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3.30.2020

He's Good In a Pinch



Good to know the hubs can keep me looking good...  😁

Been thinking about taking the top longer, now seems like a good time to try! Ha!

3.27.2020

Two Week Check In

So two weeks in (for us)... two weeks of no school, no teaching*, minimal trips out into the world, and physical separation from other humans. Its been both easier and harder then I imagined.

I love lazy days at home, slowing everything down; but it feels different when its not a choice. Its hard not to be able to pop in on friends, squeeze my framily, spend time with my new honorary niece, pop our to a playground, the gym, or a coffee shop. All those little things that make the days fly, and that are so taken for granted. The hours and days roll into one another and it can feel very disorienting.

Daisy has been the biggest love bug, and I think she is absolutely thrilled to have her people home with her. Gwen has been equally snuggly, and I think its both a reassurance thing, and a love being with her family so much thing. She misses her friends and teachers, but has been relishing the slower pace(1)

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* I found an outlet by doing a few Facebook live classes! It was fun to feel virtually connected, and still get that teaching joy.

(1) Slower pace has been awesome, as long as -- here's the caveat -- Gwen has a physical outlet, good bursts of physical activity a few times a day. Perfect if its nice out: she can take Daisy out and play with her a bit, ride her bike, etc.... not so perfect if we get a blizzard.
Which we did.
It was a long, long day. So we made some adjustments to our Bingo card to include the option of yoga, or a dance party, or jumping jacks and stretches with mom! Crisis averted!

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We did take some beautiful walks along the creek, and enjoyed picnic time.


She's frustrated that she can't just play with friends the way she wants to. Frankly, so am I. Ha! But with at least 3 more weeks out of school, we're just trying to make the best of it. She's been video chatting with the grandparents, messaging with her friends, and yells hello down from the balcony to anyone she knows who passes by.


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I've been more introspective lately... not surprising when you're stuck inside so much. I wrote on instagram how I’ve been feeling all these feelings lately, stuck and overwhelmed, but I had a moment after reading Untamed. In it Glennon talks about this time when she was overwhelmed with some things happening in the world and kind of collapsed into sleep to allow herself to feel and process, and then she woke up and she DID! She took action and changed the world just a bit, and all I could think was, “But Glennon, what if I wake up and I still don’t know what to do? What if I can’t ever figure out that step to change the world?” I think we all want to change the world, we want to do the amazing, huge things, the once in a lifetime, one in a billion things. But here’s the deal, they’re one in a billion for a reason, and I realized that I am not a world changer, not in that way. And that made me feel relief! Straight up, flat out, full on relief!


I know game changers, people who are going to grab this world and upend it in the best way, and I’m so damn honored to be surrounded by them. My role is to lift them up. It hit me that I might not change the world, but I can change the world for an individual person, and that feels damn right to me. I might not be the one who ends world hunger, gets children out of cages, writes petitions that change laws... but I might be the one who supports the person who can through a time of need, allowing them to continue their work. 

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Last night I took the dog out for the last time before we headed to be, and the first thing I noticed was how quiet it was. Its always quiet that late at night, but normally you can still hear a fair amount of traffic in the distance, and the random car door slam or person talking. Last night the quiet was punctuated by only the occasional far off car, and it was really nice.



Maybe this time is allowing the Earth to heal a little, showing us that we are capable of doing less. Maybe this time is allowing us to heal too.

3.25.2020

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday {I Love What I Do..ula}


"They say it takes a village to raise a child. What they don't say is how important it is to have that village prior to their arrival. Megan, was so incredibly vital in preparing for our little ones arrival. An open book for every first time mother to be question. Never judging. Always full of love and light.

Then came the big show. She was so great about conveying a clear, loving, message the entire time. Insuring that mom, baby, and dad understood every aspect of the birthing process.

Hours of coaching and support produced one of the most magical experiences of my life. The birth of my sweet little girl. Knowing I had this calming, strength in my corner made the entire process amazing and I would highly recommend everyone to look into doula's for the birthing process, specifically, Megan."



(I'm so damn lucky... shared with permission.)

3.23.2020

In The Midst of Turmoil... Spring

In the midst of all else, last week we had a day of celebration, light, and flowers when we celebrated Ostara.


Eggs, berries, seeds all herald the entering spring... despite what was happening outside!


Yes, Colorado delivered us a healthy heaping of wet, heavy snow on the equinox, but Gwen made us some colorful art, Trav did the shopping, and I cooked the dinner to make it feel a lot warmer inside.




We lost track of the days a bit last week. So it felt good to have something official to mark, and to make it feel like a real celebration.




