If you’re bored, you’re boring.

Veda’s chubby nubbins, taken with iphone

If you’re bored, you’re boring.

You’ve heard that saying, right? I think my mom may have said it to me when I was a terrible teen and pulling that typical “I’m boooorrrrred” teenager crap. You know… sulking around, writing horrible poetry (and thinking I was onto something brilliant!) and wondering why the world wasn’t entertaining me that very instant. And of course my mom always followed it up by offering to “find me something to do” that usually involved cleaning something or mowing something else. (And yes, I plan on playing those cards with Veda some day. hee.)

Well, never in my life have I more strongly believed in that statement. That you’re only bored if you’re boring. Because dude. There. are. SO. many. interesting. things to
do
and see
and read
and write about
and stare at
and talk about
and experience
and swim in
and taste
and smell
and cuddle
and learn about.

I don’t even know where to begin with it all! Cause most of my time, day and night, goes to hanging out and playing with Veda (which is totally where I want to be right now!). But when she goes down for sleeps my mind starts buzzing “Oh My God! What do I do first?!” Do I read one of the 3 books I’m into? Do I work? Do I sweep the floors (they ALWAYS need to be swept with three fuzzy butts running around)? Do I update my blog? Do I catch up on email? Do I run errands? Do I meditate? Do I do yoga? Do I shower? Do I …. well, you get the point. Life is NEVER dull.

And it all adds up to feeling so rich with life. So awesomely full and round that boredom could never be an option. That there is more to experience and know than I will ever begin to touch on. And that’s exciting to me and keeps me on my toes.

And I can’t wait to impart this richness to Veda when she can understand a bit of English. (Right now we’re focusing on the drooling problem.) :)

What are you excited about doing?

Posted in everyday things | 8 Comments »

the current of life

Boy, I’m behind on writing lately. I have so many posts in the wings, but I am once again finding it hard to keep up. The days and weeks seem to fly by and suddenly I look up and it’s Friday. The current of life is lulling me gently forward…

But lists are pretty easy. Here are a few things I’m grateful for right now:

- Hanging out with my new friend and kindred spirit, Brooke (she was my doula!). I went over to her house this morning and met a bunch of other mamas and babies. Felt really good to be with like-minded community and gab a while. :)

- Making Veda laugh with fake sneezes, real yawns (those are easy these days!), and nibbling on her chin. Oh, and bearded zerberts from Colin. Holy moses she loves that!

- Watching her experience her first dip in the lake… wading around and digging her toes into the sand. She loved it after the initial “what the heck is this?!” freak out.

- Her new johnny jump up. She doesn’t quite jump up yet, per se. She more just leans and gnaws on the ropes. But she smiles as she gnaws, so whatever. :)

- Veda being 4 months old. She’s SO much easier than she was as a newborn. Yay!

- Getting into a bedtime routine that helps her glide into sleep a little easier: bath, baby massage, nakey nakey play time, pjs, 2 books, bottle, lullabies, tuck in with a prayer and a kiss. (Then the crying ensues, but it’s much shorter than it used to be!)

- pitching work. (Fingers crossed that I get it!)

- Remembering my “Inexpensive Adventures” project. It’s really fun to read and do things off of this list… especially now that the economy is so bad. Fun can be cheap!

- Sewing a pair of pants for Veda. Um, I really didn’t think I could do this, but I did. And it’s not much in the “crafty mama” world, but I’m so proud of those pants!

- Joining a yoga class at the Y. And jumpstarting my home practice again. I want to write more on this later. But let me just say: Damn my body thanked me for this.

- getting Elle Decor in the mail. I love home design and am still bummed that Domino went under, but Elle Decor is still pretty fun to flip through.

- being penpals with my friend Gwen. I so look forward to her letters and love sneaking moments here and there to write her back. I “write” to her all the time in my head.

- Doing Leonie’s e-course and decluttering and working on creating my altar this week.

- Looooong walks in the woods with Veda, Colin and Vince. Colin and I have really good conversations when we hit the trails.

* * * *

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend. xo

Posted in everyday things | 9 Comments »

Interview with Leonie - “Making Space for your Goddess to Shine” ecourse

A super quick and fun interview with Leonie about her upcoming e-course: “Making Space for Your Goddess to Shine”. This is a six week e-course on divine decluttering & magical space clearing created by professional organiser & simplifier Lisa Baldwin & goddess guide & teacher Leonie Allan.

- Hi miss Leonie, first question: I understand what you mean by decluttering, but what do you mean by “magical space clearing”? Can you explain a little?

First: I heart your questions. And you. And your adorable family. But I could totally write paragraphs about that, when I’m really supposed to be answering the question. hee hee hee!
So yes! I teamed up with a professional organiser + simplifier lovely so we could combine superpowers. She’s amazing at helping people create homes and lives that are easy, simple and kind for them to live in. And my superpower is helping people change the energy of their home to make it sparkling and shining. Because we all deserve sparkling, easy, shining spaces that support us to shine and live joyfully too you know?

