Throwing Marshmallows

homeschooling, throwing marshmallows

Do you know how it is when you read something so simple yet so profound and true at the same time that is makes you laugh and gasp? I recently started reading a blog that I found....somewhere...and I am enjoying it very much.  I hope the author of the blog Throwing Marshmallows, Stephanie, starts writing more on her blog, because she seems awesome, like someone I want to hang out with, share some tea, wear some sunscreen, laugh until we pee. (Hey, I'm a poet and I didn't even know that I was!)

I just read something here on Stephanie's blog, a quote that seems to be her theme, her motto, the thing that keeps her sane:

Learning can only happen when a child is interested.
If he's not interested, 

it's like throwing marshmallows at his head 

and calling it eating.

~Katrina Gutleben

And, although I'm not a big fan of Pema Chödrön, and since I'm so digging Stephanie's blog, I'm going to share this next quote from Throwing Marshmallows with you. It is by Pema, a quote that I've always connected with, even though Pema said it.  *wink*

Our wisdom is all mixed up with what we call our neurosis.

Our brilliance, our juiciness, our spiciness,

is all mixed up with our craziness and our confusion,

therefore it doesn’t do any good to try to get rid of

our so-called negative aspects, because in that process

we also get rid of our basic wonderfulness.

 -  Pema Chodron, The Wisdom of No Escape

I like Stephanie's blog because she has such a loving and accepting and supporting way of working with her boys. She also has some gorgeous photography. If you have some time, check out the blog Throwing Marshmallows!

Because I admire her writing, her amazing heart, and her design I award her with this, the Inspiring Blog Award! I designed the award and it simply means that her blog is INSPIRING to me! No catch, no pay-it-forward, nothing except for my sincere appreciation for the intention and the effort of Stephanie!

 To All readers: Feel free to share the award with a blog that inspires you!

If you have been awarded Inspiring Blogger Award,

please follow this link.

More Than A Hallmark Day

Happy Mothers' Day to everyone who wishes to celebrate! I am thrilled to say that our day was WONDERFUL together. It was nice to see so many families out there with smiles on their faces.
I have found that Mother's Day has meant different things to me over the years.

During my teens, my sisters often gave me gifts and cards on Mother's Day...and I felt very inadequate and bereft, though they meant that to be very very loving. I took it that way.  But it always had a certain melancholia for me, not having Mom around.

After I had had Lindsey and she was adopted, Mother's Day was excruciating for me. I seldom mentioned it to anyone, but that's because I could hardly talk about it. Sometimes the pain would take my breath away, but who wants to hear me whine and feel sad all of the time? Certainly not my family...mothers were very difficult to talk about in those days.

Over many following years, I found myself celebrating the women in my life who were parenting me, in a way.

Brenda Hunter was an unwitting parenting model for me in the beginning. She was young and imperfect and loving and I will ALWAYS love her for providing me with her friendship and support at that difficult time of life.

The person who comes to mind first is Jean Hannes. She is the mother of a wonderful friend of mine. Jean never really did ALOT, but she was always interested when I would have something to say and she modeled good mothering to me. Mostly, I learned that a family loves and supports every member, whether or not we would make the same choices as each member does. I watched as no judging and lots of love was given to each child as they made choices and moved into their parenthood, adulthood, and more. That was a lesson I needed to learn.
I also learned that families celebrate together and make time for one another and create special times together. Therefore, FAMILY  is a deliberate act. I'm grateful to have learned that because I feel like Jer and I create those moments for our children.

When I became a stepmother I felt like I could, finally, participate as a parent. It was nice and the kids and Jer made it nice for me. So did their Mom, Mary. Mary has generously shared her children with me for most of their lives.

The year I had Elizabeth made Mother's Day mean so much more to me than it ever did before. I felt that I had finally and legitimately joined a special group of people who communicate MUCH and support one another with nods, chuckles, and winks.
Jer gave me a pair of diamond earrings for my first Mothers' Day and I wore them for five years without taking them off! I plan on giving them to Elizabeth one day...

Each year I ask for no gifts or anything special, because, Mothers' Day feels like every day to me.

To all of the men and women who support other women and men out there, Happy Family Day!