Thank You Ladies

Friday was such a wonderful night, thank you all for coming and being a part of it. I toured the hospital the following morning and felt much more confident in everything that will be heading my way in the next few weeks and months. I am so thankful to have you all in my life!

Side note, I mentioned this video that I saw on one of the web sites on Michelle's recipe blog. Here is the link, it starts off very heart wrenching, but the purpose is to promote programs that help children and mothers.

http://bullinachinashopmama.blogspot.com/2010/10/history-lesson-childhood-and-parenthood.html

And, here is the post from Pretty Mommy with the recipe exchange.

http://myprettymommy.blogspot.com/2010/10/recipe-exchange-lets-get-cooking-taco.html

Besides all the fabulous things Michelle posts on a daily basis, she set up this plan for dinners in Oct and I tried quite a few, yum! The Chili from Look, Linger, Love was a favorite for us!

Thanks again for the wonderful evening! Rachel, you are an amazing spirit leader and I would do a goddess ceremony every week given the chance! Barb, as always an amazing hostess, truly! Thank you Anne for putting everything together! And thank you to everyone else for coming! It was really wonderful to celebrate with you all!

Planning a Vacation?

Hello Blooma Friends,

My family is living in Sayulita Mexico, an awesome surf town 40min north of Puerto Vallarta MExico. If any of you surf or just love the idea of a non traditional vaca, check out sayulitalife.com and come visit Zoraya, Gena and I! You can horse back ride, trek through the jungle or just drink on the beach. Come play! Love to you and your families. Email me if you want more info. levincori@yahoo.com

New Mantra

On Thursday night I caught some special on ABC and this newly wed couple was asking people from all over advice on how to ensure a marriage lasts forever. One woman said something that struck a chord for me and I wanted to share it with you Mamas because this advice could be true for any relationship. She said, "Find the imperfections in your spouse and learn to love them as soon as possible." Wow. Chilly statement compared to the usual "Marry your best friend" or "Always kiss and make up before going to bed." I've decided to not only apply this to my husband's imperfections but to my children's as well and hopefully I will have better success in raising them. For instance, Bella is not a happy-go-lucky kid. Instead of hating that and wishing she'd change and be something she's not - I have to embrace this and love that she approaches life differently from me. Hard to do but such a better way to spend my energy! New mantra "love the imperfections of your loved ones". I know it's not love to acknowledge imperfections - maybe not a good idea to tell that person about the imperfections you found of them - but it is love to love them as a whole being, right? So no more thinking "I love Bella so much I just wish she wasn't such a buzz kill sometimes." Or "I love my husband, I just wish he could be handy around the house." Love, love, love.

Grandma Barb

Hi Mamas! It's me, the single parent. Because camp began today that means the football season starts today. Which translates to George being gone 90% of the time from now until Jan/Feb. Anyway, that is not the reason for the blogging tonite. Nope! I'm jealous but motivated. A fellow mama, who will remain nameless but she knows who she is, called me and told me she was bored. She did preface this statement with the acknowledgement that she has only one child. But somehow, after we hung up, I knew that even if she had 3 kids, this mama would find the time to get bored. Which led to me thinking, what the hell am I doing wrong? Even pre-kids, I can never remember a time of being bored. Like actually, leisurely reading a book or flipping thru magazines. I know there are mamas out there that are busy and can relate to my "no showers", "no time to get a smoking body", "no time for playdate" blogs but truly - I know that you all get to read books, look thru magazines, go to movies, go clothes shopping, surf the web, work out - you know, breathe a little? I know this because every once in awhile I think about our group of gals and I realize that most of you have a career/job plus you are mommies too and most of you have multiple kids. So why can't I be more productive so that I can get to the state of having nothing to do and be bored when I do not have a career? I mean, it's really hard to wrap my head around it sometimes. For as long as I can remember, I never shopped - I still run into a store and grab. Or now I go online for 15 minutes. I never ate - I always inhale. I never, ever called anyone and now that texting has gone rampant I wonder if it will ever happen. I know what you are all thinking: If I just went to one of Sarina's workshops I could get my act together. So I need to make the time to do that. I want to make a pledge to myself that I better have a kick-ass career started by the time this football season is over so that when I do have a husband around, I will have some extra time on my hands and I just might get bored. But realistically, I think that by the time I will actually be bored, I will be a grandparent. This is why I can't wait to be a Grandma. Love to you all- Happy Summer!

