following the dream

i once had a dream that i would guide babies into the world, and hold hands with mamas that were scared or in pain or even blissful, letting them know that they weren't alone. and now i'm following the dream, driving through the city in the middle of the night when everyone's asleep, darkness all around and the rain starts to fall, and every song that comes on a radio sounds like a tailored soundtrack to my new life. these past few days have been an extension of that dream. i feel more alive than i've ever felt, despite the sleeplessness and all the breaking of routines. it's all becoming real. thank you universe for providing me with such life changing experiences, and for guiding me with the magic of life.


auntie emily is also in town for a week, which has been such a blessing. our household is turned upside-down with love, with creativity, with piles of gifts and meals being created. the kids are filthy but happy, the adults are well-fed and our souls are filled up with the best things that we need. we are all together again, acting like we used to, going to tattoo parlors and portrait studios, getting family pictures taken with oversized pencils and tiny cowgirl hats. we sneak into each other's bedrooms and we lay together on the couch eating donuts. if only the summer could last forever...

what's in your wallet?

every day has been a whirlwind
between the vacation
and the charlton-high
and the bags to pack and unpack
and then the veggies in the garden to pick
and the blueberries to eat
and the summer suppers to be had on the deck
and the birthday presents to create
and the parties to go to
and the pregnant mamas to massage and
the two upcoming births to attend
and you can't forget about the throwing up
from all the dehydration and the being out in the sun
and then auntie emily's visit later this morning
and a week to fill up with
antique-ing and thrifting and art projects
and the food, can't forget the food
and the swimming
and the smores
and the love.

there's so much.
what's new with you? what's in your wallet?

overwhelmed with it all

we're home. mama's sleepy but oh-so-happy and fulfilled. i heart vacation. i heart our sweet, sweet friends. i heart sleepy little 60's towns and road trips and the feeling of coming home to your own bed. i heart my kids who make me so damn proud.

i'd post more, but i'm off to make out with harry potter for a few blissful minutes before falling dead asleep. until then, here's the link to my flickr vacation set:

http://www.flickr.com/gp/93618941@N00/x7z8Fp

and in other news, the wishmama's rescheduled date originally planned for this friday the 27th has been postponed again until a later date, which we'll announce soon! sorry for any inconvience. xx

good night.

the gilbert family ABC's

"ABCDEFG- shake your bootie

HIJKLMNOP- shake your bootie

QRS- shake your bootie

TUV- shake your bootie

WX- shake your bootie

Y and Z- shake your bootie

now i know my ABC's- shake your bootie

next time won't you sing with me- shake your bootie!"


good luck in school, kids. good luck in school.

xx

wishmamas update for all you local peeps

tomorrow's gathering at philips academy with children's author tabatha d'agata is going to be postponed due to the crazy rain until next friday july 27th, from 10am-12noon. stay dry!

home school

it doesn't take much to make this mama happy- and here's all it took yesterday...this new pair of shoes. they are the perfect shoe- cloggish but not frumpish, heelish but not ridonkulously girlie. talk about putting a pep in my step. thank you, sweet dr. scholls for making my day.

what have we been up to, you ask? a whole lotta home school stuff, just trying to get through the rainy week intact. the week before vacation and births to attend and our delicious upcoming house guest. (ok, em, house family...is that better?) taking the time to just sit in the house and be, as hard as that is for us. there has been, of course, the usual gatherings and work things and massaging-mama things and harry potter movie going dates thrown in to keep life interesting. but here's a little scream (oops, i meant stream...well, at least i think i meant stream) of conciousness about what we've been doing:

home school
reading the phantom tollbooth out loud
watching pregnancy massage videos together and practicing
reading shel silverstein books
and listening to the cd's afterwards so we can hear what his voice sounds like
learning about insects
and sharing
and having our own art shows and museums
making ABC scrapbooks and thinking about letters
even though it's summer
filling up big bags of art supplies
and then making butterflies
and nonsense drawings
thank-you card creating
and life lessons in the garden
about growing and flowers
and the birds and the bees
and death and new beginings
lots of sitting back
watching the kids learn together
doing dangerous things in a somewhat
controlled and monitored environment
somewhat
and making it through
with only
minor
bumps
and
bruises.

from the mouths of babes

yesterday morning, while in the garden, grace came running out back with a new piece of artwork in her hand.

she says "look what i made mama! i made this for boo boo! see?"

i say "wow, that's beautiful, he's going to love it."

