Mother's Day

'The moment a child is born, the mother is also born.
She never existed before.
The woman existed, but the mother, never.
A mother is something absolutely new.'

Thanks for posting this Carolyn.  Also, thanks for opening my eyes to a holistic way of thinking and exposing me to Waldorf, Montessori, and Reggio Emelia.  I learned how we can connect the natural world with every aspect in our lives, and most importantly, our education.  It is no wonder Tara is a successful young lady attending a great college in Oregon.

As I become a more seasoned mom, my Mother's Day expectations have changed.  Entitled pampering has been replaced by gratitude.  I reflect on the family Dave and I created, the way we choose to live our lives, and the community in which we chose to live. I am both honored and humbled to be the backbone of my family.

Mother's Day in the park. Dads cooked for moms.

My city by the bay

Recently, my husband surprised me with a wonderful gift--a plane ticket visit my sister in Berkeley!  He thought perhaps I could use a little vacation from this crazy mountain we live on.  At first, I wasn't sure what he meant by "vacation".  When he clarified that he purchased 1 plane ticket and not 3, I immediately packed my bags to hop on the next plane to SFO. 


At first I thought I would not what to do with myself for 5 days without kids.  But alas, that was a crazy thought!  I knew exactly what I wanted to do with myself:  uninterrupted conversation with Angie & Ryan, walk for hours in San Fran and Berkeley, go to little quaint shops where children are frowned upon...ditto for restaurants, spend hours in thrift and fabric shops...I am sure you get the idea.

Some of our highlights were: Herbivore Restaurant, Cafe Colucci and Cafe Gratitude for great food and Stone Mountain Fabric for one of the best fabric stores I have ever visited.
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There are no Ethipoian restaurants in Asheville, so this was a treat!

Angie and I got to catch up in person instead of on the phone. I got a glimpse of her daily life, which is so quiet and peaceful compared to my own.  We also got to act silly and have many crazy capers as we did in the past.

The time flew quickly and my visit seemed to end with a blink of an eye. As I flew over the Easy Bay, I reflected on the new person I became since living on the West Coast over a decade ago.  There are some things I really miss because let's face it, there is nowhere in the world like the coast of California.  But as I boarded my connector to Asheville in Charlotte,  my wistful nostalgia was replaced by excitement to see Dave and the gals, and returning to my favorite place on earth--my house in a town I love.


I have changed a lot since I lived in California and I am happy to say that I've grown and learned a lot, and I still have much more to experience.
However, what really made my homecoming fantastic was the fact that all the laundry and dishes were done!  Dave also mentioned that it is tough staying home with the gals with all the business in our every day lives....it is nice to be appreciated :)

Everything deserves a second chance, even a toothbrush

I suppose if I will be blogging about some of our learning experiences, I guess there will be a handful of household drama involved.

For instance, Mya was getting ready for school when she noticed that she was in need of a new toothbrush.  I helped her get one out of the closet and left her to finish.  Moments later, she came running downstairs sobbing. Her crisis was as follows:
"Mama, I threw my old toothbrush in the trash can. *sob, sob*  When I looked down at my lonely toothbrush in the trash, I felt *sob* so sorry for it. I picked it up and brushed my teeth with it even though it was in the trash.  I feel bad that I brushed my teeth with something from the trash, but *sob, sob* I couldn't stand to see it so lonely in the traaasssshhhh *sob, sob, sob, sob*  (Note to self: My 5 year old may need some closer supervision when brushing her teeth.)

Now personification of any and all household objects is a normal part of life for this child. I am remembering that I used to do that as a child as well. But right now, I am remembering that it is 8:15 and I have a dilemma of trying to help her solve this problem, be on time for school, and not burst out laughing.

After a few minutes of calming down and some reassurance that this innocent little toothbrush is not destined for the dark, lonely landfill, we began to brainstorm ideas.  Her first (and most clever) idea was to give it to Marlee so she can use it.  I am sure THAT will not cause any drama during night time brushing.  We finally settled on using it for a scrub brush for her bath toys during bath time. 

After our rescue of the toothbrush

So I have decided to keep a small box for our "think about it" items.  We discard our old objects into this box and ponder any additional use we may have for them.  Maybe every few weeks we can sort through and decided what really needs to be tossed or rescued.  Hopefully, this will also make us think twice before we decide what will go into the landfill.

Oh, and we were only 5 minutes late for school :)

First Post

So I have decided to start a blog! Welcome to 3 Mountain Girls.  The three girls being my daughters, Marlee and Mya, and me (Lori).  We live in the mountains of NC and enjoy the wonders and beauty of this area.  We spend a lot of our time outdoors and enjoy crafting, imaginitive play, and seizing every opportunity to learn something new about the world around us.  As a mom, I try to lead by example with healthy and simple living (sometimes it is not so simple)!
I will use this blog to journal our experiences as the girls and I (and their father will make some appearences as well) grow and learn together as a family and as individuals.