Clean.

Escape.

Sometimes we get so hungry for cold creek water on our skin and the wild earth beneath our feet that we scrap our dinner plans, pack a picnic, and head to the country.

As soon as we pile out of the truck I stop noticing the tick of my watch. Time and worry cease to exist. We laugh, hike, wade, (knit), forage, and stay out past bedtime, and come home happy and sleepy in the pickup truck after the fireflies come out to do their dance.

Last night was one of those nights. And it was perfect.

Love,
Rachel

Free Soap.

Well good morning. I got up early again with even intention of hitting the trail with my pup. But the book I keep saying I am writing is calling today. And truly, so is this cup of tea. I'm skipping my daily sunrise walk and penning a few pages instead. It won't write itself, so I'd better get to work.

Before I go, I wanted to tell you that this month is my four-year blog anniversary. Four years feels like a long time. Lupine was just a baby when I began, and Sage was the age she is now. And poof! Over 700 posts are somehow done and here you are, reading my words.

It's humbling.

In those first few months I shared a blog mission statement with you. Well, with a couple of you. There were so few of you here that only two people commented. (Oh wait. One of those people was me.)

I thought I would share it again to let you know why I've been coming here since the beginning.

Here is what I said when this all began:

So here is my blog Manifesto, my Mission, Intention, or Over-Thought-Moment-of-Misplaced-Seriousness:

1. Inspire

Our world is brimming with hidden beauty and inspiration. I strive to inspire you through the moments and thoughts that I share through words and pictures.

2. Be Inspired

I will seek inspiration and beauty each day. There is so much around me that is magical. I will touch it, photograph it, and share it.

3. Uplift

Our words shape our world and I choose to work for good. May my message lift your heart and make your soul sing.

4. Challenge

I challenge myself to try new things, to post with regularity, to be present each day. I challenge you with ideas that may be new, unusual, non-conformist.

And you know, four years later I think that sums it up. From posts about making toothpaste to picking nettles, peaceful parenting to clearing the clutter. I think it's all there. Do you?

Why do you come here?

This is something I wonder often. So many of you are quiet, coming here to read and then slipping away until tomorrow. What brings you back everyday? I've often wondered.

Leave a comment here with anything you want me to know. Tell me your favorite sort of post (parenting, crafting, homeschooling, cooking, etc.) or tell me something about you. Tell me how long you've been reading or what you want more of. Tell me why you are here.

You can post a second entry for sharing a link to the blog or this giveaway via whatever method you choose. (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, email, phone, tin-can-and-string, etc.) Just leave a second commenting saying so.

Comments are now closed. Thank you for the amazing love-fest that you left with your notes on this post. What a tresure this turned out to be! I'll annonce the winner later this week.

The winner is Katie who said:

I love LuSa products - the Belly Balm has saved my ever growing pregnant belly :) I appreciate companies who are making a difference and care about their customers. I love bragging about your products to my friends and recommend them to everyone! Thank you!

I'll pick one comment at random and send you some of my delicious LuSa Organics goodies. A nice box of my organic body care that smells like heaven. You'll love it. I promise. 

And for everyone, to celebrate my anniversary here receive a free bar of my LuSa Organics naked soap with any order on my website. Type "I love LuSa. And I love ______." In the  comments field of your order. In the blank write mint, lavender, patchouli, or citrus to help us choose your soap. Then we'll add a bar of naked soap of our choice. Offer is good through June 22, 2012.

So that's it. Happy anniversary to Clean and thank you to everyone who finds there way into my world each day. Now then. Onto that book...

Love,
Rachel

 

 

Angora.

I'm not even sure there is much I need to say about this. Because photographs of a gigantic wooly rabbit are about all you need, really.

Since our farm fell through (for the time-being anyway) I decided that I wouldn't let that stand in the way of me having a wool-bearing animal. Sheep in town? I don't think so.

So instead I got a German angora rabbit.

He is sweet as honey and quite shy. (Though after three days now he's really warming up to us.) The dogs are fascinated (Olive in particular), so I'm keeping a close eye on her to say the least.

We built the hutch ourselves (no, we don't have plans). I pinned a few on my farm Pinterest board, and then we just picked features we liked and got to work. Rabbit hutches abound on Craigslist, but we decided that making one ourselves was a better homeschooling project. And it was! I think it's beautiful.

Angora rabbits produce a surprising amount of wool, which is removed weekly (or even daily) by brushing and also by shearing every three months. Our bunny was due for a shearing when he arrived, and we got to work yesterday. With scissors in hand, we hacked away at his beautiful coat.

And today? He's looking a bit rough-around-the-edges, but hopping happily around his mini-pasture and looking for scratches and snuggles from us all. And I have a bag full of the softest wool ever, ready to spin.

Now we just need a name for our furry new friend...