Happy Spring everyone!! From our family to yours, we wish you beautiful light-filled days ahead.

3.20.2020

In this short Life that only lasts an hour (1292)

In this short Life that only lasts an hour
How much - how little - is within our power
 
By Emily Dickinson


Long, too long America,
Traveling roads all even and peaceful you learn'd from joys and prosperity only,
But now, ah now, to learn from crises of anguish, advancing, grappling with direst fate and recoiling not,
And now to conceive and show to the world what your children en-masse really are,
(For who except myself has yet conceiv'd what your children en-masse really are?)


Long, too long America
By Walt Whitman

3.18.2020

Semi-Wordless Wednesday {Our Quarantine Activity}




There were all these great schedules going around facebook... but that really doesn't work for Gwen and I. Instead, this gives her the freedom to chose what she wants to work on when. It gets her 1) moving, 2) reading, 3) doing a little bit of math, and 4) helping out around the house. I'm not a school teacher, or a homeschooling parent, and I'm not expected to become one overnight. This is our happy medium, and its been working beautifully!


Updated 3/22: 


3.16.2020

Unexpected Benefits to On-Call Life

Between two different trips, and cookie season, February was by in a flash... but the last week of February was one of the busiest in recent memory. I had multiply subbing gigs, one of my once monthly classes fell that week, along with Gwen's Battle of the Books competition, Daisy's check up appointment, my car servicing, our ax throwing, Trav's company employee appreciation event, Girl Scouts, coffee dates, a friend crashing here on her way through town, and goat yoga! And that was all in addition to our normal work/teach/school routine.

So it was almost a relief to go on call for my girlfriend at the beginning of March. Don't get me wrong, it can be semi-stressful to be on call, just waiting for the moment to come... but how very nice to be able to say, "Sorry, I can't agree to that, I'm on call!" And that's exactly what I did. No extra subbing, no big events, no travel.

I'm off call now, that beautiful baby girl is here. But now all that space in my calendar is beneficial for another reason... with our lovely friend COVID19 we find ourselves home. Gwen's Spring Break was extended in either direction, my studios have all closed, and Trav's work is at a standstill. We're being asked to stay in, and gratefully, that's what we get to do. Our normally full Google Calendar has rows of completely empty days ahead, and we didn't have to do much canceling on our own.

That's not to say its all easy... we have our moments of stressing over what is to come, how long it will last, and what this all means for our back account; but we're trying to make the most out of this unexpected pause.

3.13.2020

Goat Yoga


This picture really says it all about how I enjoyed goat yoga at the end of February!


When Hanny asked me if I was interested, I jumped on the chance! I love yoga (obviously), and I adore animals of all shapes and sizes, so putting the two together was just too good to pass up.





Sorry for picture overload, but they were just so sweet, and I can't decide!




What you done yoga with animals? If so, which ones?




I want to do more of this, so anyone have some goats I can borrow?

3.09.2020

Ax Throwing!



Trav and I recently took off in the middle of a work day for a "day date." It was a groupon Trav randomly found, and boy was an hour of axe throwing exactly what I didn't know I needed!! It was an arm workout by the end (especially on my annoying shoulder), but it was very satisfying. Nothing like the thunk of an axe hitting its target!

What fun dates have you had lately?

3.06.2020

Cookie Season 2.0 Finished!

This weekend Gwen's second cookie season officially ends. I'm so proud of her. Not only did she meet her initial goal (300 boxes), which was already higher then last years, but she exceeded it and met surpassed blew out of the water her updated goal (330 --> final count 383!!)!

This picture has nothing to do with Girl Scout cookies...
but Gwen drew this T-Rex skiing the other day, and I absolutely love it!

I remember selling cookies as a kid, but didn't realize how much of a learning experience it really was until watching Gwen go through it. She worked her math (multiplication, subtraction), and her people skills. She practiced pushing to achieve a goal. And it made her think that maybe she wants to look into being a small business owner when she grows up! I'm so dang proud of my Girl Scout!

3.02.2020

Happy Babies and Impending Baby

Last weekend we got together with some friends to find out what gender Hanny's second baby would be.


We ate great food together, took a lot of baby selfies together, and celebrated Miss Mira becoming a big sister to a healthy baby... (wouldn't you like to know 😝).




I got to hang out with some of my favorite yogis, snuggle some of my favorite babies, and watch Gwen and Trav do that too!





I love being Auntie to such sweet kids.




Congratulations Hanny and Justin! Can't wait to add a new sweet bundle into the mix!