"but look, i even wrote his name...see... B-O-O-B-O-O...boo boo!"

"that's awesome," i say.

"i did it all by myself, without you micro-managing me!" she replies.


i swear to god this happened. her vocabulary is out of control.

here comes the sun: photobooth friday

july 2, 2007
mama and gray at salisbury beach, MA- tailgating with tripoli's pizza, puppa and joey

this is my new favorite summahtime strip. my dad thinks that i look like alice from the brady bunch in the first square, and i can't disagree. i was trying to be all gangsta but my hands got cut out of the frama. the second square...i was trying for the profile shot but i decided to make a horsie mr. ed face. the third square features a creepy glowing finger that makes it look like gray is flipping the bird. and i'm giving her the bunny ears. the last shot- my fav. i was bouncing gray up and down on my knee, because i heard that photobooths capture the shot even if there's movement. if you look closely at my earrings, you can see that they are flying up in the air. it's my favorite photobooth detail to date. gray's face is priceless. i heart photobooths.
speaking of photobooths, isn't this postcard from andrea over at hulaseventy wonderous? she's also the mastermind behind photobooth fridays, might i add.

and seeing her hand-writing and sweet message just made me swoon.

lately, this is what we do to keep busy.

are you keeping busy in this hot, hot heat? xx

summahtime

there is just too much to write about, unfortunately. you can look at the flickr pics, which will give you a glimpse into the craziness that has been our summer (or summah, if you're a local) lives, running from place to place, and dipping in our feet in a whole bunch of waters. our vacation was dreamy, and filled with donuts and lobsters, herb walks and waterfalls. hidden treasures in trees and raspberries on the side of the road. the rest of our time has been spent foraging in the garden, weeding, picking blueberries and raspberries, dancing our booties off to live music, cutting wildflowers and stuffing them into old salsa jars. there have been lots of mangoes eaten. and those ice creamy treats called drumsticks. we've had our share of those, too. we've got it good, us gilberts. there's a crazy magic in the humid air, threatening to rain down on us. it's the magic of birth and redemption and cleansing. it's good music in the car even if your good music is neil diamond. it's receiving a mailbox full of postcards and the latest issues of your favorite magazines. it's hanging out with friends drinking wonderful drinks and eating delicious food that you grew with your hands. it's about breaking down and feeling so low only to come full circle and feel alive again.

wishmamas- cookin' up a book with children's author tabatha d'agata!

wishmamas- cookin' up a book with children's author tabatha d'agata!

come one, come all!

please join us at philips academy in andover, MA for an outside wordy recipe adventure with children's book author tabatha d'agata! you can read more about the wordy recipe program here, and find lots of information and pictures of tabatha and her books here.

when: friday, july 20th, 2007 at 10am-12pm. (raindate july 27th, 2007)

where: philips academy in andover, at the little field with the mini-stage. take your first left off of rt.28 at the lights when you see philips and follow the road as it curves around the field. you'll see us gathered- pull over and park anywhere.

what: (from tabatha's website)- Here's a recipe that’s sure to satisfy the hungriest appetite! Wearing her apron for this interactive and theatrical book presentation, Tabatha Jean D’Agata will discuss and demonstrate the critical parts of a story by using story-building elements from a book as her ingredients. She'll add those ingredients into a large stew pot, stir the final papery-mixture -- and then reach in to reveal a book in its entirety. The final recipe result? Sprinkle on some drama, and Tabatha to read and share!

