What I am dreaming of....

Today I decided to write my list of things that I am dreaming of doing (this is my start as I don't think I can think of all those things in one sitting) I feel this exercise can help me in so many ways. Finding and acknowledging ones passions and desires will help me accomplish what I need to today so that I can look forward to what's to come! It's good to have a list so that you can refer to it (especially on those days where you feel unmotivated, disillusioned or whatever) You can list things you want to accomplish, learn, do, see, etc. I got the idea off of tranquilista's blog, Kimberly Wilson, yogini and life coach extrodinaire. She is very inspiring! For those who live in DC or will be passing through, you should check out her beautiful studio Tranquil Space Yoga, in Dupont (she also has one in Bethesda and in Arlington)

I am dreaming of:
being the best mommy I can possibly be
painting
hiking to the top of mt kilimanjaro
helping people move better, efficiently and pain free
running a business with my husband
writing a book
teaching more Pilates workshops
taking a cooking class
planting a flower cutting garden
creating a photography coffee table art book of my own images
running a marathon
becoming a designer
learning integrative manual therapy, IMT
making a difference
being more consistent
establishing more stability
becoming more efficient in my daily tasks
doing a mediation retreat
packing the family to live in tuscana for a year.
speaking italian and french-fluently.
traveling to South Africa more frequently and for longer stints
revamping a house
creating a line of organic bedding
having more children
getting my yoga certification
finding more clarity in my individuality
balancing my individuality with being mother and wife...oh so hard.
Yes, more to come!

The case of the mystery Seal

I think my child may have swallowed a seal. Whenever Henry has to cough whether to clear his throat, or if he has slight cough, he barks. Yes, like a seal. And for some time now (since he was born) he has had it. It stumps us slightly as Henry doesn't get coughing attacks, like those you see who have full blown asthma, but the sound of it is deep and guttural enough that people turned to see where the seal is. It is such a loud noise from such a small little person.
Henry hasn't been a sickly child. He's had some fevers, a couple of runny noses, two tummy flu's and that's about it. But he has never been one of those children who has perpetual runny boogies, watery eyes and coughing all the time. He's never had pneumonia or a very bad cough. However, since he started to walk and become more independent over the past 15 months, I've noticed that when he gets really active he has a tendency to make the loud seal bark sound. He may do it once or twice after running around (very physical child) but he never goes into a fit where he coughs incessantly and can't catch his breath.
We decided that we should get his chest x-rayed. On Wednesday I told Henry he was going to have a picture taken of his chest. We were going to have a picture taken so we could see what it looks like. He was completely game. We went into the the imaging room. The nurses greeted him. He smiled and coo'd (he's a full on flirt). One of the nurses picked him up and placed him on the big elevated bed attached to all these machines, quite cumbersome. He sat there in his little sneakers with his hands in his lap all ready to go. I think he was so intrigued by all the machines that he somehow did exactly what they told him to do. AMAZED! I got to stay in the room too which helped. They had him take a deep breath as they took the picture. They positioned him in a few different postures and then that was it. All done. QUICK! He was such a brave little guy. The following morning we went to his doctors office to have a look at the x-ray. The radiologist had noted a few pockets in his lunges where oxygen gets trapped. This could be part of the issue? Not sure at the moment. As the doctor has not diagnosed him with asthma or anything. It is such a weird place to be in, this not knowing. She suggested we use a nebulizer which they loaned to us for the next week to see if it changes his coughing. To see if he continues to bark. Hmmm. We decided to start tomorrow, Saturday, as I wanted us to be able to start this thing in a really relaxed environment. I hope it all goes well. It makes me a little weary doing the albuteral, as it is a stimulant, a drug. Not into drugs or any kind of medicine for that matter. But if it will help then we'll give it a try. We'll do the treatment for one week and then we go back to the doctors on Thursday. If there are no changes, I think we might go to a doctor who also has experience with homeopathy and naturopathy. Do any of you out there have any experience with albuteral and or have a child/toddler with these symptoms or with asthma in general? It would be great to get other feedback. Thanks!

