Parenting with joy and grace
May 3, 2013 2 Comments
Romanian ladies do have a habit of complicating their lives in order to create beautiful(if non-perennial) consumables at Easter.
Egg dying takes a whole new dimension in villages where people take the time to create edible masterpieces. I found the process explained here in English. Hope you enjoy watching it. It makes me proud to be Romanian!!
May 3, 2013 5 Comments
I know, I know, even my blog didn’t recognise me as its owner today and needed me to sign in. Total neglect would be the feeling it would have, if blogs had their own feelings 
Anyway, I am back to say hello and enhance your cultural knowledge by informing you it’s pre-Easter weekend in Romania. Meaning that from Monday this week people in Romania have been cooking up a feast. Mentally and literally.
As a child I experienced mixed feelings during this week. I dreaded the Monday before Easter because my mum would have gone into a (totally uncharacteristic for her) cleansing frenzy involving lifting carpets, washing windows (with a mixture of soapy water and vinegar and drying them with newspapers until they squeaked!!), dusting every crook and cranny in the house, washing curtains…etc.
Tuesdays were generally reserved for beating the carpets. Oh yeah, that was waaaay before we owned a vacuum cleaner(by the way, she owns one now but she’s told me this week that she still doesn’t know how to use it…) and they had to be dragged outside and beaten into shape with a “carpet shaker.”(a plastic rod with a hand-like shape at one end). Aha, before you roll on the floor laughing, imaging me doing the beating let me tell you the work of carpet beating was not for the faint-hearted. My dad was dragged outside alongside the carpets, huffing and puffing and in a couple of hours the carpets would have been beaten, brushed (again with vinegar, we seem to love the stuff in Romania!!) and left to get the fresh air while we scrubbed the floors and primed the house.
Wednesday would have typically been “curtain day.” By this time the curtains would have been washed, dried and smelled nice and then it was time to get them ironed. Again, not an easy task as they weighed loads due to the heavy fabric and were terribly long (to fit the tall rooms). My mum would have been assigning tasks: mine was always to do the interminable ironing, my brother’s to hang the blooming things. My dad would have been un-draftable by this point due to imaginary injuries caused by the carpet beating sessions…He would have usually escaped the chaos cleaning frenzy by going to the open air market to source fresh products like eggs and cottage cheese for the cooking in the days to come.
Thursdays things took a more religious turn. Because mu family was Orthodox and attending a local church Easter week evenings were dedicated to attending services. Thursdays marked the beginning of the festivities with the reading of the “twelve gospels”, twelve readings from the Bible, all related to Jesus’ last week on earth. Thursdays marked also the beginning of the baking/cooking for my mum, with the kneading of the sweet bread (locally known as “cozonac”). Oh my, I LOOOOVED Easter Thursdays. I loved the anticipation of the celebrations to come. The subtle smells wafting, seeping through the open windows, coming down the block’s staircase: fresh milk, raisins, cinnamon, cocoa powder…the magical making (for me as a child) of tons of cozonac that would be consumed in a few days by every living soul in the land till satiation…
Fridays took a more sombre tone. It was Jesus’ death day. There would have been a morning service my mum always took time off from her now full-steam ahead cooking to attend. A public display of sorrow for His death. Mournful songs, the epitaph carried out, covered in flowers, meant to soothe His bruised and bloodied body. Subdued voices. Silence. Intense praying. That would have culminated in the evening with a full mourning service that involved singing and praying. I still remember the tunes. The solemnity. The sorrow.
Easter Saturday meant cooking madness day in my household. By now my mum would have worked herself into a state fuelled by the late night cozonac baking, service attending and house cleaning order marshalling. Saturdays meant dying dozens of eggs. Cooking ahead at least a three-course meal for Easter Sunday. Changing bed linen so that we could sleep in fresh smelling, starch-pressed linen when we came back from the Easter night service. It meant a lot of effort for my mum.
A lot of effort that she thought went unnoticed. But it never did, really. We’ve always known she was doing all these things for us. Showing love through serving. Creating memories… And they will probably stay with me until the day I die. Or I get Alzheimer’s. And no matter how fancy or glam a life I will live, it will never be able to replace my mum’s genuine efforts to create living memories with us and for us.
I miss Romanian Easter. ..And I miss the cooking, the eating and the celebrating together. Maybe we’ll make it next year…
March 29, 2013 Leave a comment
This is a no-food post but it’s something God made clear to me through recent events. Because it’s Good Friday I thought it would be a great time to share these thoughts with you all.
