I (heart) presents!

G was in Germany last week and he brought back some of my favorites.

And my Schwiegermutter sent a present too - Waffelröllchen!

Thinking in German

Why is it so hard to stop in Target, get what you need, and leave? Why is it, that no matter how simple the item, you only recall that item - the purpose of your trip - after you have a shopping cart filled with twenty other items you didn't even realize you needed? I decided to stop in Target this afternoon, with the intent of grabbing a bag of Dingo's, and thirty five minutes later, I found myself looking at cream cheese. I glanced at one of the packages and saw the word, Pfeffer. Pfeffer means pepper in German. So I immediately thought to myself -- ughhhh....how odd....cream cheese with pepper....when did they start making cream cheese with pepper? And then I looked at the package again and slowly read, '...Consumers PREFER the taste of Philadelphia...' Can you imagine? How crazy! That moment was the best part of my day. Funny.

Think about it...

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; for it becomes your destiny.

-Upanishads

Not Your Mother's Apron

Jessie Steele's stylish and vintage inspired aprons are adorable.

But this one is my favorite.

Save me!

Prenatal Vitamins

I'm not pregnant. And I'm not trying to get pregnant. But my neighbor, who is three weeks away from delivering a baby boy, was telling me that if I want clear skin and longer hair and nails, taking an over the counter prenatal vitamin will speed up the process. Ah....clear skin? Healthy hair and nails? I was sold! After reading the instructions on the bottle, and searching the internet, it appears that it is safe to take prenatal vitamins, even if you are not pregnant or breast feeding. So, I'm in. Here goes my little experiment. I'll try taking them every day, for six months, and hopefully, see results.

Yoga Kids

Today, I helped teach yoga to 24 excited, inquisitive, and uberflexible eight year olds. I was so happy to be asked to assist and as expected, I learned something about teaching - never underestimate kids. When I found myself standing on my mat, in the middle of a huge circle of the loud and fidgety bunch, I thought it was going to be a pretty big challenge to grab and HOLD their attention. But from the first pose, they followed our directions, asking for adjustments, and even breathing in unison. Don't get me wrong, there were a few goof ball boy moments. Thank goodness for their teacher, who could get a kid back in line with only a few whispered words, who was also 8 months pregnant, mind you. But in general, I was wowed by the kids' ability to focus and take direction. And the comments were great. One funny comment was from a brown eyed girl in purple pants. After being warned about the dangers of trying to force yourself into a pose and the possibility of pulling a muscle, she yelled, "It's ok if I pull a muscle today. I do it all the time and my Mom doesn't care." I only have one month left of teacher training. I have learned soooo much. For the few people that read my blog, you may be wondering....well, what? I have to admit, I have shied away from posting about my own personal philosophy on yoga. I think it's because I am still in the process of discovering it. What I will say is that I am grateful for yoga. With all the things I've learned through reading, studying, meditating, and hours of practicing, I have learned the most valuable lessons about myself - what I'm made of, who I am, and what kind of yoga teacher I want to be. One more month and I will teach my first class...wow...time flies.