New Baby

Nick and I went into the doctor today for our ultrasound. I went into it thinking that I wouldn't find out the gender, but once we found out the baby was healthy we changed our mind. The technician wrote down the gender and put it in an envelope. I had Nick take it to work so I wouldn't cheat. Now I am not stressed about it and feel like I won't have to wait until Dec but I might. Anyway, here is the picture of the little one!

Showers

So today Megan and I were discussing how we hate to use the kids' nap time to take a shower because we feel it is such a waste of valuable time. She shared her strategy to sometimes prolong the kids playtime before nap for 15 min. just so she can shower while they're awake and therefore get stuff done when they are asleep. But she said, "It always backfires because that crucial 15 minutes sends my kids off schedule and I always pay for it in the long run." How many of you are nodding your heads because you know how those 15 minutes can really mess you up? All you wanted was a simple shower. Well, how many of you have gone 4 days without washing your hair? Ok, pre-kids I washed my hair every single day (which was easy for me because I have straight hair and never blow dry it). Then Bella comes along and I stretched it to every other day. Beau comes along and we're talking 3 days is not a shocker. But the pinnacle came today. I washed my hair on Friday morning. Since then I rollerbladed around Calhoun, attended a lovely "Women's Night Out", swam with the kids at Edina Pool (yes, even went down the blue slide with Beau on a tube) and then did Deborah's CorePower class this morning with heat past 100 degrees. We're talking twisted half moons, standing splits directly into standing toe lock, binds and just work. I was dripping with sweat. I was so mad today that unless I wanted to wait until George got home from work, the soonest available time to shower would be at nap time. Valuable time just tick tocked away for something as simple as a darn shower! And if you're wondering would I have dared to skip another day after all that I listed above - yeah, if I really needed to. Gross!

Kindle for Sale

Ok, so the IPad came out and we had to have one. $800 later, I think that the brand new Kindle I bought for George for Xmas will never be taken out of the box now that we have this cool IPad. Does anyone need to buy a Kindle? Or does anyone want to spend time teaching me how to Ebay stuff?

Confirmed

So I knew my body and mind were doing weird things for months but tonight I got the call. My gyno confirmed that at age 40, I am going thru menopause. My last period was Valentine's Day. I knew it, I just knew it. My mom was young (43 yrs) and so I just knew I was going thru it. As the doctor was going over everything about how drastic my FSH levels shifted everything else was going thru my mind. Like, wow, I really don't have the choice to have a 3rd kid. Anyway, I hung up the phone in a fog. I couldn't cry because I had two kids who needed my attention right then. Later, after Beau was in dreamland, I went to the neighbors (Mandy is one of them) and spilled the beans as I drank my wine. Crazy how for weeks I knew in my heart that this was it but crazy that I had no idea what I had in store for myself and my family. So I just went on line to check out what is out there about this "old lady" problem. Bottom line is that someone up there wants me to stop and put myself first because if I'm not careful, osteoporosis can take over. Nope, not happening to me. I'm going to try the holistic way to get thru the symptoms. Please ladies, send up your good thoughts for me to go thru this quickly and with as little pain as possible. If any of you have words of wisdom, special remedies and/or advice - please send them forth. I will be forever grateful. Love to you all!

Summer Outings

Michelle and I met at the Como Zoo this morning and I thought that it would be lovely to plan a few outings besides parks if anyone wants to partake. Michelle mentioned the Richardson Nature Center in Bloomington as a possible site.
Would anyone be interested in planning a morning next week?

