Everyday Yogini

While the pony pile grows wider and higher,
I vow with all Beings,
To honor my daughter’s first passion,
Embrace the wonder of life through her eyes.    

I bought a set of these awesome reusable mesh produce bags for myself from Etsy’s AMK Designs, and you can betcha I will be purchasing these as gifts for folks at Christmas!Aren’t they great??

One of my personal values is purchasing ecologically safe items for our family.  This has definitely become more important to me over the last few years, as awareness of our global climate crisis has increased.  As I mentioned in a prior post, this Christmas, I intend to either make or buy hand-made gifts, or, if I can’t do that, purchase eco-friendly items. 

Yesterday, I bought one of Clara’s birthday gifts, and quite honestly, I was tempted to order one for myself.  You all tell me in the comments if you think I could pull off a personalized super-hero cape from Plum Pear Apple. I cannot WAIT to see the final product, and I will be giddy with anticipation as I wait for Clara’s birthday to pull this bad-boy out and give it to her!

Staying home with Clara this week I am noticing the broken-down, sad nature of her craft stuff. Thank goodness for Ideal Bite’s daily email tip today with a link to Eco Art Works! How excited am I to order a few supplies for now and a few for birthday and Christmas?? How about some of these and these? And what about cooperative board games like these>? They look fun, don’t they??

Okay, I’m off for more playtime with Clara, who, today, is a fairy. Like Tinkerbell. But pink. Naturally.

Is there any day that is “typical” when you have a child? As I have been thinking about Half Pint Pixie’s blog carnival, I have been up in the air on what to write. We are very into routines around here, but it seems they change quite often- at least lately. HPP also indicated that a day in my life might be a bit exotic, since we are in Rome. In relationship to mothering, I think our lives are quite normal, really. We have our daily routines, Clara has playdates, this summer, we’ve gone swimming- a lot- I might add, we have a zoo membership, she watches movies, we eat, etc. Our day as a family is not at all something like, “Oh, our daily picnic at the pantheon was rained out, bummer, I guess we’ll go to the Colosseum…” In fact, we haven’t even SEEN the pantheon. Living here is so weird.

From an American perspective, I think what is unusual and exotic about Clara’s days, is the internationality of it all. Her babysitter from Ghana, her nanny from Finland, her Italian nursery school, her soon-to-be British school, our Pakistani domestic. At least a few times a month, we have people in our home from different countries, different cultures. Our home is a sea of tranquil calm most of the time (which suits all of us) but then we have these interesting international gatherings that Clara sees and experiences and participates in.

Our life here is also punctuated by travel, but that isn’t so unusual either, is it? We just happen to be traveling in one of the most sought-after destinations in the world. In fact, next week, we will be taking a vacation to the northern part of Italy to stay in a kinderhotel. (More to come on that….)

There are certainly differences in how parenting plays out here when we are out and about (for instance, don’t even try to find a playground that’s decent- by American standards- in Rome), but, for the most part, my days resemble any other family’s day: getting up, making breakfast, being where we need to be in the morning, activities planned, friends met, sharing facilitated with said friends, meltdowns, craft-projects, teaching moments, snuggles, bath time, messes, cleaning up, etc. Our most important time as a family is dinner time, and we eat together most nights, unless Erick simply can’t make that happen.

My greatest, on-going, daily challenge with this parenting gig is being present and mindful to what is in front of me- especially when that is Clara. As a child and an adult, I remember craving my Mother’s full attention and never feeling like I had it. It was so frustrating and eventually, I just gave up. My relationship with my Mom is not very close, and I’m sad about that, but I hate being disappointed all the time, so now? Well, it just is what it is.

Lately, I sense this is the same thing that is happening with Clara and I, much to my horror. Her needs just feel so demanding and relentless that I shut down, try and escape from it, which makes her demands that much louder. As I’ve reflected on this, I know what I need to do- I need to lean into it, feel my edges, give in to her needs. Maybe just small increments of time, but still, give her what she wants most. My full, attention on who she is in this very moment.

