Memories

My boys Autumn 2011 in Sicily 

by www.oliviamann.com

Thanks Auntie Liv for the great picture,what great memories this conjures up of the fabulous holiday we had with the whole family celebrating our mums 60th birthday.

Time

Time to write, time to dream, time to be the mother i would like to be! Things run on and as i look back i realise that although many dreams of how i wanted to be as a mother had to change due to energetic circumstances and in some ways i could say therefore fell short of my ideals, many things have by far surpassed anything i thought possible and i am proud oh so proud to be saying that. I struggled with M.E for many years before having children, struggling to function in a normal way and needing endless recovery time (as just one part of the experience) yet i didn't want to wait to 'get better' fully before having children because i felt at the time that this may never happen or it may take a looong time, i  also had no idea about what was involved...selfish probably but wow what a journey and one i would not change for the world. When i so easily became pregnant in the first month i was seriously thrilled but i also panicked about exactly how i would cope and then for sure when i had my second that i would not make it. Throughout the last 4 years i have been so stretched emotionally and physically (and especially having moved abroad when my eldest son was 4 months old taking away any support network which is so vital) that sometimes i thought it was not possible to go on, yet i've done it/am doing it and along the way i have learnt so much (wow what a serious spiritual lesson and learning about oneself and others having children is) and the boys have been such a joy. I've also had some serious opportunities to heal further namely being intuitively led into a high raw food way of eating, being the beneficiary of some incredible, infact mind blowing Life Alignment Therapy from my incredible mum  ( i love her recent blog post) and some other wonderful healers including the beautiful Alice and really recently finding that the natural approach to healing my severe Thyroid issue was as simple as the raw food diet with high doses of Dr.Vogels Kelp tablets, this has taken the edge off the raw, mind numbing dragging myself through the day exhaustion and the horrendous depression and anger that came with it. I am seriously happy and healthy right now and i have two bright happy boys, I am doing it, i am being a mum with all the energetic demands that that makes and i realise that i am well, i am coping and although there are a few things that i have had to compromise due to my energy levels i feel that is is pretty darn amazing to be here and to be coping so well. I am a full time mum right now and that is just such bliss, i feel very lucky to be doing exactly that ( i wonder what throwing work into the mix would be like) and i hope i have the courage to keep going against the Norwegian system by keeping my children at home for longer than the norm. There is a fabulous book that helps to inspire one to do just this:  "Life Without School: The Quiet Revolution" (or on amazon here)- i am slowly working my way through the whole Mother Magazine book list which is just a blissful journey as is the bi monthly magazine!Motherhood is a blissful, mind expanding, stretching and life changing experience and golly i love those boys to bits and pieces:

Theodore and Sebastian July 2011

“If you are going to doubt something, doubt your limits”.

Don Ward

Super Exciting Conscious Parenting Summit

YEAH the *free* Conscious Parenting Summit hosted by Matt Monarch and Angela Stokes-Monarch of the Raw Food World has begun, but only just so there is still time to access the first interview by Ingrid Bauer on elimination communication. Click HERE to sign up and to listen to Matt and Angela explain what it's all about. It is seriously worth checking it out and signing up to access each of the main interviews (as well as all the bonus interviews and material) from the 16 inspiring speakers from around the world. They will be speaking on topics such as conscious conception, healthy pregnancy, natural birthing, vaccinations, children's nutrition, breastfeeding, cosleeping and more ....and each interview is available for 24 hours. 

Here is a look at the 16 experts on conscious parenting that are involved in this summit:

You can also read more about each one on the conscious parenting website here.

Angela Stokes Monarch with her gorgeous daughter Oria

(see her blog RawReform here.)