If not Michelle and I are planning on meeting at Lynnhurst Park tomorrow morning at 10am if anyone is in need of some play/chatting time!

Ann

farewell

Blooma friends,

It seems like it has been short and sweet. I feel like the emails have kept me feeling apart of something larger than myself and not alone. So important for moms at home during naps in todays world! Thank you thank you!

As many of you know, we are off to Mexico and onward from there. Gena, my husband was unemployed for7 months and while road trippin to Chicago over new years we decided it was time to explore. We have one way tickets to Puerta Vallarta, Mexico where we will stay in Bucerias, a small fishing village. Please let me know if you take a trip next winter with your fam and I can share where we are. I will keep you posted!

Stay together beautiful women!

Love and Love

p.s. if you can come asana and drum May 22nd at the bandshell, would love to see you for a farewell. bring the fam.

Mother Day

Thought I'd share this note I wrote to all 14 teachers that Beau and Bella have. I wish I could make copies of the cd and distribute again but I'll just include the playlist. You'll recognize most of the songs off of Baby Oz's Lullabies.

A Mother’s Mix 2010

I was inspired to give this cd of music to all the teachers in my children’s lives because of a mother who lost her son at 9 months. She is pregnant with her second son and I was compiling some lullabies to give to her as a shower gift. As I listened to the words of the songs I started to feel that some of these songs can be soothing to many moms. So I added some fun songs (Banana Pancakes & Family Reunion), some very soulful songs (Imagine & Many Rivers to Cross) and even if you don’t have a daughter - you are a Daughter. Most of these songs are lullabies - coincidentally, they are a good mix of what Motherhood is all about.

So please enjoy the music and know that I’m blessed to have so much help in caring for my children because of you. This cd is dedicated to Baby M’s Mother, may he rest in peace and may she have a peaceful Mother’s Day.

Happy Mother’s Day and Love,

Barb Paton

Playlist

How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)-James Taylor

Daughters-John Mayer

Banana Pancakes-Jack Johnson

I'll Be There-The Jackson 5

Like A Star-Corinne Bailey Rae

Baby Don't You Cry-Quincy Coleman & Andrew Hollander

You Are My Sunshine-Carly Simon

Let It Be-Carol Woods & Timothy T. Mitchum

Somewhere Over the Rainbow-Jewel

Godspeed-Dixie Chicks

Sweet Dreams-Jewel

Lullaby-Jack Johnson

Hallelujah-Justin Timberlake & Matt Morris

Baby Mine-Bette Midler

Lullaby-Dixie Chicks

Family Reunion-Jill Scott

Somewhere Over the Rainbow-Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

Many Rivers To Cross -Jimmy Cliff

Imagine-John Lennon

Procrastination

Me again? Yes. As I prepare for this 17 day trip (which includes 3 days in Vegas) I can't stop wondering about other things that sort of don't pertain to my trip. So what am I doing instead of packing or running thru the logistics of flying with two kids all by myself? Writing to all who will listen to me gripe.

They say, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." But I wonder, can you teach an old broad how to be feminine and classy? Can I google "girlie girl, Mpls" and find a school where I can attend to become soft and feminine? I laugh because my daughter is the epitome of a girlie girl and I'm trying to take lessons from her. There's gotta be a better teacher out there. I'm dying to change. Any suggestions?

Where for art thou?

I know it's so not fair to those mamas in our group with one kiddo. What I mean is that most of us gals started this play date group with one kid and so play dates seemed so do-able. Kinda stressful but do-able. Then bam, we get hit with kid #2 and suddenly our lives have been forever altered. So play dates have fallen off the calendar almost completely. Which is insanely ironic since the mamas with 2 kids NEED this group more now than they ever did. I ran into Ann V the other day and we caught up a tad but after we parted I remembered I had so much to say and ask. It was sad really that I just couldn't get it all in during our 10 minute encounter. Spring has sprung and boy, I'm digging this weather. It makes me hopeful that things slow down and that we can hang out once again. Then comes Summer - with different vacations and cabin runs - will we ever meet up at the Edina Pool again? I feel like I've changed so much and I'm dying to check in with the gals to see if the parts that changed were good or bad. Holler if you noticed a change in yourself. Let me know who's out there. Did the mamas with one baby write me off for good? So sorry! I need you back! Much Love.

