springing

It's the time of year that seems to inspire blogging creativity for me.

A brief disclaimer: for my sweet family members (you know who you are, and I'm glad you're here!), permission has been withdrawn by the teen/tween boys around here to share images or information. They are seeking online privacy in this forum (at the same time I have no doubts establishing their presence in other online ways, but of their own choosing), and I need to respect that. So if you are hoping to catch a glimpse of how much shorter Minou and I appear each day compared to our offspring...sorry!

Nevertheless, I am a Mama. It's not all of my identity by any means, but it is a deep and central and vital part. So Mama Minou I will remain here, and it will be hard to avoid sharing parts of my life that relate to mothering and parenting. It shifts as we head into these different years--stage by stage all along of course, but it is interesting to have these glimpses that their time at home is sadly not forever.

Minou and I have had moments lately of looking at each other and thinking "Only x more years...." and not sure how to understand all the many emotions that accompany that. For the majority of our (many) years together, we have been PaMa MaPa Minou. We will need something new to share. We have started to think about volunteering more in the future--we were both glad to help in a cold weather homeless shelter kitchen these last few years, but the evening and very early morning hours didn't feel right when leaving our own little (?) minous at home. Also, be still my heart--Minou said casually the other day, as he picked me up from work, "Maybe our trip (this upcoming summer) will be the start of many more travels together".

For the moment, we are sharing a new (renewed?) commitment to healthier eating and trying to reach some fitness goals. For tech-oriented Minou, the helpful tool has been a free online fitness tracker that lets you input food choices (even scanning bar codes) and exercise, and helps set calorie and weight goals. I say, whatever works! (it's called myfitnesspal, if anyone is curious).

Other goals--continue to learn and grow in my community health care position, try to get the garden cleared out from last fall (sigh) in time to plant for this spring and summer, prepare for a very, very exciting trip TOGETHER this year to visit our family in Lattes, and dear to my heart, create more space at home. More on all those later.

To be continued....

What are your goals, plans, and dreams today?