Mama Renew

by Sarah

We at Mama Renew place a high value on living with a healthy dose of the outrageous.   Most of us live far more routine lives now than we did before children, and outrageous behaviour is often redefined as “irresponsible,” or simply no longer possible.

Life as a family, however, can be full of adventure and the outrageous if we open ourselves up to it. Stepping out of the routine, we discover new parts of ourselves and live more fully.

Sometimes, we need to follow our own advice.

While I was out of town, my husband attended an school fundraising auction.  Winning a holiday trip or even a massage gift certificate would have been nice.  Instead, he spontaneously bought us 2 little calves, just barely 2 weeks old, now named Blossom and Rose by our very happy and sons.  My dear sweet husband carefully shared the news with me when I returned home the next day.

I could have been upset, I suppose.  I could have been outraged that he had made such a major decision without consulting me.  Instead, I laughed so hard that I cried.

Truth be told, as outrageous as his behaviour and the reality of 2 calves in our shed may be (have I mentioned that we know Nothing about raising cows?!), I love that he simply took the leap.  It wasn’t pre-meditated or rational in any way. He simply got swept up in the moment and leapt into cow ownership in a moment of pure inspiration, or at least as inspired as one can feel when buying cows.

Now, as the reality of caring for them settles in, I am feeling pure gratitude for the way in which his willingness to take a risk is opening each of us up to new experiences.  And yes, more than a bit overwhelmed by the learning curve ahead of us, but mainly excited that he was outrageous enough to make the leap.

Moo.

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What outrageous thing would you love to do?

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What if…I wish we…Wouldn’t it be nice if….

You know the conversation.  it usually starts when you’re on vacation, away from the routine of your every day life. Topics can include job options, parenting choices, household dreams, relationship shifts, moves to the country, and more.  Shhhh…. listen closely and you’ll notice your pattern of response to such wandering, wondering thoughts.

It wouldn’t work…We can’t, shouldn’t, couldn’t…I need to be realistic, responsible…

Maybe it wouldn’t be as nice as I imagine…

Each of the above negations is likely firmly rooted in some aspect of reality. The sensible, rational mind takes one look at our dreams of “what if…” and concocts a long list of “why nots.”

And yet every once in a while, we ourselves, or someone we love, takes the leap and says Yes, somehow moving beyond the world of being sensible.  What is it that allows us to move from “what if…” to “I can”?

We don’t actually know the answer to this question.  But we do know that there seems to be a tipping point, a moment when the desire to move forward is greater than the fears and concerns that hold us back.  Such difficult choices and leaps of faith always seem to make more sense once we’re on the other side – and we find ourselves thinking,

“Why didn’t I do that ages ago?!”

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What wonderings are in your heart & mind?

What does your rational, sensible mind say?

How might you move forward, if only in a small way, today?

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Many thanks to Martha of Laughing Volcano Art for the use of her beautiful Blue Girl Leap of Faith image.

Mother’s Day has us musing on our mama friends.  Friends that laugh, support, challenge, accompany, tease, cook, and somehow know just what we need and are right there by our side.  Such friendships have been perfectly captured in our post A Circle of Mothers (get your hanky ready before watching)

Motherhood often brings huge changes in our relationships with friends.  Women we are only marginally close to show up at the door with bags of hand-me-down baby clothes.  Casseroles appear out of nowhere.  Other friends seem to slip away, unsure of how to navigate this new terrain of being friends with a mother and her new best friend (baby).  Along with the adjustment to new parenthood comes the opening to a new expanded circle of friends.

In our interview with Peggy O’Mara of Mothering Magazine earlier this spring she commented,

“You don’t find a friend, you make one.”

We have seen this lesson in Mama Renew over and over again – connections formed through reaching out, asking for and offering help, speaking our truth, and being present to one another in both the good and the hard moments.  This is how we grow.

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How have your connections with mama friends grown?

What might you do today to help make or deepen a friendship?

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For all that we do, give, love, dream, create, vision….

Happy Mother’s Day!

We gift you with this extraordinary video featuring the original Mother’s Day Proclamation:

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The Mother’s Day media frenzy is upon us, with tales of what mothers Really want… This story from ABC News reports that in these difficult economic times spas, jewelry and flowers are apparently off the list, with mother’s today choosing the simple pleasure of being together as a family.

When you actually read the comments that ABC received from moms around the country, however, the message they share is quite different.  Yes, we love being with our families.  However, gifts of spa visits, jewelry and flowers, while nice to receive, may not be at the very top of the list. Each mother responding shared her idea of the perfect Mother’s Day gift, and here is our Mama Renew interpretation of their desires – quite different from that of ABC News:

Help!

It seems that that we would love more help with household responsibilities, or to be relieved of them entirely for one blissful day.  As one mom shared,

“When there are dirty dishes on the counter, wash them.  If you have to step over it to get where you’re going, pick it up and it away…A day where I do not need to orchestrate the cleaning, washing, cooking, homework would be heavenly.”

No Worries

Mothers shared worries about finances, employment, the welfare of their children, household responsibilities… How wonderful it would be to enjoy a day simply knowing that everything is fine, safe, healthy, stable…  Peggy O’Mara of Mothering Magazine shared her wisdom with Mama Renew recently on the theme of optimism in difficult times.

Appreciated

The theme of feeling taken for granted is one echoed in many of their responses.   Appreciation may take the form of household support, breakfast in bed, a spa visit or simply the gift of some much needed time off.  We especially enjoyed the comment of a mother with grown children:

“What I really ‘want’ is a sunny day with my three wonderful children helping me do the ‘big stuff’ in my garden…I’d like it if we all shared some laughs, threw some burgers on the grill, and everybody tidied up afterward. I’d like everyone to hug each other before they left…I’d go to sleep so happy and peacefully with a blessing like that.”

We at Mama Renew hope you enjoy all of the above this Mother’s Day.  Most of all, we hope you have the support you need to care for yourself so you can better care for your family.  Check out our Inspired Gifts for Mothers Day for some great ideas.

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What About You?

What Does Mama Really Want?

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Yes, flowers are lovely and chocolate divine, but we are especially excited about Mother’s Day gifts that Nurture You not just that day but for months to come…  Below are a few of our favourite Mother’s Day gift ideas:

Nurture Your Spirit

Gift certificates are available for you to join one or all of Mama Renew’s summer workshops. We begin with Unleashing Your Creativity on May 13th, 7 p.m. in Vancouver.  Upcoming workshops include Outrageous Living: Reclaiming Adventure, Relationship Changes, and Creating Balance.  Only $30 each, or $100 for all four.  Learn more…

Write Your Story

Check out our blog entry Soulful Writing for Mothers for a few fabulous writing workshops for mothers.  Learn more…

Celebrate Motherhood

Enjoy a grand feast, dancing, ritual & meditation at Chai in honour of motherhood.  Saturday, May 17th.  Learn more…

See My Mother’s Story

This annual performance of My Mother’s Story features a spoken word collage of twenty mothers’ stories.  It is an extraordinary event and is a perfect gift for your own mother or grandmother.  Sunday, May 10th 2009.

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What do you want for Mother’s Day?

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