Caught Blubbering

Ok, so Bella and I finished reading Charlotte's Web tonight and I actually sobbed. This was not the first time I read this book. In fact, it's not Bella's first time hearing it - we read it when she was 9 months old and I can bet money we will read it again and again. I cried because I finally got the true meaning of the story. Maybe it hit me hard because I was fresh off the women-love-fest at Anne's. I just blubbered in front of Bella. To make matters even more embarrassing, George walked in to say good night to Bella and caught me wiping away my tears and blowing my nose. I'm a dork!

Drunk off Women Vibes

The Mama Blessing at Anne's house was - how can I say it? - amazing! Sarah began the ceremony in her usual fashion of that warm love, beauty and wisdom. I mean, really, can we expect anything less? The gal just lives and breathes yumminess! Rachel then took the reigns and just blew me over with her wonderful insight. I guess I was just rocked by finding out how spiritual she was because I didn't know she was such a goddess of womanhood! I was pleasantly surprised with her theme of "being grounded and flying high" - it hit the nail on the head. The love in that room was just electric. Yes, we were there for Anne but I guess I found myself feeling like this event couldn't have come at a better time in my own life. I felt honored that I was there to celebrate this special time in her life and I felt a bit guilty that I was benefitting from that opportunity - like I was getting drunk off all the women vibes. I wrote down all the properties of the stone/gem I chose for Anne's necklace because I'm anal and didn't want to forget - so I read my thoughts to her from my card. But what I didn't say and wished that I had said was this:

"If it were not for Anne, I would not have come to Blooma. She led me there and shared with me her birth story and opened her heart to me. Thank God for that. Truly. Without Blooma, I would have gone down a path that I shudder to think about when I was pregnant with Beau. Without Anne, I wouldn't have met some of the closest friends I've had in my life. Without Anne, I would be a different mother, a different friend, a different daughter. She was the first friend I called as soon as Beau was born. She means the world to me."

We can't always see the big picture of why tragic things happen in our lives. I can't help but wonder if the births we experienced before Blooma were meant to bring us together.

For those of you that could not make it - we truly missed you. The sweet emotions in that beautiful room, candles aglow, were just purposeful and reaffirming. I got home and wanted to write and keep the "drunkiness" going by re-playing the evenings events. Instead, I went to bed with a smile knowing that we will again come together for a night of great friendship. Much love to the women in our lives!

P.S. - In case you've been following along with the only other blogs on this site: my goddess card I chose last night was Fertility.

Bling vs. Identity

Still bothered by a piece I saw on 20/20 a couple of weeks ago about these teenage kids who would break into young stars homes to rip off their jewelry and clothes. These kids wanted to BE these starlets and thought these items would give them identity. Sad.

So why am I bothered? I guess because again, as a mama, we try to do all the right things to raise our kids with morals, values etc. Even at a young age we teach them to share, recycle, count our blessings etc. These teenagers obviously got caught in the trap of low self esteem. I decided to make it my mission to start teaching my kiddos that they are valued for who they are and not what they wear.

Screeech! What a hypocrite! When I see these fabulous purses and shoes I say to myself: "Come to Mama. I want the finer things in life." Gals, I'm caught in a weird spot. Growing up, I was middle class with a mother who acted as if we were on well-fare which was weird because we drove around in a Mercedes. Anyway, fast forward to college where I went to school with the upper class - son of Nordstroms, grandsons of Al Capone and George Burns. You get the picture - MONEY. Still designer items never phased me. Post-college I hit the workforce and made little to no money for a couple of years. Then BAM! Great income equals great shoes, purses, outfits. Funny how when I made $15K a year I managed just fine but then making $50K and being so young I was in debt. So I had to fish myself out of debt. In my late 20's I hit the motherload and made crazy money. Aah, that was the life - living in Chi-Town and just loving The Mile. Of course, I was way more responsible. Fast forward to now. I'm a well-taken care of mom and I want the finer things in life. I want my kids to have these designer things. At this age, I am the one in control of what goes in the shopping bag. So I feel a huge Catch 22. I struggle with being responsible for my kids' self-worth; their identity.