So, a typical day here is not so much different than it would be if I were back in the United States- Clara is my greatest teacher and, with some luck and some grit, she will learn some things from me, too. Outside of routines and all the machinations of being a parent, it’s about raising a happy adult and, for me, building a lifetime relationship that will sustain all of us through the years. Right now, that means adding conscientious time to our days where I am all Clara’s. No matter how much my mind might resist, no matter how badly I want to wander off and do something else, it means I will stay. Right here, right now, with my beautiful 3 1/2 year old in all her glory.

And, without further ado, I am off to do exactly that.

One of my favorite Yoginis, Kimberly Wilson, posted this lovely poem by the late Audrey Hepburn. I had never read this, but it is just delightful and worth putting in the archives, “Words of Wisdom”.

I believe in pink
i believe that laughing
is the best calorie burner
i believe in kissing,
kissing alot.
i believe in being strong when
everything seems to be going wrong.
i believe that happy girls are the
prettiest girls.
i believe that tomorrow is another day
and i believe in
miracles.

Thank goodness for crafty friends.  Although I aspire to be crafty, I’m a bit lacking.  My friend Gretchen is amazing.  Have you seen her Etsy Store? On a number of occasions, I have emailed her and said, “I need something sort of like this, with a bit of that… do you think you could come up with something?”

And she does.

Evidence #1: The little black cocktail bag

I have a really cute, retro, clutch that I take to cocktail parties, but I wanted an alternative AND, most important, something I could hook on a finger so I can hold my water glass at the same time I’m shaking hands. You can’t imagine how important this is!

So I was chatting with Gretchen and presented her with this problem. Told her I wanted something small, black, felted, and with an art-deco-ish feel. CAN YOU BELIEVE HOW GOOD SHE IS??? I love this little purse so much! It is perfect. Absolutely, 100% perfect.

Evidence #2: The Nature Bowl

Taking inspiration from Soule Mama, I asked Gretchen if she could make me a nature bowl. A place where we could hold all of our seasonal treasures on the dining table, so we could see them, touch them, interact with them…

I am beyond pleased with this bowl- the tiny bowls add an extra dimension of wonder to this set up. Clara is loving switching out what goes into the little bowls. When we are out and about, she looks for things that can place in her little bowls.

Isn’t Gretchen amazing?? I *heart* all things made by hand, with care- especially when those things come from those I love. Thanks Gretchen! I am so inspired by her inspiration, I am going to do most of my holiday shopping on Etsy, or (gasp), make it myself. Wish me luck, and today I leave you with another picture of the nature bowl. Isn’t it perfect?

I adore Italian hilltop towns.  And we’ve been to many.  But this last weekend, over the Ferragosto holiday we visited a tiny hilltop town just north of Rome. We drove just over an hour and I swear it was like being in a different country altogether. (This is always a surprise to me when we leave Rome- how quickly it turns rural and quaint.)

Cantalice is built, quite literally, into the side of a mountain. With a staircase that spans the city top to bottom, there are no panoramic views for the faint of heart. A dramatic and beautiful city. I particularly liked the homes that were literally mid-way up the staircase, built into the side of the mountain itself…

How did we find this little gem, you might ask? Erick recently joined a cycling team here, and, good fortune for us, the rides begin near Cantalice, so some of the members have homes in this amazing little town. We were invited to stay with a family over the holiday- the highest honor an Italian family can bestow on another. Just like the movies, the Nonna (grandma) cooked enough food for an army while Clara talked to her non-stop…

Of course, Erick rode his bike. Clara and I spent Saturday morning walking up and down the city staircase (over 300 hundred stairs, Yoginis), and just soaked up the Italian hospitality. We ate, we napped, we talked, we laughed, we played… Cantalice and it’s residents utterly charmed me. Despite my limited Italian skill, we somehow managed an open invitation for any weekend we can make it up to the mountains.

I can’t wait to go back again, and soon.

The lovely Connie over at Dirty Footprints! How can it be that I’ve never seen her fabulous blog before? And the Etsy store?? Isn’t this darling? What about THIS?? Wouldn’t that be perfect in my Yoga space??

