"sunny side up mama"

a year's end review - day three

 

Welcome to day three, Loves!

If you are just joining us today be sure to begin with day one in our process of 2016 Alchemy, all the base material added to the pot is necessary for the gold to emerge.

Today, allow yourself to feel the energy beginning to shift.  Hold the sacred question of today on your heart and carve out a few moments at the close of the day to journal, perhaps with a cup of tea or in a bubble bath.

Sacred question of day three:

What am I harvesting from this year nearly past?  What nuggets of wisdom was I gifted or might I be gifted as integration of my experiences in 2016 continues?  How have I changed, become stronger, more compassionate, more clear in my purpose during the course of 2016?

Like a gem stone, the tumbling and tossing often allows our vibrant colors to emerge more clearly, in this way we can see that even, or perhaps especially, the tumultuous chapters, our biggest challenges are the greatest gift.  

Share with us here in the comments, or more privately in the Conscious Parenting Circle.

Wishing you the miracle of a bountiful harvest!

Mariah

 

a year's end review - day two

 

As tumultuous as it may have felt, 2016 was a year of endings.  Numerology would have us know that this year was a nine year, meaning a completion or ending year.  Next year we enter a new chapter. Phew...  The beauty of it is that endings in their very nature imply new beginnings, just like we can't run away without running towards.  

Yesterday we gave ourselves the space to just dump it all, free write whatever wanted to come through you and onto the paper as it related to 2016. If you are just joining us today, please give yourself the gift of beginning at day one.

Now we are ready to begin refining our process just a bit.  

Day two journal prompt:

What phases of life, ways of relating to yourself or others are ending or did end in 2016?  What chapter(s) is coming to a close?

Hold this question on your heart today, perhaps take a walk with it and see what clarity comes through without the effort analyzing and over thinking.

Take a moment to share what comes up for you, here in the comments or in the Conscious Parenting Circle.

Also consider bringing a friend into this conversation with you, it's powerful to share out loud with another person all that we are pondering as the year draws to an end.

Wishing you beauty in the process...

Much love,

Mariah

a year's end review and the cultivation of fertile soul-soil

"F**K you 2016, and the horse you rode in on" seems to be the common sentiment being expressed around this year coming to a close.  It's been a gut-wrenching year for many, myself included.  

2016 started with sudden and heartbreaking death, a theme that continued throughout.  It brought me to my knees over and over again.

The pain was deep, is deep.  And our tendency might be to squirm as we try to numb, medicate and wriggle our way away from it however we can. Oh, the tragedy and loss and death and despair, who wouldn't want to move away from that?  Run from that.  In our homes, communities and on the world wide stage, the unthinkable has played out.  

For many this year ushered in a rude awakening, one that will never again let us sleep.  Are we really ready to toss it in the fire and run full speed ahead into the unknown future?  

Not so fast, I say.  We are wise women in training.  

What base material might we spin into gold before we go?  Our journey and all the experiences along the way, the wildly pleasurable and the deeply painful, are what shapes us into the the beautiful creatures we are becoming with each passing day.  

Let us harvest from this rich year, shall we?

Let us harvest our hard earned lessons, work our magic, and cultivate rich soul-soil so we might have fertile grounds for planting in 2017.

Join me everyday, for the next week, for the Alchemy of 2016.  Let's turn this into gold.

 

DAY 1:

What are you running from?

Take some time in your journal this afternoon to explore what you are running from.  What are you SO done with?  What pain did you experience this year that you never want to feel again? What did your eyes open to that you so wish you could un-see?

Simply allow yourself the time and space to free write. Allow whatever wants to come through your pen and out onto the paper to do so.  Don't sensor yourself.  Pour it all out.  This is for you, dump all the base metal you plan to alchemize, even the stuff you didn't know was in there, put it in the pot and we'll begin to stir it, gently, with care.

For the coming days:

1. Check in here each day for your alchemy ingredient of the day.
2. Plan to hold a question of the day on your heart and carve out a small pocket of time to journal what arises for you.
3. Join us in our Conscious Parenting Circle for discussion and sisterhood as we make our way through these coming days of Alchemy and magic, purging and cultivating.
4. Invite your sisters to join you here in this process, take turns sharing and really hearing what comes up for each of you.

5. Enjoy this sweet tune by the Oh Hellos! 

Loving all of you, the beautiful, the ugly, the loving even the rage-full!

