Hi mamas! This Friday post is for you. Just an early shout out to say Happy Mothers Day. And I mean that to all the mamas. Mamas with five babies. Mamas that have lost babies. Mamas that aren’t mamas yet. Mamas that adopted or fostered. To everyone, in every aspect they are a mother, take a moment to reflect on how powerful, humbling and awesome the role of a mother is.
And for the midwives reading, know that your hands and your touch are a stepping stone to women becoming mothers. Never take for granted the opportunity you have to walk with women.
This poem is for all the midwives that walk the sacred walk of motherhood with women, babes and families everywhere. Never forget the power and blessing of your hands.
HANDS
These are my hands
Through these hands I have come to see the world
These hands have measured the growth of life and documented the stalling of time
They guide my ears to places where I hear the watch-like beats of tiny hearts
My hands have felt the hard bony framework of passages and the softness of muscles
Which will bulge like petals of a rose
My hands have opened windows to the energy of the souls of those I have touched
They have held frigid rigidity of steel instruments and the softness of a friend
There are stories in these hands, read from the pages of the work of women
With my hands I felt the power of the strength it takes to grow and release new spirit
My hands were born with the knowing of touch
The journey has added how and when and the time to ask for help
Teaching hands engulfed mine until they were ready to fly
My hands are joined in a circle which is unbroken through time
Sometimes my hands do nothing
Their most important work will be still with fingers laced and witness
The art of doing nothing has been passed from generation to generation
Mine have been taught by some of the most powerful hands to watch and wait
This is perhaps the hardest for hands born to touch
If I have nothing else to give you, let me teach you how to see with your hands
How to open the windows of life, and close the door softly when it is time
In the darkness It is you hands that will light the way
These are my hands
These are the hands of a midwife
By Jan Weingrad
Onto some fun stuff. I don’t ask for any gifts on Mother’s Day. Not even flowers. I plant tulips in my yard so they bloom during that time every year and they are a gift in themselves. But I do ask my hubby to take a picture of me with my babes every year and that is more special to me than anything else I can think of. I look back on those pictures from year to year and think how I have grown as a mother and how my babes have grown. (I also think that I always need to highlight my hair.)
I’ve seen the Mother’s Day gift guides circulating. Instead of looking for a gift to honor the day, I put together a list of things that honors you as a mother or makes your heart more grateful for every moment – from poop on the walls to every newborn coo.
These are the things I use personally in my own life and recommend over and over.
I hope they bring you as much joy, good use or home cooked meals as they have for me!
One line a day books
Love these books. They offer a few lines for you to reflect on all the little moments with your little warriors. I keep mine in a stack next to the bath tub and fill them out between all the splashes. It’s super fun to look backwards and see what happened 1, 2, 3 or 4 years ago, and, if you have more than one book going, to compare them between siblings! Check out this post here for the links.
Please tell me I’m not the only person always looking for a place to put my straightener to cool off or cursing the basket I keep my hair stuff in as I dig through the cords for the hundredth time. Enter this holder. Efficient. Decorative. Simple. Thank you. Uncommon goods is also a cute site for lots of random things. Think Etsy but more organic.
A prayer journal
I’ve been using one from Val Marie Paper since January and love it! It’s a lovely way to maximize your prayer time and has been an easy habit to add to my days. The journal offers an outline each month to organize your prayers and has two additional sections – one for gratitude and one for jounaling longer prayers. The year long journal is sold out, but you can get on the waiting list for when the 2022 journal goes on sale.
Baby scrapbooks
I use Shutterfly to make these bad boys. And my kids love them! They flip through them and are so proud that they are the baby among the pages. Each month of the first year, I write my babes a letter about how they’ve grown and their little smiles, habits and new milestones. Also, Shutterfly will replace your albums in a house fire – talk about winning customer loyalty for life.
For my first babe, my sister sent me engraved footprints from Erica Sara. Now I have three sets and I wear them on a chain for date nights. These are such a precious moment in time that I can wear close to my heart. Erica Sara is a mama herself – follow her on the insta @ericasara – but she offers endlessly creative goodies on her site. There are even options for fur babies. There’s an option to get a audio of the baby’s heartbeat from an ultrasound too.
Stackable engraved rings
I’ve purchased three, thin, silver rings with my babes first names on them and wear them every day. These days, I only like jewelry I can wear everyday. I’ve gotten rid of nearly everything else on the jewelry rack (is this normal when you turn 35?). Anyways, love these rings. They look great with any outfit, survive any workout, and remind me of my littles when we’re not together. I bought mine from Caitlyn Minimalist on Etsy if you’re interested.
Baby memory boxes
Just hold me now. The little onesie they came home in…their favorite blanket or snuggie. Their first little footprints in flour dough. The annual Christmas card. Their placenta print 🙂 All these things make my heart sing. I personally like a good Hobby Lobby or Michaels craft store to find a cute keepsake box – but any old box will do. This one keeps giving for every Mothers Day to come.
Quilts with baby clothes.
This one is a goal for me inspired by my sister. She collected all the memorable baby clothes for her 3 babes and is working on a hand pieced quilt. I’m going to be that person that is snuggled under the quilt while all my babies are in college.
Baby Christmas ornaments
Every year, I pull these out of the box and just need a moment to grasp just how much the babes have grown in the past year. Again. I’ll be the old lady under the baby clothes quilt looking at her tree with all the baby ornaments on it…probably sewing baby blankets and hats for a local labor and delivery unit.
Also consider regular indulgences like a massage every other month, a maid service or a vacuum upgrade (yes, I’m looking at you robot vacuums), a lawn service, and some good candles. These are little things but they can revolutionize your role as a mama.
Also check out my favorite cookbooks on the BOOKS & MORE page. I talk about my freezer to table books all the time but that’s because we use them all the time!
Better yet, while you’re on the BOOKS page, treat yourself to an Audible subscription! Or consider renting some books from the library or joining a book club.
Find something that brings you joy every day of the year and not just one day of the year.
And in all the moments that mothering seems the hardest job in the world – know that it is – but that you were given every tool you need to accomplish whatever your little warriors need from you.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Hugs,
Jamie
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