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Welcome to Mama Witch's Blog.

For more from Arietta, aka Mama Witch, check out her other blog: http://small-songs.blogspot.co.uk/
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Monday 8 August 2011

HOW TO BE A DOMESTIC DISGRACE: Food For Thought

This is how I feel bout my domestic abilities at the mo :)

HOW TO BE A DOMESTIC DISGRACE: Food For Thought: "So, the day started off on a depressing note when I couldn’t pull my knickers up over my knees and fell headlong into the wardrobe in my att..."

Sunday 27 February 2011

Ozcar's Baby Naming

Sunday 27th February 2011 was the date we chose for Ozcar's Naming ceremony. Here is a transcript of the service which we performed ourselves. Given my work as a freelance Celebrant and the absence of my spiritual sister (who performed our Handfasting back in 2009 but has since emigrated to Canada) we felt that doing the ceremony ourselves offered us the most flexible and personal service.

The Naming of Ozcar Viktor Lysander Bryant









The Welcome
MARTIN:

Arietta & I would like to thank you for being here with us today on this, the naming day of our precious child. Today we will formally give him his name and recognise the people that will help guide him through life,

Today, in front of you all, we want to openly declare our love for the newest member of our family, sharing our hopes for his future, and, with the naming itself, identify him as a person in his own right.

Cleansing And Consecration Of Space

By the sprinkling of this salt may this space be cleansed
By the sprinkling of these herbs may it be consecrated
And by the gathering of the tribe may this space be energised

Casting The Circle & Calling The Quarters

ARIETTA:

We forge this circle from the bonds of friendship,
The bonds of love and the bonds of family.
We invite the powers of the quarters,
Earth in the North
Air in the East
Fire in the South
Water in the West
From magick within cast circle without
So mote it be
(Inspired By Romany Rivers)

Inviting The Lord And Lady

MARTIN:
Soothing light and mothers glow
Shine down on us now that we may know,
Your love and feel your comforting arms
Keeping all of us safe from harm
On this day, I ask your presence,
Lady, Mother, Lover, Essence,
Of all that is and ere shall be
On this day
We ask your blessings please
(Light candle)

ARIETTA:
Brilliant sunlight fills our hearts
When we think of you dear lord thou art
The perfect partner, lover, son
Paired with the lady since time begun
Now we ask you to bring blessings sweet
To make the partnership complete
To join with us and with us be
Hail and welcome, Blessed Be!
(Light candle)

Lighting of Candles for Ancestors

ARIETTA:
We light this candle in love and light for all of our ancestors who have gone before us.
(Light candle)


The Naming

MARTIN:
As a society we place great importance on the naming of our children. It is believed that the name of a person is related to their very soul. Therefore the names we have chosen for our son are:

BOTH:
Ozcar Viktor Lysander Bryant

ARIETTA:
Ozcar Viktor Lysander, we give you your first names as potent names, names full of power and meaning.
Ozcar ... Friend of the deer but also spear of the gods. We hope that you will grow to have a strong affinity with animals and also to have a drive and passion for justice
Viktor … Champion . We hope that you will do well in all that you aim for.
Lysander …Liberator. May you be chivalrous and brave in all you attempt.
But more than this, these names are your names for you to fill with meaning by the living of your own days

BOTH:
Ozcar Viktor Lysander Bryant

MARTIN:
We give you your surname as a name full of history; it means noble, strong, and virtuous.
May you be a credit to your heritage and an inspiration for generations to come.

BOTH:
Ozcar Viktor Lysander Bryant

MARTIN:
A name is like a badge of identity, it says who we are and where we are from.
We chose this name for you, be proud of it, and make it proud of you.

Our Pledge

ARIETTA:
We promise to surround Ozcar with love and affection, protect him from harm and always be there for him when he needs us.

We will help him to develop physically, emotionally and intellectually as best we can; and nurture in him a spirit of curiosity, courage and enthusiasm so that he can face life’s challenges bravely, honestly and with quiet confidence

MARTIN:
We will help Ozcar to identify and achieve his own hopes and aspirations, to realise his dreams, and fulfil his ambitions in life

We will respect him as an individual and help him to develop his own thoughts and opinions; and teach him to be kind, honest, and tolerant of others and the world

(Light the central candle)

ARIETTA:
Before you were conceived, we wanted you.
Before you were born, we loved you.
Before you were a minute old,
We would have died for you.

