Remember?

This morning my son had his Mother's Day Fashion Show at school.  I remembered last night and got out his shirt and bow tie and hung it in his room so I wouldn't forget in the morning.  And I remembered what time to be there and everything went off without a hitch... the reason I'm making such a big deal about this is last year... things were a bit different...

Last year, my daughter had her fashion show and I completely forgot in the morning and to make it worse I dropped her off at school and then came home to a very sad message from my daughter saying that she needed her dress for the fashion show... I grabbed her dress and drove 80 miles an hour back to her school to find her in tears because I didn't "remember".... I have lots of days like that.  But last year... I forgot tons of stuff... I was working 14 hours a day (including weekends) on my business and I was beyond stressed.

So back to today!  I was sitting there watching my son's show and thinking how proud I was of how different I am today then I was a year ago.  And that's a lot coming from me... you see... I'm a bit hard on myself all the time (yes, ALL the time).  So I came home and did some grocery shopping and then decided to go off to Target and get a few things... and on my merry ride home I get a call from the school...

When the phone rang and I saw it was the school and I immediately thought "Oh No, closing school because of the swine flu"....  The lady in the office said "I have your daughter here and she would like to come home"... And I'm thinking "Oh No, she has the swine flu"... and I kind of paused... waiting for her to go on... and then she said "Today is minimum day"...  And then I was like "Thank God she doesn't have the swine flue" and then I thought "Oh NO, I forgot my kids at school"... "again"......

Yeap, just when I was ready to toot my own horn on being so much better at remembering things... I forget again!  So I immediately called my husband (after picking the kids up) and said "see I need the iphone.  because if I had had my iphone it would have texted me and let me know that today was minimum day".

But seriously, do you ever feel like as a mom (with kids in school)  that there are so much to remember.  And as a wife running the household... I often feel so overwhelmed to remember everything.

5 Things...

Pick 5 from the following items you would be willing to live without if you HAD to give up.

1. Computer
2. High Speed Internet
3. Land Line Phone
4. Air Conditioning
5. Clothes Dryer
6. Cell Phone
7. TV
8. Car
9. Microwave
10. Cable or Satellite TV

Can I pick zero?  IF I HAD to pick!  I would chose the following:  land line phone, TV, Cable/Satellite TV,  clothes dryer and microwave.

So basically I would be sitting in my "cool" office surfing the net on my high speed connection looking for new apps for my iphone and watching my favorite shows via my computer... while doing this I would be in my dirty stinky yoga pants and spending more time in the kitchen cooking from scratch.  Or because I kept the car I can drive to get food.

What would you do?

I borrowed this from one of my fav blogs... but I can't remember which one.  :)

Oh BOY!

Huggies Geyser - video powered by Metacafe

99 Things....

See how boring I really am!  Things that I have DONE are in BOLD.  

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii (three times and I'm not loving it..)
5. Watched a meteor shower (I wish!!!)
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis (I don't think so)
10. Sang a solo (I have the worst singing voice... this was when I was a kid though)
11. Bungee jumped (Maybe when we go on the Amazing Race one day.. I would rather sky dive then do this!)
12. Visited Paris (one day, sigh)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (sewing)

15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables (tomatoes, pumpkins, strawberries, etc...)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (does 5K count?)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (what about the Venitian.. ha ha.. las vegas baby!)
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke (Oh YEAH!  Grease songs on a ship full of people)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater 
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies 
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason (yesterday, my hubby surprised me with wild flowers)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone (arm, wrist, collar bone and toes)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (watched my dad do the killing but I helped prepare)
88. Had chickenpox 
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (nobody you would remember!)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95.Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Yoga Supergran

This is just amazing!  I hope to be just like her!  83 years young.

Ahhhhhhhh

Just look at this gorgeous mini pool or "spool" (spa/pool).  I want one!  It just makes me all happy inside looking at it.  Why can't I have this in my backyard! 

Do you want the abs? Or what?