Remember, I had a wee car bump a few weeks ago. Despite the fact that it was the most insignificant sort of collision you might have on the road(and the most fortunate, as no-one was injured in any way) I drove in fear for a week or so. I have always been a very careful driver, I had Emma with me when the bump happened so I was scared the same thing might happen again. In the end I prayed as driving was becoming very tiring and the fear left.
Then I had to sort the scratch itself. Thankfully I had very good insurance(hubby says) and they released repair funds this week and everything will be sorted next week. Plus I will have a courtesy car for the time my car gets mended, hurray!!
I was very thankful when they told me about it this week from the garage. And then I heard God speak to my heart and say: “Jesus’ sacrifice works exactly like your car insurance. An insurance is not there to cover damage just in the case when you’re not guilty. The insurance is designed especially for the times when you are guilty of doing something you weren’t meant to. What it does in those circumstances? It covers the damage and it makes everything as new.”
Maybe for other people that would mean nothing in particular. But for me it’s the answer to a heart-felt prayer that I have been saying for years: “God, please make me understand your sacrifice on the cross. Help me make sense of it.”
I do now. I am grateful today not only for my insurance company but most of all, for Jesus, the greatest insurer!
“He is not here, he is risen!” -Luke 24:6
March 19, 2013 2 Comments
This post will not be my typical healthy living entry as such but because Otilia, from Romanian Mum was so keen to find out , I will tell you about our new family tradition, an Easter tree!!
I actually had seen in before, on two separate occasions but it was only last week, when we were invited for dinner with friends and I saw their own version that I thought: “Aha, I can actually do this myself!”
So last night I sent hubby to find a sturdy tree branch. Fortunately for him, there are loads literally lying around as in preparation for a new road layout and he didn’t have to look long or do anything illegal I had bought from PoundLand a few bags of small and medium fluffy chicks, three decorative egg types and some very cute miniature nests. Emma was fully on board with this, helping me hang the eggs, decorating the hollow ones with stickers and filling them up with small treats like chocolate coins and mini-chocolate eggs. The result was amazing and I was so pleased with it I was still raving this morning about it . The entire cost, including the sweets, the decorative butterfly Emma had done last week (Home Bargains buy) and all the things mentioned above? Less than £10 but my living room looks a million dollars to me now!!
March 17, 2013 Leave a comment
We are not Catholic but I believe my child benefits from being immersed into the Irish traditions since she will most likely live her childhood here. So yesterday we attended a day of fun activities at the Belfast City Hall including, as you can see above, face-painting, tattoos, arts and crafts, snake petting and traditional storytelling. Emma loved it all, especially the storytelling time, the magic of the fairy stories, the flute playing and the good craic.
This morning I decided to celebrate, healthy style, the occasion myself. I made myself a lovely smoothie with pear, avocado, pineapple, fresh basil leaves, coconut milk and spirullina powder, to make it nice and green. I served it into a Murphy’s stout mug .
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!
March 9, 2013 1 Comment
Oh, yeah, and my weight keeps dropping!! It must have been the post-traumatic shock, the fact that the insurance company decided the car bumping on Thursday was actually my fault (hubby says it’s my crappy phrasing when relating the incident) and the fact that I didn’t sleep much since, replaying it in my head but the good news is that I am down to 68.1 kilos as from this morning!! Wow, three kilos in less than three weeks, I never imagined when I started this healthy living, wheat-free challenge that I will see results this quickly! I have started to see results in the way my jeans fit and in my face. I still have a wee pouch belly hovering over my jeans line and my arms are still chubby but my aim is to get a flat belly and beach-ready arms by the end of May.
I am still nauseated every time I think of the traffic incident and for the first time since I started my healthy living challenge I had to have an afternoon nap to get my head sorted…
Not dwelling on the negative, let me wish all my mummy friends a very happy and relaxed Mother’s day, hope you get spoiled loads and those Tesco’s flowers better be fresh ! Because you deserve it. And much more!
I have received mine already, Emma made me a lovely card in playgroup, hubby got me flowers and took Emma out this afternoon and my mummy sent me a lovely wee card all the way from Romania. I am not a gift person so for me the thought that went into buying the flowers and making the card suffices as it communicates attention and love.
This is (a slightly nauseating) day 19, there are 21 days left of this healthy living challenge. Keep it lit, as the Northern Irish folk say !
