Sunrise Yoga

For over a week I have been getting up early and going for a walk. Not every day, but probably 5 or 6 out of the last 9 days or so. L has been an earlier riser lately (between 6:30 and 7:30), so it started with me getting up early with her. Some days I have gone with just her and a few times E woke up and went with us. On those days we walk slow, look at bugs, pick up rocks, talk a lot and enjoy the sunshine and cool air. On the days that I have gone alone, I walk faster, go further, and pray and meditate.

This morning I woke up a little before 6 and got to go out by myself. I took my yoga mat and after walking for about half an hour, I went to the park and did yoga and meditated for another half an hour. It felt so good!

Now, I am NOT normally an early riser! My usual schedule is to be in bed by 10-12 (with about once a week 1-3) and up by no earlier than 7:30. And even if I'm up by 7:30, I'm not normally alive and functional until 9. Do not ask me to be out of the house before 10.

But I have been really craving being outdoors lately. Our car has been broken down for over 2 months and it has meant that we go outside in our back yard, go for walks and to the nearby park a lot more often. I used to try to get outside once a day, but often would get so busy that I would go a few days only going outside to walk to and from the car or maybe just to do 20 minutes of work outside. I would still try to get the kids outside daily, but sometimes that meant just playing on the porch or going outside with D while I did office work. A few times a week we'd go to the park or on a hike. With the car broken down and being home LOT more, we started playing in the back yard of our apartment complex for hours at a time. Just sitting drives me nuts, which is one reason I love to hike, but since I started crocheting I have been able to do that while the kids play. And of course, with no car, we have been doing lots of walking to run errands!

Now I am craving being outside, craving the sunshine and I know it won't be long before Oregon winter settles in and the sunshine is limited. But even on cloudy days, it just feels so good to be out. I'm not making any plans to keep doing this. Plans always seem to get in the way of listening to my body. In fact, I'm a little afraid I'm going to jinx myself just by posting this. I'm going to keep doing it as long as my body is craving it. Right now, I am actually excited about tomorrow morning!

YMCA, paints, snow and funny baby

We checked out the YMCA today, and I was pretty impressed. For the cost that I would expect to spend for one gym membership, we can get the whole family in to the gym, the pool, childcare (which we probably won't use, but glad to know it's there), basketball court, rock climbing wall, and a whole slew of classes. Yoga for me, which I've been missing for the last 2 years. I do it on my own, but it's just not the same as a class. A weight loss, strength training program for D, and a choice of ballet, karate or swim classes for E. There are a lot more classes too, which cost money, but are reasonably priced! So, we're going to start that next month.

I took E to the fabric store to pick up some elastic for some pants that my mom made her. They are beautiful pants and she made a vest to go with them. While we were at the store, E picked out some paint and a plain wooden lady bug. I wish my camera was working so I could show a picture of it. It looks really neat the way she painted it.

We played with playdough today and danced to a pirate cd I got from the library. Hillarious songs! Then it started to snow- we got a few inches and it was enough to make a snowman. The perfect kind of snow for snowman making too! Just wet enough and sticky, but not slushy.

L is really getting a personality. Last night she started saying "FUNNY!" and then trying to do things to make us laugh. She kept jumping off the ottoman, and falling down on purpose. And every time she'd jump up and say "FUNNY!" in this awesome little baby voice. She also keeps saying "fluffy" but we think she means "fly me" because we have been flying her up in the air.

It was a beautiful day- I love these kinds of days, but I keep having to remind myself "it's not about the day, it's about the moment." I'm trying not to write off whole days as "bad days" anymore. Sometimes we have bad moments, but then we have the choice to make the next moment better. (thank you Always Learning list!)

My Birthday

My birthday was the 5th, and we went to the beach. The weather wasn't nearly as warm as I would have liked, but other than that, the day was perfect. We went to Cannon Beach, and played and ate a picnic lunch. Then we explored the town, and drove down the coast for a few miles. We found a little dirt road that led up a hill to a cliff overlooking the ocean. There was just enough room for our car, and barely enough room to turn around when we left. The girls had fallen asleep by that time, so D explored the hillside. I laid a towel out on the ground and did yoga, meditated and prayed while watching the waves. So relaxing!


L kept laying down in the sand and "swimming."



Playing in the sand.




E running around on the beach. As you can see, E was the only one in a swimsuit. In fact, she was the only person on the entire beach not in a sweatshirt! :) She wore it from home, and we thought that once she got there and got cold, she'd put on some clothes. After about an hour, as we were walking back to the car and it started to rain, she decided to get dressed.



D buried E in the sand.



A rare shot- I'm not behind the camera!







Cannon Beach



Cannon Beach looking the other direction.



On the way home, we saw the sign for Cooterville. This is the Cooterville City Hall. Aparently it's also the antique/junk store.


We got a good laugh out of this!

Exciting Mail

Today I got two things in the mail I had really been looking forward to. The Gypsy Mama Lalita Wrap and a new yoga DVD. D and I went for a walk with the girls, and E wanted to go in the Ergo. So, D got to be the first to use the Lalita with L. Since the Ergo doesn't fit him, I wore E. He looked so sexy wearing baby on his back! I can't wait to use it tomorrow. I'm not feeling well tonight, so I didn't do much yoga, but I'm looking forward to doing that tomrrow too.

Yoga and Meditation

I used to do yoga and meditation a lot. That and writing a lot is what kept me sane in high school. It was the only way I could slow down and relax. I've done it off and on for the last few years, and it feels so good when I get back into a routine. Tonight, after the girls fell asleep, I did yoga for about an hour. I started with a dvd I got from the library. It was slow, relaxing yoga to get ready for meditation. After I meditated for a while, I did a harder yoga workout. I feel so loose and limber now, and my mind feel so quiet. It's great!

I know the idea of meditation is scary to some people. They think of opening up your mind to allow anything in. The type of meditation I do isn't like that though. Part of yoga is meditation- I focus on my breath and am aware of each muscle in my body. It's nice to close out the rest of the world for a while and just be aware of how I am moving, which muscles are tense, consciouly relaxing tense spots and moving a little deeper into each pose with each breath.

Then I sit for a while and meditate. Sometimes I focus on just being aware of everything going on around me in that moment. Tonight I listened to my breath, and the sound of the girls breathing as they slept. The muffled sound of D's game coming from the other room. Then wind and traffic outside. I was aware of the changes in light, the smell of the carpet and lingering scent of dinner. I noted the feel of the yoga mat beneath me and that the room was a little cold.

Sometimes I meditate on a thought or Bible verse or prayer. Today felt really hectic and crazed, so with tonight being the start of Shabbot, I wanted to go into it relaxed and centered. I meditated on a prayer for Yeshua to cover me in comfort and peace and that I would spread that to my family.

I'm really going to try to build it back into my daily routine. When I'm doing yoga and meditation every day or at least a few times a week, I find it so much easier to relax "on demand" when I feel myself getting irritated or life getting too hectic. It really helps me be more aware and in the moment with E, too.