Budding artiste

I gave Henry his first sketch book in June 2008. Barely able to hold a pencil much less a canyon, we started this artistic endeavor. This was done to satisfy my desire to see what creative potential my child possesses. Henry has filled two sketch books with 'cars', 'trains' and other such things with tracks. He has slapped numerous stickers and has done quite a few lovely abstract pieces. So much fun to see. So far our artistic time has been limited to drawing with pencils and crayons as well as play doh (which is partly due to the fact that I myself as a creative person is going through a heavily dried up period. Got to get those creative juices flowing). I am looking forward to embarking on paints (am slightly fearful of the mess...I know, silly). However, spring is here and we can take all that art outside!

Very first sketch books


abstract#1


abstract#2

Since Henry has been going to Boulder Bilingual Childcare, Pati has been organizing various creative projects. Some signify the change in season, holidays and some just to introduce the children to something new. He has painted, planted, dyed and drawn. It is so fun to see what he comes home with. This stage of his development is so fascinating, ever changing and at times quite physically draining for this mama too!
I've posted a few pics of his various projects!


Finger painting


Planting


painted egg


*sorry for the poor photo quality. I'm uploading pics from my blackberry as my digital is BROKEN*

Now if only the darn stoller would recoil....

So now that we've been blessed with gorg weather, I am of course getting completely motivated to get outside and exercise! Yesterday, I picked up Henry from his escuela (school) and we quickly rushed home to grab the bob stroller, my running gear, water and sports drink, snacks for Henry and our sun glasses. We headed over to an area that is west of the Boulder Reservoir. I can never remember the trail name and I know I've talked about it before on my blog.... Thing is, I never really ventured out to run off-road with the bob and a 30 pound toddler (usually it is paved or the hubby is pushing the bob). WHOA. It wasn't until I took the bob out of the car and onto the trail with Henry in it that I realized we were low on air...the tires that is. "Hmmm," I thought to myself, this is going to be interesting. You're hear now, so get it together and just run the damn thing." I managed the 3 mile loop ok, but heck, those hills were rough. As a friend described, it is like trying to push a shopping cart through the snow. You try to push that thing away from you so that it could coast a bit, but its a no go. It literally comes to a stand still if you aren't consistently pushing it. Needless to say, I managed to burn off the chocolate I had eaten earlier so despite the angst, there were some pluses. Henry had a blast observing and checking the scene out. He loved seeing the horsies, cows, ducks, birds and the many doggies that jog the trail.
Having embarked on this trail run with the bob stroller and the 30 pound toddler in tow, got me thinking about the running workshops I used to teach, "Learning to Recoil." These classes encompassed posture, body awareness, core strengthening & stretching exercises, and stride/gate assessments. We taught efficient running posture so that one can move quicker more effectively with less energy. My friend and colleague Ralph Havens PT of Mission Hills Physical Therapy in San Diego and I put these together. They were so fun! So while in the midst of pushing the shopping cart through the snow, I thought about my posture, my stride, the angle at which my elbows bent (yes this matters) as well as where my hips where in relation to my knees and ankles. Of course I was v connected to my core too (with all that Pilates in my body). It helped as believe it or not, I am not sore today! Now if only that darn stroller would recoil.....
If interested, let me know if you'd like me to post a video cast of some running tips. Could be fun.

Henry in the bob


Huh?


Gorgeous Foothills (look how GREEN it is-even though the snow slosh we had 2 days prior really gave me a heartache)


short break to catch my breath and take in the views! Look at my cute baba!

Bring it ON!

Alrighty! Am back to the blogging program here! We had a BLAST in SD, it was too short and a bit of a whirlwind. Here are a few more pics of Henry and Norah hamming it up at the beach in La Jolla, one of my fave places.


Posing for the camera!


A little bit model and a little bit 'cheese!'