Mariah 

gingerbread houses: a {gluten free} holiday tradition

When my boys were very young I made a decision to focus on creating the experiences I wanted to have with them; writing the stories of their childhood.  Our December is exceptionally busy (as I know you likely feel is true for you as well), we celebrate five birthdays in the mix with Solstice and Christmas.  With that, it has been a saving grace to have some tried and true family traditions that help us push back time and frenzy in favor of cozy winter days full of merry memory making.

Seasonal traditions root us deeply to family, place, and time, they become the punctuation marks of each rotation after the next.  As the years pass we quickly begin to look back at the weaving of our story in and out of the seasons and see our own reflection as we return year after year to these favorite little traditions.  In a busy life, these are the moments that anchor us.

Our family has grown to love our annual Gingerbread Day, a day that is awaited with much anticipation.  It's a day that takes quite a bit of preparation, baking and love and it's worth every ounce of effort we put in. We typically build our houses just before Christmas as Santa has become accustomed to seeing it by the tree when he arrives (no nibbling allowed until after he's had his viewing).

This year, I would love to share our pattern and recipe with you, but before I do - a few words to the wise:

~ Plan on a day of baking and a few hours of decorating madness the next day.

~ I would suggest having two adults on construction duty. The initial construction of the houses involves HOT sugar-glue that needs to be used quickly before it turns to rock candy.

~ Adults should do the glueing of house parts to avoid burns.

~ Children should have all the fun decorating.

~ Parents: if you are the decorator sort, or a micromanager extraordinaire, consider making your own house so you can let go of your ideas about how your kiddos gingerbread house should look. Let them have all the messy fun in the world (easier said than done unless you have your own house to decorate, wink, wink).

~ Read all the way through this tutorial before you begin.  There are three recipes and a pattern to prepare.

Gingerbread house recipe:

2 cups sorgum flour

2 cups tapioca flour

2 cups potato starch

1-1/4 teaspoon guar gum

(to make with regular wheat flour substitute 6 cups flour)

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

4 teaspoon ground ginger

4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk above dry ingredients together and set aside.

In a mixer, combine:

1-1/2 sticks of soft (not melted) butter

1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar

beat butter and sugar until fluffy

add the following:

2 large eggs

1 cup molasses

1 Tablespoon water

beat into butter mixture until well combined.

beat in half of the flour mixture until smooth, stir in remaining flour mixture.  Knead by hand or use dough hook to mix until smooth.  Batter should be fairly stiff.  If too soft, add some extra flour.

wrap in plastic wrap or otherwise cover dough (I use a reusable glass bowl with a lid) and refrigerate for several hours.  I often mix the dough the night before baking day.

Makes one house!

 

Pattern:

Use the images and measurements below to create your house pattern.

My pattern pieces are made out of a fairly thin, but stiff, craft cardboard.  I keep them clean and store them in our holiday box along with the recipe for easy use every year.

 

Front of house:

~ Cut out one with door and window cut out.  

~Save and bake door.

Back of house:

~ cut out one using the above pattern piece without cutting out door and window.

 

Chimney pieces:

~ cut two with slanted bottom for the sides of chimney.

~ cut out one 1" x 3" piece for front of chimney 

~ cut out one 1" x 1-1/4" piece for the back side of chimney (closest to the top of roof)

 

Roof: 6-1/2" square with added scalloped edge.  Cut two.

Walls: 

~ Cut two 5" x 5" pieces.

 

Rolling, cutting and baking:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Divide dough into two.

Place wax paper on rolling surface, dust with flour (I use sweet white rice flour for dusting).

Roll dough to 1/4" thickness.

Add flour to surface of dough.  You do not want it to be sticky.

Place pattern pieces on dough and cut with a clean knife.  

Stop and clean knife often to avoid sticking.

Place dough pieces onto wax paper and bake on cookie sheet.

Bake till edges just begin to darken, about 15-18 minutes.

Cool on rack for 15 minutes.

While still warm, trim any uneven edges, doorways or windows that grew while baking.

Roll scraps a bit thinner and make gingerbread people for your house (bake about 7 minutes)

 

 

To assemble your house:

Have a cutting board or piece of wood you don't mind doing without for the length of time your house is on display.

You are going to construct your house with VERY hot glue made from melted sugar.  You do not want to drip this on any part of your body.  