And then it all comes back to perspective when I drive by 50th and Arden in Edina and see that it can all be gone in minutes.

Fantasy Cooking

Is there anyone out there willing to admit that they have fantasies about cooking these great dishes and feeding our children the most fun, delicious, wholesome meals but end up getting take out because it never happens? Our family gave up meat (all but diary, eggs and fish) so I was excited to whip out my vegetarian cookbooks and get back to the old ways of eating. I have many cookbooks because I am always thinking I'm going to need that one recipe for that one event. Perfect example, I was all excited to host Livia for a playdate with Bella on Monday and I had my cute Toddler Cafe cookbook all set to whip up a super fun lunch for both. Since I absolutely HATE to grocery shop, I put it off until the very last minute. Of course every time I do that, then the pressure is really on so then I pick less fun stuff, then I get mad that I'm settling and then the inevitable...I just chuck the whole idea. What did I serve? Grill cheese and ants on a log. Really? I'm so "all or nothing". What is that? Why can't I be 1/2 way or gray instead of black or white? So it brings me to Bridgett's post baby meal. How excited am I to find the perfect, fun meal that would follow the new mama's guidelines yet still get a nice cheer from the boys? I even wanted to bake a yummy dessert. Tomorrow's my day. I had so many recipes picked out plus too many different dessert recipes to pick just one. They are wonderful and sound delicious. Do I have all the ingredients? Will I make time to shop tomorrow? Looks like they will be having the roasted chicken and some sides. I started looking for recipes weeks ago!! Don't get me wrong, I am not saying take out is horrible. No way, those words will never come out my mouth considering I support fast food almost too much - I love it. I remember when Beau was born and a meal was delivered, I felt like it was a big warm hug that lasted weeks. I also remember these decadent chocolate cookies from Rustica that Michelle brought me so I will throw some of those into my delivery. I know no matter what I bring, Bridgett will embrace. I also know that neither Bella nor Livia were bummed that they got grilled cheese and ants on a log. But girlfriend, help me get over this fantasy of being Martha Stewart!

To Smoke or Not To Smoke

Bluntly: I have had an IUD in since Beau was 6 weeks old. At the 6 week mark after giving birth the thought of a 3rd child is worse than adding a hole in your head. After the baby is roughly about 5 months maybe 6, you can actually look at a family with more than two kids and think that the parents are not completely insane. Back to the IUD - weird that I had a pregnancy "scare" back in January. I mean weird because I would be in that .5% that got pregnant wearing a device that is practically full-proof. But still, I actually found myself at peace that if I were pregnant that I would be ok with it. Of course, it was just a scare but it made me think. Nuts! That meant that all the extra weight I gained was not pregnancy weight and now I have to lose it. Crap. I watch Courtney Cox on her show Cougar Town and get inspired that I too can be smokin' hot if I just applied all this energy I had into myself. You know - yoga, running, facials, mani/pedis, massages, hair colored/cut, waxing, what else? I mean is it weird to wish I could be smokin' hot at my age and being a mom of two? I haven't felt hot since I was 25 years old. Now with the resources and the wisdom, I think I can actually look and feel better than I did as a 25 year old. I am confident that it is possible. Being 40 years old has nothing to do with why I'm where I am these days. I discussed this whole concept with my hot (hee, hee!) husband during our downtown getaway at the W two weekends ago and he was of course on board with whatever it takes for me to get to where I want to be. So then I asked him if he was done having kids. Poor guy felt trapped - whoa, where did that come from? He answered me with a question are you? I said yes and the relief was clear.