We Loved You From The Very Start

We loved you from the very start,
you stole our breath, embraced our hearts.

Our life together has just begun;
you’re part of us, our little one.

Inside your mama, each day you grew,
our minds were filled with thoughts of you.

We’d dream of the things we’d like to share,
like late-night feeds and teddy bears.

Like first steps and skinned knees,
like bedtime stories and ABC's.

We thought of things you'd want to know,
like how birds fly and flowers grow.

We thought of lessons we'd need to share,
like standing tall and playing fair.

When we first saw your precious face,
we knew we’d all been touched by grace.

We thanked the ancestors above,
and promised you unending love.

Each night we lay you down to sleep,
we gently kiss your head and cheek.

We count your fingers and toes;
we memorise your eyes and nose.

We linger at your nursery door,
each day we love you more and more.

Through misty eyes, we dim the light,
and whisper, "we love you" every night.

We loved you from the very start,
you stole our breath, embraced our heart.

Eloise’s Pledge

ELĂ–ISE:

Ozcar congratulations for getting me as a big sister!
I hope you enjoy all the stuff we will do together
I hope you enjoy being with me
I feel really good to have you as a little brother

Auntie Natalie’s Pledge

NATALIE:

To my Nephew...
Little one, I have such hopes for you
For all the things that you will do
The things I hadn't gotten to
See and do before I grew

Little one, you'll go so far
You may shoot for the moon or land among stars
Soon it's off too school and then your first car
You, too, won't believe how grown you are

Little one just learn to love
Savor the grass underneath and the sky up above

Little one, if life ever gets too tough
Remember the people who love you so much.
(By Vaida Marea)

Grandparents Pledge

MO:
Ozcar, you have blessed our hearts with beauty and joy this day,
United by our love for you, today we promise you this:
That we shall protect you as best we can from harm;
That we shall never knowingly injure you in body, mind or spirit;

RON:
We shall strive to teach you right from wrong
So you may one day protect yourself from the perils of wrong-doing.
We shall strive to live our lives as examples for you to live yours
by being loving, giving, honest, and tender.

DAWNIE:
We shall strive to earn your affection and respect.
As we gently guide you into becoming a caring, happy, informed person,
We shall rejoice in your successes, comfort you in times of distress, support you in your goals,
And try to refrain from unnecessary advice.

STEVE:
We will remember always that you are your own person,
Knowing that you have much to learn in order to become all that you are meant to be.
We are grateful to have been given the chance to know you, and to love you.
Our Grandson, Ozcar.










Fairy Godparents Pledges

ARIETTA:
We asked Andrew, Melody, Alasdair, TC, Jason & Emma to act as Guardians and Mentors to Ozcar because we trust them to share in our son’s upbringing & we are honoured that they have taken up the challenge. They each have different talents and with their help we hope that Ozcar will have the chance to fulfil his own potential.

Melody & Andrew cannot be here today as they are soon to be expecting a new little life into their own family, but they are none the less a part of this ceremony and have asked us to read the following for them...

Blessings to you little Ozcar
on your special naming day
We are so sorry we can't be with you
As we are half a world away
But let us reassure you
No matter how far apart we may be
We are happy and honoured for you
To consider us a part of your family.
We promise to be there for you
To listen to your worries and fears
We will always strive to have
An objective, supportive and listening ear.
We will celebrate your successes
and share in all of your smiles
And just like our love for your big sister
Our love for you will span the miles.

Welcome to the big wide world
Ozcar Viktor Lysander Bryant!


MARTIN:
Alasdair, TC, Jason & Emma, as Mentors to Ozcar you will always have a special relationship with him.
We hope that will you let Ozcar know, through your words and actions, that he is loved and treasured always?