at philips, you'll find a cozy outdoor ampitheater at the entrance to the bird sanctuary. we'll gather there to watch tabatha enthrall the beans with her words! after the program, feel free to picnic on the green grass or take a walk through the forest sanctuary, where there are seven letterboxes hidden! find the letterbox clues here. the kids also may enjoy dressing up on the ampitheater mini-stage and putting on a show, so pack up your props and costumes, too...if you have room in your bag :)

any questions, please contact me (email is on the sidebar) and i'll be sure to get back to you.

conversation at 5am

she likes the weeds, originally uploaded by Nina Marie Gilbert.

"gray, please don't touch my boobs."

"why? oh yeah...they're sensitive, right?

"yes."

(touches them again)

"gray! i said please don't touch my boobs!"

"i'm not touching your boobs...i'm touching MY boobs."



we're headed off for vacation...lobster, cape breezes, homemade quilts, an old-time bandstand concert, birthday celebrations, some much needed catching up, letterboxing, and coffee on the porch. happy weekend! xx

crowns just because

crowns just because, originally uploaded by Nina Marie Gilbert.

today we wear crowns just because
and today we buy new craft supplies for vacation
just because
and we fill our hearts and our heads
with stickers and flowers
and books of wonderment
just because
and we have lollipops for breakfast
and listen to a new cd and shake our booties
and take naps with the fan on
just because
and work on some presents for our friends
and dream of sleeping on the cape tomorrow night
and sharing food and snacks and time at the beach
just because

wear your crown proudly today
cheers to you and your summer spirit. xx

this is how we roll on the 4th of july

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video Hosting

i'd like to say that this scene was something special...something that we don't do often. this scene, however, plays itself out more than not at our house. we like to use the 4th of july as reason to justify our crazy family obsession with marching and dancing and our lp's of 'reader's digest god bless america- songs of pride and patriotism' from 1984. we love marching. we love yankee doodle dandy. we love the 4th and we love pissing off our neighbors at 5:30am with marching tunes. we aren't acting for the camera, peeps. this is just how we roll on the 4th of july.

happy anniversary to me

happy anniversary
happy anniversary
happy anniversary

haaaaaaappy anniversary


this is why i married john. because he pretends to be caught in giant rat traps to make me smile. and he sits on our porch and makes up songs about our life, and our family, and our anniversary. it's the best present i could have asked for. happy anniversary, happy 6 years, and many happy more.

xx

weekend wishes

my favorite flowers bloomed today, originally uploaded by Nina Marie Gilbert.

here's wishing you blooming lillies, tire swings, bbq, a big bowl of berries, some ice cream for good measure, and a whole lotta hugs (if you're into that sort of thing.) xx

my summer life in pictures

fun with screens on a hot, hot day

a whole lot of picnic lunches in puppa's backyard, poolside

chubby fingers grabbing at the pints of strawberries

naked gardening in puppa's garden

weeding and lovin' on our own garden at home, and a bit of early harvesting

cowboy hats courtesy of ms. libby

stops at the herb FARMacy, my new favorite place in the world

a whole bunch of shel silverstein, which never seems to get old

raw birthday cupcakes baked (or half-baked) inside ice cream cones

the world spinning round and round, gloriously.

fillin' up

enough lookin' at my double chin from the last post, already! basically i'm just peeking in here to update you on...well, not much. there's been so much going on- life is filled to the brim. but for some reason, i'm left speechless about it all. there's been fresh cut flowers and dinners on the deck. there's been sun tea and there's been days spent in the pool. there's been herbs and strawberry picking and birth talkin' and trips to the ocean and tidepools. there's been ice cream. and cake. and cupcakes inside ice cream cones. there's been summer reading and lots of crafting. there's been family and conversations and sleeping with the windows open. lots and lots of all the things that i love.

except mosquitoes. and mosquito bites. i could do without that, couldn't you?

