Meditation: The Wabisabi Philosophy

For most of life, nothing wonderful happens. If you don't enjoy getting up and working and finishing your work and sitting down to a meal with family or friends, then the chances are you're not going to be very happy. If someone bases his happiness or unhappiness on major events like a great new job, huge amounts of money, a flawlessly happy marriage or a trip to Paris, that person isn't going to be happy much of the time. If, on the other hand, happiness depends on a good breakfast, flowers in the yard, a drink or a nap, then we are more likely to live with quite a bit of happiness.

~Andy Rooney

This is the essence of the Wabisabi philosophy: finding beauty (and peace and happiness) in the small and simple things - the fleeting things that don't last forever but have the power to make an impression for eternity. Perhaps Andy Rooney was a Zen Buddhist?

But to take this even further, happiness should actually come from within and not be dependent on external circumstances. It takes a certain amount of will to find happiness and to notice the beauty in the world around you. As a mom I want to teach Mayumi not to be disappointed by rainy days, but to find the beauty in it and be grateful for it in the moment. And as a human being I want to embody that kind of attitude.

Hopefully this week, even if you are surrounded by chaos, you are able to notice those small bits of beauty in your life and find happiness in them. And then come back and leave a comment here to share what that bit of happiness was - we could all be uplifted by it!

My happiness right this minute? Okay, I'll admit it - a sleeping baby!

My own little pumpkin

MamaM as a babe.

MamaD as a babe.

Last call!

Only a few more hours until the creativity giveaway ends! Enter by 8 p.m. EST for a chance to win a copy of Amanda Blake Soule's The Creative Family. Good luck!

Oishii: Minestrone

My sister-in-law Erin makes a mean minestrone.  And when she shared her secret recipe with me, I couldn't believe how simple it was!  With her permission, I am posting it here for all moms who are in search of something delicious, healthy, hearty and EASY!  Hallelujah!

Auntie Erin's Minestrone

Ingredients
Box of vegetable stock
15 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
2 15 oz cans tomato soup
2 cans water
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 tsp minced garlic
1 small zucchini, diced
3 carrots, chopped
1 Tb minced onion
1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained
1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained

ground black pepper

garlic salt

italian seasoning
grated parmesan cheese
1 lb elbow macaroni, cooked al dente

Directions:
Bring vegetable stock, tomatoes, tomato soup and water to a boil in a large pot. 

Add garlic, zucchini, carrots, and onions and reduce heat to a simmer. 

In the meantime, bring another large pot of water to a boil and cook the macaroni al dente. 

When the vegetables have softened (about 15 minutes?) add the beans and cook for 5 more minutes, adding pepper, garlic salt and italian seasoning to taste. 

To serve, dish out a ladle-full of macaroni in a bowl and pour soup over the pasta.  Garnish with parmesan cheese. 

So easy!  So good!

Homemade: Eye Pillows

I'm in the process of making some eye pillows to use during shavasana (final relaxation) in the yoga class I lead on Tuesday mornings.  One of my teachers incorporates them in her class and it is so relaxing to have that scrumptious goodness on my eyes.  And making them really is so easy, so here it goes:

I cut out a template for a more "contoured" shape.

After sewing around the edges and turning them right-side-in, I filled them with a mix of rice and lavender.

Blind stitch the opening closed and there you have a lovely little eye pillow.  I used some fabric scraps that mom brought me from Japan, but any fabric would work, don't you think?  I found that the rectangular shaped pillows were easier and just as effective as the contoured ones, so I think I may go with those from here on out.  Just a few more to go and then we all benefit in yoga class.  Namaste!

Sunshine and lollipops

Olive and I took advantage of the first sunny day we've had in a while by taking a stroll outside. As we cut through a parking lot, I saw this smashed into the pavement:

It's a licorice flower!

It made my day. Hope it makes yours.

Breastfeeding study

I ran across this article on CNN a couple of days ago that cited some alarming statistics about the lack of breastfeeding in the U.S. It cited a CDC study that found the following:

• Only 74% of women even start breastfeeding
• Only 33% were still exclusively breastfeeding at three months
• Only 14% were still exclusively breastfeeding at six months

These rates are far below the World Health Organization's recommendation that states infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life. The article stated that if new moms would breastfeed for the first six months of life, a thousand lives and billions of dollars would be saved each year. The infant deaths are due primarily to SIDS, necrotizing enterocolitis (when the lining of the intestinal wall dies) and lower respiratory infections such as pneumonia. 

