Swirling

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Swirling.

Isn’t that a fun word?

It has a great ring to it and is fun to say out loud.

I love to swirl through crowds and to swirl my hair. I love swirling around my kitchen and through my house. I love it when Jeff comes up and quickly surprises me and swirls me around. Some days there is so much stuff in my head that it gets all swirled together and I feel like my head is spinning. But in a good sort of way.

Tonight I was at Juliana’s evening water polo game and captured this fun, swirling image after their exciting win:

What’s swirling around in your head this week? I hope you enjoy the spin and wherever it takes you.

nAMaste

8Oct2015

Water Play

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Watching her play makes me so very happy. I love being on the pool deck, seeing the water splash, listening to the whistles, watching the action and witnessing the changing light show in the sky. If I can’t be at the beach, then this is the second best place to be.

Seeing her work hard and to get the hang of this challenging sport makes me very happy. I love that she’s enjoying her experience and that I am able to be a witness.

Life is good.

6Oct2015

The Best Part

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This was the best part of my day.

Charlie’s eye ball.

It was the best part because he was sitting right next to me as we watched Juliana play water polo and I had fun taking pictures of him. He was the one who took my phone and cropped and focused the new photo on just his eye ball. I loved his creativity and truly saw him sitting next to me.

I loved being at the pool with all my kids. I loved being in the sunshine and watching my kids play, while talking with my girlfriends and having my little buddy by my side.

I truly loved this and was fully aware and present in this moment. Sometimes my mind is preoccupied, but today I was aware and thankful.

Again, I was missing Chase and knew in my heart that I needed to be grateful for all that is good and to be present and to enjoy my chaotic life. And so I did.

Life is good.

What was your favorite part of the day?

18Sep2015

The Teens Are Alright

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We had a Friday Night Light High School football game tonight at the Levi Stadium.

I brought a car full of kids to the game and then they split up and sat with their friends. This made me slightly nervous and since the stadium was not nearly full and brought in a different crowd, I didn’t feel too nervous to let them go. I did feel strange being at the game by “myself” and yet soon found friends to join.

The irony was that as we moved around and found our own friends, Christian and his friend were seated right in front of me!!

I enjoyed joking with and talking with the boys and was really happy that Christian’s friend wanted to talk with me.

After the game, we all met up and walked back to the car again. I told all 6 kids that we should take a group selfie together and they didn’t oppose. Since I didn’t ask them if I could share their photo, I’ll have to keep the memory close with me.

Looking at the snapshot made me smile because my kids and their friends are awesome tweens and teens.

They were funny and grateful and kind to one another and nice to me too.

I enjoyed having the opportunity to share an experience together and that they were okay with me being around. I know I am supposed to let go and I am and maybe that’s why they’re okay hanging around because I let them just Be.

Hmmm…I wonder.

The teens are alright and I think I’m okay with them growing up, if it continues to feel like this.

Wishing you love and patience and to be alright.

nAMaste

15Sep2015

Something Other Than A Selfie

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If you were to take a picture of something that made you happy today, what would your picture look like? Some people keep gratitude journals. Some people write words to express their gratitude in a myriad of ways. And some people take pictures.

I know Selfies are fun, but what if we snapped something other than ourselves? Nothing against Selfies and loving ourselves which is beautiful, but they say happiness is multiplied and true feelings of joy are experienced at a higher rate when we are able to notice and be thankful for what is.

I love Facebook and Instagram for this reason because people share stories and photos of what they love (most of the time).

I was at the car wash when this idea popped in my head, so I’ll share this picture because it made me happy. I loved that my car was finally being cleaned. I loved seeing the American flag. I loved the friendly workers. I loved that it was finally windy and cool and noticing that fall is coming finally.

If I were to have snapped other pictures today that brought simple joys to my life, I would have taken a picture of Susanne at yoga when our personal spaces crossed and I tickled her and she laughed, but I don’t think a digital picture could ever replace the mental picture of being there.
I would have captured Charlie juggling his soccer ball and trying to increase the number of times he could juggle.