Once we arrived to the beach, Henry could not get out of the car fast enough..."Beach, beach" he cried out loud. "BEACH!" We scurried down the sand dune and quickly threw our stuff down. Henry nearly threw himself right into the ocean. Had I not been holding his arm with my death grip, my child would have been adopted by a family of dolphins. Did I mention he doesn't swim? He surely thinks he can! Not only is he fearless of the water, but he doesn't mind the ice cold freezing temps of the pacific ocean. I'm really amazed his lips didn't turn the color purple!
It was a warm gorgeous sunny day and we had fun fun fun!
We are looking forward to our return trip in June when Norah has her first communion. Which I am hoping for like a two week adventure.
Had Dean daddy been there with us, I am sure we would have figured out a way to stay for a few more days but we were missing him! I managed to do as much of the 'to see' and 'to do's' but we backed out of Sea World. A bit bummed about that for Hen's sake as I know he would have loved it. We boarded the plane and called Dean to let him know that we were on the plane. He mentioned that we might not want to get on it as the weather in Denver was ICKY! Yes, snow, rain and slosh. Oh I nearly got off. Despite the plock weather we were having in Colorado, it only lasted 48 hours and my grass is now a beautiful green. Sunday was a stunning warm day! As I sipped on strawberry lemonade vodka's on the deck of my friends house, it was hard to believe that the day before we were cold and bundled in our coats! Silly weather we have here in Colorado. Forecast for this week, GORG...bring it on!

On Hiatus! Vacation time.

Dear blogger friends and family,
Sorry for the slack, but we are off to see the wizard...
Hope you all had a lovely holiday. Will return to my full fledged entries upon return this Thursday. In the meantime, enjoy my few blackberry photos!

 
Norah my niece who just turned 8!


 
Best cousins Norah and Henry!



 
Splish splashing about!


 
mama and henry on the dolphin! Mission Bay

a few of my favorite things....

So the little one has quite a few interests. Activities that weigh in good and bad (good exercise for some and bad habits for others). The first activity involves getting into my makeup. Yes, he likes to put on my lipstick. He will literally open all the lipsticks he can get his hands on and apply. As you can see he isn't afraid to apply a thick layer (I myself like to combine a bit of gloss to keep it looking natural). If you squint enough you might notice what he is gripping in his right hand. That never leaves his grip and if it so happens to fall to the ground, he about loses his S*** (marbles). Henry is completely infatuated with not only the car, but the movie too (I am wondering why I ever even thought it would be cute for him to see). No we can't go into Target without being overstimulated with all the garb. No I won't and I can't say who this little car is because I will go mad. If I so as whisper the word, I think i might explode. I'm so over it, but I keep saying my mantra, 'it's a phase, it will pass.' Convincing? Not sure. So we'll just keep it at that.



Well his eyes are shut for this one (sorry), but this pretty much sums up what we do most afternoons. On days I pick him up from escuela (school), we must go to the park to ride the bike. MUST! He loves his bike and is very possessive of it. If a kid so much as looks at it, he pretty much tells the kid off with a "No, boy, go away." Ouch, can't say I like this. I usually say to him, "Henry the little boy just wants to look at it. He thinks it is really neat too. He just wants to see what it's all about. Don't worry." Or sometimes I just ignore it and tell him to say hello to the little kid who at one point in the beginning of our meeting was so lit with excitement, is now not so sure (don't blame em). SO we need to work on this. Although when I do talk about taking turns or sharing, he just tells me that this toy is a "special toy." I guess it is ok to have some toys that you might feel overly connected to. I know there are things that I don't want others to put their hands on. Hmm...fine line here. I guess it will get a bit easier with time, I hope. I prefer he shares the love (toys) then be possessive. More often than not, he is a good sharer.



