Yoga 101

I started taking a yoga class awhile back. It is my escape three times a week. The very first time I did it, I walked away feeling as if I had just had an hour massage. I cannot praise my yoga instructor enough. She was born to do this. She is a soft spoken, calming, and compassionate person, who after just a few visits, knew my name. I don't know why that was important to me, but it was.

As I said it is my escape. I am pretty much unaware of anyone else in that class and assume that most people are unaware of me.

Today I walked into yoga and there in my spot is a man talking on his cell phone. First rule of yoga 1. Leave the outside world outside the door. So get off your cell phone. He talked up until it was time to start while others around him are obviously starting to unwind in the quiet bird chirping environment. Did I mention he was in my spot? Not that he knew this, but the creature of habit that I am REALLY had struggles with this.

Rule #2 The breathing is through the nose!!! I could not be more serious about this one. We are not lifting weights dude. If you really are having that much trouble doing the poses, perhaps yoga is not your thing. Your breathing like you were birthing a hippo was DISTRACTING.

Rule #3 Personal Space- and this applies in all areas of life. Please do not park your mat right up my ass. I really don't appreciate it. I also don't appreciate you moving it closer EVERY SINGLE TIME we change poses. If you get kicked in the head, it is not my fault. Or maybe it is since you were so annoying.

Rule #4 What's with the straps? OK so I realize that this is a question, but still it was distracting. You brought what looked like luggage straps and then proceeded to tie them to your ankles or wrap them or something. Not quite sure, but then they kept slipping off and you would fall creating quite the scene. There was a point when I wished I had my video camera with me because I thought a video might just be more proof of your idiocy.

The only thing I can humbly thank you for was that you did not ruin my meditation time. Actually I believe you must have started breathing through your nose because I didn't hear you at all. So maybe you are figuring the breathing out after all.

The lesson I have learned from this all is that maybe it is time for me to move up from the back row. Or at least avoid "John" next time.

Ring Ring Ring, We are home!

Our home phone has rung many times today and I am sure that it has something to do with the fact that it is J.R.'s birthday. Small problem though, I can't find a phone. We have three of them, and they are all missing. None of them are ringing either, which means the ringers are turned off OR they are dead! So paging them is going to be ineffective.

I am however able to hear the answering machine go off when someone starts to leave a message, so if you need to call us, call my cell phone or leave a message.

I might not answer though because I am going on a big scavenger hunt, apparently, today.

Or I might be at Wal-Mart looking for a wall phone. Do they even still make those

*BTW The base in the kitchen still rings, hence how I know the phone keeps ringing.

Help!

I need parenting advice in a really bad way.

Ella would have been the perfect only child. She thrives on having us all to herself. The problem is she isn't an only child and it is draining trying to fulfill her only child needs constantly. In comes Tara. Ella has had a hard time accepting her little sister since she first came on the scene. It has always been manageable until now. NOW they both are bigger, more vocal, one of them is a bit hormonal, and the other is, without hormones raging, a perfect drama queen.

The fighting is ridiculous-
*she wears my clothes all the time
*she sat in the middle last time
*she always has a friend over
*she never cleans up
*she kicked, hit, tripped me
*she looked at me
*you like her more
*MOM!!!!!!!

And the problem is when they are getting along, they are usually doing something that will get someone hurt, like wrestling, jumping off our brick wall, playing crash course derby with their bikes, which then ends up with one of the aforementioned statements being shouted at me.

I am not the calm peaceful "yes dear" type. In fact when they come at me with one of the LINES, I immediately put my guard up. They know this, but continue in vain anyway and then we all end up on the losing end. So I need help.

How do I get them to love each other? Respect each other? Stick up for each other? I understand that sisters will be sisters but sometimes I think they seriously hate each other. And it makes me sad. What have I done wrong? HELP!

Happy Birthday Pokie

Guess who is THREE today? Our little Pokie! We have had a fabulous birthday day so far complete with a screening by Miss Kristi from Parents as Teachers, a trip to childcare at the gym where she got to pick out of the birthday box, a gift opening with her friend Gabby in the lobby of the gym(she got paints and a fabulous book on colors), a big nap with mom and the making of a pink cake of which she really wants to share with her daddy. Bummer, I guess we have to wait for him to get home. Tonight our plans are a trip to McDonalds(her choice not mine) cake and icecream and the opening of a few gifts.

Yesterday she got to be the birthday girl at school. She is my first kid to get to celebrate during the school year, so it was actually fun for me. She got a nice book from her teachers also that we read last night together.

