When the focus shifts
Monday, August 13, 2018
Have you ever had a memory come up in your Facebook feed that knocked some sense into you? Maybe it wasn't Facebook that reminded you, but an old photo, or someone mentioned a memory you shared with them and you thought, "oh my goodness, why didn't this idea came to me sooner?"
My Future With Yoga
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
I have sort of been putting off this post. It has been sitting in my drafts with a bare bone summary with no real direction for a few weeks. Why is that I wonder. So here are my thoughts.
Last summer I completed my 200 hour yoga teaching certification. I even had a job lined up to teach one month before I completed my classes. I was so excited, yet terrified to start on this journey.
A little back history. I started going to yoga a few years ago when I was feeling really lost in life and felt like I needed a hobby. I chose yoga because it was a gentle gathering and I am an introvert, so going out to do a full on contact hobby wasn't going to be the right fit for me.
I wanted something to take my mind off life around me, plus get me out of my house. I spend soooo much time at home those days when I wasn't at work. I walked into a new studio that was offering a free class and I fell in love. The space is literally on a farm in the country only 15 minutes from my house.
I attended a few more free classes when they offered a beginners course of 8 weeks for a flat rate paid up front. I decided at that point this was the easiest way for me to stay committed. I went through this class and many more. I slacked at times in between but always managed to make my way back.
When I heard they were offering a yoga teacher training I got really excited, but also didn't think I could do it. I didn't think they would accept me because I had no real experience in yoga. I was still considered a beginner at this point.
I remember when I had my application interview, I met our teacher. She was magnificent to me. I remember looking at her and saying, "do you think I can do this?" She had never met me before in her life and somehow her response to me made me believe I could. I took that same story to my graduation speech that I didn't know I would be making that day. (Jeannie if you're reading this.. thanks!)
I had to look within myself to complete this long journey. I did it. I was so damn proud of myself. I felt strong and empowered in my own body.
I started teaching almost immediately. I had a regular couple who came and it was great. Small and gave me room to experiment without too much of an audience. It was the perfect equation. I taught 2 times a week and I really loved it.
Fast forward to September when I found out I was pregnant. I continued to teach until the end of November and then I felt too tired to make the drive every day (I was teaching 45 minutes away from my house) and I put my class on hiatus. I also quit doing yoga at home. I went to one class early on and felt so sick through it, I just stopped all together.
Now here I am today. A year past my certification and I am not doing yoga at all. I didn't do it through my pregnancy, which was a big mistake on my part. Now I need to get myself back to it. I need to keep on pushing forward to get back to where I was a year ago.
I want to teach again, and if nothing else I want to have a practice of my own again. Get myself back to a place where I feel comfortable on the mat.
Right now I am in no position to teach as I am not practicing myself, so I would have to say I will not be teaching this year again, but in the future, I am saying yes, I will be teaching again. Anyone want to be my guinea pig?
The passion is still there and there is no secret that this body of mine needs some stretching, exercise, and a little peace in my mind.
Did a life change ever put a passion of yours on hold? How did you handle it? Would love to hear your opinions on this!
100 Dreams Project - Final
Friday, August 3, 2018
Happy Friday Friends! Today is the day. I am finishing up my 100 Dreams Project. It has been 10 full weeks and I have made it to the finish line! This is a HUGE milestone for me. In the past I have definitely slacked on series and that was part of my problem here on the blog. The last 10 weeks has really shown me how to stay on track and shoot for the stars.
If I want to make these dreams come true, I had to be able to at least commit to writing them down. So drum roll please.. I present to you the final 10 dreams in my project *tear* :
91. Fly in a private plane flown by my husband (He had a pilots license many moons ago)
92. Walk in a fashion show (For petites)
93. Learn to snorkel and/or scuba dive (Another one to get over my water fear)
94. Invent something useful
95. Attend the Oscars
96. Learn to make my own wine
97. Open a Bed and Breakfast (Maybe with a vineyard?)
98. Attend the Grammy's... Again
99. Inspire other's to follow their dreams
100. Follow and achieve all of these dreams list and continue to grow past 100 dreams
I am so very happy to have you all along on this amazing journey I've been on the past 10 weeks with this project. It was very much a growth project for me and I got to know myself a little better while doing this list. It reminded me that no dream was too small or silly. I know there are more to add now that my life is evolving. I have a son and he will be a big part of my dreams moving forward. A majority of these dreams were dreams I've had my whole life.
I have something special in mind to do with this list now that it's complete. The actual pages I wrote on that is, which by the way is so ragged and dirty looking at this point between spills and cross out and all that. I hope to share it with you once it happens!