So magical space clearing is using some really beautiful methods to shift out any negative or stuck energies and bringing in beautiful new energies. Woo!

- What sorts of things can we look forward to with this course?

Lots of gorgeousness abound! During the course, we will:

* Take inventory of the physical & unseen clutter in your home, space and life
* De-clutter easily & gently - and dare we even say - divinely?
* Use feng shui to create your dreams
* Clear negative or stuck energies out of your home
* Learn how to use crystals, herbs, smudging and sound-clearing to make your space shine
* Create a soulful altar as a place of inspiration, connection & peace
* Learn how to organise in a super-simple, “oh my goddess, it’s actually possible” kind of way
* Develop and trust your intuition
* Energise and cleanse your home so it is sparkling, shining and supports you!

- You’re partnering up with Lisa Baldwin, professional declutterer and home simplifier… have you worked with her before?

I have indeedy - I was her client and she was my decluttery guru! Earlier this year I was feeling so stuck in all my clutter and stuff in my home… so I did a course with her and LOVED it so much. So we decided to set up her decluttering & simplifying course on a blind date with my magical space clearing course. And they fell in love and started making babies, so we now have superpower 2-for-1 house amazingness course! We like to call it: when simplifying and shininess fall in love.

Even when they are about e-courses falling in love! hee hee hee :)

- Decluttering and going through all my stuff (paperwork, clothes, random knicknacks) seems overwhelming just to think about. Are you sure it’s possible to create a zen den in 6 weeks?

Dooooood. I know. Been there. Especially for us creative types with our pack-rattish abilities to hoard creative trinkets and materials. hee hee hee!

If your energy is that you need a zen den to support you, we’ll work with you to create that. If your energy wants more space, and also needs for things to be comfy and a little bit ruffled, that’s what we’ll create. We’ll be helping you find the right way for your space to be for you - both practically and soulfully.

- What about people who are already neat freaks and orderly. Can the course help them?

The Making Space for your Goddess to Shine e-course is about much more than just making your home clean. It’s about making it a space that sustains, nourishes, supports and inspires you. You’ll learn a whole new toolbelt of techniques to make your home a soulful, supportive place of energy for you. I’ll be teaching you practical, sacred ways to make your home’s energy shine, and you’ll also be working with one of my meditation MP3s during the course’s journey. This course is all about making the space clear and sparkling, ready to support and inspire the goddess in you to shine.

- How is this different from the other books/courses/readings on decluttering? Haven’t we all heard it all before?

1. You get totally supported in the process. It’s easy to read a book and then feel overwhelmed and not actually do anything (*cough* Leonie *cough*). So we’ll be giving you the loving support and guidance you need to make this a spirited journey for you.

:)

Thank you for answering all these questions, Leonie! I am really looking forward to this ecourse… Ever since my move back north, I’ve been feeling kind of stuck and I hope this is exactly what I need to make my home and environment more soulful… more comfortable… and more me. :)

_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Making Space for your Goddess to Shine - a magical space-clearing & divine decluttering e-course: begins June 15. Check out www.decluttergoddesses.com for more info and to sign up.

Posted in interviews | 1 Comment »

thinking out loud… (so to speak)

Ok. This will be another post about this bedtime thing. So if you’re bored with it (I totally understand) you can just not read it. But I need to get this out:

I was thinking tonight, after another scream-fest ‘09 at bedtime, about how I can approach this seemingly bad situation differently… with fresh eyes. I wrote a while back about softening, and I think this is a clear instance in which I need to soften and let go and release my expectations and everything else, really. Drop everything and just be present with it.

First of all, I dread bedtime. I can feel my muscles and mind start to tense up as soon as the sun starts to set. The whole day can be filled with yummy-ness like long walks in the woods, rocking on the porch, dancing in the living room, and dangling toes in the water. But that sun starts its decent and so does my mood. I wonder if this is not affecting bedtime somehow. Thoughts become things, right?

So I think I need to shift my perspective. Instead of dreading and thinking of these screaming hours as “bad” and “annoying” and “wasted”, I need to reframe them as maybe… a good opportunity to show Veda that I will always be there for her. That I will not back down with my love and patience for her, even in the hardest situations. And I can look at it as a clear way to be with her and soothe her when she needs me most. And that shift in view might actually make me look forward to these opportunities to love her. (Well, that may be going a bit far. But let’s just go with it.)