EMMA:
Ozcar, Bright as a flower, lovely child, we welcome you into our world, into our lives, on this your special naming day.
(Light candle)

JASON:
Ozcar, happy little spirit. Smiling child, we wish you joy and health and strength and love and peace, on this your special naming day.
(Light candle)

TC:
Ozcar, lively little boy. Perfect child, we give you our blessings for a long and happy life, energy and freedom, on this your special naming day.
(Light candle)

AL:
Ozcar, our love goes out to you, precious child with eyes so wide, loving arms and dancing feet, and busy hands, which hold so tight, on this your special naming day.
(Light candle)


Formal Presentation of Ozcar Viktor Lysander Bryant

ARIETTA:
Ozcar, we would like you to know how much pleasure your arrival has given to us all.
We hope that at some future date you will read the words spoken for you today and understand the love and hopes that they represent.
Everyone here today is a member of Ozcar’s family, and everyone has something special to share with him. This may be your knowledge or wisdom, your talents and abilities, a sense of humour, experience, common sense, or spirituality.

MARTIN:
And we all can provide him with a listening ear, love and encouragement.
We hope that you all support Ozcar’s journey.
Therefore I ask all of you, will you offer your gifts and talents, your love and support to Ozcar and to us

ALL:
We will

ARIETTA:
Ozcar will not remember all that has happened here today. But one day he will be able to look back at this day through your eyes, so we invite you to write your own wishes and blessings for him in this book after the ceremony.

MARTIN:
(Raises Ozcar skywards)
Behold Our Son!
This is Ozcar Viktor Lysander Bryant!
We will care for him, love him, cherish him, & enjoy life with him
(Raises mead horn)
May the Ancestors and Gods watch over him all the days of his life
(Passes horn around to the other guests)

Thanking The Ancestors

ARIETTA:
We thank our ancestors for blessing us today; we remember you in love and know that we will meet again.

Thanking The Lord & Lady

MARTIN:
Lady, Mother and Goddess
We thank you for your presence in our lives
And for blessing our family

ARIETTA:
Lord, Father and God
We thank you for your presence in our lives
And for blessing our family

Opening The Circle & Dismissing Quarters

I give thank to the powers of the elements.
I open this circle...
But just as the circle of family goes on even when families are apart,
So too will this circle continue to link us all together even after this day is done.

© 2011 Tyger Moon Creations




Saturday 12 February 2011

Ozcar Update... 3 Months On


So it's been 3 months since Ozcar was born and we are still settling into family life with a new baby.


Whilst Ozcar is giving us hours of pleasure I think the sleep depravation is taking it's toll on the whole family but I am sure things will get better once he figures out his night from his day :o) A few people I have spoken to have suggested that Winter born babies take longer to get into a routine because they see less daylight hours, I hope that's right and now that Spring is on the way he will sleep longer at night and less in the day.


Other than the lack of sleep things have gone pretty smoothly, I am still breastfeeding which I am very proud of as I had given up by this point with my daughter as she cut her first tooth at 3 months and also I just didn't have the support system in place to facilitate breastfeeding back then.

The only problem with breastfeeding has been a persistant yeast infection affecting Ozcar's mouth and my breast. It is just about under control now but was for a while a vicious circle where we passed the infection back and forth between us.



Apart from the odd crying jag (often during whatever TV show we have spent a week looking forward to - So glad we have V+ lol! ) Ozcar is a very happy baby and has blessed us with some heartbreakingly beautiful smiles from about 4 weeks old. He enjoys listening to people chat and likes to be included in the conversations, he also seems to really like being sung to which is lovely.



We have been attending Baby PEEP for the last 4 weeks which has been great for both of us, Ozcar gets time with other babies and I get to meet other mums, and whilst I still feel like a bit of a hippy outsider in the group I am enjoying it, especially the singing.



We have been keeping a photo diary of Ozcar...



  • Week One
  • Week Two
  • Week Three
  • Week Four
  • Week Five


  • Week Six

  • Week Seven


  • Week Eight

  • Week Nine


  • Week Ten

  • Week Eleven


  • Week Twelve







  • Week Thirteen


  • So at 13 weeks Ozcar is a little chunky monkey having grown from a healthy birth weight of 9lb 5oz to a 3 month weigh in of 15lb 12oz.

    *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***


    My older daughter has been amazing, she and Ozcar have a definate bond and you can see him watching her all the time. She loves to hold him and hug him and everyday she comes home from school and talks to him aboout her day.

    I have made an extra effort to make time for her now too, and have promised to take her out at least once a month to do something just the two of us.