So the question is why aren't more women breastfeeding? The article suggests lack of support in the hospital after birth, lack of education about the benefits of breastfeeding and lack of support once a mom leaves the hospital and runs into problems, such as failure to latch.

I can relate to these reasons. After giving birth to Olive in the hospital, I had one great lactation consultant work with me just minutes after Olive was born. But then I worked with another the next day who said Olive didn't seem to be latching and I should just pump. A few days after being home, I ran into more problems with latching and hired a third lactation consultant who saved the day. Had I not known that there were lactation consultants out there that could help, I could easily have given up on breastfeeding. 

It can be frustrating and painful (after two-and-a-half months of nursing, my nipples still often hurt). Many women don't have their female family members nearby to offer support and guidance. And if a mom is returning to work, there are even more challenges. 

At Wabisabi, we are big advocates of breastfeeding. Q was at it for over two years, D is going on one year and I hope to reach at least the one-year mark as well. I understand there are legitimate reasons for not breastfeeding, but I hope we can raise awareness of the important health benefits breastfeeding has on our children so women can make informed decisions that are best for their families. 

The Creative Process: A GIVEAWAY!!!

A big part of the sense of fulfillment I get as a human being is through the creative process. It is so important to me that I devoted my career to the performing arts and the stage. There is something incredibly rewarding about creating something new, and I think that is part of the reason why I love motherhood so much. I mean, birth is the epitome of creation, isn’t it? Can there be a finer work of art than a child?

I see my job as a mother like being an artist. That's not to say I don't need other outlets for my creativity as well. I gravitate towards working with my hands, like knitting, gardening, sewing, cooking, and playing music. But I also crave the process of creating with other people and I find that I miss the theater world and the bonds I made there…

But that is a post for another day. Now my focus is on ways to foster the love of creation in my daughter. One of my favorite bloggers, Amanda Blake Soule of Soulemama, published this wonderful book called The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections and it has turned out to be a nifty little reference for me. She talks about providing good quality tools for your children and finding artistic inspiration everywhere. And she suggests so many hands-on projects and activities that are simple and fun and inspiring! We’ve indulged in several of them, from the birthday crown and celebration garland to art-on-the-go bags and a clothesline display.

So, in celebration of all things creative and as a special thank you to our readers, we’re offering a giveaway (our very first!) of Amanda’s book. To enter, please leave a comment telling us how you support your own creative process or how you encourage it in your children by Sunday, Apr. 11 at 8 pm. We’ll randomly select a winner and post it on Monday morning. And then I’ll send you a copy of the book! I think you’ll love it – we do!

Meditation: Important Stuff

By MamaQ

I think these difficult times have helped me to understand better than before how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way, and that so many things that one goes around worrying about are of no importance whatsoever.

~Isak Dinesen

Worry is almost always a useless activity. It leads to chronic stress, which is toxic for the body. I've found that as I've gotten older and acquired more things and more responsibilities, I worry more and more. Fear has crept into my consciousness and taken this firm grip with its skeletal fingers and sometimes I admit that I make decisions based on what I am afraid to lose. A good friend noticed this about me and wisely counseled that I should never make a decision out of fear, but always out of love.

It's amazing that when you open yourself to love, especially during difficult times, how much more rich life becomes. Rather than gravitate towards complaining and worrying, as I am likely to do, I find my heart bursting with gratitude for the many beautiful things around me. Motherhood becomes less overwhelming. Rather than worry about stains on clothing I can join in the fingerpainting. Rather than worry about my to-do list I can laugh and dance and play with my favorite little person. Things that seem important pale in comparison to enjoying and participating in the joy of childhood and truly connecting with my daughter.

If I die tomorrow I will not regret one single moment I spent loving and enjoying my little girl. But all those other things? Hmmmmm. Life is so fleeting. This is the essence of wabisabi. A little perspective, a few deep breaths, and I'm off to kiss my slumbering angel.

It's Girl Scout cookie ICE CREAM!

By MamaM

What? This won't help me lose the pregnancy weight?

Homemade: Family photo album

It is so sad not have my family around me. Besides MamaD, I am a loner out in this vast desert wilderness. HubbyM's and my family are spread across the country and globe, from the isles of the South Pacific to those of the Orient. But I don't want that to stop Olive from knowing them.

To help her recognize the faces of those who love her most, I put together this little photo album for Olive.

All I did was purchase this cheap photo album from WalMart and made a new cover. 

Then I cropped and printed photos of family members, using file folder stickers to label each photo. 

"The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family."  ~Thomas Jefferson