 

Teeth. And Love.

Lupine is asleep as I write this post. She was oh-so-frisky at bedtime and didn't fall asleep until hours later than I would have liked. Hours. I was a we bit frustrated with her last night.

But now she's like a little cherub in there, fast asleep.

And these pictures are my undoing. Man, I love this kid. So much. Sometimes I think I could just burst for all the love I feel for my children. Do you know what I mean? Like there is so much love that I'm not sure what space could possibly hold it as it expands out into forever. 

And Lupine. She had a big weekend. You see...

She lost her first tooth!

Lupine. A tooth. This is huge for us.

Yes, all kids lose teeth. And I think it's always a big deal. The first tooth out represents a passage from little into the first phases of bigness. Of moving into adulthood one lost tiny tooth at a time. In the Waldorf tradition loosing your first baby teeth means you are ready to move towards learning to read, a huge passage into growing up.

But this is bigger than that, too. So much bigger.

As some of you know, Lupine had major tooth decay when she was small. Eight caps before her second birthday, and abundant worries of more to come. Her teeth have been the source of almost all of the fretting we have done over Lupine since she was 1 1/2 and they started to crumble.

And anyone who's dealt with early childhood tooth decay will attest that it's heavy.

Early childhood caries are nothing short of terrifying. Decay undermines your belief that you know what you're doing as a parent. It shakes your foundation and makes you feel raw and vulnerable and afraid. You start wondering if you can protect your child from what may come.

And to compound the sick feeling in your belly, as nursing (night nursing specifically) mothers it is implied that it is our fault and that we should parent differently to save our child's teeth. Double-whammy.

When Lupine's tooth fell out this weekend it was a complete surprise. It wasn't loose. At all. (Well, until she conked it with that fork.) And since Sage didn't loose his first until he was nearly eight, it didn't occur to me that it was time. (But it was.)

At first both Pete and I went to the internal panic dialogue of "Did it break? Is it rotten? What is wrong?!" But as we pieced together the normalcy of it all we calmed down. Her body was working. We were getting a second chance at her teeth now.

Adult teeth. Healthy teeth. A fresh start.

We've learned so much since her decay began four years ago. We've changed how we eat. How we brush. What we supplement with. We've overhauled our health in such a massive way that I'm not worried about her adult teeth. (Okay, I'm still a little worried but I have a habit of that.)

And soon Lupine will loose her eight caps and just be beautiful Lupine, instead of beautiful Lupine-with-the-silver-teeth. And we're all looking forward to that.

If you want more information about how we treated her ECCs I'd be happy to share. I started with this thread on Mothering.com which spoke to my soul. Do let me know if you want me to lay out the protocol we followed to heal our baby's teeth.

Love,
Rachel

Dreams.

I'm guest blogging over on Whip Up, talking about manifesting my dreams. (More specifically our family's journey to self-employment and my love for creating in its many forms.) 

You can find my post right about here. Take a peek. I think you'll enjoy it.

Early.

I started today early, just my puppy and me. A one-hour walk as the sun came up.

And I feel fantastic.

Just a walk. Alone. Without my kids to negotiate just-a-few-more-blocks with, without Pete to hold hands and talk with, without the trick-kite-flying gig that is walking two dogs at once. Withouth distraction.

Just me. And Olive. And the songbirds.

My days have been getting away from me lately. Somehow I look up every afternoon and it's four PM and I still haven't hung the laundry, if washed it even. And the sink is full of dishes and there are books everywhere and... well, you get the idea.

I needed - and wanted - to restart my daily rhythm. To find my groove again. Early seemed like the place to start.

Also, I've been feeling lately a serious lack of time for me. At night I'm too tired to make it quality. So I found it in the morning.

I set my alarm for 4:45. (Okay, typing that I now see that that looks insane. But it didn't feel insane. As you know, I don't have a baby waking me to nurse at night anymore, so please if you have a little one don't even think about it. Get all the sleep you can. I've been falling asleep with my kids before 9 for the past week, and every Saturday I get up at 3:45 for the farmer's market. If I haven't set an earlier sleep-wake cycle that is completely insane.)

Olive and I walked through the small town quiet that is the early morning. Through the dew the birdsong and the chill damp air, the rest of our town asleep. We went to a woods where I let Olive run off leash. Bliss. For us both.

She is asleep again at my feet as I type. But me, I'm energized.

What a change it made just to get my heart pumping and my body moving and my head cleared first thing. I feel fantastic. (Is this why other people exercise?)

I could make a habit of this.

And now I hear the patter of feet beginning to move around the house. Looks like day has begun for at least one of my loves.

And so the day begins.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend. I'll have a guest post up over on Whip Up tomorrow (Saturday), discussing my creative process. Take a look if you are interested.

Love,
Rachel