---1---
My mother's day was so very nice and relaxing. Well, it started off a little busy- I got called to work at 4:30 am! My first birth back was on mother's day! It went pretty fast and I was home by 10 am so we could run to 11 am mass and come home for brunch. Ryan and the kids made me a feast, and I was treated to a back massage by Luke while Ryan was cooking! Of course we had mimosas, but also my favorite- toast with fried ham and cheesy eggs! And bacon. Always bacon.
---2---
But mother's day didn't really start there. The day before, on Saturday, we drove out to a local plant nursery that I just adore. They were serving frozen bellinis and I got to cruise around while Ryan hoarded the kids around. I bought a few plants to put in the pots on my porch! Before the day was even over there was already a hummingbird drinking from the pink salvia!
---3---
I have to tell you how proud I am of my garden. It's grown so beautifully and perfectly. We have fresh mixed salad almost daily! Soon we should have carrots and onions too! I randomly threw in some naturtium seeds in an attempt to keep aphids off of my other plants. They add a beautiful pop of color in both of the beds.
---4---
---5---
Oh yes. The other big thing we did last weekend. ;-) I made an impulsive decision because Ryan wouldn't decide for me! At the farmer's market a man was selling bunnies, $10 each. I offered $15 for two, and he accepted! Meet our two newest family members,
Blaze
and Star
They're not quite as little as I wish they were but they're sweet bunnies who fit in perfectly with our crowd! Of course the kids love them and they're doing super-well with them. I got a rabbit for my 9th birthday and had various pet rabbits up through early high school, so my love for them is deeply ingrained, and I knew I wanted to have rabbits as a part of our family eventually. So while it was impulsive, it was a tiny bit planned!
They're named after animals in two of our favorite books- Star was one of Almanzo's cows in Farmer Boy, and Blaze is named after the horse from the Billy and Blaze books. (If you have a boy under five years old, you have to read Billy and Blaze. My boys love them!)
I've ordered a cage for them and I think we will set them up in our school room. So far Finley is terribly interested- I think it's going to take some time for him to be calm around them. I don't anticipate them being friends anytime soon, if ever, but he at least needs to chill out around them. I won't ever take any chances with Finley or the cats around them, but they should all be able to at least coexist nicely!
---6---
Summer is almost here for us! Beth is finishing up rather quickly so I think we will cut down on our weeks and finish in about 3 more weeks. Since our co-op and other activities have drawn to a close, we're trying out some new things! There is an Irish dance studio down the road, and they have a class with a lot of our home school friends, so we decided to join for the summer months. Beth and Luke love it, and Jack sneaks in when no one is watching him! It looks like so much fun!
---7---
Okay, I'm going to go out on a ledge here with this last one. This has been heavy on my heart for months now and I want to get it out. I re-joined my gym when Caeli was six weeks old. I lost three pounds pretty quickly but I've hit a plateau with these last five pounds- and I'm okay with that. I'm still a good two sizes larger than what I was before. But I'm okay with that too. I know what my body used to be, I know what it did (hosted 6 little souls and birthed 4 of them!), and I know what it is now.
What I really want to say to everyone who feels like they have a right to comment on my body is this: Please. Don't. Please don't think anything of me at all. It hurts my feelings and makes me feel very self-conscious. I am not doing this to "look good." Please don't jokingly tell me you "hate me" or that you're "jealous" of me. Be proud of your own body, for what it has done, and what it is capable of. Don't compare yourself to me or anyone else.
Because what you don't see is the inside of me. You don't see the clouds that gather in my mind when I don't make it to the gym for an adrenaline rush. Yes, I want to be strong, healthy, and to set a good example of health to my children, but most of all I want to be mentally present to them. I've found that for me, the best way to accomplish that is through exercise.
So the next time you see a woman who has dropped a lot of weight quickly after having a baby, please don't judge her, or silently be jealous. I read an example in Simcha Fisher's book The Sinner's Guide to NFP that really made me think about how I can be judgemental. A woman was so fit and athletic, but complained about not looking good enough to her friends, and everyone thought she was crazy because she was clearly a beautiful woman. At the end of the example, the reader discovered that this woman was in an abusive relationship with her husband who told her she was fat and ugly, so she thought she wasn't good enough. Would you have even considered for a second that maybe there was more to her story? There's usually is. There's so much more to my story. (Though I should probably clarify, not abuse, thank God!)
What I really want to say to everyone who feels like they have a right to comment on my body is this: Please. Don't. Please don't think anything of me at all. It hurts my feelings and makes me feel very self-conscious. I am not doing this to "look good." Please don't jokingly tell me you "hate me" or that you're "jealous" of me. Be proud of your own body, for what it has done, and what it is capable of. Don't compare yourself to me or anyone else.
Because what you don't see is the inside of me. You don't see the clouds that gather in my mind when I don't make it to the gym for an adrenaline rush. Yes, I want to be strong, healthy, and to set a good example of health to my children, but most of all I want to be mentally present to them. I've found that for me, the best way to accomplish that is through exercise.
So the next time you see a woman who has dropped a lot of weight quickly after having a baby, please don't judge her, or silently be jealous. I read an example in Simcha Fisher's book The Sinner's Guide to NFP that really made me think about how I can be judgemental. A woman was so fit and athletic, but complained about not looking good enough to her friends, and everyone thought she was crazy because she was clearly a beautiful woman. At the end of the example, the reader discovered that this woman was in an abusive relationship with her husband who told her she was fat and ugly, so she thought she wasn't good enough. Would you have even considered for a second that maybe there was more to her story? There's usually is. There's so much more to my story. (Though I should probably clarify, not abuse, thank God!)
I'd like to encourage anyone who feels the need to clear their mind to just find 20 minutes to go walk around the block. It doesn't have to be some huge production at the gym. Mental health is so important and worth it. For your kids, your spouse, and for you.
Okay I'm off my soapbox now and done with my second 7 quick takes! Have a great weekend!