Connie won my heart when I checked out her blog for a few reasons: 1. She’s growing her hair out and it looks great! 2. She’s a Capricorn (like moi) 3. She has a thing for trees (as do I) and 4. She loves Yoga. What else can I say??

Congratulations Connie!! Enjoy your new pants from Even Keel Yoga. I hope you love them…

A few weeks ago, Liz Matthews of Even Keel Yoga, a new Yoga apparel company, contacted me about trying her new line of Yoga pants out.  Now, who am I to say no to such a request??

Last week, the pants arrived in the mail.  Let me stop here to tell you I have not purchased new Yoga pants since Prana actually made pants that fit mere mortals.  That, I believe, was at least 7 years ago.  That’s right.  I haven’t purchased new Yoga pants in 7 loooooong years. 

So, I struggled with this.  Do I give these fabulous new Yoga pants away or do I hoard these beautiful, bamboo-fabric, pink and brown lovelies for myself?? 

It was a tough choice, Yoginis, but you win.  It is hot here right now- too hot to wear pants for my practice, but I slipped these gorgeous pants on (in a nicely air conditioned room- no sweat!) and ran through a few sun salutes to get a feel for how they fit during practice.  Sheer delight.  I especially like the fold down top which I thought I wasn’t going to care for. 

To enter the contest, go on over to Even Keel and take a look around.  Tell me which of their products you like best and why.  Next Thursday I will pick a winner for the pants and send them off to the lucky Yogini ASAP!! 

Good luck!!  Oh, and the pants are size Medium… 

I haven’t written a post about parenting for a long time.  We settled into a groove, and everything was just status-quo.  But last week, something changed, and you know how when circumstances change, it’s an opportunity for reflection…

Last week was the end of Clara’s time in Italian preschool.   This week, her new Finnish nanny started.  I was anxious about this transition because Clara had been telling me that she didn’t want to play with the nanny, she just wanted to go to work with me. (Uhm, that’s a “no”)  Clara has historically taken lots of time to warm up to people, and we were jumping in, feet first, yesterday with 7 hours of non-stop nanny time.

I didn’t know what to expect when I got home.

Well let me tell you, Yoginis.  A Clara I haven’t seen in I-can’t-remember-how-long greeted me yesterday when I arrived home.  She couldn’t wait to tell me about all the fun stuff she had done with Heidi and how much she loves Heidi.  Her eyes were shining, she was enthusiastic and excited!

FANTASTIC!!!!

The sense of calm and relief that I felt was palpable.  I feel so good today.  Confident and at peace with our decision to hire a (very expensive) nanny before school starts in the Fall.  I am amazed at the weight that has been lifted from my shoulders that I didn’t even realize was there.

Although Clara’s Italian school was fine, the truth is, I was never entirely comfortable with it.  As time wore on, I just got used to it, but honestly, I’m not sure that the kids really did much.  At the end of the year I was presented with a “workbook” that “Clara” had done- CLEARLY the teachers had done almost all of the projects.  It made me angry and sad that they really, honestly, tried to pass it off as my daughter’s handiwork.  Not that my daughter isn’t brilliant, but, honestly.  I like HER artwork the way SHE does it:  with the creative energy of a three year old, not the perfection of an adult.  When I would ask her what she did at school, she never answered me.  Now I suspect that it’s because they didn’t really do anything, sadly enough.

This morning, as I left the house, Clara and her lovely nanny were dancing in the living room.  Clara had just asked her if they could make party hats today and Heidi gave her a wholehearted, “Yes” as I was closing the door.  As I was walking toward the car, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for all the blessings that have literally been showered on my family.  It is amazing how when all is right in the world of my daughter, I can feel gratitude bursting from every cell in my body.  Although I’ve been grateful for the many experiences and circumstances we’ve had, I didn’t realize how, in many ways, my gratitude practice has been an exercise in forcing myself to look at all the good things we have been given.  But with Clara transformed into the happy, content child I remember her being, my heart can rest and accept all the wonders of our life in a way I just couldn’t before.