I don't watch Biggest Loser... but I love Jillian.  I think she knows what she is doing and she has a very interesting back story.  I'm currently reading her latest book.  And love it!  I've temporarily put a hold on being a vegetarian and I've added back in some low-fat turkey (from the books advice).   I'm shocked to find out that Jillian and I are about the same height and weight.. yet she is ripped!  I want to look like Jillian!

Do you want those abs?  I sure do.  What this clip.

I also have the 30 day shred DVD... but I need to actually start using it!

iphone

Okay, don't laugh at me!  But I just joined the electronic revolution and got an ipod for Christmas... and I think it's the coolest thing ever!  I probably haven't even scratched the surface yet with it!  But I love it.

So this brings me to the iphone!  Do I need it?  NO.  Do I want it?  YES.  It has the coolest ever apps!  It can do your grocery list, a budget and record how much you eat!  AND do yoga!!!  Come one!  That's so awesome!  Now don't laugh at me again!  I'm sure it can do lots more then that.  

So my birthday is coming up in a few weeks and I'm trying to convince my husband why I NEED an iphone!  He isn't buying it!  But I'm thinking I want to go all mac!  When we move I was going to get a lab top... and now I'm thinking a mac.. lab top or desktop because the mac desktop doesn't takes up much more room then a lab top.. minus the mobility... which I wasn't so sure I needed anyway.

So getting back to the iphone... looking for input.  Do you have an iphone?  Do you love it?  What do you love about it?  I know I probably have three readers?? ANYONE?

Grateful

I was thinking today how very grateful I am for the simple things in life.  I have a husband who loves me even though our relationship is far from perfect.  I have two beautiful children who think the moon rises and falls on me, yet I don't feel I deserve it most days.  And I have my health and the ability to do yoga every day in this beautiful place called Earth.

I'm often reminded of a brief conversation I had with a woman in front of a Staples a few years ago.  I was in rush to run in and grab some supplies before nap time.  My daughter and son must have been 3 and 1 at the time.  I apologized to the woman waiting to get in her car while I wrestled the kids from the back seat of my car.

She look at me with such yearning and sadness.  And out of nowhere she told me that her daughter (adult daughter) had recently passed away and that I should cherish every moment I have with my children.  She went on to say that her daughter had been a mom also and how so sad she is that her grandchild will not grow up with a mom.  I was hit at the very core by this moment and even now... many years later I think of that mom and remember how very GRATEFUL I am... for these moments... for these days... for every touch, hug and kiss... because we don't know if they will be taken away tomorrow or the next day.  We must all be grateful for how little or how much time we have on this glorious placed called earth.

I wish that woman knew how much of an impact she has had on my life... that her sorrow touched me and reminds me to always be grateful.

It could happen....

I'm just saying... it could happen.  Though it has NEVER never happened to me!   

Banana Bread

I made the best Chocolate Chip Banana Bread!!!  This has to be the best recipe I've done so far!

Ingredients

·                                 1 cup granulated sugar

·                                 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

·                                 2 large eggs

·                                 3 ripe bananas

·                                 1 tablespoon milk

·                                 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·                                 2 cups all-purpose flour (1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup all purpose)

·                                 1 teaspoon baking powder

·                                 1 teaspoon baking soda

·                                 1 teaspoon salt

·                                 Handful of Chocolate Chips (if needed)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.

Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan, invert onto rack and cool completely before slicing.

Today Sucks!

I started out today happy!  I had a awesome yoga class and felt so spiritual!  And I floated out of there thinking "kindness" to everyone!  But most importantly myself!

Then it was all down hill from there...

I was curling my hair and burned my neck!  Now it looks like I have this HUGE hickey on my neck!  NICE!!

Then I picked up the kids from school and a bee stings my wrist! NICE!! I haven't had a bee sting since I was a kid.  Gotta love spring!

I lost a DVD rental!  I can't find it anywhere!  I've looked and it drives my CRAZY to lose stuff!  Must have thrown it out????

I almost got hit TWICE because of merging lanes and nobody is ever nice and let you over.

It's tax day!! So that should be enough of a reason why today sucks!  BECAUSE I actually got a very very small refund from the state and guess what!!! I got an IOU because California is bankrupt.  YEAP... I got an IOU.  Not complaining because it's not much!  But still!! Maybe I should have written an IOU to the IRS this year.  Some reason I don't think that would have flied.

