Mind Jars and Other bits of Fluff

We have been struggling as a family.  Our life is upturned, our emotions along with that are sometimes out of control.  As a family it is hard to focus, take time for us as a whole and all be on the same page.  I recently read about Mind Jars and their use with children during times of stress.  As this little family of ours is going through so much with the fire, relocation and now the renovations, I felt a need to guide myself and my little ones to a more peaceful, relaxed place.

During both my pregnancies I prepared for the upcoming births by practicing mediation.  It was my way of dealing with the stress and pains.  During labour I was able to recall my meditation practices and alleviate some pain.  Of course after the babes we born all notions of meditation flew out the window.  Ever since then, I've always wanted to get back to meditating regularly.

Now seems as good a time as any and why not teach my children the wonders of a few minutes of peace.  So now to the nitty gritty; how do you get a child, or two to sit still and just breathe?  That of course I am not entirely sure of, but in the following weeks and months, I hope to explore.

I recently found a post on meditating with young children.  One suggestion that seemed like an easy place to start (a craft no less!) was our Mind Jar.  A Mind Jar is a water and glitter glue filled jar.  You shake it up and spend some time looking at the floating glitter when one is stressed or angry.  It takes about 5 minutes for the glitter to settle to the bottom and by that point one is a little more at peace.

After listening to an explanation about the Mind Jar that we were about to make, Jack decided ours should be called The Helping with Life Jar, as it helps us have a better life.  Well put I say, so The Helping with Life Jar was made.  It's been fun to stare at so far, but we are yet to use it in a stressful or angry situation.  I'll let you know how that goes!

Here are the two posts about The Helping with Life Jar:

Meditating With Children Post
Another Mind Jar Post

Learning to Breath

I have been reading a fantastic book called Breathing Space: 12 Lessons for the Modern Woman by Katrina Repka. Being a stay at home mom is amazing, but sometimes it gets a bit overwhelming. I am hoping that the lessons in this book will help me cope with my day to day struggles and maybe even teach me something about myself.

Sometimes I feel lost and unsure about how to handle things, and often dwell on the future. "When the kids are both in school what will I do?" or "Who am I besides a mom and what will I be once the full time mom job is over?" ...... I get obsessed about what kind of business I could open, or run from my home. Also I think about all the projects I'll be able to complete around the house. The list goes on and on with my "if I had time for ......".

I'm stressing myself out and need to focus on the present, before these precious childhood years slip away! Already I am no longer the mother of a toddler and a baby, but a toddler and a preschooler!

During my pregnancy and birth Cory and I practiced meditation and breathing exercises at least once a week. After Dylan's birth I stopped, and I think that was a big mistake. Breathing and meditating kept me focused, and a lot calmer. So now with the help of Katrina's book I return to my breath and myself.

I have been practicing the first two breathing exercises for a few days now. I think with a couple more weeks of practice I will start feeling much better. I can already notice little changes. I am more tolerant of Jack's noise levels and am able to let little tiffs between the boys slide more than I used to. I also feel a little lighter if that makes any sense.

I am not sure what will come of my new practices, but I hope to attain some sort of inner peace. Too many thoughts rattling around in my head are just doing me no good.

Breathing

Things are not as they should be. Things are harder than they should be. Something is broken. I can feel it every time I breath. There are changes that need to take place. Good changes, that will help everyone. One day it will all work out.

I am going to start taking some time for myself each day. There is so much i need and want to do for my family, and myself. I just don't have it all in me right now. No that's not true. It's in me, I just don't know how to get at it.

We are sleep deprived, over worked parents, going on four years now. A long time ago we accepted the fact that we don't need as much sleep as we first thought, far from it. It's hard to give when there is nothing left.

I'm happy though, we're all relatively happy. But it's not just about being happy, it's about being content, and feeling whole. This will take time, but now is the time to start.

I know how to start, and right now, is what counts. The beginning.