If he could Henry would take himself to the park in the car with his bike and helmet in the back. He would drive himself to North Boulder Park, "the big park" as he calls it, and precede to back into his parking spot, hop out, get on his bike and put on the helmet and ride across the alley way making sure as he goes that he is riding into all the puddles.
How did this infatuation start? 'Driving' was introduced up at the ranch. My husband has a ritual that when we arrive to the ranch seeking solitude to get away from the craziness and hectic monotony of life (can monotony be hectic? YES), he precedes to pull out the ranch vehicles. We have an old Jeep Willy that my grandfather bought, in 1957, off a gentleman who was delivering the vehicle to another client. This man had mistakenly driven to the wrong ranch. We also have an orange (sunkist orange) GMC pick up truck from 1969 (that actually has a lift so you can actually dump stuff out the back). I'd admit they are really cool old vehicles. Will have to post more stories about the Jeep as there are many memories and I could go on!! Any who, Dean is a lover of all things that go. If it is mechanical or electrical or has gears or whatever he's into it (hence all the Land Rovers, road and mountain bikes). So with this ritual of starting up the cars and taking them for a dirt road spin (sometimes off road), Henry has now been initiated into this rite of passage. Now that he can walk, knows what a car is, he is capable of partaking in the ritual. So my child, who is 2, is driving. Hands on wheel, steering. His legs aren't quite long enough to reach the pedals but as soon as he can stretch, he will be on his own. Yikes!

3 more sleeps!

Just got off the phone with my sister. I can't wait to see her! In 3 more sleeps, little Henry and I are getting on the plane to go see her and my niece Norah in San Diego. YAY! We are going to celebrate Norah's 8th birthday!! Yikes, time is flying fast I can't believe she is nearing 10!! Her birthday is on the 12th which happens to be Easter Sunday. I'm sad that my honey husband will be staying behind here in Boulder this go round.:( But perhaps he'll get up to some good cycling with his buddies this weekend as well as work on some of the various projects that are hanging over his head (hint hint..well he doesn't read my blog much so I'm sure no offense will be taken, hee hee).
We moved from San Diego back in September and I haven't been back since. So I am excited to see my ol stomping grounds as well as meet up with some friends too. We'll see how much I can actually jam pack in 5 days (will fly fast I'm sure). My mommy will be there too! She is flying in from Washington DC to be with us girls and her grandkids (too bad my bro Rob can't make it too then she'd have all her kittens with her).
On my list to go, see and do are:
Jimmy Carter's Cafe (one of the best Mexican restaurants in SD)- Their tortilla soup is OH SO GOOD!
Cafe Chloe- mmmmmmmmmmm, delicious french decadence. I wish my house looked like this place.
Bread & Cie,-yet another decadent spot for cafe and the best biscotti (too bad I've cut gluten out)
hmm so far most of these have been food institutions...yes, I like food. Lots.
Trader Joe's- tis a shame they don't have this grocery store here in Colorado. I love it and will do a big shop to ship back to Boulder (yes I do that).
Water's Fine Catering- Besides the fact that my friend Andrew is the executive director and chef of this scrumptuous establishment, the FOOD IS DIVINE. I get so many ideas from their daily menu's especially now that I can't coast down the road to their market to pick up dinner. His wife, my good friend Heidi is the graphic designer of this beautiful website! (note: As I write out my blog, I'm chilling out the music that plays on the Water's website, groovy chill jazz).
Rustic Rooster, the cutest cottage interior design shop up in Encinitas.
India Ink, a fantastic stationery store with the best paper and pens as I collect em. (Yes, sister I have admitted this fact. I am a penaholic as well as a pencilaholic. And I love the smell of paper too)
Seaside Papery- ok, yes another paper store. I am addicted. Need to see whats on show.
Hillside Artisans (when it first opened I thought it was a craft store)- is such a great kids clothing and toy store right in my old neighborhood. The owner, Karen has managed to fill her shop with such excellent must have's. Most of Henry's shoes came from there as well as some of his cute wooden toys.
SeaWorld- oh yes, I am embarressed to say that in the FIVE years we lived in San Diego, I never went to Sea World. Very excited although I am a bit worried about seeing such a LARGE whale in such a small body of water. As much as it is so wonderful for kids to learn about animals through places like the ZOO (San Diego Zoo is the best in the world) and SeaWorld, I can't get over that these animals are held captive and behind gates and walls. However, I do realize these are also great places to help build in numbers those animals that are going extinct.
The La Jolla Tide Pools- Oh this is such a great stretch of beach in San Diego. It is a quite area nestled amongst some of the best houses in SD (most of them are cottages that remind me of Hansel and Gretal...although there are a handful of ugly as sin mcmansions that are built of cheap drywall and plastic framed window-ICK)!