When Christian was driving, I would have a snuck a picture too.

And MLs apples that were cut up and sweet and soft and slightly browned, that she shared with me.

Oh, and I’d share my sister’s success on becoming a nurse and getting her first job and I’d screenshot her Facebook update with 217 Likes and 58 genuine, heartfelt love comments.

Today was the best day ever! And so will tomorrow. These were a few of my favorite things.

What pictures did you snap today, digitally or mentally? Go ahead – share and create and be creative!

Life is good. xo

1Sep2015

Love this Life – Living it Up – Doing What I Love

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What do you love?

I love to be busy, yet not this busy. I had a productive and satisfying day and I am exhausted. You’ll see why and I’ll probably exhaust you just by reading this crazy list. Maybe just skim it – it’s kinda long! Below are some of my different made up titles. I don’t use them every day, just today happened to be on fire.

Alarm Clock Sounder – Roused the kids up bright and early. They have their own alarm clocks, but for some reason they don’t always react to them. And the train has been waking me up every morning at 5:17 am!! What’s up with that?

Breakfast and Lunch Maker – We don’t have time together in the evenings as frequently due to our crazy schedules, so this Fall I’ve started making hot breakfasts for us. It’s my moment to bring us all together and I don’t mind the extra work or dishes because it’s so worth it. Today we had hash browns, scrambled eggs, apple slices and bacon. I have a weekly rotational schedule and the kids were already reminding me that they’re excited for pancakes tomorrow morning.

Taxi Driver – 2 kids dropped off at high school, 1 husband dropped off at the train, and 1 child dropped off at the middle school, all before 8 am.

House Cleaner – Stopped back at the house to load the dish washer, scrub the pans and to start a load of laundry before heading out to exercise. It feels good to me when the house is in order.

Yogini – Picked up ML on my way to yoga and enjoyed a blissful hour of stretching and toning in a not-so-great-room-with-an-awesome-instructor!

Worker Bee – I got a new part time job!! I had my first “official” business meeting at a coffee shop today and it dawned on me, that I haven’t had a “real” or let’s say “paid” job in over 15 years!! Change is good.

Friend – We celebrated my friend’s birthday over lunch today. It’s great to have a flexible schedule and to have an excuse to stop what you’re doing to spend time with friends over good food. I also loved seeing my friends throughout the day and sharing moments in person, via text, and on the phone.

Shopper – On the way home from lunch, I stopped by the store to buy perishables for dinner tonight. Google Express is doing all the rest of my shopping and giving me so much time back!! I was in and out in 20 minutes, only having to buy the perishables and everything else was delivered to my door step. Have I mentioned how much I am loving GE? You have to try it if it’s in your area.

Chef – While I came home to squeeze in a bit more work, I also started dinner. We had stuffed baked potatoes tonight with proteins, veggies, and other savory toppings.

Life Coach – I spent a lot of time today coaching my kids on some important life lessons that weren’t easy to teach and take some time to practice. Being a parent takes lots of patience and open communication and repetition and more patience and practice and more practice. We’re always learning and failing and trying again, perfectly, imperfectly.

Taxi Driver – Round 3 – Did a 3rd loop around the city chauffering my loved ones back and forth to our nest.

House Cleaner – Round 2 – Came back home to clean up the cooking dishes and to sort and fold laundry before heading out again. It’s amazing what one can get done in 30 minutes.

Volunteer – After having very little sleep last night, and by the time 6;00 pm came around, I was exhausted. It took everything in me to rally and go to my event tonight. Once I got to the parking lot and ran into a friend, I remembered why I love to volunteer. I love my community and sense of belonging that volunteer opportunities bring to my life. I loved seeing my friends and having that time dedicated to working together for a common purpose.

House Cleaner – Round 3 – The evening house patrol involved the usual chores and involved all of us and gave us a few minutes to chat and connect. Even the evenings are busy for us.