hope your life is filled with the things that keep you full. xx

70 summery things

as part of hula seventy's postcard swap, i offer you my 70 things (all on my postcards which i sent out yesterday). haphaphappy first day of summer! get out there with your dress up clothes on and jump in the pool! you can also view some other postcard action here at the flickr group.

each one of my postcards included five things i heart about summer. here's the master list- each card is different, hence the 70-. some are sort of doubles, but i just heart them so much i couldn't help it.

here are 70 things that i heart about summer:

1. my neighbor's garden parties
2. fresh lettuce gifted to me
3. upcoming farmer's markets
4. antiquing
5. sandboxes
6. glasses of wine after the kids go to bed
7. bathing-suit wedgies on my girl
8. the sound of the ice cream truck
9. trimming the hedges
10. the smell of tomato plants on my fingers
11. the sounds of lawn mowers
12. fresh pesto and pasta
13. neighbors stopping by
14. growing wheatgrass outside
15. dipping my toes in the ocean
16. farmer's markets (oops! a repeat)
17. herb shopping in greenhouses
18. letting the kids run around nekkid
19. ice cream for dinner
20. iced coffee
21. looking at people in ill-fitting bathing suits
22. fresh mint in salads
23. big batches of homemade pesto
24. laughter on picnic blankets
25. daydreaming while watching the clouds
26. getting pizza at the beach
27. sun-tanned photobooth strips
28. fried clams and beer
29. sand on my feet
30. seagulls
31. dirty gardenish feet
32. white wine with ice
33. listening to the world with the windows open
34. the sound of motorcycles
35. taking pictures in the grass
36. fresh herbs
37. eating dinner on the deck
38. tank tops
39. teva flip flops
40. hearing the birds
41. my local greenhouse
42. listening to bob marley outside
43. watching my wees in the sand
44. quilts on the grass
45. identifying birds
46. jumping over waves at the beach
47. letterboxing!
48. freeze pops
49. flip flop tans
50. sun hats on the kids
51. drive-ins
52. listening to the sounds of my kids at the park
53. picnic lunches
54. long walks before dinner
55. wildflowers
56. romaine lettuce
57. balsamic vinegar reductions
58. walden pond
59. unexpected guests popping in
60. talking with friends outside instead of watching tv
61. barking dogs
62. summer reading
63. fresh baked bread and olive oil
64. vacation planning
65. pizza at the beach
66. reading on the deck
67. waking up to the birds at 4am
68. airplanes overhead
69. sprinklers
70. daydreaming

what's the one thing you heart the most about summertime summertime sum sum summertime?

family

"family"- this weekend at the beach

i've got a couple of seconds to myself right now because gray is next door at our neighbor's house. i'm going to assume that the bloody-murder screams that i'm hearing drift through the open window right now are screams of joy and just keep typing...

these past few days have been so fulfilling, and exactly what i needed. a recentered of sorts, aimed directly at my cold, cold heart. friday's wishmamas gathering was the perfect medicine- surrounded by other like-minded mamas, on the ocean, with the most beautiful of meadows and trolls bridges and waterfalls, with all the beans dressed as fairies, skipping about. colorful balloons tied onto dental floss, and team letterboxing. strawberry frosted cupcake smiles and accessible public restrooms. it was like out of a mama-dream, except better.

saturday and sunday were spent partying and being with family, and eating, and more eating. the beach with just our wees, and going swimming with sweatshirts on. watching my loves hold hands and jump over the waves. wiping sand out of tiny bum cracks. dried pizza sauce on faces and skin tasting like salt. backyard barbeques and salads big enough to feed 100. yard sales and cowboy hats and butterfly necklaces. organic markets and ginger candies. sam summer ale and the kids running free and happy.

how come every weekend can't be like this past one? xx

happy father's day

is anyone out there tired, too? these past couple of days have washed over me, finally, and i'm left feeling drained, but in a very good way. is it too early for bed- at 7:11pm? happy father's day to all my dad's out there- i leave you with my mustachioed boy. until tomorrow... xx