Confessions of a recovering perfectionist 2: trying to find my inner balance

10 Apr 2016 | 0 comments

I came across this quote a while back: “If you cannot find peace within yourself, you will never find it anywhere else.” -Marvin Gaye It hit me like a lightning bolt. I have spent years, on and off, doing yoga and meditation and reading self-help books (or thinking about doing all those things) to calm […]

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Self-care toolbox #1: Parenting yourself

14 Mar 2016 | 0 comments

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One of the kids in my school is from La Réunion,

One of the kids in my school is from La Réunion, a small island off the coast of Africa that is part of French territory.

The family went back to visit relatives for the holidays and brought us all back gifts! 😋

Seriously the best fruit I've had in a LONG time!

#grateful #islandlife #expatlife #kidsyogateacher #allnatural #freshfruit #nourishment

When you find out that lice have arrived at school

When you find out that lice have arrived at school so give yourself permission to take an extra long shower and hair treatment.

#reasonsforselfcare #momlife #teacherlife #kickinthepants #selfcare

View during my morning commute. ♥️

View during my morning commute. ♥️

No offense to donuts but I'd take this birthday ca

No offense to donuts but I'd take this birthday cake that my 12 year old made me any day! 🎂😋♥️ #birthdayweek #latecelebration #momofboys #aspiringchef #chocolatechips #gateauauyaourt #expatlife

Lazying around on my birthday with one of my favor

Lazying around on my birthday with one of my favorite people!

On Wednesdays, elementary schools are closed here and middle schools only have half-days. So Zack and I are goofing off while waiting for Owen to get home so we can go out to lunch!

I used to stress over Wednesdays and how to balance work and mommy mode.
But, the truth is, that stress was causing me to be shitty at both things.
I was trying to be in two mindsets at once.
It was exhausting, frustrating, discouraging.

I was unproductive/unstructured with my work time and distracted/impatient during mommy time.
Something had to change. I was on a collision course with burnout.

So what changed? I gave myself permission. 👍 Permission to be in the moment and focus on my on what's in front of me.
👍 Permission to set boundaries on my time.
👍 Permission to not be perfect.
👍 Permission to say no.

Last year on my birthday, I struggled with feelings of guilt about taking a day off and doing whatever I want to do.

This year, I'm seeing the world through different lenses (literally and figuratively!) What's underlying your stress? What permission do you need to give yourself?

More woo. I pull cards at the start of each week,

More woo.

I pull cards at the start of each week,month, and year for myself and for my followers.

Last night, I pulled this card from @colettebaron_reid 's Enchanted Map deck on my FB page in response to the question: what do we need to know to take our first steps in 2020?

#home

That feeling you feel when you feel at "home": safe, loved, protected, warm... Make decisions from that place, from that energy, and you can't go wrong.

Where do you feel at home?

First day back to work and school after winter hol

First day back to work and school after winter holidays. And Sean is in the UK on business so I'm solo-parenting.
Thankful for some quiet #meditation time before the chaos.
I've gone a bit woo over the past few years and, now, meditation time does include picking some stones that resonate with what message I want to focus on.

It helps me to have a simple word or phrase the call back my wandering attention and quiet the mental chatter.

#love and #trust are themes that have been coming up a lot around and from me.

Trust that I am enough.
Fill the world with love.

In the face of uncertain times, both at home and around the world, it can sometimes feel like we don't have a lot of control.

During my meditation time, I give myself permission to trust and love myself.
And, as difficult and uncomfortable as it may be, I trust and love that time, Earth, the universe, will continue to change and adapt freely.
Too woo?

No filter needed for these delicious colored Ultim

No filter needed for these delicious colored Ultimate Waffles made by my newly 12 year old this morning!

He got the new @buzzfeedtasty cookbook for his birthday and this was the first recipe he wanted to try! 😋🍴♥️ #breakfast #kidscook #nailedit #waffles #momslife #vacationmode

12 years ago, we rang in the New Year in the hospi

12 years ago, we rang in the New Year in the hospital, waiting for this amazingly kind, intelligent, creative, sensitive kid to be born.

He took his time then. I pushed for over 3 hours!

This morning he made us wait too. He didn't wake up until 9:30am. But, just like on Jan 1, 2008, his arrival this morning lit up the room and my heart filled with joy and love.

Happy New Year to my gorgeous son, Owen! Who has taught me more about patience and gratitude, self-compassion and resilience than I could have ever imagined. It is such an honor to be your mom.

#newyearsbaby #firstborn #thisis12 #birthdaytraditions

One of our favorites. This song helped my kids le

One of our favorites.

This song helped my kids learn the blessings.

As an #interfaith family, Sean and I work at tryin

As an #interfaith family, Sean and I work at trying to find the balance between incorporating traditions we grew up with, creating new ones, and not spoiling our kids or burning out.

