Yoga for Toddlers

Last night I attended a Yoga for Toddlers workshop. Little Miss is a super active lady and she already loves doing some yoga poses. I have to say that I loved the class. I loved the whole concept of the non-profit studio. The work that this person does is amazing. Working in inner city schools, with children with disabilites, with hyperactive children, etc. She obtains grants and does amazing work. I think I have found something amazing, something I may like to do. I truly believe that Gandhi was correct when he said "If we wish to create lasting peace, we must start with the children". I have been searching for something that would fill my desire for holistic living, be a business but also benefit society (through community service) and help children. I love it! Not only that but there is no location for this in our area, the nearest location is the place I went to last night and it is over 25 miles away. I am so excited!

How to Simplify Give Away

Head on over to How to Simplify to take a chance to win a Calphalon tube pan and Calphalon bakeware set. While you're there grab up her yummy pound cake recipe. Good luck!

All I Can Do Is Write About It

This song reminds me about what is important, it takes me right back to the country with my relatives. I'm really feeling it right now. My crochet is coming along nicely, I'll post some photos soon.

All I Can Do Is Write About It
Lynyrd Skynyrd

Well this life that I've lead has took me everywhere
There ain't no place I ain't never gone
But its kind of like the saying that you heard so many times
Well there just ain't no place like home
Did you ever see a she-gator protect her young
Or a fish in a river swimming free
Did you ever see the beauty of the hills of Carolina
Or the sweetness of the grass in Tennessee
And Lord I can't make any changes
All I can do is write 'em in a song I can see the concrete slowly creepin'
Lord take me and mine before that comes

Do you like to see a mountain stream a-flowin'
Do you like to see a youngun with his dog
Did you ever stop to think about, well, the air your breathin'
Well you better listen to my song
And Lord I can't make any changes
All I can do is write 'em in a song
I can see the concrete slowly creepin'
Lord take me and mine before that comes

I'm not tryin' to put down no big cities
But the things they write about us is just a bore
Well you can take a boy out of ol' Dixieland
But you'll never take ol' Dixie from a boy
And Lord I can't make any changes
All I can do is write 'em in a song
I can see the concrete slowly creepin'
Lord take me and mine before that comes
'Cause I can see the concrete slowly creepin'
Lord take me and mine before that comes

Daycare

As I went through my big list of blogs this morning I found this picture that immediately broke my heart at Natural Papa . I don't think a bigger statement could be made about children in daycare. It just strengthens my resolve to spend as much time as possible with my daughter. Financially things are pretty stressful, I work constantly to save the family money and pay off our debt. I just always need to remember that the most important thing isn't our house or our car or even the bills, it's my girl. She is the best thing I've ever done (I tell her all the time). She saved my life. She rocks my world. Chief and Little Miss are my everything and my world. No job could ever justify losing that. Life is short, it's about the journey.

Long Day

Today was a long day.

We bought new sand equipment and headed for the park. At the park Little Miss went down the big curvy slide alone for the very first time.

When Chief got home I went for a nice long walk and as soon as I walked across the street, Little Miss grabbed my hand for a walk, waved bye to daddy and took me out on an adventure. We went to big tree of course and then walked around the field. We made a bouquet of dandelions and LM found a "big tree" (branch) that we had to drag home.

When we got home we made flax muffins and then headed to the yard to dig for worms for our wormery. Worm digging was great fun. We played with the worms and the dirt for at least an hour.

And now she sleeps...

How many times do I need to remind myself to sllllooowww down? It seems daily. I need to find something to put on the wall in my bedroom so that when I wake up in the morning I remember. Little Miss moves slowly, she "dawdles" as some say. She sees every little thing and spends great amounts of time examining or trying to, as I say "run, run run" or "can you show me where home is" or "we've got to get to the big tree". Why? Why do I do this? Once we get to big tree apparently I need to rush to the next thing.

I blame myself of course but the truth is it's just the way my generation was molded in their early 20's. Ahhh yes, I'm an Xer. At home as a kid there was a lot of free play, we went out in the morning and came home only if injured, called for dinner or the street lights came on. Summers were the best, home with mom, playing with all of the kids in the neighborhood.

So why do I rush my girl? It's a bad habit but a habit that needs to be broken. I need to always remember that once I get to a destination I will just rush to another and none of it is necessary. The truth is that my family does not live a complicated life and we really have no where to rush to.

As I read on a lot of other blogs I need to slow down, embrace the time I have with her, enjoy the blades of grass and make peace with being led around by my beautiful girl.

After all, we have no where to be but together.

Little Miss and I spend a lot of time at "Big Tree". This tree near our home has become a marker for us, we walk to the tree almost every evening and she looks for it. "Big Tree gone" she'll say when it hasn't appeared on the horizon yet. Last night we walked to big tree and my beautiful girl wore a sundress and her pink snow boots with a green barrette in her hair. I stopped in the field as she looked at the jet streams and waved to the birds and told the breeze "bye-bye" and I tried to etch every second in my memory. How could I ever forget these beautiful moments. I want to keep them forever because I know soon enough these moments will be gone, she will never be this age again. Turquoise dresses with pink snow boots will no longer be in fashion someday. My beautiful girl will be gone and so I drink every moment in. I sometimes wish I had 10 kids so I could keep having these moments over and over again.