Go Wild

If you'd been up at 7am this morning and peeking over our hedge you would have seen my youngest son and i upended in the garden picking nettles and dandelion leaves to make our morning juice. Washed and bunged straight into the juicer with an orange and hey presto a pretty cheap and definately zinging juice. The boys actually fought over who was going to drink the last dregs from the jug.
It was after happening upon Christian Bates video about wild greens that we thought again about how much there is out there to forage for free, starting with the 'weeds' in our garden. Here in Norway it isn't too easy to find a variety of organic greens, you pretty much have to buy in bulk when they come into the shop otherwise you are left with pretty uninspiring iceberg lettuces or at best Romaine. (Helios sometimes sells bags of delicious greens, but you have to be quick when they come in as they sell out fast.) Tomorrow we're heading into the forest to see what we can find......pretty exciting and great for the boys and i to learn a bit more about nature.

There is a whole heap of information out there as to why organic wild food/raw greens is so good for you but a fabulous book which includes this information is Shazzies book "Detox your world" and her website of the same name is also worth checking out. I highly recommend the book as a brilliant resource about simplifying our lives in order to heal and become the best version of ourselves.
You can also see Megan Elizabeths recent video on 'The benefits of being raw' here.

Leftover Porridge Biscuits

Somehow there always seems to be some leftover porridge on mornings when i make it for the boys (with their green smoothies on the side) and i hate throwing it out, so today i made some yummy biscuits from the leftovers:

Oatie Porridge Biscuits (adapted from the Veggie Buntch website recipe)

Ingredients- makes 12 biscuits

Roughly 1 cup of cooked porridge (or whatever you have left)
1 egg
1/2 cup of ordinary/Gluten Free flour (you should add more if your oats are not stodgy already. If you want them to be more fluffy use self raising flour)
2-3 tablespoons of honey (or brown sugar).
2 tablespoons of raisins (or other dried fruit).
Good sprinkling of sesame seeds and dessicated coconut.
2-3 teaspoons of ginger powder or a knob of fresh ginger grated instead.

Instructions

Mix the porridge, egg and flour together. Add the dried fruit, seeds etc and the ginger. Now add the honey and taste to see if it is sweet enough for your liking. The consistency should be quite sticky, NOT runny.

Use a tablespoon to dollop onto a greased tray and press down with a fork to make each biscuit. Or you can put them in individual muffin cases. Place in the oven at 180 C until done (+/- 20 mins)


Alternative Ingredients 

Green pumpkin seeds, cranberries, grated apple, coconut, figs etc 

For Raw vegan style Oatmeal Raisin cookies see Megan Elizabeths recipe here 

One Day You Will

....aaah and back to the blogging world. I have to say i am really happy to have left January behind, it was a long month of chickenpox quarantines ( sadly no one was up for a chicken pox party) and illness starting with chickenpox for the youngest on New Years Eve and seemingly endless rounds of flu and viruses since, with each boy taking it in turns and Andreas and i succumbing eventually too. The quote that has been keeping me going through the tough stuff is "ONE DAY YOU WILL" and some fabulous blogs like "Taking Time" and Soule Mama ( i also have Amanda Soules wonderful book "Handmade Home" and next on my list is her book "Rhythm of Family") as well as some sweet dvds like Brother Bear and a fabulous friend who has been checking in with me almost every day and sending me funny things to keep me going like this, thank you Nicole you are amazing. But i have to say for the most part i have, dare i say it, been an uber mum/nurse thinking of endless activities for the various stages of sickness and making lovely herbal and natural tonics and healing juices and foods. But now i am done i want to get out, have some fun and a change of scene. I want to see people and i want to feel good about me.

So i was lucky enough to book flights to zip over to the UK for my dads 60th birthday party on my own, a first since Sebastian was born ( time to read, sleep and party on my own and come home to my lovely boys refreshed and bouncing again) and vainly that led to fantasies about getting a new haircut. But having been to quite a few places in Oslo since moving here and ending up disappointed i wondered where i could go without feeling completely let down after parting with a huge wad of cash and feeling that the hairdresser hadn't listened to me at all. After a chance conversation a friend recommended Adam and Eva in Grønland. I was sceptical, but i loved the place and Maria actually listened to what i wanted and seemed to tailor it to me and what suited me. I LOVED it and i still love it a few weeks later. Yeah!