And lastly… she seems to calm down a bit when I sing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” (the pretty Elizabeth Mitchell and Lisa Loeb version). So the last few weeks I sing this song over and over for hours. And it’s become like a mantra. It does seem to do the mantra thing of freeing the mind — for Veda (after a time) and myself. And even though this time is super difficult, the repetitive song makes it feel almost like meditation for me. I calm my core and get still inside because the song is so rhythmic and steady and repetitive. It’s not a transformative sanskrit phrase, to be sure. But I think it’s achieving the same effect… which is pretty cool I think.

Oh, one more idea: the more nights we go through this, the sweeter it will be when we finally leave this stage behind. Those future peaceful nights and fun bedtimes will be like sugary honey manna to us.

So there is my attempt to make peace with this time. I am going to carry these thoughts with me as I keep showing up for mamahood at bedtime.

Peace to all you mamas and papas and people out there. I’m off to get a little bit of sleep before she wakes again.

p

Posted in mama, my sacred life, parenting | 22 Comments »

just a few pics

Veda LOVES hanging out in the carrier, peeping out and taking in the world. :)

Click the pic for more on flickr.

(an art update coming soon…)

Posted in veda | 4 Comments »

only one course of action

Hope your week is going well so far…

Last night was the worst bedtime in Veda history. And all I gotta say is that we survived and we’re all still standing. (Well, Veda stands only with support, but we’ll count it.) Poor little bean. I know she’ll out grow this soon, but right now, this is just hard! The rest of the time she’s such a happy girl. It’s just bedtime that’s rough. — And nope, unfortunately swaddling doesn’t work (thank you for the suggestion!). Nothing does really… The only thing you can do is just give her more and more love until she eventually soothes.

It reminds me of what my old creative director said to me once: He said that you can’t really fight the client when they kill your good/creative/smart ideas. You can’t persuade them to like it. You can’t make them change their minds. And you can’t sit around and dwell on it. (Pouting!) All you can do is come back with more ideas. Bigger and better solutions until eventually something does go through that the client likes and that you are still proud of. This is your only course of action as a professional.

Same thing with Veda. You can’t really talk her out of her cries. You can’t get mad. And you certainly can’t just pout about it. You just gotta give her more and more love. And it’s always amazing how it never runs out.

Inevitably, your patience can wear a bit thin at times… (it doesn’t happen often, thankfully, but I admit it does happen). But I learned a trick: when you’re running out of patience, one sure fire way to refill your well is to look at yourself holding the baby in the mirror. Something about taking one step away from yourself and becoming an outside observer for a second makes you realize how big and capable you are and how little and helpless she is. And instantly you can handle anything. At least, it’s worked for me.

We’ll be past this soon. And then I’ll stop crabbing about it here. :) (Sorry about that. It’s on my mind though.)

* * *

Totally off-subject, but I also wanted to mention that Leonie is offering another e-course! This time she paired up with professional organizer and simplifer Lisa Baldwin to do a course all about divine decluttering and space clearing — So you can make your own home feel like a zen den. (Think: simplifying your space for more goodness to squeeze into your life!) Learn more about the course here. I think it sounds like fun. :)

Posted in baby, parenting | 12 Comments »

This weekend…

pic of my lil bro by mister Colin

THIS WEEKEND I:

- closed my eyes and felt the warm yellow sun on my face.

- wrote a letter to a friend while Veda napped next to me outside.

- sat by a still-smoking bon fire.

- oversaw a tent being erected in the wind. (I was toting Veda so I wasn’t able to help in the construction. Instead, I fulfilled my role as “resident bossy person”. hee)

- celebrated my niece’s 1st birthday.

- experienced the present moment. and the present moment. and the present moment.

- soothed a crying baby.

- did zerberts on a happy baby.

- got my hair chopped. (much faster to dry this mop now.)

- got a knot in my neck. (to be worked out Wed at massage school.)

- prayed.

- noticed how intensely green the grass is where the sun meets the shadows.

- ate spicy mexican food.

- went kayaking for the first time since I was 4 months pregnant. (bliss!)

- rolled up my cuffs and waded in the lake.

- burned incense and drank chai.

- loved my cutie husband (who also got a much needed mop chop).

- Did a smidgeroo of yoga with Veda. (The cat says meow meow. The cow says moo moo. The dog says woof woof. The snake says ssss… sss…. — This gets big smiles from the wee one.)

- saw the bottoms of my feet were dirty. (A sure sign of a good weekend.)

What did ya’ll do?

Posted in my sacred life | 3 Comments »

just a glimpse

pic taken by Colin with the Holga. Click image for more.

hi there. Just a quick pop in to say hello. I am still here. Feeling a bit overwhelmed for the last little bit with a bean who seems to freak out at bed time. It’s not frustrating as much as it is heartbreaking. She wants so badly to sleep, but something inside her seems to keep her from it. sigh… these hours are long and difficult. I just wish I could give her a peaceful transition.

