In The Middle

Soft windy air swirling feeling wonderful on my skin, not accustom to the sun.  The sky is full of billowing Spring clouds backed by bright blue.  As I walk with my dog Cinnamon around our neighborhood into balmy winds, I find myself pondering as I often do on walks.  I ponder how long we will live in our current house, thinking of the wonderful schools my children go to and will go to in the very near future.  I ponder where I lived as a child and my friends' homes, realizing that none of their parents live in my friend's childhood homes any longer.

"Um, I wonder how long until we can move, if we choose to do so, until the kids are through school?"  I find myself thinking such thoughts for the first time...

And I realize that eleven years is the answer.  Eleven years until my youngest graduates from high school.  That is not really very long.  Eleven years ago I had a newborn baby, I was a new mom.  My life completely turned upside down as I started on this path of raising kids.  And it hits me, that I am in the middle.  In the middle of what I think of as hardcore parenting.  The kind of parenting when you have to literally be ready for anything at any moment.  Over the past couple of years I watched this mile stone coming.  I knew it would get here and probably arrive sooner than I wanted it too.  I still see my youngest as a very small child yet when I come home from teaching at the preschool, I can't help but see her growing into a big girl, a girl who is changing so fast, and quickly loosing all those last vestiges of toddlerhood.  My oldest is set on the edge of blooming into a teenager which is almost mind-boggling as well as completely beautiful.

I am in the middle.

The middle of motherhood.

The middle of life.

Wow.

From here I can see my past particularly through the lens of my own motherhood, I see my childhood and I grow.  I learn those lessons I missed and change.  I appreciate more my own parents and my life.  Of course I can't see the future yet I feel myself letting go of the desire to fix everything and make it all as it should be.  Rather I want to let things be and experience.  I am in the middle and excited to experience the ride from here.

Shadows climb up the garden wall Upon the green the first leaf falls It's the prime of life and the king and queen Step out into the sun...

...It's the prime of life, where the spirit grows And the mirror shows both ways

~ Neil Young

Shared On: The Sunday Parenting Party

A Mother's Voice

When you talk with your mother what do you hear?  Under all the words, whatever they are, is a sound with resonance   I heard it the other day, again for the first time.  I had just called my mom and got her voice mail.  As I stood there in my kitchen listening to her speak I was struck by her voice.  I listened and realized her voice was the first voice I ever heard.  From deep in her womb, her voice connected and resonated with me.  Her voice is the voice I have known my whole existence.

What a deep amazing connection we have with our mothers.  A connection that goes back in so many ways to even before our birth.  A mother's voice cuts to the core.

Many women talk and sing to their babies during pregnancy.  We stroke and rub our bellies.  We love our babies before we ever see their face or hold their sweet little hands.   And our voices, our love, provide a bridge into the waking world.  A world we all come into innocent and impressionable.  When we arrive we are hopefully greeted with warm love and a first vision of that wonderful person who has nourished us all along, and we hear her voice.

Herbal Guacamole

People either love them or hate them, yet as far as I know there is nothing else in the world like the lovely avocado.  Tasty creaminess that adds just the right touch to so many dishes.  In our house it is often the avocado that pulls everything together.  It wasn't always so for me.  As a child I would find them lurking in the taco salad my mother so often served.  Like a little bits of pale green nastiness they would taunt me as I zealously hunted them down and banished every piece from my meal.  As I got older my tastes changed and I found myself wanting to like avocado.  Finally the answer came for me... salt.  Salt!  So simple, it brings out a special flavor in the avocado that makes it absolutely delectable.  And all you need is a little, just a sprinkle to make the avocado's tastiness shine.  Whew!  I am grateful I figured that one out because now I love avocados and I am not sure I could live with out them.

I found avocados to be the perfect baby food for my children.  Just cut one open and smash it up right in the peel.  Tasty nourishing baby food.  Luckily my kids never had my avocado aversion and they like them even without salt, go figure.

My favorite thing to make with avocados is guacamole, of course.  I love to add as much flavor to my guacamole as possible with herbs.  Forging out in my yard (as well as at the farm stand and grocery store) I search for any savory addition for my guacamole.

Favorites are ~

• Herbs like chives, parsley, thyme, cilantro, and even basil
• Flowers like spicy nasturtiums, borage, and chive flowers
• Veggies like arugula, tomatoes, and peppers

This year my garden isn't in the best shape.  We had a lot of construction right around our back yard and I found it wasn't much fun gardening with loud construction equipment rumbling right over my shoulder.  Yet, I still managed to get a few lovely herbs planted and flourishing.  And, with the help of my local farm stand, I found enough to make a nice version of my family's favorite dip.

Ingredients ~

• Ripe Avocados
• Herbs ~ I used cilantro, chives, thyme and parsley
• Fresh Limes
• Garlic
• Salt, of course!

Method ~

Prep your ingredients.  Chop the herbs up nice a small.  I use a lot of herbs when I make this (probably about a 1/2 to 3/4 cup of chopped herbs to each avocado)  and my kids still love every bite, even my 6-year-old who doesn't like "leaves."  How great is that?  Not only are my children eating avocados often with veggies for dipping but they also are getting lots of amazing green leafy herbs all chock full of goodness.  It is enough to make my heart sing!

Mince the garlic.  How much you use depends on how much you like garlic.  My husband and I like it a lot so we use 1 to 2 cloves each.  I mince the garlic with salt to help get the garlic's juice's flowing.  Then I leave it on the side so my hubby and I can add it to our guacamole because raw garlic is too spicy for my kids.

Next, smash the avocados up on a plate, I use a potato masher for this.  My kids love helping with this part.  It is really fun to see the avocado turn into little green tubular shapes.

Then just mix in your herbs with a squeeze of lime juice and so salt to taste.  Easy,  healthy and delicious served with raw veggies, crackers or chips for dipping.  Yum!

Avocado Nutrition ~

Despite their bad past reputation avocados are in fact good for you.  Each bumpy skinned fruit  is packed with heart healthy fats, fiber, vitamins and minerals including B vitamins, vitamin E, and potassium as well as antioxidants.  So eat up and enjoy!