**Please, do not have your children help you with this part of the building!**

 

Be prepared for construction before you make the glue:

~ have all pieces of baked house parts on a table or counter

~ place a hot pad for the glue to rest on next to your cutting board

~ have wooden spoons ready to apply glue to house

 

Make sugar-glue:

In a cast iron frying pan melt 1 cup of white granulated sugar.  Stir continuously until it becomes liquid. Remove from heat once all sugar has melted.

 

 

Assemble your house:

Dip edges of house pieces in sugar-glue and put them together.  

Glue sets up fast so you will need to work quickly.  

Start by glueing the back of your house onto the cutting board, followed by the walls and the front.  

Walls should be placed inside of the the back and front pieces.  

Glue seems with extra glue by spooning it on and letting it drip between pieces.

Finish with roof pieces allowing them to meet at the top, adding more glue with a spoon as needed.

Don't forget to place your door in an open position on the cutting board.

Don't worry about sticky, messy strings of sugar-glue, big drips and such.  You will be decorating with "snow" (recipe below) and candy soon enough.  This phase is about crafting a solid house for your kiddos to go crazy decorating!

 

 

"Snow" recipe:

Ingredients:

4 egg whites

5-1/3 cups of powdered sugar - divided

Directions:

~ Whisk together egg whites and 2-2/3 cup of sugar

~ Add remaining sugar and beat on high until stiff and peeks form.  Add more sugar if needed.  Place in a cake decorating bag or put in baggies with a small hole snipped in the corner.  I like to give each child their own decorating bag. 

Over the years we've decided we like our houses best with a pretty base of white all around the house as a yard, I actually think the more "snow" the better, but I suggest setting all the decorations out and sitting back with camera in hand a big smile on your face as you watch the decorating party unfold just the way they want it!

 

(I sure miss his baby boy hands)

Enjoy!  I would love to hear about the fun you have, or even see pictures of your creations if you feel inclined to share.

From my family to yours ~ happy winter holidays!

Mariah

in the face of feelings

"I can't hear you when you're crying" she said. "We can talk when you're all done."

He gasped for air, desperately trying to stop crying so his mama would hear him.

My heart broke just a little. For both of them.

It was a hard, end of the day, moment. He was tired, had so much built up inside from holding himself together for the outside world all day. She was stretched, just off work, still needed to make dinner.

You know how it goes, right?

When you so want a moment with your child to connect, to unwind, to see them happy and having fun but instead it feels like a crumbling heap of big feelings.

Thing is, this was an opportunity to deeply connect after a long day away from each other, likely the only one to present itself today.

And it was missed.

Instead of connection, walls were built, the emotional distance between mother and son grew in that moment.

When we aren't able to hold space for these big feelings, for our own reasons, we send the message to our children that some parts of them are not welcome, that they are worthy of love and acceptance when they can hold themselves together but not before then, that they can be heard only when they aren't sad.

Let's imagine another scenario for one moment. Let's imagine a mama saying to her upset boy:

"I hear you, son."

"I hear you're feeling sad in this moment. I'm here for you, we can talk if you want."

By allowing the space for feelings without judgment we communicate to our children that ALL OF THEM is welcome.

Building emotional intelligence happens inside these moments of guiding our children through the sometimes scary rapids of big feelings, holding steady, loving, grounded space for them as the feelings move through their body.

These are highly valuable moments of growth, even with their tendency to pop-up in the most inopportune moments...

When was the last time you were in a similar situation, tired child, end-of-your-rope-mama, situation? How did it go?

 

So much love to you, Mama, in the all the moments of mothering.

Mariah

Sage Mothering 2017

 

<sub>Thinking Sage Mothering might be more aptly named "Love Warrior School". After three+ years of leading Sage Mothering It's absolutely clear that this is indeed Love Warrior School. Warriors for deep, raw, real Love in relationship with not only our children but self, others, beloveds.

How do we stand tall and grounded in the face of that which triggers us most?

How do we find the words to connect rather than divide?

How do we track our own internal jungle...that place we are most apt to lose our way?

How do we align with our own values and stand for them, and with them, daily?

It's Love Warrior School, this journey is, and I couldn't be more excited to stand here, holding the registration doors open for all you brave, brave Mamas embarking on the 2017 Sage Mothering journey - the most epic one so far.

Nine full months (plus three extra integration months of support) of community and powerful support so you can stand in your most confident, aligned, empowered self and mothering.  Join us at here, at sagemothering.com.

We're in for a fantastic year!</sub>