One day you will, but where you are right now is where you are meant to be. If you can see the value in that it makes things much easier and sometimes you really can see that this is the only place you should be.

The Grinning Depression

Being a mum is intensely rewarding, immensely fulfilling and a completely joyful love affair, just being completely in the moment with your children and sharing the giggles and the journey, i would not change it for anything. But at the same time it can be very lonely, can strip you bare, stretch you beyond anything you can imagine and can be unrelenting in its intensity of need. Reading the article "A Mother's Call to Healing" by Marcy Axness she writes so brilliantly about the depression that can follow the birth of your baby but also how "the healing call of mothering has carved out of me my true Self, who daily, gloriously, feels life against her soul."

Brothers

Theodore with Sebastian just a few hours after Sebs birth

Sheer bliss

Summer fun

Theodore and Seb in our new home, Oslo

Raising Our Children Raising Ourselves

“If there is anything we wish to change in the child, we should first

examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be

changed in ourselves.” Carl G. Jung

I was drawn to reading Naomi Aldorts book "Raising Our Children Raising Ourselves" 

a long time before i actually held a copy in my hands.  Somehow I knew this book was an important read when i came across

it in The Mother Magazine, 

but now i realise it is an essential one. I have at times been really struggling with my role as a mother and with feelings of failure when it comes to dealing with my 3 year olds tantrums or 'antisocial' behaviour such as biting or kicking. She has reminded me to take a step back from the behaviour encouraging me to look at my stuff and

to really listen to my son to find out what the real need is rather than storming in with the No's and the don'ts. 

I've found that my relationship with my son is improving due to the practical advise, especially of the S.A.L.V.E technique (see below), 

but of course it takes work, a whole heap of work. I know however from the improvements that it is worth it.

By gently and respectfully parenting our children,

listening to them and trusting them, it strengthens our relationships and allows them to be the best they can be and that they already are. 

 Naomi Aldort- 

"How do we connect kindly with a child who is hitting, grabbing or making a mess? In the normal course of events most of us are looking for a way to “stop” whatever is going wrong. Yet, stopping the child’s expression does not stop the child’s feelings and does not eliminate the cause; it only hurts and confuses the child. Our purpose therefore is not to stop the child’s expression (if safe), but to understand why he must be doing it so we can attend to the cause. Even if not safe, stopping her is only a temporary measure and the cause must be addressed; we must connect and find solutions to her underlying need.

When a child is screaming or hitting, he must have failed to get his needs met in any other way because we have not responded to his subtler cues. There is no reason to feel guilty for not understanding a child; only to embrace our humanity and move on. We are learning to communicate and listen better, so we can understand the child before he is desperate. The following is a formula that will help you transform your habitual reactions into love and understanding:

COMMUNICATION S.A.L.V.E.

Raising Our Children, is indeed Raising Ourselves. To care for the child, you must rise out of your own old repetitive thoughts planted in your mind long ago. Gaining freedom from the tyranny of old thoughts is the first step of the SALVE formula:

S - Silent Self-inquiry

A - Attention on your child

L - Listen to what your child is saying or to what his actions may be indicating

V - Validate your child’s feelings and the needs he expresses without adding or dramatising

E - Empower your child to resolve his own upset by getting out of his way and trusting him

Don't just take my word for it or for that matter Naomis, get her book, dip into her website 

www.naomialdort.com 

and give it a try. 

The Unexpected

The Help Japan poster designed by Daniel Freytag in response to the Japanese disaster on the 11.03.11.  He's donating 100% of the proceeds to the British Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal so go and get your limited edition print.