BeLoveR – I loved kissing my little one good night, brushing my daughter’s hair and complimenting my oldest on his successes today. I loved taking this fun picture of my husband with our new fur baby that won’t leave his side while he works at night.

Today was good. I am done. How was your day? I hope you lived it up, laughed out loud and loved yourself and your one, beautiful and maybe messy life. N-Ahhhhhhhhh-ma-ste!

17Aug2015

End of Summer

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Wishing everyone a happy end of summer and smooth transition to the next season. Give it your best and practice being the best version of wonderful YOU!

Today we enjoyed the cool, foggy beach and escaped the Bay Area heatwave to celebrate Summer Sweet 16 Birthdays with friends.

Dolphins kept swimming in front of us and a sea lion was looking to make friends in knee deep water.The boys dug a deep hole that kept them occupied for hours! All 14 kids were in the water boogie boarding and body surfing.

They also gathered in a big circle to play ball and when they were done, they arranged their towels in a circle too so they could all enjoy being together.

We sang happy birthday and ate colorful, neon cupcakes.

I am thankful that my kids have picked great friends and that I am great friends with their friends’ mamas. I loved being at the beach today, my happy place, with my kids, my friends, and their friends. Thank you to K&K for being great party planners and driving today and to L for driving and hanging out too!

Life is good.

10Aug2015

Lake Shoreline

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I don’t think of Shoreline as Lake Shoreline, but I saw a hat and a shirt today that had this statement written on them. I think of Shoreline as this place by the Bay with goose poop that is land locked by the Google Complex.

It is a little lake and people do enjoy being on and near it. I just think of it as a man made body of water and not as a lake lake, where you want to hang out.

But today my opinion changed. The boys have been wanting to play together and have asked for a week or two if they could rent a paddle boat. We finally made the time work today and their wish came true.

We lived in the sunshine, again! As they paddled, I sat on the shore and read a book and checked email. I was happy they were out together keeping each other company and I could relax for a bit and keep an eye on them from my chair since the lake isn’t that big.

Lots of kids were out enjoying paddle boarding, wind surfing, kayaking, and sailing. It was a gorgeous day again in California and I was happy to have a day at the Lake after all.

There are so many beautiful places in Silicon Valley and I probably am only scratching the surface. I wonder what other unknown outdoor places are waiting to be discovered. Do share if you have a favorite.

Life is good!

8Aug2015

Bloom

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My birthday succulents are blooming. I loved this little surprise, especially since we spent most of the day at home while Juliana continued to rest and recover. Poor girl is still not feeling well.

I had fun baking a spaghetti pie, just for fun. I felt like making something savory and it was good, although next time I’d add some ricotta cheese to make it a bit less dry. The boys still seemed to like it.
This was one of the perks of staying home with a sick child. Plus the laundry is all done!! 🙂

But seriously, I was going stir crazy. Jeff and I snuck away for a walk for awhile to get fresh air and exercise. This made me happy! We went looking for the best grass alternative front yards and gathered a few ideas, with our few thousand steps.

The funny thing that happens when you slow down is that the day is really long. I guess we need to bloom where we’re planted.

Life is good, in sickness and in health.

nAMaste

6Aug2015

Home Sick

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Charlie was “bored” all day. I took away his screens and told him to find something to do. He said he didn’t know what to do and that he was home sick. I told him that being sick of being at home was not the same as being home sick but I did appreciate his description.

I also told him it’s perfectly fine to be “home sick” and that he had to learn how to entertain himself without an electronic device.

I sat with him and we read together for about thirty minutes with about twenty interruptions. One day he’ll be able to sit still and concentrate. Right now we are still “patiently” practicing.
He discovered his Kapla blocks and this made me happy to see him playing on the floor.
Finally he decided to go outside and play and took the bakfiets for a ride through the neighborhood.

I loved watching him from the kitchen window and seeing him happy and outside. Of course, I went outside to capture the moment and he invited me in for a ride. I declined and he offered again. I changed my mind and climbed in with my dress on and faced my fears to share the experience with him. He liked driving me around and scaring me by going over the bumps.