On my way home, I found a big FAT bee sitting on the top of my car... I warned the bee that this was not a good day and he best fly away.  I hurried up and got the kids in the car.. but then my son said his sandal fell out of the car.  So I got out of the car to get his sandal and that darn bee was staring at me again.  I lost it and smashed the darn bee with my son's flip flop!  Well guess what!!  He slowly fell off the top of the car and got stuck on the window and slowly (slowly) slide his guts all the way down my window.  YEAP, that was NICE.  So now I have a reminder of what I did to that poor bee!  So we went to the car wash on the way home!

BUT on a very positive note!  I was waiting in line at Trader Joe's and a nice lady told me the register was open (I couldn't see it) instead of just getting in line in front of me.  NICE.  Very nice!

All I can say is Karma is surely a B!tch today!

Gaia Conceptions

I was looking on Etsy.com for some yoga pants and I came across Gaia Conceptions. 

All Gaia Conceptions clothing is designed, sewn, and dyed by artist Andrea Crouse using certified organic and eco-friendly fabrics. Your garment will also be dyed by hand using fiber reactive low impact dyes or natural dyes. Andrea custom makes each garment just for you based on your size and color choice.

I LOVE her designs!!!  And I could see myself wearing EVERYTHING that she makes!  

Baby Yoga

Yoga Pants

Yoga pants are really really expensive.  I've seen some that are over $70 or close to $100.  COME ON!!  I get my pants at Old Navy for $15-20.  So I'm wondering are the expensive pants so much better?  Will I suddenly be able to do "tree pose" without falling over?

But I did find some really cute pants at Lucy.com and they are only $58... so I might try these out and see if there truly is a difference.  Or I might be kicking myself in the butt during down dog because they will be the same as my Old Navy yoga pants!

11 Styles of Yoga

Ananda - this type focuses more on meditation techniques.

Anusara - the thrust of the yogic exercises involved in Anusara Yoga is oriented towards the heart.

Ashtanga - also known as the power of yoga, Ashtanga follows a series of steps and poses which are vigorous and quite athletic.

Bikram - this is also known as Fire Yoga or Hot Yoga, a style developed by Bikram Choudhury which practiced in a heated and humidified room.

Integral Yoga - this type focuses on the healing power of relaxation.

Iyngar - the center of study in this type is symmetry and alignment.

Kripalu - this style of yogic exercises deals with the 'yoga of consciousness'.

Kundalini - the focus of this style is to awaken one's energy.

Sivanada - if you want to live a healthier lifestyle, this is the style to go for.

Tantra - ideal for couples, this type deals with sensual spirituality.

Viniyoga - focuses on a gentle flow of the energies within the mind, body and spirit.

I had no idea there were so many different types.  I just recently heard about Anusara and it sounds interesting.  And I was speaking to a teacher today about Bikram (Hot Yoga) but I'm worried I would be the one to faint during the class... but I'm going to give it a try later this summer.  Love Ashtanga!  And Kundalini is enjoyed.  But the majority of my practice is Hatha based.

Vegetarian?

Six years ago I was a vegetarian.  I did not eat poultry, beef or pork (or any other meat) except sushi!  Of course!  I was a vegetarian for five years (I think)... 

I've been considering becoming a vegetarian again.  Don't get me wrong... I love a big juicy steak.  And I did the south beach diet and lost a ton of weight after my son was born (during my non-vegetarian years).  I feel like I must chose between pasta and a big juicy steak and pasta is winning.  

It's mostly for health reasons... I think my body is healthier without meat.  I'm not acting on an animal activist point of view.. however, I see their point.  I won't give up sushi so I think the official name will be Pescatarian.  There are six different types of vegetarians.  

Now a vegan doesn't eat any animal products or by-products.  Which would include cheese and yogurt.  And even though I'm lactose intolerant.. Don't ask me to give up cheese and yogurt and most importantly ice cream.  Life is way too short for that.

People always say, "everything in moderation" and I always wonder... what is moderation?