baby birds and thoughts about hippie stuff

The baby robins hatched!

It's been so amazing seeing these 3 (the 4th egg didn't hatch) eggs hatch and watch the baby birds grow and learn to fly. The mama robin is so sweet! She did fly into our house and we were so stressed she was going to get hurt, but she got out just fine.

Finally there is some sun here, and I'll take it. It's so nice. However, I have a random summer cold. I have been doing yoga about 3-4 times a week for a year now and it's amazing how much different I feel in my body than I did 2 years ago. Granted, I had been nursing or pregnant for 7 years straight, so just that change feels different, but my point is that even colds feel different for me now that I am doing yoga regularly. I still use Yoga Today**, and when I want a shorter session I use them for free over on their youtube channel. I would like to go to a local studio again (I was going to Om Base for a bit) when I can. Nothing like being around live humans, you know? But I am so grateful I can just do yoga whenever I want at home and not have to worry about jumping in the car.

ridiculously cute downward facing dog

For doing yoga with the kids, the girls love this book by Cyndi Lee. We love all her books. The drawings are perfect for all of us. It's a great game for them—they pick poses and play yoga teacher. I do my own yoga by myself before they wake up, but when they are up and have the inclination we play yoga pretty often. It's quite crazy and floppy without much concentration by the younger two, as you can imagine. I just am happy they are into it at all. They can do so many poses now (and know all the names of them!) and just having this idea of movement and breath in their experience is wonderful—so I don't worry at all if it just falls apart after 5 minutes. Which it does, in fits of laughter and monkey business.

I also have been reading some amazing books on meditation lately. I was drawn to meditation after I started yoga and my "what I didn't do today" list I try to keep. I think I mentioned this as a New Year's resolution. It's the opposite of a to-do list. I try to stop myself from doing that extra thing and then write down or think about how I didn't do it. Like I didn't do the dishes right now, or fold that extra hamper of clothes, or turn on the computer, or check e-mail (again.) It's been really fitting with the reading I have been doing lately. This book, Turning the Mind into an Ally, is rocking my world right now. My meditation so far has been pretty funny. Boring, annoying, at times nice, and also sleep inducing. Who knew I could fall asleep so easily? Self discovery is a magical thing, I'll tell you what.

My summer list of to-dos for myself and the family has gotten pretty short as a result of all this—which I find very relaxing. Picking berries, swimming, sleeping outside, going to hear live music outdoors, and spending time with grandparents and extended family and friends. That's about it. Yes, we will do more than this but just distilling it down to the favorites feels so easy.

**A few of you just asked what my Yoga Today Ambassador ID is--thank you! I just got it hooked up, its: angrychicken