February 14, 2013 2 Comments
I won’t say happy Valentine’s Day due to this reminder I saw on Facebook a few minutes ago of where Valentine’s day originates from:
I just wanted to say: Enjoy your relationship at whatever level it’s at.If you’re a busy mum who can hardly find time to squeeze in a couple of kind words to hubby in the evening before collapsing in bed(like I am), do just that and accept this is reality for the moment and one day things will be better.
As a couple we have seen many highs and lows in our almost seven years of marriage but the most important lesson we have learnt is that sticking together is sometimes the only thing we can do to show each other we care. The lows soon end, the highs don’t last but love in its nitty gritty form of a common me and a common you is the most beautiful thing on earth.
December 31, 2012 4 Comments
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 7,100 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 12 years to get that many views.
December 24, 2012 1 Comment
Hello friends! I haven’t kept in touch, I know and I apologise. I guess I had nothing worth noting on blog. But I am here now to wish you all a very happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year!
The last few weeks I have been trying to think on the meaning of Christmas. Not at length, mind you, ’cause nothing can be done at length when you mother a small child. But between playgroup pick ups, present wrapping, daily cooking, frequent husband admonishing and tedious child rearing I found here and there moments of mental rest(rare!) when I pondered on the birth of Jesus.
Ever since I watched Oranges and Blossoms last summer, this nagging question stayed with me: what are the things happening at the moment in my proximity that I choose to turn a blind eye on rather than get involved in the change? How are children nowadays affected by the grown-ups indifference and choice of comfort? Some answers were revealed to me but I kept postponing action due to the practicalities of involvement, I suppose.
It was an attitude that sent a young, heavily pregnant mother to a stable 2000 years ago to give birth in less than hygienic conditions. Indifference, placidity, choice of personal comfort over humanity and kindness.
And then last night, my daughter blew my mind away during our bedtime story routine with the simplicity of her heart. We have looked before at the story of the manger but this time she noticed that Mary and Joseph were standing in the stable and asked me where their bed was. I answered there was none for them and probably they roughed it for a couple of nights before they got better accommodation. Her answer humbled me: “But mummy, they need a bed. Let’s get in the car and go get them a bed!”
My friends, if your heart has been burning over things God has showed you get in the car and go get a bed for the ones who are in need. Otherwise Christmas will be restricted to cosy homes decorated with tinsel but empty of meaning.
Happy, meaningful Christmas!
November 22, 2012 4 Comments
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who celebrate it, first of all! I know that following my Halloween post you might consider me totally against imported holidays but I am not. I am totally against nonsensical, scary holidays who introduce our children to witchery and monsters when they’re too young to discern for themselves. On the other hand, I am totally for holidays that teach children to be thankful to God and to their parents. It’s a good life lesson.
I didn’t learn this lesson when I was young.
This summer God used a book lent to me by a good friend(Who Switched Off My Brain, by Caroline Leaf) to shed light on some grey areas in my life. He showed me my life had been, up to that point, anything but full of thanksgiving and gratitude. My attitude had been poor as I always wished for “better” things: a better house, a better husband, a better figure, a better church…And you know what? Once I got what I wished for, there would have been ALWAYS something better to wish for.
And then God started to take things away and teach me that everything I had was better than nothing. I still struggle, my friends. I still wake up in the middle of the night thinking about what I could do better in order to get a job, get my hubby’s attention, get an answer from God…you GET the point . But I am learning to take things as they are and not fret over working only for 2 hours a day and spending another 2 in Funky Monkeys watching my little one play and make friends. Over waiting on God’s timing. Over admitting I don’t have all the answers or the power to do what I wish I could do.
So, today I am thankful:
1. for a healthy child(as you recall, Emma has been sickly for the first two years of her life and I totally rejoice that this winter she has stayed clear of coughing and colds).
2. for a faithful hubby. We went through the mill these last three years and if not for his faithfulness, we could have drifted apart many times.
3. for good results following painful experiences. Once we admitted we needed help, God brought people in our lives to teach us His truth. Now God is using that experience to connect people and I am excited about what could possibly come out of this.
4. for you, my blog readers! Many friends have written a wee note or approached me to say they have been following my blog and that they enjoy reading it! Thousand thanks, your words encourage me greatly as I realise that I am being heard and that I can use my voice to bless and shed light and bring comfort to other people’s lives.
Once again, happy Thanksgiving, may it become an attitude in our lives more than a holiday in the American calendar!
Grateful for food, sunshine and a lovely family!
