I realize it’s been at least three quickly passing warm-weather months since I last checked in to earthmother.org. It’s been a wonderful, albeit busy, summer yielding: car trips! music fests! home improvements! the end of potty training! And a great deal of time spent with friends and family.

Today, I am getting back to it  by taking a moment to say “Hello.” Then, signing off so I can spend the weekend with my family putt-putt golfing, cooking out at my neighbor/friend’s place, and going to a baseball game. Hey, I didn’t say that summer was over!

My thoughts for this morning?
“What will you remember about today?”
OK, maybe too heavy for 9 AM, but worthy of reflection after I drink a cup of Peet’s.

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I woke up unnaturally early to participate in the local Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. I’ve been doing this ever since losing my aunt to breast cancer  a few years ago. I would never say she lost her battle because, quite frankly, she was the strongest woman I’ve ever met. And, she fought her personal experience with cancer so patiently and with such grace that it might not even be accurately described as battling or waging war or some other violent analogy.  She was an amazing human being. And, though the anniversary of her passing doesn’t occur on or around Mother’s Day, I always think of her all day on this day. I think of her not just because I spend the first half of every Mother’s Day participating in the race—being among nearly 50,000 other people remembering or celebrating women affected by breast cancer—but it’s also become a family tradition that my husband, children and I look forward to doing. I love spending time with my family as a family…laughing, squabbling, whatever. It’s my family. And, honestly, without them I wouldn’t even be a mother. So, I choose to spend the whole day with them (minus the naps I had to wrestle them into after the race. Don’t children ever get tired?!?!) But, yes, I enjoy spending mom’s day with my children. I also like to relax and thus, draw the line at performing any tasks that would qualify as household maintenance like chores, cooking or laundry . It’s important to me that I spend time with my own mom, too—I feel fortunate to live not so far from her. So, we’re going to dinner with my parents as well as my brother, sister-in-law and nieces.  Sounds typical? Or worse, mundane? It isn’t.

My son gave me a beautiful present this morning that he made by himself in preschool. He was so proud. He hid it in a secret place and couldn’t wait to play scavenger hunt with me to find it. It brought tears to my eyes not because of my urge to imagine looking back on that moment 20 years from now and feel nostalgic, but rather I chose to cherish him now and appreciate him for the silly, thoughtful, sometimes stubborn little guy he is. I’m thankful that I’m his mom. I’m thankful that the little guy gave me an opportunity, a reason to be a mother…even on these days when I have to coax him to do things like take a nap after a long morning of pulling his sister in our wagon through a crowd of thousands.

Happy Mother’s Day all!

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Looking for things to do to celebrate Earth Day? Check out these online resources. Each is packed with cool ideas and info:

 earthday network

kaboose’s earthday page

The nature conservancy

planetpals

and these:

arbor day foundation

trees are good

organic gardening

Happy Earth Day to you all!

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Vegan Apple Cinnamon-Flax Crunch Mini Muffins

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Dry Ingredients

1 Cup  Hodgeson Mill Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancake mix
2 Tbsp almond meal
1 Tbsp milled flax seed
1/4 Cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp turbinado sugar
1/2 very ripe pear, minced

Wet Ingredients

4 oz. container organic apple cinnamon yogurt (I used the one for toddlers with fruit and cereal on bottom)
1 Tbsp flax oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
2-3 tsp cool water
3/4 Cup (or enough to make a moist batter) soymilk

Topping

1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp turbinado sugar
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 -1 /2 Tbsp Milled Flax Seed

Grease or line mini muffin pan cups. Mix dry ingredients thoroughly with wisk. Combine wet ingredients and add to dry. Stir until just combined but don’t over-mix. Place one teaspoonful in each muffin tin cup. Sprinkle topping on each. Bake 12 minutes. Remove from oven, and let rest/cool in pan 3 minutes.  Remove muffins from pan and cool completely.  Makes 24.

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I’m a stay at home mother which translates into I have alot of plates spinning in the air at one time. And, in my case (and, I don’t think I’m alone here), the spinning plates have begotten more spinning plates. So, this month I’m going to focus on being a mom. An Attentive mom. Flying kites. Playing board games. Mending torn superhero costumes. Baking bread. Singing silly songs. Practicing phonics and mathematical equations. Setting a positive example. Reading new and interesting books together. Taking long springtime walks in the park. Whatever the concept of being an attentive mother might present, well, I’m going to do that.

And, the rest of it may just have to wait until May.

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