Valentine

Valentine's Day has a double celebration around here. It's my son's birthday too.

I had a choice, whether or not to have a Valentine's baby. My doctor was going out of town for the holiday, so he offered me the option of being induced, or waiting and getting whatever doctor was on call. My due date was the 15th and my first baby had been born exactly on her due date.

I thought for a while... and then decided that of all the holidays to be born on... Valentine's Day would be cool.


I think it worked out perfectly. Not only did I get an amazing son, but he is the sweetest boy ever, and a champion hugger. Perfect for Valentine's Day.


And I get an automatic Valentine every year. Happy Birthday!!

We Are Meant to Dance

Have you danced yet today?

One of the blessings of teaching creative movement to preschoolers is that I have a beautiful reminder of what it was like to dance as a child. Do you remember being 5 years old and when you heard music you just had to start moving? Dance comes so naturally to children. Human beings are meant to dance. We've been dancing as a means of self-expression, communication, ritual, and just for the sheer joy of it for as long as we've been on planet Earth.

(First ballet recital)

Why then do so many of us not dance like we did when we were children? This has been on my mind lately as I've wanted to share the bliss of creative movement I've seen in the preschoolers with all of the adults around me. I have always loved to dance and it has been a deep source of joy to me. It carried me through childhood, through the awkward teenage years, and into adulthood (am I there yet?)

(Far left - Freshman year of high school - Dance Repertory)

If you spend any amount of time around me you will inevitably find me dancing. My kids and I have a favorite evening activity of going on YouTube, each choosing a song, and dancing like crazy till we all fall on my bed. My whole family regularly joins in the dancing (Meg and I kicking in the kitchen...)

(Dancing with my brother and his children.)

I guess I just wanted to send out a reminder to all the adults I love in my life to keep dancing! Move your body - music is optional but tons of fun. Dance by yourself in your bedroom, or tango with a special someone, or crank up the music with a whole group of people at your next dinner party.

Take a cue from the gorgeous world we live in. It's all dancing all the time. The waves, the trees, the fish, the clouds. They're all creatively moving in beautiful ways.

Join in.

Goodbye 2009

Last New Year's Eve I went to the beach and wrote the year in the sand... and watched the date wash away with the waves...

I decided to do the same thing this year. The kids were with me, so we packed up and went to the beach for the afternoon.

The weather was gorgeous! (This is why I live in Cali!) We had ice cream and kicked back. (Yeah, mine are the little feet in the middle!)


Then we played frisbee and catch on the beach for a while. When we had worn off our ice cream, the kids found a spot to sit amid the beauty of nature... and listened to their iPods. :-)


We had some time to reflect on the last year and all of the amazing things it has brought us.

This guy has grown into quite a young man. He is fearless in his fedoras.

This girl is an amazing young woman. She has taken the high school by storm.

Me and my girl.

I got the kids to take a couple of pictures of me in yoga poses on the beach. This one - warrior pose - is my favorite.

My daughter snapped this one of me too. If I look like I'm contemplating the past and considering the future... it's because I am. :-)

Goodbye 2009! You were an unbelievable year.

Hello 2010!

Christmas Celebrations!

What a super fun marvelous beautiful Christmas celebration this year!

It's best told in pictures...

My fantastic kids!

Me and my son. Can't believe he is almost as tall as me and he is only 12!

He can actually pick ME up now!

Me and my pretty daughter! She'll be taller than me any day now too!

I got this poster of Taylor Lautner for her and we were having a little fun for the camera! :-)

Our happy trio!

Then it was off to my parent's house for a big celebration with all my siblings and their families!

Here are the girl cousins.

And the boy cousins...

Me and Oma.

My sister-in-love, me, my brother, and my daughter.

Me and my sisters!!

My brother holding our niece.

And of course a big feast!! I could put a ton more pictures on here, but I'll spare you. I'll just say that it was sheer happiness to be with my family. Sure love them ALL!!

Painting a la Yoga

I love this place. Let me just begin by stating that fact. (Many of you already know this!) The Yoga Center of Los Gatos has been my second home for the last year and a half. This week we did a little "home improvement"!

Me and my two AMAZING friends, Hutch (owner of the studio) and Wendy, have been "feeling" out the new color for the front section of the studio for a couple of months now (note all the possibilities on the wall...) When painting a yoga center, you have to "feel" the color. That's just how it works. :-)


Yesterday we finally FELT the color! It just about SANG to us! It was GOLDEN and beautiful and would replace the pale yellow that has been there.

So we got to work. We're pros at working together... supporting each other... being there in case someone falls. We've been doing this for each other for a while now and it translated beautifully into our painting project.



Not only that... but painting is very yogic. Check out the poses! All those classes and all that practice has paid off. I can even balance on a 10' ladder on one foot. :-)

Wendy can easily scale the cubbies to paint the wall... and make it look graceful!

Even the painter's tape is used in creative exploration here at the Yoga Center!

It was hard work mixed marvelously in with tons of FUN! Here I am cracking up so hard I can barely paint! (Maybe that's why it took two days!)

The new color is gorgeous and already gives a warmer glow to the space. It matches the warm glow I get from being a part of this great community and having such AMAZING friends.

The Charlie Brown Christmas Tree (or proof that I get too attached to inanimate objects)

When I was younger (I don't remember what age... 9?), my mom and I were out and about running last minute errands on a cold, foggy Christmas Eve. We drove near a Christmas Tree lot which had only a very few trees left. I remember looking at those trees and feeling so sad that they wouldn't be in someone's home for Christmas.

I'm not sure exactly how it came about or whose idea it was, but my mom turned the car into the parking lot and we got out to look at those last few trees. There was one in particular - only a few feet tall and rather scraggly - that caught my eye. It looked just like the tree that Charlie Brown picked out for his Christmas Play.

(Image from "A Charlie Brown Christmas")

My mom bought the tree and I remember feeling so very happy that it would be in our home for Christmas and not in a cold lot. When we got it home we put some simple decorations on it, and like Charlie Brown's tree, it suddenly looked like the most beautiful tree ever.

We started a sort of tradition that year. Not always, but many more times, we went out on Christmas Eve to find that last little tree that was still sitting in the lot. Those trees have been on my mind again this year. I may just find myself at a tree lot this Christmas Eve.


But more than trees and other inanimate objects (which I still seem to believe have feelings), I've been thinking of people who may feel like they are in a cold lot on Christmas Eve. I can't take them all home with me, nor do I think they need to be decorated with popcorn strings, but I will be watching this week for those who need a smile, a hug, or a friendly conversation.


Will you join me? Remember what Linus told Charlie Brown about Christmas. Remember how beautiful the little Christmas Tree became just because someone showed that they cared. The angels had it right - it's about peace and love to all.

Home for the Holidays

It's December! Which means it's time to haul the tubs of Christmas decorations out of the storage cabinet and make this house twinkly!

Naturally, we watched, "The Muppet Christmas Carol" while we decked the halls. We also sang along at the top of our voices.

Wish you could all come over and have a mug of hot peppermint chocolate and sit by the tree. We'd tell you all the stories about where each of the ornaments have come from and then watch Charlie Brown's Christmas.

Hoping you all have a marvelous December and that your home is warm and twinkly too!