All was great with my decision to move forward and get to smokin' status. This week at ECFE a mom announces that she is pregnant with her 3rd child and man, everything I felt just went out the window. Selfishly I want to move on and take care of myself. But enviously, I want to have another baby. Here's my theory: Moms of one child feel the struggles of parenthood more because they have nothing to compare it to (besides the horror stories of other families). Moms with 2 kids realize after awhile that their first crack at parenthood should have been a breeze and they would kill to have a do-over. Moms with 3 kids are confident - they've been there and done that. And moms with 4+ kids are just plain showing off (ha! ha! totally joking).

So I'm struggling internally with the question: Should I be a smokin' 40 year old mom of 2 or be a confident mom who can handle 3?

Potpourri of Jibbering

Hello! I've been wanting to blog for weeks now but of course life flies by and this is where I am these days. So my mom left last week after 8 weeks of wonderful help. Yes, 8 weeks! I came home from dropping her off at the airport and I shoveled even though I'm not supposed to because of my back issues. I couldn't figure out how to get my emotions out - in some ways I was glad she was gone but in many ways I felt super helpless - that my life was going to get tough again because even with her here it was tough. Days like today I feel blessed for my "One Love Mamas" because Dear Anne picked up Bella and had her over for a very long playdate. I got a lot done around the house and my daughter had the time of her life. I picked her up and she had rosey cheeks and was well-fed. Could it get any better than that? Love to you, Anne!

I thought I would be able to make copies of Baby Erickson's Lullaby cd but I just couldn't get to it today. I can't wait for all of you to get a copy because I really like the compilation. When we practiced yoga with Bridgett right before her Mama Blessing Brunch, I couldn't help but feel a big sense of pride as we listened to the lullaby cd and flowed with some gentle poses. Anyway, the copies will go out soon - on my list for this week. I wish some company made 90 minute cds because all our songs added up to just over 80 minutes and that is the max I could find. So you will have to receive 2 cds - sorry! Baby Ozzie is here and I can't wait to meet him. What a beautiful way to bring a child into the world - being born at home and with a big splash! Ah, the feeling of being a new mom again is such a great feeling and I hope that Bridgett is loving it. Tough on her physically, I'm sure. But she will have such a great peace of mind in the next few months as a light comes on and lets her know that it will all be ok. Especially since she has Bennett signed up for a good pre-school in the Fall. I'm jealous! Argh, can I please just get out of this pre-school searching hell? I mean, truly, I hate the fact that I am making such a big deal about this process. It should be fun to imagine where your baby will get her feet wet at learning. I know some of you moms have your pre-schools nailed down and I bow in awe that you can sit back and not worry about where they will be this Fall. Me? Oh I'm still touring schools. I think my beef is that since I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, it makes me anxious to raise smart people. All the while I want sweet, playful children who actually like to learn instead of being good at regurgitating information. So this is why I struggle with settling. I grew up hating to read and guess what, unless it is children's books, you will rarely find me reading and I hate that! Don't get me wrong, I love to read now but since it is not a priority in my life, it gets pushed aside and then a year goes by and I haven't read a book. That is crazy! Speaking of getting pushed aside - so my one and only New Year's resolution this year was to play more with my family. It's the end of February and I have to say, my resolution is not happening. I know it is a work in progress but a little frustrating that I can't sit there and finger paint with my kids at least once a week. Heck, I will take once a month! I know I have made big strides in resolving this but I want more. Just wanted to share that for the past 2 weeks I wore a charm on my necklace that says, "My Husband is Hot." I have to say - that counts a lot towards my resolution to play with my hubby. When the salesman at the car dealership asked me about my necklace I said, "Hey, he just bought me a new car - I'm sure you think he's hot too, right?" And my last bit of jibbering will be about Lent which starts this Wed and ends 40 days later. I will attempt to give up, once again, Judging. That is it as far as giving up anything because in my book, that's a biggy. Funny, how I will give up judging but will worry more about people making judgements on me.

Miss you mamas and hope it's not long before we can jibber in person. Love.