Thanks to Kid Pan Alley, we have a song to celebrate the meshugas, the craziness. And a reminder that we're not alone. 😀

#hanukkahmusic #hanukkahnight4 #happyhanukkah #merrychristmas #merryhanukkah #happychristmas #christmanukkah

Hours of fun as a kid, with M&Ms, peanuts, pennies

Hours of fun as a kid, with M&Ms, peanuts, pennies, chocolate gelt piled up. A rainbow of plastic spinning dreidels dancing across the table.
#chanukah #hanukkah #8nights #8nightsofmusic

2nd night of #Hanukkah and it's time to make the #

2nd night of #Hanukkah and it's time to make the #latkes!
The recipe I inherited from my grandmother is over 100 years old now and still delicious!

Are you team sourcream or applesauce? Or both?
We always have both on hand to serve all tastes.

What better song to celebrate the night and traditions than this not-so-oldie-but-always-a-goodie?! "Candlelight" by the @maccabeats

#HappyHanukkah #HanukkahNight2 #HanukkahMusic #comfortfood #traditions #passingontraditions #cookingwithkids

Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah. Each year,

Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah. Each year, one way I celebrate is by sharing a daily song for each of the 8 days.

This year, it feels especially important. Antisemitism is on the rise.

Last week two antisemitic people walked into a kosher grocery store and started shooting.
On Friday night, a man set fires in a dorm at a Jewish university while students slept.
Synagogues and cemeteries have been desecrated.
I’ll be honest, Im scared.
But, despite the attacks and the hate speech - I REFUSE to let my fear lead.

Whether you celebrate or not, Hanukkah is a celebration of miracles.

Of a people who fought for their right to practice their faith.

Tonight around the world, Jews will light our candles, thanking our through prayers to a G-d who has performed miracles and kept us alive.

And, I'll be praying for peace and love for everyone - regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual identity, color.

Regardless of your faith, I honor you and your right and I’m deeply grateful for those who choose to honor me and mine.

We're all humans. And we're more alike than we are different.

#happyhanukkah🕎
#hanukkahmusic
#peacelovelight

I ask my students in my yoga classes this question

I ask my students in my yoga classes this question every time. I love the answers I get: 🌈 "All the colors of the rainbow"
🐀🐎 "Animals big and small"
👁️ "Eyeballs"
🎆 "Flashes and fireworks"
🤷 "I don't know"

In class yesterday, I asked the kids in my 6-11 year old class, to draw pictures if they wanted to.

One 8-year old boy with severe ADD spent 15 minutes drawing this. "I saw myself floating in the air with a bunch of ducks who were escaping because they didn't want to be cooked for dinner." He was so proud of himself. And it was probably the longest I've seen him focus on one activity. ♥️ How about you? What do you see when you close your eyes?
You don't have to close them for long. Turn on music or set a timer for a few minutes. Then draw a picture of you want!

#SelfcareSaturday #mindfulness #kidsyoga #familyyoga #momentsofmagic #lifecoachforfamilies #yogateacher

Family fun night with #stomp! It's so nice when a

Family fun night with #stomp!
It's so nice when a bit of home comes to us.

#expatlife #bordeauxmaville #americansinfrance

McDonald's has eliminated plastic straws!

McDonald's has eliminated plastic straws!

Are the kids chomping at the bit waiting for the h

Are the kids chomping at the bit waiting for the holidays to start?

I'm not going to lie. I'm typing this as this is literally going on in my house right now. The boys are upstairs screaming their heads off at each other.

As long as there's no crying or sounds of someone getting hurt, I tend to give them a chance to work it out themselves before I go investigate.

But, I know a big part of the reason they are chomping at the bit is because the weather is bad so on top of excitement about the holidays, they are also suffering a bit from cabin fever.

Which is one of the reasons I created this 24 Days of Yoga and Mindfulness series/advent calendar.

Daily emails sent to your inbox with a yoga posture and mindfulness activity for the whole family to enjoy together!

Link in bio. Come join us!

Don't mess with my babies! The sun came out today

Don't mess with my babies!

The sun came out today so our class went to go see the lambs and ewes that live in the fields behind school.

The kids were loud and got a little close. The mommy sheep immediately encircled their lambs.

Whether you're a mom of a human baby or a fur baby, you know this feeling.
Our instinct to protect our loved ones, especially our babes, is so strong.

Sometimes I wish I could wrap my kids in bubble wrap to keep them safe from harm.
All I can do sometimes is wrap them up in a giant hug and tell them that I love them.

Just like I imagine these momma sheep are doing.
#motherhood #momslife #animalinstincts #unconditionallove

Thanksgiving photo caption. And... Go.

Thanksgiving photo caption.

And... Go.

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