Any who, I do realize I've got some busy days ahead. Bring it on, I am looking forward to it! Do I realize that I even have some work engagements to go to? You won't have to pull my leg to go, as I love my boss! Am meeting with Jo, the creator and owner of Commandos, the company I do marketing and sales for. Looking forward to our girl pow wow!
As I look over my list, I realize this is a mini 'What to see in San Diego.' So for you travelers out there who plan on a visit to San Diego, please check out these sites! I will always enjoy going back to San Diego for a visit, but must admit am glad that I am not living there (excluding the fact that I wish I was closer to my sissy again, I miss her to bits).

Have a wonderful rest of your week!
*note: Tide Pools image is from San Diego Coast Life

Clearing Clutter

Spring is round the corner and I am feeling as though some much needed cleaning both physically AND mentally is in order!
I am in the process of setting up my Pilates business website, www.intrinsicpilates.com (not live yet so you won't find anything yummy there yet). Am very stoked about it and am taking my time to put it together in a cohesive manner. Aside from bits about my classes, as well as my background, I will have my professional Pilates blog attached to that site. This is where you will get insights of the benefits, exercises to do at home, quick tips and so on. I'd like to have this pro blog be more specific to Pilates and Wellness versus the personal bits I like to spew on the screen at this blog.
These changes will help me organize my thoughts and keep concise as I have about 3 other websites and businesses in mind that I would be keen on starting someday in the near future. *head spins round and round at this notion*
So will keep you up to date on the launch of my site.
My plans for the week is to SPRING CLEAN and clear out the clutter (aka get rid of my piles of paper). Organizing and cleaning my space, de-cluttering the office, and other parts of the house as well as simplifying my thoughts by getting it all down on a piece of paper as a list of to do's. Maybe I should take cues from Peter Walsh over at Oprah and make a "messyhouse" pledge. I must commit!
As for the Pilates biz, some really exciting news is that I will be giving a chat in May or June to a great group of women cyclists on the benefits of Pilates for their riding (core strength will improve balance and efficiency on the bike as well as improve their endurance). Can't wait as I am looking forward to working with a committed group of gals who are passionate about their sport (whether a novice or elite). The group is called Venus de Miles and they are a women's cycling club here in Boulder. They also host a ride in the summer (this year is on the 30th of August) which benefits Greenhouse Scholars, an organization providing mentorship and scholarship support to high-performing, under-resourced students. Yesterday I went to a spinning class organized by the group. It was awesome! Looking forward to linking in with them. Too bad I just sold my bike (which means I will just have to build a new one)! Ha ha.

8

Tuesday was our 8 year anniversary! Yikes, 8 years. I have to say it certainly doesn't feel as though we've been married that long, which is a good thing, I know. As much as one goes through the ebs and flows of a marriage, I am such a lucky in love girl with her prince charming. He planned our evening with sorting out a play date for Henry so that we could have a romantic dinner together sans le bebe. Needless to say it was an early evening as we had to pick up our sleepy child from our friends house. But the delight was that we actually got to go on a date!
Our special eve involved dining at a delicious new restaurant here in Boulder called Arugula. Pretty much everything about it was yummyingly divine, the food, the wine, the decor and the people. We dined on lamb and polenta, grilled calamari bathed in the most delicious lemon sauce, prosciutto and teleggio cheese with, of course, arugula. We finished with a large mixed green salad with asparagus!This 'mmmm' food was accompanied with a yummy red from Montepulciano. The topper was a molton chocolate cake and cappuccino! Yes, so good that my belly was oh so full! Thank you my Dean love for a wonderful 8 and look forward to forever.