I love the simplicity of a third birthday. There are no expectations just joy for every moment. I have actually caught her a couple of different times singing the birthday song to herself. There is just something about this age, the awareness of the birthday by the three year old, but not being corrupted yet by what a birthday might be or what anyone else thinks it should be, it all makes for perfection. She is just so precious. Happy Birthday little one! You are and will always be my baby.

Alanis eat your heart out!

I have been noticing for months, the changes that are occurring in my daughter. So the following pictures should come as no shock to me. I am just not sure that I am completely ready to be the parent of a brooding pre-teen.




ETA: I should also probably note that she has taken my favorite plastic cup(I am so classy) and used it for her savings. She is going to be so much more mad when I make her give it back.

Happy 15 Years

15 Years ago, today, I married my high school sweetheart. In some ways that seems like an absolutely unbelievable amount of time and in other ways it feels like it has been a fleeting moment.

I sat drinking my coffee this morning and eating my panera pecan sticky bun(thanks J.R.) and watched my family. The family that was created on that day 15 years ago. How much different my life would be if I had not sort of accidentally gone on that date with that handsome boy 19 years ago. Where would I be? And then I started remembering this same morning 15 years ago. I woke up at the crack of dawn, excited to face my wedding day. I was greeted to family that had driven over 24 hours to be there for my big day from Canada and a big sloppy kiss from the best golden retriever ever. This was a time before texting and cell phones, so J.R. and I didn't see each other or talk until right before the wedding for pictures(we aren't superstitious and never were). I remember looking at him and just being taken away by the emotions of the entire day. I also remember walking down the aisle and only wanting to look at him. Nobody else in that entire room mattered to me. It was just the two of us there. Everything was sort of a blur, the ceremony, candles, friends, family, cake, pictures. What mattered is I married the man I loved and will spend the rest of my life with.

Our marriage is not perfect. I won't lie about that. We struggle at times. We get annoyed and angry. I don't think any two humans could possibly live together this long and not have some angst at times, but it is these anniversaries that are there to remind us of that promise that we made before our friends and family and most especially our God.

J.R. thanks for putting up with me and my quirks for so long. I love you and look forward to what the next 15+ years hold for us. Whatever it is, we can face it together.

8 Big Years!

Let's pretend for the sake of my favorite middle child that I got this post up yesterday. And not that I got so busy fixing a dinner for my favorite aunt from Tennessee (hi Aunt Mary) that I just never got around to it. And even though there was guilt while I collapsed in bed last night, sleep overcame all of it....SO.....

8 Years ago little Tara Elizabeth came into our lives. I have heard before that a child's birth experience tells you a lot about their personality. Of course I have tested this theory three times and guess what?!? For my kids it ABSOLUTELY does!

Ella- Easy Peesy! No pain and I exclaimed to my nurse "What's the big deal?"
Tara- Came fast and broke my tailbone in the process!
Coryn- No epidural and LONGEST labor!

You can make your own guesses as to what this says about their individual personalities ;)

In the meantime let me share a little about that day 8 years ago.
(This is me crying right before we left for the hospital...WHOA I look HUGE!)

My mom is pretty awesome. In fact 8 years ago I called her crying. I had been in so much pain and just couldn't handle Ella anymore. I had spent part of the day laying on my sister's couch in early labor, but when I got back home it was slowly getting stronger. To make matters worse, J.R. had a HUGE meeting a work. He was in That meeting when I finally decided to go to the hospital. I called the girls at work to tell them that as soon as he was out, he was to go to the hospital. My mom and I arrived at the hospital a little after 5 PM. J.R. arrived around 6. In just 5 hours I went from begging my OB to break my water to holding my newest beautiful girl.

(J.R. and I meeting our 7lb 4oz, 19 inch long girl)
(Our girl right before we took her home)


Tara is 8! I can't believe it. I remember my 8th birthday party. I remember the guests, the gifts, the cake, the games and now she too is 8. This year will be full of big things for her. She will start 2nd grade in a week and probably the biggest thing that will happen to her...She will be baptized and confirmed. She has been preparing for this with pre-baptismal classes and lots of questions. She want's to be baptized at camp like Ella did, so she will have to wait until next June, but I have no doubt that she will wait patiently just like her big sister.


Tara is an amazing kid. She has a zest for life that is completely envy making. She has an imagination like nobody I have ever met. And she befriends everybody. She doesn't have a best friend, because she is everybody's friend. I am excited to watch her grow into a woman and see what she becomes because I have no doubt that whatever she does, it will be exciting and worth listening to the story. Happy Birthday Bobby Sue!