I am going to create a page just for these dreams so they are in one place. I am excited to get them all down with links, pictures, and such to make it that much more visual for myself and anyone else who is struggling to follow their dreams. I am also planning my follow up series called "Living the Dream" to start checking off some of these items.
Of course this series won't have a regular posting time as this will take time. Maybe I will revisit these each quarter to see where I'm at. We shall see as things progress.
I again want to thank you all for following along and all of your encouragement and inspiration. I would love to know if you are doing something similar and would love to follow along if you are!
Happy Friday and get out there and live your dreams!
Wellness Wednesday: Selfie a day to keep the negative away
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
Quick post today. I mentioned I had some self love projects coming up in August and September and then forgot to tell you all what I was planning to do. If you wanted to follow along, I think it will be a fun (but also can be difficult) project.
August is also Happiness Happens Month. What a great month to focus on some self love!
Starting today, I am going to take a selfie of myself and then write about what I see that I love about myself. I am not planning to share all 31 photos here on the blog, but I may share some of them throughout the month on my Instagram (Are we friends here?) and on my Friday posts.
At the end of the month I am going to compile what I found out about myself from this project. I think it is important to see the good in yourself even on the hard days. Every day isn't beautiful and sometimes that's okay. Finding something positive to say can be difficult, but that is why this is such a great thing to do. It pushes me out of my comfort zone.
I am excited to start this and hope I see some of your beautiful selfies along the way!
The Postpartum Diaries: 16 Weeks
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
I started writing the intro to this post a few weeks ago. It was starting to feel boring to me, as I had nothing really great to say that everyone else hasn't already said. I even debated writing this post. Then this happened. I wrote a post about body image postpartum... sort of. I had a really bad day and really fought with myself about my image and how I was feeling. It was rough. I shed a lot of tears and got a lot of great support.
But as always, with support there will always be criticism. You will always have someone who will either misunderstand you or just really want to fight with you. I get it. It happens. It is SO hard to put myself out there on the internet on a regular day, but I do it because I love sharing stories with all of you. It was SUPER hard to talk about my weight postpartum.
I want to be clear. I feel bad about my weight because I don't feel good. Like literally feel sick in my body. My body aches because of the weight. This isn't a "oh my, I am ugly now because I can't wear super tiny clothes in the middle of summer and show off my assets" kid of feeling. Also..no where did I ever post that my weight and image was more important than my child.
Yes. Someone actually attacked me for caring more about my weight then my child. *crickets chirping*
When did I say that?
And to be honest. The ones who attacked me the most were the people I know outside of blog land. They are people who I know personally. Family members. Friends. Acquaintances. People I know who have gone through this themselves.
Why must we be so ugly to one another, even when we know how it feels?
But honestly, that's all another post for another time. Today is about an update on everything else going on, not just the weight or the pity party I threw myself.
Here's what's going on since my last postpartum update. It has been 10 weeks. Little Bloob is 16 weeks old today. Where in the world has time gone? Little man is doing great. Chattering away and rolling over. He got his big boy seat, AKA the high chair. He enjoys sitting in it watching us cook meals throughout the day. He has also starting teething, so that has been fun.
The last time I updated I was having some trouble with breastfeeding. The good news is, it got better, just like everyone said it would. I still don't produce enough for him to eat full time breast milk, but he is getting it. That is all that matters to me. He is healthy and thriving and that is most important.
I have returned back to work full-time. It's been 8 weeks already. For those of you who don't know I work from home. I am not my own boss, so I actually have a 9-5 schedule to keep. Many people think it's the best thing ever to work from home when you have a baby. Spoiler alert. It's not.
I didn't have to deal with daycare of separation anxiety, but I do have the stress of taking care of my infant while trying to get my job done. More info coming on that next week. Stay tuned.
We all know I struggled with weight gain over the past 10 weeks, so we won't get back into that. I will say I have really taken a look at my diet and have been making better choices for about a full month now. I am measuring out my portions and it really makes the difference on how I see food.
I'm learning a lot about nutrition and how to safely change my lifestyle while still providing nourishment for my son. I have watched my milk supply soar and I have watched it come to a screeching halt. My whole body is counting on the food I put in my body. I am slowly learning to accept that.
At 16 weeks I am starting to get a real handle on being a new mom. I know my kids signals and little quirks. I know when he's hungry or when he just wants to snuggle. I know that he doesn't like to eat when he's working on a poop. I get it little dude. I don't either.
I have come a long way in the last 16 weeks. I have learned so much about myself and about little human beings. I have learned to have patience and when to put everything down, including the baby and walk away for a few minutes to catch my sanity.
I am a new person everyday when I wake up. I never know what challenges will be thrown at me in this new world of parenthood.
So tell me.. How am I doing? How did your first few months of parenthood go? I'd love to hear your stories!
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