Also, I just wanted to write a quick list to remind myself where I was at this moment when I look back a year from now:

- FINALLY painting the rooms in my house. Aqua dining room, yellowy living room, taupe stairwell and sage hallway. And lots of orange and green accents for fun and punch. I realized that while I admire the the look of the white, stark, clean walls of swedish and modern design… I can’t live with it. I need me some color.

- Loving Veda’s new laughter. She just found her giggle.

- Rereading “Eat, Pray, Love” again because I seem to have lost my spiritual path — and this book was a catapult before. I feel a little like my little boat has lost its slip…

- Knowing I need to journal again, but every time I pick up my notebook my hands aren’t feelin’ it. They cramp up after a page or two and tell me no. So I wait till I open up to it again.

- REEEEALLLLY looking forward to a massage next week. (There is a massage school here and they give cheap massages! Sweet!)

- Learning and accepting moderation. More on this later.

- Wanting to connect to a local mama or two and form an understanding and fun and easy friendship. (I miss my friends in SC pretty bad.)

- In fact, I miss South Carolina as a whole pretty bad. That life I’d set up there fit really nicely. And I feel like I’m relearning and rebuilding many things since the move. This is extremely hard to deal with actually and I’m trying to be gentle with myself and allow myself to grieve. And then allow myself to feel the joy of living here now.

- Just starting the garden at my mom’s house. Honestly, I haven’t been much help… haven’t done much except for bounce Veda around and show it to her, but I’m loving having a garden. I am excited to watch it grow.

- Working on some really fun illustrations for a dream client. (!) More on this later too.

- About to launch the new Illustration Friday. I can’t wait… and wish I could give Brianna one of those student massages as she codes and de-bugs the last little bits.

- Doing a lot of porch sitting and watching as the park enters summer.

- Feeling bad when I read other mama blogs. Feeling like I don’t know what I’m doing. Or I don’t know where I fit in. Or I’m not doing enough for Veda. But then at the same time knowing that I’m doing just fine. It’s such a weird thing… I don’t know how to explain it.

- Feeling really tired.

That’s all. Lopie, my dear, you are doing just fine. One foot in front of the other.

Posted in mama, my sacred life | 26 Comments »

a note from the universe

I am signed up for TUT’s “Notes from the Universe” and I really enjoy them… Yesterday’s note said:

“Some things should just be done for the fun of it, penelope.

Not because they’re inexpensive, practical, organic, logical, fashionable, modest, brilliant, green, expected, proper, spiritual, thinning, fattening, prudent, or allergen-smoke-chemical free.”

And I was going to write a whole post here about what this means to me… why it’s good timing… what I’ve learned about myself since Veda’s birth… But right now I’m thinking the quote speaks for itself. At least for now… More to come later? Or not. :)

Have a good weekend, loves.

p

Posted in everyday things | 8 Comments »

first mother’s day

(click the image to see more on flickr)

My first mother’s day was wonderful and felt oh-so-sacred… First of all, we stayed at my mother-in-law’s house, and I was able to sleep in a little in the morning which felt like pure heaven. And when I woke up Veda showered me with love and gratitude. (And by love and gratitude, I mean spit bubbles and baby poo.)

We had a lovely brunch of homemade spinach quiche, cantaloupe and grapes and coffee! (oh my, how I love brunch — did you know that five years ago we got married in the morning just so we could serve brunch?) followed by a small gift exchange. My mother-in-law got me 3 pairs of super cute shoes now that I can show off my non-swollen ankles, and a nice pampering kit for whenever I get a moment to take a bath. And my sister-in-law got me a really sweet card. (Love the sweet cards and notes I got from other people too! Aunt Carole and Chris! Thank you so much!)

But the topper was Colin’s gift. The perfect first mother’s day gift… He got me a necklace that is a tiny green pea pod with three pearl peas in it — one for me, one for Colin and one for Veda — from one of the shops in the village near our house. The necklace is so simple and sweet… I just love it. (You can kinda see it in the pic below.) :)

Also, I don’t know if you’ve ever seen one of Colin’s drawings, but they are MY FAVORITE THINGS EVER! I just love love love them… he tries so hard to get every little detail of what he’s drawing in the picture and it makes for really hysterical and sometimes kinda scary/sweet/wacko pieces of art. hee. He knows my affection for his drawings, so he made me one of Veda for my second gift. See below. See what I mean? I mean… isn’t it AWESOME?! The wiggle of the eyebrows… the index finger sticking up on her left hand… the shape of the right ear. These are all accurate from when he was looking at her while drawing. How do you not love that?! :)

Anyway, it’s late and I’m exhausted, but I wanted to write before these thoughts slip away into sleep-deprived oblivion. This was a beautiful first mother’s day. :)

And happy belated mother’s day to all you mom’s out there! I honor you and hold you gently in my heart.

xo, p

Posted in mama, veda | 11 Comments »