Category: 366 days of novice motherhood

I have a group of girlfriends who all used to flat together at some point.

Not all at the same time but at some point we shared a house together.

No matter how long it has been since we hang, there is an ease and a conversation that is comforting.

No airs or graces.

Singing loudly not caring what the other think.

Crazy and deep conversations.

Beautiful moments.

Fleeting.

For me I called this group the green tea cup club.

We can’t really be called a club anymore because clubs meet regularly.

We are lucky if we are all in the same room together once a year.

But we have context.

We all know if something life changing happened we would gather.

The day my little man was born it was those girls I spoke to on the phone.

They were one of the first in the room to hold him.

Last night randomly for no reason what so ever we gathered.

It felt comfortable.

It felt like home.

Silence and screaming all in one night.

Music and madness.

Great conversation and not needing to create context for current dilemmas.

When we all flatted together we questioned…

Who would marry me?
Am I pretty enough?
What job should I really have?

Now with 90% married and 70% with babies, those questions are somewhat answered.

Now a whole new level of questions have arisen.

Gather with those who don’t need context.

Gather, it’s necessary!

A

Somedays we just need to relax and enjoy the season for what it is. Today I have had Christmas tunes pumping, baked up a family night storm and tried to get my kind off those things that are just not necessary to stress over.

This season of Christmas we can get overwhelmed and crazy or we can just accept our limitations and just do our best.

Sometimes our best makes others unhappy. Sometimes our best makes others bark at us. Sometimes our best doesn’t meet our own unrealistic expectations.

Just relax.

Seriously.

Take time to shake it off and find something better to fill your time with.

This year I am trying to wrap a present each day and clear out the manic part of the season little by little.

Rather than run around seeing everyone I am going to two weekends of carols by candlelight and inviting everyone to each one and they can come to us.

Take it easy.

The season was not created for manic consumerism, it was created for celebration and belief in something greater.

It’s all about the ethereal. The beautiful. The delightful.

I have been quite consumed with Christmas angels lately and their part in the Christmas story.

Angels are everywhere.

Relax and contemplate them.

A

Sometimes I just takes a simple sentence to change someones whole week.

Hi, I care.

Full stop.

There is a whole lot of carelessness happening around our world.

A war in the Congo where more women are raped everyday than any country in the world. People shrug their shoulders.

In the gulf of Thailand over 15,000 children are sold into piracy and slavery a year working on boats so we can have cheap seafood.

In china and India 5 and 6 year old children sit at sewing machines day and
Night so we can have that to Tshirt just 5 bucks cheaper.

There is a whole lot of people that don’t even consider these facts.

And those who do, don’t really have the time to care.

How about starting with just your Neighbour?

Your sister?

Your friend?

Your Granma?

I’m
Preaching to myself here.

Do you care?

I wish I did just a little more.

A

Sometimes we just need to step out and make something happen.

We procrastinate long enough, we put stuff off, we doubt, then some days we just need to get out there and do it.

A group of friends and I are beginning a new initiative called Kin women.

It’s all about empowering women who are disconnected in the community

To share inspiration
To share stories
And to contribute to one another’s lives.

It is new, fresh, it’s scary.

We are recording radio spots at the moment, which is something I’ve never really done before.

We are setting up a new blog and recording video messages each month to hopefully inspire and encourage women.

We are initiating something because we really believe its the right thing to do.

It’s a scary step.

There is so much that is unknown,

But we are just having a go,

What about you?

What do you need to initiate?

If we all just thanked a little more, the world would run a little smoother.

Thanks make the world go round.

It sure does mine!

My husband is not that great at buying flowers but after a conversation on the weekend about love languages he bought me some yesterday.

I can’t explain it, but a little thanks goes a long way.

I never expected them, I was quite nonchalant about the suggestion, but as I saw them just then my heart exploded.

I felt loved.

I had been thanked.

Thank someone today.

Happy Thanksgiving crew.

Amps