down a little into the batter while still leaving some on the top. Bake in oven till golden brown and blueberries are bubbling. Best if eaten warm, but delicious cold as well.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays

nesting

In anticipation for our new chicks, we are nesting. Today we took out the automatic egg turner. The eggs no longer need to be turned after day 18. Then we prepared the incubator for the hatching of the baby chicks.  Any day now.....

This Moment: after the show

This is a special moment from the past week that I want to stop, savor and enjoy.  If you are so inspired, please leave a comment for me with your own special moment and check out other moments this morning at soulemama. 

Part of Favorite Photo Monday