Who Doesn't Love a See-Saw?

 

 

We had a Grand Ole Time on Sunday at Claude Moore Colonial Farm. Nye-Nye's favorite part? The See-Saw.

 

Yet, more practice for me on Letting Her Go.

 

Other photos coming soon from our Adventures on Sunday.

 

 

 

Friday: This Moment

 

 

This Moment inspired by Soule Mama.

Dancer Mobile

 

 

Here is the "Montessori Dancer Mobile" I made for Bright Eyes. I figured I might as well post photos before I take it down.

This ended up being a super-easy DIY project. I spent less than $10 on it and it took about an hour to make. The hardest part was trying to balance the mobile and have it hang properly.

I love the way it moves in the breeze and the shininess factor. It wasn't a huge hit with the baby, but that was because she didn't like spending time in her bassinet...she just wanted to be part of the action from the get go. I'm still glad I made this Mobile and can't wait to pass it on to my friends.

Materials:

• Inner Circle from a Quilting hoop
• Fishing line wire
• Scrapbook Pad (shiny paper)
• Embroidery Thread

 

 

Directions

1. Paint hoop.
2. Cut out dancing figures. Each figure has three parts. Head. Arms. Legs. Once you have cut out one set, then flip the shapes over, trace and cut those. Each Dancer should have six parts (this was the fun part deciding if what each Dancer should be doing...leaping, arms in the air, arms down, etc...).
3. Cut four pieces of Fishing wire, each one a different length.
4. Lay figure shiny part down. Cover unshiny part with glue. Lay down Fishing line wire. Make a sandwich by adding the reverse body part on top. Kind of hard to explain, but if you look at a photo, you should be able to tell.
5. Tie each Dancer to the hoop.
6. Tie Embroidery Thread to hoop (this is the hardest part...trying to balance it properly).
7. Tape to the ceiling (it's light enough that you don't have to worry about having to drip a hole..unless you want to )

 

 

 

 

Our Wedding Ceremony: Gathering Words

 

 

I recently stumbled across a program from our "Bollywood Farm Wedding." And, I realized that I had never actually written about how I created our Wedding Ceremony, which is a shame because it was what I put most of my energy into.

Let me tell you, it's hard to find an "Inter-faith Jain Wedding Ceremony" floating around the Internet. Or even an "Indian Inter-Faith Wedding Ceremony." I looked and looked and looked.

I wanted to use some Jain Prayers and pay homage to my Husband's Indian heritage without being sacrilegious. He didn't want to be married by a Priest and have a traditional Jain Ceremony.

If we weren't going to be married by a Jain Priest, I thought it would be poignant to be married by our Mothers. But, his is very shy, so my Mama was the sole Officiant. My parents were married by a relative and my Grand-parents were married by my Great-great-grandfather. So, it seemed right.

Our Ceremony began when my Husband processed out with 20 or so of his friends and cousins in an "Informal Baraat".

Then, his Brother and Father welcomed everyone. His Mother and an Auntie said the Navakar Mantra. And, then there was the Bridal Procession (more on that later).

My Mother then spoke these Gathering Words.

I love this quote...


"Each of us was brought into the world without any decision of his own. Each of us was stamped with the condition of mortality from the moment of conception. And so, of the three most significant events in our lives, birth, marriage, and death, it is only marriage that we have the full power of personal decision."

                                     -Robert Senghas

Rain. Yogurt. A Rat. And The Last Gasp.

 

 

It's amazing how some Sunlight can lift your Spirits. Last week, there wasn't much Sun around these parts and I was struggling through each day. It took a lot of effort to drag myself (and my two girlies) outside for some daily fresh air (in the rain). Once outside, I felt better.

 

Today I felt even better. With the beautiful Morning light coming through the window, I was inspired to bake with Nye-Nye. This was our 5th Yogurt Cake together. Twelve hours later, it's almost gone...it was that good.

 

This Afternoon, it got so hot that I dragged the pool to the front yard and Nye-Nye got to do one of her favorite things...splash around in the water. I threw in some acrylic mirrors and glass stones, along with some pipe-cleaners she had played with all Morning and it was PARTY TIME.

 

I am so very grateful for every ray of Sun that hit my face today. Glorious.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday: This Moment

 

This Moment inspired by Soule Mama.

The Month of Letting Go. Riding the Rides.

 

 

 

 

Friday was a first for our family.

It was the first time that our 2 1/2 year old went on some Carnival Rides.

Eight to be exact.

We went to Fort Belvior's Oktoberfest with some friends who have a 3 year old. The weather was 80 degrees and it felt like a perfect Summer night at the Carnival.

After eating and grabbing some pitchers of beer, we followed our kiddos around as they went from ride to ride.  Luckily, in our group, there was the sweetest older girl who gladly held the hands of our munchkins and got on each and every ride with them.

This meant the first time my daughter EVER got on any rides, she did it without either parent. She's fairly tall for her age and just squeaked by the minimum height requirement.

Did I mention that she is fearless child? Did I mentioned I was anxious about letting my baby go hurling through the air in some small open-air contraption?

But, Motherhood is all about letting go.

I just shut my mouth and waved every time she rode by.

After a few different rides, I relaxed and just soaked up all her smiles. Here she is on her first ride. She's in the last car.