the peace after the whirlwhind

Hey, Loves ♥

I kinda disappeared from here, didn't I?

I'm sorry ♥

I am finally feeling the peace I need, to sit down centered and connect with ya'll.

My last blog post was about the Radiant Living & Learning Retreat right before Thanksgiving.

Just after that, we raced off toward Chicago. We stopped in Kansas, on our way, and spent a beautiful few days with our beloved Margot and Andres. What a treat!

Margot and I met online (on the Radical Mamas Tribe sisterhood mama group I founded almost 7 years ago) when our boys were little. She was facebook-present for Jaja's birth (my friend who was physically present kept our RMT mamas aware of all of the details of the event ♥).

 

All of these things we have experienced from a distance and over the phone over time, and now we got to connect and cuddle in person. Oh, she is SUCH a love. And Noble and Andres were instantly 2 peas in a pod ♥

Then we headed into Chicago and spend almost 2 weeks with our beloved friends who used to live in California. We used to visit them on the weekends and soak in the family fun, the mama time, the joy, the sweetness.

Reuniting these 2 was absolute magic

The kids got to play in snow!!!!!!

And enjoy friendship with a heavy dose of hot chocolate

 

and homemade pumpkin bread

I also sewed up a storm. I sewed so.much.stuff. Like this :))

And then we headed toward California, to be there for the winter holidays. Per Kass's request (and my heart's pull), we headed for Texas.

And on the way down, we slid out on the highway and ended up in a ditch. For 3 hours. Until a good samaritan stopped by and pulled us out. It was a little scary being stuck there in the cold, and the van is a bit banged up, but we drove away with so much gratitude.

And it got me thinking a lot about how we really are ready for a home on wheels - a fifth wheel preferably. We would have no need to race through bad weather to get somewhere warm and safe and cozy - we could have just pulled over in a parking lot, cranked up the heat, made dinner in our kitchen, maybe watched a movie on our laptop, cuddled in bed together, prayed for the drivers out there, and went to bed for the night, prepared to head out in the sun's warm rays.

I have been afraid of changing my home. I have been afraid of letting go of the ease and lightness and all of the reasons we loved and chose this. But I am very clear that it is time to release my fears about how it will change things, and start gearing up for a real home on wheels.

A home with amenities and luxuries like a fridge and a stove and a sink and a toilet and floor space for the kids to play on and storage space so we can have our things with us, instead of leaving them in a storage somewhere - somewhere that just keeps being across the country from where we find ourselves -, space I can spread our stuff out and live in.

I am so ready.

Can you tell?

January is dedicated to making it happen for us.

If you want to be a part of our gathering of resources, there is a GoFundMe box to the right of this where you can donate toward our cause or plenty of links up top where you can purchase something to support us ♥ There are other ways to support us, too, like sharing our story and helping us find the right people to make this magic happen. And sending us love and manifestation juju is oh-so appreciated :))

So, we spent a few days in Texas. I can't believe how much like home it felt when we pulled in. Wow. I truly love my Texas peeps. I wish I could have hugged and loved on more of them, but I got a good dose of a few until we get back there.

And then we drove for 2 days straight to get to California, to our beloved longest-time-friends Amy, Chris, and Krislyn.

Oh, the joy when we pulled in. It was incredible and absolute magic. The love. So.much.love. It lights us all up and brings us together.

So, after all the welcome hugs and crying and soaking in the sight of each other and barking in gleeful reunion (that was the dogs, not us), Amy and I did not end up going to sleep like the kids did. We raced off to Wal-Mart to overdrawn my bank account buying gifts from a very-believed-in Santa, stocking stuffers from us mamas, and holiday crafting supplies for the next few days. We have 4 kids who need and deserve a beautiful holiday and a short amount of time to do it, so we got straight to work.

And we worked good.

We celebrated Yule last night with holiday music, Yule story telling, homemade gifts, and lots of smiles.

there are lots more pics on Facebook
and yes, Kassidy, is biting her gift, and Noble is copying her

After having not slept for 2 days, I went to bed early and forgot to sing the sun back to the earth. I hear he is on his way back anyway. Kass and I will take the next shift and sing Yule songs tonight ;)

Today, I awoke, after 10 hours of sleep, feeling gratitude, ready to enjoy this homemade holiday with my loves, and peace about where we are right now.

It truly has been a whirlwind. It has been hard in various ways - not the least being that we found out Jaja has lice the morning we left Texas. *insert deep sigh of solidarity* Now, remember that she and Noble have dreads and feel bad for me (lol)

But I am so grateful to be here right now. And I am so grateful to be sitting in a spot I will be at for a whole month. Our little winter haven. I don't "have" to be anywhere for a while. I have plenty of space for some much needed self care, some business clarity, some hOMe manifestation.

I am thrilled over the moon for this new year.

But right now, I want to soak in this place of peace right here where I am at. And I want to make some hot chocolate with candy canes and prep the dough to make ornaments and other gifts this year.

What a beautiful life.

I wish, for you, a beautiful, magical, sacred holiday.

All my love,