I wonder how we all, in Norway or in Britain, would respond to a disaster like the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan? I like Laura Bruno's Blog on the subject so much that i have included the whole thing here: 

Beautiful Letter from Japan 

March 17, 2011 at 2:25 pm 

I found this letter circulating on Facebook and just wanted to share it here. The letter remains exactly as posted by Samantha Roddick, who says: “this is a letter my dad’s girlfriend’s friend sent her from Japan – you have to read it – it is completely surprising and inspiring.”

Before sharing the letter, I wanted to post a message from the Mayan Elders, who are now speaking openly about their calendar: “We need to work together for peace, and balance with the other side. We need to take care of the Earth that feeds and shelters us. We need to put our entire mind and heart into pursuing unity and unity now, to confront the other side and preserve life.”

They are doing this in Japan! We don’t know what will or will not happen in our own countries, but we can take hope from this beautiful letter that even in the midst of great challenge, we can rise up and embrace what it truly means to be human:

“Hello My Lovely Friends,

“First I want to thank you so very much for your concern for me. I am very touched. I also wish to apologize for a generic message to you all. But it seems the best way at the moment to get my message to you.

“Things here in Sendai have been rather surreal. But I am very blessed to have wonderful friends who are helping me a lot. Since my shack is even more worthy of that name, I am now staying at a friend’s home. We share supplies like water, food and a kerosene heater. We sleep lined up in one room, eat by candlelight, share stories. It is warm, friendly, and beautiful.

“During the day we help each other clean up the mess in our homes. People sit in their cars, looking at news on their navigation screens, or line up to get drinking water when a source is open. If someone has water running in their home, they put out sign so people can come to fill up their jugs and buckets.

“Utterly amazingly where I am there has been no looting, no pushing in lines. People leave their front door open, as it is safer when an earthquake strikes. People keep saying, “Oh, this is how it used to be in the old days when everyone helped one another.”

“Quakes keep coming. Last night they struck about every 15 minutes. Sirens are constant and helicopters pass overhead often.

“We got water for a few hours in our homes last night, and now it is for half a day. Electricity came on this afternoon. Gas has not yet come on. But all of this is by area. Some people have these things, others do not. No one has washed for several days. We feel grubby, but there are so much more important concerns than that for us now. I love this peeling away of non-essentials. Living fully on the level of instinct, of intuition, of caring, of what is needed for survival, not just of me, but of the entire group.

“There are strange parallel universes happening. Houses a mess in some places, yet then a house with futons or laundry out drying in the sun. People lining up for water and food, and yet a few people out walking their dogs. All happening at the same time.

“Other unexpected touches of beauty are first, the silence at night. No cars. No one out on the streets. And the heavens at night are scattered with stars. I usually can see about two, but now the whole sky is filled. The mountains are Sendai are solid and with the crisp air we can see them silhouetted against the sky magnificently.

“And the Japanese themselves are so wonderful. I come back to my shack to check on it each day, now to send this e-mail since the electricity is on, and I find food and water left in my entranceway. I have no idea from whom, but it is there. Old men in green hats go from door to door checking to see if everyone is OK. People talk to complete strangers asking if they need help. I see no signs of fear. Resignation, yes, but fear or panic, no.

“They tell us we can expect aftershocks, and even other major quakes, for another month or more. And we are getting constant tremors, rolls, shaking, rumbling. I am blessed in that I live in a part of Sendai that is a bit elevated, a bit more solid than other parts. So, so far this area is better off than others. Last night my friend’s husband came in from the country, bringing food and water. Blessed again.

“Somehow at this time I realize from direct experience that there is indeed an enormous Cosmic evolutionary step that is occurring all over the world right at this moment. And somehow as I experience the events happening now in Japan, I can feel my heart opening very wide. My brother asked me if I felt so small because of all that is happening. I don’t. Rather, I feel as part of something happening that much larger than myself. This wave of birthing (worldwide) is hard, and yet magnificent.

“Thank you again for your care and Love of me,

“With Love in return, to you all,

Anne”

Many, many abundant blessings and much love!!